In praise of deadlines

Usually if I don't have a deadline, I can spend three whole months on one sentence. I've been working on this new novel set in the 1950s for almost a year now. I was working on another novel at the same time, and then shelved it to work on this one, called The Missing Ones (at least for now. I'm not very good with titles, but that's a whole other story.) A few months ago, I realized I had no idea what I was doing and began talking the story out with another writer and finally realized what the main thread was. Throwing out 200 pages wasn't easy, but at last I felt that I knew what I was writing about. I felt what I needed to write towards.

Last week, I had lunch with my adored agent and she asked what was ready to be shown, and I had a revelation. If I told her I would have something to her by, say June, then I'd really have to work hard. I'd have to produce. No more sitting on one sentence for weeks. "I'll have a few chapters to show you by June," I said.

So, after being weak with nerves and nauseous (Could I do this? Was I insane? Wouldn't it be better to just hold on tight to the pages I have rather than risk failure?) I set to work. I've been putting in ten hour days, but I have two chapters and 40 pages that don't make me want to flay my own skin off. I have a third chapter brewing. I feel feverish with excitement, manic with drive, and so, so happy to be writing. And even better, if this does sell on a partial, than I'll have another deadline for the full ms. And to me, well that's just bliss.

READ THIS BOOK: Connie May Fowler's How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly

I’ve loved Connie May Fowler’s books years before I knew and loved her. Yes, she’s a friend, and the first thing you have to know about her is how warm, funny and smart she is, the kind of person who’s always on your side. Essayist, screenwriter, and novelist, she’s the author of six novels, most recently The Problem with Murmur Lee, and a memoir, When Katie Wakes. In 1996, she published Before Women Had Wings, which became a paperback bestseller and was made into a successful Oprah Winfrey Presents movie. She founded the Connie May Fowler Women With Wings Foundation, a non-profit organization that was dedicated to aiding women and children in need. For over six years, the foundation provided money to establish new domestic violence shelters or to improve existing ones. The organization funded the establishment of libraries and medical clinics within those shelters.

How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly takes place in the space of 24 hours and is peopled with ghosts, circus dwarfs, a love besotted fly (my favorite), an inner Deepak Chopra and the moving story of how one woman finds her inner strength and transforms her life.

Thanks so much for answering my questions, Connie.

I deeply admire the structure of the novel, how though it takes place in just 24 hours, it still veers back and forth from the deep past to the present. How did the structure of the novel come about—planned or did it surprise you?

It was a surprise born from necessity. When I realized that the past and present were rubbing against one another like narrative-based tectonic plates, I asked myself, How am I going to reign in this mess? The last thing I wanted was a 2000 page meandering manuscript on my hands. I decided my best bet was to squeeze Clarissa’s learning curve into one amazing day. That decision was crucial because it gave me a workable canvas.

I loved that Adams, one of the characters, tells Clarissa that to write, you have to risk being scared. That’s one of the most astute descriptions of being a writer that I’ve read. Can you talk more about that, please?

Writing is an exercise in fear. Everyday you face the blank page and engage in an activity that is part craft, part art, part hallucination. If you’re doing your job right, you really don’t know what’s going to happen next. You might trick yourself into thinking you know, but at the same time you have to be open to the possibilities the story presents. The story and the process always surprises. I think that the willingness to live on the edge—to open yourself up to the story, rather than playing it safe by trying to assert your will upon the page—is what separates writers from hobbyists. We know that when we begin a new project, we have—emotionally and intellectually—jumped off a cliff. And we have no idea if it’s going to be a soft or hard landing. All we know is that even amid our fear, we have to keep writing.

The novel is filled with astonishing characters. You get into the minds of a Olga, a ghost who has been grappling with her own tragic wrongs, a fly madly in loved with Clarissa, ghostly children and more. There’s a kind of magic in the world, and other realms that Clarissa just doesn’t see at first. So where did these characters come from? And do you think the past is always existing alongside the present day? And do you believe in ghosts?

I really enjoyed creating this part of Clarissa’s world. The notion of seen and unseen worlds is very important to the overall thematic structure because it reinforces Clarissa’s temporary writer’s blindness: She can’t face things that are right in front of her because she’s wracked with emotional anemia.

