Welcome
to BK Walker Books Etc. I'm so happy you could join me today at Pacific
City, Oregon.
BK:
Please tell us a little about yourself...
Okay,
but just a little…I’m not nearly as interesting as my writing. I
live on the Oregon coast with my husband and my Pit Bulls. We have a
grown daughter who’s a vet tech and part-time model, living in
Bend, Oregon. When we first came to Oregon, we rehabilitated a 1906
Victorian farmhouse and carriage house, and turned it into a Bed &
Breakfast Inn. Within a year we had won the award for Best B&B in
the state, and we were manufacturing our granola cereals (Wholly Cow)
for the specialty food industry. Fun times! We did that for five
years, but then were involved in a car accident that required us to
sell the mansion and the businesses. I wrote my first novel while
recovering from my first (of many) surgeries.
BK: We have pit bulls too :). Sorry to hear about your accident though. Please tell us a little about your book....
The
hero of the story, Blair Bowman, is a young girl just sixteen years
old, in 1927. She’s growing up without a mother on the wild and
sparsely-populated coast of Oregon…and she’s pregnant. Imagine
you’re Blair, and your father is the town’s fire-and-brimstone
Baptist preacher. And then imagine he is the rapist. Oh, and he’s
crazier than a submarine with screen doors, too.
Blair
survives her desperate circumstances with the unexpected help from a
wealthy dairy farmer’s youngest son, and some strangely comforting
words from a favorite teacher. Ironically, the preacher just isn’t
the forgiving sort. He’s not happy when Sean Marshall interferes in
his and his child-wife’s affairs. Bowman sets his sights on the
Marshall family, and everyone else who might oppose him. Fortunately,
evil doesn’t always win. It has a sweet (maybe bittersweet)
ending.
BK:
What inspired you to pen this particular novel?
While
we were restoring our Victorian farmhouse, we found an early photo
(1920’s) of a girl standing on a rock. She was smiling, but I had
the unshakeable impression the girl was horribly sad. I thought about
that girl’s sad eyes for weeks before I finally told my husband I
was going to write a story about her.
BK: It sounds like it was meant to be. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
That
would have been when I received my first acceptance letter for a
short story I’d written. But I did not consider myself an “author”
until I had sold my first novel.
BK: It's a great feeling, isn't it? How do you keep your story flowing?
I’ve
never run into a problem with that, because I don’t actually start
writing until my outline is well fleshed-out and my characters are
all “born” (i.e., structured writing). I always know where I’m
going from the start.
BK:
Do you ever run into writer's block, and if so, what do you do to get
past it?
I
don’t believe I ever have. I mean, there have been times when I’ve
finished a chapter and I’m not sure how I want to start the next
one, but I don’t panic and refer to it as a block. I think about
some of the other scenes that will need to be a part a of the story,
even if it is quite a bit further into the book. If any of those
“scenes” gets my juices stirring when I think about it, I’ll
work on one of those, instead. There’s no rule that you have to
write each chapter in its consecutive order. In fact, sometimes I’ll
even put the novel away for a while and goof around with poetry or
flash fiction. I love the story I’m writing and I love the
characters I’ve created--I know I’m coming back to it, so I don’t
worry.
BK: That's not the first time I've heard about writing out of order, then putting that piece of the story in when it comes time. What is your writing process like? Do you have any quirks, or
must-haves to write?
I
have quirks--maybe one or two “must haves.” I need noise--I don’t
really care what it is. It can be loud music, my Pit Bulls horsing
around, the TV blaring or appliances whirring--or all of them at
once. I just can’t concentrate if it’s quiet. As for the
must-haves (you would ask me this, B.K.!), I have severe and chronic
pain, 24/7, but I do not like to take pain pills. So, I need my
champagne Mimosa and my cigarettes…and, no, I don’t smoke
tobacco. Nuff said.
BK: LOL, well I happen to LOVE Mimosas :). Where do you hope your books/writing will be in the future?
I’m
really hoping I get the chance to write every story idea I have in my
notebook pocket before I kick the bucket! I also have begun writing
the screenplay for “Bodie.” I’m at a stop right now because my
books are taking front burner, but I’m looking forward to writing
the screenplay with the collaboration of a talented writer friend,
who happens to be an award-winning screenwriter. Beyond that, I would
love to help others someday, perhaps by starting a writer’s
workshop summer program, but I don’t have the educational
requirements to teach. Maybe after I’ve authored ten books or so,
they’ll let that slide…?
BK: I'm sure, or if I decide to come to Oregon we can plan on a workshop together :). What do you hope readers will take away from your books?
I
included Christian themes and principles throughout my books, which I
think are pretty easily absorbed. They all lead back to a common
theme of hope (thus the title, from the Emily Dickinson poem,
“Hope”), or a faith in God‘s love for us. Life can be pretty
sad and meaningless without it. My heroine, Blair, is demure and
tiny, and horribly victimized. But armored with Hope, she’s a
survivor who manages to accomplish the difficult-side of impossible.
I would love it if the story helps my readers, women especially, feel
emboldened.
