Ask the Author: Stephanie Kallos
Answered Questions (8)
Stephanie Kallos
From an NPR story I heard several months ago, about an American socialite and artist, Anna Colman Ladd, who accompanied her physician husband to Paris during WWI and ended up heading an art studio that made masks for facially disfigured soldiers. (A famous recent inclusion of this bit of history occurred in BOARDWALK EMPIRE; one such masked soldier had a major role.) Looking into this story led me to learning about how the proliferation of these soldiers was dealt with in other places - specifically in Kent, where a plastic surgeon named Sir Harold Gilles established and oversaw Queen's Hospital, a facility that was given over exclusively to the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of facially disfigured soldiers.
Stephanie Kallos
Inspiration is overrated and unreliable. It's pointless and crippling to wait for it; one just applies the seat of one's pants to the seat of the chair. If Inspiration shows up, great. But it cannot be a prerequisite for writing.
Stephanie Kallos
My fourth novel, THE BLUE BENCH: a loose re-telling of the CYRANO de BERGERAC story taking place over twenty years and set in Britain before, during, and after WWI.
Stephanie Kallos
Find a writing group - be that group several folks or (as was the case with me) one other person. Especially for aspiring fiction writers: when it comes to knowing if what is in your head + heart is getting onto the page, there is only one person who can make that assessment, and it isn't you; it's a reader. So it's crucial to have trusted readers of your work: smart, kind, non-competitive folks who can not only address what's working and what's not working, but basically say one of two things:
1. It's great. Keep going.
2. It's not good enough. Keep going.
1. It's great. Keep going.
2. It's not good enough. Keep going.
Stephanie Kallos
Not needing to stand in line at Starbucks or get out of one's bathrobe to get to work. :-)
Stephanie Kallos
I refuse to believe in it!
Stephanie Kallos
Hi Robert! Thanks so much for reaching out. I'm delighted to hear that you're enjoying the book. And yes: it is indeed just fine to NOT ask a question. :-)
Stephanie Kallos
Lisa! This is my first time on GOODREADS since I got back from Boston - and I was just about to try and connect! Thanks for beating me to the punch. It was really great meeting you. I hope you and your girlfriends had a fabulous time. Thanks for the support. And I'm so happy that the long line in Starbucks that morning allowed us to meet. :-) Be well, S
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