OR are you still thinking about a story?

Remember the deadline for An Honest Lie, new theme is onPetulant Parables!

The deadline is March 15th!

Have you submitted your short story?  We want to hear from you!

http://openheartpublishing.debrincase.com/

 

Hello Readers!  We’re back for another exciting interview with Eric Trant, who is in high-spirits today with the release of his SciFi book, Out Of the Great Black Nothing!

 

Eric is about to cross the threshold to a new experience as well as a new reality. With your drinks and snacks ready, let’s raise a toast in congratulating Eric for a job well done! We’ll hear what his path has been for him, to get to this time in his life, and how he’s feeling about it!

 

 

Deborah: Congratulations to you, Eric.  Are you ready to start?

 

Eric: Yes, I’m ready! Let’s go!

 

* * *

 

* * *

Deborah: We’ve probably covered this in your previous interview, but now that things are changing for you, I wanted you to explain your transition from the beginning.

 

Eric: In 2009, I decided to begin submitting my work. I had been writing since high school, or the ’80s, but everything I had written was tucked safely away in a private vault. Most of what I wrote between those years is still tucked away.

I started poking around online for submittal sites for short stories. I had a ton of shorts to submit, and I came across An Honest Lie, Volume 1: Contributing to the Delinquency of Your Inner Child, from Open Heart Publishing. I believe I found it through Duotrope. For that theme, I had the perfect story tucked deep in my private vault, “The Apple Tree”. It was a story that I wrote in the early 2000s about a couple of boys who discover a most unusual tree. I submitted that story along with one other to Open Heart Publishing. They accepted “The Apple Tree”, but said my as-of-yet-unpublished short story “Lady’s Milk” was too visceral and did not fit with the theme for the An Honest Lie anthology. 

So, as you can see, I was both accepted and rejected at the same time.

“The Apple Tree” was published without further edit. It is word-for-word what came out of my vault, and is a wonderful story with which to begin my writing career.

 

Deborah: What a great start for you in the writing industry! Rejected and accepted at the same time, which is a little unusual, but then that is what it takes sometimes! What did you do to win the writing contest for Volume 2?

 

Eric: When An Honest Lie Vol. 1 came out, the founder/owner of Open Heart Publishing, Debrin Case, created an incentive program to boost sales. That program was simple: sell the most copies of An Honest Lie and win a book deal. 

For the second volume of An Honest Lie, Delusions of Insignificance, I submitted my story “One Small Step”, the very same story upon which my novel Out of the Great Black Nothing was based. I sold mainly to family and friends and co-workers, and won the contest with a fair margin between me and the second-place winner. I was lucky in the respect that there were no sales-ringers, and I like to think that at least some of my success was owed to my writing an enjoyable short story that people spoke about after they read it.

The bottom line lesson is that I worked for my book deal. I proved myself to the publisher, and in the process built up a fan-base following that has helped me sell subsequent books. I created network connections that keep me both motivated and informed, and I now have a growing pool of beta readers from which I can beg early readership.

 

Deborah: Yes, Debrin’s ideas are awesome! Plus, you really understand the marketing concept. Readers that was a great tip for you! Eric, you said that your short story “One Small Step” transcended into writing Out of the Great Black Nothing.

 

Eric: “One Small Step” is about Percy Freebottom and his spacesuit. It turned into quite a popular story. My wife networked it at her work, and I sold to whomever would listen, and before long I had a fair number of sales, and a growing fan-base. One of my readers even bought an astronaut statue and had the name Freebottom painted on the lapel.

* * *

* * *

That same reader, a co-worker, helped proof-read the subsequent novel, Out of the Great Black Nothing.

The novel version of the Percy Freebottom came about like this: I was forced into it against my will.

The original concept of Percy Freebottom was intended to be a novel, but I could not get the story to come out right. I spent 2009 hacking on the novel, gave up, and in order to purge it from my system, I wrote the short story in a fit of spurts over the course of two early morning sessions. Debrin read the story, accepted it for An Honest Lie Volume 2, and for the book deal, asked me to turn Percy Freebottom into a novel.

