To do or dot to do

 

 

 

 

Dan the winner is...

This post should be named Thank You Dan Purdue because, for the second time, Dan has notified me (via Twitter) I made the listing of another comp. First time was shortlist for Short Fiction - thanks to Tom Vowler and Anthony Caleshu also - and now the Bristol Prize. On top of my AUT win (thanks Dylan Horrocks) I feel really stoked.

My congratulations go out to all the other listees - great to see Ethel Rohan on there - and thanks to the organisers/readers at Bristol.

A quake review

The Awakening is the first instalment in the Aotearoa Whispers series by Gonzalo Navarro. In this part, set in Christchurch, thirteen year old Kahi is struggling to reconcile his Pakeha and Maori heritage, a struggle symbolised by a ten cent coin bearing the image of HRH Elizabeth II on one side and the Maori Icon on the flip side. 

My first impressions were that the book is of a high standard, the binding is attractive and feels expensive, and I was intrigued to know how the cover image would tie in with what I was already imagining. It seemed serious and yet this is a book, presumably, aimed at kids of a similar age to the protagonist. Also, niggling away at me, was a concern this book might be guilty of appropriation. The thoughtful and detailed introduction, however, reassured me this is not the case. 

As well as detailing the books genesis and acknowledging and thanking those who’ve made its production possible, Navarro also mentions the book was written between the 2010 and 2011 quakes in Christchurch, that the introduction was being penned between aftershocks. This made the book feel very present, authentic, and relevant, that is to say, more than just another graphic novel. 

One of my criticisms of many graphic novels for young adults currently on the market is that they are often depicting unrealistic behaviour, often violence, with little or no moral substance, and that the action bears little relevance to what young people are experiencing. While it’s good to have stories to escape into, I do feel there is a niche yet to be filled for intelligent and conscientious writing for teens in the graphic market. This book fits that niche.

This book gives the reader all the superhero type antics one would expect of a graphic story for this age group but where it diverges from the genre norm, and where its strength lies, for me as a thirty-something woman, and mum, is that the superhero stuff is told as story to Kahi by his Grandmother. This meant that the present day action remained very realistic and grounded. It was my feeling readers would find this book easy to relate to and could find very real parallels between elements of Kahi’s search for meaning and those questions many adolescents are trying to find answers for. 

What I liked the most about The Awakening was that it really showcased the power of oral storytelling and while it didn’t gloss over some negative aspects of Maori culture in myth, such as traditional views towards women, and violence, it gave a compelling picture of a people losing their cultural heritage. Told twice, first in English, then Te Reo Māori, Navarro’s story is a reminder we must all work hard to make sure Maori stay strong not merely as the cultural icon of New Zealand, but as a people with a language just as important as English.

All in all, a great story many readers can identify with. I look forward to more of Navarro's work.

Philosopher Stone

Readers, I’d like you all to take a bough and lift it for my guest Craig Stone to climb under and welcome him to snowlikethought for a walk in Auckland’s Albert Park. It’s a bit like Albert Square, only more concrete and with less rubbish. Mind your head, Craig, mwah and thanks so much for meeting me to talk about your novels, The Squirrel That Dreamt of Madness and Life Knocks.

If you had to condense each into its essence to stitch inside the pocket of a Ken doll’s tuxedo and pack it into a discarded bottle of Quink to send on a quill seeking voyage with squid appeal, how would you describe each novel in a sentence?

In order to answer this question with the accuracy it deserves I purchased a Ken doll and put him in a tuxedo. I didn’t actually purchase Ken; I already had plenty of Ken dolls and suits in my Barbie collection. (I just wanted to come across as cooler than I really am).

So, after a bit of light stitching followed by playing with Barbie and Ken:

Colossus Sosloss goes sane so leaves the insanity of his job that was making him sad and lives under a tree where he becomes accused of the horrible because of how he looks and where he sits.

Colossus Sosloss sits in a room looking at the tatters of his life and recalls how he got there. He tries to cut himself off from the world around him but Life, and eventually hope, Knocks.

For me, The Squirrel That Dreamt of Madness reads like a very light book – I flew with it until I hit that branch, mind your head again, oh, you’re much more low-hanger friendly than I am – however, your writing manages to encompass some pretty profound ideas. It’s funny and wistful and dark without losing its overriding sense of optimism but it is unexpectedly VAST, which isn’t to say it’s a big book, no, no, no, not at all, but it is epic mind food. Conversely, I found your prequel, Life Knocks, to be, for all it is punctuated with your unmistakeable humour, a bittersweet, grittier novel (not taking into consideration the ending). Was this a conscious decision? Or do you think reader’s views distort your authorial intention (did you have any? Or is it more a case of intentionality? What was the process for writing the novels and what do you think gives each story a very independent hue?

