Interview with the authors:
Split Fiction's editor sat down with Eric and Hilary to ask a few pertinent questions ... and gauge the likelihood of their success.
Q: Today I’m interviewing authors Hilary Thomas and Eric Kesamot, to discuss Split Fiction and their current writing engagement. We've already been chatting here for a minute and I think we're ready to go. Ready?
H: Ready.
E: Ready!
Q: Okay. So far, all your audience knows is that you are co-authoring a novel and have given yourselves a deadline of 12 months for completion. Tell us a few basic facts about yourselves; a basic introduction we can build on.
Hilary, you go first.
H: I’m 32 years old. I've learned to live with a story - or twenty - in my head at all times. Sometimes I write them down. And I'm what I like to refer to as "fiesty". It's the red hair.
Q: Eric, what about you?
E: I’m 34 years old. I manage a small pseudo-fast-food establishment, but while working on this novel, I’ll also probably be looking into a new position somewhere.
I also play music, philosophize, and am single. Hint, hint!
Q: That's good, getting straight to the point! Watch out ladies!
So. The novel. Tease us with some details from the plot. Something to get the audience interested.
Hilary?
H: Hmmm... Okay...
I've informally categorized this project a cozy-catastrophe bio-punk mercenary dystopian sci-fi thriller. If you look up the literal definitions there you'll have a good idea of plot.
Apparently I’m a sci-fi purist at heart. I like the idea of straight sci-fi without the usual bent toward fantasy. There are plenty of intriguing, terrifying possibilities based on science alone, without any added theatrics.
Q: Eric, can you add anything to that?
E: In my honest opinion, this question may be better asked in another month... or even six months. At the heart of things, however, is the general notion that individual consciousness must exist in opposition to societal/governmental influence.
The plot addresses deterioration of what is widely claimed to be personal liberty in society, and how it affects individuals who are seeking themselves. And this philosophical question is posed in the guise and backdrop of more tangibly physical conflict and peril.
Needless to say, your mom won't be in it.
Q: So you know my mom, then, do you? (chuckle) On second thought, ignorance is bliss -- moving on!
What is the relationship between you two, and how did you arrive at the idea to write a book together?
Eric?
H: Stepping in here...one of us is married to the others' brother. (theatrical pause) Maybe we should let the readers decide who…!
E: The circumstances of that aside, Hilary and I are good friends -- though curiously opposites in many ways.
We both love writing, but Hilary has really been the more successful and driven of us in recent history. I have just started to get back on track when it comes to putting ideas into words. Apparently she thinks I have some potential and here we are in the same boat. Someone should have checked for holes before we committed! (chuckle)
Q: So what about this novel you’re working on? How did it happen?
E: I think it's important to note that this is Hilary's brainchild, although I may have contributed inspiration.
H: I've always seen a certain kinship between our writing despite differences in subject matter and genre. Something told me that, IF I were to ever successfully co-author a novel, it would likely be with Eric. …Somewhat because of our different approaches, strangely enough.
Q: That’s high praise for Eric, but he mentioned that this was originally your idea, Hilary. Tell me more. What’s the driving force behind this collaboration?
H: Honestly, I was stuck. I had this idea for a novel but couldn’t seem to get started on it. I was looking for a new approach, something that hadn’t been regurgitated a thousand times over, and then I read a short story Eric had written less than an hour after reading a blog from one of my favorite self-published authors. It just clicked.
Q: Anything to add Eric?
E: I’ve been interested in the collaboration idea for a while. Jazz is a process by which several people from different viewpoints and backgrounds come together to create an effect. I'm not sure which of us first mentioned the collaboration idea but it seems that two artists of another medium should be able to improv art in a comparable way.
This project comes at a time when I've just made a poignant realization that I am creative in nature. I had decided it was time to rediscover myself and push to produce something creative at the very time of Hilary's epiphaneous experience.
H: Nice word.
E: Thanks!
Q: Most authors write a book first and then go public. Why share the experience of writing the novel publicly?
Eric?
E: Hilary may best answer this question because this was exclusively her idea but I think it's important to point out that if you are going to create something, it’s enjoyable to share it with people who can appreciate it. We are creating more than a novel here -- we are, perhaps, creating an experience.
That sounds lame. Hilary, now's your chance to bail us out!
H: LAME!
No, actually very accurate. AND lame.
The craft of story telling is very personal but it's hardly private. Writing is the art of putting yourself into word form and I felt the blog would be a good way to let readers into the process from beginning to end, giving them a more accurate view of the painter as well as the finished painting.
