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Jarrettsville by Cornelia Nixon

Jarrettsville by Cornelia Nixon begins in 1869, four years after the Confederate surrender and the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, in Jarrettsville, Md., just below the Mason-Dixon line.  Tensions continue to run high in this town with former Confederate and Union soldiers continue to hold their prejudices and wear them on their faces and express them in their venomous words.

With tensions running high, the only possible outcome for a young love between Martha Jane Cairnes, the daughter of a Southern and loyal Confederate family, and Nick McComas, a former Union soldier and advocate of Black rights, is heartache and murder.

Nixon rips pages from events in her family history to create a novel that breaths life into the tensions following the U.S. Civil War.  Despite the reunification of our nation, both sides are unwilling to let go and reconcile.

“‘We’ve got to get the Black Code back, by God.  Negroes roaming around free, reeling drunk, menacing descent women? We can’t have that here!’

‘And the women are worse than the fellows.  They’re degenerates, full of disease, corrupting our youth.  Even the little girls, I swear.’

‘That’s right, Negro girls can’t help themselves.  They’re overheated by nature, worse than the fellows, I swear.'”  (page 106 of ARC)

Martha is a strong-willed woman who sets her sights on what she wants and goes after it, while Nick is more deliberate and cautious in his approach to decisions.  However, when love takes them over, passions get out of control, leading them into compromising situations.  Then the rumors begin among the former Confederates about Nick and Martha, equally untrue and equally damaging to their reputations.  Unfortunately, these rumors are what slices and dices their relationship, particularly since it is so new and untested and both sides are tragically unable to confide in one another with the depth that friends would do.

The novel is broken into four parts, plus an epilogue, and those readers looking for integrated points of view throughout the story will find Nixon took a different approach, instead breaking up the narrative into parts dominated by one point of view or by several witness’ points of views in the final section.  The format is a bit disconcerting when the first sections end in the same place, but are told from different points of view.  However, although the events are similar, there are moments where more is revealed by one point of view than another, which helps explain more of the characters’ motivations.  Although not an ideal format for this historical fiction novel, it is easy to understand Nixon’s decision for choosing it.

Overall, Jarrettsville by Cornelia Nixon provides an inside look at the tensions that still plagued the south following the resolution of the civil war and how it tore apart families, friends, and neighbors.  Additionally, it depicts the struggles that the families in the south faced in light of scarce resources and finances.  Nixon is a talented writer who can deftly translate a portion of her ancestral history into a compelling tale of fiction.

About the Author:

Cornelia Nixon is the author of two novels, Now You See It and Angels Go Naked, as well as a study of D. H. Lawrence. She won first prize in the 1995 O. Henry Awards. She teaches in the M.F.A. program at Mills College, near San Francisco.

I hope you enjoyed this latest Literary Road Trip in Jarrettsville, Md., following the U.S. Civil War and assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

This is my 1st book for the U.S. Civil War Reading Challenge 2011.

This is my 6th book for the 2011 New Authors Reading Challenge.

Confession time, I’ve wanted to read this book since I picked up an ARC at the 2009 Book Expo America.  This is my 4th book for the 2011 Wish I’d Read That Challenge.

Interview With Authors Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery

Yesterday, I told you about a great event (happening tonight in Washington, D.C., at the Folger Shakespeare Theater) with Authors Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, who co-wrote Kill Shakespeare a graphic novel that mixes classic literature and fantasy.  I’ve got another treat for you from the authors, an exclusive interview in which they discuss their inspiration for the graphic novel and the role of graphic novels in today’s society and literature.

Without further ado, here are Anthony and Conor:

Kill Shakespeare seems to be a graphic novel that mixes classic literature with fantasy.  Did you or your colleagues read Shakespeare’s work before writing the graphic novel?  How long ago have you read those plays and did you enjoy them?

A: I’ve been a fan of the Bard’s work for years – since high school. But it wasn’t until after I graduated from university and started to see theatrical performances of his plays with my sister – who has always been a HUGE Bardolater – that his stories and characters really came alive for me.

