Take Ten with J. J. Zerr, Author of "War Stories"

A big thanks to Coffee and Critique member, author J. J (Jack) Zerr, for agreeing to be featured on the Coffee and Critique blog. Jack is a hard-working writer who has published several novels. His most recent publication is a collection of short stories titled War Stories.  

In case you haven't guessed from the photo of him below, taken during one of our weekly critique meetings, Jack is a former pilot. His t-shirt states, "I love the smell of jet fuel in the morning."

The ten questions below are divided in three parts: background, writing, and publishing/wrap-up. 

1. First, a bit about your background. Before you started your writing journey, you had a distinguished military career as a pilot and an Admiral in the U.S. Navy and a consultant in private industry. Can you briefly share your thoughts about that experience?

A.    I was shanghaied into the US Navy by my father. I did not want to be a sailor, but Pop said the Navy might teach me something. He took me to a recruiter, said sign here, and I signed. Life as a junior enlisted man was not fun. I got seasick and planned to get the crap out of that outfit as soon as I could. But, I took a test for a Navy college scholarship program, and lo and behold, I scored well on the test and went to Purdue for a BS in electrical engineering. Also when I went in the Navy, I was going steady with a high school classmate. She went to nurse’s training when I went to boot camp. I thought she’d meet a doctor, and that I’d find out about it via a “Dear John.” But as it turned out, half way through Purdue, as an E-5, I had the wherewithal to ask her to marry me. So it turns out Pop was right. The Navy educated me. And I was wrong. The service didn’t get me a Dear John, rather, the Navy enabled Karen and I to give each other “I dos.” Vietnam happened, I went on to hold five command positions, including an aircraft carrier, and was lucky enough to retire as a rear admiral. Overlaying that, Karen and I had six children, and we lost a preemie in 1969. If I had picked my own way after high school, God only knows what I’d have turned into. Maybe He doesn’t even want to think about it. If I had really gotten that Dear John, I don’t know. I’d have been unborn off the earth, or it would be “Better for me to have had a millstone tied around my neck and cast into the sea over the Marianas Trench.”

Brief you said. Sorry about that.

2. During your military career you traveled around the world. What are some of your most memorable experiences or the unforgettable places you’ve been?

A.    Number one, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was the first port outside the US my ship visited. Guys from the electronics technician shop I worked in took me to a bar, where as long as one person in the group was of age, we got beer. The bar had girls. The girls were friendly. The guys from my shop wanted to buy some friendship for me, but I got up and walked back to the ship. It was, to the guys in my shop, some sort of initiation ritual. It would make me a regular guy, I guess. But I saw it as a cliff. After twelve years of Catholic school, if I worried more about those guys accepting me than what I’d been taught, it would have been like throwing away the first eighteen years of my life. Ever since then, I have been suspicious of group think, the prevailing sense of right and wrong, PC, these days. Perhaps San Juan is a big reason I list Shane, Hondo, and The Oxbow Incident at the top of my all-time favorite books.

3. Now, onto the questions about writing: What has been the biggest influence on your writing (e.g. a teacher, your family, your faith, your military experience, none of the above, all of the above???)

A.    First, Sister Mathew, lit teacher in high school. Through her, I encountered my favorite short story: The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber; my favorite novella: The Old Man and the Sea; and my two favorite lines of poetry: “The tintinnabulation of the bells”, and “You may contribute a verse.” And I have always loved to read. My wife says I was born with a book in my hand. If I was, when the doc held me upside down and smacked my bottom, I bet I yowled but did not drop the book. And Sister inspired in me the desire, to one day, write a book of my own.

4. How did you get started on your writing journey?

A.    See above. And in my junior year at Purdue, I found an ad for a Writer’s Correspondence Course. We really couldn’t afford the fee, but my new bride said it was okay to spend the money. I completed the course and carried the materials around with me through twenty-five moves. When I was in the Navy, I worked at being in the Navy. When I worked in aerospace, I worked at being an engineer and a manager. I retired from that line in 2007, and on January 2, 2008, I began work on my first novel. Ted Koontz worked his day job and wrote his poetry at night. God bless Ted for the verses he contributed. Me, I couldn’t really start writing until I could do it full time.

5. What is your favorite aspect of writing? What is your least favorite aspect of writing?

A.    I love it when an idea for a story comes out of wherever they come from. The book I
am working on currently is called Guerilla Bride. I have a CD with a collection of Civil War songs on it. One of the tracks is about Kate Quantrill. That song inspired the story. The story, by the way, began life as a short story. I packaged it along with some others and sent it off to my publisher early last year. In the first review, the editor suggested I turn the Civil War story into a novel. Whose advice I took and which I am close to finishing. Which is why War Stories was delayed a year.

