Author Interview Series-Olga Pinsky

Olga Pinsky

Olga Pinsky

Olga Pinsky is a PhD student at the University of the Rockies in Denver, Colorado. She is an advocate for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and a volunteer at MEadvocacy.org. Though, she’s only published one poetry book thus far, she has written 10 works total of various genres including poetry, fan-fiction, General Fiction, and Short Stories. Her hobbies include scuba diving, world travel, photography, and singing. Born in Slutsk, Belarus, USSR, Olga is fluent in both Russian and English. She currently resides in Stamford, CT with her parents and adorable mini-poodle, Mickey.

 

Marina Raydun: What is your favorite thing about fan-fiction as a genre?

Olga Pinsky: My favorite thing about the genre is that I can use a blueprint of a story and/or film and create my very own world. My first and largest book was “Carlisle’s Diary” (140 chapters/400 pages long), based off of the Twilight character. Instead of doing what every other fanfic writer for Twilight was doing by regurgitating the story but [setting it] in various time periods, I went to a completely different place while still keeping the essence of the original characters and backgrounds. I made a new species that had lived in my head since high school and were taking up too much room in my brain, and evicted them into this story. It was a large gamble but my readers and fans fell in love with these new characters and I was able to create plots that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.

Another reason I love fanfic, is because one can escape into the story when real life is a nightmare. It’s a great world to hide and take a break from reality in.

MR: When did you first grow inspired to try your hand at fan-fiction? What character served as your initial muse?

OP: I’ve been writing poetry and short stories since middle school, but it wasn’t until Twilight that I decided to try my hand at it. I’ve always been very creative. I wanted to write primarily from Carlisle’s POV because in both the books and films, he was in the background and never got the same importance as other characters. I have also never written from a male perspective before and wanted to challenge myself. My muse was actually one of my created characters. All of my stories focus around strong female characters. This one was the center being of my created species. She was powerful, kind, caring, a leader, and my alter ego, if you will. She really helped power that story along as well as create the base for all other books since.

MR: What are some of your favorite underappreciated books?

OP: Such a hard question! There are so many! I have a vast number of books at home, [but] I’d have to say the three that pop out in my mind right away are Walter Cronkite’s autobiography, “Golda” by Eleanor Burkett, and “The Guide to Servant Leadership” by James Autry. Though different, these books each speak of leadership, sacrifice, and the telling of a story in their own way.

MR: What’s the best and worst review you’ve ever received?

OP: My worst reviews were always by professors. My best—by my readers and fans.

MR: What was the hardest scene to write?

OP: The hardest scenes to write are mourning-post-death scenes of close friends or family, such as my LOTR/Hobbit fanfic called “Only Time,” or when I’m retelling my own suffering in my dark fiction novel called “Miracle ME.” It’s hard to pinpoint which was worse because they were hard to write for different reasons.

MR: How did publishing your first novel change your writing process?

OP: My first and thus far only published work was my first poetry book. It still floats around Amazon, a decade after publishing. It made me realize what I needed to improve as well as realize that I can do whatever I set my mind and heart to.

MR: Who is your literary crush?

OP: Danielle Steel! She can write 6 plus novels a year. That’s extraordinary!

MR: Is there a thing you’ve written that makes you cringe now?

OP: Honestly, no. I consider everything a learning and growing experience.

MR: Is there a book you wish you’d written?

OP: Due to my being a PhD student, I don’t have time to write for pleasure. That doesn’t mean I’m out of ideas. I have 3 books shelved in my head for later.

MR: What are you currently reading?

OP: Nothing at the moment, though I did read a Danielle Steel [novel] on vacation. I am in the process of writing my first scholarly article, so [most] reading I do pertains to that now.

To learn more about Olga and her work, please visit the following:

www.wattpad.com/OlgaPinsky

www.wattpad.com/Carlislesdiary

https://www.amazon.com/Out-Abyss-Olga-Pinsky-ebook/dp/B00DP8SCHW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514323746&sr=8-1&keywords=olga+pinsky

Write What You Know

Strictly speaking, if we all stuck to specifically what we know, we'd wind up with pretty limited fiction. If female authors couldn't write male characters and vice versa, if straying from your decade was frowned upon etc, there'd be no historical fiction, no thrillers, and certainly no sci-fi. But what do I know? I'm an immigrant who came here at the tender age of eleven, peaked in college, and graduated from law school to become a suburban mom. Should I stick to writing about the frustrations of learning another language while tweening? Or sticking out law school because frankly it is just too darn expensive to quit? Or maybe I should focus on wearing leggings and driving an SUV to PTA meetings? Maybe. But that would predictable, if not boring. I like to research, I like to put my sense of empathy to good use, I apparently like to take risks. Based on my life choices, who would've thought?!

And yet, sometimes I am drawn to writing exactly what I know. I was invited to be a guest blogger on a wonderful literary blog this month but, unfortunately, the head admin of the blog had to shut down the site temporarily due to personal issues. I was bummed. I already had a decent seven page draft of an essay on how my immigrant experience colors my writing. I abandoned the aforementioned draft when the gig was cancelled, but I will return to it. Eventually. The reason being is that my first year in America sucked. In no way am I claiming to be alone in the shitty immigrant experience, but my family's unique set of circumstances does set us apart. That year was a formative one and I desperately want to write about it. In this era of fear of immigrants, one would hope this work of non-fiction would find its reader. The reason why I've been putting it off (I have about three chapters, written roughly a decade ago, stored on my computer and backed up G-d knows where) is because I am afraid that my honesty would hurt (or at the very least upset) certain members of my family. I think we need some more distance between 1994 and the present. In the meantime, perhaps the middle ground lives in the form of fictionalized experiences. Which I suppose what all fiction is to begin with, but I digress.