So that is what I did. 

I titled the book Out of the Great Black Nothing, and I spent most of 2011 working on it. I wrote a draft in the spring, polished it in the summer, re-wrote it in the late summer, sent it for beta-reading in early fall, and underwent final line-edit in November. The Senior Editor, ME Johnson and I edited the entire book over eight days.

 

  

Deborah: Wow, you really busted through time on this! With only eight days to edit? I do believe I hear the sound of our Senior Editor’s whip active here! How do you feel about your novel hitting the shelves?

 

Eric: Now, after a year of work on a concept that began in 2009, Percy Freebottom and Out of the Great Black Nothing are about to hit the shelves, and I can’t wait to see how it is received! 

Out of the Great Black Nothing is my debut novel, and as with every first-anything, you only get one shot at it. I will never have another first novel, will never again have that initial giddiness of the unknown, and will never again be ranked among unpublished authors and unpaid freelance writers. 

I will no longer be an artist whose work is too intense for public viewing.

I will be a published writer, and that changes everything.

I will have an ISBN number (for the book). I will receive royalty checks, book reviews, and maybe do some autographing and bookselling at my favorite local coffee shop and this brew-pub next to said coffee shop. People will take me seriously when I say I am a writer. The book from cover-to-cover will be my book and my words.

This truly is a life-changing event for me, and one I have dreamt about since I was a boy. Writing a novel is one of those things on just about everyone’s bucket list, and checking this off my list is something very few people get to do. I am grateful to Open Heart Publishing and my editor, ME Johnson, for helping and believing in me, and for bringing Percy Freebottom to life for the world to see.

As for how I feel about other people reading the book, strangers who do not know me, it is a bit unsettling. It is like being naked in public. You’re not sure if people are going to laugh, clap, stare, or ignore you completely. My only hope is to make a good showing, and pick up a few fans that cannot wait for the next book, and the next, and the next.

* * *  

Readers, now you know how Eric’s path began, and how he made it end with a book deal. All it takes is good writing, submitting your work, and doing your best to promote your work!

Congratulations again Eric! I know I can’t wait to read your book!

* * * 

Eric Trant is the author of several short stories and the novel Out of the Great Black Nothing, releasing now through Open Heart Publishing. Eric writes during whatever space he can wedge in, between spending time with his pre-teen son and daughter, his infant son, and his wife, all of whom encourage him to selflessly stoke the coals of his blossoming writing career. None of them read his stories. They don’t need to, because Eric tells the stories whenever one of them says, Daddy, tell us a story, which he does, often with embellishment well beyond what the reader finds in print. This, in fact, is how his stories are meant to be shared. 

While he lives and sleeps and works in a brick box with several doors and windows, Eric prefers to spend a good deal of his waking hours outdoors hiking, camping, swimming, or indulging in whatever other activities he feels like indulging in. He spends precious little of life’s capital watching television, other than cartoons, which he considers the most intelligent thing on the box, and the weekly movie he shares with his family. 

 Aside from writing and family, Eric is a Chemical Engineer who holds a patent for statistical outlier modeling. To learn more about Eric, visit him at http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/.

Pick up your copy today by clicking the cover image

Good afternoon Readers! It is time to turn the lights on our Senior Editor at Open Heart Publishing!  Meet ME Johnson! Some call her ME, M. E., or even EM, but she’ll answer to either one. ME and I have been friends for five years and I cannot begin to express the depth of our friendship, her kindness, and the loving heart which abounds in this one person, not to mention her depth of knowledge for literature and movies!

Don’t just take my word for it. Find out for yourself! The drums roll. The spotlight is on!

So let’s get started!

 

 

DEBORAH: Good afternoon, ME! It’s time for your interview! First I’d like to discuss your career experiences. Your bio shows you were prominent in numerous films, videos and stage productions. How did this come about in your life?