The characters arise naturally from the page. The story demands they exist. There is something about the fly being so in love with Clarissa when she feels so devoutly unloved that pleases me greatly. The idea for the novel first came about when I was researching pre-Civil War Florida history and stumbled upon an entry about the Adams-Onìs Treaty of 1819. It required that Spain relinquish Florida to the U.S. two years hence. But Spain, compared to America, was very progressive. Women and black people could own property. Black men could sit on juries. Slavery was deeply discouraged. So what happened, I wondered, to folks who found themselves—with the stroke of a pen, thanks to a real estate deal—homeless and enslaved? As I mused on that hard nut, Olga Villada and her family began to take shape.

I believe that the past and present constantly co-mingle. We carry with us many legacies—some good, some not; some weigh us down and others allow us to fly. But we surely don’t exist in a time vacuum. I think that when we’re at our best, it’s because we’re heeding the lessons of the past.

I grew up in a family primarily composed of ghosts. Our ancestors were all around us. And sometimes—when it got too chaotic or the ghosts too cranky—my mother would freak out and move us, leaving all of our belongings behind. With that kind of upbringing, how could I not believe in spirits?

Clarissa sees many different Clarissa’s in that single day, including the one who goes through the motions and the one who is real. She discovers a power she had given up, and in one hilarious scene, appreciates the abundant curves she’s hidden under voluminous clothing for so many years. Why do you think women give that their power so easily and what can we do about it?

I think mass media, capitalism, and consumerism is the unholy trinity that conspires to steal our power. We are bombarded with images and messages that tell us one thing: You are not good enough. And that message is designed to also do one thing: part us from our money. Buy a face lift, buy a new hair color, buy a tummy tuck, buy liposuction, buy Botox, buy skinny jeans, buy fat jeans, buy, buy, buy. And oh yeah, buy a year of therapy because we’ve made you feel so bad about yourself that you’re really going to need it.

To make matters even meaner, a recent AMA study contends that women over 50 need an hour’s workout a day just to maintain their weight; forget about losing any.

Given that, a pessimist could easily surmise that we are God’s eternal joke. But we’re not. We are beautiful—fat, skinny, young, old, black, white, purple, yellow, and red.

We have to stop believing that there is only one person in the world who is beautiful and that person is white, pencil thin, 20, and sports bleached teeth, big boobs, a flat stomach, no butt, and comes from a “respectable” family.

I once had a woman tell me, “The most depressing part of my day is when I pass the magazine rack in the grocery store.” Amen, sister!

The scorpion’s tail is that not only have we bought into the message that we’re no good unless we stuff ourselves into the marketeers’ vision of beauty, but men have bought into it too.

I think women need to truly be sisters to one another, praising each other’s natural beauty and goodness and teaching—always teaching—how dangerous the dominant message is. When we start believing in our unvarnished beauty and brains, we’ll take back our power. And the men will follow our beautiful ample behinds wherever we might go, and they will be in awe.

Can you talk about the Clarissa Burden Postcard project?

If you don’t have permission to speak—and Clarissa doesn’t—you naturally find yourself riddled with secrets. So, I’ve just launched the Clarissa Burden I’ve Got a Secret Postcard Project so that folks can anonymously unburden themselves. People can send by email or postcard their secrets and I will post them on my website (www.conniemayfowler.com). So far, the secrets are very moving: full of candor, pain, humility.

I have to ask about the arresting cover photograph of your novel. I think I read that is was taken by a sixteen-year-old?

Isn’t it absolutely amazing? Lauren Withrow is sixteen-years-old and she took up photography a mere year ago. The cover image is part of her 365 Project. You can see her work on Flickr and at www.laurenwithrow.com.

What’s obsessing you these days in terms of work? And what question should I be mortified that I didn’t ask you?

I’m taking up a project that I abandoned when Clarissa simply wouldn’t leave me alone. Right now, it’s a novel titled This Experiment I Call My Life. It’s early . . . I can’t really tell you anything about it. And I’m thinking about a non-fiction piece called Sleeping with Dogs, but I’m beginning to think that its creative energy should be incorporated into the novel.

