Q&A with LJ Cohen

Today PBW is proud to host an interview with indy writer, publisher, poet and longtime blogpal LJ Cohen, the author of Derelict and Ithaka Rising:

Who or what first prompted you to write science fiction?

When you start writing as a young person, all these well meaning adults tell you to 'write what you know.' But what I knew at the time was a whole lot more limited than what I know now: I knew how to be at school, how to be the 'baby' in the family, how to play with the neighbor kids. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to read that, much less write it. What I did read was a whole lot of SF and fantasy books. It was what I knew. All those worlds and all those realities - Heinlein, L'Engle, Norton, Asimov - were my worlds and realities. So it was utterly natural to gravitate to those genres as a writer.

Name one book that you never tire of re-reading, and why.

Besides Stardoc? :) Seriously. And why? Because I love the character of Cherijo. She is intelligent, driven, talented, and resourceful. And I love the mixture of SF and medical technology you have woven together. As a medical professional myself (I have a masters degree in Physical Therapy and spent nearly 25 years in clinical practice), I appreciate how realistic the medical details and the injuries are. And it was nice to have a lead character who was not a military commander for a change. I also have a huge love for another SF series - Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga books. While I wish there were more female viewpoint characters in the stories, I appreciate how many fully realized women populate her world. And I love Miles Vorkosigan - the lead character in most of the books. He's a bundle of neruoses in 'Mission Impossible' situations. In space.

Along with being an author you're also a poet -- how does poetry influence your fiction writing?

I can think of at least two distinct ways poetry influences my fiction writing. The first is in the sound and feel of language. A writer makes word choices on any number of levels: connotation, denotation, cultural appropriateness, dialect, to name a few. I add the sound and feel of the language to that mix. Poetry is an auditory and kinesthetic experience. When I read poetry (and I love to read it aloud) there is a music to the flow of phrases, lines, and stanzas that can be used to good effect in prose. Do I want to ramp up the tension in a scene? Then I go to short, sharp words that have a staccato rhythm. Looking to slow the pace and create a more relaxed experience? Then I choose longer, more flowing kinds of words.

The second way poetry comes into my fiction is in the use of metaphor and simile - both types of comparison that are the heart and soul of poetry. (See what I did there?) One of the things I work toward, is creating apt comparisons that emerge organically from my characters' backgrounds and experiences. That will deepen reader immersion and world building, as well as add layers of meaning to the work.

If you could step into a time machine and visit any SF universe (including your own), what would you choose as your destination, and why?

That's easy. Doctor Who. Okay, I know there is debate as to whether or not this show is actually SF, but I'm sticking to my choice. I've been a fan since 1973. I was 10, and I couldn't find any saturday morning cartoons. Every station was playing some boring grown-up thing called the Watergate Hearings. So I channel flipped until I found a PBS station that showed this crazy dude in an Opera cloak who had this blue box that was supposed to move through time and space. Soon after, he got killed off (!) and this other guy with crazy hair and a long striped scarf became the Doctor. I was hooked. I made a scarf when I was in Jr High School that I still have (and wear) today. My office has a wall dedicated to all things Doctor Who. And when I was growing up, I wanted to be Sara Jane Smith, one of the Doctor's most famous companions.

When you return from your SF universe trip you can smuggle one thing back with you. So what's hiding in your luggage?

Why, the key to the TARDIS, of course!

What are you writing now, and when can we expect to get our hands on it?

Well, ITHAKA RISING is due out any minute now! So I guess that's the next thing readers will see. I'm brainstorming book 3 in the series. And I actually already have a title - which is exceedingly rare for me. I usually struggle with titles. (Seriously. I have a manuscript from 2011/12 that I call YAGSIP - Young Adult Ghost Story in Progress.) Book 3 of Halcyone Space will be DREADNAUGHT AND SHUTTLE, which is a reference from book 1, and is the local vernacular for 'cat and mouse'. And we'll come back to Micah Rotherwood (he had a very small role in ITHAKA RISING) and his quest to bring down the drug cartels that ruined his life. Based on my typical writing pace, my goal is to have it out one year from now.

