Today is my Blog Tour Day and I don't even have to leave the comfort of my own favourite place in the sun.
Oh, you thought all writers were people. You'd be surprised. Here, I am Spitzli, the mini Schnauzer, named after Spitz, the St Bernard, in The Unhewn Stone. We can be whomever we please, as long as we are entertaining you. And let me tell you, this can lead to mental fatigue, especially when we pretend to be something we are not.
What am I working on now?
As you can see, very little at the moment. Generally speaking, however, I usually write medieval fiction, but my current work in progress is contemporary and is purely self indulgent. I am rewriting an old NaNoWriMo project (write a novel during the month of November) in the 1st person. It's called Cover Story and in it's original state contains 53,000+ very confused words.
I'm halfway through the rewrite. The protag has been to a screening of the 50's movie, Carousel, which has awakened past secrets long suppressed. She dare not reveal what she remembers for fear of incriminating herself and becoming the cover story of the local gossip magazine. I'm up to the Reunion Ball. This was a great success, until, at the end of the night, a prominent figure is murdered. At this stage I'm considering changing the original villain.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
When I write in the historical genre, as in my award winning novel, The Unhewn Stone, I take the opposite point of view than is usually accepted. In this story, redefining the William Tell Legend, my hero, Stefan, belongs to the Gessler family rather than William Tell's. He bears the stigma of the tyrant's name, the one who forces Tell to shoot the apple off his son's head; the one Tell finally ambushed and killed. My Stefan travels back from the present to 1307AD to prevent the legend from happening and tries to restore his family honour.
My three short stories are also different from others in their genre due to their many layers:
In Happiness Guaranteed, not only does this story show my main character's experience of happiness, but this science fiction 'birthday present' also challenges the idea of 'happiness' itself and asks what would you sacrifice for it?
A Summer Squall, written primarily for the writer/reader, shows a writer struggling with writer's block and how she overcomes it. Written in the 1st person, this is a fictional adventure but at the same time a true story about 'imagination'.
My middle grade story, Billy the Bonsai Bull, is another true story, but told from the calf's point of view even though it's only the humans who speak. It deals with the struggle for Billy's survival as well as loneliness and bullying, and presents the reader with false friends and true as they experience life on this real Australian farm.
In my contemporary crime novel Fisherman's Row (a work in progress) the reader knows who the killer is from the beginning and this knowledge is used to rev up the suspense.
Every writer brings his or her idiosyncrasies, sense of humour, pet aversions etc to the page. We all see life differently and we all want different things. We read to experience life from another's perspective. In this respect all writers' work differs from others in their genre. I enjoy reversing the norm for the sake of variety.
Why do I write what I do?
Modern and ancient history obsess me now, probably because I failed History in High School, so I majored in both History and English Lit. at university. I like to discover how people lived and how they coped in times less advanced than ours. To me, the craftsmanship, innovation and brainpower seems superior to ours, in spite of our education, so I look back to learn.
How does your writing process work?
My writing process proceeds as it will. I can't write simply for the sake of writing or because 'I can't not write' as some fortunate writers claim. I need something serious to explore, something worth researching so I can learn as I go.
Mostly, I sweat blood over what I'm writing, clutching at outside stimuli and encouragement to keep me motivated, but when I'm on a roll, when the writing is flowing smoothly, then I'm as contented as I can be. That's a wonderful feeling of fulfilment.
Strangely, though, for me, it's the blood sweating that produces my best writing, not the joy. You might say it's a dog's life, but someone has to do it.
NEXT WEEK - 16th December more writers let you see into their alter egos on their blogs:
Edith Parzefall
Thriller writer, Edith Parzefall studied literature and linguistics in Germany and the United States. She worked as an editor, technical writer, team leader and project manager. Now a full-time writer, she strives to combine her two passions: writing and traveling.
She supports a
street kids project in Recife, Brazil. When she visited Grupo Ruas e Pracas, she
took part in a music and crafts workshop with the children. During her stay in
Rio de Janeiro, Strays
of Rio, a thriller
set in this city of contrasts, took shape.
In 2008 she
traveled through Chile, supposedly the safest country in South America. Stopped
at a red light in their rented SUV, she and her partner were sandwiched between
two trucks on the Pan-American highway. An unplanned excursion to the local
hospital and the Carabineros de Chile allowed her insights she never meant to
gain but wouldn’t want to miss. A new story idea sparked: Crumple
Zone.
Together with
British author Francene Stanley, she co-wrote the Higher
Ground Series of four
post-apocalyptic fantasy adventures.
Currently she’s
completing the Adventure
Treks Trilogy, humorous
action adventures with depth—and dizzying heights. The first book, Snow
White’s Slide, has just been
released.
Stacy Green
Mystery/Thriller writer Stacy Green was born in
