Tarak Ghosh's Blog: Black & White - Posts Tagged "interview"

Author Norm Clark
Interviewed by Tarak Ghosh
1. You were born and raised in a military environment and you like to write action packed thriller novels. What is the chemistry between 'environment' and 'liking'?
The CIA and the military have an indepth working agreement, so to make the step from a militant background to the action/thriller genre was a natural progression for me.
2. Jack McDuff, the Agency's top rated covert agent. Please tell your readers how you created this character?
The first thing I did when I decided to write a novel was create a picture of Jack in my mind—a large thickset man with reddish-brown hair, a ruddy complexion, and hazel eyes. So, I opened the telephone book and selected a Scottish surname to fit his description. The CIA lured him from the Army Ranger service for black-ops duty, which gave him a military connection.
3. How did you choose the genre you write in?
Many friends through the years were Navy Seals and an ex-Air America pilot from the Viet Nam era. Their anecdotes and attitudes set the action/thriller tone for me.
4. How did you come up with the title of your book or series?
Titles should relate to the book’s storylines. In my first book, “Resurrected”, Jack McDuff is reassigned to a desk job when he learns of assassinations of his friends and fellow agents in Europe. He accepts an unsanctioned mission to track the killer and in the process resurrects his field agent status. The second book in the series is “The Saladin Strategy.” Jack uncovers a Jihadist scheme to replicate Saladin’s unification of the sects and tribes centuries ago to defeat King Richard during The Crusades.
5. Tell us a little bit about your cover art ( The Saladin Strategy). Why did you go with that particular image/artwork?
The cover is a modern-day photo of the underground alleys in the old city of Jerusalem, which sets the cover in the story’s theme. Many readers have commented on the mystique of the cover, which drew them to the book.
6. Who is your favorite character from your books and why?
I would have to select my protagonist, as the story is built around him. However, we would have no story without an antagonist, and the minor characters are essential to create the richness and fullness required for a well-rounded story.
7. How about your least favorite character? What makes them less appealing to you?
I must confess, I love them all.
8. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Are you inspired by anyone?
I was probably in my mid-twenties when Ken Follett’s “The Eye of the Needle” planted the novelist seed for me. Unfortunately, life got in the way and delayed my dream for many years, but writing became my life when I could retire and begin my first book.
9. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
At about the age of eight years, I read “The Wizard of Oz” and became an insatiable reader.
10. Tell your readers a little bit about yourself and your first thriller "Resurrected."
My first writing project, “Resurrected,” gave birth to my new life as an author and soon taught me the dedication required to become an author of merit.
11. Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
Any of the ‘living’ characters created are eligible for inclusion in future work if the story dictates their involvement.
12. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
The basic storyline is created in the imagination, however, many of my scenes and plot directions are based on anecdotes and experiences from real life.
13. Have you written a book you love that you have not been able to get published?
As an Indie Writer/Publisher, the answer is no. The responsibility to publish a quality product rests squarely on my shoulders.
14. In future what do we expect from you ? A new genre?
My immediate plan is to publish a third book in the current series. For the future, I might write a book in the mystery genre. Though the format differs from a thriller, the genres are considered quite similar. We’ll see what happens.
15. Why readers like your books? Your opinion as a reader.
I’ll respond with my recent release as the topic since the reviews and comments rate “The Saladin Strategy” as a sure-fire best-seller candidate, which justifies the writing style I have developed. The complex plot dictates short chapters, which greatly reduces confusion describing simultaneous events and contributes to the flow of the story. The conflict grabs the reader in the first chapter and refuses to let go until the very end, which makes the book a legitimate page-turner.
My foregoing opinion as a reader is substantiated by the reviews and other reader comments, which fills me with pride for the quality book I have written.

