What's your background with writing?
I’ve always loved to write; when I was younger it was poetry. I didn’t start writing to publish until 2005.
Who are your inspirations/influences?
This is always a tough question, because I don’t really have any influences. I’ve never said, ‘oh, I’d like to be like so and so,’ I just write because I enjoy it. Inspiration comes from all sorts of places, mostly my own experiences, research, and interests.
What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment as a writer?
I think that the biggest accomplishment a writer can have is for someone else to acknowledge that you can write. So… the biggest accomplishment is publication.
What genre do you feel the most comfortable writing in?
Fantasy, Horror, and non-fiction.
You have written many short stories, which is your favorite and where can we find some of them?
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue157/groomed.html Groomed was my first accepted story to a place that is still online. My first writing credits came from an ezine called Ragged Edge Publishing, but they are not around anymore.
What do you find the most challenging about writing a short story?
Finding something that is uniquely mine. I guess it took a few years to develop my own voice. So, voice and a unique story are the most challenging things to me, aside from finding the time to actually sit here long enough to write.
You have written a lot of non-fiction articles, how does that compared to your fiction writing, has it helped or hindered any stories you might do?
To me, they are just about the same. I think story telling has helped my non-fiction writing, but not really the other way around.
Do you do any research for your stories?
Mostly just for the non-fiction, but sometimes for fiction, to make sure what I’m saying is actually how it is, but usually for horror or fantasy, I don’t research.
Why did you start Static Movement Ezine?
I started the ezine because I loved getting published and wanted to give others a chance to do the same. I wanted to give people stories they could enjoy, get lost in.
Has it helped or hindered you as an author?
It has not helped my writing, but it certainly has helped me get known. A writer wants people to read their work and having an online presence helped me there. A lot of writers don’t like to be interviewed or don’t want people to know much about them, but it’s necessary in a sea with hundreds of thousands of writers to stand out in some way.
Who does the artwork for Static Movement Ezine?
Lee Kuruganti has always done the covers for the different issues. John D Stanton did the cover on the main page that has always been there.
Where can people find Static Movement Ezine and guidelines for submissions?
http://www.staticmovement.com/guidelines.shtml both the ezine and print guidelines can be found at this link.
There is a print collection of stories from the ezine, can you tell us a bit about that and where we may find it?
Issue 1 was published by Razar Magazine and is available on amazon.
Issue 2 was published by Liquid Imagination and is available on Lulu.
Issue 3 is being put together now and will be available at a later date. Lee Kuruganti is illustrating all of the stories and.
You have moved into the small press publishing world as well with several anthologies, how has that impacted your writing and can you tell us a bit more about the Static Movement Imprint?
It’s hard to write while reading hundreds of submissions from other people, so it’s impacted my writing in that way. I don’t write unless I’ve promised someone a story by a deadline.
Who does the artwork for your anthologies?
Jessy Marie Roberts does all of the covers for Static Movement print books.
How do you feel about working as a small press and do you find it can be more challenging compared to mainstream presses?
I don’t think I’ve had any dealings with mainstream presses so I don’t really know what to say here. I suppose they are more known and trusted… there are many more small presses out there than mainstream publishers.
How do you handle marketing your own work and others and what suggestions would you have for others for marketing their work?
When I have something published, I put it on my credits page at Static Movement.
http://www.staticmovement.com/Credits.htm and I have a forum where I post a link to the work, or rather lately a link to buy the anthology I’m in.
I suggest that every writer have a website, blog, a place that is totally theirs to market their work, a place to point others so that people can see what they are about if they are interested. So many writers don’t have sites and that is a shame. You have to put yourself out there, it’s not magically going to get done by someone else.
What projects do you have planned for the future?
I have a story to write for Jason Baker Photography for his Abandoned series by Feb. 2011. Right now that is the only deadline I have. I plan to just keep on writing and publishing and doing whatever comes along – as I’ve always done.
Any advice you would like to give to new writers who may not know how to approach the publishing world?
Believe in yourself and start with the paying markets. Many of us started backwards… submitted to free venues until we had confidence, but the way to do it is: submit to pro, then semi pro, then token, then nonpaying.
Learn to follow the guidelines… if you aren’t willing to do what a publisher wants you to do as far as formatting your story for them to consider publishing then you are not serious about your work and you don’t care, hence, you will get rejected out of hand without your story being read in most cases. Don’t be lazy, put in the work and give the editor what they want and you will stand a better chance.
Where can people know more about you?
http://www.staticmovement.com/Credits.htm
http://www.staticmovement.com/
http://staticmovement.proboards.com/index.cgi
interesting interview, very insightful.
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