Monday Funnies: A Steady Source of Income for Authors?
Writer Wednesday: Meet Nillu Stelter
Wr-wr-writer Wednesday! Say it three times fast – then stop, and keep reading, because today we have Nillu Stelter with us. I met Nillu via the flash circuit, where I first admired her prose – and she mine, evidently, as she invited me to collaborate with her on a multi-author short story. She’s been a great vocal support for me, and I’m so pleased to have her here today!
Thank you, Margaret, for hosting me here at your blog for Writer Wednesday. I am imagining us kicking off our shoes and sinking into the sofa with some tea and chocolate. We begin…
What inspires you to write?
I write for the clarity it brings, that sense of immersion and wonder. I can take the time to weave intricate sentences or get the nuance just right without worrying that it is already someone else’s turn to speak. I can examine a thought carefully, tangibly, without it slipping through the fog of my brain like a wandering child at a funfair. In a world of constant change and fleeting lives, it comforts me to leave a record of my thoughts.
Which type of romance do you love most, and why?
![flashpointv3 FINAL[2]](http://margaretlocke.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/flashpointv3-FINAL2.jpg)
I like time travel romance – I’ve been meaning to read Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander for so long – because they bring together some of my favourite story elements: magic and love. I also like how this genre doesn’t always have to have happy endings. I like my romance with tragic elements. Think Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness (oh that immortal line: ’that night, they were not divided’), Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina or David Nicholls’ One Day. Period romance is also delicious. I can’t wait to gobble up A Matter of Time.
[ML: Oh, you are so sweet! I actually am reading Outlander for the first time (!), and it is a rich, heady book. I don’t claim to be in Gabaldon’s league.]
Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.
One of my characters is called Soraya, taken from the Persian to mean ‘princess’. I found myself reading about Soraya, Princess of Iran, who married the last Shah of Iran, at eighteen years old, and found she could not conceive. She refused to share her husband with another woman (he could have had two wives), and they parted after seven years of marriage, both unwillingly, because he needed an heir. The Shah went on to remarry and have children. Princess Soraya moved to France after their parting. When she was found dead in her Paris apartment in 2001 at the age of sixty-nine, her younger brother commented “after her, I don’t have anyone to talk to.” He died a week later.
Name two things people don’t know about you.
I have a butterfly tattoo on my hip. One wing expanded during each of my pregnancies, so it was lopsided and then slowly returned back to normal. In another life, I used to write briefings for the Mayor of London.
[ML: Did you take pictures of the lopsided butterfly?]
What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?
Only one? But I have so many! If there was one, it’d be this:- I wish I had sought out writer friendships in the early days of wanting to write. It is hard sustaining this dream when you are sitting by yourself in a turret. There’s an osmosis that happens when we make writer friends. It sped up my learning straight away, inspired me, made me accountable, and it comforts me to be part of a community of people on the same journey. I find Twitter and critique groups especially helpful here.
[ML: I agree, 100%!]
Nillu’s debut novel, The Voyeur
The Voyeur is a literary romance set in Mumbai, where romantic love is traditionally played out behind closed doors. It is a story about sexual politics and second chances. In it, a man cheats on his new wife with disastrous consequences for them both. His only way to redemption is to love and be loved again. He remeets the wife he betrayed, and the lover he risked it all for. Can he be forgiven and rebuild what he broke, or will he end up with nothing?
Excerpt:
Tonight had come to pass like every other night since he lost her. As darkness fell, he made his way through the city’s streets in the sticky air, drawn to a white-washed mansion in Juhu he hadn’t visited before. Glittering white lights framed the house as if from a fairy-tale and, as Akash approached, the pungent smell of pink rose bushes overwhelmed him. He crept across the courtyard, camouflaged by the grime and dust that had become his natural attire. It was the best and worst decision he had ever made.
As he peered through the glass, a maid with flour in her hair kneaded dough for roti. A baby slept in a basket, wrapped in a deep orange swaddling blanket despite the heat. Nearby a woman in an embroidered salwar kameez sat in a rocking chair. At the table, a young man with fine eyebrows read a newspaper, his shirt buttons popping across his belly, his dirty bare feet in contrast to the sterile extravagance of the floor tiles. From time to time, he looked up to speak to the woman by the baby. Then an older woman entered the kitchen and Akash’s stomach lurched as if he was riding a ramshackle fairground ride.
