I had fun with this interview and I think Heather had fun answering my questions. To avoid confusion because our initials are similar, I am KH (KentuckyHeather . . . my screen name for practically everything) and Heather is HP. You'll get it later. So, without further adieu, let's get started!
KH: At what age did you know that writing was your main career goal in life?
HP: That's tough. I still get weird about calling myself a writer, but I guess it was sometime in my mid-twenties that I decided full-on that that's what I wanted to do. When I was eighteen and a freshman in college I thought I wanted to be a poet, but opted to go into teaching and write on the side. Of course, teaching high school full time and working on an MA leaves little room for side projects. I took a fiction writing course one summer and then within a year applied to creative writing programs for fiction. I'm a terrible poet.
KH: Be thankful you aren't as bad of a poet as I am! Who or what inspired you to start writing?
HP: I've always enjoyed writing, even just class assignments. But I guess I started writing independently in middle school, mostly journaling and awful teen-angst poetry. So I guess I have those boys who broke my heart in middle school to thank for getting me started. Or the wonderful teachers who encouraged me to keep writing. Let's go with the teachers.
KH: That reminds me of my favorite meme:
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KH: And trust me, many a heartbreaking boy has made it into my creative writing, but that is a story for another day. What authors inspire you to work harder to become a better writer?
HP: So many, ranging from my MFA classmates to authors who have been dead for hundreds of years. But you want specifics, so I will just mention a few that have inspired the short story collection I am currently working on. First off, Harper Lee. Reading To Kill a Mockingbird in high school stuck with me and is still one of my favorite books. That Lee wrote it at a young age and it was her first (and only novel) blows me away every time I reread it. Its accurate and unflinching (yet loving) portrayal of the American South reflects my own conflicting views of Eastern Kentucky. This book was and is important, and I want my writing to matter to at least someone somewhere. Some of my more recent influences have been fantastic contemporary short story writers, like Bonnie Jo Campbell, Dan Chaon, and Alan Heathcock. Read their books and you'll see why.
KH: To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my very favorite books. Because of your work, I have become more interested in short stories, so I will definitely add the authors you mentioned to my TBR list. Apart from your current short story project, what writing projects are you interested in pursuing in the future?
HP: I'm interested in delving into the world of fantasy writing, though I'm not sure if I want to do fantasy for adults or teens. Some of my favorite authors and books are fantasy/dystopian, and I feel that this is a very important genre, as it tells us things about ourselves and our current world without hitting us over the head with them. I like subtlety. Plus it's fun to escape and go on journeys with unlikely heroes and heroines.
KH: I completely agree with you. I love reading fantasy and dystopian novels. My NaNoWriMo project is a post-apocalyptic/dystopian story. Unfortunately, my brain does not work the correct way to create a fantasy world, but I enjoy reading about the ones that others create and I would love to read yours one day. Do you remember the first creative piece you ever wrote? What was it? When did you write it?
HP: Hmmm . . . I think it was in fourth grade for Mrs. Wellman's class. Maybe a mystery? I really can't remember the details.
KH: Do you remember going to the writing competition in 7th grade in Ohio where we were not supposed to win anything, we were just there for practice, but I ended up winning 3rd place to the surprise of everyone? Do you remember what you wrote about in any of the sessions?
HP: Yes, I remember that trip! Unfortunately, I don't remember anything I wrote about there. I'm apparently bad at remembering these things. Haha.
KH: For some reason, I remember that one of my proctors was a nun and in that particular session, I wrote about Joan Osborne and the song "One of Us." I am still bitter that they would not let me have a trophy because I was from Kentucky. That's state discrimination! Does anyone know a good lawyer I could call? haha
Anyway, back to you: What was your first published piece and how did you go about getting it published?
HP: Technically my first published piece was a poem about the American flag published in an anthology in fifth grade--probably the same one you mentioned in your write-up yesterday. As an adult, my first published piece was a short story, "Under the Pines." To get it published, I submitted it to a bunch of different literary journals that I thought would be a good fit. And then I got rejected by every single one. So I tweaked it some, then sent it back out to others. Then got another wave of rejections. I submitted this particular piece and was rejected ten times before Sawmill picked it up.
