Frinterview! feat. Stephanie Sauvinet (Pt 2)

We’re hanging out with the talented Steph again, this time to hear about her life on the other side of the literary desk.

So you recently became a Reading Intern for World Weaver Press. What made you want to take part in that process, as a writer seeking rep and publication?

My number one motivation was the prospect of reading something out of my inbox that would make me go “Yes…YES YES YES!” Discovering exciting stories, and being part of the journey that would bring those stories to publication, has always been a very exciting prospect for me. A great book is contagious, whether or not it is my own work.

Since I’ve been in the query trenches myself, I can definitely relate to being nameless in an inbox and I believe it to be one of my strengths.  I should also confess that I’ve always expected reading slush would teach me a lot about what works and what doesn’t, but also about subjectivity. Any writer has heard just how subjective the business of publishing is and I believe, within reason, they knows what that means, but believe me when I say reading tons of queries and submissions will put that notion in perspective that much more.

It takes but a couple of minutes browsing websites such as QueryTracker or Absolute Write to find threads where authors wonder what happens behind the scenes, on the publishers’ side, or who blatantly express their frustration and impatience about the whole publishing process. I’m of the mind that unless you’ve been in someone’s shoes, you can hypothesize all day long as to what’s happening – but you may be completely wrong. So part of it was also curiosity and the knowledge that as a writer, I would be able to say truthfully I know a little bit about what happens on both sides of the track.

And as a writer who’s received offers of pub from other small presses, what made WWP so attractive that you wanted to actually work for them!

First, there is the name “World Weaver”. Really, how awesome is that?! I liked the fact that they were a young press, and dare I say, not jaded. I’ve encountered some small presses who seem to live by a “the more the merrier” motto, where anything and everything is being published, stamped with Windows Paint covers and thrown in the world to hopefully sell. Being accessible although selective is something I admire in WWP. They’re about great stories filled with emotions, plot twists and amazing characters but also about developing a partnership with authors.

A welcome breath of honesty, that answer. For writers looking to indie publish, credibility is key. Now that you’re a mistress of the slush, what do you see too much and what do you want more of?

I’m only the humble reader after all and I feel I should put a disclaimer up front saying the following statements are mine only, not WWP’s.

I know you’re asking in terms of subs and I’ll get to that in a minute, but let me say out right I see more unprofessionalism than I had expected to. With so many blogs/website/social media outlets, there is no reason an author should be misinformed as to what is expected in terms of query and professionalism. Authors need to realize that regardless of the person on the other end of the email (from a CP to a big 5 publisher), being courteous and professional is the best first impression to convey.

I can’t say that I see too much of one genre because I love them all! Instead, I’ll say I see too many flat characters. A story can have intricate prose, a great concept, a crafted pace…etc. but if I don’t care about the character, then why should I care about what happens to him/her? Why should I care your character is going on a journey to discover the biggest chocolate pyramid on Earth? (This was obviously made up but in the unlikely event that this relates to someone’s story, it is purely coincidental).

Now in terms of what I want to see. I am a very eclectic reader but I would be lying if I didn’t say my forte was science-fiction – so yes, I’ll say it – I want to see more SF, ALL SF, but in particular character-driven SF!!  (Although make sure it follows the guidelines of the WWP website! –> CLICK TO SEE! <–)

Psst. One sec.

Did you notice there’s a link there?

Just checking. Carry on.

I’ll also mention that WWP has an annual ghost story anthology, Specter Spectacular II: 13 Deathly tales, which is open for submissions until June 15. Mediums, grim reapers, psychopomps…etc. Send it all!

We love us some fairy tale retellings and urban fantasy. Check the WWP sub page for the extensive list.

~

Would you ever consider crossing the desk permanently? As in giving up your own works of fiction to champion the works of others?

You’re a tough interviewer, my dear. Never say never, right? It’s all about fulfillment. If reading other people’s stories and carrying “la crosse et la banniere” (the cross and the banner) for them fulfills me completely then so be it, but as of now, I’m not there yet. Maybe I haven’t found the diamond in the rough just yet, so send me some diamonds.

