Karly Lane - Author Interview: Story

Pick one of your favourites among your published fiction stories or a story which is an interesting example of published fiction. What makes this story one of your favourites or an interesting example from your fiction?

North Star. I have a strong connection to this story as many of the situations parallelled my own life. I also found it interesting that since it’s release, I’ve had so many women contact me to tell me how much they related to the story—particularly the teenage daughter/mother relationship that unfolds throughout the story.

What genre(s) do you consider this story primarily to be, or how would you describe this story?

The rural backdrop plays a vital part in the story, so it would definitely be classed as rural fiction and although there is elements of romance, there is also elements of suspense and a touch of humour, so it could also be placed in women’s fiction—the reader wouldn’t necessarily have to be a lover of rural stories to appreciate this book.

What is a published fiction story by another author you would compare this story to and why are they similar?

I think my rural fiction is very different to many of the others in the genre being that even though they are set in a small rural community, the story is not focused on life on the land as in many of my contemporary’s books. I would probably say the closest story to North Star would be Bronwyn Parry’s ‘Dark Country’ or ‘As Darkness Falls’ Bronwyn’s books are set in small rural towns but have a darker edge to them as does North Star at times. They involve police officers and a conflict of interest the officers inevitably have to face as situations unfold throughout the book.

To what extent did you use any pre-existing story formula, template, paradigm, plot design, archetype, or theory or principle of story/plot structure in planning, writing, editing or rewriting this story?

Very little. This was my first major novel and as such, I was learning as I wrote.
How would you describe the first chapter, scene or section of this story in one paragraph?

It’s very much the defining of Kate Thurston. In order to give her children a better future, she must return to the place she ran from sixteen years earlier and face the ghosts of her past once and for all.

What makes this chapter, scene or section an effective opening for this story?

It gives a sharp insight to each of the main characters and hints at the dark secret Kate has hidden for the last sixteen years.

What major stages, twists or turns does the story conflict take in this story before the conflict is resolved (or not resolved)?

Probably the biggest conflict in the story is Kate’s desire to keep her kids safe and the main reason she takes them to North Star. The city held dangers because of its size—but the country holds its own dangers as Kate knows only too well. It doesn’t seem to matter how far she runs—trouble continues to follow. Her inner battle to keep the horrors of her past secret, are in vane when her ex husband tracks them down to North Star and betrays Kate’s confidence—placing John, a cop who has fought to clear his reputation for corruption, in a position no policeman ever wants to be in.

How would you summarise the major sub-plot or sub-plots in this story?

The diary Kate finds belonging to her grandmother reveals a twisted tale of passion, heartache and torment in her family’s history.

What does the story gain from the sub-plot or sub-plots?

It adds suspense and helps to give Kate’s family, who have all died, a voice. It adds depth and helps to explain the flaws in the two most prominent people in Kate’s childhood.

To what extent would you describe your story discussed here as typical or atypical of your fiction stories?

The backdrop is set in a small rural community. The main character has returned home to the place she grew up in and is forced to deal with issues that were left unresolved.

Author website: http://karlylane.com/



Sam Stephens - Author Interview: Short Story Writer

What kinds of fiction did you read as a child and teenager, and did you have some favourites?

I started out with Tom Clancy and Wilbur Smith. On a school snow trip one year, when I was about 12 or 13, I stumbled onto "IT", by Stephen King, in a newsagent. I was fascinated by the 3D bloody fingerprints on the front cover and so bought it. That pretty much tied up the next five or so years reading anything Stephen King I could get my hands on.

Would you say your childhood and teenage reading has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?

Definitely. I love the honesty in King's work, and his ability to create a normal world where extraordinary events happen. It's also a constant reminder that writing is about story telling, not about the writer's ability to insert flowery, descriptive paragraphs in each page; a reminder that I should never let my words get in the way of the story.

Pick one of your favourites among your fiction stories or a story which is an interesting example from your fiction. What makes this story one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?

"Daddy" is a short story about a father and his constantly crying, cholicy baby. What is interesting about this story is the emotion behind it. I wrote this story sitting in my car, parked at the beach, at night. Rain had just started to fall. We'd had a rough time with our two year old over the past week, and I was taking a break while my wife took over toddler duties.

I had originally brought my laptop along with the intention of watching a movie and letting my brain empty itself. Instead I started typing. What came out the other side is a highly emotional story with a flash of intense, brutal violence that is somehow seen as monotonous through the eyes of sleep-deprived new fathers.

It took me a couple of days to get the courage to show my wife, and then when I finally submitted it to a couple of writing competitions I felt like I was baring my soul. But I guess that's what makes good fiction - exposing the truth that normally remained hidden inside all our hearts.

Who is another author whose fiction writing you admire and why?

Stephen King is an obvious one. James Patterson has an amazing ability to appeal to a huge and varied audience. And I'll be forever indebted to Greig Beck for merging horror and Special Forces action - two of my favourite reading subjects.

How would you summarise one of your short stories in one paragraph?

"Dead Of The Night" is about the darkness within the human heart and soul. A horror writer finds huge success with his first novel. But book two is proving impossible until one day he receives a package from a fan containing a mysterious wooden figurine. After falling asleep on his lounge, he wakes with a start, snippets of a nightmare still flashing in his mind. But he starts to write. The words flow, and he awakes again with 8000 words on the page but no memory of writing them. As the cycle continues, night after night, he begins to remember parts of the nightmare, and the story he's writing seems all too familiar. As the line between fiction and reality blurs, it begs the question: what darkness is hidden inside him?