Author Kalyani Kurup
Interviwed by Tarak Ghosh

About "The Vanished and Vanquished"
1. What is the background story of writing "The Vanished and Vanquished"?
Most of the characters and incidents in “The Vanished and Vanquished” are from real life. I wanted to tell the story of these very very real people – people who bore their pain stoically all their lives, and managed to keep a smile on their face even when their innards were being torn apart. I can’t say that I had a correct target market in mind when I started writing the novel, but recording the story was a mission for me.
I also wanted to freeze a picture of the matrilineal system, a system which is now defunct but was very powerful when it existed. The setup allowed women to retain their maiden identity after marriage, inherit more property than men, and pass on their surnames to their children, at a time when women did not have such freedoms in most parts of the world.
2. Where do you get the information or ideas for "The Vanished and Vanquished"?
I did not have to do too much research. Some of the characters, their stories, and many of the scenes that I have described, were stacked in my mind. For example, there is the scene with which the novel opens – the woman Devi running berserk around the house shouting. I still have a clear memory of that scene which I saw in a relative’s house when I was a child. At that age I was afraid of that woman. It was only after I grew up that I realized how horribly tragic her story was. Her story unravels through subsequent chapters, and in chapter 14 the real reason for her problem is revealed.
Like that, I had plenty of information from incidents I had witnessed and stories I had heard. I had only to modify the story and pad it here and there to connect the characters and conceal their identities.
3. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating "The Vanished and Vanquished"?
This is my first book and before I wrote this I had not realized that editing would be a never-ending process. Every time I read the book, there is something that I want to change. Even after getting the manuscript edited by a professional editor, I saw typos and other errors.
4. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
Most of the things in my book are based on real life experiences. Of course, I have added characters and modified the story to give shape to the novel. For example, the story of the adoption of twins by Devayani, and her fight with her family is pure fiction. I made it up so that there is some element of redemption in the midst of all that doomed love and pain and disappointment. In real life, the lady who was wrongly deserted by her husband lived a very lonely life till the end.
5. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
My favorite chapter is Chapter XX, which I have named ‘The Stranger’. There is a very surprising revelation in that chapter. The chapter makes it clear that no human being will ever be able to control or possess another person’s mind, however much he or she may physically own or control him/her. I like many of the scenes and sentences in that chapter, like the paragraph ‘He was prepared for the pain the sight of her might rekindle. Or the jealousy the sight of her husband might kindle. But he was not prepared for her husband’s absence. Or for the fire and smoke. Or for the flaming night. A night that would remain a question mark for nearly four decades since he didn’t dare find out the answer.’
6. Do you hear from your readers much about "The Vanished and Vanquished"? What kinds of things do they say?
I don’t have a big readership but those who have read the book had the patience to read it cover to cover and analyze the characters. A complaint from some readers is that I have used too many jawbreaker words and have gone into some unnecessary descriptions. About the storyline and characters, I have received only praise. Those who appreciated the work very highly are people in their eighties. They have lived through the matrilineal system when they were young and so understand all the nuances of the system. They told me that it was as perfect a portrait of the system as one could paint. I don’t know if the younger generation will be able to appreciate it the same way though some people in their thirties have also showed their appreciation for the work.
7. Give us an insight into your main characters. What does s/he do that is so special?
It is a multi-hero multi-heroine story. Each character reacts to situations in different ways. The book is set in mid-20th century Kerala, and most characters are not able to assert themselves and lead their lives the way they want to, because they have been conditioned from childhood to believe that they should blindly obey their elders, husbands etc. The character Rathi, who slaps her husband and walks out of the house, does not dare tell her parents what she has done because she knows that it will be practically impossible to make them understand her side of the story.
Even the character Kishore, who is grownup and independent when his father makes an unreasonable demand on him, does not dare disobey his father because of the values the society has instilled in him. It takes time for him to free himself and go his own way. The knowledge of his mother’s boldness – the way she opts to live at least one night with her lover to her fullest satisfaction – works as a catalyst for him to make his choice. One of the characters makes this problem clear when she says “We are conditioned to react in a certain way. To do what we are expected to do. Not what we want to do.”
8. How did you draw the picture of India and Indian women in "The Vanished and Vanquished"?
Most of my female characters – except Dunera – belong to communities which have conventionally given a lot of freedom to women. Still, women have to submit to the whims and fancies of men to a certain extent. Women who are poor, however, are handicapped in every way and have to bear a lot of injustices. Despite that, they manage to survive with the limited resources at their disposal.
9. Do you think that "The Vanished and Vanquished" can represent India, How?
Yes and No. The concept of ‘family honor’, wherein the so-called ‘honor’ of the family is considered to be of paramount importance and more important than the individual, was prevalent in 20th century India as it was in many Asian countries. It is to protect this so-called ‘family honor’ that Madhavan – one of the characters - is forced to divorce his wife of one week, whom he loves very very dearly. To that extent, the work can be considered representative of India.
Women putting up with unhappy marriages till they snap, as in the case of Rathi, was also commonly seen in earlier Indian societies. That said, I cannot say that ‘The Vanished and Vanquished’ is fully representative of India. The story is set in the background of the matrilineal system as different from the patriarchal system that is common in the rest of India. The matrilineal system was unique and was followed only by certain communities even in Kerala.
About the Author

