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When I began this journey, I had some loose preconceptions about various writers, an inevitable result of knowing them by some of their words...
Before I interview someone, I try to read everything they have published so that I have some basis for interesting questions which might bring a little piece of the writer to the reader. After our dialogues, without exception and much to my surprise, I have found some measure of common ground with every single person I have interviewed.
It is the finest advertisement for getting to know people better. I find it empirical (empirical enough for me) evidence that wading through differences gets us to common ground.
I am pleased to share my visit with Jessicanm...
Q: Jessica, your bio speaks volumes about your life's priorities. Have your priorities changed in the last two years, and if so, how?
A: Well my priorities have always been my family. I was a single mother for almost six years so when I got married last year and then had my son my priorities took on a different spin. I believe in a marriage that husband and wife have to come first even before the kids. You have to keep the relationship between husband and wife, mother and father intact and happy for your own sake and those of the kids. I think a lot of couples out there get so wrapped up in their children's lives that their spouse takes a back seat. Children are supposed to join our lives, WE as parents and couples are not supposed to join their (children) lives. So my priorities have switched from completely devoted to my daughter to being devoted to my husband first then my daughter and son second. That’s a big change if you ask me.
Q: Several of your poems address the subject of writer's block, Damn this paper, Finding Words, and you spoke about a "dry spell" last year...when the real world intrudes, how do you find your muse again?
A: Man, I don't know if I have found my muse again. Its hard, being pulled in so many directions during the day to have the desire to sit down and try to figure out some plot, or subject to write about. My dry spell is over though so I'm thankful for that. I had to make a conscience decision to write about anything and everything that came to mind to force myself past the writer's block. Developing new writing exercises to force yourself to write is a good way for me to find my muse again.
Q: You write poetry in almost every form, a mesotich, even a square poem, Enigma which is a highly skilled endeavor...how do you decide when you sit down to write a poem what form you will use
For my Enigma
It’s the feel of fingertips
Lightly caressing my face.
A longing gaze from green eyes
Breathing life into my dreams.
Enigma of heart and soul.
What will I do with this love
Complete now only in dreams?
Out of the dark you call me,
Help me face what’s never seen.
With hands so strong and secure
A heart so full of laughter
Smiles so brightly on your face
Whatever souls are made of
Yours and mine are from the same
Pounding hearts are synchronized
Mind and body so alike
Dare I follow where you go?
Can I risk not having you?
We want, need, but ache alone
One obstruction in our way,
Miles between my heart and yours.
A. Actually when I've broken away from just free verse and your everyday run of the mill style poetry its because I was trying to find something different to get the creative juices going. I had a teacher in college that made each English major in her class by "A handbook to Literature' and it’s full of all the different types of poetry one can write and use. So when I feel stuck I pull out the ol' handbook, flip through, find a poem I've never heard about and start writing. Most times it works.
Q: In your early days at lit.org...you wrote about finding a relationship of substance...at one point saying... In the meantime, I’ll take Dave Matthews’ example: Set fire to my life and break away from the grey How has finding that relationship impacted your writing ?
A: Wow, that’s a great line from Dave Matthews isn’t it and who said I've found that relationship? No I'm just joking. I think I have. How it’s impacted me? Well that's hard to say. I think it’s harder to write when your life is happy and secure or at least it is for me. So its been a little bit of a draw back. It’s forcing me to grow however and to break away from the subject matters that no longer apply. Now I write things about dirty laundry and being a wife so I think it gives you a different perspective. It’s bittersweet.
Q: There is also a theme in your early published work at lit.org about pulling away, being mistrustful of closeness as evidenced in several of your poems > Darkness Consumes,Let Me Run, and Get Away!; How is that Jessica different from today's Jessica?
A: I think a little of that will always remain. I'm closed off by nature and still have a hard time getting past that when in relationships. I try not to be mistrustful but that's a hard one. The Jessica of today though is aware of that and working on it. Having an adoring husband makes it even easier. However 'Get Away’ and ‘Let me Run’ were mainly written for a guy I was dating that wouldn't get the hint to just back off and fade away.