ME: In the 1980’s, I was thoroughly entrenched in Corporate Management Land, that netherworld of grey lackluster sameness, day in, day out. Having peaked my career, I started thinking of alternate paths that might bring me a bit of fun, in addition to income. No longer needing to provide for anyone other than myself, I decided there was no reason why I couldn’t change careers and delve into the Arts, which has always been my passion. A friend helped me acquire a position at a local production house, and from there, my new career grew wings and took flight. (Flitter, flitter!)

 

DEBORAH: What a great start into your passion, as well as it developing into the right niche!  A production house and now publishing! Also, your bio states you have published stories as well. Which came first, the writer or the editor?

ME: That’s a tough question. They go hand in hand, you know. You can’t edit something that’s not been written, and you can’t write anything that doesn’t need editing.

 

DEBORAH: (Laughing) You turned that one around on me! Let’s go back a question. With your experience of stage and improv, how do you think it has helped you as a writer?

ME: Improv is a method of acting that many actors shy away from, and that’s a truly sad fact. It builds confidence, imagination, and creativity. For me, it was like opening a door into a magic garden, filled with all sorts of amazing things. It has given me the inner strength and curiosity to meet the literary world head-on, at a dead run. (Watch out for that branch!)

 

DEBORAH: That I truly believe! It’s the on-the-spot-thinking that helps the story move. However, not everyone has such luck and need reference help. All writers should have a collection of reference material on, or near, their desk. What reference material do you recommend and why?

ME: Before I answer that, I must say that no good reference book should have to stand alone. They get bored and don’t want to work anymore. A good dictionary and thesaurus (or synonym finder that lists antonyms as well) are a must. They work very well together. I also keep a Rhyming Dictionary, because to me, writing is more than just telling a story. It’s an opportunity to play with my toys, words. Beyond that, I keep reference material on specific subjects that I’m researching, and I keep a current copy of “Writer’s Market”. With it, I can find publishers who might be interested in publishing my work.

 

DEBORAH: There you go Readers! That’s an innovative idea for you! What about journaling? Do you keep a formal journal for your writing ideas?

ME: Not on your life! I have found that by the time I locate and retrieve said journal, the idea is gone. So instead, I use whatever scrap of paper I can get my hands on the quickest. And then, I keep a pile of them. If they don’t produce anything worthwhile after chumming with their fellow ideas, I banish them to one of the many file folders in my desk. There, they are allowed to collect dust and grow old.

 

DEBORAH: Like you, my ideas go to the wayside, but in a journal. I even put story titles in my journal.  Here’s a question that will help clarify this important moment in writing. When trying to come up with a story title, what advice would you give to our readers?

ME: Story titles are unique little critters. They can be dull and non-stimulating, or they can be colorful, expressive, and intriguing.  For instance, which title would encourage you to pick up the book and read it, a book simply titled, “Bob”, or a book titled, “Underneath the Stairs?” When you are choosing a title, remember, does it inspire curiosity? Does it evoke imagery? Or does it just sit there and wait for you to do all the work?

 

DEBORAH: Great advice!  Here’s another one for you. Would you describe what “writer’s block” is, and what advice would you give to both aspiring and established authors as to dealing with it?

ME: Writer’s Block. Yes. It’s a brick wall that you build up brick by brick until, suddenly; you discover that you can’t see over it. How to deal with it? Well, you could get a sledge hammer and pound your computer to shreds. Oh, wait. You can’t see over that brick wall, can you? Okay. Go to the kitchen and get yourself a large serving of your favorite chocolate confection. Then go to the garage and gather as many paint cans as you can find. Proceed back to the aforementioned wall and cover it in graffiti. You can manage to wipe some chocolate on it too.