You’ve covered everything, my dear! The only thing I can possibly add is that I’m a newlywed who lives on a sandbar with my wonderful husband Bill and four brilliant dogs. We live frugally. We’re growing a garden. We fish. Bill is considering raising rabbits (Michael Pollan insists they are a sustainable food source and are more nutritious than chicken). We stare at the water a lot. We dance. We laugh, especially when the dogs howl at the moon. And we’re happy. Finally, finally . . . what a great thing to be able to say! Happy.

Pictures of You

I am dazed, amazed and thrilled to present the cover of my new novel Pictures of You (coming November 2, the Amazon date of January is wrong and will be fixed soon.) I really love this cover (I tend to draw wings on objects all the time and I have a big huge pair of white feather wings in my office), and I really love being with Algonquin, who are just splendiferous. (Love my editor, love my agent, love the publicity department.)

I'm already going to be at BEA signing books and speaking at a luncheon, which made me rush out and buy a dress, since my usual wardrobe tends to be jeans, a black t-shirt or sweater and my beloved black sneakers with white shoelaces. If any of you happen to be there, please come say hello to me!

There's more about the book (including more blurbs and an interview) at my website, http://www.carolineleavitt.com.

Oh! I'm so excited.

Talking with Kathy Louise Patrick of the Pulpwood Queens!

Who is more hilarious than Kathy Louise Patrick, the founder of the Pulpwood Queens and the owner of the only bookstore/hair salon in the world and a great blog? Writers and readers need people like Kathy, whose passion for books and authors is legendary and whose wild sense of humor makes reading a cause of celebration and fun. Thanks for letting me ask you all these questions, Kathy! (And check out the bookshop in the photo! I dare you to tell me you aren't dying to go there!)

Your bio is fabulous: you're a hilariously funny red-headed book selling hair stylist, who looks like she is in her twenties, has a franchise of Hair Salon/Book Stores in all the major cities of the world, runs the largest "meeting and discussing" book club in the universe, and you star on your own television show called "Beauty and the Book" that Oprah has deemed the best thing to watch on her NEW network. How did all this come about?

First all, regarding question #1, all of your statements are fact except the last part. That was a fantasy or what I call "faction", ( fact combined with a mighty wallop of fantasy fiction), of me starring in my own television show that Oprah has deemed the best thing to watch on her NEW network. The way I figure it, if I can visualize something actually happening, perhaps through hard work and determination it will. I mean I have been featured in Time, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Oprah, and Good Morning America. It seems to be working. Whose with me on this?

No seriously, my book club began with six complete strangers that has now grown to 277 Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guys Chapters nationwide and in ten foreign countries. Again, if you can visualize it, through hard work and determination your dreams can be accomplished. For those who don't believe a word of what I have said, read my book, "The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life"! It's all in there and the book is memoir, so you know what that means. It's my memories! Singing "That's my story and I'm sticking to it!"

So tell the truth, do you ever want to change the authors' hairstyles? And do they let you?

Do I ever? I mean any serious author has been holed up in some garret with a comfy, snaggly, snuggily bathrobe for months, perhaps years, my word. Their hair is a mess! Skin care? I don't think so! And talk about getting back to their roots? Someone say, "Color!" Wa la, the magical and artistic hands of Kathy L. Patrick!

Do they let me work my magic! Do they ever! One New Orleans author after her makeover declared after her cut, color and new do, "Good Lord, I look like I could be my own daughter". Her husband later declared that he didn't care how much it cost, she was to road trip to Jefferson for all her future hair care needs. They don't call me "Hairdresser to the Authors" for nothing. See March/April 2000 issue of Oxford American Magazine, feature titled "Hairdresser to the Authors" by Carol Dawson, photographs by Patricia Richards!

Tell me about The Pulpwood Queens Guide to Reading and Writing For a Higher Purpose?

"The Pulpwood Queens' Guide to Reading and Writing for a Higher Purpose' is the working title for my next book. I found myself when I wrote my own story of my reading life. I also found that by reading books amazing connections and insights can be made. Stories can be life-changing. One book in particular changed my life, "Same Kind of Different as Me". I ended up spending a year working with the homeless at a local shelter helping them write their stories. You see reading can change your life for the better, but writing can too! I went into the project thinking how wonderful I was to be helping them but you know what I found out? That their gifts to me far surpassed anything I ever gave to them. I am still in awe of the experience.

