ISAAC ASIMOV

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.

STEPHEN KING

People think that I must be a very strange person. This is not correct. I have the heart of a small boy. It is in a glass jar on my desk.

 

‘Jolen’

 

James: Before we get to deep – tell me a bit about yourself (where you’re from, family, occupation etc)

 

Jolen: Hi James. I was born in Chicago, Il. I’ve in many places, but the greatest majority of my life has been in the Midwest.  I have two beautiful daughters, Raina, 20 and Seajaye, 18, as well as my gorgeous granddaughter, Bailey, who’s 20 mos. I raise and sell Yorkshire Terriers.

 

James: How old where you when you first wrote poetry or prose and what inspired you?

 

Jolen: When I was very young I wrote songs and stories to entertain my sisters and myself.  I have only really been writing poetry and prose the last two years. What inspired me to take up writing seriously again, was a dear friend of mine. He had read my 8 poems and knew I loved writing, so encouraged me to find a site and post my work.

 

James: What was your first story/poem called and what was it about?

 

Jolen: My first real poem was “Ode to Master” It depicted a submissives love and devotion to her/his master.

 

James: Do you still have your first written work, or is it lost forever (and if it is lost are you glad it’s gone?)

 

Jolen: Yes, I still have the original first draft of it, and I am glad I do.
It is a piece that spoke to a very complex, and often misunderstood lifestyle.
I have been told by many that it will be remembered.

 

James: What inspires you to write today?

 

Jolen: I’m inspired a great deal by feelings music gives me. I also do a considerable amount of social and political pieces.

 

James: What are your favourite three books and who are your three favourite authors?

 

Jolen: “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran, The entire “Wheel of Time” series, The hunchback of Notre Dame. Authors:  Robert Jordan, Anne Mcaffrey, and Edgar Allen Poe

 

James: Do you have any current writing projects and what are your plans for the immediate future?

“Oh man! When don’t I? Yes, I do have many things going on. I have a new “Scoop Malloy” series that my writing partner (in crime) Len Wilson and I are doing.

Jolen: I have a ‘Rosie Sanchez’ series that I have to do, and am behind on. Both of those will be done under our “Bad Penny Production” label. I am currently co-writing a piece with one of my favourite writers, James Oleson. I’m also doing a spy parody with Alex McIver. Let’s see, I know I’m forgetting some. Oh yes, I have a collaborative piece I’m scheduled to do, with a very talented young sports writer and author, Scott Marsh.

 

I’m trying to help John Shaw (Woodbine from UKA) raise funds for his “Conductive Education Class”, which is an exercise program to help people with neurological damage caused by Parkinson’s disease. This is a dreadful disease and this program helps people with it a great deal.

I’m working on an erotic novel. I’m also compiling shorter pieces of erotic prose and poetry to be published.

 

Oh, I am also doing a piece called ‘Back to Basics’ that looks at the effect writers and poets have had on the world dating back to Socrates. It will be published in the e-zine “Scribe Spirit” in July.

 

Are you nodding off yet, James?  James? That’s not funny!

 

 Okay, well, then I’m drawing up some outlines and story ideas for a web project dealing with ‘alternate lifestyles’. I was approached 2 years ago about doing this and I think it’s finally going to come together.


I don’t know about you, but I’m tired just reading all of this. LOL

 

I am also the assistant admin.on Creative-Poems, and so that keeps me busy in the writing world.

Hey! How come I don’t get all that bottled water and stuff, like m and m’s with the red ones picked out? I’m calling my agent. What sort of place are you running here, anyway?  Where’s Oprah when you need her?

 

James: Have you ever been published or have you any literary awards/achievements under your belt?

 

Jolen: Yes, I have a book of poetry out called “Journeys of a restless soul, poetry for people” (Because my dogs can’t read) I have several awards on pieces. I’ve had a few poems published in magazines, and I was voted poet of the year for 2005 on poetry in a cup, as well as winning their spring poetry contest.  

 

James: Are you an author who has embraced the internet or are you a technophobe?

Jolen: I love the net, while no expert by any means. I feel it is a wonderful tool, as well as a wonderful way to interact with other writers and poets.

 

James: Finally. If you had control over your future where would you like your life and your writing to be in ten years time?

 

Jolen: I would like to be writing full time and in Hawaii in the winter and have a home in Ireland for the summer. Len Wilson and I would be writing best sellers under Bad Penny, with a good attorney on retainer, and bail money. I’d be with the great love of my life and we’d read love poetry and have picnics on our lawn. “Whut?” You want to know who is the love of my life? Well James, we’ll send you a postcard from Ireland.