If that doesn’t do the trick, try going for a long walk to clear your mind of all the clutter it’s been trying to assimilate while you were building said wall. When you get back, pick a completely different and new topic to write about and start jotting notes in between the graffiti. You’ll soon find that you’ve run out of room. All that graffiti is in the way.

What? You can’t get past that brick wall? Well then, you must not have writer’s block. Go get a pad of paper, more chocolate, or maybe a beer, or some wine, or a soda, find a dry spot out in the middle of your yard, and start writing whatever comes to mind first. Clouds are a good starting point. In other words, to get rid of writer’s block, you have to find inspiration. So go do something completely different where you can allow your mind to open up and start thinking again. If that doesn’t work, you might try soaking your elbows in strawberry jam.

 

DEBORAH: I don’t know about you, readers, but my eyes are tearing up laughing so hard over the strawberry jam! I’m sure our readers, would like to know the answer to this question from you. What advice would you give to authors about writing dialog?

ME: Ah, dialog, dialog. (Or is that “dialogue”?) You have probably heard before (and will again) that dialog has to be realistic. Well, yes, it does. But let’s take a look at that. I bet you’ve had conversations before that go like this.

Someone asks, “How was your day?”

You reply, “fine.”

They reply, “Great.”

You reply, “Yes.”

They reply, “Good.”

You reply, “Yes.”

They ask, “Busy tonight?”

You reply, “No.”

They reply, “Me neither.”

You reply, “Yeah.”

And then you both sit there and stare at the room, unable to think of anything to say. Well, that’s realistic dialog, isn’t it? You’ve had that conversation yourself, haven’t you? Then why doesn’t it work when you write out? (Because it’s DULL!) Realistic dialog means “believable” dialog. But, it needs more than even that. It has to convey information as well as being “believable.” Thus, instead of writing the aforementioned Blah, blah, blah, you would write,

“How was your day? Interesting?”

You reply, “Yes, I helped locate a dead body in the corn field.”

  

DEBORAH: So very true! You need to keep it moving! Let’s talk about research. What is the importance of researching before writing?

ME: The importance is in knowing what you are talking about, and who you are talking to.  We all know that if we are writing a story about a real-life person or event, research is critical. How else will you know what to write? And who would believe you if instead of researching the story, you simply wrote suppositions? (Push the “failure” buzzer.) So, you’ve done your story research. Is that all? No. Marketing your work begins with more research, and a query letter. But, who do you send that query letter to? Your neighbor? The clerk at 7-11? No. You want a credited publisher, don’t you? How do you find them?

Well, you stop asking questions and take a trip to the local library, or book store. Once there, you pick up the current edition of “Writer’s Market.” This is an invaluable resource book. It contains list after list after list, by genre, of publishers, what materials they accept, and where and how to send your query. You may also glean some leads that will help you find other works they have published. Check them out. Are they the kind of material you wish to submit? If so, then get that query letter out the door. Many times, authors wrongly think their work is so good that no one would be able to turn it down. Well, it might be that good, but if it isn’t what the publisher is looking for, it will get turned down.

So, you can either purchase a case of copy paper and a huge supply of printer ink so you can pump out mass quantities of query letters, of which most will wind up in the publisher’s trash bin, or you can do your research, send to only those publishers who are looking for your type of material, and have a chance at being accepted.

Not familiar with writing a query letter, or need help? Visit the “Pages” section of my blog, http://anhonestliespeaks.blogspot.com/.

 

DEBORAH: You’re absolutely right! Thanks for the link for writing a query letter! From your point of view, why is editing so important, and who needs it? 