But on second thought, I may go against all sound advice and write something I have been dying to tell, my stories with all the authors. Or then again finish that darn novel I have been working on most of my life called "EUREKA!" As always, I have a lot to say and a lot to write!

Your Girlfriend weekends are legendary. You've just celebrated your 10th anniversary, so how are you ever going to outdo yourself for your 11th?

Fire baton twirl! Oh wait, we have done that! Well first of all, I tweak and change up my event each year! Last year we had an author "Moveable Feast" where the authors actually prepared the meal and served it! This year we are doing it again but this time, I am having some of the authors perform a play. Kind of Author/Moveable Feast/Dinner Theatre! It should be a hoot! Can you imagine the surprise of all the dinner guests as Pat Conroy served them Sweet Tea. And authors, Jamie Ford and Ad Hudler obviously had waited some tables before as they carried tray after tray high above their heads. Though Mary Kay Andrews was quite a trooper as she had never waited a table before and about had a Calamity Jane moment as she careened by me with a tray of dishes. Ah, the reader's life, dee-vine!

I am also adding a panel that will be spouses or partners of authors so we can get the real scoop of some of our favorite authors! At the end they will bring up their significant other! And I also had a little birdy tell me that New York Times Bestselling Author, Pat Conroy would be back! That alone will make the event SELL OUT AGAIN! You have been notified so call 903-665-7520 for your V.I.P. Pulpwood Queen or Timber Guy Package TODAY! We accept all major credit cards, checks, and even CASH! Shameless but sincere self-promotion!

I love it that you throw out the rules for chapters of your bookclub. You also do road trips to author events and have even taken groups to Europe. What else do you think many other bookclubs miss--and should be doing--when they set up their clubs?

Think outside of the box! Change up your book club meetings! I try to tailor each author event to a special place. Coming up next, actress, author, Kathy Kinney, (Mimi Bobeck) of Drew Carey Show fame and author, Cindy Ratzlaff are coming to promote their NEW book, "Queen of Your Own Life". I decided to have my Pulpwood Queens host the Queenly event at this fantabulous NEW 50's diner, Glory Dayz. Better yet, weather permitting, it will be outside in their retro wine and beer garden! We will really roll out the leopard and hot pink carpet. I am even making for this event a gigantic PINK Tiara Cake with Texas own Blue Bell ice cream for dessert!

Last time author, Charles Martin was here for "Where the River Ends" I booked a boat to take us down the river. Charles read aloud as we cruised down Big Cypress Bayou! Move over Nicholas Sparks as Charles had us all in the palm of his hand after that event! I passed out the publisher provided promo Kleenixes! I could have booked a fleet of boats if we were to do it again, it was that successful!

It's a little harder to be creative but the pay-off! I started 7 more book clubs in the last two weeks. Now that is in places like Blytheville, Arkansas, Golden, Colorado, Carollton, Georgia, to Anchorage, Alaska! We put the BIG TIME FUN in book club!

I already mentioned my next book projects so my next burning project right now is The Great Pulpwood Queen Purse Release held every spring. I urge all chapters to gather their slightly used handbags and purses and tag them, "FREE TO THE FINDER!" Placed inside each purse is a great read and enclosed the following letter:

To the Finder of this Purse!

You have found a real treasure! First of all, a book to show the true purpose of our Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Clubs, to promote reading and literacy! Second, a purse with our compliments, as we want the world to know that our book club is all about reading and having Big Time Fun! Please enjoy then pay it forward, pass it on!

Tiara wearing and Book sharing,

The Pulpwood Queens of ?, (whatever their chapter title might be)

www.beautyandthebook.com

www.pulpwoodqueen.com

Talk about SPRING INTO READING! And we got the idea from a book by Michael Lee West, so all good comes from reading great reads!

What question should I have asked that I didn't?

The Barbara Walters question, you know, the one that makes all her guests cry. "When you die, Kathy, how would you like to be remembered?"

Kathy: "As a good Mother and second, that her life was devoted to following her passions of Beauty and the Book".