C: I was like most students. I read a number of Shakespeare’s work in high-school. I enjoyed all of the plays I read with my favorites being The Tempest and Julius Caesar.

What was your main reason for adapting Shakespeare’s characters into a graphic novel with fantasy elements?

C: We didn’t have a main reason per se. The idea of a world where Shakespeare’s characters co-exist came to us and comics ended up being the right medium for us. A.) because the stage and comics have so much in common. Both are at their best when there are elements that are larger than life, and both are visual mediums than also really reward the poeticism of language.

And B.) a comic was something we felt we could do at a high level right out of the gate. Especially once we found the very talented Andy Belanger as our artist.

A: Shakespeare’s plays feature many great dramatic elements, including fantasy – drama, violence, love, romance, comedy, double-crossing and cross-dressing. It’s the height of storytelling. And we wanted to add as many of these elements into our tale as possible.

The images in your graphic novel are vivid. How did these images come to pass? Were they extrapolated from Shakespeare’s actual text?

A: A lot of the credit goes to our artist, Andy. Andy, in our first meeting, talked about adding a lot of detail to each and every panel, so that each would tell its own story. He’s done a significant amount of research into the time period and the costumes used in Shakespeare’s plays, and then done a lot of stylistic additions to them.

C: We definitely worked to find great “bits” from Shakespeare’s canon that Andy could play with (Hamlet’s Father’s ghost, some of the gory bits from Titus), but it is Andy’s imagination that gives flesh to ours.

Working with a co-writer and a graphic artist must take a lot of time and collaboration. Please describe any writing routines or techniques you employed during the process to ensure the project was completed.

C: We really just talk things out with each other and with Andy. One of us tends to write an issue and the other guy edits it. And then Andy puts in his thoughts and we sort of push and pull until we get something everyone can at least live with.

A: And, of course, when there is an argument, everything is settled with a simple game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. . .

What role do you think graphic novels play in the world of literature, and do you think that they help readers ease into reading other genres, including classics like Shakespeare?

A: Graphic novels have been fighting for years to be seen as a credible piece of literature. I think this is a shame. I myself used to hold the opinion that comic books are just superhero stories for children but when I started to read some of the recent (past ten years) titles I came away really impressed – Y The Last Man, The Walking Dead, Blankets, Fables.

C: I think the question unintentionally sheds light on a big part of the problem comics have. Comics are NOT a genre. They are a MEDIUM that encompasses every genre. In North America, we’ve been slow to realize what the Europeans and Japanese have known for decades – that comics are a sophisticated medium that can be used for limitless thematic purposes. If you’re a reader, I GUARANTEE I could find you a comic you’d enjoy if you gave it a chance.

Today, Feb. 15, you’ll be speaking at Washington, D.C.’s Folger Shakespeare Library. What prompted the visit and do you have any specific plans for the event?

C: I chatted with people at the Folger well over a year ago when we were just starting the project and got them excited by our vision. THEY were the ones who so foolishly invited Canucks into their midst. But I think they were intrigued by the opportunity to show how the perception of “stuffy Shakespeare” is more a dead stereotype than reality. The Folger is really hip in their relation to the Bard, they are trendsetters as well as the keepers of the flame.

A: Some of the best reviews have been by Shakespeare fans who have never read a comic book before but after reading ours have started to read others. I hope that we can convert some Bardolaters to comic book readers while there!

What other projects are you working on?

A: Kill Dickens? We’ve love to continue our series beyond the current twelve issues that we have scheduled at the moment, and then see if we can get a film version of Kill Shakespeare off the ground. We have a lot of interest in it and we’ll see what happens in the next six-twelve months.

C: And Anthony and I had worked on a number of projects before this one. A neat kids show set in the world of rock-paper-scissors, a very fun comedy involving outsourcing, a kitchen-sink family drama, a vampire epic — we have interests in a lot of very different types of story. Hopefully our work with Kill Shakespeare will give us a chance to tell those stories.

