Conversations with Writers

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Interview with Crime Novelist John Baker
2006-12-20 17:49:00
Crime writer, John Baker's novels include Poet in the Gutter (1995); Death Minus Zero (1996); King of the Streets (1998); Walking with Ghosts (1999); The Chinese Girl (2000); Shooting in the Dark (2001); The Meanest Flood (2003) and White Skin Man (2004).In addition to writing crime and mystery novels, Baker is a book reviewer for Shots magazine and the Tangled Web. He is also a member of the Murder Squad, a collective of crime writers who use workshops, panels, readings and lectures to promote the genre.In a recent interview, John Baker spoke about his writing and his concerns as a writer.What drives the action in your novel, White Skin Man?White Skin Man is a political novel about racism, those who suffer it, those who perpetrate it, and those who stand and watch. The novel pits ex-con, Stone Lewis and his friends against an intelligent and ruthless white supremacist and a gang of dangerous skinhead no-hopers.The research for White Skin Man was different to the usual research I p...
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Interview with Poet, Playwright and Author Christopher Mlalazi
2006-12-18 17:27:00
Christopher Mlalazi has written plays for Zimbawean performing arts groups that include Amakhosi Theatre; Umkhathi Theatre; Sadalala Amajekete Theatre and the Khayalethu Performing Arts Project.His poems and short stories have been published in newspapers, magazine and websites that include Crossing Borders Magazine; Poetry Inter national Web; the Sunday News and The Zimbabwean newspaper.Others have been featured in anthologies that include Short Writings From Bulawayo: Volumes I, II and III (ama’books Publishers, 2003, 2004 and 2005); Writing Now (Weaver Press, 2005); and The Obituary Tango: Selection of Writing from the Caine Prize for African Writing 2005 (New Internationalist Publications, 2006; Jacana Media ,2006).Christopher Mlalazi spoke about his writing.One of your most recent short stories, "Election Day", was published in the Edinburgh Review. What is the story about? How long did it take you to write it?The story is about election rigging in an unnamed African country....
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Interview with Neil Williamson, Author of The Ephemera
2006-12-18 16:04:00
Fantasy and science fiction author, Neil Williamson’s first story was published in Territories Magazine in 1993.His other stories have been published in magazines such as The Third Alternative; Inter zone and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet. Still more of his stories have been featured in anthologies that include The Thackery T. Lambshead Pocket Guide To Eccentric And Discredited Diseases; Nova Scotia: An Anthology of Scottish Speculative Fiction; and The Elastic Book Of Numbers.In a recent interview, Neil Williamson spoke about his first collection of short stories, The Ephemera (2006).What is The Ephemera about?The Ephemera is a collection of varied short stories about the length of time things last for. The stories are all fantastical in some way -- science fiction, fantasy, supernatural or magic realism.The collection is made up of stories written over the last ten years or so. It was published by Elastic Press in May. The Ephemera is pretty much a summation of what I’ve w...
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Interview with Tavis J. Hampton, Author of The Golden Scrolls
2006-12-17 17:24:00
Tavis J. Hampton lives in Indianapolis where he works as a Library Media Specialist.Most of the time, he writes under the pen name Tavis Adibudeen and over the past few decades, he has written hundreds of poems, short stories and newspaper and magazine articles.His first novel, The Gold en Scrolls, was published in September 2006.In a recent interview, Tavis J. Hampton spoke about his writing.How long have you been writing?From the time I was a child, I've always been writing. My first book was "published" when I was in first grade. My mother still has the only copy of that book. It was a story about our dog, Aristotle, running away. All of the students in our class made their own books using construction paper and paste. The teacher laminated the pages and bound them together.I started writing articles for the school newspaper in high school and also wrote for a local newspaper as an intern.In 1999 I started a non-profit Islamic web site that is now one of the most well-respecte...
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Interview with Crime Novelist Rod Duncan
2006-12-15 14:48:00
In 2003, Rod Duncan’s crime thriller, Backlash was shortlisted for the John Creasey Award for the best debut crime novel of the year. Backlash was followed by Breakbeat (2004) and Burnout (2005).The novels trace three very different stories which happen on the same day in Leicester, the most ethnically diverse city in the United Kingdom.Duncan has a degree in Mining Geology and has worked as a scientific researcher in Aberystwyth and Leicester. He has been writing full-time since 1993.In a recent interview, Rod Duncan spoke about his writing and his concerns as a writer.Your most recent novel, Burnout is the third in a trilogy, that includes Backlash and Breakbeat. What unifies the three novels?The three novels take place at the same place and at the same time -- in and around a fictional riot in Leicester. They are interlinked stories, following the paths of different people through a traumatic event.I was interested in exploring the nature of narrative and the way events can see...