That question was harder for me, I promise. I have a vested interest in you continuing to produce awesome sci-fi! (NIRVANA. NOW.) Ahem.

~

I hope you guys’ve enjoyed my first Frinterview! I, for one, might be hooked. I’m prepping to accost another friend with questions and song requests as we speak! Excelsior!

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Frinterview! feat. Stephanie Sauvinet (Pt 1)

So I have this friend and she’s awesome and I’ve mentioned her on several occasions before. We met on the QT forums (where friendships have been known to bloom) and started swapping work. From the outside, we looked pretty different. She, a hardcore sci-fi writer specializing in cyber and biopunk. Me, a speculative literary writer who went through a good ten years of reading literary fiction exclusively. But, no. Kismet. We found we’re both expats (she’s from France, living it up in Louisiana; I’m from the US, basking in the awesome that is Montreal); we both love music and could not write without it – in fact, I’m gonna splice in some of her favorite songs of the moment; we both love literature (of course!); and, yes, we both love sci-fi.

So, I decided it’s time you know her, too! And Frinterviews are born! So much more fun than a cold interview, everything I already know about Steph made it really easy to think of questions I really wanted her to answer. And go!

Stephanie still remembers the face of her middle school librarian when she returned Dune after reading it in one day. She wanted to be an archeologist for a long time just so she could find the Stargate but settled for being an adult/YA science-fiction writer instead. If only she could click her heels three times and materialize in a cyberpunk world, she would live there forever. (From her Pen Punks bio)

Thanks for letting me grill you, Stephanie-Dahling. I’ve had the pleasure of reading your amazing cyperpunk/biopunk – and you opened my eyes to the fact that I have always been drawn to punk fiction/film; what made you want to start the Pen Punks? And can you tell us a bit about what it is?

‎::Blushes::

The Pen Punks is a group blog focused on everything relating to Punk fiction, and a little more. I wanted to start the Pen Punks because of my love for the punk genres and my wish to spread that passion to others. Steampunk has been mainstream for a while now but most of the other punk genres (such as cyberpunk, biopunk…) have been niches, often completely unknown to the general public. Most people have had a glimpse of those genres (who hasn’t seen The Matrix or Tron?) while still having no idea that they actually follow specific science-fiction subgenres. I wanted to give readers the opportunity to discover those genres, learn about them and who knows, maybe even become as passionate as I am.

And it’s not just an awesome place to read about the varying genres or find out about forthcoming or classic punk novels, it even boasts a database of agents and publishers interested in the genre. Because Stephanie is lookin’ out, y’all. Click here to check it out!

In your other life, you’re a nurse – how intimately do these passions intertwine, if at all?

As different as both passions are, they seem to be bound to affect each other. Being a nurse has helped me tremendously in my writing as I have seen quite a lot of personalities and reactions from patients and families. Add to that the fact that I am an oncology nurse and the notion of grief and death are definitely put in perspective. All experiences have been a gold mine in terms of emotions in my writing.

My passion for writing and reading have helped me reach patients in a way (at least I would like to think so). 99% of the time patients in the hospital hear about their diagnosis, treatment plan, symptoms…etc. Noticing a book on a patient’s bedside table and asking about it can break the bubble of sickness and make them think about something else for a moment.

I love this answer for so many reasons, particularly transferring the emotional resonance from your unique work life to your characters, even though the situations may be as different as night and day. YES.

As a writer whose native language is something other than English (but who writes in English), how has the process of CPing helped strengthen your own work?

Where should I start? As an ESL writer, I should probably say that everything in the CPing process has helped me. Having lived in the US for almost 10 years now, I’ve been facing the fact that I’ve adopted some bad habits and crutches within the English language, most invisible to me unless they are pointed out. I’ve also had the pleasure to CP literary pieces and that has probably helped me the most because it showed me just how refined prose can be. Something that I had experienced in French literature but never in English. It has encouraged me to learn to love line edits.

See, this is why we’re meant for each other, children.

You have to pick a planet other than Earth to spend the rest of your life: which do you choose?