This brings me to Keith Gessen's A Terrible Country. Which I loved, by the way! It's clearly a work of fiction but it's also very clearly a lived work of fiction. The author is obviously familiar with what became of my old country (or rather, its neighbor); the intimacy is apparent in the writing. Keith Gessen is a journalist and a writer who's been to the former Soviet Union countless times and he conveys the nuances of what it must be like to grow up in America to then suddenly find yourself in your birth country that has undergone tremendous transformation since you've last seen it. The loneliness, the isolation is written with such care, such precision. The gap in his Russian vocabulary, lack of that instinctive grasp of the current culture and politics. It's all highly relatable, even though the last time I visited the city that was my home between the ages of four and eleven was in 1995. Is it the author's experience, research, or imagination that produced such a delicate product? Perhaps a bit of each. On the other hand, the second theme of the book is the protagonist's relationship with his aging grandmother, who is slowly but undeniably falling into the abyss of Dementia. Does Mr. Gessen have personal experience with this too? I don't know. Whether he does or not, clearly his life experience and talent were enough to help him write one gut-wrenching account of what it must be like to be losing your loved one despite their physical presence and agility.

So what's the verdict? Write what you know?

Currently reading: This One Is Mine by Maria Semple

Six Months in Books

Summer is a busy time around my house. What used to be my writing hours are no longer mine at all. Summer is a competitive time for a writer (who doesn't want to be read at the beach?!), but if you're writer who's also a parent, summer is also a tough time on the production end. I'm working on my upcoming novel-Good Morning, Bellingham. It's about half way there. This will be a multiple POV psychological thriller and I'm unreasonably giddy about it. I like to push myself to experiment with different genres and can't wait to share it with the world, but it'll be a little while before I'll be able to announce a release date. Why? See above! Still, a stout believer in routine and maintaining muscle memory, I try to write something every day just to keep the muse happy. Sometimes, it's only a long-winded e-mail, but it's summer so it counts! Again, see above! Summer sucks! This Six Months in Books update is a writing exercise of sorts. Plus, everybody looks for book recommendations in the summer. Two birds? Here we go...

January through June 2018

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson

3-stars

This book fell into my lap (or rather, my car's Bluetooth) at the most opportune time-my father had just passed away after five and a half months of torture that is pancreatic cancer. Though we knew from day one that prognosis wasn't optimistic in the least, his actual death came fast: Tuesday, I am driving him to see his oncologist about canceling his treatment in favor of in-home hospice, and Saturday morning he is gone. Left behind was hospice equipment that had barely had the time to be delivered, a boatload of medications, and a lifetime (at least an American one) of acquired junk. Clothes and shoes never worn, countless loose post-its with unidentified phone numbers, and three sheds of cables and screws. Torn between grief and practicality, we cleaned fast. So needless to say, when I came across a title with the words Death and Cleaning in it, it caught my attention. 

I was expecting a how-to, which, luckily, this wasn't. Now that I think about it, how could Ms. Magnusson tell me what to get rid of and what to keep? She didn't try and I thank her. These decisions are tremendously personal. For me, this book served as a gentle kick in the butt to start downsizing now. Hopefully I'll have enough time to do a decent enough job of it before it's my time so as not to leave my mess for my loved ones to deal with. All in all, this was an interesting perspective to read and it did inspire a change in my life. Recommend!

Read more about my thoughts on the book here: https://www.marinaraydun.com/blog/2018/2/26/death-cleaning

Train Girl by Kristina Rienzi

4-stars

I received this short story free of charge as a token of thanks from the author for joining her mailing list. Which is a neat idea, I admit. I, too, must come up with a tangible reward for signing up for my mailing list. Somebody please remind me to do this!

I actually interviewed Kristina back in February of this year. You can read our interview here: https://www.marinaraydun.com/blog/2018/2/5/author-interview-series-kristina-rienzi. The story is incredibly short and is a real page turner. Which, of course, means I swallowed it in one sitting (yes, I read this one instead of listening to it!). It was suspenseful and engaging and the ending was a twist I was not expecting. Recommend!

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

5-stars

I could not, would not put this down (or turn it off). I got this recommendation on a facebook book group and it was so totally worth it. I listened every chance I got! Even if it meant five minutes at a time, I had to listen. Behind Closed Doors truly kept me on the edge of my seat. I was able to visualize everything so clearly, the writing is that crystal clear. Highly recommend! 

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

5-stars

Having loved Behind Closed Doors so much, I had to see what else B.A. Paris had to offer. The Breakdown did not disappoint.  Definitely recommend. I will be reading more B.A. Paris books in the near future, I'm sure!

The Girl Before by JP Delaney

4-stars

A sucker for anything British, I do have a bias for books set across the pond. Now that I listen to books, the fact that they are narrated with a British accent is an added bonus. I don't remember now how I came across this title but it was an engaging one. The suspense was executed well and the ending was a bit of a surprise. All in all, a fascinating read.

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani

3-stars

I'm sorry to say, but this was a total disappointment for me. The book is a winner of a very prestigious award and I feel a bit like a jackass for finding it overrated. It goes for profound, grappling with some serious societal issues, but winds up stretched very thin and superficial. I just did not like it, although I read it very fast (and at the beach). I have a separate entry about this one. Read it here: https://www.marinaraydun.com/blog/2018/4/9/the-next-gone-girl

After Anna by Lisa Scottoline

5-stars

A reader at a street fair recommended this book to me. I won't lie-the whole thing did remind me of a quintessential Lifetime movie but it did hold my attention. The twist wasn't entirely unexpected, but the execution was entertaining. 