She stood taller than the average Indian woman. She pushed her shoulders back with pride and her sari pulled tautly across her body in haughty dismissal of accepted styles for older women. Akash recognised her before she turned. The hair on the back of his neck rose in anticipation and his chest constricted as he caught her in profile. As she turned towards him, Akash’s head emptied for a moment before an explosion of unwarranted thoughts filled its cavity. Then, his mouth slackened, and he thought only I wish I could be someone else. Someone without my history. Someone cleaner, fitter, richer, deserving of her. His legs shook, and he flailed as his feet became tangled in the fairy-lights, falling against the pane of glass with a dull thud. For a moment he held his breath, considering himself lucky. Then all hell broke loose.
“Ye kya hai? Maa, call the guards! Muna, stay inside with the baby!” shouted the man as he grabbed a flour-covered rolling pin from the kitchen worktop and dashed out of the room.
Akash staggered up, held captive by the almond-shaped eyes of his lover for a long moment before stumbling back into the shadows on feet that did not want to do his bidding. She had not recognised him, he felt sure. Relief replaced his shame at his sad state. His legs felt submerged in tar as he ran, passing landscaped gardens and a swimming pool. He headed for the street, still reeling from the sight of her, and made it onto the gravel drive before the man even reached outside. His pursuer fought against his plumpness and the humidity, slow and heavy, cursing as the gravel slowed his bare-footed progress. Glee bubbled up inside Akash as if from a dormant volcano, uncontrollable and unwelcome. Joy at finding his lover threatened to send every other emotion into the stratosphere.
He had to get away. Experience taught him the rich were the most vengeful if they caught him. Like gods in their palaces, with iron-wrought fences, sleeping guards and noisy dogs to keep them safe, they rose up in squawking outrage at their pillaged sanctity. Fat, manicured men, with great wealth and photo-ready families, belonging to the ranks of the privileged few in a city where the streets teemed with the god-forsaken. This one continued his cries of outrage as he chased after Akash, his breath heaving, driven on by his anger and hatred.
The guards, woken by their master’s shouts and the old woman’s call, unleashed their snarling hounds. He screamed when a large dog, its fur ravaged, sank decaying teeth into his bare leg. Fear filled Akash’s belly at last, like a serpent unfurling and stretching deep within him. The men surrounded him, their eyes filled with glee and self-righteous anger. Vice-like they gripped his forearms, paying no heed to the dogs still snapping at his legs. An outbuilding with dimmed lights nestled in bushes a few hundred yards away. There they made their way as Akash’s leg bled and bruises sprang up beneath his skin as if he were an ageing piece of fruit.
Sign up here to subscribe to Nillu’s list for a free e-book (Flashpoint, a literary short story about two very different women, who need each other, or An Old Man from India, a book of poetry) and information about new releases.
About Nillu:
Nillu is a writer of literary fiction, poetry and essays. She is happiest barefoot with a book in hand. They are the first thing she unpacks when she is somewhere new. She lives in London with her husband, two children, one angelic and one demonic cat, though she secretly yearns for a dog. She has a BA in English and German Literature and an MA in European Politics. After graduating she worked in national and regional politics, but eventually reverted to her first love. If you fly into Gatwick and look hard enough, you will see her furiously scribbling in her garden office, where she is working on her debut novel.
Want to connect further with Nillu? Find her here:
Website Blog Twitter Facebook Google +
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Thank you so much, Nillu! I truly enjoyed reading this and learning more about you. And, oh, how I wish I were close enough to see you in your garden! 😉
Monday Funnies: Writer’s Block On The Rocks
Mending Heartstrings Cover Reveal – Aria Glazki – See it HERE!
Mending Heartstrings Cover Reveal
The long-awaited release of the gorgeous new cover for Mending Heartstrings is here! What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
Cover design: Christa Holland at Paper & Sage
Publication date: February 9, 2016
Kane’s a country singer who’s tangled with too many deceitful women. He’s learned his lesson: girls are for flirting and fun; emotions are for his music. But after spending a night with an earnest woman unlike any he’s known, he can’t force her out of his mind. So he goes in search of the woman he knows only as “Elle.”On her last night in Nashville, the staunchly pragmatic Sabella found herself in a situation more suited to a romance novel than reality. Swept away, she ignored her rigidly self-imposed rules, succumbing to the fantasy just this once. But she knows real-world relationships have nothing in common with their fictionalized portrayals. When Kane unexpectedly shows up at her Portland apartment, she must choose between the practical truths she has learned and the desire for a passionate love she has struggled to suppress.
Despite the distance, Kane’s tour schedule, and their meddling friends, both are drawn to the chance for a romance neither quite believes is possible.
Preorder Your Copy!