1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Long ago, when I was in college. I wrote many poems and several chapters of a novel when I was in college. All those were in Malayalam. I did not know English then. However, I was (and still is) a very shy and reserved person, and was embarrassed to show the stuff to anyone. I eventually destroyed all those poems and half-written novel.
2. What does your family think of your writing?
Nobody in my immediate family is a writer. So none is able to help or guide me in any way. But there is moral support and appreciation.
3. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My basic qualification is a Master’s degree in Zoology. I studied law for two years but did not complete it. I never had a full-fledged career so that I find it difficult to define myself. I have held office jobs now and then, and have worked as the manager of a CADD training center for 12 years. I have traveled a lot in India because of the nature of my husband’s job, and have lived in remote Himalayan valleys and come into contact with a wide cross section of people. I consider that my greatest education. Among the places I have lived, the one with which I really fell in love was a place named Tissa in the state of Himachal Pradesh. I have referred to this place extensively in “The Vanished and Vanquished”.
In 2012, while living in the USA as a guest of my daughter, I came into contact with a writers’ organization named “Writers of Chantilly”. I joined the group and they accepted my stories for two of their anthologies. They helped a lot with suggestions for improving my children’s books and were instrumental in encouraging me to publish.
4. What are your ambitions for your writing career?
I am pinning a lot of hope on my latest yet-to-be-published book ‘Mystic and Mili’. My ardent hope is for it to be made into a movie some day.
5. Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet, and why?
I think I would like to meet Amitav Ghosh because I like his works very much. I especially like ‘The Hungry Tide’. There are other books that I love equally well, but somehow I have never felt the same level of fascination for the writers of those books.
6. Do you work with an outline, or just write?
I do make a rough outline, but mostly it is just writing. Especially when writing ‘The Vanished and Vanquished’, ideas and events just flowed out one after the other in a torrent and I wrote down everything. Later I had to chop off more than half of it to control the size of the book. With ‘Mystic and Mili’, I had a clearer outline.
7. What do you think makes a good story?
I love to read period fiction/family sagas/tragic romances etc. ‘Tess of the ‘D’Urbervilles’ , ‘Thorn Birds’, ‘The Hungry Tide’ etc. are my favorites. I feel that the more hard-hitting reflection of reality a story is, the better it is likely to be. However, a good story, while it mirrors the society, should also show it as changeable, with subtle suggestions for bringing about that change.
I find it difficult to enjoy fantasy fiction, science fiction, or the like. Despite that I have recently finished a fantasy fiction for children because I was given to understand that children’s fantasy fiction has a better market than family sagas and tragic romances.

1.You are such a writer who can say with confidence 'Get a grip on yourself and do something good with your life'. How do you get this energy?

I am writing now for the last 20 years after surviving cancer and following two years of just waiting to die. After these two years I began to think again and came to my senses as I described myself. I had to do something with myself, and as I thought, show the world that I survived and can go on living. And if I can do it, so can you.Since I couldn’t work at my traditional job any longer, I started to write, remembering the time I was writing short animal stories as a teenager, in German. In the beginning I wasn’t sure in which language I should write. But then I decided to write in English, since my English became better and we live in an English-speaking country. Albert, my husband, taught me how to use a computer and I wrote many short stories. And to show the world what I can do, I entered them in competitions. More often I got very good reports and comments back, which gave me confidence to go on writing and that I am on the right track. One of the short stories was about Talon and Matica. Judges from the competition loved the story and so I thought, I could develop a series about Talon and Matica. And so the TALON series came to life.My motto was and is: “Teaching Children Self-Confidence through Service to Others.” Children today face immense pressure to fit in with their peers. (As I faced in my own life) This pressure is leading to record rates of depression among preteens and teenagers and this to suicide. Parents look for ways to build their children’s self-esteem; however, teens look to their peers and popular culture for acceptance rather than their parents. This puts parents in a challenging situation. Most children of this age group have issues with acceptance and this is explored and resolved in a positive manner within the story line of the Talon series. Matica shows children and teens that they can overcome great obstacles with love, patience and a selfless attitude toward helping others and experience exciting adventure on the way.

2. Your life is larger than a novel. What realization made you determined to take challenges?

When I grew up, I realized that I couldn’t go on in life what I was doing. I lived in a shell, as I described myself, I lived like a turtle, but hardly came out. I realized that I couldn’t go on like that. I was rejected by many people and in school as well. I was put down. But then, when I met my husband Albert, I realized that I am a person as well, that I am not a turtle and that I, like everyone else, have a right to live. My husband saw me, my inside and married me. And so I became the person I was meant to be.

3. You have studied architectural drafting and once that was your profession also. At resent writing is your passion and profession. What is your inspiration?