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

5-stars

Short stories are my jam! I find it such an intriguing and difficult genre. Putting out a compilation of short stories is on my bucket list. It's an ambitious dream. It's collections like this one that make it seem so intimidating because, oh my G-d, these stories right here are just sheer brilliance. So poignant and nuanced. So relatable. If you like short stories, please do yourself a favor and check out this book. One of my favorites!

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

5-stars

This was the one "the new Gone Girl" book that did not disappoint. Good suspense, yes, but it also delved into some real struggles that new mothers face. Highly recommend.

Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

3.5-stars

There are many Little Books out there nowadays. I was afraid this one was going to be a preachy book about finding your happiness. I don't do those. I'm one of those rare few people out there who did not like Eat, Pray, Love. But no, this wound up reading like a funny scholarly paper with a bit of statistics and anthropology. It was fun. I now want to learn how to ride a bike and light some candles. 

Author Interview Series-Margaret Gurevich

Margaret Gurevich

Margaret Gurevich

Margaret Gurevich is the author of many books for kids, including Capstone’s Academy of Dance series, Gina’s Balance, and their award-winning Chloe by Design series. She has also written for National Geographic Kids and Penguin Young Readers. When she’s not writing and teaching, she likes exercising, spending time with her family and friends, reading, and watching movies.

Marina Raydun: You work within the MG genre.  What is it about that age group that makes you want to reach out to kids and young adults via fiction?

Margaret Gurevich: I love connecting with the MG age group. There are serious topics tackled but in a manner relatable to the tween. I remember that age, and knowing someone understood what I was going through was everything.

MR: What were some of your favorite books as a middle schooler?

MG: As a middle schooler, I gravitated to adult as well as children’s books. I loved Agatha Christie at that age, but I also enjoyed The Secret Garden, all books by S.E. Hinton, The Babysitters Club series, and more.

MR: Is there an illicit book you had to sneak growing up?

MG: My mom was very open to whatever I read. I was lucky that way.

MR: You were born in Belarus (where I lived between the ages of 3 and 11), but moved to the United States at a very young age. Are you bilingual?  Which language lends itself better to storytelling?

MG: I can speak Russian and English, but English comes easier. There are many Russian words I have forgotten as there is no one to practice speaking with.

MR: What affect do you feel growing up in family of immigrants had (and continues to have) on your writing?

MG: I like this question! I would say the biggest effect was being brought here to have the life my parents could not. We actually came here as refugees, not immigrants. Growing up, I was always told about the opportunities I could have. I took that to heart. Writing was always my dream, and I wanted to do everything possible to achieve it.

MR: What is the most difficult part about your artistic process?

MG: The self-doubt that creeps up is always an issue, but I push through it. 

MR: Is there a thing you’ve written that makes you cringe now?

MG: There’s a poem I wrote when I was seven that my mom still has. I rhymed twirl with chocolate swirl. I think that speaks for itself.

You can learn more about Margaret by visiting http://www.margiewrites.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/MargaretGurevich/

Author Interview Series-Tamara Rudorfer

Tamara Rudorfer

Tamara Rudorfer

Tamara Rudorfer is from Brooklyn, NY. She has always enjoyed reading and writing, as well as other artistic endeavors such as acting and photography. In some of her previous jobs, she has: edited a magazine, written surveys about television shows and product placements, written coverage of film scripts, and worked on a show for the TV Guide Network.

Tamara is the Founder & CEO of Elusive View Entertainment, Inc. She has done extensive research on both the entertainment and tech industries, encompassing: television and film content, legal rights issues, FCC and regulatory issues, financial analysis, cable and telecom mergers, broadband access, web hosting, international markets, and more.

Marina Raydun: You are an avid fiction reader. Why choose screenwriting to tell your story instead of writing a novel? How do these compare?

Tamara Rudorfer: I had wanted to write a television show, but it’s very difficult (if not impossible) to sell a pilot with no writing credits. I wrote the story as a screenplay because it seemed somewhat more possible to sell it on my own. The thing is, it didn’t exactly work as a screenplay, because there were storylines that weren’t resolved and it was much too long. I completed that script in 2010 so now it’s fairly dated. I am thinking of working on a novel or a book of short stories with some of the same characters from that script. I have notes and plans for this, I just have to sit down and actually write it!

MR: Is there a thing you’ve written that makes you cringe now?

TR: The main thing I’ve written is that screenplay, so I’d have to say certain scenes from it. There were parts that I wrote that were realistic, but not dramatic at all. I forgot that you want the audience to be interested in the movie and eager to see whatever happens next!

MR: What do you owe real life people upon whom you base your characters?

TR: The novel I’m planning to write has a character slightly based on my dad. I’ve warned him…it’s nothing bad, so hopefully he’ll like it. Other than that, most of the characters are a composite of people I’ve met, so I don’t think they would recognize themselves.

MR: Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

TR: There have been a few times when I’ve gotten stuck on something I was reading. I used to force myself to keep going and finish the book for “closure.” (“What if it gets better?”) I’ve since learned that if you don’t like something within the first chapter or so, it usually doesn’t get much better, so you might as well quit reading it and find something else that you like more!

MR: What is your favorite underappreciated novel?