I, for one, would love to see a series of Kill Dickens, but only if that entails that mysterious Edwin Drood.

Thanks to both of you, Anthony and Conor, for answering these questions. I wish you luck with the novel and the event. Most of all have fun.

Dear readers, please do check out the YouTube video, and some great graphics from the book, here, here, and here.

About the Authors:

Anthony Del Col has worked in the music, film and television industries, produced two independent feature films and most recently assisted with the management of international pop star Nelly Furtado and her world tour.

Conor McCreery has served in both creative and business positions for film and television companies, contributed over 1,000 stories and articles for media outlets and also provided expert analysis for Canada’s Business News Network.

Andy Belanger works out of the Toronto-based Royal Academy of Illustration & Design and has done work for comic book publishers D.C. Wildstorm, Devil’s Due, and Boom! He is the creator of Zuda Comics’ “Bottle of Awesome”.

Interested in attending tonight’s event?  Authors Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery will be at the Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Theater on February 15, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $15 each.

Giveaway: Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

As many of you already know, this month Michelle Moran‘s latest historical fiction novel, Madame Tussaud, comes out February 15 in stores.

Book synopsis:

Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American Ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie’s museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, and when word arrives that the royals themselves are coming to see their likenesses, Marie never dreams that the king’s sister will request her presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. Yet when a letter with a gold seal is delivered to her home, Marie knows she cannot refuse—even if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles.  . . .

Spanning five years from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom.

Michelle is generously offering 1 signed copy of Madame Tussaud to one of my readers anywhere in the world, along with a pair of Marie Antoinette cupcake earrings.

To Enter:

1.  Leave a comment about what you know about the French Revolution or if you have ever visited a wax museum and where.

2.  Facebook, Tweet, or blog about the giveaway and get a second entry.

Deadline to enter is Feb. 19, 2011, at 11:59PM EST

Kill Shakespeare by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery Event

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.  Today’s normally reserved for lovers, poets, and married couples to share the joy of their relationships, and some even accomplish that with poetry from The Bard himself, Shakespeare.

In that way, today’s announcement is about Shakespeare because authors Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery will be at the Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Theater on February 15, 2011, at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are $15 each.

Both authors will discuss their suspense and adventure graphic novel, Kill Shakespeare, in which all of Shakespeare’s heroes team up to save a wizard named Shakespeare from the villains of his plays.

Here’s a synopsis of the novel:

Kill Shakespeare is an adventure that pits Shakespeare’s greatest heroes (including Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Falstaff, Puck) against his most menacing villains (including Richard III, Lady Macbeth, Iago) in a quest to track down and kill – or save – a reclusive wizard by the name of William Shakespeare.  A combination of Lord of the Rings, Shakespeare in Love and the comic book series Fables, and told in modern-day English (with some Shakespeare expressions thrown in measure for measure), it is an adventure ull of action, drama, bloody violence, love, lust, comedy, double-crossing and cross-dressing – an adventure of Shakespearean proportions. . .

For those of you interested in learning more about the graphic novel, please check out this YouTube video:

Here are a couple of inside pages to view as well. Also, check out the blog.

If, you are in the D.C. area, you should stop by the Folger Shakespeare Theater to check out these authors tomorrow evening.

Mailbox Monday #118


Mailbox Mondays (click the icon at the right to check out the new blog) has gone on tour since Marcia at The Printed Page passed the torch.  This month our host is Library of Clean Reads .  Kristi of The Story Siren continues to sponsor her In My Mailbox meme.  Both of these memes allow bloggers to share what books they receive in the mail or through other means over the past week.

Just be warned that these posts can increase your TBR piles and wish lists.

Here’s what I received:

1.  White Egrets by Derek Walcott, which I received from my cousin Ashley.  I’m glad I get to borrow it.

2. Spinning by Michael Baron for review.

3. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran for review.

4. Wild Dreams of a New Beginning by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, which I got at the library sale for 50 cents.

5. The Book of American Negro Poetry Edited by James Weldon Johnson, which I got at the library sale for 50 cents; Langston Hughes’ inclusion is what sold me on this volume in spite of the title.