My least favorite aspect is finishing a story. Two reasons actually: one is after an intimate involvement with a cast of characters, they aren’t mine anymore after publication; Two I experience a bit of a lost feeling after having lived in a world of my manufacture for a long time, and suddenly, the world just isn’t there anymore. It lasts a couple of days; then other stories start yammering to be turned into ink on pages.     

6. How has belonging to a critique group helped your writing?

A.    I’ve said this a number of times before, but the best piece of writing critique I’ve ever gotten was from Lou Turner. I brought in a story, which was about a Navy pilot who was the new guy in his squadron and he was anxious to not be the new guy anymore. I had a scene set in an O Club bar. After I read my scene, Lou said, “I gotta tell you. I didn’t like it at all. It’s just another stupid guys drinking in a bar story.” In my mind, I was telling the story I wanted to tell, to my reader, Lou, however, I told an entirely different story. After my fourth novel came out, a classmate of mine from Purdue wrote to tell me he liked The Happy Life of Preston Katt. Then he went on to say, “your writing is better when you are not writing about yourself.” I had to think about that a bit, but I believe I see what he was telling me. I think I get into my characters, the good guys, the bad guys, the bit players, and I think you have to do that, but you also have to be a little bit god, and stand above all the blood, sweat, and tears, detached enough so you can see if your readers will feel and smell and hear what the character senses. For me, the Coffee and Critique group has been powerful in helping me develop a sense of reader perspective. I hope I never let myself believe I’ve learned all I need to about this subject.

7. Now, for publishing: You’ve published several successful novels, but War Stories is your first collection of short stories. Why did you decide to compile these stories and what can you tell us about the collection?

A.    My first two novels were each three-year projects. When I put them out for editing or review, I worked on other things. I wrote stories to submit to contests and for consideration of inclusion in anthologies, and all of those were to expose my work to a wide range of readers. I never submitted to contests unless they promised feedback. Some of these stories wind up as scenes or chapters in the novels. The bar scene mentioned above, for instance, wound up, modified, in my fifth novel, The Junior Officer Bunkroom. I decided to compile them into a book because I had accumulated a sizeable collection of short pieces, and I thought, what the heck. I looked at them all and tried to find a theme. The theme really came from the first story in the book, “What Kind of Man are You?” The main character, Joe Bob, in a sense, is a bulldozer plowing over people and obstacles to get a job done. He’s in the military in the beginning of the story, but in the military, even bulldozers have commanding officers. He’s booted out of the Navy. But Joe Bob’s philosophy is: “Do not let your chin drop. Find a way. Keep going forward until your heart stops, your eyes go dim, and you fall off your legs.”

People say, “Life sucks, then you die.” Which is pessimistic, dark even. Joe Bob does not allow the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, the vicissitudes of life show him even a glimpse of the dark side.

Life is full of struggles, wars even, and not just between nations.
Gender, age, technology, acceptance, political correctness can all be battlegrounds. The characters in my stories, for the most part, are more like Joe Bob than the life sucks crew.

8. Do you have a favorite story in the War Stories collection?

A.    That’s like saying which one of your daughters is the most beautiful. Well, not quite. Anyway, one of the things I tried to do with these stories was to try different narrator voices. And I am satisfied that I did that. I guess I like “Forwards.” I think I’ll just leave it at that.

9. After publishing five novels and a short story collection, what lessons have you learned about writing, editing, and the publishing process?

A.  I’ve read books about character, plot, tension, showing instead of telling. I attended a writing weekend in New York a couple of years ago, and got critiques from eleven big city folks and the instructor (a Californian.) But more importantly, I think, I’ve been writing every day, almost, since January ’08. I think I learned a lot. I like to think my writing has and is improving every time I get the keys to clickety clacking. But it doesn’t make it easier. It still is harder than work to get things as right as I can make them. A worthy editor is worth her weight in pearls. (Most of them are female, although I have found one male at my publisher who is very good on structure. Editors are vital, in my mind, not only for structure and grammar and spelling and word choice, but checking historical facts as well, and catching the use of modern terminology in a time setting before the terminology was invented. I love editors. I self-publish. I like the control I have over the process. I like the editors the publisher uses, and they have publishing packages, ranging from simple publishing to publishing plus levels of publicity. I’m comfortable with them. They are comfortable with the money I pay them.

10. Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

A.  Just thanks for the blog.

You can learn more about Jack and his books here.

Take Ten with Stan Wilson - Inventor, Grant Writer, and Entrepreneur

Stan Wilson has belonged to Coffee and Critique for several years. Many of his stories are set in southern Indiana, but others occur in out-of-this-world locations. Members of Coffee and Critique especially enjoy Stan's stories with strong science fiction elements, about which, he tell us, "the science part is true." He contributed two stories to the Coffee and Critique Anthology: "Whiskers and Whispers" and "Do-It-Yourself Fishing."

