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Secrets Revealed: My Interview for Lorna Suzuki

As per The Beach Boys, “I’m gettin’ bugged driving up and down this same old strip, I gotta find a new place where the kids are hip.” This week, that place is Lorna Suzuki’s blog. Lorna interviewed me for her Featured Author segment, and I’m super chuffed, especially since it was just two Fridays ago that we met up for dinner in Seattle before she appeared at Emerald City Comicon (ECCC).

If you’re not familiar with Lorna’s work, she’s one of my homeys (Canadian), and is the author of The Imago Chronicles series, the first book from which is being made into a movie. While in Seattle, Lorna was finally able to announce that Don Carmody will be joining with Michy Gustavia to co-produce The Imago Chronicles, A Warrior’s Tale, with production set to start in the fall. Carmody has produced more than 100 films, including Good Will Hunting, the musical Chicago, and the Resident Evil series, so Lorna’s book is in fantastically-good hands. Everyone who knows Lorna is thrilled for her, because she’s a hard-working author who always makes time to connect with people and support other writers in their work.

On Lorna’s blog, I confess to plagiarism, and give away my most secretly-held writing-preparation technique, among other things. In addition to all the linky goodness above, here’s the direct link to my interview. (No commenting over there, so please definitely for sure leave comments here if you are compelled.)

Here’s Lorna, her daughter Nia (who, by the way, co-writes a YA series with her mom), me, and writers Avery Tingle (sitting) and Andrew Beane before we stuffed our faces at Rock Bottom in Seattle last month.

And p.s. When I said up there at the top that I gotta find a new place where the kids are hip, I did NOT mean that the kids who come here aren’t hip. YOU ARE HIP. Maybe not The Tragically Hip, but that’s okay, because if you were The Tragically Hip, I would drive to your house and fangirl all over you, and that could get awkward.

Happy Holidays, Thank You, and See You Next Year

By Laura Zera 22 Comments

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, or Kwanzaa, or “a few days off work,” depending on what you celebrate, as this will be the last blog peep you hear out of me for 2013. I hope the remaining days of this year allow you time to spend with people you love, including yourself. (I digress a little, but don’t you think radical self-compassion is one of the most underrated things ever? That, and new socks. Don’t be afraid to throw out your saggy, threadbare, non-elasticized socks, and to be kind to yourself. )

There have been some great things that have come to me through this blog, and my favorite one is the connection. When one of you feels comfortable or inspired enough to share something really personal in the comments, I can absolutely FEEL your emotions coming to me off the screen. When that happens, I’m honored, I’m moved, and I’m excited to remember the power of the word and conversation. It makes me want to write more, so thank you, to all of you who have joined me on this site and opened up a line of communication. Thank you.

I wish I could be less of a cliché and say, “Geez, 2013 moved at the speed of a snail,” but alas, no, because it fricking flew by in, like, 16 seconds. No wonder my manuscript isn’t finished. HA! And so the book edit will roll over from one year to the next, and I will tear out more hair. It will get done, though. It will get done. And when it’s finally done, it will be good.

Besides finishing the book edit (and then selling the book), my wish for 2014 is to do more paid travel writing, to expand my mental illness speaking platform to include middle-school-aged kids, and to add some mainstream sites and publications for my mental health writing. I’m pretty sure I can do it, although I broke out into a small sweat just typing that sentence. But one day at a time, right? And then before we know it, it will be 2015. Actually, in another 16 seconds, if this year is anything like the last.

What are you wishing for in your life for 2014, and what about it makes you a little bit nervous?

PNWA 2013: I Call It a Conference Hangover

By Laura Zera 11 Comments

Writers’ conferences are awesome. Writers’ conferences are brutal. And while all conferences tend to toss a grueling schedule at you, it’s ones geared toward the writerly souls that leave you in an absolute puddle at the end. I think the reason is because we bring our ambitious aspirations with us when we attend. We’re there to learn, yes. We’re there to fraternize with other writerly souls, yes. But the biggie is that many of us are there because we have a dream of being published.

We flit around at these conferences for three or four days with that dream on the tips of our tongues and surface of our skin. It’s visible in our shiny eyes. It’s especially visible right before the agent and editor pitch sessions, when the waiting area resembles an American Idol audition (and afterward, when the waiting area still sort of resembles an American Idol audition, but less screaming and tears). And then, when the conference is over, you’d think you’d been at the Cabo Wabo Cantina drinking tequila for 72 hours (I have never actually been to the Cabo Wabo, but I always imagine that the patrons there must get exceptionally drunk).