There was no planning anything. I never plan what I write. I quit my job in a moment of madness and had no choice but to live under a tree in a park in the real world. My only way out of the park was to write myself out of the hole I had put myself in.

With The Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness the quicker I finished it the quicker I could figure out how to escape living in a park. In that light it’s probably one of the quickest non-rubbish books ever written.

Life Knocks is grittier, more considered and less rushed because I wrote it in a temporary room where I had a bed, food and the occasional cup of tea.  For the first time I was able to actually look at what I was writing, then polish it afterwards.

The Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness is based on reality, Life Knocks is completely true. In that light there was no intention behind Squirrel only for me not to die in the real world, and in Life Knocks my intention was to write the brutal truth about the weight of life and love on young minds.

The books go together – The Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness is the prequel to Life Knocks but they also stand alone as separate books with separate voices because they are from different periods of my life.

Ooh, look how lovely the bandstand is; let’s take a pew to listen the cricket. Where? There, on that empty pop bottle.

I’ve mentioned a little about your humour which reminded me by turns of Steve Martin and Spike Milligan (I’m clearly up-to-date on the comedy scene). How much if what you write is off the bat; does it take much effort to write consistently funny lines or have you always been an entertaining cricketer (I didn’t want to mix my metaphors)? Incidentally, who are your comedy heroes?

Everything I write is off the bat. When I am writing something I can’t help but write whatever it is in a jovial way. My nature spills out onto the page.

I smile when I write. If you are doing something you truly enjoy then you do it with a smile. Even if I am writing about a heart being shattered or being operated on by a suspected drunk dentist I smile because when you are doing something your heart wants you are exercising more than your body and mind.

I don’t think I have any comedy heroes. I never laugh out loud at the television and never laugh out loud when I am reading a book. Even with my own writing when I know I have written something funny I don’t laugh; I just get a feeling that I know other people will.

Much comparison has been made between you and some other amazing writers which I imagine must be a huge compliment but I also wondered if this carries with it a little pressure for your next project?

Nope, no pressure. If there was any pressure on my life it could never be from the expectation of others. Pressure is like anger, they are both self manifested regardless of how we like to blame others for their creation and putting pressure on myself makes no sense. Whatever I write next will be what I write. Once it’s finished it’s not mine anymore. So any praise or derision any future books bring my way I won’t be emotionally connecting with; in that light whatever happens it’s all to be enjoyed.

That's a very philosophical answer, Craig, I like it. What is next for you and where can we read you?

Trying to avoid being homeless again whilst seeing where I come in the Dundee International Book Prize. Life Knocks has been shortlisted from hundreds and I am now in the final twelve. If I win I would be the youngest person to ever win the award and possibly the most homeless too. Winning that award would be validation my beliefs are right – that if we break the mould, if we say to hell with the consequences and walk into our fears then we come out the other side dressed like a chicken and dancing a jig internationally recognised as the way to go.

My books are available on Amazon, and The Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness is available on both Amazon for Kindle and in Paperback on Lulu. Give them a Google. People, probably smart ones that have read way more than I, have selected Life Knocks to be in the final 12 of the Dundee Book Prize – so Life Knocks is probably worth a read.

Thanks so much for visiting, Craig, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our Withnailian wander, it’s been a perfect day; parks are much the most inspiring places. And best of luck with the work.

Thanks Rachel. Thank you for reading both my books, and for liking them and then for being so supportive and giving me this chance to chat. You are amazing. You were also extremely patient!

Thank you!

Flash foreword

Huge thanks to Sam Rasnake and Michelle Elvy for including my Fish shortlisted flash "Rogue Trading" in the latest edition of Blue Five Notebook.

Fre[e] aks

Super pleased to be hosting a story for the launch of Freaks!, an illustrated collection of superhero inspired tales which is available to buy here.

‘To all who, if only for a moment, felt that they didn’t belong.’

The stories in Freaks! are written by Caroline Smailes and Nik Perring, and the illustrations are by Darren Craske.

Invisible 

[Super Power: The ability to make oneself unseen to the naked eye]

If I stay totally still,

if I stand right tall,

with me back against the school wall,

close to the science room’s window,

with me feet together,

pointing straight,

aiming forward,

if I make me hands into tight fists,

make me arms dead straight,

 if I push me arms into me sides,

if I squeeze me thighs,

stop me wee,

if me belly doesn’t shake,

if me boobs don’t wobble,

if I close me eyes tight,

so tight that it makes me whole face scrunch,

if I push me lips into me mouth,

if I make me teeth bite me lips together,

if I hardly breathe,

if I don’t say a word.

Then,

I’ll magic meself invisible,

and them lasses will leave me alone.

Why is words

Writer, editor, translator, friend, Lori Tiron-Pandit wants to know "Why is your hero naked throughout Escape Behaviours?" You can read the answer to this and more questions here.