Stan grew up in humid southern Indiana, the land of beautiful hardwood forests, limestone cliffs with bubbling creeks and thousands of caves with hidden rivers and buried caches of gold or secret hordes of confederate treasures so some say. In college, he studied physics, electronics and engineering leading to a career as an entrepreneur, inventor and design engineer, often as the manager of the manufacturing firm producing his designs.

Married, with two grown sons, he enjoys writing for fun along with his many hobbies which include amateur radio, MG cars, model boats and airplanes.

Here are Stan's answers to the take ten questions:

1. What or who inspired you to become a writer?

 I really have no idea. I have written technical articles for DIY newsletters for years.

 2. What is your writing specialty?

Non-fiction grant and proposal writing -- developing creative solutions to complex design problems.  This is a total reversal from writing fiction.  A money-winning grant is written in first person and present tense. I take great pride in that over the years my grants and proposals have resulted in employment for several hundred people including myself.  

3. How would you describe your writing process?

My stories are always visible in my mind before putting them on paper. The same is true when I am designing a product. The story difficulty occurs in putting them on paper. The designed products sometimes lose my interest because they are already ‘real’ in my mind.

I spend a portion of ever day either in my writing attempts or inventing. Writing is more difficult.

Others might consider both are my hobbies.

 4. What is the best part of being a writer? The worst part?

The best part for me is seeing and feeling my characters come alive on the page.

The worst part about writing is I’ve had to learn enough English to convey my story to others.

5. What is the best writing advice you’ve received?  The worst?

The best advice came from Nick Nixon who told me to listen for the story’s beat and to make it happen.

The worst advice, psychological, was from those who have told me I am wasting my time. But writing to me is like my dad’s fishing. Dad always said one didn’t have to catch fish to enjoy fishing. I don’t have to write a novel which will become a famous movie; I only need to enjoy the conversations with my characters as I tell about them on the paper. 

6. Which books on writing you can recommend for other writers?

In my case they are English manuals, both available in the used books on Amazon.com for about a dollar.

William Strunk and  E.B. White “The Elements of Style”

“Plain English Handbook”  by J. Martyn Walsh and Anna Kathleen Walsh.

 7. How has belonging to Coffee and Critique benefitted you?

Critiques are tough; however, they do improve one’s stories. At least I now know the difference between adverbs and adjectives. I still get my subjects and objects reversed and I hate writing in past tense.

On the social side, I have met many interesting and nice people via the C&C.

The fastest two hours of the week are those spent attending the critique.

8. If you’ve been published or have won awards, which are the most special to you?

 Five of my stories have been published in anthologies.

It is a toss-up on which of them, I like the best. “Bloody Good Da’ For a Picnic” was pure fiction, and I still feel the emotion when I read it, which I felt when I wrote it. The other one is a true story. “Tomorrow at Five” was fun to live and fun to write about.

9. What three words best describe you?

 Imaginative (I always think outside the box), have a sense of humor, and stubborn.

10. What are you working on now, and/or what is your writing dream?

I am cleaning up many of the stories I have written over the past four years. My goal is to get them to an editor by the end of this year and self publish.

Bonus question: If you could interview one or two famous writers or historic figures living or deceased, who would they be and what would you ask them?

I would love to have a conversation with author, Jules Verne from the 19^th century. He was at least two hundred years ahead of others in his view of what the engineering world would become in the future.

It would be a thrill to talk to, Dr. Nikola Tesla, the world’s greatest inventor for even an hour. He invented our power grid with allows us to light up the world.  He invented the electric motor and generator. He even had a remote control boat before wireless or radio existed.

I often wonder, if men like them were actually time travelers.

Finally, is there anything you’d like to add?

I believe to become a great writer one has to be driven at a young age to learn the skills required which are many.

Thanks, Stan, for your insight into your writing process and thoughts on writing and life.

Take Ten with John "Jack" Zerr - Pilot, Poet, and Published Author

Jack has been a most welcome addition to Coffee and Critique for several years now. He brings his wisdom, wit, and vast military experience to the table. Everyone in the group appreciates his writing talent, big-picture critiques, willingness to learn, and his humility. 

Most of all we appreciate the sacrifices he has made on behalf of our country. That's why we make it a point to tell him, "Thank you for your service!"

Here is Jack's bio:

John Zerr, US Navy rear admiral (Retired). US Navy pilot, and Vietnam veteran. 320 combat missions flying the A-4 Skyhawk. During his thirty-six year career, he accumulated 1017 carrier landings. Most memorable Navy assignment: commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64).