 

 

 

 

‘Tara Hanks’

 

James: Before we get to deep – tell me a bit about you (where you’re from, family, occupation etc)

 

Tara: I was born and raised in London. Since then I have lived in Brighton, Lancaster and now Derby. I am married with two sons. 

 

James: How old where you when you first wrote poetry or prose and what inspired you?

 

Tara: I have been reading and writing from an early age. My first stories were inspired by girls’ comics, and I would draw endless cartoon strips. I did dream of being a writer, among other things. When I went to university, I began writing poems. Then in Brighton, I joined a writers’ workshop and wrote short stories.

 

James: What was your first story/poem called and what was it about?

 

Tara: I can’t remember much about my childhood work. The first adult story I wrote was an update of Sleeping Beauty, inspired by Angela Carter’s ‘The Bloody Chamber’.  It was for a college assignment.

 

James: Do you still have your first written work, or is it lost forever (and if it is lost are you glad it’s gone?)

 

Tara: I don’t have that story, but I’ve kept a few of my early poems and prose pieces. I enjoy reading them occasionally, although I probably wouldn’t show them to anyone else.

 

James: What inspires you to write today?

 

Tara: My first two novels have been inspired by iconic, controversial figures like Marilyn Monroe and Christine Keeler, and their place in history.

 

Tara: I would describe my style of writing is a blend of fact and imagination. I try to stay close to the truth, using fiction to reveal the hidden thoughts and feelings which lie behind real events.

 

James: What are your favourite three books and who are your three favourite authors?

 

Tara: ‘Wuthering Heights’ by Emily Brontë, and ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee are two of my favourite books. More recently I’ve enjoyed ‘Memoirs Of A Geisha’ by Arthur Golden, and ‘The Little Friend’ by Donna Tartt. There are so many authors whom I admire, and I find it hard to narrow it down to just three. I enjoy reading the works of Jean Rhys, Willa Cather, John Steinbeck, Alberto Moravia, Tennessee Williams, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Charles Bukowski and Emil Zola. I also like contemporary writers such as Shena Mackay, Hanif Kureishi, and Clare Boylan.

 

James: Do you have any current writing projects and what are your plans for the immediate future?

 

Tara: I’m currently writing ‘The Mmm Girl’, a novel about the life of Marilyn Monroe – as she might have told it herself. As I’m lucky enough to have found a publisher, I have a lot of work ahead of me.

 

James: Have you ever been published or have you any literary awards/achievements under your belt?

 

Tara: My first book, ‘Wicked Baby’, was published in 2004. It is a short novel based on the events of the Profumo Affair. An extract was showcased on the website of writer Laura Hird. And ‘The Mmm Girl’ was the winning entry in the 2005 UKA Press Opening Pages Competition.

 

James: Are you an author who has embraced the internet or are you a technophobe?

 

Tara: As a research tool, the internet is invaluable and the online community is constantly growing. Posting my work on writers’ sites like ABCtales and UK Authors helped me to make contacts, and I have also been able to promote my writing via my own website: http://www.tarahanks.org

 

James: Finally. If you had control over your future where would you like your life and your writing to be in ten years time?

 

Tara: I would love to live by the sea, or in the country. As a writer, I hope I’ll continue to improve and find more readers who are interested in what I have to say.  

 

 

 

 

‘Andrea Lowne’

 

James: Before we get too deep – tell me a bit about you (where you’re from, family, occupation etc)

 

Andrea: Born and brought up in London I was, quite a long time ago. Within the sound of Bow Bells too, so I’m a proper Cockney, innit. I’m not sure you really want to know about my family, they were very…er…dysfunctional, to say the least. Suffice it to say that I fled at 15 and finally left the UK for good at around 21. I say ‘around’ because the old memory is not what it was, alas. Anyway, I bummed around various semi-exotic countries for a few years before arriving, quite by chance, in Holland. Well, not really by chance. I was busking in Paris at the time, and had itchy feet (again) but very little money, so I drew a circle on a map as to where I could go for the money I had. Seemed to me I had three choices – South of France (just came from there), the UK (didn’t want to go back there) or Holland.  Amsterdam it was, then! Been here, on and off, ever since.

Occupation(s)? Just about everything you can think of and some you probably wouldn’t believe if I told you.

 

James: How old where you when you first wrote poetry or prose and what inspired you?

 

Andrea: Probably around 11 (see below). What inspired me? Well, life I suppose – doesn’t it always? I had a pretty miserable childhood, so I expect I wrote pretty miserable ‘poetry’ to match J

 

James: What was your first story/poem called and what was it about?