ME: Everyone needs editing, even the Editor, and even the Publisher (believe it or not!) On my blog, http://anhonestliespeaks.blogspot.com/, you will find a quote by an author named Bernardo DeVito. He said, “The only reason one should write something down is so one may therefore change it.” I find this to be the case 100% of the time. No one writes a perfect piece the first time through. Sure, the story may be perfect, but there’s more to it than just the story line. There’s a host of things to look for, from the obvious, such as punctuation, grammar, and capitalization; to the more elusive, such as sentence structure, emphasis, word usage, etc. Editing is the process of cleaning up and dressing up. Think of it this way, you have bought a perfect suit/dress. Yet, before you wear it to the policeman’s ball, you’d send it to the dry cleaners. Right? You want it clean and neatly pressed. Well, editing does the same thing for your script. (Personally, I’ve never worn one to a policeman’s ball.) Everyone needs it, both in self-edit and by a professional editor. One problem writers have (myself included) is that by the time you’ve written it, then reviewed it, then edited it, then reviewed it again, then edited it again, etc., etc., your brain has memorized the copy. Then when you go to read again, your mind conveniently skips over errors for you, because by now, it knows how the copy is supposed to read. Think about this: How many times have you polished your work to perfection, sent it out, and the minute it’s out the door, you find a typo. (Ouch!) This is why you need a professional (or as close as you can get) to review your work. They can look at it with a fresh set of eyes to catch those things your mind deluded you into thinking were correct.

 

DEBORAH: And, like some, put it away for a while to let your mind forget it, so you can later read it with new eyes to catch those’ errors! As Senior Editor, what consistent errors do you find by authors?

ME: Run-on sentences, repetitious word use or repetitive thoughts, passive voice sentences, and over-use of dashes and ellipses.

 

DEBORAH: Ouch! That’s a lot! However, as an editor there is so much to look for! And you definitely know your job! Off the top of your head, what advice would you like to give to writers?

ME: Keep up the good work! Find help when you need it. And, don’t stop believing in yourself.

 

DEBORAH: Great advice! Basically, just stay confident in yourself and your work! I know for a fact that you are more than just the Senior Editor of Open Heart Publishing. Would you share with our readers what else do you do at Open Heart Publishing? 

ME: Big question! In addition to editing for Open Heart Publishing, I also handle submissions and assist in the selection process (butter me up!) I also help our writers put together their bios. I have a personal blog and a blog for An Honest Lie, help with marketing campaigns, and every chance I get, I terrorize the publisher. Outside of Open Heart Publishing, I get to spend some time actually writing my own projects. (Yes, it amazes me too!) I also have a grandson whom I’m helping with home schooling. My company, ThinkingWorks SP, keeps me busy. And as if that’s not enough, someone has posted some signs in my yard. They can only be seen by strays, but I think I can tell you what they say, “Good eats here!” and “Need a home? Look no more!” 

 

DEBORAH: Let me tell you, she’s not lying about those signs for strays! Shortly, we’re going to be looking to see if there is a paw print somewhere that we haven’t seen! I’ve got to ask this question. Was it your idea to form Open Heart Publishing, or an idea from a combination of friends, trying to find something to do to keep out of trouble?

ME: (laughing) While I wish I could take credit for the formation of Open Heart Publishing, I can’t. Our publisher, Debrin Case, is the founder and creator of it all.

  

DEBORAH: Oh, yes, our in-house Truman Capote! There is a sign outside his door, which says, “Genius at work!” It just seems to say it all!

 

DEBORAH: It’s time now to delve into the lighter side of your questions. Here’s your first question. If ghosts can walk through walls and doors, why can’t they leave the premises?

ME: I think it would be pretty scary for a ghost out there in the big wide world. I mean, who would you scare? The possibilities are so endless! Much better to stay home and be a couch-potato-ghost – sleep all day, play all night, raid the fridge when you want, hog the bathroom when you want. Who would want to leave?

 

DEBORAH: You sound as if you’ve already lived with one and know their routine! Too funny! Okay, if you were a human fly, where would you be, and what would you be doing?

ME: I’d be hovering over your dinner plate.

 

DEBORAH: May I remind you I also have cats, which love to catch flies and moths? As a cat owner, maybe you can answer this question. Who let the cat out of the bag, and why?

ME: Shrek did. Donkey needed a sidekick. 