After leaving the service, he worked for a major aerospace company for eleven years.

Author of poems, short stories, and three novels: The Ensign Locker, Sundown Town Duty Station, and Noble Deeds. He and his wife, Karen, live in St. Charles MO.

Web site: www.authorjjzerr.com

Here are Jack's answers to the Take Ten Interview Questions:

1. What or who inspired you to become a writer?

I had a high school English/Lit teacher, Sister Matthews. On my mid-semester report card, junior year, she gave me an “F.” I went to her and said that I should have gotten a “C.” “No,” Sister said, “you should have gotten an ‘A.’ For the semester you will either get an ‘A’ or another ‘F.’”

One of her requirements was writing five pieces ranging from science to fantasy. I got a “B” and a hankering to write things from Sister. 

2. What is your writing specialty?

Fiction.

3 How would you describe your writing process?

On longer work, I outline. I have self-published three novels, and my outlining process, I tell myself, has matured from book one to number three. I will say, with the outline of the first novel, the only part of the outline that stayed the same from project launch to completion was the ending. I revised the outline a number of times when the writing process disclosed narrative strings that refused to weave together. I must have tried one hundred beginnings on the first one before I finally settled on one to go with. I have been writing seriously for six years now, and I think I have developed an ability to envision story structure for shorter pieces without a formal outline. Bottom line, my process is to plot the story before starting to write.

4. What is the best part of being a writer? The worst part?

The best part is getting an idea for a story. The worst, the absolute, totally sucks, part is finishing a book-length work. I get wrapped up in the characters, the problems they face, and I hate to let them go. It feels like a funeral.

5. What is the best writing advice you’ve received?  The worst?

I’ve said this before, but in my first year with C&C, Lou said, “Your story is just a stupid men-drinking-in-a-bar story. I’m just not interested.” Which prompted me to revisit the question, “Whom are you writing for?” Which I hadn’t really answered properly for myself. It was frank, to the point, and majorly true.

I don’t consider any advice I’ve gotten bad. Some I don’t agree with, but I always think about every input I get. Even advice I totally agree with, I try to find other thoughts that spin off the original input. Good writing is harder than work, at least any work I’ve done before. My brain is majorly limited, so I am happy for every bit of critique that comes my way.

6. Which books on writing you can recommend for other writers?

I don’t have books on writing to recommend, but I do have a couple of books that I think are worthwhile to read for learning about writing. Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter, and James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time. I recommend reading them more than once.

7. How has belonging to Coffee and Critique benefitted you?

Coffee and Critique has been the world to me as a writer. Submit five pages to our group, and by the time the piece circles the table, it will be better, I don’t care how good it is at the start.

8. If you’ve been published or have won awards, which are the most special to you?

I published my third novel, Noble Deeds, in November, 2013. It is set on an aircraft carrier.

I had a poem published in Writer’s Digest 7^th annual poetry competition. My input was chosen as number 10 out of 2000 + entries. That was cool.

9. What three words best describe you?

Lucky, blessed, short.

10. What are you working on now, and/or what is your writing dream? 

I am working on collection of short pieces, some of which, in my mind at least, are funny. Plus I am getting close to finishing a first draft of a fourth novel, a piece of historical fiction set on an aircraft carrier in 1971 deployed to Vietnam.

Bonus question: If you could interview one or two famous writers or historic figures living or deceased, who would they be and what would you ask them?

What I wish is that I could have been at the Sermon on the Mount. I would have liked to hear the words (in English, please). My mouth would probably have been hanging open. It wouldn’t have been able to ask a question.

Finally, is there anything you’d like to add?

I have a website at www.authorjjzerr.com

And yes, ma’am, thanks.

Thanks for your candid and insightful interview, Jack.

Note: You can listen to Jack talk about his inspiration for Noble Deeds on YouTube

Take Ten Interview with Pat Wahler

Next up is Pat Wahler, one of Coffee and Critique's original members. Pat attended C&C sessions when the group met in the evenings at Barnes and Noble. Because of the change to daytime meetings only and Pat's work schedule, she is unable to attend C&C regularly, but she still attends when her schedule permits, and she supports the group with her writing. 

Her humorous essay, "High Maintenance Woman," appears in the first Coffee and Critique Anthology.

Pat is a grant writer by day and writer of fiction and essays by night. Her work appears in many publications including the series anthologies Cup of Comfort, Not Your Mother's Book, and Chicken Soup. Pat, a life-long animal lover, ponders critters, writing, and life's little mysteries at http://www.critteralley.blogspot.com/

Here are Pat's answers to the "Take Ten" interview questions: 

1. What or who inspired you to become a writer?

I think anyone who is an avid reader dreams about the possibility of writing. My early efforts consisted of composing 10 page letters to friends and family. Then one day I sent an anecdote to the Reader's Digest "All in a Day's Work" feature. I couldn't have been more shocked when they mailed me a check for $300 along with a bumper sticker that read: I found money, fame, and glory. Reader's Digest bought my story!