And... …it's a good motivator. An audience forces me to stay productive where I might let up on myself if I were the only one with expectations. I've always worked better under a deadline.
Q: Speaking of the daily work of writing the novel, rumor has it you two live more than 1000 miles apart. How do you manage to collaborate over such a long distance?
E: Smoke signals. (laughs) Oh. Sorry.
H: I drink a lot. No... like...a LOT!
E: …And we use the empty cans and string to make beer-can-phones.
H: Kidding…
It's hard. We talk every day either on phone or text. We are constantly throwing ideas back and forth. We get hit a lot!
E: I think now would be a good time to mention that we are working on mental telepathy for our next novel!
Q: (chuckling) I'm suddenly picking up on an undercurrent of sarcastic humor here. What role if any does sarcasm and humor play in your writing?
E: I enjoy sarcastic humor. Yes. It's true. I also think dramatic understatement of a situation is useful.
My typical style includes plenty of sarcasm, either in narration, dialogue, or plot. Humor is usually included somewhere. I think this particular project will have some sarcastic characters, but overall I want to develop a new style that is not so over the top sarcastic.
H: We both come off as very sarcastic but Eric and I have very different senses of humor. I'd define his as slap-stick. Mine is very dry -- unless the character demands something different. My characters define my writing more than they probably should.
Wow, lots of "very"s there. EDIT!
E: Vary your verys woman!
H: (laughs) You're pretty proud of that one aren't you?
Q: Speaking of plot development, how does genre affect plot in your view? Do you deliberately write to a specific genre or do you see it as a label that gets applied after the fact?
H: Genre is definitely an afterthought. My strongest genre, and the one I lean towards most often, is Suspense or Mystery. I like solving a crime.
This will be my first full-length sci-fi novel. The plot just sort of hatched full-blown sci-fi without coaxing. I don’t give any thought to genre when I’m working.
Q: (Checking watch) -- Speaking of coaxing, just four more questions after this one. Eric, what’s your take on genre?
E: I’m a big fan of satire and fantasy fiction when it comes to reading. I guess I lean towards those genres as I write. I think sci-fi may be nearly as natural even if i don't have background in it as a reader.
I am positive that the label ought to be applied after the fact by the readers. A piece may have aspects of mystery and suspense. It may have many philosophical aspects to consider. It may be serious science fiction. It may have plenty of action. I think that what you see in a book is what you bring to it, in part.
H: I agree. Another author asked the genre of our novel on Twitter. I had to look at the book from a reader’s perspective and then go look up genre definitions.
Q: And what was it you came up with again? Dystopian biopunk, something… ?
H: It's a cozy-catastrophe bio-punk mercenary dystopian sci-fi thriller! But that will probably change by the time it's finished.
Q: I’ve noticed that philosophy keeps coming up in your responses either directly or indirectly. What role does philosophy play in your writing? Eric?
E: Right. Well, philosophy is the love of wisdom. I prefer to think of it in terms of action. Wisdom in action. Who cares what you can postulate sitting all by yourself on a rug in the middle of the forest. What matters is what you are going to do when you're surrounded by people and have a full agenda for the day.
I don't think you CAN write without putting your beliefs into characters and plot. Rather than inserting my philosophical approach to life as dialogue between characters, I prefer to make it my underlying theme, elusive, perhaps, but guiding still.
H: For me there is no distinction. A basic philosophical framework is the foundation of any novel that isn't simply random words on paper. What makes a story interesting is the infinitely varied character development and interaction within that framework. All I can do as an author is portray the character accurately without putting my own beliefs or spin on the perception a reader comes away with. …Of course, this automatically leads back to the fact that all characters are the product of the author's own experiences and life lessons. It’s a vicious cycle…
Q: That’s a very nuanced perspective.
Speaking of authors, who are your favorite authors and why? Hilary?
H: That’s a hard one. As far as fiction goes, there are almost too many to choose from. Ray Bradbury, Hemmingway, Ellory Queen and James Patterson off the top of my head. Now for non-fiction, I quote equally from Ayn Rand’s “Virtue of Selfishness” and the Bible. Objectivism and Christianity sit side by side on my shelf. Wrap your brain around that one!
E: My favorite author? Me! Or I wouldn't be here! …But I’m a photo-finish tie with Clive Barker, Dennis L McKiernan, Piers Anthony, Robert Heinlein, Terry Pratchett, Robert Jordan. To me all these authors have put more than the normal time and energy into their work. Oh -- and Lovecraft!