I've also gotten myself tangled up in a co-writing project that emerged from a silly comment thread on Google Plus a few weeks ago. (Which is what happens when you let two writers brainstorm.) It's not quite SF, but close. A mafia hit man is contaminated by a virus during a hit that makes him utterly unmemorable. Which would be a huge boon to his line of work, except that it effects everyone, even his famly. Right now, it's in the 'way cool new shiny idea' phase. No deadline. No plans for the writing in any way, other than to be playful with it.

I take part in the #saturdayscenes project on Google Plus, so I'll likely be posting snippets from both works in progress starting later in the summer.

We're going to look in a crystal ball to see what you'll be doing in ten years. What do you think we'll see?

With any luck, we'll really be empty nesters by that point. . . living in a smaller house on a larger piece of land. The problem is where. Hubby is a country mouse. I am a city mouse. There aren't a lot of places that are funky and urban enough for me, yet quiet and rural enough for him. But the Amherst region in Western Massachusetts might fit the bill. I will definitely have a computer set up with kinesthetic controls like Ro. And room enough to build a life-sized TARDIS.

Ten Questions for J.C. Daniels

If you don't change you stagnate, so this month I'm going to shake things up a bit and try out some new things on the blog. I thought I'd kick off my new direction by featuring interviews with the three types of authors publishing these days. Since I'm also lazy, I decided to corner one writer I've known almost my entire career, who currently wears all three hats: our blogpal Shiloh Walker, who is now also publishing as J.C. Daniels.

Ms. Daniels, you’re an e-published author, a traditionally published author, and a self-published author. Should we call you an uppity legacy house-slave, or something else?

You can call me the same thing I told my agent I was . . . I am a hyped-up bunny on speed. I told people I write a lot. I mean, I think they know. But . . . well. I write so much I needed another persona to handle it all.

What’s it like, juggling all three of those hats – besides smart, I mean?

I get dizzy. I get very dizzy. One of these days, I’m going to forget who and what I am, because I’m so busy spinning in circles.

Why did you decide on J.C. as the initials for your new pseudonym? For example, were you watching Jackie Chan or John Cena?

Heh. Neither. I was watching the three miniatures who rule my life. It’s a play off the names of my three kids, not their names, per se . . . but similar.

Everyone who sees this cover art will want to steal your designer. So who’s responsible, and what was it like working with the cover artist on the look?

That would be Angela Waters, of Angela Waters Art, and the woman is a fricking genius. I tell her roughly what the story is about, the feel I want, and character descriptions and she comes back with a rough cover. The first one, on this one, wasn’t precisely right, because I had very clear idea in my head who the guy in the background needed to look like. So we hammered that out until I had exactly what you see on the final cover. Angie and I have been working together for a while, and she knows me, knows what I like, but I’ve never seen a bad cover from her. Plus? She’s very affordable.

Tell us in twenty-five words or less why we should invest in Blade Song – and to add a little challenge, don’t use any adjectives.

Simple. I wrote the book in a week. It ate my brain. I want it to consume others the way it consumed me.

Should we expect Blade Song to be a standalone or the first of a duology, a trilogy, or a series? Also, if there’s a second book, what’s the title and when will it be available?

I’m hoping it will be the first in a series. But as with most self-published works, a lot of it depends on how well this one goes. If it goes well, I plan on releasing the next book in early 2012, I think. That book is titled Night Blade.

Where can we buy Blade Song, what formats is it available in, and because we’re lazy can you give us some links?

It’s available just about every place ebooks are sold for now, although print is coming. (Look for that in another month-ish). Right now, it’s ebook . . . on Kindle, Nook, iBooks, and most other e-devices . . .here are the major sites.

Amazon | BN | iBookstore

What’s the biggest professional challenge working writers like you face today?

Besides . . .selling the next idea? Um, selling. That’s it, in a nutshell, I guess. I’m still at that point in my career where I’m waiting for that . . . thing that will give me a little more security. So I don’t have to panic every time I turn in a proposal. I had to end a few series lately, not because I wanted to, but because they weren’t selling well and publishers don’t like that. So . . . selling the next idea. Hoping publishers will like it. Hoping readers are going to support you. Hoping the stress of it all doesn’t interfere with the creative process, because if that happens? It doesn’t matter if you sell the idea. If you can’t write the book? You’re screwed. Ah . . . Lynn? What were we thinking, getting into this business?