H'mmm. Maybe I really can write. 

2. What is your writing specialty?

Fiction is fabulous. I love the freedom of creating a character and taking him/her on a journey of my own choosing. However, I write more personal essays than anything else. Essays are tougher because you must work with a specific situation, peel back the layers to examine them, and then figure out what it all meant. It's kind of like being your own analyst.

3. How would you describe your writing process?

I need structure. I start with a general outline and jot ideas as they come to me. The outline helps keep me on track, although I've been known to stray if the story leads me in another direction.

4. What is the best part of being a writer? The worst part?

There's an old Peanuts cartoon of Snoopy typing away on a story while thinking: It's exciting when you've written something that you know is good! That about sums up the best part. Of course, having a piece accepted for publication isn't too shabby, either.

The worst part is the amount of self-discipline it takes to be a writer. Self-discipline is not one of my strongest qualities.

5. What is the best writing advice you’ve received?  The worst?

The whole NaNoWriMo experience taught me there's no such thing as writer's block. Just sit down and start typing. Once you do that, the words will come like crazy, and they don't need to be perfect. You can edit that lousy first draft later. 

I can't say anyone has ever given me bad advice about writing. I may not always agree with everything I hear, but that doesn't mean there isn't value to be found in the opinion of others.

6. Which books on writing you can recommend for other writers?

I love reading books about writing. A few of the many I've found helpful are:

Bird by Bird -Anne Lamott

Getting the Words Right - Theodore A. Rees Cheney

Between the Lines - Jessica Page Morrell

Naked, Drunk, and Writing - Adair Lara

7. How has belonging to Coffee and Critique benefited you?

I started with C&C at the beginning, when we met in the evening. It was my first experience with a critique group and I worried my manuscript would be torn to shreds by people with much more experience than me. But I soon learned that C&C members were talented, generous, and helpful. Fresh eyes saw things I hadn't noticed and the suggestions definitely strengthened my writing.

When C&C started meeting in the mornings, a few of us tried to keep the evening sessions going. Unfortunately we didn't have enough people to make that happen. But when retirement comes my way, I plan to be back!

8. If you’ve been published or have won awards, which are the most special to you?

Writing is a lonely pursuit, so anything that validates what I do is special to me.

For example, the first time one of my essays was selected for a national publication, Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers, I couldn't have been more excited. I got to sign my first contract and received a nice check for the story. Sheer bliss!

9. What three words best describe you?

Determined

Resilient

Empathetic

10. What are you working on now, and/or what is your writing dream? 

I have three very rough manuscripts produced from prior NaNoWriMo years. I'd like to begin doing something with them. One manuscript particularly calls me. It's an historical fiction piece told from the POV of a famous outlaw's wife.

Bonus question: If you could interview one or two famous writers or historic figures living or deceased, who would they be and what would you ask them?

My hands down favorite novelist is Harper Lee. Her writing is vivid, poignant, and true. If a writer only produces one novel in a lifetime,  let it be one like To Kill a Mockingbird.  I want to learn how to do that.

My favorite essayist is Anne Lamott. It would be a wonderful experience to find out how she can turn an everyday experience into a lyrical one.  

Finally, is there anything you’d like to add?

I really had to think hard about some of these questions. Thanks for the opportunity, Donna!

Take Ten Interview with Coffee and Critique Co-founder, Donna Volkenannt

Continuing with the Take Ten interviews, next up is Coffee and Critique co-founder, Donna Volkenannt. 


Donna is a writer, an editor, and a creative writing teacher whose stories, essays, reviews, and interviews have been published in hundreds of print and online publications. 

Her work has been recognized with more than 100 awards. She recently received notice that her true story "Remembering Miss Tobin" was a top ten finalist in the 2014 Erma Bombeck Global Human Interest writing competition category. In 2012, her true story "Honey, Can I Borrow Your Garter Belt?" won first place in the Erma Bombeck Global Humor writing competition category. 

Here are her take-ten questions and answers, which also appear in the recently published Coffee and Critique anthology:

1. What (or who) inspired you to become a writer?

My parents and the nuns who taught me in school.