I have to say, my own life. Matica, the little girl in my story is me. I am not handicapped as she is, but still she is me in all aspects. I wanted to write a story about a handicapped or challenged girl to show readers what they can achieve if they put their minds not to the negativity but to the positivity. (As Matica had to learn it as well, and I have done nearly my whole life myself. Being rejected in school as well, I was always an outsider, keeping to myself in the turtles shell, had hardly any friends.) And since I love birds, I decided to let her have a bird. But then came, what bird? And then the idea went even further. What is if she could fly on the bird? That would be something. But to do that, she has to have a disability to be very small. But again, the bird has to be big as well. And there the condor came to my mind. I loved the condors before. Amazing birds. They are the biggest land birds (vulture) on our wonderful earth. And so the story about Matica and Talon came to existence. And then I had to set the scene in Peru close to the great Andes where the condors live. And so it came, that I decided to let her family go to Peru as missionary from Australia.

4. Your two little daughters gave you the courage to go ahead. Do you think ever to write a novel based on them?

Our daughters gave me the inspiration in the first place to go on living, because they needed me, their mum. It was even in these two years, where I didn’t do much, just waiting to die, that I always thought, I can’t die, I have to be there for them. And no, I haven’t, because my husband Albert has written the adopting story down, all our hardship and the waiting time. Everything.

5. What is the secret behind writing the 'Talon' series?

No real secret. I just wanted to let the world know that, when you put your mind to something and really want it, you can achieve it. Matica was rejected by the local Indian because of her disability. She hated that state, but couldn’t do anything against it. As it is in real live. But, there is always the ‘but’. Even that Matica was not always happy, but she tried to be. And so she chose being kind over being right. She had to learn it as well, but she learnt it well, as I have as well. Because if you think like that, you’ll be right all the time.A quote from my books: “If you don’t know how to go on in life, whatever it might be, even if you have a disability, find a ‘condor’.” That is just what Matica does in my book, TALON, COME FLY WITH ME. Now she can handle every obstacle…In the beginning Matica acted out of instinct and her own survival. Only so she could cope with the rejection.

6. You spent a part of your life in Germany and New Zealand. Have you written any short story or series based on the custom and culture of those countries?

No, I haven’t. I was writing beside my work in Germany, little stories, mostly about horse stories. Unfortunately I never kept them or they were lost. They were just for me. I loved doing it and let my imagination wander and be the person I was writing about. And so I lived in the written world, not really where I actually should live. I had a hard life, because I had to change so many schools, that I didn’t have any friends anymore, because I knew I would lose them again. So I spent my time in my stories.I would love to see them again now, but that’s not possible, unfortunately. When I survived the deadly disease and I started to write, I started to write short stories, in English. I loved doing it, and so I even sent them in for competitions. I got lots of very good comments back, and that gave me confidence to go on and that I was on the right track, but never got the first price. But I wasn’t seeking for that. I would say, I was testing the new field for me. I still have all these short storied, and weave them into the Talon books, as Matica is dreaming them. They are all about animals as well.

7. Give us an idea about your popular series 'Talon'.

After I had decided to make the story about Matica and Talon as a series, I spend 3 whole days in the library to learn everything about Peru, their people, the land and of course about the condors. In that time, nothing was available in the Internet as it is now. I also couldn’t find any real good pictures of condors. Now there are so many good ones. Love them all.The first book TALON, COME FLY WITH ME is actually the introduction how Matica is feeling about her new live in Peru. And so she is finding the condors and made friends with them. Poachers stole their egg and Matica with her father rescued it again. And so Matica is incubating it and calls the chick Talon. She also trains Talon to be the majestic bird he has to be and helps him to fly. The second book: TALON, ON THE WING is all her incredible adventure flying on Talon after an accident.The third book: TALON, FLIGHT FOR LIFE. She and her father Crayn venture to the next big city to get medication and food they can’t get from the local Indians and the tickets to get back to Australia for a holiday. On the way back something very bad happens. Only Talon could and will rescue them and help her father not to die. The fourth book: TALON, CONNECTED is completely different. She learns how to live with the Indians and help them.I am working on the fifth book: TALON, HUNTING THE HUNTER. It is the end of the poacher.Book six, they have the holiday in Australia and find out that they have to go for a year to India to replace a missionary who is going on holiday. Matica misses Talon very much, but encounters other incredible adventures.Book seven and eight and nine, in India. And then they are coming back to Peru. And what she encounters there then.

