Questions and Answers
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I am dashing to finish Descent of Demons, the sequel to Echoes of Angels. It's finally winding down toward the last chapters. After that, I'll work on a couple of short stories I have in mind while the book is in the editing queue. When Demons is sent to press, then I will go back to work editing the second draft of Genesis Awry, the third novel in the series and then maybe get on to Legion, the 4th novel.
With which of your works are you most/least satisfied and why?
Echoes of Angels is the love/hate novel. I love the way it finally turned out after twenty thousand rewrites, but it's always going to be the novel I feel I should have done more with. Every time I read it, I see ten more things I should have done with the characters and plot. Since it's in print now, I'm trying take all I learned from the struggle with Echoes and apply it to the sequels. And even though it is not yet anywhere near release, the novel I am proudest of to date is Genesis Awry. That book is awesome, if I may say so myself <G>. It is the single book where everything fell into place; from the plot to the new characters coming in. Of course, when I go in to re-edit it, I might not be thinking that by time it lands on the publisher's desk.
Who (Fact or Fiction) would you most like to meet, and what would you ask them?
For fact, I would like to meet Beethoven. Were that to happen, I doubt I could gather my wits together long enough to even ask him a question. I would be in total awe of the man. I'd also like to meet Johnny Depp and Tim Burton long enough to pitch Echoes of Angels as a movie. What writer doesn't dream cast their book?
Is there a book or story you wish you had written?
The most stunning book I have ever read is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. It was so stunning that when I had finished it, I turned it over and read it again. I wish to heaven that I could write like that. A close second would be Gone With The Wind, a hands down classic. Anything by Edgar Allen Poe. Lastly, I wish I had created Harry Potter, but my mind's much too dark to write for school age children.
Is writing your full time occupation, if not what is?
Writing is a hobby for me. Though I wish I could make a living as a writer, I don't. So, I have the next best job as a night clerk. Since my shift is the least busiest, I have the maximum time to write on the job and my boss doesn't mind that I'm hogging the computer for hours on end, so maybe I do get paid to write after all... :)
If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be?
Get a very thick skin, because you're in for the most crushing, soul wrenching experience of your life. From the writing that will wring you dry to the rejection letters that will make you cry, you're going to be walking a very long and lonely road.
When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author?
In the first grade, I experienced an epiphany of sorts. I had just learned to read somewhat, and then POW!, all of a sudden all those words fell together on a page and formed sentences that I could understand!!! It was an awesome and powerful first to know I had the ability to read anything that was written. It was then I knew I wanted to write.
When did you first feel that you were an author?
Because I don't make my living as a writer, I don't really feel I am an—-my hands make quote marks in the air here—-author. I am just a humble storyteller who has been fortunate enough to be able to share my writing with readers.
Are you for or against e-books?
I tried like hell to jump on the e-book wagon, as a reader and writer. To tell the truth, I can't get into reading e-books at all. I've bought handheld pc's and e-books, trying to merge them into a comfortable reading experience and I just can't make the two mesh. I am afraid I am a relic who still prefers the feel and smell of paper. It's just so much easier to read a book. You don't have to power up the pc or have any special medium, aside from a set of good eyes, to read it. And while this attitude might deprive me of the chance to read many good books, I'll just have to say nay to the e-book format.
Are you a music fan? If so, what?
Music is my greatest inspiration when I am writing. I put the headphones on and get lost in the emotion of sound and what's happening to the characters on paper. I love a little bit of everything, from classical to metal and punk. Beethoven, of course, Vivaldi, Bach. I could go on all day about the composers. For modern, I go with Ozzy, Manson, Blondie, Abba, Veritcal Horizon, Everclear, Bond... That list, too, could go on forever. I have certain songs I listen to when I need to grasp an emotion I can't quite get into words.
Do you have a favorite place to write?
The place where I do my best writing is in bed. In the dark, snug in my own little cocoon, I can get lost for hours telling stories in my head. Miss a lot of sleep that way, though. I wish that someone would invent a psychic computer, so that I could beam my thoughts into it and have it transcribed onto paper. I am actually the kind who has to keep a pad and pen by the bed, because I often have to write notes in the middle of the night. I've since bought a handheld so I can sit in bed and write when I don't feel like hitting the desk. Somehow, though, I am not as productive. Sitting down at the desk, though, seems to put into motion the impetus to write a chapter. On a good day, I can draft a chapter out and finish it in three days. But then again I've had chapter from hell that take a month.
Do you enjoy book signings/conventions?
I value my readers and I will go out of my way to please them. If there is a signing or convention I can attend, then I will go out of my way to meet the public.
Why do you like SF/F/H?
Flexibility. Fiction allows a writer to take reality and bend it, distort or recreate it. I like being able to create characters and alternate realities. My world, my rules. Fiction doesn't have to conform to any certain format. If you want a blue alien with pink hair, it's perfectly acceptable in sf or fantasy. You can create a setting where such a creature would belong and not be glanced at twice.
Is there anything more that can be done with Wizards, Elves and Dragons?
I believe that there's always a new twist to those tired character types. If there wasn't, there wouldn't be so many books featuring such. All these writers can't be writing the same book, can they? Certainly not. Different minds work different ways. Give ten writers one scenario and there will be ten different interpretations.