I might also add, (if I wasn't going to be cremated and my ashes thrown to the wind on my grandparents, Mudd & Dirt's, old homeplace that we called "Outhome" outside of my hometown of Eureka, Kansas, Greenwood County), that my gravestone be carved "She tried". That pretty much sums it all up for me because I surely did.

And mark your calendar for January 13 - 17, 2011, our 11th Anniversary Girlfriend Weekend. The theme, "Tiara Wearing and Story Sharing", you see it's all about the story!

READ THIS BOOK: SOMETHING RED BY JENNIFER GILMORE

Jennifer Gilmore is wonderful. No, no, I mean it. One of the warmest, funniest people on the planet, she's also a jaw-droppingly wonderful novelist. Her first novel, Golden Country was a New York Times Notable Book of 2006, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, on the long-list for the International IMPAC Dublin Prize, a finalist for the Harold U Ribalow Prize, and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book prize. Her new book, Something Red is absolutely destined for even greater fame. I'm thrilled and honored to have Jennifer here answering questions. Thank you so much, Jennifer.

Because politics so affects the family in Something Red, I’m curious about how you see politics changing families today. Do you think that yearning to make a difference, to push change, can ever reach the same level today that it seemed to in the 30s or the late 60s?

I think that what it means to be radical or affect change is reshaped by every generation. Each generation has to define the term--and maybe even the term politics--for itself. I think we started to see it again with the Obama campaign. People were banging on doors and making phone calls and signs, like I hadn't seen in a long time. But it dissipated so quickly. I think that has to do with this incredible dissemination of information. It makes us feel that no matter what we do, it's a mere drop in the bucket. And, more cynically, I think it has to do with corporate culture and the way, frankly, our ideals have changed drastically since those two eras you note. For this generation, the "revolution" is going to have to be through technology, which of course, doesn't really work because a revolution, on any scale, is about people. My characters--in the late seventies--are living in a pre-cell phone, pre-computer age, but they are already dealing with the waning of people's will.

I loved the book trailer you did for Something Red, which melds all kinds of images from the 70s that end up having a whole lot to do with your novel, from the cookbooks to the Rosenbergs. I’m wondering what that was like for a writer, who deals in words, to put together such an arresting video, which deals just with symbols.]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it. It's interesting because taking many images and putting them together was fun and actually quite easy in regards to my thought process. There are so many story lines in this novel--and those plots and characters are informed by a lot of the popular culture of the era. So excavating those images was like adding another layer to the book. It's distilling it to one image--the cover, say, or finding a title that leads us to one idea, or one larger theme--that is far more difficult for me.

The novel is told from the points of view of each family member that gives it a prismatic effect, as world and personal politics come to light. But the book is also sparkling with all these wonderful details from the period, with perfect little touches. The pages are so alive they practically breathe. What was our research process like? Was any of this material family stories?

My last book dealt in many of my family's stories. Or I should say family myths. In Something Red, though I did grow up just outside of DC, the stories were less familial. Many of the details--the house, for example, resembles my house. The attic room is the same room I blew smoke out of all through high school. And I am chagrined to report my father did do yoga, often without clothes, in the basement. It was more, though, that feeling of being so close to the very mechanism of our government--my sister and I had friends who were the sons and daughters of senators and lobbyists--so close we could get a private tour of the oval office, and yet, be as far removed from anyone else.

And to be honest, '79 was a little before my time, at least my teenage years were a little later! I wrote myself into a lot of research. Who knew I needed to figure out so much about the Cold War and immigration laws, and the Rosenbergs? I read a lot about social movements in this country because, in the end, the subtle nuances between communism and socialism and who denounced Stalin first and who was a Trotskyite, I needed to understand that a lot better and a lot more completely. And I needed to make sure the music was right for the era, the clothes, what people ate (there is a ton about food in this book) and even the way they talked to one another. Just because, say, a law changes in '79, doesn't mean people are instantly referencing it as such. I wanted to get those details absolutely correct. I have this theory now that every novel is historical. The present is just so instantly the past, especially due to the swiftness of technology. These issues of how people really talk to one another, what's in the culture, is an issue that every novelist, even one writing about right this moment, has to grapple with.