I: Sounds like Eric's been reading "Virtue of Selfishness" too!
E: The way I heard it, she wrote that after reading my palm! (pause)
In my honest opinion, I should definitely get points for that one. Can we invent a scoring system real fast?
H: Good lord.
Q: I'm sensing a bit of competition between you -- Hemingway would approve! What do each of you see as the other's greatest literary strength?
E: Hilary is definitely more organized. And driven. And more experienced when it comes to starting and finishing a novel. I have never completed anything longer than a short story. I have yet to see exactly how she writes at length, but her dialogue is great, and her character development is quite deep. Her style is immediately interesting.
H: Eric's right, I am organized. I'm probably undiagnosed OCD. But it doesn't do anyone any good to organize useless, lifeless thoughts and Eric has an incredible imagination. He conjures the fantastic in a way I’m utterly incapable of.
Q: It sounds like you compliment each other well then.
Since this is the first time either of you have been interviewed as authors, I'm going over the top with this next one.
What literary legacy do you hope to leave for future generations? Hilary?
H: Wow. No pressure. Well, I would love to see success as an author while I'm still alive and preferably young and "feisty" enough to appreciate it. But, on the other hand, the idea of being the hidden gem among tomes stashed away in the back of a library doesn't sound bad either.
E: I would hope that the people who appreciate my writing appreciate it. And I hope my children can read my stories and smile!
Q: Well, you two certainly make me smile – you’re both characters in your own right! Thanks to both of you for your time! We'll all be following along in the weeks and months to come!
E: Thanks!
H: Our pleasure!
Ask the authors a question of your own! Email them at: contact.us@splitfiction.net or follow them on twitter: @split_fiction
Q: Today I’m interviewing authors Hilary Thomas and Eric Kesamot, to discuss Split Fiction and their current writing engagement. We've already been chatting here for a minute and I think we're ready to go. Ready?
H: Ready.
E: Ready!
Q: Okay. So far, all your audience knows is that you are co-authoring a novel and have given yourselves a deadline of 12 months for completion. Tell us a few basic facts about yourselves; a basic introduction we can build on.
Hilary, you go first.
H: I’m 32 years old. I've learned to live with a story - or twenty - in my head at all times. Sometimes I write them down. And I'm what I like to refer to as "fiesty". It's the red hair.
Q: Eric, what about you?
E: I’m 34 years old. I manage a small pseudo-fast-food establishment, but while working on this novel, I’ll also probably be looking into a new position somewhere.
I also play music, philosophize, and am single. Hint, hint!
Q: That's good, getting straight to the point! Watch out ladies!
So. The novel. Tease us with some details from the plot. Something to get the audience interested.
Hilary?
H: Hmmm... Okay...
I've informally categorized this project a cozy-catastrophe bio-punk mercenary dystopian sci-fi thriller. If you look up the literal definitions there you'll have a good idea of plot.
Apparently I’m a sci-fi purist at heart. I like the idea of straight sci-fi without the usual bent toward fantasy. There are plenty of intriguing, terrifying possibilities based on science alone, without any added theatrics.
Q: Eric, can you add anything to that?
E: In my honest opinion, this question may be better asked in another month... or even six months. At the heart of things, however, is the general notion that individual consciousness must exist in opposition to societal/governmental influence.
The plot addresses deterioration of what is widely claimed to be personal liberty in society, and how it affects individuals who are seeking themselves. And this philosophical question is posed in the guise and backdrop of more tangibly physical conflict and peril.
Needless to say, your mom won't be in it.
Q: So you know my mom, then, do you? (chuckle) On second thought, ignorance is bliss -- moving on!
What is the relationship between you two, and how did you arrive at the idea to write a book together?
Eric?
H: Stepping in here...one of us is married to the others' brother. (theatrical pause) Maybe we should let the readers decide who…!
E: The circumstances of that aside, Hilary and I are good friends -- though curiously opposites in many ways.
We both love writing, but Hilary has really been the more successful and driven of us in recent history. I have just started to get back on track when it comes to putting ideas into words. Apparently she thinks I have some potential and here we are in the same boat. Someone should have checked for holes before we committed! (chuckle)
Q: So what about this novel you’re working on? How did it happen?
E: I think it's important to note that this is Hilary's brainchild, although I may have contributed inspiration.
H: I've always seen a certain kinship between our writing despite differences in subject matter and genre. Something told me that, IF I were to ever successfully co-author a novel, it would likely be with Eric. …Somewhat because of our different approaches, strangely enough.