As a reader do you prefer Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
Oh, I might be outing myself here, but I rarely read fiction nowadays. About twelve years ago, I switched over to history and biography and never looked back. I'll probably get a good slap, but I find most fiction boring when compared to a riveting biography. I know... I write fiction so how can I not like reading it? But the truth is, I don't enjoy it anymore.
What influences the names of people and places in your work?
The simplest reply is to write what you know, and we all know our own real lives. My characters are deeply flawed dark people, because I know people just like them. Scarred, drug addicted, mentally ill, the dead barren landscape of New Mexico that so resembles the Sclydian dimension in my books… A writer, whether consciously or not, uses what they know to create their characters and settings. Ok, so magic doesn't exist in the real world, but drug addiction does. I use what I see in the world around me and weave it into my writing.
Short story, single novel or novel series - which do you think is the best medium for Fantasy?
All three! It really depends on the writer and what they envision for their work. Believe it or not, mine started as a short story, then a single novel and finally into the series.
Do you use myths and ancient religions for inspiration?
Definitely! I take what I need from it and twist it so that it fits what I want to do in my fiction.
What are your thoughts on writing for shared world series such as Dragonlance and Star Trek?
I think it's terrific that one writer can create characters, etc... and then share it out with other writers who are interested enough to want to inject their own talents onto that. I would love for people to take what I have established for my series and expand on it. Imagine the possibilities...
What book are you reading at the moment?
I just finished a biography on Jackie Kennedy and Princess Di called Mothers, Martyrs and Myths. Excellent book. Keeping with that theme, I am reading Jackie and Janet, a biography of the dynamic between Jackie Kennedy and her mother. When that's done, I'm off to Dark Side of Camelot. I seem to be going through a Kennedy phase right now, don't I? I absolutely love biography and will read ten books on Marilyn Monroe, just to compare facts and anecdotes. I particularly love to read biographies of old Hollywood producers, directors, and stars.
Do you enjoy collaborating?
No. I tried co-authoring a novel with another writer and it was a miserable experience. We simply could not see eye to eye and our ideas went in two different directions. Then end result was a novel that would not mesh on any level. I would not do it again, ever.
How does your approach to the editing role differ from that of writing?
I am not a good self-editor. I never see the forest for the trees, so to speak. Believe it or not, the editor is your best friend and the voice of reason in the insanity you've created on paper. When you first see all those red marks on your pages, you're a bit offended, like "how dare they touch my precious prose." But upon reading, you realize you're not a freaking genius after all and there's some things you're going to have to fix before your writing reads in a clear, precise manner. An editor's job is to help a writer polish up the final version—get it ready for publication. I know I would be embarrassed if some of the things I wrote were published without being edited.
Do You Always know a Story's Ending When You Begin Writing?
I try to have a rough idea of where I want a book to go when I start writing from page one. Sometimes, though, a monkey-wrench gets thrown into my plans and I get totally off track. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten almost to the end of a book and had to throw it away because I totally did not know what I was doing with it or where I wanted it to go.
Who or what has been a major influence on your writing and why?
The invention of the home computer. If it were not for this modern miracle that makes writing and rewriting much more convenient, I would have thrown in the towel years ago. I recall typing draft after draft of my manuscripts on an old Smith Corona, groaning over all the white out marks on the pages. It was misery. Sheer hell.
What's the most memorable thing said in a review of your work?
I have been fortunate in that Echoes of Angels has had some generous reviewers and I'd love to reprint them all here so I could blush over all that lovely praise of my novel. But space limitations in mind, I'll just quote from one of my favorites: CL Jeffries of Romance Reviews wrote that,
"...uncomfortably cruel and verging on the unstable, Morgan is a character I grew to revile, to regard dispassionately and then forgive, only to have my reactions swing wildly back and forth, time and time again. There are so many layers to Morgan, so many contrasting personalities, that all likeability is nearly smothered out of him. Nearly."Wow. Awesome. She nailed Morgan down exactly. He wasn't written to be the typical gothic hero. He's a manic-depressive alcoholic and a man who harbors a childhood of severe physical and emotional abuse. Wouldn't the story be boring if he were simply tall, dark and handsome?
"This isn't a novel you simply shrug off; rather, it plants its talons deep and digs into your very marrow."
Have you won any awards for your writing?
Cindy Penn of Word Weaving gave Echoes of Angels the Word Weaving Award of Excellence, which really thrilled me. Her review, too, was fantastic and I'm forever grateful. Cindy's one of the few who actually read two versions of the book.
Is there something you are particularly proud of?
That I came back from a bankruptcy and divorce stronger than ever, both financially and emotionally. I've got a house, car, pretty good job and a publisher who publishes my work. What more could a person want? Oh, yeah, forgot to mention the cats. I have seven lovely cats and would not give up a single one.
Plug away -- what do you have coming out?
Descent of Demons will be out later in 2003, I hope, with Genesis Awry in 2004. I'm also putting together a couple of stories outside the series that I hope to see published as well, more in the erotica genre.
Many Thanks, Caitlyn!
Relevant LinksCaitlyn McKenna Main Bibliography
Caitlyn McKenna's Website
Zumaya Publications