 

DEBORAH: Blame it on Shrek! (Laughing) Good idea! I’m interested to know the answer to this old question from you. If you could have lunch with four famous people, who would they be and for what reason? 

ME: Oh, my. Just four? I was hoping for a party. Let’s see. I’d want to ask Confucius why the sky is blue. Yoda would be there too, and I’d want to ask him to teach me the “Force”. Genghis Khan, I’d ask strategy questions. You know, what’s the best tactic for selling my writing? And finally, mmmm, Don Quixote, I’d like to get his take on Hell.

 

DEBORAH: Yes deliberately four! I know you’d have a party over there and we’d run out of space for all the questions and answers! Speaking of friends, have you ever had an imaginary friend? Tell us about your friend and what trouble the two of you got into, if you would!

ME: No, no imaginary friends. Just imaginary boyfriends, and (blushing) we had lots of fun together. They were, however, not a suitable replacements for the real thing!

 

DEBORAH: You’re right! We’ll leave that to the imagination! If you were a pretentious person, what coffee table book would you have lying around to impress others? 

ME: Oh, this is too easy. I am a pretentious person and I keep several coffee table books on my coffee table. There’s a coloring book (and crayons), a treasure map on crinkly old parchment paper, a manual on “How to Bathe your Cat and Live to Tell About It”, a copy of “How to be Royal” which the Queen autographed for me at lunch the other day, and, of course, several copies of my own published works, just in case someone wants to take one home.

 

DEBORAH: It sounds like you were ready for that question! Bummer! Okay, here’s the last one. If you were trapped on an icy shelf atop a sheer rocky drop all the way down to the foot of the mountain, and you only had paper and pencil with you, how would you survive and what would you write on the paper?

 ME: I’d take up yodeling, order steak and potatoes, build a campfire, and toast marshmallows. On the paper, I’d write, “Send the bill to the publisher.”

 

DEBORAH: Which sounds like you’d be having a great time! And, I won’t say a word about the bill to Debrin!

 

Readers, as you can see, ME shared her advice on editing as well as her fun-side, which always keeps her friends laughing.  ME knows her job and keeps us all in line! No joke! It’s a tough love from her, and we love and respect her for that, as well as take her advice on our work!

 

Thanks ME for taking time in the spotlight for us! It’s been a grand time!

 

***

 

ME Johnson is a freelance writer and Senior Editor of Open Heart Publishing. Over the past three decades, ME has co-founded, co-produced, and was a cast member of Troop Movement, a live comedy-improv troupe performing at numerous venues in Dallas, Texas. ME has also held several crew positions for both film and video, and was a cast member in selected feature films, videos, and stage productions. She is also sole-proprietor of ThinkingWorks SP, founded in 1990, a company that offers on-the-fly writing and editing; public speaking services; and writing for all applications within the corporate, multimedia, public speaking, film/video, and stage platforms. Her creative writing portfolio includes “Call of the Quitter” published in Dreams of Everyday by The Poetry Guild; “The Story of Why Your Mother Always Told You To Stand Up Straight,” published by The Village Wit; and a short story in each of the first three anthology volumes by Open Heart Publishing, “Crossing the Guard” published in An Honest Lie, Volume 1, Encouraging the Delinquency of your Inner Child; “The Other Side of the Wall”, published in An Honest Lie, Volume 2: Delusions of Insignificance; and “The Great Oppression”, published in An Honest Lie, Volume 3: Justifiable Hypocrisy.

 

You can visit M.E.’s blogs at:

http://emsend.blogspot.com and at http://anhonestliespeaks.blogspot.com/ 

Holidays are over and it’s time to submit your stories for An Honest Lie, new theme of Petulant Parables!

Petulant: insolent or rude in speech or behavior.

We know you have a story stashed away or have had a few petulant experiences! Let’s hear from you!

http://lifeatohp.debrincase.com/

DON’T FORGET THE E-BOOKS SPECIAL! http://debrincase.com/