8. Who is your favorite character from your book and why? What does she/he do that is so special?

I let Matica speak again. She is very good in explaining, since she lived it.I had embraced my problem before I made friends with my condors Tamo and Tima. I held onto it and I felt sorry for myself and cried a lot, wanting to run away or something worse. But would it help me? Would it become better? Would I grow taller? No, nothing of that helped me. I didn’t have those questions when I was still in my sorrow, but all these questions came to me later, after I was loved and was cherished.One day I looked up into the sky and saw the majestic condors flying in the air. Here and now, I made up my mind. I wanted to become friends with them. I believed if I could achieve that, all my sorrow and rejection would be over.And true enough, it was over. I was loved. I even became famous. And so, if you are in a situation, with whatever your problem is, find something you could rely on and stick to it, love that and do with that what you were meant to do.

9. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

To face myself and being the hero in my own books. And as Mira and Matica are saying in my books:‘Sometimes the worst and greatest problems in life cannot be solved. They can only be outgrown.’ And I have been outgrown them. Many times, I might say.Yep, I certainly am the hero of my story. I am even a hero in how I befriended the condors I named Tamo and Tima. I am also a hero raising Talon, the offspring of Tamo and Time, to the majestic condor he needs to be. I am a hero because of defeating the poachers, defeating my sorrow.

10. What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful?

Word of mouth. Tell all your friends about the Talon books. That would help.My motto is, and I hope everyone who is reading my books, will see them and go after them.“Be you, yourself, be happy again. Don’t let life pass by you. Don’t look back, look into the bright future. The future is as bright as the promise of God.” “Smile – it’s the most beautiful attire.”“I can do it.” These four words are the most power-filled words.“Let your smile change the world, don’t let the world change your smile.”“If you don’t know how to go on in life, whatever it might be, even if you have a disability, find a ‘condor’.”That is just what Matica does in my Talon books. Now she can handle every obstacle…“Size is nothing. The heart is all that counts. And you have the best, softest and most caring heart I ever have encountered. Because of your heart, you survived the hardship the Indians have put you through.”

11. You’re a writer, an architectural designer, a handicraft artist. Which do you prefer in introducing yourself? What impresses you more?

I am very creative with my hands. Love doing things. But it’s always periodically. First I started with pencil drawings on the big ship we came over from Germany to New Zealand. There was nothing more to do for me. And seeing that I loved doing it, and seeing how the people loved them, I went on in New Zealand. But strangely enough, I couldn’t really sell them. So I went to oil paintings. I loved it as well, but again, I couldn’t sell them. Then came the next thing, cross stitching. And again the same story. I did always animal, since I love animals. I still have them all. The pencil drawing, the oil paintings, the cross stitches. All animals.

12. Give us an insight into your main characters of your short stories, novels or series.

I let Matica, my main character, speaking in her own voice. It’s best to describe her: My name is Matica and I am a special needs child with a growth disability. I am stuck in the body of a two year old, even though I am ten years old when my story begins in the first book of the Talon series, TALON, COME FLY WITH ME. Because of that disability, (I am saying ‘that’ disability, not ‘my’ disability because it’s a thing that happened to me, nothing more and because I am not accepting it as something bad. I can say that now after I learned to cope with it.) I was rejected by the local Indians as they couldn’t understand that that condition is not a sickness and so it can’t be really cured. It’s just a disorder of my body. But I never gave up on life and so I had lots of adventures roaming around the plateau where we live, with my mother’s blessings. But after I made friends with my condors I named Tamo and Tima, everything changed. It changed for the good. I was finally loved. And I am the hero and I embrace my problem. In better words: I had embraced my problem before I made friends with my condors Tamo and Tima. I held onto it and I felt sorry for myself and cried a lot, wanting to run away or something worse. But did it help me? Did it become better? Did I grow taller? No, nothing of that helped me. I didn’t have those questions when I was still in my sorrow, but all these questions came to me later, after I was loved and was cherished. One day I looked up into the sky and saw the majestic condors flying in the air. Here and now, I made up my mind. I wanted to become friends with them. I believed if I could achieve that, all my sorrow and rejection would be over. And true enough, it was over. I was loved. I even became famous. And so, if you are in a situation, with whatever your problem is, find something you could rely on and stick to it, love that and do with that what you were meant to do. And I never run from conflicts.

13. Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Live life the fullest, as much as you can. Smile as much as you can. As Crayn said in my book: Let your smile change the world, don’t let the world change your smile.And: Smile – it’s the most beautiful attire. And: “If you don’t know how to go on in life, whatever it might be, even if you have a disability, find a ‘condor’.” Not literally, but something you can rely to, something you love doing, something to help others. Whatever it is, that makes you happy. The condors made Matica happy. You have to find yours.

14. Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet, and why?