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Interview with Poet, Novelist and Children's Author Adele Geras
2006-12-11 21:52:00
Award-winning poet and novelist, Adele Geras is one of the most versatile and prolific writers currently living in the United Kingdom. Over the past 30 years, she has written more than 90 books for children, nine novels for young adults and three novels for adults.Her novel Troy was shortlisted for the Whitbread Children ’s Book Award in 2000 and was highly commended for the Library Association Carnegie Medal in 2001. The novel was also a Boston Globe Honor Book.Geras has published one poetry collection, Voices from the Dolls’ House (Rockingham Press) and has won several awards for her poetry.Facing the Light, her first adult novel, was published by Orion in March 2003 and sold rights in 22 countries. Her second adult novel, Hester’s Story, came out in 2005 and her third, Made in Heaven in 2006.Adele Geras spoke about her writing.When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?I came to writing by accident. I went in for a story competition in 1973 and enjoyed writing my piece so...
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Alexander the Great and the War in Iraq: An Interview with Children's Autho
2006-12-11 17:29:00
Katherine Roberts graduated with a First in Mathematics from Bath University and has worked with computers, racehorses, and in a pet shop.Her short stories have appeared in magazines such as Take A Break and in anthologies of horror fiction. Several of them have won awards and prizes.Two of her earliest fantasy stories, "A Gift from the Merlee" and "Death Singer," eventually grew into her prize-winning first novel, Song Quest, which was published in 1999 and won the Branford Boase Award for an outstanding first novel for children.Katherine Roberts' novels include Spellfall (2000), Crystal Mask (2001), Dark Quetzal (2003), The Great Pyramid Robbery (2001), The Babylon Game (2002), The Amazon Temple Quest (2002), The Mausoleum Murder (2003), The Olympic Conspiracy (2004), and The Colossus Crisis (2005).The Cleopatra Curse (2006) and I am the Great Horse (2006) are her most recent novels.She spoke about her concerns as a writer.When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?You don't ...
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Acceptance Issues and the Gay Romance Novel: An Interview with Author M. J.
2006-12-10 03:57:00
M.J. Pearson is the author of two highly commended gay historical romance novels.Her debut novel, The Price of Temptation, came out in 2005 and was a finalist in the Romance category of the Lambda Literary Awards.Discreet Young Gentleman, her second novel, was declared a winner in the Published category of the Great Beginnings contest that is sponsored by the Utah chapter of the Romance Writers of America.In an interview which took place on November 12, M. J. Pearson spoke about her concerns as a writer.When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?I've wanted to be a writer my entire life. For years I just thought I didn't have anything important to say -- at the same time, I always told myself stories to get to sleep at night -- serials that might run for months before they either hit a logical ending, or just faded away. Finally, as I approached my forties, it occurred to me that the stories that entertained me might entertain other people, so I started writing them down.[My ma...
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Poetry, Football and the Spirits in the Sky
2006-12-08 11:10:00
For centuries, people in the northern hemisphere have been so entranced by aurora borealis, the eerie display of lights that invade the winter skies, that they have woven myths and legends around these lights.Colour Catchers, an all-star cast poetry performance that will be hosted on December 12, 2006, by Leicestershire poet, Siobhan Logan will be exploring some of these myths and legends.The performance will revolve around a sequence of 13 poems which range from intimate personal accounts to epic narratives of unearthly journeys."Some of them focus on the science of what we know about the Aurora Borealis. But for most, I've raided this fantastic story-hoard from countries across the Arctic Circle. 'Naming the Lights,' for instance, is based on the various names used for the lights by people from the Native Americans of Alaska, to the Inuits of Greenland, the Scots, Laplanders, Russians, etc," Siobhan Logan says.She came up with the idea for the sequence of poems after a collabor...
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Interview with Children's Author Chris d'Lacey
2006-12-05 17:19:00
Chris d’Lace y has published over twenty books for children.He describes his first attempt at writing as “a gentle ‘Christmassy’ story” about polar bears which was aimed at adult readers.He started writing children’s fiction after a friend suggested he enter a competition to write a story for nine-year-olds. The story he wrote for the competition became his first book, A Hole at the Pole -- an environmental tale about a boy who wants to mend the hole in the ozone layer and enlists the services of a polar bear to help him.His books have been translated widely and one of his novels for children was highly commended for the Carnegie Medal.Chris d’Lacey spoke about his writing and his concerns as a writer.What was your first story called and in what way was it ‘Christmassy’?I was writing about a cuddly polar bear I’d bought my wife as a present! It’s the sort of romantic thing I do. Realizing I knew very little about polar bears, I began to read about them and the b...
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