Dune. There was no guess there. The ecosystem and the hardiness of its native people makes it a fascinating planet. The fact that it looks like a giant desert at first glance but reveals to be so much more is all the more part of its attraction.

Please, believe. I *did* know your answer to this. ::Scout’s honor::

~

Srsly. Her love of Dune is arguably one of the first things you find out about Steph! And there’s plenty more to find out when we finish our Frinterview tomorrie! ::glitter cannon:: For now, I leave you with the only thing almost as awesome as her biopunk work-in-progress, Nirvana – the jamazing mock cover. To find out how it came about and who is the talented artist behind its conception, click the image! (As if you could resist it.)

 

And Start Again At Your Beginnings

One of the best things about writings – the tangible things, I’ll say, otherwise I’ll be making all kinds of obnoxious inserts like this! – is starting over. Taking everything you know, all the things that didn’t make it on the page and going back to the beginning. Or the fact that the beginning can change, if you like!

I’m starting to wonder if anything feels as good as revising. It’s a love so much more mature than the first time you write something down. (I should probably stop universalizing since I have no idea whether it’s true for anyone else, no?)

And it’s a small thing I’m considering maybe working on right now. A short story from at least two and a half years ago, if not longer. The heart of which I still need to tell. It’s what I used to write and so it’s exciting to go back to it – if alarming how many of its one-time companion pieces I no longer “need”… and so they’ll be put away for good. But this one, yes. It still matters.

I’d say it’s a wonderful phenomena, the privilege to start over, knowing what you know now. Only that would be dishonest – in real life, I’d never want to start again. Even though I could have done much better, there are too many minutes, too many hours, too much space in between that I’m not passionate enough to live again. So it’s only in my work that the concept is so refreshing. In real life, you do better by proceeding forward, knowing what you know now. It’s better that way. The story is doing the same, come to think of it. You’re starting over but you’re doing more than just reliving it again.

Mmmm, revision.

 

 

Every Breath You Take, California

I’m a complicated woman. ::ducks:: I just assume someone would punch me in the face for saying that. But seriously (not really) – I am.

Homesick means I think of California as my home, right? Except that’s not what I mean! Homeland-sick should catch on; I think that’s more what I’m saying. There’s something about arriving in the place to which you’re native. <– There. If I spoke German, I might know one glorious word to casually and precisely take the place of that sentence. And homesick would not be it.

So, lately I’ve been missing it. Specific places. Very specific. Driving with the top down from Sylvan Corners to Van Maren as it turns into Dewey. I miss the turns in the road and the sometimes canopy. Generally, I miss the trees in Sacramento. And Santa Cruz. I miss the way it smells on the bridge between Porter and Earth and Marine. Redwoods. Sigh. I don’t miss sand (a pox on thee, sand) but I do miss Natural Bridges and Sentinel Rock (right?) and I miss Pacific Avenue and sometimes I miss 41st avenue and *my* Safeway (24 hours, yo) and that my favorite Panda Express is the one on Date in Carmichael. (Yeah, I’m all over the place.) And there’s nothing entirely special about most of those places. I just know them.

So I went back the other night. Took a friend. We hopped from outside my home to just above my high school and then to Porter College and I can’t believe I forgot to take her to West Cliff Drive!

Thanks, Google Earth. My stars, what an age we live in. <–obligatory

My little big sister and I in McKinley Park. (Sacramento)

Me and the cousin-brothers in Capital Park. (Sacramento)

 

In a crag at Sentinel Rock. (Santa Cruz)

Siiigh.

It’s only been a year and a half this time so what the deal, yo? Ah well. Back to flying over Northern California. Ta!

 

Eleventy Queries

So, the other part of that lovely award granted by the Pen Punks was a set of questions.

1. What is your biggest personal achievement?

My family. My hubby, little boy, me family. <3

2. Do you have a goal for this year? If so, what is it?

Who…has no goals… just out of curiosity. Lol – yes, I have a goal. I want to hold on to what I’ve realized through my recent re-vision (yep, Imma be obnoxious and keep saying it thusly – HAH, see that, Jen?!). I want to be ever more courageous in my work. Actually, in all aspects of life, though it’ll look different depending on the area.