How would you describe the appeal of this short story to readers?

This is a story for all those that have wondered just what secrets lie in our minds, our brain hiding them even from ourselves.

How would you summarise a scene or sub-section from this short story in one paragraph?

Often horror stories that cut the deepest will start out in a normal setting. "Dead Of The Night" starts with the writer in his office, staring uselessly at the blank page on his laptop. We're introduced to a man with a normal problem: his inability to write. But quickly in the opening scene he receives his little wooden figurine, an object that seems a little "off" right from the start, and we get the impression that things are about to take a turn for the worse. An object with vague supernatural powers suddenly makes the writers' block pale in comparison.

How would you describe the contribution this scene or sub-section makes to the short story?

Being the opening scene, this sets the tone of the story, it introduces and builds the main character, and it hints at the future direction of the story. While good horror often starts out in a "normal" setting, it can't be dull or boring, and there needs to be a promise of more to come. It's about building uneasiness and uncertainty in the reader, giving them a reason to continue turning the pages.

Do you aspire to primarily write novels in the future, or are you more interested in writing short stories, and why?

I'm currently working on a novel, and I'll be aiming to work mostly on novels in the future. But I believe I'll always write short stories. There's something beautiful about a short story. While a novel is a long lasting, satisfying relationship, a short story is a hot and heavy one-night stand. And we all occasionally need a one-night stand in our lives; a literary fling.


Do you read many short story anthologies, and why?

Yes, when the theme of the anthology interests me, I love reading an anthology. It's a great way to discover new writers that you may not have ever read.

What lengths of short stories do you usually write, and why?

They span anywhere from 1500 words to about 12,000, though most sit around the three thousand mark. It's a nice comfortable word-count that allows you to build the characters and setting, have a reasonably intricate plot, a big twist, and then walk away gracefully, leaving the reader begging for more.

Short stories are also a way for me to release those little ideas that pop into my head and refuse to leave until I write them down. Exorcising the story demons.

Do you submit for many short story competitions, anthologies and magazines, and what are your main motivations for this?

I'll usually submit a story to at least one competition, anthology or magazine. Writing is a lot of fun, but what is even more satisfying it is when others read your work and enjoy it. Competitions and anthologies are a great way to get your work in front of new readers.

Author website: http://samstephens.com



Kate Forsyth - Author Interview: Narrative Style

Which narrative point of view (first person, second person or third person) do you use most in your fiction, or do you often use different points of view for different stories, and why?

Most of my novels have been written in multiple third person narrative. However, my most recent novel ‘Bitter Greens’ was written in a mixture of first person and third person, a dramatic departure from my usual style.

Do you use present tense or past tense most in your fiction, or do you often switch tense for different stories, and why?

I always write in past tense.

Pick one of your published stories. What combination of point of view and tense did you use for this story, and why?

In ‘Bitter Greens’, I had three primary narratives. Two were told in 1st person, and one in 3rd person. This was a deliberate choice, the most effective way of telling the story.

To what extent is the vocabulary and manner of speech of the narration in this story different from your own everyday expression, and what does this contribute to the story?

I found that I needed to pay close attention to voice while writing in first person narrative, particularly since I had two different narrators. They had to sound different, in subtle but crucial ways. I made one use much more sophisticated language and syntax, while the other had a kind of bleakness or darkness running through her narrative.

Did you tell this story with one narrator or multiple narrators, and why?

Multiple narrators. ‘Bitter Greens’ is set in 3 different historical periods and three separate locations, and has a different narrator for each section.

Did you make the narrator of this story a character involved in the main action of the story, or did you make the narrator one which is not a charcater in your fictional storyworld, and why?

Charlotte-Rose de la Force was my primary narrator, telling her story of life at the court of the Sun King in her own voice. Banished to a convent in punishment for her scandalous ways, she befriends an old nun who tells her the story of a young girl locked away in a tower by a sorceress. This section of the story – set in late 16th century Venice and Lake Garda - is told in 3rd person. Then I have a central interlude, told in first person by the sorceress, which is set in early 16th century Venice, and which explains how she came to lock the little girl up in the tower.

What is one of your favourite fictional stories, in which you think is narration is written well, and how would you describe what makes the narration work so well for you as a reader?

I love Joanne Harris’s 'Five Quarters of the Orange’, a novel set in war-torn France about the friendship between a young girl and a Nazi soldier. Told in first person, its a gripping and surprising story of love and war.

Do you usually provide direct access to the thoughts of characters in your stories? If so, do you usually provide access to the thoughts of one character or multiple characters in a single story or point of view, and why?

Interior monologue is the one thing that narrative fiction can do that no other art form can. Of course I use it! It’s the great subtle insight of novels. Some of my books are told only from the POV of one character; most use multiple POV, and all allow the reader to glimpse inside a character’s soul.

To what extent does the narrative style of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?

If I pick up a book and read the first pager and like it, I buy it. So it does have a profound impact. Generally I don’t like stream of consciousness, or styles that are too choppy, or hard to understand. I like to be fully immersed in the story from the very fist word.

Author website: www.kateforsyth.com.au