J. M. Levinton

Interview with Horror Novelist Carrie Vaccaro Nelkin

• October 19, 2015
• Blog, reading, writing
• 6 Comments

 

You write speculative fiction that’s mostly horror, like your recently published novel Snare (The Waiting Dark Book 1). Why horror?

The world’s a scary place. Writing about bizarre bad stuff helps me deflect what’s out there. It allows me to mold it into something I can deal with.

I heard you went a little above and beyond in your research. Something about duct tape?

Oh no, the duct tape! One of my characters was bound hand and foot and gagged with a strip of duct tape. I had to get her free but didn’t know how, so I asked my husband to tie me up (please stop snickering) and slap some tape over my mouth. I learned two things: duct tape smells vile (see the anagram for evil?), and sometimes there are ways to get it off your face without using your hands.

Good thing you didn’t ask about the crawlspace incident.

The crawlspace incident?

No way—I’m not going into that one here.

Okay, I’ll let that go this time. Is there a reason you went with traditional publishing instead of indie?

I wanted the structural support and industry weight a publisher can offer. Indie publishing is a lot of work—and to do it right is even more work. The whole marketing issue aside, I wanted to focus more on the writing and less on being general contractor to formatters, artists, and distribution entities. I see what indie authors go through and am in awe of the stamina required to do a fine job on both the writing and the business ends. I’m already involved in indie anthologies, but maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to attempt an indie novel or novella.

Do you have a writing routine?

I sit at the desk, push the cat off the keyboard, and vacuum the fur from the keys. Then I start writing.

Actually, my routine varies depending on what else is going on—editing work, family obligations, appointments. What I have is a certain amount of writing that I want to complete every week or every two weeks. I prefer writing in the morning until I reach a logical stopping point or have to turn to something else, but if mornings don’t work then I’ll do whatever it takes to reach the goal I’ve set for myself.

Any advice for writers?

Grow a thick skin. Be persistent. Do not give up. If you throw enough pasta against the wall, you will eventually learn how to make viable patterns that stick. Be professional. Be kind to your fellow writers. Be grateful to your readers. Love your pets.

Where can we find Snare?

It’s on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Smashwords. It can also be purchased through Permuted Press.

Where can people find more information about you or your other writing?

My website is cvnelkin.com. I’m also on Twitter (@cvnelkin) and Facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

Writing Amid Clutter

• October 12, 2015
• Blog, writing
• 6 Comments

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I once worked in an office where I had a large cubicle as my office space. My desk, spare chair, and even part of the floor had stacks of paper arranged in seemingly haphazard ways. My supervisor came by one day and asked me to straighten it. I looked at the mess and replied, “It can be neat or I can get the work done.”

The way the surroundings are is the way my mind works. As one writer friend says, “One big whirlwind in a stewpot.” There is a threshold—too much clutter and I can’t concentrate. Too little, and my mind empties into blankness.

I do have a system for the mess, although darned if I can explain it. But I know when I’ve crossed it. There’s a weight on my shoulders that forces me to think of the clutter instead of the next scene. Deadline or not, the pen goes down, the computer gets turned off, and I begin putting things away and shredding paper.

The opposite end of the scale is when company goes home. I tend to look around and wander aimlessly through the space, searching for those elusive ideas that faded into the woodwork. It takes a little time but a few scattered books and papers and a sweater or two tossed on a chair, and I’m ready to consider work.

What about you? Is clutter a help or a hindrance to your writing?

 

* Used by permission: © 2015 Trina Schart Hyman and Pawprints, Inc.

 

 

 

Cold Weather, Writing, and Me

• October 05, 2015
• Blog, writing
• No Comments

 

I am not a winter baby. Sure, there are those moments when I step outside into cold, crisp air on the way to meeting with friends and then warm up with a hot chocolate.

• Continue Reading

New Cat in the House

• September 28, 2015
• Blog, writing
• No Comments

 

I was going to write something generic here. About writers and pets, with maybe a few quotes scattered about. But the fact is, after being without a cat for three years, there’s a new guy in the house and I want to write about him. Bear with me.

He’s about five years old and what’s called a Lynx Point Siamese. I had no idea what he was, just that he was friendly, with an unusual coat and blue eyes that blinked a hello through the cage bars. And, unwilling though I was to consider it, he entered inside my home, already named Frankie. (Ole Blue Eyes, although his tone is less melodious.)

For the first few days, I wrote and edited while he found a hidey hole to make himself comfortable. It was as though there wasn’t a cat in the house; very odd.