Q: You published a rant which was very honest and forthright Self Reflections where your mother labeled you as "prickly" ... you had a different assessment. How does reducing feelings to writing help clarify the jumble in our minds?
A: That rant, whew, was great to write. Writing rants I think are my favorite form of expression, I just don't do enough of them though. Writing has always helped me 'clarify the jumble in my mind' as you so eloquently put it by giving me a different means of expressing myself without reaping the consequences. After I finally get something down on paper I'm not as caught up in the emotions of the moment and can take a breather before I go back and look at it again. I think a lot of writers are like that. If you're really into what it is that you're writing and then you go back and read it you might learn some things about yourself that you wouldn't have otherwise.
Q: You have a thing about "faces"...in almost all your poetry, there is a component of "faces" or their parts. It is evidenced in On My Face, Wipe Away My Face, The Image of Your Face....so are faces and their parts the entryway to the inner man for you?
A: I never really paid all that much attention to that until you mentioned it. Honestly! I even had to ask my husband if he had picked up on that and why he had never mentioned it. I guess I do have a 'theme' going. Maybe that is the way I think of the entryway to the inner man. Faces do play major roles in every aspect of life and it makes for great subject matter. In my novels I'm very descriptive of the characters, physical and personality, so its only natural for me to carry that into my poetry.
Q: In J.O.S.H.U.A, you wrote about a woman waiting on a man's timetable. Feminists would slap you down :). How long does love wait, and are both men and women seeking "completion" by another (which is another of your themes, even from a man's perspective as you wrote about so beautifully in Sleep?)
...from J.O.S.H.U.A.
Just a little longer, wait,’
Or so you keep saying. You’re
Sorry for your negligence
Hesitating, no choice but to linger.
Undesirable, unneeded feelings, but
Adoringly, in love I’ll wait
A: Wow, you really do your homework. I'm going to have to ask my husband to skip over reading the answer to this question, though I know he's not going to. Joshua was written about the guy I was involved with at the time, when we started growing apart. What he and I went through has played a BIG part of who I am today and some of the choices that I've made in my life. The things he taught me and all the positive things he brought in to my life will always be with me. I suppose feminists would slap me down, but I've never been one to back down from a feminist. :D I think we're all looking for some form of completion in some type of every relationship we get into, be it marriage, dating, friendship, what have you. I think we as humans operate on a give and take level in any situation. As for how long does love wait? As long as you need it to.
Q: In It Was you defined love. Has your definition changed any?
A: It Was is a piece describing and detailing the relationship I had with Joshua too. I didn't have a definition of love until he came along and its not changed one bit from that piece. Like I said he taught me a plethora of things that I'll always believe in and not waver from. In an essence it’s my standard.
Q: You are extremely good at writing non-fiction, as evidenced by A Murder and Home. Are there differences in approaching the writing of non-fiction as compared to fiction writing?
A: For me there are big differences in writing the two genres. In non-fiction the subject matter is so close to home that its hard not to get caught up in emotions while writing it. Fiction you can detach yourself from it when you need to, take a look at it in a different direction to see if you need to add another crisis to spice it up or not. For non-fiction you can't really break off from how the event played out or it wouldn't be non-fiction. A murder even though it didn't happen to me, knowing the family that was involved and meeting with the man convicted and lawyers somehow makes it even more real so it was hard to finish and took many years to finalize. Home had to be one of the hardest things to write about, the nightmare of that night and weeks to follow still haunt me. I think writing non-fiction especially if you are involved in the story you're putting down is one of the hardest things to write and write well.
Q:: Several of your writings deal with "force" upon a woman whether by rape No Difference or in your piece Again the "intrusion" of necessary medical treatment which feels like "force"...personal experience or observation?
A: Both were personal experiences, the date rape (which no one in my family knows anything of to this day) and the medical problems that thankfully haven't been back for almost a year now. Both were hard to write about but necessary for me to get on paper and 'out there'.
Q: Your short story Skye was an amazing story of reciprocal attachment with a young girl. It in no way reflects a person who has been accused or assessed as one who is "holding back" or "pushing away"...is that because it deals with a child and not a potential suitor?