3. If you could pick any imaginary world (from novels/movies) to live in, which would it be and why?

Weeell. I’d love to see if I have what it takes for Battle School… otherwise, I’m a loyalist. We’ve talked about this before. I am bound to my world, my people, etc. I always root for the human, haha. So while I looove so many imaginary worlds (esp sci-fi), I don’t care to be in them. I like reality. (Is this a huge disappointment coming from a writer?)

4. If you could spend a day with any celebrity, whom would you choose and why?

Well, I’d love to spend a day with: Toni Morrison (obvious reasons – I already know I love to hear her talk thanks to multiple episodes of Charlie Rose); Bill Cosby; Charles Stanley. These are people I want to hear speak, up close, before their time is done.

5. What’s the last book you read that surprised you?

Speaker for the Dead – and YES, I’M STILL ON PAUSE BECAUSE IT’S SO OVERWHELMINGLY GOOD. And yes, every page, it seems, is a surprise. Just. The crafting. The clarity. The worlds. Gah.

I’d say Invisible Man surprised me, as well, in a different and yet similar way. I cried. I don’t know that I’ve literally, physically cried before while reading a book. I can be moved and carried aWAY by literature without physical tears falling – but they did. It was brilliant. Brilliant.

6. What’s your favorite game show to watch, and would you actually want to be a contestant on it?

I guess Wheel of Fortune? I really can’t be sure, I just know I loved playing that on the computer back in the time of floppy disks.

7. If you could pick any novel besides your own to be made into a movie, which would it? Why?

Well, Ender’s Game is coming out soon. ICANTEVEN.

8. What is your favorite YouTube Video?

That. Is a weird question, hahaha. If we’re talking representative videos (like music videos, whether homemade or professional) than it depends on what mood/season/stage of the writing process I’m in. I’m loving Hammock right now, if I haven’t been clear enough – and there are full albums on YouTube.

If it’s just ridiculous clips. Too many. #TooMany

9. What is a book you hate but wish you liked?

I’m sorry, I cannot. I can talk about films, shows, music by name when I hate it but I can’t with books. Except that one time, but it so doesn’t fit this question. I like it just as much as I wanted to.

10. Who is one of your favorite philosophers?

Way too loaded of a question. With far too many qualifiers. I will choose Herbert Marcuse and spare you all the diatribe of why and why not.

11. Where do you do your best thinking about deep questions?

On my bed, when I’m comfy with ice water and my laptop. Or near water – whether it’s in the bath tub, at an overlook point somewhere on West Cliff Drive, at Sentinel Point… it sort of centers on water.

This does not capture it at all. And, if you promise not to prosecute, I’ll admit that I actually did my best thinking past that bench, down a short drop to the actual cliff where you couldn’t hear much more than the waves.

 

Eleventy Factoids

The Pen Punks have bequeathed upon me a new blog award! Which…given my sporadic postings…seems like reinforcing bad behavior. But who are they to resist my charms, amirite.

As always, I shan’t actually follow directions or anything because [excuses]. But I *will* answer the questions they composed for the nominees and try to come up with eleven random facts about me!

Facts!

(1) I’m 5’9″. And as my Jen-the-Twin and I were recently discussing, it’s apparently a challenging height to write about. If the heroine in your novel is 5’9″ and the guy’s 6′ or shorter, she doesn’t have to stand on her tip-toes to kiss him. Hate to break it to ya. Honestly, we’re the victims in this so actually I retract that apology.

- Yes, all the facts will devolve thusly. Be prepared. … which of course made me think of this.

(2) My birthday, my son’s bday, my husband’s bday are in the same week. (And my wedding anniversary is the next week.) Because epic.

(3) The first thing I wanted to be was a (foreign) missionary. And in a country to which I’m not native, I’m involved in ministry – so color me awestruck!

(4) I will never not think of David Alan Grier when I use the superfluous word “thusly” – to which my high school teacher Mr. Karagianes was vocally opposed – because I still remember the In Living Color skit during which I first heard him say it. (And I think we can close the book on it. That was the best sentence ever written, forever.)