Amazon US – UK – CAN | Smashwords | iBooks
About Aria:
Aria’s writing story started when her seventh-grade English teacher encouraged her to submit a class assignment for publication. That piece was printed, and let’s just say, she was hooked!
Since then, Aria has run a literary magazine, earned her degree in Creative Writing (as well as in French and Russian literatures), and been published here and there. Though her first kiss technically came from a bear cub, and no fairytale transformation followed, Aria still believes magic can happen when the right people come together—if they don’t get in their own way, that is.
Other than all things literary, Aria loves spending time with her family, including her two unbearably adorable nieces. She also dabbles in painting, dancing, playing violin, and, given the opportunity, Epicureanism.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon
Giveaway!
Who doesn’t like FREE STUFF? Click here to enter Ms. Glazki’s Rafflecopter giveaway!
Writer Wednesday: Emily June Street talks The Cedna!
Wahoo! It’s the brand spankin’ new FIRST #WriterWednesday of 2016, and I could not be more delighted to have multi-talented author, editor, publisher and Pilates guru Emily June Street here to kick us off in style. Emily is a #FlashDog, meaning she’s active in the flash fiction contest circuit (including my beloved, now recently retired Flash Friday), which is how we met – and she continues to astound me with everything she does (where does she find the time?) and how darn well she does it. You wanna talk fab fantasy writing, you’ve found the right woman (or should I say WRITE woman? Bwah ha ha! [Sorry, it’s day 6 without sugar, and I’m a little loopy]).
Without further ado, let’s hear more about Emily and her work!
Your latest novel is The Cedna, the 2nd book in the Tales of Blood and Light series, continuing the story from book 1, The Gantean. Give us a 3 sentence summary of The Cedna.
Every Cedna serves as a sacrifice to keep the Ganteans’ magic alive, but as her homeland faces destruction at the hands of southern raiders and magic wanes, one Cedna seeks a solution that will not cost her life.
Though dangers loom on every side, she travels south in a desperate diplomatic bid to protect her island home.
Ethnic prejudices, old animosities, and a handsome stranger who pulls on her with a magical bond quickly overturn her plans, leading the Cedna on a world-shattering adventure of love, heartbreak, and war, where every choice is final.
Was book 2 easier or harder to write than book 1. Why?
Each book presented different challenges. The Gantean was hard because it was the first book I ever wrote, even though it wasn’t the first I published. It took so many drafts (we’re talking probably close to one hundred) before I’d finally massaged it into something other people might want to read. Both books, The Cedna and The Gantean, are pretty unconventional, and so they were both difficult as far as training them into some resemblance of “typical story structure.” I’m juggling many balls in this series, working with a complicated story, a big vision, and various unconventional ideas about story-telling. It’s difficult all the time, in every book. One of the more challenging aspects of The Cedna was that I had an enforced timeline I had to follow because of certain connections and overlaps with The Gantean, and that timeline didn’t fit very well with said “typical story structure.”
Where do your ideas come from? (Yeah, I feel I have to ask that!)
The short answer is…I have no idea. Some bizarre mixing and reconstituting process in my subconscious mind, where bits and pieces of things I read, see, and feel get melded and processed into new ideas? I read very widely, and I do like to read anthropological and historical books for inspiration.
How long / how many drafts did it take you from start to finish on this book?
If I counted I would cry, so I don’t count. More than ten revision passes, for sure, but less than twenty.
What’s in the works for you in 2016?
So many things, and I’m excited about all of them. My first traditionally-published book, The Velocipede Races, is coming out in April from Microcosm Publishing. It’s being printed and shipped right now, and I can’t wait to see it!
My next indie-published book, Book Three in Tales of Blood & Light, Sterling, is scheduled for release in June 2016. I’ll be getting into some more revision passes on it in the next few months.
I’m one of the producers of the Flashdogs flash fiction anthologies, so I’ll be doing the formatting for the latest one, Time, this January and February.
I’ll be revising Tales of Blood & Light, Book Four, tentatively titled Mage and Source, for probably the entire year. It’s a big mess—I’m taking two books and combining them into one. Or at least I think I am.
I’m writing two non-fiction books, one about Pilates and one about basic stretches for everyday body maintenance, not to mention the constant juggle of working on 5-6 half-formed fiction manuscripts—and I’ve resolved to finish at least one of those this year.
[ML: I just fell over in exhaustion, reading all that. Seriously, Emily, how do you do it?]
Tell us about feminism and how it works (or doesn’t work) into the fantasy writing realm.
I love how you said to answer these questions in 3-4 sentences…but Margaret, this is dissertation or thesis material! I’ll try for three paragraphs and see how I do.