BK: Well, you already know I can't wait to read it. It sounds amazing. Sadly, I found I had a deadline with another book due this week, so the thing with feathers is next in line. What is one piece of advice you received that you carry with you in
your writing?
I’ll
give you three! One: don’t become a journalist--I tend to bury the
lead; Two: always proof-read my manuscript aloud. It’s the only way
to hear syntax, rhythm and pace; and, Three: grow thicker skin. If I
can’t take criticism, I will never make it in this business.
BK: Excellent advice! What is one piece of advice you would give to new and aspiring
writers?
If you have not yet written your masterpiece, I recommend you first read
as much as you can of literature (traditionally-published) in your
own genre--try to absorb the quality of styles that got those authors
published. If you’ve already written your debut manuscript, then my
one piece of advice would be, figure out your platform and get a firm
grip on it, before your book hit’s the market. Marketing is tough!
And every publisher expects the author’s help. This will put you
ahead of the game.
BK: This was brilliantly said and awesome advice for a newbie. Thank you Anne. Are you currently working on any new projects? What can we expect
from you in the future?
My
next manuscript, “Bodie,” is in the final read-through at Tate
Publishing, before we arrange typesetting and cover art. The release
date is TBD, but it’s running ahead of schedule and should be in
early spring. I am currently writing my third, “Grog Wars,” about
the first beer brewers to come to Portland, Oregon--Shanghai capital
of the world (and a pretty dangerous place to be a drinker!)
BK:
Where can readers find you?
I can
always be reached through my website:
www.Historical-Horse-Feathers.com
or www.AnneSweazyKulju.com,
via my Facebook Fan Page, on RedRoom.com, GoodReads, LibraryThing,
Tate Publishing’s website, and Twitter. I’m also on Pinterest,
StudioVox, Google+, and I am a member of several writers’ groups on
LinkedIn, where published authors and industry professionals try to
help aspiring writers, and each other. Please feel free to contact
me!
Thank
you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a
pleasure having you and I wish you much success in the future.
Thanks,
B.K. This is my first virtual tour, and it has been a great
experience!
the
thing with feathers
By
Anne Sweazy Kulju
About
Anne:
ANNE
SWEAZY KULJU has won awards for editorials and honors for short
stories, but now she writes historical fiction adventures,
exclusively. Her debut novel, “the thing with feathers,” was
released by Tate Publishing in September 2012. Her book, “Bodie,”
a total thrill ride, is expected to release in early 2013, and she is
currently busy on her next book, “Grog Wars,” set in 1850’s
Portland, Oregon, the Shanghai capital of the world. Anne lives near
Pacific City, Oregon, and divides her free time between the beach and
Mount Bachelor. Readers may learn more about Anne and correspond with
her on her website at www.AnneSweazyKulju.com
.
the
thing with feathers by Anne Sweazy-Kulju
Genre
-
Historical Fiction/Saga
Publisher
- Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC
Release
Date
- 9-11-2012
Blurb:
It
was the ugliest photo he had ever seen.
And
nothing would be the same again.
As
the inhabitants of Cloverdale, Oregon, welcomed in the twentieth
century, they were not unaccustomed to hard times and thorny
situations. Small communities banded together for protection and
hope. Heroes and villains were often difficult to decipher.
When
an itinerate Baptist preacher arrived with his baby daughter and a
wife lost on the trail, there was no one prepared to suspect what
lurid secrets and heartbreak he might be concealing. As the preacher
sets his sights against those who might oppose him, the names and the
lives of the good people of Cloverdale may not be spared.
Yet
in the midst of the machinations of a mad man, virtue and valor can
persist. The Thing with Feathers is known to fly through wars,
depressions, and natural disasters. Will the Marshall clan and the
good people of Cloverdale find it in time?
Excerpt:
“Seems
she don’t much care for song leaders neither.” The musician
reached for another piece of the pie.
“On
the contrary.” Preacher Bowman gave the man a knowing look.
“Serious?
Naw. Pull my other leg, it has bells on!” he’d told him.
“I
never knew a young girl who didn’t attempt to lure a man she’s
interested in away from the prying eyes of her father.” The
preacher pushed his platter away from himself and smiled. “You’ll
probably be wanting your payment now. I believe I promised you better
pay than you’ve ever had before. Well, my man, it waits for you in
the canning shed out back.” Bowman nodded his head toward the
kitchen window. He encouraged the music man to get up and take a
look.
The
musician followed Bowman’s gaze out the window that hung over the
kitchen sink. He spotted the side of the small shed and his eyes
caught barely a glimpse of Blair’s floral skirt moving within. He
tossed a confused look to the preacher, who gave the man a
surreptitious wink and then resumed his seat at the table.
A
lecherous look registered in the music man’s deep-set eyes about
the same instant the preacher’s intentions reached his cramped
mind. The musician reached for the back door handle and opened it,
looking back at the preacher once more to be sure that that was what
the preacher intended. He was rewarded with a silent nod.
Preacher
Bowman reached for another slice of pie.
Giveaway:
Nook
Book Glowlight
Character
Name chosen by one lucky winner
Also - grab bags will be randomly given away during the tour!
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