KH: Oh, that wonderful poetry anthology. My poem was proof they probably did not read the submissions before publishing! "Under the Pines" was a great story. I admire you for not giving up after receiving rejection letters. One of my fears in life is rejection. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to write but maybe they do not know where to start, or maybe they are not the best at grammar or spelling?
HP: Practice. Just write. It doesn't have to see the light of day, and might be complete garbage, but do it anyway. Then rewrite and edit, which is where the real work comes in. Get feedback from other people (community writing groups are good for this) and take it with a grain of salt--but really examine what they say, especially if more than one person comments on a specific area. If you're not good at grammar and spelling, work to get better. Invest in a book, like White and Strunk's Elements of Style.
KH: I'm going to switch gears a little bit and ask two very important questions that may make or break this friendship. First, what is your favorite punctuation mark and why?
HP: Semicolon, though I don't use it very much in writing fiction because I like to keep my sentences clearer. I enjoy a well-placed semicolon, though, because of how it aids and builds toward complexity within a sentence; also, I love how it emphasizes the importance that two phrases be linked together on the same subject. It's little nuances like that that make writing at the sentence level important.
KH: Yes! We are 1 for 2 so far. I also love the semicolon best; however, when writing documents for children to understand, I rarely get the chance to use it. (See what I did there?) Now on to the next big question: To Oxford comma or not to Oxford comma? That is the question.
HP: Oxford comma always. "At the store, please get bread, peanut butter, eggs, cookies and cream." Written this way, it could mean to get both cookies and cream, or something that is cookies and cream--like ice cream or a candy bar. With the Oxford comma there would be no confusion.
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KH: And we are 2 for 2 as evidenced by my favorite thing on Pinterest I have found so far. Nobody cares about the Oxford comma until it saves JFK from being a stripper with Stalin. Protect JFK, use the comma!
So, Oxford commas aside, what is your biggest grammar pet peeve?
HP: This is a tricky question, because grammar and the English language is always evolving. Sure, there are basic rules that should be followed for clear writing, and you need to learn these rules before you can break them--but most of them can be broken. So I guess my biggest grammar pet peeve would be breaking any rule without intentionality so that the language is muddied up.
KH: What is your favorite "#amwriting soundtrack"?
HP: I have a couple of playlists, depending upon what I'm writing. For my short story collection, the playlist is a lot of folky sounding indie, alt country, and bluegrass--think Ryan Adams, Mumford and Sons, Wilco, Old Crow Medicine Show. I also like the Shins for writing. But if I'm really trying to get into something and it's just not happening, generally Wilco's Yankee, Hotel, Foxtrot album helps.
KH: Respectable choices. Because of my ADD, I cannot listen to music that I know the words to. I usually either listen to Suicide Silence or another deathcore band on my Spotify account because it numbs my mind and drowns out everything around me. Occasionally I will just listen to a white noise or brown noise playlist on Spotify.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time when you are not working or writing?
HP: Well, logically, reading. I also enjoy spending time with my husband and friends, watching movies/Netflix, and cooking. I'm slightly obsessed with all things Doctor Who, as well. I like to travel and try out new restaurants.
KH: You forgot to say "texting funny things and going to DMB concerts with my best friend, Kentucky Heather," but because we've already established that you are having memory loss, I will let that one slide. (I kid, I kid).
So, I have saved the absolute most important question of all for last. It's something that everyone needs to know. Where would the Sorting Hat place you? Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin?
HP: From all the sorting quizzes I've taken, I've received mixed answers. I've never been sorted into Slytherin, though, and most commonly it's either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. I think I would want to be in Ravenclaw, and since the Sorting Hat takes the student's choice into consideration, Ravenclaw it would probably be.
KH: And best friends we truly are. I just told someone the other day that I would ask the Sorting Hat to place me in Ravenclaw; however, unlike you, I have been sorted into Slytherin before. I'm probably slightly more bad news than you are. Plus, I can speak Parseltongue.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I know you are busy with work and writing and being married! I really look forward to reading whatever project you finish next and I hope you will allow me to blog about it so my wonderful blog friends can find out how wonderfully talented you are! As an end to this long post, I leave everyone with our fun text from this morning:
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