I have to confess, that I do not have anyone I would really like to meet. I never had an idol or so to live by. I tried my best to live, to love and to be.

15. Do you think the new age children are moving away from reading storybooks? If yes, what are the causes behind it and what's the way out?

That is difficult to say. I think the time of the computers and games are playing a lot that children, sadly, are not reading as much as they should, to brighten their few, to escape into a different world, into a magical world, into flying on a condor. They would never find out, what it is, to see all these. It is sad to know that.I have heard something very good and I do believe that: A child, who reads, will be an adult who thinks.Parents should more encourage their children to read books. There are so many out there. And they are all good, particular my Talon books series.Thank you Gigi Sedlmayer. May God give you more strength and courage to write for us.Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express myself and to let Matica and her condors express herself. Bless you allely.

1.  You have a B.S. degree but you love writing. When did you start
writing? Were you inspired by anyone or it was an instinct ?

In 2009, my husband told a friend of mine that he felt I wrote well. She then told me. Mulling that over, a story began to form in my mind that summer. Later that year, I had two surgeries within 6 weeks of each other. Having time while recuperating, I started to write.

I wrote on what I knew, my parrot Jasper. He adopted us in 1999 at the age of five. His antics and personality practically wrote the book, for the mannerisms that are in my book I have observed by watching Jasper. He was my inspiration along with my husband's third party nudge.

2. Why did you choose writing, especially for the children? You like
birds and  you are also a birdwatcher. Are they and their untold
stories inspire you to write?  Do you find any chemistry between the
beauty of nature and a writer's imagination?

To be honest, I'm uncertain why I chose this genre to write my first book. It just seemed natural that Jasper would be meant for children. It would be, I felt , a great opportunity for me to educate kids on the rainforest and Amazon parrots. Especially since my main character was a living breathing member of my family.

You nailed it; their untold stories. I like to educate people about birds if I can. Most people are familiar with dogs, cats, and fish as the average pets. Well, at least, when I was growing up. It's not often I come across someone in my area that has a bird. It's a perfect opportunity to share with the world how amazing and loving they can be. They each have their own distinct personalities, and will love you to pieces if you only let them which I have.

I absolutely find chemistry between the beauty of nature and a writer's imagination. I love to get inspiration from writing and picture prompts. Most of my short stories and smaller books have come from these, but nature is a whole new world. My book, Squirrel Mafia, that I will be releasing myself in February, is a true story based on my year long war with the squirrels in my back yard. It's something people might not think to write on if they did not take a step back, and look outside at our wonderful world.

The chemistry is there, and it flows so brilliantly. I love tapping into this source, for it is never-ending, and you never know where it will take you. That, alone, fascinates me to look outside.



3. What are your ambitions for your writing career?

I would love to have my books in a library and in the schools. My big dream, and we should all have them, is to have Jasper made into a movie. I’d like my career to grow as more people learn about my books. For them to read and enjoy something I wrote. To me, that’s such a amazing feeling. One, that doesn’t get old. I hope to entertain people for a long time.



4.What  genre are your books?

I range from fiction to non-fiction. The genres are children, true-life, comedy, action, and mystery. On occasion, I do dabble in other genres. This is mostly due to writing to any prompts I see/are given to me.


5.  So, what have you written?

These are the ones that have been released to the public so far.

Root Canal
Jasper, Amazon Parrot: A Rainforest Adventure
Dragons In The Attic

I will be self publishing my book, Squirrel Mafia, in February 2014.

The books that I need to revise and edit are my three NaNoWriMo books, which are:

A Woman of Color
Moe's Cafe
Lost Faith

Numerous short stories have been written, and my editor and I are working on making them into anthologies that are to be released when time permits.

I'm also writing the third installment of the Jasper series.


6.Where  can the book lovers buy or see them?

Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.

7.Give us an insight into your main characters. ( A Rainforest
Adventure, Jasper, Amazon Parrot)  What does he/she do that is so
special?

Jasper is an Amazon parrot living in the rainforest alongside his mother and brother. The story starts off as he hatches. Being the older brother, it’s up to him to watch over his younger sibling, Willie, and make sure he’s okay as the two venture out to explore with their friends, George, the sloth, and Charlie, a spider monkey.

As the boys start to grow and emerge fully feathered, hard lessons are learned. Their good friend, Charlie, who is a bit older and has been around the jungle longer, helps the brothers navigate through perils, and keep them from harm. Without his help and knowledge, the two brothers would surely come to harm.


8. What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of
self-publishing against being published or the other way around?

Before my book was picked up, I would have to say that with self-publishing you have total control of your book, while with traditional publishing you have to give up a little bit.