This year’s Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association (PNWA) Summer Conference was my second (for last year’s more practical post on things I learned, click here). The presenters were tops, again, and the key note speakers both inspirational and wickedly funny. I pitched the same manuscript as last year (it wasn’t ready to send out to agents after last year’s… and it’s still not quite ready, but dang it, I will get it pretty and polished if it kills me) and received seven more requests for materials that I’ll add to my stash of business cards from 2012. And bonus of all bonuses, I was able to meet a long-time online friend from Idaho, Jeri Walker-Bickett, and her friend Carmen, live and in person (and then nod knowingly as I watched the gradual onset of their conference exhaustion).

Finally, I’ve got to mention one of the best things about these writers conferences: the camaraderie. There were even comments made from the podium on the generally astounding level of friendship and support that the attendees extend to one another as we all ride the publishing roller-coaster together. I think this is SO important, not just in writing, but in life. The universe is big enough for all of us, we will all find our way and it doesn’t need to be at the expense of another. It’s much more fun to help other people, to give of yourself at the same time that you seek your own success.

I’ll leave you with a favorite Chinese proverb, one that says it perfectly:

“If there is light in the soul,
there will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person,
there will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
there will be peace in the world.”

Namaste, my friends. I still need to sleep off the rest of my conference DTs. Let me know how your week is going!

Travel: Nadine Christian of Pitcairn Island Gives an Insider’s View

By Laura Zera 39 Comments

After the first group of Polynesian settlers on Pitcairn Island suffered extinction in the 15^th century, it wasn’t inhabited again until mutineers from HMS Bounty, along with the Tahitians who accompanied them, sought refuge there in 1790.

Since then, the population has never exceeded 250, for the past several decades has averaged somewhere in the 50s, and all are from just four main families. As a British Overseas Territory, it is reported to be both the least populous jurisdiction as well as the smallest democracy in the world. Pitcairn Island has neither an airport nor a seaport; the islanders use longboats to ferry people and goods between ship and shore through Bounty Bay as its one small harbor is so shallow that only small boats can dock. The rest of the Pitcairn island group aren’t inhabited, making Mangareva Island and Easter Island the nearest population bases, at a mere 540 and 2065 kilometers away, respectively.Continue Reading

The Thorn Birds as Children’s Lit: My Post for Jeri Walker-Bickett

By Laura Zera 6 Comments

What are some memorable books that you read as a child? I’m sharing a handful of my picks over on Jeri Walker-Bickett’s blog today, and the list might surprise you. Unless, of course, you also read Sophia Loren’s biography when you were 10.

Here’s the full post: The Thorn Birds as Children’s Literature. And if Jeri’s name sounds familiar to you, it’s because she shared this poignant and haunting post, When Your Mother is Crazy, on my blog just a couple of months ago.

Say, Did That Strawberry Flavor Come From Beaver Butt?

By Laura Zera 53 Comments

Even though knowledge is power, there are some rather nasty things you just do not want to know about. Unfortunately, awareness of some of these things may, like, save the planet or prevent you from getting cancer or protect our food supply. So in that sense, it’s a really lucky thing that there exist people who are going to tell you the whole sordid story, refusing to spare your ears or eyes. Take my friend Wendee, for instance.Continue Reading

The Next Big Thing: What, Do You Have a Hairball?

By Laura Zera 28 Comments

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, I’m going to share about my work-in-progress today, having been tagged by Jeri Walker-Bickett for something called The Next Big Thing. First, a girl can only hope. I’d even be thrilled with The Next Moderately Well-Received Thing. Second, can I get in trouble for using the phrase “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah?” I’m developing copyright paranoia. Anyway, thanks to Jeri for getting me to play. This promotion idea originates from the SheWrites website, and what follows are my answers to ten interview questions. At the end, you’ll find links to other authors I’ve invited to take part.

What is the working title of your book? It’s Crazy for You, but I definitely envision a title change. I like the working title, but there are too many things out there already with the same name. If anybody has any snappy ideas, please send them my way. If your idea gets used, I’ll pay you what Nike paid the graphic designer who came up with the swoosh, which is enough to buy one-third of one pair of Nike runners. You’re welcome. (But seriously, if something comes to you in a flash, I’d love to hear it. Love to.)Continue Reading

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