Poilitics and the writer.
If you're a regular on Facebook or twitter you've no doubt seen the posts downing one candidate or the other for the upcoming presidential election. And the competing posts that oftentimes denigrate into a virtual shouting match that drown out all reason.
I've often wondered if it was wise for a writer who is searching for an audience to honestly express their opinion about one politician or the other on a public forum. After all we want everyone to read our book, not just those who share our views, so why would a writer purposely alienate a potential 50 percent of their possible market by expressing their opinion in such a way.
What really disturbs me are the posts from people I would view as normally intelligent, who lower themselves to name calling just to get their idea across. Do you believe that calling a public figure an asshat, or shitbag will cause me to fall into line with your belief. All that's going to do is make me question your intelligence if you can't present a counter argument that rises above schoolyard bickering.
How do you feel about political posts on public forums?
5Qs with Craig Saunders
1.) When did you first consider yourself a writer?
A.) I'm still
not sure I do! I think it comes down to what I deem a success - I've written 17
(ish) novels, had novels and shorts 'traditionally' published, received royalty
cheques, advances, and published on Kindle, too...and I'm still not sure I
qualify under my own measure of success. I think if I ever get to the point
when I'm making a living writing, then I'll consider myself a writer.
2.) What is the hardest part of writing?
A.) Getting
published! Ha. I don't find writing difficult (usually, though I get blocked
from time to time, like most of us!). I aim for 500 words a day, and try to hit
that every day, but getting published has proven to be by far the hardest
thing. It's a challenge, though, so it never gets tiring, trying...
3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first
completed project?
A.) My first
published novel was Rain, and I cried like a baby - it had taken me seven years
to get my first novel published (or thereabouts)...I still didn't feel like a
writer, though.
4.) In addition to writing, what else are you
passionate about?
A.) Not
much...I like to read, a little, PC game, a lot, and drink coffee and smoke!
I'm the epitome of dull, really!
5.) If you could ask any author, living or dead, one
question, what would it be?
A.) Joe
Hill...when's the next book coming out!? haha - I love Joe Hill, since reading
Heart Shaped Box.
Bio:
Craig Saunders lives in Norfolk, England, with his wife and
three children, who he pretends to listen to while making up stories in his
head.
He has published more than two dozen short stories, and is the author of the novels Rain, Spiggot, and The Love of the Dead.
He blogs at www.petrifiedtank.blogspot.com.
He has published more than two dozen short stories, and is the author of the novels Rain, Spiggot, and The Love of the Dead.
He blogs at www.petrifiedtank.blogspot.com.
Review: Craig Saunder’s, A STRANGER’S GRAVE
Title: A Stranger's Grave
Author: Craig Saunders
Publisher: Grand Mal Press
Pub Date: June 7, 2012
Genre: Horror
Synopsis:
Elton Burlock's done his time. Twenty-six years for a terrible murder. Some of those years were hard, some easy. On the outside, he takes the only job he can find - the custodian of a local cemetery. A simple job, keeping the grass tidy...giving the dead a haircut.
But there are three black angels in the cemetery: a little girl's ghost that roams the night...and two women, one a vision in white, one a nightmare in black.
When the killing starts, who can rock the restless dead back to sleep? Who but Elton? Elton, custodian of the dead, but the gatekeeper, too. The keeper of this world and the next.
The dead are awake. The little girl is free of the earth. But there are no lullabies for the dead and if he's going to live, Elton's going to have to give her what she wants.
Then, maybe, he can find peace for them both - in the grave or out.
My Review:
There is a cemetery in a small Norfolk town....Thus begins
the journey of recently released Elton Burlock who served twenty six years in
prison, five for murdering the man who took his wife and daughter, the rest
because Elton was not a man to be caged.
One of the most difficult tasks a writer faces is making
their words transparent, allowing the story to come to life in the readers
mind. Craig accomplishes this with a graceful ease that quite honestly makes
me, as a writer, jealous. He paints a
vivid picture of a man trapped between the authorities who at first eye him
with suspicion, and his unspoken duty as the cemetery’s caretaker to keep the dead
at rest. But vengeance is what they seek and if Elton is to accomplish his task
he must first locate a stranger’s grave.
This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good ghost story.
5Qs with Jo Ann Russell
1.) When did you first consider yourself a writer?
A.) Honestly,
I first considered myself a writer when I completed my first novel, “The
Nightmare Project.” It was a lengthy project that I am sure many “would-be writers,”
would have given up on.
2.) What is the hardest part of writing?
A.) The
hardest part of writing for me is getting started. Social networks are my drug
of choice, and make for many a day wasted – to a point. Other than that,
knowing when to stop going over a piece is hard for me.
3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first
completed project?
A.) I felt
terrified. Completing my project meant I had to send it out and open myself for
rejection.
4.) In addition to writing, what else are you
passionate about?
A.) I am
passionate about reading and horses. I own a beautiful white appaloosa mare
named Whisper. It is because of her I put together a charity anthology called
Scarlet Whispers, that benefits a local equine rescue called Hilltop Haven. I
even board my horse there – at least until I find my new country home.
5.) If you could ask any author, living or dead, one
question, what would it be?
A.) I must
say, this is one of the hardest questions I have ever had to answer. To choose
only one is tortures. However, it would be Ray Bradbury, and I would ask him;
”What is it like on the other side?”
More about Jo-Anne can be learned at the following links:
http://www.jo-annerussell.ca
https://www.facebook.com/
http://www.jo-annerussell.ca
https://www.facebook.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)