(5) I’m allergic to nuts, but I wish I could eat pistachios…for some reason. Just seems like a good time. All the other ones can die a painful, inanimate death.

(6) Snow White is my least favorite Disney princess based solely on the singing voice from the classic cartoon. (Which my son can tell you I inexplicably sing-mimic more than any other save dear, perfect Aurora.)

(7) I cannot sleep through the night if I go to bed before 1am, preferably 2am. (This is not my design. I routinely get tired around 8pm and then have to fight it off so I don’t wake up at 3.)

(8) I have written for more than six hours straight without noticing and – aside from the strange phenomena of not being able to manipulate my limbs properly when I tried to stand up – it was lovely.

(9) I don’t have a cell phone and I rarely answer my house phone. Which is really weird because before a few years ago, I had no problem talking on the phone. Now I’m just….merph. Not into it.

(10) I’m super confused by people who are afraid of dogs. Although I’m more confused by people who don’t have dogs. Despite the fact that I’m thisclose to the edge over the way Phineas sheds. And how often he has to be bathed. Like, seriously, is he decaying? Is that a thing when they hit 9?! <– that’s my sales pitch. Get a dog, everyone!

(11) I don’t like the idea of “vacationing” to a place I’ve never been and that I really want to experience. I feel I need several months – minimum one month which turned out to be a blessing because I was NOT an island person and any longer would’ve dissolved my brain. Except I technically live on an island now but you get me.

And later shall I answer the 11 questions! Thanks, Pen Punks! <3

 

And So It Is

New idea: let’s talk about all the ways I’m dumb.

The most obvious way (to me – and feel free to chime in, friends, with things you’ve been dying to say but haven’t) is that I am loyal beyond reason. No, I’m not talking about toward people although, yes, even there I’ve experienced how that can be unhealthy but let’s stop being serious and let me ramble. I’m loyal in the way that one cannot not buy Crest and also doesn’t know why and I don’t have to set here and answer your questions. (Sorry. I watched Ali yesterday. Which won’t stop being on my top 3 favorite movies ever for always amen.)

I’ll just…put this here for ya.

So Crest. Loyalty. It’s like I think this is some intrinsic aspect of my personality. As if if people thought I used Colgate (which is a stupid and LUDICROUS, obviously) they would somehow misunderstand me in a very meaningful way and I would be misrepresenting myself and the whole system would fall apart.

And so, I find myself having to – or attempting to, at least – give long-winded, unwarranted and uninteresting disclosures (which totally works on Twitter, by the by) when discussing my writing soundtrack. Because there was a time that it was 100% Hans Zimmer/James Horner/Thomas Newman – and if James Newton Howard, Antonio Pinto and Dario Marionelli make their way into heavy rotation, I’m not hurting anyone.

But then Daft Punk’s Tron Legacy soundtrack sort of overwhelmed the writing of Cait, or maybe the revising, I can’t remember… and Florence & the Machine actually seemed to be singing about Avrilis, which was fine because I was reading, not writing. And when I was actually writing new words on new pages, I was still for the most part going back to my mainstays. Imogen and Elsie, they were conceived legitimately. (Was that a weird way to phrase that??)

And then I don’t know what happened. I re-envisioned one of them. And I can’t even really remember how I came upon it but I made a playlist of Tycho, Hammock and God Is An Astronaut. O_O And that’s all I’ve used. And I love it. And am also ashamed. … WHO is ashamed of things like this?! Seriously. What is going ON. When I talk about what I’m writing to, I feel the need to give back-story-info-dump on my progression and how maybe this shouldn’t so much be considered a progression (which the other party never said it was in the first place because they truly don’t give a good doggone beyond initial interest in seeing what other people listen to while working) because I still very much consider Zimmer/Et Al to be my writing companions even though, no, at the moment, I’m not listening to them but I’m sure I will – and, believe me, I understand such info dumps to be an occupational hazard. Yet I am helpless. Rendered ridiculous by a strong sense of loyalty to SOUND, when it comes down to it.

I dunno. Pray for me.

Oh and also, this:

Hiiii, angles that make me look ALL of the wide!