I grew up the middle child of seven, surrounded by storytellers. Mom’s family were Baptists, originally from the Little Dixie area in and around Hannibal, Missouri. When we got together with her “relations,” the women swapped gossip, shared recipes for things like calves’ brains, and talked about their superstitions, especially when one of them had a dream of muddy water – a sure sign someone was about to get sick or die. Dad grew up in North St. Louis, in a large Irish-Catholic family. He served in the Army infantry during World War II. When we got together with his brothers, they drank a lot of beer, told stories about their wild childhood, argued about who saw the most time in combat, and whose first name was the most Irish. Those family memories have been fodder for my stories and essays. As a child I loved to read, and the nuns who taught me encouraged me to write.

2. What is your writing specialty? 

Good question. I write where my ideas take me and like to experiment with different genres.

3. How would you describe your writing process?  

I jot down ideas, snatches of conversations, titles, outlines, and such in a notebook or on scraps of paper. I believe there is a connection between the physical act of using a pen and writing on paper. When I begin to write a first draft I consult my notes as I type on my laptop, but the words seem to flow because I’ve already connected physically with my story or essay. Usually, I write several drafts then let my manuscript sit for some time before bringing it in for critique.

4. What is the best part of being a writer?  What is the worst part of being a writer? 

The best part is when I’m in the “zone.” It’s an almost spiritual experience when the words flow from somewhere deep inside. It’s magical when I write something then wonder, “Where did that come from?”

The worst part is not having time to write and losing focus.

5. What is the best writing advice you’ve received? 

Two memorable pieces of advice given to me from other writers come to mind.

The first occurred several years ago during one of my first work-in-progress readings. When I finished, I apologized for my work not being well written. Afterwards, an older gentleman said that he liked my story and encouraged me to keep writing. He told me, “Don’t hide your lamp under a basket.”

The second came from the late Nick Nixon during a critique group session. After I read a personal essay, Nick told me to put more emotion into my work and to not hold back. He wrote on top of my essay, “Take your gloves off.” When I got home I misread what he had written as “Take your clothes off.” His advice was inspiring and turned out to be humorous as well.

The worst?

“You need to change –  ” which messes with my writing voice. Equally harmful is when someone else tries to impose his or her sensibilities on my work. I’ve learned to ignore remarks suggesting I “need to change” parts of my stories or essays because they are too religious or too Catholic.  Just like a writer’s unique voice, a writer’s personal beliefs should be respected and left alone.

6. Which books on writing can you recommend for other writers?

My shelves overflow with books on the craft of writing. The fundamentals are: Elements of Style by Strunk and White, On Writing Well by William Kinser, On Writing by Stephen King, and Good Prose by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd. I also have a large stack of college-level literature textbooks which contain short stories and essays from esteemed writers. Finally, I recommend reading books in the genre in which one wishes to write.

7. How has belonging to Coffee and Critique affected you as a writer?

Meeting once a week keeps me focused and energized. There’s no feeling like being around other writers to spark my creativity. I also have made several writer friends whose wisdom and encouragement are golden. No matter how much I revise and polish my manuscript, it is always made better after bringing it in for critique. The writers in Coffee and Critique are worth their weight in gold -- and ink!

8. If you’ve been published or have won awards, which are the most special to you?

The most special are two true stories about my late children. “Julie’s Gift” in A Cup of Comfort for Women is about the lesson of selfless giving I learned from my late daughter Julie while we were living in Germany. The second, “Santa Wore Cowboy Boots” in A Cup of Comfort for Christmas, is a true story about a lesson my late son Erik taught me about the real meaning of Christmas when we were living in Arizona. 

9. What three words best describe you?

Never stopped believing.

10. What is your writing dream? 

To finish the projects I’ve already started and continue coming up with ideas for more.

Bonus question: If you could interview one or two famous writers or historic figures living or deceased, who would they be and what would you ask them?

I’d interview Missouri writers Mark Twain and Kate Chopin. 

I’d ask Mark Twain what it was like to live in Missouri at the time of the Civil War. I’d also ask if he knew any of my maternal great-grandparents, who lived in Hannibal the same time he did.

I’d ask Kate Chopin how writing helped her overcome her grief after the loss of loved ones, and what it was like living in St. Louis during the 1904 World’s Fair.

Find more about Donna on Donna's Book Pub, where she blogs about writing, publishing, books, and the sweet mysteries of life.

Hot off the Press: Coffee and Critique Anthology is Ready!

Hot off the Press! (I've always wanted to say that).

Lou Turner called this morning with the exciting news that the Coffee and Critique anthology will be finished today and will be available for pick up tomorrow at the Rendezvous Café.

Lou will be there at 10 a.m. to distribute contributor copies. 

Additional copies will be available for sale at a discount for contributors.

In addition to the wonderful stories and essays, the anthology includes photos and "Take Ten" interviews with several members, including the late Nick Nixon.

Bring your Sharpies so you can sign copies.

Hope to see you there!