I have done both ends of the spectrum, published traditionally and self-published.

As an author, I feel we need to embrace both avenues. When one self-publishes, you have total control of your product. How you want to present and market it is all on you. Having final say is a powerful thing to have when it comes to one's book. Traditional publishing does take some of the weight off your shoulders. My book, Jasper, was picked up by a traditional publisher, and with that came an illustrator that made the beautiful cover for my book. This might have been something I could not have had if I had self-published.

A misconception, though, in traditional publishing, is they will take care of all of the PR for you. That is no longer true. Authors are required to do the leg work as well regardless of what format they get their book out in.

What I did like with my publisher is having the final say on things as if I was self-publishing it. That was reassuring as well as frightening. A wrong decision along the way can determine how well your book does, and the person you have to answer to is staring back at you in the mirror.

Not all publishers give you that much say in the process of getting a book out. I was very fortunate on that account. It all depends on what your strengths are as a writer, and how much you are willing to do for your book.



9. For your own reading, do you prefer eBooks or traditional
paper/hardback books?


Easy question–a real book. I have always told people the only way I was getting a tablet to read a book was if someone bought me one. My husband got me one this year. I just prefer a real book, the smell the feel, and the actual turning of a page. Not an ereader turning it for me. To go into a used bookstore, and spend hours there is one of life's simple pleasures, something you can’t get from a ebook.

I get the point of one, you can store many, many, many books on a tablet. When I am on vacation, I will use mine. But it can, and never will, take away my love for a real book. It, and I, have bonded from a young age, and I don't see that changing any time soon.




10. Do you think that you have a social duty as an author?

I believe if we are able to make a difference, then by all means, we should. There are so many injustices being done in the world that a lot of us know nothing about. Making awareness through our writings is a great way, so long as it is done in a way that isn't harmful. My book, A Woman of Color, addresses an issue that few people know about.


11. What sociological problem hurts you more?

Any issue that affects children is hard on my heart. They are our future that will lead us into the next generation. If we stifle that, be it through abuse, education, or lack of basic necessities, we are doing the world a great disservice.

Another one that is hard is abuse on animals. My birds are not my pets, they are my family. I can't watch the ASPCA commercials on TV because it reduces me to tears when I see what humans are capable of. There are so many beautiful creatures who will love us unconditionally. Loving them back should be automatic. Knowing how my birds love me, and visa versa, I truly can't comprehend why anyone would want to hurt animals.

Environmental issues . . . I'm a tree hugger in spirit, and seeing our great world being treated like a throwaway piece of equipment is something else that breaks my heart. We have one Earth, and we need to all share and take care of it. Last time I checked, we don't have another place to go to when our present world gives up on us.



12. Which famous person, living or dead, would you like to meet and why?

I have to say I have two–Agatha Christie and Stephen King.

I have all of Christie's books, minus the ones that are no longer in print. She was a lady who could masterfully weave a story so tight that it kept you turning the pages. I would love to talk to her about her profession, and how she penned such amazing stories.

Anyone who talks to me knows how much I love King. He and I are from the same state, which makes me a bit biased, but I love horror. I absolutely love horror books and movies. To me, there is no one better than him when it comes to making me jump out of my skin while reading a book. I would love to be able to sit down and just listen, to soak up the crumbs he’s spilled.

A tidbit people outside of the state might not know about is King's generosity. He has donated quite a lot of money to local libraries in my state. In fact, my small town of 800 only, has a library due to his huge contribution. He was called upon, and he delivered. To just say thank you to him face to face would mean a lot to me. He is more than just a writer to the people of Maine.


13. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?



One piece of advice?

Write on what you know, even if it's just one sentence. The beauty is wrapping a book around that one piece of knowledge.

It's okay to write outside the box, though. Heck, I'm wrapping up a novelette whose genre is that of paranormal, which I had no clue on how or what to write about. It’s based on a storm door stuck in a tree. I might not know paranormal, but I know about storm doors and what they look like.

When I write about something I know and am passionate about, it is a work of love. The pages fly by for me when this happens, and before I know it, I am typing the end.  It's not work at all.

Also, don't give up. Define what success means to you, and work toward that. Everyone has a different definition of meaning.

If at all possible, hang out with fellow writers, whether that’s through groups in town or online. Who better understands us than other writers?


14.What do you say about 'Hook the reader'?

I believe this is essential to any book, regardless of genre. We have such a short window to entice the reader. If you don't draw your readers in, they will only go so far into the book before putting it down. There are so many books out there they can easily turn to. So by all means, get a hook by the first page if you can help it. For once you do, you might just keep your reader all the way to the end.