6. Dr. Seuss Fine Feathered Friends by Tish Rabe for 50 cents at the library sale.

7. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss for 50 cents at the library sale.

What did you get in your mailbox?

84th Virtual Poetry Circle


Welcome to the 84th Virtual Poetry Circle!

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

It’s a new year, and if you haven’t heard there is a new feature on the blog this year . . . my first ever, poetry reading challenge.  Yup, that means everyone should be signing up because all you need to do is read 1 book of poetry.

I’ve been reading The Rorschach Factory by Valerie Fox, and I thought I would share a sample of her work.

Intruder (page 41)

I didn’t eat the food in your refrigerator or turn on the spigot, or
track mud through the hallway.  I wouldn’t do that.

I went through your art books and attached paper clothes to photo-
graphs of naked ladies. Sometimes also I covered their eyes. To one I
gave mittens — she looked cold.

The cracker-box girl had a shadowy face. She looks back to the 19th
century. I put her in a boxy suit jacket with concealed buttons.

I adorned one blond bomber with a diamond necklace. No glue
smudges — I used sticky office notes. Surrealists can be such peep-
holes.

A certain double exposure blends body with hand. One droll hand
reaches out from a shell. Some round and flat breast-laid tabletops I
dressed in checkers, like in Italian restaurants.

Also I took away for myself a few unobvious items. You’ll see but it
may take you a while. I did not leave you this note.

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions.  Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles.  It’s never too late to join the discussion.

Interview With Sweta Vikram

Sweta Vikram‘s poetry has been featured more than once on this blog, and you can check out my reviews for Kaleidoscope:  An Asian Journey of Colors and Because All Is Not Lost.  I’m so glad that I discovered her work because it is not only vivid, but multicultural.  Her style is full of child-like imagination and sophistication as she tackles cultural themes pertaining to the human condition and the residual impact of grief.

Today, I’m happy to share with you an interview I conducted with her following my latest review.  Please feel free to leave your comments and questions following the interview.

How would you introduce yourself to a crowded room eager to hang on your every word? Are you just a poet, what else should people know about you?

Introductions vary depending on the audience. I usually never plan ahead of time. Whatever comes most naturally to me at that instant when I walk inside a crowded room and hold the microphone, I go with it. That said, there is something you should know about me: I am an obsessive-compulsive planner. My definition of spontaneity is telling my husband, “Let’s do something impromptu today.” No kidding. But, when it comes to reading my work, I let the moment take over.

I have an honest, secure, and grounded relationship with words. Frankly, there is a certain vibe to every reading venue. And I rely on that energy to guide me: whether humor would work or a more serious, informal interaction in a given scenario. But the objective is to never pretend to be someone I am not. The audiences are smart; they can sniff out fakes. I have witnessed a poet take that phony-route, and it wasn’t pretty. Every performer should be respectful of those in attending.

I was a radio jockey for a leading South Asian radio station in NYC. Believe me, you could never be ready for some of the questions or compliments or comments. I think it prepared me to not easily get fazed.

Aside from being a poet, I am also a novelist (first fiction novel, “Perfectly Untraditional,” upcoming in April 2011), an essayist, a dancer, an oenophile, and a dedicated-walker. I do love to cook, entertain, and play the piano. My family and friends are an integral part of my life. And yoga and meditation are my mantras for keeping my sanity and creativity intact.

How long have you been writing poetry and what inspired you to first write verse?

I grew up in a family of poets. My father, my aunt, and few others share a special relationship with words. One could say that given my upbringing, words come naturally to me.

I have been consciously writing since I was a pre-teen, if not before that. I spent my formative years in a boarding school in Mussoorie, India. I am a city person, so I didn’t take very well to the placidity of the Queen of Hills. The green mountains, the unassuming fog, the nippy air, and damp weather, though depressing, turned the place into a writer’s paradise. Every free minute that I had, I would scribble poems in my little blue diary. I often isolated myself from my peers, mentally. I could be sitting in a big group but inside my own creative-bubble. It was as if the pen and paper would call out to me, and I would relinquish the entire world.