Your first novel Golden Country was about the American dream and the immigrant experience, and in a sense, Something Red is about another kind of American Dream—one of equality and politics. Yet both of these dreams don’t quite work out the way the characters wish them to. What do you think this says about the kind of dreams we forge for ourselves and our families, and the times we live in?

Well, I have always been profoundly interested in failure. But Something Red is absolutely the psychic and physical spoils of that dream the characters in Golden Country worked so hard for. But with each generation, what we want changes. The immigrants who came over needed basic stuff--and success was measured in very concrete terms. And in the sixties, women's rights and civil rights could in a sense be measured, however slowly, by physical change. African Americans were no longer sitting at the back of the bus. Women were actually in the work place. Those dreams of equality, or at least some degree of its physical manifestation, were realized. But it gets more complicated--success--the longer we've been in this country. After all, there are other kinds of dreams.

And who measures success is also complicated. I think as our dreams--and with dreams I might in this case say passions and desires--get more individualized, they get harder to mark and so harder to see realized. If you want to make a million dollars, say, you know when you've made a million dollars. (So I hear anyway...) But if you want to be a successful artist, or a great parent, how do we measure that for ourselves? Often we look outward for that validation and to the culture, which as we know, changes terribly quickly. It's an impossible premise. Which of course is where self-help comes in, and all that stuff that deals with the self and not the family or a collective group of people. When there is so much freedom--which is of course what we seek, what previous generations have worked very hard for, and what these characters are looking for in terms of the women's movement, and music, and labor unions--the choices become very complicated because there are so many of them. Which is around about way of saying, while the issue of say, gay marriage is a dream we could see happen in this country, it's gotten more and more difficult for our individuated dreams to come true.

You began as a publicity director for Harcourt. What’s it like being on the other side now, as a novelist promoting another novel? What do you know now as an author that would have been helpful for you to know as a publicity director?

I know publishing now more as an author with occasional peaks inside those elite offices than as an industry insider. It was difficult publishing a novel the first time around, while still working behind the scenes, knowing all that has to happen to make a book a success, and to still make the leap as an author. I knew the pitfalls of fiction, which are laughable when I remember how we used to bemoan the way fiction doesn’t sell; those numbers have dropped significantly. I don't mean to sound disingenuous when I say, I think it would be helpful to know as little possible about publishing as an author. It's certainly the case during the writing process. And while it's useful to be able to say to your publicist, be sure to send my book to this person or that person, and will I be doing this or that event, it's not really helpful to your psyche during the publication process. Know too much or know too little; in this day and age where everything with books, down to what text actually is and what is its value and how will be delivered to consumers, is up in the air, I vote to know as little as possible.

What’s obsessing you now in your work?

What's obsessing me in my work is everything I'm not doing. I'm fried. I teach full time and life with its powers of cruel distraction has overtaken my writing these days. Without sounding too earnest, I will say I think I am much sadder person when I'm not really working. I don't think writers sort their shit out in their work--wouldn't writers be a happier lot if they did?--but just knowing that there's a reason you've chosen to be sitting there, often staring into space, while the whole world seems to be in motion around you, that makes sense when you're working on a sustained project. Without that feeling, I'm spinning. Soon. I hope to be sitting there staring into space very soon.

Leavitt Loves Paper Rats!

As anyone who follows me on Facebook and Twitter knows, I've fallen in love with Paper Rats videos. They're hilarious, smart, very knowing videos about the writing experience, so of course I had to track down the people responsible and hurl questions at them. And who are these brilliant folk?

R.J. Keller (she's the black and white photo!) is a writer from Central Maine, where she lives happily with her husband, two kids, and the family cat. She is the author of the independently published novel, Waiting For Spring and a member of Backword Books.

In addition to writing angsty novels, she enjoys rooting for the Boston Red Sox, watching other people cook, and making writerly-fun videos with fellow Backword author, Kristen Tsetsi.

Kristen Tsetsi (she's the color photo!) is a former reporter, former cab driver, award-winning fiction writer, and a former adjunct English professor and writing instructor. She is also a founding member of Backword Books and one of the two creators (with R.J. Keller) of the YouTube series "Inside the Writers' Studio." She is married to the man she wooed in high school by slipping secret admirer notes into his locker.

So tell me what the title paper rats means?