It’s been a week, though. He’s not yet comfortable with the idea of sitting in my lap as I write. But he sleeps nearby on the couch, sprawled out on his back in a way that comforts me. I know he wouldn’t be sleeping so unrestrained if he didn’t feel safe.

There will be two cats entering my characters’ lives in my next novel and the demanding tone in Frankie’s voice reminds me how individual he is—and to make sure my fiction-cats offer their own voices on the page.

(There—I connected my cat to writing.)

He’s a little too serious and well-behaved but I hope, as he realizes he’s here to stay, that that little streak of devilry I see when he plays with a toy comes out. Though not while I’m correcting proofs. (Yes, I know he’ll lie down right on the spot I’m trying to read, but I can dream, can’t I?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Writing Rut? Stretch Yourself

• September 21, 2015
• Blog, writing
• 2 Comments

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It happens. The writing hits a wall. Or the ideas are there but you don’t feel like writing them. The sun is out or the air is cooler, and everyone else seems to be going and doing, leaving you at the keyboard (even if you are sitting in a café with a laptop and your favorite drink). Everyone seems to be moving, and you’re not.

Maybe it’s seasonal. Autumn is the season of a new school year, and after decades of going, I believe that’s imprinted on us. At least, I look outside and see students on their way and the memories make me both glad and wistful that I’m not one of them.

 

**

But why not take a class? A single, solitary out-of-the-comfort-zone class? It has a lot to recommend it.

 

1. It gets us away from the familiar.

 

A teacher can bring us ideas and merge them with different viewpoints—all in one space. Interaction with other students can bounce those ideas higher. And, depending on your topic, new avenues can enrich your writing.

 

2. It gives us a new skill.

 

It can be knowledge or a physical skill. Something that our body will react to and yes, once again, that gives us information we can’t get any other way. When I took a tap dance class this summer for the first time, I was suddenly aware of the muscles and balance needed to not scrape the floor.

 

3. It’s good for us.

 

In the way of eating vegetables we detest. Learning something that’s unfamiliar puts us in the category of beginner. We may think we’re prepared, but in an area we know nothing about, it’s a humbling experience. And that can make us return to our writing with a deeper appreciation and thankfulness of what we do and do well.

So, what do I have planned? Five years ago I took a beginner piano class and hoped to do that again, but unfortunately I waited too long. All the beginner classes were filled. While that means I’ll need to wait until next semester, at the same time, I wonder how many of those classes are filled with writers.

 

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* Image courtesy of artur84 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

** Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

*** Image courtesy of amenic181 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

 

Writing and 9/11

• September 13, 2015
• Blog, writing
• 6 Comments

 

Writing fiction in a post-9/11 city makes for some difficult choices.

There’s no doubt that my beloved city is still scarred. When other places offer a brief news item on the day, we air the entire reading of the names of the dead, about four hours’ worth. We have a museum that walks people through what happened and how we coped. And are coping. There are thousands of people still receiving medical help (physical and mental) from the aftereffects.

But in writing terms, it’s a problem everyone faces. Do we mention a specific event? On the plus side, it gives our story a sense of time and place. On the minus side, it dates it. And for some people, mention of a real tragedy inside a fantasy novel might take them out of the escape they wanted.

 

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A fellow writer once asked if any mention of it should be made in her novel. Her book had been started long before that tragic event and a group of us told her not to change a thing. Fortunately, the area she placed her characters in and the events that she created did not require it. Including it would have been a distraction. So she left it alone.

My own soon-to-be-released novel takes place on Long Island. I chose not to bring in any mention of 9/11. And when my main character needed to go into the city, she went to a different area.

I don’t know if future books will have my characters referring to anything or pointing to a landmark or if they’ll just continue walking to sit in Battery Park with no mention of the recovered globe that is there. Or whether I’ll make sure there’s no reason for them to go to the area at all. It’s a hard call, but it’s a call required of every writer who uses a real place, not just because a horrific tragedy occurred in their backyard.

 

 

 

Labor Day

• September 07, 2015
• Blog, writing
• No Comments

Today is Labor Day in the U.S., a holiday that celebrates workers. I’m going to do both today, finish editing a cookbook and take time off from blogging this week.

Happy Holiday!

 

Writers and Practicing

• August 31, 2015
• Blog
• 2 Comments

Everyone knows that musicians and dancers devote years to practicing their art before performing professionally. And professionals continue to practice and grow in their art even after they’ve “made it.”