(Beats me, the interviewer mutters under her breath) Once you asked me (among other things) what was the one piece of advice I would give to a new writers. I’ve been waiting patiently for some payback, so what’s your answer to that question?

DON’T DO IT! (Just kidding). If you’re crazy enough to do it . . . be ready for the fact this isn’t a business for wimps. If you’re looking for easy money, if you thinking you’ve got the next E.L. James, the next Stephanie Meyer, the next J.K. Rowling manuscript on your hard drive, keep one thing in mind . . . for every mega success you hear about? There are thousands and thousands of writers out there who struggle for years and don’t see that success, or even a fraction of it—many of them can’t even quit their day jobs. I’m actually one of the lucky ones who can do it for a living and it’s still not easy for me. But don’t look at this business with stars in your eyes, and don’t think that selling a book suddenly makes it easier. The stresses and challenges are still there. They are just a different sort of stresses and challenges.

I have super secret time-bending powers, and because I don’t believe in all this Mayan end-of-the-world nonsense I’m going to open a window to 2015. When we spy on you through it, what will you be writing?

I’ll be sitting on the beach, sipping a mai-tai, writing my tell-all book about the industry . . . hmmm. That’s not coming together in my mind. Damn it. Okay. I’m probably putting together another romantic suspense trilogy. Because I’m good at those. If this UF thing goes well with Blade Song? I’ll be writing another book in that series, because it’s not just going to be over in three or four books . . . it’s not open-ended, but Kit’s got some, well, issues that need to be resolved. I’m not an organized thinker, so who knows? And . . . hmmm . . . that’s three years down the road? Wrapping the fairy tales I bastardize with my Grimm books and figuring out what I want to tear apart next.

Thanks for letting me interrogate you, Ms. Daniels. Now I'm off to read Blade Song, which I just downloaded on my Nook, and actually looks pretty fabulous . . .

Elsewhere

For a chance to win my latest giveaway, aka this lovely Fight Evil Read Books tote and all three Kyndred novels (signed by Yours Truly) you have to leave me now and head over toThe Romance Reviews, where the very nice folks there have posted an interview with me about Frostfire, the Kyndred books and some of my upcoming new releases.

This interview includes some stuff that I rarely talk about, and one thing I've never mentioned, so check it out before it ends up on WikiLeaks. I will also be stopping in to read comments, answer questions and generally be a pest.

You can find the interview here, and the contest page here. TRR will also be running the contest for the entire month of March. Which is also their Grand Opening month, so if you want to join the part, check out this page. and from the front page it looks like they're giving away all kinds of stuff, including a nice bunch of gift cards.

Talking Book

I've been reading a lot of author interviews lately out there in NetPubLand, and while most of them are informative, and a couple have convinced me to check out the author, on average they've got about as much pizazz as a nice cup of lukewarm milk. You know, that stuff people who aren't lactose intolerant drink before they snuggle under the covers. I know because halfway through my interview sojourn I was ready for a nap.

I think it's the inherent niceness factors involved in interviewing on both sides. The questions asked are usually the earnest nice variety from sincerely nice people (okay, obviously I have to exclude Sean Lindsay from this group.) The author, who doesn't want to come off as a jerk, is nice back. I've done a couple of interviews like that myself, and honestly, there's no room for anyone to be anything but nice -- hence the bed time beverage result.

While a lot of people in Publishing hold the niceness factor in high regard, the fact is that it's usually pretty boring to read. When an interview is boring, it comes across like filler and the opportunity to reach and interest the reader is wasted. So the next time you interview an author, consider fine tuning your questions with the following:

Laugh ability: Give the author a chance to tell a funny story, joke or anecdote about themselves, their work or the biz. Questions like "What's the funniest thing that ever happened to you since you were first published" "Name one odd thing you do when you're working on a book" or "What makes you laugh no matter what's happening" give the author a chance to share some humorous insights, which then entertains the reader.