A: The potential suitor thing might have some merit to it, but I like to think it was because I've always had a soft spot for kids, Skys especially. She was an amazing little girl and I still think of her quite a lot to this day. A relationship with a child isn't likely to end as any other relationship would, maybe that's why I've always given more of my true self to children than anyone else.
Q: Ha! I found one lonely rhyming poem For Me...a poem you wrote in college, in couplets, why do you not write much rhyming poetry?
A: Mainly because I'm no good at it. I have a lot of trouble with keeping to the true meaning of the piece and the poetry when I rhyme. I sometimes jeopardize the lines just to force the rhyme something I hate so I just try to stay away from it.
Q: You've been accused of being too tough on writers (Caustic Comments - blog). As a former teacher, do you find yourself being more critical of people who evidence a lot of talent, and isn't it the only way people can learn?
A: I think people don't learn/grow/change unless they are forced to, yes. But am I more critical on those who evidence a lot of talent? Not necessarily. Sometimes I get a little harder on those that aren't taking it 'serious' for lack of a better word. They are using poetry as a means for poor pitiful me, life is so hard pity party and that is sometimes where I can be a real mean ass.
Q: You have worked on a couple of novels, I think...Every Move You Make and Spider Web...are you still working on them? I want to know the scoop on Raft and Blake, Sara and Spencer.
A: Blake and Raft happen to be brothers. Every Move You Make is Blake's book, Spider Web is Raft's. I'm doing a series of novels involving one family. All the siblings get a book devoted to them and the happenings of their life. It’s something Elizabeth Lowell did that I just love. As for Spider Web, well it’s not finished yet but one day it will be. Can't just leave Sara, Spencer and Raft hanging can we?
Now I’ll actually let you in on a little secret. Every Move You Make was picked up by Mira books three years ago but I decided not to sign the book agreement. I know shame on me. I just wasn't ready for the requirements they were asking of me. I'm editing it again now and I'm about to submit it to Avon books to see if they will pick it up if not I might just go back to Mira. ;)
Q: One of my favorite poems that you have written The Night...what was its inspiration?
A: Like I said earlier I'm the mother of two and I got to thinking about how it would be if I had lost one of my babies before I ever really got to know them. At the same time I had a friend that I graduated high school with delivery twin boys and only one of them survived. It was a struggle to write but a very serious subject matter to me as well as something I hope I never, ever, have to go through.
Q: Select your favorite published “thing” among the things published at lit.org...
A: My favorite published thing at Lit would have to be ‘Letting Go’ or ‘It Was’ both of those are still so close to the heart its hard for them not to be favorites.
Q: I would be flogged for not asking the back-story question ....Please give us the back-story on something you’ve written that you think would be of interest to your public.
A: A back story hmmm. It would have to be about the first and last science fiction piece I ever wrote. Back then Richard Dani was still with us, part of the staff and an all around great person. Anyway, he was always writing horror and doing a bang up job at it (I strongly urge everyone that reads this to go check out his stuff, it’s worth it). I issued him a little challenge asking him to try his hand at short story romance, something I felt I was pretty good at and something completely foreign to what he was use to. The Hal, another great member, jumped on board. Well I thought I had gotten off easy then Richard Dani (otherwise known as Mr. Parteepants back then) said I had to step into the ring and write a short story science fiction piece. I don’t think I did all that bad either but whew, I really know where my place is now. Richard and The Hal both turned in great pieces and in the end all three of us had a blast doing it and it was a really great exercise for us. Plus I think it gave us all more respect for the different genre’s that we don’t normally write in.
Q: You are soon to be published (June 1st) at JustusRox.com... your erotic short story "Peaches". Give your fans some tips with regard to having their work published online or in white paper
A: My advice to anyone wanting to get published anywhere is to read some of the pieces the magazine/zine etc has already published. If you're looking to publish horror with a company but haven't read the horror they have already printed then fat chance they'll pick you up. So may people just pick a place at random and say I want to be published by them without really looking in to it. Do some research on who you want to trust with your pieces and then go for it. Remember too that it takes awhile for the majority to ever find someone to publish with, don't get discouraged and give in, you never know when the one to accept your stuff is going to strike.