Take Ten with Lou Turner, Co-founder of Coffee and Critique and CEO of High Hill Press

Lou Turner is an unforgettable woman who wears many hats. As co-founder of Coffee and Critique, she dispenses candid and unvarnished suggestions to help writers become better at their craft. 

In 2008 Lou and her husband Bryan started High Hill Press.

High Hill is not a self-publisher or a vanity press, but a small publishing business to offer writers a small niche between the huge New York publishing houses and the often high-priced print on demands.

 
Since becoming CEO, editor, and publisher of High Hill Press, Lou has nurtured scores of writers in navigating the publishing process to turn their writing dreams into reality.

Along with her team of five acquiring editors, Lou takes a personal interest in any book published by High Hill. While High Hill is a small press, it stresses quality in submissions. Only 25% of submissions are accepted for publication.

 

Lou took time from her busy schedule to respond to the "Take Ten" interview questions:

 

1. What inspired you to become a writer?

Lou: It has to be my childhood. Mystery author, Agatha Christie, said in the introduction to her autobiography, “One of the luckiest things that can happen to you in life is, I think, to have a happy childhood.” When I first started writing my parents were my only readers. I thought I was creating fiction, but every time my dad read one of my short stories, he would say, “I didn’t know you remembered that.” So between alligator wrestling Uncles, a grandpa that gambled for Al Capone, and everything in between, I’ve never had to grasp for something to write about.
 

2. What is your writing specialty? 

Lou: I’m not sure. I hate it when I hear an editor or agent telling people to stick to one genre. How boring would that be? I like to stretch and try new things and new styles when I write. I love the “what if” game. What if Scarlett O’Hara found her beloved Tara overrun with Zombies? Wow, that would be a great story…guess I’d better get busy on that one.
 

3. How would you describe your writing process?  

Lou: I used to challenge myself and sit in front of a blank screen to see if I could come up with something new, something I’d never thought of writing before. Now I just wait until an idea comes to me and head to the computer. Recently I was told to write about a specific topic. And although it was a great topic, I found it hard to work like that. My most recent essay is called The First Gray Hair, and I wrote it after a younger woman commented that older people are often behind the times. Anger, I found, is a great place to start when writing an essay about aging. The actual process is constantly changing for me. I don’t feel as though I have to write every day to accomplish what I want, but there are times when I will literarily write for 8 or 10 hours a day for days on end. I’ve worked many times right through the night.
 

4. What is the best part of being a writer?  What is the worst part of being a writer? 

Lou: Best: It’s all good. But probably just knowing each time you start a new project that your brain is still able to work is the best.

Worst: Having a great story rumbling around in your head and not finding the time to get it down before it flees.

 

5. What is the best writing advice you’ve received?  The worst?

Lou: Best: Just write. If you come to a dead end in one story, start another one.

Worst: I’ve probably never had any really bad advice. I can always tell when someone comments about my writing whether they’re doing it from a place of real helpfulness, or whether they’re just throwing out advice to be throwing out advice. I’ve learned to know the good advice from the bad…and I ignore the bad. I did have an editor put a zillion semi-colons in an article I’d written for a newsletter once. She didn’t discuss it with me, just plopped then in all over the place. It turned my humorous and conversational article into something unrecognizable. Which made me realize how dangerous a bad editor can be.

 

6. Which books on writing can you recommend for other writers?

Lou: Reading is the best advice I can give you. Buy all the writing guides you can pick up off the sale table and keep them at your fingertips for when you run into a specific problem…like grammar or punctuation. But for learning how to write and develop your voice, you have to read the work of authors who did it well.

I started reading before the first grade. I grew up on Mary Shelley and Charles Dickens, and then Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty. I don’t read as quickly as I used to, but I keep a book with me all the time. What amazes me now is that I can read a good book and see why it’s good. I can see how the author put just the right amount of imagery in his prose. How he put suspense in just when it was needed. How his dialogue flows, or sometimes doesn’t flow. But I can see what that writer did to make his story good.
 

7. How has belonging to Coffee and Critique affected you as a writer?

Lou: I think being with other writers has made me want to learn more about the craft. There’s nothing like being almost ready to take a piece in to read, and then after going over it that one last time, realizing it still needs work. Reading in front of a group will make you humble, that’s for sure. But it’ll also make you try a little harder.
 

8. If you’ve been published or have won awards, which are the most special to you?

Lou: All of them are special. I think the most special was the first publication, and probably that first, first place. But the last one is special too. I changed my expectations greatly after learning more about the craft. When I first started I was simply being a businesswoman and trying something new to make money. After a while I realized this wasn’t like running a gift shop, or even painting for a living. Writing was completely different. So instead of needing to make money, I changed and simply needed to be able to tell a story that could entertain, or bring about a laugh, or a tear, or make someone check the shadows before they jumped into bed at night.
 