Other Hats: Every author has at least one area of expertise or interest other than writing; make it your business to find out what that is. If you discover the author has an interesting or unusual day job or hobby, ask them about it and how it relates to their work. If the author has an extensive background in another field, get them to contrast it with working in publishing.

Flaws: We all tend to relate more to people who are human like us versus the Mary Sues who do everything perfectly. Ask the author what frustrates them, what about themselves or the work that they'd most like to improve and/or if they've worked to conquer any difficult aspect of the writing life.

Change: Authors know all too well how tough it is to succeed in the industry. Ask them what they would change about Publishing to make it better, what they think would encourage more people to read, and in what ways they hope to make a difference now and in the future.

Colleagues: We've all read authors talking about their favorite authors ad nauseum. Ask the author to name a new writer they think is promising, an author who has passed or is no longer writing who they miss the most, the one writer they'd love to collaborate with, have as a mentor, go on a retreat with, etc.

Finally, the book: After a brief description or synopsis of the author's current release (keyword here is brief), get the author to talk about other aspects of the story. Who was the easiest character to write, who was the hardest, and why? What haunted/amused/challenged them about this particular story? What do they think the book says about them? What do they hope the reader gets out of it?

I think the key to a great interview is to give the author a chance to be a person instead of a persona. Everyone can be nice and bland, and a few authors will probably go that way because they're afraid to do anything else, but the rest are like hidden treasures. Dig a little under the surface, and watch them shine.

Related links:

My unconventional 2006 interview with author Shannon Stacey.

SF Crowsnest's interview with author Joely Sue Burkhart showcases how a writer can be nice during a fairly standard interview without being boring.

The Laugh Doctor, Dr. Cliff Kuhn, interviews world famous comedian Gallagher about humor, health and life in general.

“So, Do You Always Wear White Underwear?” – How to Write an Exciting Interview by copywriter Guillermo Rubio

Bloggintervju

Some of you may not know this, but our blogpal and regular commenter, Mackan Andersson, is also a published author in Sweden. Like many writers I've met from other countries, his English is perfect, which is ironic when you think of how few American writers can speak much less write in a foreign language. Happily Mackan didn't mind the one line of scanty, phrase-book Swedish I offered while interviewing me here on his blog.

Interview? Throwdown?

Sean Lindsay tries -- and fails, pretty much -- to browbeat me today over at 101 Reasons to Stop Writing.

Interview

While it often seems as if the industry would like us all to become hype-driven promosluts, there are still writers out there who are juggling real life with the writing life and keeping it all in perspective. One of the best at this balancing act is Shannon Stacey.

I've never met Shannon, but after a year and a half of reading her blog I feel as if I have. She writes with a balance of wry practicality and wicked humor that keep me coming back to see what's up with her. Somehow she's able to make candid observations about the biz without being malicious -- something we could all work on -- but she's not into bragging, name-dropping or working her titles into every other sentence.

All of the above is why I bullied Shannon into an interview (note how I corner her about her latest release and make her talk about it):

Q: Shannon, I'm bored and I have nothing fun to read, but I really liked the excerpt from your new novel, 72 Hours. Make me spend money by telling me more about it.

Shan: It's fast-paced and action-packed—without a word count requirement, I was able to focus on the high points of emotion and adrenaline without padding. Usually, after all the drafts and edits are over, I don't reread my own books, but I reread this one. And my son was five minutes late to his last day of school.

Q: If DisneyWorld was going to make your new novel into a theme attraction, what kind of ride would it be?

Shan: A cross between a roller-coaster and Duck Hunt (remember that damn snickering dog?). As you scream your way through the coaster ride, you have to shoot the targets that pop out at you. The original prototype called for riders to check their children in at the gate, and you could only get them back by hitting enough targets. Park officials quickly began to suspect parents were purposely aiming high, however, leaving an excess of children in the lost and found. So in order to achieve the right amount of desperation, losers will be duct-taped to the "It's a Small World" boat ride and forced to gnaw their way free in a race against insanity.