I feel the solitude of the hills not only pushed me to express my experiences on paper but also disciplined me to write everyday. Now I go away to writing residencies, in desolate locations, in search of inspiration. Look at the irony—what I wanted to run away from, as a teenager, is what I look for as a professional.

Do you see spoken word, performance, or written poetry as more powerful or powerful in different ways and why? Also, do you believe that writing can be an equalizer to help humanity become more tolerant or collaborative? Why or why not?

Poetry is a deeply embodied form of art and science. It can ignite passion and liberate. Poetry is about discovering yourself both as a human being and a writer.

Sure, performance poetry gives a poet the power of transmission: to add life to what’s written on paper. It’s such a personal method of narrating. But if the content doesn’t resonate with the audience, however evocative the style, it’s immaterial. Similarly, written poetry carries a different onus. The power of reach is dependent on the ink, not the act.

Ultimately, be it spoken word, performance, or written poetry, I feel the candor and fervor in the work shows through. Not too long ago, I was invited, along with half a dozen other poets and artists, to perform at an event’s launch. I was one of the last performers that night. And all other poets were spoken word specialists while I was going to read my written poetry. The pressure was high and unique. However, after my reading, two of the performers walked up to me and said, “Wow, that was awesome! No wonder you have a book deal.” Just like me, they had both assumed that only spoken word could have an impact on the audience. But none of us once considered that even in a crowded room, it’s ultimately the quality of words that hold the power.

I have a simple rule: never underestimate or insult the intelligence and emotional quotient of a reader/listener.

Oh, absolutely. I believe writing can be an equalizer to help humanity become more tolerant. I think poetry can save lives and cure the world of all its ailments. A little zealous? Perhaps, but I have faith.

Poetry has a therapeutic and healing quality to it. It has the ability to take us into those dark places, which otherwise we might not want to visit or confront.

Robert Frost said succinctly, “Writing a poem is discovering.” I have been in workshops where strangers have revealed personal stories about abuse, illnesses, and personal failures. When we received our writing prompts, I don’t think my fellow poets knew they were going to open up their Pandora’s Box and disclose secrets to a bunch of strangers.

Poetry also makes you empathetic. I remember hugging and crying with my peers in my classes and residencies. And none of it was pretentious. Something inside of me felt moved with their stories. And I too trusted them with my personal, untold tales. Once you have shared your deepest fears with people, they become a part of you. There is a reason many of us suffer from withdrawal symptoms after spending a week at a poetry getaway and continue to stay in touch long after it’s over.

I recently taught a poetry workshop in Kolkata, India, to a group of children between the ages of 6-12. The idea behind the workshop was that poetry could:

(a) Help keep children out of trouble: I was amazed how much I found out about each child and his or her background through that one workshop. The thoughts lurking around the corner of minds were so uninhibitedly printed on paper.

(b) Introduce them to diversity: We, humans, are predisposed to prejudices and stereotypes. A significant amount of chaos in the world today is because there isn’t the right dialogue and awareness. I think “Unfamiliarity breeds contempt.”

Poetry dissipates geographic boundaries and brings together cultures. It doesn’t seek the ethnicity or race or gender of a writer. The written expectations aren’t pigeon-holed. For instance, one of the literary agents (When I was sending out query letters for my fiction novel) said to me that my novel was unlike other “ethnic novels.” In that, it was a happy, immigrant story, which isn’t what the market is used to. I was baffled; in my day job in marketing, I was trained to respect a unique selling proposition. But in the case of my book, given my South Asian background, I was expected to write about the challenges of assimilation and the trauma of being an immigrant. Umm, as if that’s not been written about, innumerable times. And secondly, immigration is such a personal journey. It’s unfair to add all immigrants or their experiences under the bucket of melancholy.

Times have changed and so have attitudes. The world has become global. I mean, my generation moved out of their parent country but not necessarily for money. It was to attain higher education or to experience a new culture or grow as an individual.