TR: Here are a few:

Hunger Point by Jillian Medoff

Don’t Think Twice by Ruth Pennebaker

In the Drink by Kate Christensen

 

MR: Are there any books you’ve read over and over again?

TR: Probably some humor books, such as anything by David Sedaris. There are a few essay collections by Marian Keyes (“Under The Duvet” and “Cracks in my Foundation”) that I really liked. I also enjoy rereading travel writers, like Bill Bryson.

MR: Is there an illicit book you had to sneak growing up?

TR: No specific book, but I remember reading under the covers with a flashlight when I was supposed to be sleeping. I have no idea which books though – probably some YA titles, such as Nancy Drew or Babysitters Club.

MR: Your business venture—Elusive View Entertainment—is a streaming service that strives to offer a number of television shows and movies that are not available anywhere else. We’re talking high quality, critically acclaimed television and films! What gave you the idea for this project?

TR: A few years ago, I was considering going into the DVD business. There were a few television shows that I wanted to see again that weren’t available on DVD or any streaming sites. I kept searching for them, and I thought that maybe I could get the rights and release them on DVD. Then, of course, DVDs were losing popularity in favor of streaming, so I decided that streaming would make a lot more sense to pursue. I did tons of research on content, technical issues, legal issues, and everything else. Right now, people can pre-order subscriptions on www.elusiveview.com, and I hope to launch within the next year or so.

MR: What is your favorite book-to-TV and book-to-film adaptation?

TR: For television show, Homicide: Life on the Street and The Corner (the writer, David Simon, also created The Wire). For movie, Donnie Brasco. I’ve watched all of these multiple times over the years, and they’re always great.

MR: What are you currently reading?

TR: I’m currently reading a few books about photography, since I recently bought a mirrorless camera and started a photography website. I have a lot of old prints that I scanned and I’m planning to put online too. I’m working on learning more about Lightroom so I can use more of its features. I’m also planning to read some books about time management and app development because one of my other projects is a time management app.

I borrow a lot of Kindle books from the library (and buy a lot from Amazon!). Right now, the library book I’m reading is “The Moth Presents all These Wonders: True Stories About Facing the Unknown” by Catherine Burns. It’s a compilation of true stories that people shared at a storytelling event. I just started it, and so far it seems really interesting.

 

Keep in touch with Tamara here:

www.elusiveview.com

Twitter: @elusiveview and @elusivetamara

Instagram: @elusive_view and @elusivetamara

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tamara.rudorfer

https://www.facebook.com/elusiveviewentertainment/

Photography site: www.tamaraphoto.gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Interview Series-Mira Awad

Mira Awad

Mira Awad

Mira Awad

Singer, songwriter and actress. Born 1975 in Rameh village in the Galilee (Israel) to a
Palestinian father and Bulgarian mother. As a relentless Artivista, Mira makes a point of promoting dialogue through all the art forms she practices. As actress she participated in numerous bi-lingual productions, as singer she has made the point of collaborating with artists from both sides of the conflict, to bring forth a model of co-existence. As writer she created TV formats promoting dialogue, and a TV drama series that deals with the Palestinian-Israeli identity. As composer, Mira developed a unique fusion of sounds, combining the East with the West, weaving the Arabic language and it's oriental ornaments with Western harmonies. She also composes music for film and theatre. 


Marina Raydun: I referred to you as a poet once and you corrected me, saying that you’ve
always thought of yourself as a songwriter, not a poet. What is the
relationship between lyrics and poetry?


Mira Awad: Well, I do have the habit of shying away from titles, but after giving your question some thought, I do think a song is some form of a poem after all. Once words are intentionally put together to describe a situation, or an emotion, they are poetry. And like in poetry, lyrics may come in many styles and rhythms, with or without rhymes, they may be strictly structured or freely flowing in an associative manner, this would necessarily affect the way they are put to music. 


MR: Is music in your family or did you fall into songwriting on your own?

MA: Yes, music is in my family, both my parents have musical hearing and beautiful singing voices. From my mother's side there are even musicians, in different levels of professionalism. However, as far as I know, I am the first composer. I started writing songs at a very early age, I cannot recall how I started scribbling words and why they became tunes, but nowadays I think maybe if there were existing songs in my language that portrayed the emotions that I had wanted to describe I would not have had the need to write new ones. I may be mistaken of course, and maybe the need to write songs is stronger than circumstance.
 

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MR: What is the first experience you had when you learned that language had
power?

MA: I think I had that realization quite early in life. As I come from a multicultural family, I spoke three languages up to the age of 5, and could connect the different parts of my family together. Although I could not make that assessment as a child, that fact put me in the bridging position early in life.

 
MR: A couple of years ago you put a few poems by Mahmoud Darwish to music. 
What was your biggest challenge with this project? Having asked
that—biggest reward?


MA: The biggest challenge was that the poems were already put to music by a big Lebanese artist called Marcel Khalifeh, and his songs had a big popularity in the Arab world. I had been commissioned to write the music for a theatre play made of Darwish's poems, and felt that the original tunes could not serve the drama depicted on stage, and suggested to the director we re-compose them to serve the play. I did not know how this would be accepted by Palestinian crowds who know the original tunes, and I think opinions are divided regarding this: some appreciate the modern take on the very well known poems, and some feel it was presumptuous of me to even think I could do a better job than Khalifeh (which was never my intent). Regarding the reward, well, besides the actual rewards this project got (I received composer of the year in the theatre awards for that year, and also an award from Acum, the Israeli organization for composers), the biggest reward is when young Palestinians tell me I have revived Darwish for them, and even more, when Israelis , who were usually exposed to Darwish in a demonizing way, tell me I have introduced his poetry to them in a way they can connect to.