Q: On a daily basis you juggle a busy home life, marriage, kids and a writing career. How do you manage all that without a maid, a governess, a personal assistant and lots of valium?

Shan: Several large iced coffees from Dunkin Donuts per day and VIP status at the video store helps. But the real answer is "not as well as I'd like". My house isn't as clean as it should be. I'm not as page-productive as I'd like to be. I'm also "office manager" for my husband's business, and the filing isn't as caught up as I'd like it to be. Fortunately, my kids are pretty self-sufficient and would both rather read or play than spend time with their mother. For me, the key to being able to write at all is that I don't have to have a block of time set aside. I can get up in the middle of a sentence, make lunch and read a story, then come back and finish a paragraph. Then I'll get up, settle an argument and find the DVD remote, then get another sentence and then make more lemonade before finishing a page. If I had to have quiet to keep my train of thought, I'd be toast.

Q: Let's say "72 Hours" will be made into a movie, and you're hired as a casting director. Which stars do you hire to play your hero and heroine, and why?

Shan: I actually have a behind-the-scenes page for each of my books, and in my head, Jennifer Esposito plays Grace Nolan. The photos from the set of "Don't Say a Word" really captured the character for me. I have a picture of Oded Fehr as Alex Rossi, but it's more about the mood/personality of the character. For some reason I can picture real actresses as my heroines, but find it much more difficult with my heroes.

Q: Your weblog is very down-to-earth, in that I never feel as if you're shaking promotional pom poms in my face whenever I read it. Do you deliberately write your blog that way, to get in touch with your readers, or is Shannon the Blogger the same as Shannon the Real Life Person? How has blogging helped you as a writer, and as an author?

ShanShan: Shannon the Blogger is the real Shannon, but only if I know you well. I'm very, very shy in a social situations, so if you saw me at a conference I'd be the hyperventilating person hiding in the corner wishing somebody would talk to me, but hoping they wouldn't because then I'd have to be interesting. But if you're a friend of mine, sitting on my front porch nursing iced coffees—that's Shannon the Blogger. Comfortable Shannon.

I wouldn't say the tone is deliberate. The only deliberate thing about my blog is my avoidance of most things political and religious. As a reader of blogs, it's a huge turn-off, so I don't do it. I also very rarely plan or draft my entries ahead of time—what you get is pretty much whatever's running through my head at the time. Plus, promo is very difficult for me. It goes against my nature to promote myself, and that extends to my books. But my blog allows me to have the information there without pushing it on people, and I can discuss my releases as casually as I would with a friend on my front porch.

Obviously, blogging allows me an avenue for networking and promotion, but the biggest benefit for me is touching base with Shannon the Writer every morning. No matter what else I run around doing during the day, the muse and I have said good morning, and that stays with me, helping to keep the subconscious working even while I'm handling business calls and cutting crusts off of sandwiches.

Q: You've just won a week-long, all-expense-paid writing retreat trip. Where would you go, and which writers would you invite to come with you?

Shan: Besides my dear writer friends who suffer my neuroses and the worst drafts of blurbs ever written, I would invite Stephen King (he inspires me) and JR Ward (to lock her in a room until she put me on her ARC list) and Dave Barry (I'd love to pick his brilliant comedic brain). And we'd go to the Stanley Hotel in Colorado (the inspiration for "The Shining"). What would be more fun than being in a haunted hotel with Stephen King and Dave Barry? (Plus JR would cough up the ARCs more quickly if her furniture keeps rearranging itself.) I'm sure at some point we'd write.

Q: We're going to open a time portal to June 2016, and look at what Future Shannon is up to. Tell us what you'll think we'll see.

Shan: Genetics says my butt will be bigger, but since I'll be standing in a dark corner at any conferences, maybe nobody will notice. My sons will be finishing up high school freshman and college junior years, so they might be cutting the crusts off their own sandwiches. Hopefully, you'll see the same Shannon—writing, putzing around the house, camping with the family. But I'd be lying if said I wasn't hoping you'll see my name on a bestsellers list or two.

Another First

My ever-mute romance persona, Jessica Hall, finally speaks to BellaOnline's Romance Novels Editor Elizabeth Darrach.