While my husband’s aunt, who migrated from India to the United States over forty years ago, told me when they had moved there wasn’t an Indian grocery store in Detroit. She and her husband would drive to Canada to buy their basic supplies. In today’s day and age, my non-South Asian friends cook Indian recipes from scratch at home, and I cook multi-cuisines too.

I believe, poetry makes you more understanding of issues and humanity.

Poetry is often considered elitist or inaccessible by mainstream readers. Do poets have an obligation to dispel that myth and how do you think it could be accomplished?

I don’t think there is one right or wrong answer. Each poet is different and so are his or her sensibilities.

When I speak with mainstream readers, they often tell me that they don’t like feeling unintelligent and poetry can sometimes intimidate them. But it also excites them. These folks explore “accessible” poetry. Take for example American Poet Laureate Billy Collins. His work is comprehensible and widely read. In my eyes, it makes him an intelligent writer, if non-poetry devotees read his poems too.

But that doesn’t mean ambiguous poets are dimwits. Not at all. It’s their style. And then are mainstream readers who enjoy complex, abstract, and open-ended works.

I have wondered if poets even deliberate how and what their outcome on paper should be. Derek Walcott once said, “If you know what you are going to write when you’re writing a poem, it’s going to be average.”

Some poems just come to you while others have to be manifested by tapping into a certain part of the brain. I write both literal and abstract poems. I can tell you honestly, often times, the poem has its own intent. I don’t even realize which path I am going to choose. It also depends on topics and my sense of comfort with them. All writers face the problem about writing what scares them.

Ultimately, it’s up to the poet to define their sense of purpose in the landscape of writing. There is space for different kinds of works. But I can’t imagine any poet would get upset if their readership increased. And people went crazy buying their books.

Do you have any favorite foods or foods that you find keep you inspired? What are the ways in which you pump yourself up to keep writing and overcome writer’s block?

Oh, my dentist knows when I have emerged from a pile of crazy deadlines.:-) There are tea stains visible only to her professional-eyes. I drink a lot of organic teas to get my rhythm going. The warm beverage tingles my creative-palate. I also rely on meditation, walking, and yoga to connect with my subconscious mind.

With the demands of day-to-day life, it’s easy for cacophony to enter the place where unused, creative thoughts reside. I set time aside, even if for a few minutes, to connect with myself. Just shut my brains and let go. I rent writing space where, thankfully, there is no tolerance for any kind of noise. But the days I work from home, I always have soft jazz playing in the background. Or any music that connects the mind and body and spirit.

I am extremely disciplined about my work and my schedule. I don’t treat it any differently from my old, day job. I believe, if I don’t respect my schedule, no one else will. And being a freelance writer takes a very different kind of commitment. It’s so easy to prioritize everything else but your work. I never wanted that to happen. This is my bread and butter and my passion.

I believe the only way one can overcome writer’s block is by writing every day. There might be days that I scribble as opposed to write. But that’s better than doing nothing. Ink on paper is better than blank paper. The more you look at empty paper, the more nervous it makes you about those unproductive days. It’s a destroying, self-fulfilling prophecy. You have to train your brain like Pavlov trained the dog: see the clock at a certain time and start to write.

Also, writing involves researching and reading. If words won’t come to you, go looking for them. It’s funny how many ideas come through because of one word you read in a book or magazine or a journal.

But aside from hard work and long hours, I make time for my family and friends. Personal life, social commitments, and a good glass of wine are integral to my existence. Writing is here to stay, so I have to find sustainable ways of nurturing it.

Do you have any obsessions that you would like to share?

Off late I have been obsessed with hot chocolate with marshmallow at City Bakery in New York City. Of course I drink that and then walk for a ridiculous distance to burn those calories. But I find my muse in that blob of porous goodness.

Ha, another one:  I don’t allow anyone to touch my laptop. My husband, my father, and my eight-year-old niece, Sana, poke my laptop, just to bother me, and say, ‘Oh, I just touched it.”