MR: You’re a true Renaissance woman—you’re a songwriter, a singer, an actress, 
a graphic artist, and a screenwriter. Does your creative method vary from
medium to medium?


MA: Calling it a "creative method" gives me a lot of undeserved credit, as if I have a planned process I go through in order to create. All the medias you mentioned are ways of expression, each one of them appeals to different senses, but all come from the same need to release what is within, whether in shapes, colors, words, melodies or stories. The process may vary, a creation may start from a private or a shared session of improvisation, or from an idea that then needs to take shape. Creativity is my therapy, that’s why I also developed workshops for creativity, to encourage others, who may not consider themselves artists, to uncover the creativity within them as well. I believe we are all born extremely creative, and I believe that when we release these creative energies, we are happier people.

MR: Your upcoming TV Series, Muna, is about a relationship between an Arab
Palestinian living in Tel Aviv and an Israeli Jew from Sderot and what
happens to their bond with the commencement of military operation
Protection Border in Gaza. You are a tireless advocate for peace and
coexistence. Is this project a part of that effort for you? What inspired you to
turn to screenwriting in particular?

 
MA: My TV drama Muna deals with the same story that I try to tell using all other medias: my identity, as a Palestinian living in Israel. Only this time I chose to bring it forth with a story, and not with a song. While songs may remain in the metaphoric realms, a scenario allowed me to treat the subject more directly, and go more in depth into the conflicts and the complexity. My only experience in scriptwriting comes from being an actress, acting out other people's scripts, and with the years I developed my own taste in what would be a good story or a good scene, and that's what lead me through the process. However, I did have scriptwriter Maya Hefner and director Ori Sivan working with me on Muna, so, although I came up with the story, the series is eventually a joint effort, and the process was yet another big lesson in collaboration.

MR: If you had to do something differently as a child or a teenager to become a
better writer as an adult, what would you do?


MA: I would have worked to release my creative energies more, to learn how to channel my thoughts more freely, something that had taken me years to develop.
That is why I also believe that education for creative thinking should be included in school curriculums.

MR: What, if anything, do you owe real life people who serve as an inspiration for
your characters, be it in a TV show, or perhaps a song?


MA: Everything is inspired by real life, by people I meet, and situations I encounter. Clearly these things get processed through my individual outlook on life, but nothing is created from nothingness.

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MR: What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview?

MA:

Q: "In the eyes of the public, an artist only exists when they share their art. Is it frustrating that people sometimes ask why you disappeared?"


And the answer is: Yes. Sometimes I am frustrated that audiences don't consider the incubation time that I need as an artist, and if I'm not sharing a new song or new concert on my [facebook page], or if I'm not on some morning TV show, then it's as if I'm not doing anything. The truth is that the incubation time, the time that it takes to form a new project, is real life for me. When it is time to share it, it means the creative process has ended and the marketing phase had started, which is nothing about artistic expression and all about sales. I'm sure you can imagine that I would have preferred to remain a private individual in an ongoing creative process, but hey, we all need to make a living somehow.

To learn more about Mira Awad, please visit www.miraawad.co

Glossing

I never related well to peers growing up. I gravitated toward adults, always. Now that I'm that adult, it's tricky. Surrounded by college freshmen week after week, I forget sometimes that they were my kid's age when I graduated from college. I love these kids and will miss them an unreasonable amount, but I can't say I'm not bitter at how much faster they learn. I'm competitive.

I am learning American Sign Language. The reasons I went back to school having long ago secured a doctorate degree are personal and so I'm keeping the entire experience such. All my projects and presentations so far have been autobiographical and personal in nature, and when it came to selecting a song to interpret for my final exam, I picked End Game  by Into the Presence-a song many may not know but one of tremendous personal meaning to me. Explaining why would not only divulge too much personal information but also be taking me off topic. Suffice it to say, the song is significance to me. I discovered it by accident. I saw Lisa Marie Presley perform live at New York City's City Winery in 2013 and when she introduced her bassist (Luis Carlos Maldonado), she mentioned that he had a band of his own. I looked up Into the Presence in a few days later, which also happened to be the day my live suddenly became gut wrenchingly hard, and downloaded its album and single. It was there for me when I needed it to be and I'd been grateful ever since. So back in September, when my professor first told us we were going to be interpreting a song for our final presentation, I'd contacted Luis, asking for complete lyrics. Graciously, he shared them. Unfortunately (or fortunately!), my professor postponed this assignment until we had not one but two semesters of ASL under our collective belt, so here I am, trying to remind myself that I'm not quite as good an actress as I imagine myself to be as I record take after take on my iPhone X. 

I'm a freelance writer and translator, often taking on translation gigs of various size and complexity. I translate English to Russian and Russian to English. I've translated a play, I've translated subtitles, I've translated a short story, I've translated legal guides. What I'm saying is, I'm not foreign to taking material composed in one language, making sense of the essence of it, and then recording that meaning in a different language, and yet, I found this assignment unreasonably difficult. ASL is its own language, with its own grammar and syntax, and still I kept falling back on practically transliterating the lyrics verbatim, word for word, while my professor kept reiterating that what I was supposed to be doing was glossing. Glossing is what we call it when we write down one language in another. It's called glossing of a language because the target language may not have equivalent words to represent the original language. The result is what's called "gloss." What I was supposed to be doing was to go after the meaning of the text and represent that in American Sign Language, in proper ASL word order.