9. What three words best describe you?

Lou: Eager to learn.
 

10. What is your writing dream? 

Lou: I’m not sure I have a writing dream. Years ago I would have told you it was to be interviewed by Charlie Rose because of my bestselling novel. But now I simply pray that I won’t run out of things to write about before I die. Or that I die with a thousand more stories yet to tell.

I don't know about you, but I hope Lou will be sharing her stories for years to come.

 

 

Take Ten with the Fastest Red Pen West of the Mississippi: Alice Muschany

Move over guys, the latest Coffee and Critique Take Ten Interview is from none other than fast walking, fast talking, fast writing, and fast editing phenom: Alice Muschany.

Alice is always on the move, and her spectacular writing, editing, and photography skills are in great demand. She has been a treasured member of Coffee and Critique since its beginning. Her sweet and funny stories warm our hearts and tickle our funny bones.

Earlier this summer I was able to get her to slow down a few minutes to answer my interview questions.  

1. What inspired you to become a writer?

Growing up, I enjoyed creating silly ditties for family and friends. I also kept a notebook filled with humorous sayings. After my kids were born, I continued to jot down silly stuff they said and did. To this day I use it against them when they complain about their own offspring. 

2.      What is your writing specialty? 

 

While most of my writing buddies are liars and murderers (they write fiction), I pen mainly personal essays. My year-long battle with breast cancer also netted me a memoir that I readily share with women fighting the same battle. 

3 How would you describe your writing process?  

 

My writing is totally dependent upon my mood. If creativity strikes, I can whip out a story in no time. I’ve also been known to capture ideas on napkins, receipts or scraps of paper to be used later. The weather plays a big part. If it’s pretty (or not), I’m outside. For me, the hardest part of writing is to sit down at my computer. Family and friends call it ADHD, but they’re just jealous of my ability to multi-task. 

 

4.      What is the best part of being a writer?  What is the worst part of being a writer? 

 

Best: Capturing memories that take me back to a special place and time. Rereading old journals and being able to recall every vivid detail comes in handy, especially now that I have trouble remembering yesterday.

Worst: Finding out the fabulous story you submitted didn’t make the cut. I try using Scarlett O’Hara’s motto, “Tomorrow’s another day.”

5. What is the best writing advice you’ve received?  The worst?

Best: Polish, polish, polish. 

Worst: Suggestions to change my style of writing or take out all the parts of the story that make it me. An author needs to listen to constructive criticism, but she must also remember to remain true to herself.

6. Which books on writing can you recommend for other writers?

 I just read. A lot. Mysteries, romance, non-fiction all teach me what works and what doesn’t. As for grammar issues, I leave commas, (colons not allowed, colons, right Lou?) etc. up to my writing buddies. If the nuns failed to reach me after twelve years of Catholic school, I’m afraid it’s too late for me now. (I could, however, diagram better than the rest of my class).

7. How has belonging to Coffee and Critique affected you as a writer?

My writing group is the best. Some of us have been together for years. We’d recognize each other’s masterpiece even without a name on the paper. Having others critique my work makes my stories so much more powerful—adding a stronger verb, deleting repetitive words, filling in the blanks all make a huge impact on a short piece.

 

8. If you’ve been published or have won awards, which are the most special to you?

 

My breast cancer essays are special to me. Knowing my published stories are being read by other women fighting cancer makes me feel like I’m right there offering my sisters love, laughter, and support.

9. What three words best describe you?

My husband’s description would be: hyper, hyper and hyper.  Mine would be happy, humorous and maybe a little hyper.

10. What is your writing dream? 

I’d like to publish my breast cancer memoir one day. I’d also enjoy writing a weekly column (read all over the world, of course).

 

Bonus question: If you could interview one or two famous writers or historic figures living or deceased, who would they be and what would you ask them?

I’d interview Erma Bombeck and ask her two questions. Did your family actually read your articles? If so, did they hold it against you for poking fun at them?

More about Alice:

 

Alice Muschany recently retired from her day job after 43 years of blood, sweat and tears. She now works even harder flitting from one grandchild’s event to the next, but she wouldn’t miss it for the world. Her eight grandchildren, along with her husband and best friend, make wonderful (but not willing) subjects for her camera and her stories. In her spare time she hikes, swims, and rides the Katy Trail for enjoyment (and peace and quiet).

Her essays have been published in Cup of Comfort, Chicken Soup, and Not Your Mother’s Book. One of her stories will appear in Gloria Gayner’s “How We Survived” anthology. She is also currently an Opinion Shaper for the Suburban Journals.