[ML says: I know. I’m a stinker. But I just had to ask, as you seem the perfect person to tackle it.]
The only big fiction genre that I would say emerged outside of “the patriarchy” is the romance genre, which has historically been women writing for women—and that’s one of the reasons I love romance and try to include a bit of a romantic plot in each of my books—though I can’t guarantee HEAs in worlds so rife with chaos and conflict as the ones I write.
The “fantasy writing realm” has long been ripe for a feminist revolution. One way I actively try to incorporate my feminist ideals* into my fantasy books is by writing complex, multi-layered female leads who balance a variety of goals and concerns in their lives—as all women do. I also work consciously to subvert some of the traditional tropes and values in the fantasy genre—for instance, repaving the masculine heroic path with more feminine ideals and values, or giving a woman’s perspective on warfare. One line I really like along those lines from The Gantean is: “War and politics seem like petty games of men when there are children to raise.” I like to play with the expectations of the genre using the voices of the women I write.
*by feminist ideals I mean the notion that women and people of fluid gender deserve and should be granted the same rights, privileges, and respect in the world as men—and here’s where I get radical—and that historically and currently women-identifying people are denied this equality due to biases in our world that have vested modes of power in men. I also mean that women and people of fluid gender should feel free and safe in public spaces and in their homes the world over. Just for the record.
[ML says: Great answer. Not that I expected anything less.]
What inspires you to write?
Oh, anything and everything. It’s sort of a natural extension of reading, and I am an avid reader. You could say that reading inspires me to write.
Which type of fiction do you love most, and why?
I am drawn to historical fiction and complicated fantasies because I like world-building, and I like to explore a world different from the one I live in as I read. I’m interested in how setting shapes characters, how environment shapes psychology, so I enjoy the thought experiment inherent in a setting that is unfamiliar to me. As I read, I like to question what remains the same about people’s motivations and what changes, given the circumstances of setting.
Name one interesting thing you learned in researching/writing your last book.
I did a fair amount of research about peoples who live in the extreme north, though in no way should this be taken as me modeling the Ganteans after any particular culture. The Ganteans are very much a figment of my imagination. I just wanted their lifestyle to be somewhat realistic, so I wanted to learn how people who live in extreme climates get by, what kinds of game they hunt, what kinds of resources are available to them. I especially enjoyed learning about what these people eat. One treat for the Alaskan native people is whipped fat— from seal, walrus, moose, or caribou—mixed with berries and moss or greens. I’d really like to know what this tastes like.
Name two things people don’t know about you.
I imagine most people reading this know very little about me, so this should be easy!
1) I have a strong aversion to driving—it gives me migraines and makes me feel sick—and so I get around mostly by bicycle.
2) To all those people who say insta-love isn’t real—I knew the very moment that I first saw my husband-to-be that I was going to marry him. Even though I knew this, I wisely avoided proposing anything more than a Pilates session and trip to the Honolulu aquarium on that first day.
And now, a bit on The Cedna:
Every Cedna is born to die, paying the balance that keeps magic alive.
One Cedna desires a different path, free from the pain that comes with the sacred duty.
As her homeland faces destruction at the hands of southern raiders, the Cedna fights against her fate as a ritual sacrifice.
Though dangers loom on every side, she travels south in a desperate diplomatic bid to protect the island.
Ethnic prejudices, old animosities, and a handsome stranger who pulls on her with a magical bond quickly overturn her plans, leading the Cedna on a world-shattering adventure of love, heartbreak, and war, where every choice is final.
Want to find Emily’s books? Amazon book links:
The Cedna: http://www.amazon.com/Cedna-Tales-Blood-Light-Book-ebook/dp/B018PZZ9DE
The Gantean: http://www.amazon.com/Gantean-Tales-Blood-Light-Book-ebook/dp/B00ZJOV0SI
The Velocipede Races: http://www.amazon.com/Velocipede-Races-Bikes-Space/dp/1621060586
Author Bio:
Emily June Street is the author of four novels and numerous short stories. She co-founded Luminous Creatures Press for her independent publishing endeavors with Beth Deitchman in 2013. Emily lives in Northern California, where she splits her time between teaching Pilates and writing. She is an avid cyclist and occasionally attempts ballet.
Want to connect further with Emily? Find her here:
WordPress: https://emilyjunestreet.wordpress.com/
Twitter: @EmilyJuneStreet
Wahoo! I so love it when Emily comes to visit. I feel smarter (and fitter) just being around her – even virtually. Thanks, Emily – wishing you the best of luck on all of your future endeavors!