My problem was in the word "meaning." I'm an educated woman, a writer, and yet I would not rephrase "lying in stone" or "soldier and horse." I say "would" because I could, I just wouldn't. Obviously, there is no physical soldier or horse in the song. And there are no stones. It's an internal battle depicted lyrically. Like in an A.P. English class in high school, there I sat with my lined paper, taking stanzas apart. This exercise is the most important key to interpreting a song in ASL, but I still felt like I needed permission to stray from the original English words written by Luis. "But what is he trying to say when he says, 'with every turn I risk the end of the game'?" my professor would ask. "There is no game, right? You can't sign 'game'-no one's playing 'Mortal Combat' here." She was right. It's a visual, literal language, so I couldn't sign "turn," and I couldn't sign "game." Instead, I we compromised on, "Every challenge, closer to finish." 

"But is it okay to stray from the text?" Seventeen older than most people in the class and here I was, arguing with the assignment.

Once I got rolling, and signing, I felt this giddy sensation take root in the pit of my stomach. It felt right-like I was creating a beautiful dance conveying the meaning of one of my favorite songs. Like I was discovering the song for myself all over again. My initial reservations were assuaged when the assignment finally clicked. I wasn't disrespecting the text. I had to remind myself that once the words are written and published, they no longer belong to the author, be it an essay, a novel, or a song. Once it's out, the word lives and breathes, and those on the receiving end are free to interpret your meaning as they see fit. And they'll do so through their own lens, whether you like it or hate it. They won't ask you. And technically, they shouldn't have to. 

I have intimate experience with this. Right before my novel Effortless was published, I was asked to do a guest blog as part of building publicity for the release. The topic I was asked to discuss was how I balance writing and parenting. It was an interesting question but it wasn't particularly challenging because I knew exactly what I was going to write as soon as the request came in. I wrote that it was simple for me: as much as I love writing, it comes second to my kids. Because absolutely nothing comes before them. I believe the words I used were, "my children are not an inconvenience I have to manage." The article was generally well received, but there were a couple of women who took these as fighting words. I was apparently guilting "working" mothers, accusing them of not making their children a priority in favor of their careers. No matter how I tried to explain that nowhere did I say or even meant to say that, those who wanted to believe their version did not want to hear it, no matter how much I brought them back to the original text. It stung, I won't lie, but I had to remind myself that as readers, we all perceive information through our own set of preconceptions, our own set of goggles. I do it too, I'm sure. Perhaps someone felt envious that I was able to put my career second to my kids. Maybe someone struggled with their own guilt as they made choices that were second guessed by their own environment, and here I was with my article, putting salt on the wound, saying how easy it was for me to make that decision. No matter the reason, my reader was the interpreter, and as the author, I was no longer in control. You can only hope that when it's all said and done, your audience will give you the benefit of the doubt, hunker down and try to get to your authentic meaning, putting their own prejudices aside instead of projecting. I'm very careful nowadays to do just that.

With this reflection, I eventually made my peace with my ASL II final: I have the right to interpret the beautiful poetry Luis Carlos Maldonado penned, but it comes with a responsibility to do justice to the original. That's pressure. And I'm competitive.

 

 

Summer Dawn Reyes

Summer Dawn Reyes

Summer Dawn Reyes

Summer Dawn Reyes

Summer Dawn Reyes is a writer of plays and short stories from Jersey City, N.J. She is also a director, actress and event producer and is absolutely in love with theater. She has won multiple awards including a commendation from the New Jersey State Assembly, the Permanent Career Award in Writing from the Society of Arts and Letters-NJ and the N.J. Governor’s Award in Arts Education.

As a woman of Chinese, Spanish and Filipino descent, she is passionate about increasing diversity in the arts, a common mission for both her theater companies, Thinking In Full Color and 68 Productions. You may also know her from her work as an arts journalist covering Hudson County, N.J.

She would like to thank the Lord for His many blessings and her loving family for their support, especially her husband Greg and her stepson Greg Jr.

 

Marina Raydun: Is there a book that changed your life?

Summer Dawn Reyes: I think the most influential books for many of us are the ones we embrace in our youth, the ones that taught us to love reading. For me, this was the Nancy Drew series. I picked them up when I was maybe as young as 5 or 6, and couldn’t put them down. I wanted to read as many of them as possible, and every one was more intriguing than the next. I loved the covers and their dark, mysterious feel. I loved the girl power in the triumvirate of Nancy, Bess and George. It sold me on the entire mystery genre, which was by far my favorite until middle school. What I really loved was flipping to the back to read the ending, and then spending the rest of the read trying to see if the author had masterfully laid out the plot to get there.

MR: What is your favorite underappreciated novel?

SDR: It’s not really underappreciated, but I think Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is so overshadowed by the musical’s success that many people don’t even know there is a book. They just assume the musical is derived from the movie (which I’m sure they don’t realize is from a book too). Wicked is so rich and so nuanced, and the world is so well fleshed out. There is racism and deviance and traditions, all of these layers that are just delicious. And of course, all the characters are way more fleshed out and serious and darker than musical fans would realize. I think anyone who is a fan of the Wizard of Oz universe in any of its depictions should actually sit down and read Wicked and enjoy it as a book.

MR: Who is your literary hero?

SDR: This is probably really cliché, but my literary hero is Shakespeare. I am a playwright and am deeply involved in theater -- I have my own theater company, Thinking In Full Color, which is devoted to sharing stories by women of color. I am also a director, theatrical production manager and actor. And none of this would’ve come to be if I hadn’t fallen in love with the Bard. He is just a master of exploring different depths -- debating philosophical issues on minute, and making cuckold jokes the next. Every single author has so much to learn from him. I can offer nothing new on the subject of his great merit.