KRISTEN: When we started talking seriously about making these videos, we wanted to have both a series title and a production company, of sorts. Because we're writers, "Paper Rats" - which is a user name I created to log into a different website years ago - just seemed like a natural and fitting choice. It's easy to picture a couple of writers (or, alternatively and more fun, rats) working their way through crumpled up balls of paper.

KEL: Also, we both like cheese.

Where did the ideas for making these brilliantly hilarious videos come about?

KEL: Some of the ideas come from personal experience. Some are just riffs on writer stereotypes.

KRISTEN: For our latest episode, "Writing, Time Management, and You," we asked facebook fans of "Paper Rats" to tell us what they'd like to see turned into an episode. One of the page's fans wanted to know how to balance life and writing. I don't think our video answered her question, but it ended up being a fun topic to turn into an episode.

How do you two know each other, and do you trade pages, offer advice, etc. to each other when you're working? (Or not working)

KRISTEN: We met as members of the indie-author collective Backword Books. And we've traded a few pages here and there. I recently sent Kel a passage from the novel I'm working on with the question, "Does this make any sense at all?"

KEL: And I recently sent a passage to Kristen with the question, "Why does this suck so much????" Thankfully, she's very honest and told me.

Who shoots the videos? What's the writing process like--and is it an excuse for not writing or does it sort of shame you into writing?

KRISTEN: We both shoot our own portions of the videos. Sometimes my husband will help me, but because I'm still looking for a job, I'm often home alone and will use this great little Joby tripod he got me for Christmas from thinkgeek.com.

KEL: I enlist my kids' help in filming. My daughter is an excellent tripod - I mean camera operator - and my son frequently acts as director...the little tyrant.

KRISTEN: About the writing process, we go back and forth with ideas. It's a lot of, "What if we say this?" and "Ooh, how about if after this scene, one of us does something like that?" But the editing is mostly Kel. She just knows how to put together scenes.

KEL: But Kristen has an excellent eye for small details. There are times when I'll send her a section and say, "This just isn't working." And she'll write back with about seven ways to improve it within a few minutes.

KRISTEN: For me, it's an excuse. It doesn't shame me at all. As long as I'm producing something creative that people are enjoying, I feel okay. When I really need to write, I believe (hope?) I will.

KEL: Making the videos doesn't interfere with my writing. Rather, it's an excellent excuse to not do housework. "But...I need to keep those dirty dishes on the counter just one more day. It's for the video!" Then later it's, "I'll fold that laundry tomorrow. I'm busy writing tonight."

What writing projects are each of you working on now?

KRISTEN: I'm working on a second novel that's currently between titles. It's about a man who decides he must make changes in his life, but the changes he wants to make involve other people and their lives, and what he wants causes some pretty powerful upheavals in the lives of those other people.

KEL: The novel I'm currently working on - called "The Wendy House" - follows an alcoholic, deadbeat dad during the course of one day as he prepares to kill the man who murdered his daughter, all while having hallucinatory conversations with his long-dead wife.

What question should I be mortified that I didn't ask you?

Caroline - if it's all right, may we answer a question about the books we currently have out? If so...

Called "affecting" by Huffington Post writer Carol Hoenig and praised by Emmy award-winning former news correspondent James C. Moore, Kristen Tsetsi's semi-biographical novel,Homefront, allows readers an uncommonly honest and intimate look inside the surreal, sometimes humorous, and often frustrating experience of waiting through a deployment. A vivid cast of characters, including a cab-driving former professor and a charming but acerbic Vietnam veteran, brings this experience to life for the reader with - at times, very uncomfortable - rawness.

R. J. Keller's "Waiting For Spring": Angst, sex, love, and redemption in the boonies of Maine. Waiting For Spring takes readers beyond the Maine tourists know, beyond lighthouses and lobster and rocky beaches, and drops them instead into a rural town whose citizens struggle with poverty and loss, yet push onward with stubbornness and humor.

Thank you so much for the interview, R. J. and Kristen. And guess what? I myself might actually be in one of the videos? ;)

Writing and time management

My friend, the writer Chris Meeks sent me this hilarious YouTube video that I love with a passion. I dare you to watch it and not feel someone has been tracking you with a hidden camera. And wait, they just posted a new one on reviews.