 

Andrea: I have no idea (in answer to both questions). I expect it was some ghastly, angst-filled poem about the cruelty of existence and the meaning of life and the universe.  I do remember, though, my first ‘real’ story.  Sadly, it was called ‘Let Sleeping Dog’s Lie’. I must have been about 12 and was in my Sherlock Holmes/HG Wells/Edgar Allan Poe phase at the time, so it was probably a sort of detective/sci-fi/horror effort. I entered it in the school comp, and it was actually commended by Monica Dickens, bless ‘er, who was judging the thing. Quite chuffed I was.  Oh, and I won another comp (Camden Borough Council comp, as I recall) when I was around 13, for which I received the princely sum of a tenner. Actually, it was quite a lot of money in those days. Can’t remember what it was called though (or what I spent the tenner on).

 

James: Do you still have your first written work, or is it lost forever (and if it is lost are you glad it’s gone?)

 

Andrea: Lost forever you (and everyone else) will be delighted to hear. Of course, as I mentioned, I wrote the usual tragic, tortured poetry as a child. Dreadful garbage it was, too. I did once attempt a semi-autobiographical novel but I depressed myself so much, I had to give up. It’s still unpublished, needless to say and likely to remain that way. Wouldn’t like to drive anyone to suicide, now would I? Mind you, that’s not a bad idea for a story…I can see the headlines now…Tortuous Tome Tops Twins, or Manic Manuscript Massacres Maude. The News of the World’d have a field day and I’d earn a fortune giving interviews...

 

James: What inspires you to write today?

 

Andrea: Everything – It just never seems to manage to progress from brain to paper (or should I say ‘screen’?)

 

James: What are your favourite three books and who are your three favourite authors?

 

Andrea: Must be one and the same, surely? Let’s see…difficult one, this. I’d have to say I, Claudius and Claudius the God (I’m counting that as one, see) by Robert Graves. Then there’d be Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) and, well, practically anything by Zola. I’m also rather partial to Margaret Drabble, Daphne du Maurier, Saki, Fay Weldon, Iris Murdoch and most of the Russian and French classics.  Oh, and Oscar Wild of course, and who’s that Colombian chappie? Oh yes, Gabriel Marquez Garcia. One Hundred Years of Solitude has just GOT to be in my faves. Oh, oh I almost forgot! Earthly Powers (Anthony Burgess). Brilliant!  Also…nah, just kidding.

 

James: Do you have any current writing projects and what are your plans for the immediate future?

 

Andrea: No, dammit, I wish I did. I never seem to get the time to write anything these days. Perhaps I’m procrastinating (for four years?). I’ve always rather wanted to write a sit-com though. If only the formatting wasn’t so difficult…

 

James: Have you ever been published or have you any literary awards/achievements under your belt?

 

Andrea: I’ve had two books published, the first ‘Blood and Wine are Red’ (now guess where that title came from!) is a collection of 40 humorous tales. The second is ‘Giving Your Words Worth’ (geddit?) which, whilst hardly a tome, does contain a lot of hopefully useful tips, hard information, advice and ideas on how to successfully publish your work. Well, that was the idea, anyway…

 

Other than that, quite a few shorts and articles in various print mags.

 

James: Are you an author who has embraced the internet or are you a technophobe?

 

Andrea: Ooooh, no, I’ve embraced it. In fact, I’ve embraced it a bit too enthusiastically. I’ve embraced it so much that, with the help of Richard Harris, I set up UKAuthors (www.ukauthors.com)  Young UKAuthors (www.yuka.ukauthors.com) and UKA Press (www.ukapress.com) . As a consequence of which, I hardly have any time to write for myself! Besides, I do so love fiddling with the innards of websites and pc’s. Sad, I know. Must be the hormones (or lack of them).

 

James: Finally. If you had control over your future where would you like your life and your writing to be in ten years time?

 

Andrea: Ah, well, I expect I’ll be pushing up the daisies in 10 years time. No, seriously, I see myself (or would like to see myself, that is) in a small, remote, stone cottage (must have open fire and beams) in Wales (North or South, not fussy. Ireland would do at a pinch, though. Bantry Bay area is nice, if anyone’s offering) with a large garden in which I can tend veggies and flowers. Chickens and dogs are a must. Cow and goats optional.

 

As for the writing – who knows? I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’ll never write a bestseller so, for the moment, I’ll plod on stoically and without (much) complaint, with UKA and UKAP.