MR: Who is your literary crush?

SDR: For some reason I feel like this question wants me to pick a fictional character instead, so I will! I always felt Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights was just dark and brooding and sexy in that stereotypical way, so I’d totally hit it. I would also totally crush on Lisbeth Salander from The Millenium Trilogy, but I doubt she’d give me the time of day (though who knows, maybe someday I’ll get cast as her lover Miriam Wu in something!) As for someone I’d actually want to settle down with….I’m not sure. Most really well developed literary characters are somehow awful, that’s what makes them interesting.

MR: What is the most difficult part about your artistic process?

SDR: To write, I pretty much just need a good beginning. I need inspiration, obviously, but also the first good sentence or paragraph. That for me is everything. Once I have a beginning, jumping off and following my characters’ paths is easy. But sometimes that beginning doesn’t come easily, and other days it just doesn’t come. Besides that, my biggest challenge is just finding time to write.

MR: Is there one topic you would never write about as an author? Why?

SDR: I like to think that I wouldn’t necessarily close myself off from writing about something, but there are definitely some genres or subjects that just don’t interest me. I’m not really into drug culture, cowboys, or like, gross aliens. I’m fine with extraterrestrial intelligence and cultures, but not into just big, slimy, three-headed, no-faced, tentacled monsters. Also I guess I wouldn’t write anything racist, misogynist, sexist, queerphobic or otherwise hateful and discriminatory.

MR: What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

SDR: I’m friends with many writers, but I’m unfortunately not really active in any author communities. There is an organization in my area called Jersey City Writers that is really cool and I’ve thought of joining, but I feel like my personal writing (or rather, work) style doesn’t fit into writing clubs in general. I have, however, participated as an actor for their genre nights, when they challenge their writers to create something outside their comfort zone!

MR: If you could have drinks with any person, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

SDR:  In a literary vein, Shakespeare for sure, but I also really love science and fine art so I’d love to hang with Francis Crick, who sounds like a hoot, or maybe Da Vinci, Vermeer or Caravaggio (I won’t play tennis with him, though!).

MR: What is your biggest failure?

SDR: It’s probably not the worst thing I’ve done, but it is something that still bothers me when I think about it -- I messed up my Common App because I didn’t realize they didn’t allow you to change certain sections after submitting it anywhere, so one of my attached essays was only good for one school but not the others. I panicked and mailed my application to Harvard and wrote a note saying I was totally sorry I sent the wrong essay. I just looked like a big dumbass. ...And I still got on the waitlist. I would always wonder what would’ve happened if I just did the application right. I ended up taking some Harvard classes online, and ultimately not really going anywhere because I had to take care of my chronically ill mother, and I regret my whole higher education experience (or non-experience) in general. But I’m still hella smart, and I know someday I could still go back. We’ll see.

MR: Is there a thing you’ve written that makes you cringe now?

SDR: Yes! But doesn’t everybody have those?

 

To learn more about Summer Dawn Reyes, you can follow her on Instagram @summeringo

Links:

  • Boys I Haven’t Loved Yet (Coming Soon!)
  • how to destroy the patriarchy in seven days
  • In Full Color Anthology (Editor and Contributor)

All available at thinkinginfullcolor.com

 

 

The Next Gone Girl

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I did a thing, you guys. I read a book! An actual book. Front cover, back cover, back to back pages in between-the real thing. And the best part of this unnatural phenomenon is that I did it in five days. This may not sound like a great feat to most people but, with two kids, it is for me. Think back to my harping on and on about Audible. But I was at the airport for the first time in ages, and nothing compares to an airport bookstore (when you're me, at least). And there it was, the latest international bestseller-The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani, with its cover of a blue blouse with a Peter Pan collar and purl buttons. How could I pass by it? It won a fancy Prix Goncourt prize in France and was heralded as this year's Gone Girl on the back cover, which is only my favorite book.

This entry can be about a whole lot of things. It could be about the awesomeness of the resort that allowed me to do all this reading in the first place or about the fact that I wound up not really liking the book despite its publicity and high critical appraise. In my opinion, many important themes were raised by the author, and it was all meant to be profound, but the brevity and the point of view left the whole thing a bit too superficial. I could talk about how I don't like being told everything about the characters and their feelings when I'm shown very little. I could mention how there was barely any character development of note for my taste. I could try to put into words just how heavenly and addictive it was to turn physical pages of a physical book. But this isn't a book review and I don't want to consider eating my words about Audible being my lifeline. I want to talk about Gone Girl.

Every year, at least once a year, we get "this year's Gone Girl" on the bookshelves. And I keep falling for it, every damn time. I fell for it with Reconstructing Amelia and with The Girl on the TrainBut, six years later (has it been six?!), I'm yet to find the real deal. Why? Because I'm sure it was a singular, wildly successful and brilliant book. Just one of many! I liked The Girl on the Train but it wasn't Gone Girl. It didn't want to be. Critics and reviewers labeling this book or another "the new Gone Girl" can only mean shooting that book (and the author) in the foot. For a book to be good it doesn't have to be Gone Girl, as brilliant as Gillian Flynn is (seriously, everything the woman writes is gold). At the mention of Gone Girl, the expectation is set. And it's a high one and a specific one. The language, the commentary, the character development. If you think the book is good, just say so; give it five stars and move on. Don't attach it to a legitimately admired title in the effort to make this one more successful by association. It's not fair. Not to the book you're reviewing, not to Gone Girl.