Why are writers considered different? Is it because we all learn to read and write in school and everyone can do it? Do we devalue the art of writing as a result?

Whether people do or not, it does not absolve us from the work. Practice, practice, practice! Because Ms. L’Engle is correct. If we don’t practice, we’ll be lousy writers.

Each time I put pen to paper (or fingers on keyboard), there’s a certain amount of practice involved. Not every story idea works. Sometimes a character doesn’t fit. Rather than force it, I’ll stop and try it again. Or make something different out of it. Or admit that despite my best efforts, it’s not working and I should start over.

I’ll be honest. It’s not possible for me to write every day. But if I go too long without trying, when I do start again, my efforts are stale. Repetitive. Unimaginative.

That’s when it’s important to continue. To put in the time. And it gets better, the warm-up that leads to a smooth passage or transition that makes a story work. But without the practice (which is often garbage writing that deserves to be trashed), the good stuff wouldn’t be there.

Practice! It’s the mark of a professional.

 

 

A New Horror Novel to Read

• August 24, 2015
• Blog, reading
• 2 Comments

 

One of my favorite classic novels is Dracula. It’s (obviously) from another time period, where the buildup is slow and measured. The long road of events lets us travel along and immerse ourselves in a time and place of grays and blacks.

And yet, if you ask me, I’ll tell you that I don’t read horror. What I mean is that I’m not into blood and gore and axe-hacking. No, if I’m going to read horror, it’s going to be the Dracula kind, the rich tapestry kind that weaves into normalcy and turns it inside out. Just don’t ask me to read it at night.

When Carrie Vaccaro Nelkin began reading Snare to our writers’ group, the Penheads, uncomfortable chills prickled my skin. I didn’t want to be there on that deliberate, insidious ride that frankly creeped me the hell out.

And when we got to one scene—well, I looked at her in disbelief. She wrote that? If she hadn’t been a friend and I hadn’t known it was fiction, I would have clobbered her one.

It is what it is. A twisted road on streets I know very well in my city. A road that travels along evil lines and asks us to follow along. Or drags us into the Pit. You’ll have to decide.

You can find it at: http://permutedpress.com/books/snare

 

 

 

Writing and Cameras

• August 17, 2015
• Blog, writing
• 2 Comments

When I began writing a blog, I understood the benefit of using photographs. The fear of using someone’s work without permission drove me to find stock photos that allow free use as long as I attribute the work to the photographer, which I’m happy to do.

But there are times I want to create something of my own. As a result, some of the photos at my website are mine, taken while hiking or on vacation. I’ve even discovered that my photos inspire me to write. (Always a plus!)

I’m still a newbie, though. I use my Pentax digital SLR with its most basic settings and bemoan my inability to take night shots or indoor pictures without flash.

 

 

I don’t have Photoshop, although I do have Gimp sitting unused on my computer. The one time I tried to use it I had turned a photograph into a frightening mess of yellows and browns.

Two drawbacks to a DSLR camera are its bulk and weight. It’s not something I can just slip into a pocket. It’s always a conscious effort to pack it, and the longer the day goes, the heavier it feels.

Point-and shoot-cameras have evolved to being light and compact, and most even offer zoom capacity. I also eyed the latest version of Apple’s iTouch. My old one held music comfortably but didn’t include a camera, and I knew Apple’s iPhone took good photos.

But I wanted something that didn’t multitask. Right or wrong, I feel that multitaskers end up sacrificing functions that standalones would have. So my decision was to go with a point-and-shoot camera. That would be easy to buy, right?

 

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Okay, okay. How was I to know how much the market had changed since the old Instamatics? My DSLR was the only camera I paid attention to. Thanks to a good friend (thanks, Jeff!), I was brought up to (basic) speed and made a list of what I needed.

1. A budget of $200 (but preferably less).
2. Good picture quality, including night photos.
3. Zoom capacity.
4. Wifi and video were not important.

I finally decided on the Samsung WB35F Smart Digital Camera ($109 at bandh.com). Here, I used a penny for scale:

 

 

Of course, there are added costs. A mini SD card and spare battery added to the total but still kept everything significantly lower than my top price.

I’ve barely tested it out but so far have been pleased. And now the camera will go with me everywhere unless I feel the DSLR would work better.

Duck everybody, I’m armed!

 

Note: The photos of each camera were taken in Auto setting and cropped. Like I said, still a newbie. 🙂

* Image courtesy of Photokanok at FreeDigitalPhotos.net