15. What type of story you like to write more and why?

I love to write from writing and picture prompts. From that, comes stories of different genres.

The anthology that was just released by my writing group has a story by me that came from a picture of a door in a tree. From there, I developed a 10k paranormal short story. It’s a genre I have never written in, and didn't think I would be able to. My point is, my stories vary from genre to genre. I let the story take a lead on wherever it wants to go.

Which one do I like to write more on, well . . . that’s a tough question. I don't lean toward any one in particular. I like to write outside the box, and see where it takes me.

An Interview with author Kristina Dreisbach

Interviewed by Tarak Ghosh

A great way to bring books into a child's life is to put Time limitations on these electronics and other activities
1.You have taught preschool for over 12 years, as a teacher you watched the children very closely. So you have a strong connection with the child psychology. Generally, children like to read fables and fantasy. Would you think the new age children have changed their taste? If yes, why?

Kristina : I think all children no matter what age love to read fables and fantasy books. Children love to hear stories and use their imaginations. I believe parents should monitor though what their child is hearing and reading. There is a lot of stuff out there that is not good for children to hear and read. Books that can steer a child into the wrong things. I wrote my children's book with the Lord's help and I want children to know about God and good things of him. Children need love and guidance and to hear about God. They need to have role models that promote good, healthy and happy lives.
2.Is there any speciality of your book "Winston the Duck and HIs Big Orange Bill" that can attract the children all over the world?

Yes- We as people are made by God and made differently. children see very early differences in each other, whether its skin color, hair color, taller, shorter, thin, heavier weight, etc. They need to be taught that God makes everyone different, but we do not treat each other differently. Never make fun of someone because they are different than you. My book shows children that bullying is not right and when they are bullied, don't worry about others think. They are special in God's eyes and he made them unique, like us all and trust in Jesus and he will always be there for them and help them.

3.Give us an insight into your main characters. What does she/he do that is so special? How did you get the idea?

Kristina : Main characters in the story are Winston the Duck and Mr. Raccoon. Winston knows he is different for a reason and sets out to find that reason on the Cady Cove Lake. He meets Mr Raccoon who wants to go with him on the journey. Winston ends up saving Mr. Raccoon's life with his big orange bill. I know the Lord lead me to write and gave me the words for this book and we also had a duck for two weeks named Winston and I knew if I wrote a book - he would be in it!
4.As a reader, what is your opinion about "Winston the Duck and HIs Big Orange Bill?"

Kristina : My opinion of Winston the Duck is that it is a great children's book. Teaches children and adults about being made by God and that we are all made different and to love each other and know that God has a plan for each one of us. He loves us and wants to save us and help us in this life too. He wants us to be confident in him and also help others and love others.
5.Do you think the new age children are moving away from reading storybooks? If yes, what are the causes behind it and what's the way out?

Kristina : Children today have so much of the internet, iphones, ipads, gaming systems, tv, etc. I still believe books are not on the way out just yet.. In schools books are still read to the children and hopefully at home being read to them as well. A great way to bring books into a child's life is to put Time limitations on these electronics and other activities. Everything in moderation. A good ole book is great for children to pick up and read or be read to. Too many children are sitting with tv or the gaming systems, computer etc. and being left alone or escorted here and there to too many activities. Books are great for children to have time in their room and use their imaginations for play or just spending family time reading bible stories and other good books creating memories together. Children need bonding with their family and reading to them and togetherness is a great way to do it.
6.What inspires you to be a writer?
Kristina : I love to write for children and tell them about God. It's my ministry to teach them the love of Jesus.
7.What type of story and novel do you prefer to write, and why?
I prefer to write fiction. I love using my imagination as well! I also love to put God's word into my stories to teach about him.
8.As a writer, what sociological problem hurts you most?
Kristina : People are trying to take God out of everything now a days. It hurts me to see schools that I can not go into and read to the children because my book is a Christian book. Children need the Lord Jesus and his help. Everyone does. Jesus has been and is the only answer for the world. All the problems and chaos in our world is because of people shutting God and his word out. Children need to know that they are loved and loved by a loving and Heavenly Father who will never leave them nor forsake them. He is their savior and helper. He is for everyone.
9. What advice would you give to the children besides reading story books?
Kristina : Story books are great, but the Bible is greater. Read God's word daily or have a parent read to you.
10.What mentality of average children attract you more?
Kristina : I think kids are so cute and funny. We can learn a lot from them ourselves. I loved watching them play during center time when I taught preschool. I love all children - I can't say anyone is favored. But if I had the choice again of teaching in a classroom- I love teaching the Pre-K. 4 and 5 year olds.