What am I reading now? The Girl Before by JP Delaney. Well, I'm listening to it.

Author Interview Series-Nicolas Hornyak

Nicolas Hornyak

Nicolas Hornyak

Nicolas Hornyak

Nicolas Hornyak is an author, poet, and game designer. Born in Brooklyn in 1993, he studied creative writing at Purchase College, where he wrote the first chapters of his debut novel. After graduating, he published Aimless Sky in 2016, followed by The Phoenix Express in 2017. His poetry has also appeared in Italics Mine and New York’s Best Emerging Poets, and he contributed pieces to Hexblood Tales, Vol. 1 and College of Wizardry: The Magic of Participation in Harry Potter Larps. He currently lives in Jersey City, NJ.

Marina Raydun: What is your favorite underappreciated novel?

Nicolas Hornyak: My favorite novel of all time is fortunately also underappreciated. It’s this rather unheard of book called When Love Comes to Town by Tom Lennon, which was published in 1993 in Ireland. It is reminiscent of Catcher in the Rye, but the protagonist is gay and closeted in a time where LGBT issues weren’t well regarded. Lennon really captures the almost inherent futility of existing when you’re even just a little different, and captures the gay nightclub scene of Dublin in a magical yet tragic way. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s queer today.

MR: Have you read anything that made you feel differently about fiction?

NH: I don’t have a particular piece in mind, but as a game designer, I love reading documentation about live-action roleplaying, or LARP. These games are a sort of masterclass in storytelling, because the audience of LARPs are also the cast. You almost never see that in theater or cinema. And when you partake in LARP, you suspend reality, substituting it for an alternate portrayal shared by the people around you. In those moments, nonfiction becomes fiction, and fiction becomes nonfiction. You cannot tell the story of your characters without understand that you played them, and so they might as well be real. But you existed in a physical space that transformed into a reasonably fictional setting for the duration of the game. The documentation behind every LARP is a look at how fiction becomes real, and that is fascinating every time.

MR: What is your favorite genre to read?

NH: I’m a really big fan of science fiction and fantasy, and thus far, I haven’t really published anything outside of speculative fiction. The Phoenix Express is the closest I’ve come to a literary work. 

MR: What are you currently reading?

NH: I am currently reading a book about the craft called The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story by Edwidge Danticat. Since my two books have addressed themes of grief and mourning, The Art of Death is my attempt to explore why I did what I did. It’s very good. It subtly teaches lessons about writing via a memoir about the author’s deceased mother and her own explorations into the question of death. I will probably be rereading it for a very long time.

MR: How did publishing your first book change your writing process?

NH: It kind of…didn’t. At least not all that much. My first book was episodic, with each of the long chapters published as a serial through Patreon before the full book came out. The sequel was also episodic, so the process stayed the same. Things didn’t change until I left Patreon before working on releasing the full sequel. Without a set monthly schedule, I pivoted to writing my novella whenever the inspiration struck me. In the end, I published that book second, and the sequel to my first novel is going to be edited and hopefully published this year. 

MR: What’s the best and worst book review you’ve ever received?

NH: The best review was on The Phoenix Express, where someone praised how much history, heroism, and feminism I packed into a small novella. I worked really hard to tell a story about this middle-aged courier who travels through time, so to see that someone noticed the lack of male characters and the historical nods was amazing. I’ve not received a bad book review yet, but I’ve definitely been called “bland and uninteresting” for short story submissions. I guess I make a better novelist than I do a short form writer.

MR: What do you owe real life people upon whom you base your characters?

NH: Omph, tough question. I guess the best answer I can give is that I owe them my friendship and love, unless they would rather abuse or toss it aside. At that point, I don’t owe them a thing. It’s definitely a brutal answer to your question, but I prefer to keep my characters very distinguished from the people I know for this exact reason.

MR: What’s the most difficult part about writing characters from the opposite sex?

NH: Probably my own self-doubt. I think a writer wants to do their very best to craft authentic and relatable characters. But sometimes, I do feel that for all my feminism and woman’s rights activism, I’m still doubting the choices I write into every female character of mine. It doesn’t help that I dabble in escapism, and that includes crafting worlds with better rights for women. But it is infinitely better to try and learn from experience though, and feminism only succeeds if everyone, regardless of gender identity, works for that better world.

MR: If you could cast your characters in a Hollywood adaption of your books, who would play your characters?

NH: I think from The Phoenix Express¸ Elmira would be played by Freida Pinto, while Malikah would be voiced by Eliza Dushku. In Aimless Sky, Sky Ashworth would be played by a younger Dev Patel. Never really had an answer for Chelsea Alawi, but her character was influenced by Gina Torres’s performance in Firefly.

MR: Is there one topic you would never write about as an author? Why?

NH: I’m not sure, actually. As a writer, you don’t want to limit yourself, but you do see the lines which you try not to cross. From a game designer perspective, I don’t write about sexual assault at all, because that’s not a topic players can have fun or enjoy a game with. As an author, consent between characters is always on my mind, if only to set a good example, but I’ve read plenty of books which discuss sexual assault. But one topic? Well, I’m almost certainly never going to write about pedophilia. And I think part of it is because there’s a history of queer individuals being labeled as pedophiles (which is obviously not true), and since I’m a bisexual man who likes to write narratives that involve queer characters, there’s no compatibility.

If you would like to learn more about Nicolas Hornyak’s work, check out www.nicolashornyak.com.

His latest work of fiction, The Phoenix Express, is available for purchase at https://goo.gl/rdG2BM