Q: You are so good to make lit.org readers aware of publishing opportunities, do you, yourself, submit a lot of your work for publication or to contests? Either online or to non-online venues?
A: Up until recently I hadn't taken part in many contests or paying markets. Now that I'm trying to get back into the publishing world I've been sending in my share of things. One of the main reasons I was picked up by Mira books was because I had won a contest at a university in North Carolina and one of the prizes was a meeting with editors at Mira. So they do work!
Q: Did you succumb to your need for a new tattoo after you wrote Tattoo Fix, and ok, I have to ask, where are they and what are they?
A: Unfortunately my husband vetoed that. He likes tattoos, has one himself, but I think he's secretly afraid his wife is going to turn into a walking canvas if he gives me the go ahead (or maybe he's afraid I'll start to look like Lex from survivor!) I'm still going to get one, just a little later than I had planned. As for what I already have, I have the Indian symbol 'Sankofa' on the inside of my left bicep. The symbol for life on the inside of my left wrist and another one on the inside of my right ankle that is a combination of hearts surrounding a musical note. I can't wait to get inked again.
Q: Where do you see your writing taking you within the next five years?
A: Well in a perfect world my novel(s) would be picked up by a publishing house and bringing in some money and I would be on my way to a bestseller list somewhere. In reality I see myself with a few more published pieces under my belt, still writing my novels and keeping my fingers crossed that it'll be the next book everyone has to have.
Q: You can take a few folks with you to the International Space Station for a year. Who would you take, and what would you want to accomplish? (living or dead but no family)
A: Well since I can't take my husband or kids I'd have to take my Shotokan sensei Jinjer, my college America Lit teacher, Ms. Wymer, Antwone Fisher, simply because I admire him so much and my favorite author Elizabeth Lowell. I know that’s only four but that should be enough to keep anyone busy. What would I try to accomplish? Selfishly I don’t think we’d try to accomplish anything except soaking up the others talents and words of wisdom.
Cornered! Rapid-fire want to knows:
Q: Favorite non-fiction work
A: Death Investigator Handbook
Q: Favorite fiction work
A: Pearl Cover (the whole Donovan series) by Elizabeth Lowell
Q: Favorite poem
A: To LaNette by Antwone Fisher. It’s a love poem to his wife and in my opinion is the best portrait of what love should be
Q: Your most recent “play list”....(Kind of music you like)
A: Gosh, its a lot of different things: Dave Matthews of course. U2, Sister Hazel Harry Connick JR, John Mayer, Sting, Matchbox 20. I'll even go as far as saying that even though I don't own any of their CD's I do like OutKast.
Q: Pet peeves in others writing
A: I don't know if its really a pet peeve in their writing but what really bugs me is when they can't take any criticism whatsoever. Saying things like, "well I like it how it is so that's that." I guess when people refuse to even see their work in a different light or way drives me nuts.
Q: Bring me the head of....
A: Britney Spears.
Q: Favorite pastime aside from writing
A. Playing with my children would be first, even before writing, but after writing it would have to be scrap booking. I'm a big addict when it comes to that. I like preserving memories for my children to have when they are older and have families of their own.
Q: Describe what you perceive to be a “mother’s job”
A: That's a hard one. I've never been a 'normal' mother by any means so the way I perceive it is a little left field to begin with. I take a 'mother's job' as being more than just making sure your kids are at school on time, fed, dressed and clothed. I don't believe that quality time is better than quantity. Studies have proven that kids remember how much time you spend with them as opposed to what you did during that time. The short of it is: I'm a mother that home schools and believes that a mothers job is to stay at home with her kids during their formative years if she has the financial means to do so.
I thank you, jessicanm, for taking the time to be EXPOSED! and the whole lit.org community for such wonderful support. Next week, Spudley has agreed to come out and play...
Claire
As always, questions, comments, volunteers are welcomed at exposedwriters@hotmail.com
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EXPOSED! at lit.org (williamhill)