Other than that, I can’t work (or breathe?) if there is any sort of mess around me. Cluttered space clutters my brain. Did I mention that I literally worship words?

What current projects are you working on and would you like to share some details with the readers?

If all goes well, I have three books scheduled for release this year: One chapbook, one collaborative poetry collection (along with a visual artist), and a fiction novel.

I recently finished editing my upcoming fiction novel (“Perfectly Untraditional”). Given this is my first fiction novel; this book is incredibly close to my heart.

The novel, set in both India and the United States, is the story of one such immigrant who realizes the truth about her universe after she moves away. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a happy immigrant story about a modern, Indian family with all its spice galore. Women, families, youngsters, and others will be able to relate to this book.

I met an Australian artist at an artist-in-residence program. She and I became friends and took to each other’s work. To cut the long story short, we both decided to work on a project together: poetry speaks to art responds to poetry. A publishing house liked our concept and made an offer. Our collaborative book (“Not all birds sing”) is scheduled for a February 2011 release.

Just last week, I signed a book contract for another poetry collection tentatively titled “Clearing the fog.” I conceptualized this book while in Portugal. It’s unique in how it uses landscape to narrate the content of the book.

I hope your fine readers will grab a copy of each. And if they’d like to stay updated, they can always visit my website or follow me on Twitter (@ssvik) or join my author page on Facebook.

Thank you, Sweta, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions. I wish you luck with all of your projects and look forward to reading your novel, Perfectly Untraditional.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte Read-a-Long Part 1

Unputdownables is hosting a Villette by Charlotte Bronte read-a-long for the next couple of months.  And this is the first week of discussion.

For this week, we had to read the first five chapters of the novel.

The narrator begins by talking of her godmother and her family in Bretton and how she enjoyed being at their house.  We soon learn in the first chapter that her godmother has agreed to take charge of a young girl, Paulina, who has lost her mother and whose father has been told to travel to calm his ailments and recover from grief.

Miss Lucy Snowe is our narrator and she loves to observe her family members and Paulina as they interact with one another and when they are alone.  She has a particular interest in Paulina (Polly) given that the young girl wants to accomplish so much without help, but is not tall enough to complete certain tasks on her own at least not without difficulty.  What’s intriguing is the relationship that blossoms between Mrs. Bretton’s son, Graham, and Paulina.  Without her father, she seems to be seeking another man to look up to and take care of, but Graham is a young man in school with his own priorities and friends, though he does enjoy spending time teasing Paulina.

There also are some similarities between Polly and Lucy in how they interact with others, seeming to want more attention, but unsure how to get it without seeming overly needy.  While Polly takes it to the needy extreme, Lucy often seems too aloof.

Alas, things change and Miss Snowe and Paulina must part company with the Brettons and face the next leg of their own journeys.  The narrator finds herself looking for engagement once at home and is offered one position with a neighbor in need of consistent assistance.  Brontë inserts some Gothic elements in the narration — especially the storms and Aurora Borealis — which provide readers with an atmosphere of mystery and suspense.

While it is unclear where the narration is headed and what will happen to Miss Snowe given her current financial circumstances, it is clear that she is a character of determination and intuition.  It will be interesting to see where this leads.

***As an aside, I’ve purposely not read much about this novel or any reviews to keep my experience with it unencumbered.

Stay tuned next Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, for the next discussion.

Giveaway: Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower

Sourcebooks has found some additional galleys of Sarah Bower’s Sins of the House of Borgia and is offering one of my US/Canada readers a copy.

The book comes out March 8, 2011, and I’m sure you would love to know what the book is about.  Courtesy of the publisher:

“Violante isn’t supposed to be here, in one of the grandest courts of Renaissance Italy. She isn’t supposed to be a lady-in-waiting to the beautiful Lucrezia Borgia. But the same secretive politics that pushed Lucrezia’s father to the Vatican have landed Violante deep in a lavish landscape of passion and ambition.”

About the Author:

Sarah Bower is a novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, The Needle in the Blood, was Susan Hill’s Book of the Year 2007. Her short stories have appeared in magazines including QWF, Buzzwords and The Yellow Room. She completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in 2002. She teaches creative writing at UEA and for the Open University. She also works as a mentor and manuscript reader for leading literary consultancies.

To enter:

1.  Comment about what political or religious intrigues would you like to be embroiled in if you had the chance.

2.  For a second entry, blog, tweet, Facebook, etc. the giveaway.

Deadline Feb. 14, 2010, at 11:59 PM EST

Interview With Poet Danielle Sellers

Poet Danielle Sellers; Copyright Chris Hayes

On Feb. 3 at the Poetry Blog of 32 Poems Magazine my interview with poet Danielle Sellers was posted. She’s a contributor to the magazine and was a delight to interview, especially since we share a similar obsession with the soap opera, The Young and the Restless!

First, let me tantalize you with a bit from the interview, and then you can go on over and check the rest out for yourself.

Without further ado, here’s the interview.

How would you introduce yourself to a crowded room eager to hang on your every word? Are you just a poet, what else should people know about you?

My mother loves to tell the story of me, age 4 or 5, called up with the other children by the preacher at Old Stone Methodist church in Key West. When I arrived at the front of the church, all the other children were already seated, the preacher had begun his sermon, and I interrupted with a big wave and an overly-enthusiastic, “Hi, Kids!” So once that would happen, what people would most likely find out about me is that I’m a single mom to a very silly girl, much like the one about whom I just told you. I’m a foodie, and a lover of animals. I do rescue work when I can. I am spiritual, but not religious.

Most writers will read inspirational/how-to manuals, take workshops, or belong to writing groups. Did you subscribe to any of these aids and if so which did you find most helpful? Please feel free to name any “writing” books you enjoyed most (i.e. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott).

I have been faithful to the workshop scene since college, but I find the readership of one or two close friends to be the best kind of intimate discussion. But it’s hard to find friends whose work you admire who aren’t insanely busy. I do have several good readers I’d like to keep in a brass bottle, to call on them whenever I wished. But then they’d be servants, not friends, and that would defeat the purpose.

In terms of friendships, have your friendships changed since you began focusing on writing? Are there more writers among your friends or have your relationships remained the same?

I’m sad to say my friendships have changed. I still keep in touch with pals from high school and college, but my fellowship with other writers is more immediate. It’s important to feel as though someone “gets” you. When I was a graduate student at Johns Hopkins, we had a very small, intimate class, and most of us were about the same age. We are still very close. I also made good friends with my classmates in the MFA program at Ole Miss, and count them as some of the most important friendships of my life. Friendships have also been made at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, which I’ve attended twice, once as a participant, and once as a scholar. Even for those who choose not to attend MFA programs, conferences like these are key to a writer’s development and socialization.

She also included a poem for readers to check out:

STRANGE-COUNTRIED MEN

My daughter, alive only twenty months,

climbs up to the World Market

polished oak table, to rearrange

my fall tribute of gourds and maize.

She takes a withered husk

in her mouth, new teeth gnaw

the dry texture. Her fingers

grip the technicolor kernels.

I think of our Cherokee ancestors,

Georgia and Mexico, who married

young and hungry, forced

from the lush Smokies to the bluffs

of Cooter, MO. On the other side,

Stonewall Jackson’s a distant cousin.

She has his blue eyes, stubborn

streak, and the aptitude to shoot.

Senator-talk moves through the house:

immigration cases on the rise, the need

for an electrified perimeter, protection

from the outside. Now, my daughter

flaps her arms like a turkey, feathered

boa slung across her human neck.

Her father volunteered to kill

Sunni and Shiite men in war.

I married him for his blue-collar

arms, nimble hands

and thick cock. He liked me tan,

soft-bellied, full with child.

In the desert, he wrote letters

home, the squat script promising

me daughters. He delivered one,

but does not love her well.

–previously published by Old Red Kimono

Please check out the rest of the interview on 32 Poems Blog.