Q: That’s high praise for Eric, but he mentioned that this was originally your idea, Hilary. Tell me more. What’s the driving force behind this collaboration?
H: Honestly, I was stuck. I had this idea for a novel but couldn’t seem to get started on it. I was looking for a new approach, something that hadn’t been regurgitated a thousand times over, and then I read a short story Eric had written less than an hour after reading a blog from one of my favorite self-published authors. It just clicked.
Q: Anything to add Eric?
E: I’ve been interested in the collaboration idea for a while. Jazz is a process by which several people from different viewpoints and backgrounds come together to create an effect. I'm not sure which of us first mentioned the collaboration idea but it seems that two artists of another medium should be able to improv art in a comparable way.
This project comes at a time when I've just made a poignant realization that I am creative in nature. I had decided it was time to rediscover myself and push to produce something creative at the very time of Hilary's epiphaneous experience.
H: Nice word.
E: Thanks!
Q: Most authors write a book first and then go public. Why share the experience of writing the novel publicly?
Eric?
E: Hilary may best answer this question because this was exclusively her idea but I think it's important to point out that if you are going to create something, it’s enjoyable to share it with people who can appreciate it. We are creating more than a novel here -- we are, perhaps, creating an experience.
That sounds lame. Hilary, now's your chance to bail us out!
H: LAME!
No, actually very accurate. AND lame.
The craft of story telling is very personal but it's hardly private. Writing is the art of putting yourself into word form and I felt the blog would be a good way to let readers into the process from beginning to end, giving them a more accurate view of the painter as well as the finished painting.
And... …it's a good motivator. An audience forces me to stay productive where I might let up on myself if I were the only one with expectations. I've always worked better under a deadline.
Q: Speaking of the daily work of writing the novel, rumor has it you two live more than 1000 miles apart. How do you manage to collaborate over such a long distance?
E: Smoke signals. (laughs) Oh. Sorry.
H: I drink a lot. No... like...a LOT!
E: …And we use the empty cans and string to make beer-can-phones.
H: Kidding…
It's hard. We talk every day either on phone or text. We are constantly throwing ideas back and forth. We get hit a lot!
E: I think now would be a good time to mention that we are working on mental telepathy for our next novel!
Q: (chuckling) I'm suddenly picking up on an undercurrent of sarcastic humor here. What role if any does sarcasm and humor play in your writing?
E: I enjoy sarcastic humor. Yes. It's true. I also think dramatic understatement of a situation is useful.
My typical style includes plenty of sarcasm, either in narration, dialogue, or plot. Humor is usually included somewhere. I think this particular project will have some sarcastic characters, but overall I want to develop a new style that is not so over the top sarcastic.
H: We both come off as very sarcastic but Eric and I have very different senses of humor. I'd define his as slap-stick. Mine is very dry -- unless the character demands something different. My characters define my writing more than they probably should.
Wow, lots of "very"s there. EDIT!
E: Vary your verys woman!
H: (laughs) You're pretty proud of that one aren't you?
Q: Speaking of plot development, how does genre affect plot in your view? Do you deliberately write to a specific genre or do you see it as a label that gets applied after the fact?
H: Genre is definitely an afterthought. My strongest genre, and the one I lean towards most often, is Suspense or Mystery. I like solving a crime.
This will be my first full-length sci-fi novel. The plot just sort of hatched full-blown sci-fi without coaxing. I don’t give any thought to genre when I’m working.
Q: (Checking watch) -- Speaking of coaxing, just four more questions after this one. Eric, what’s your take on genre?
E: I’m a big fan of satire and fantasy fiction when it comes to reading. I guess I lean towards those genres as I write. I think sci-fi may be nearly as natural even if i don't have background in it as a reader.
I am positive that the label ought to be applied after the fact by the readers. A piece may have aspects of mystery and suspense. It may have many philosophical aspects to consider. It may be serious science fiction. It may have plenty of action. I think that what you see in a book is what you bring to it, in part.
H: I agree. Another author asked the genre of our novel on Twitter. I had to look at the book from a reader’s perspective and then go look up genre definitions.
Q: And what was it you came up with again? Dystopian biopunk, something… ?
H: It's a cozy-catastrophe bio-punk mercenary dystopian sci-fi thriller! But that will probably change by the time it's finished.
Q: I’ve noticed that philosophy keeps coming up in your responses either directly or indirectly. What role does philosophy play in your writing? Eric?
E: Right. Well, philosophy is the love of wisdom. I prefer to think of it in terms of action. Wisdom in action. Who cares what you can postulate sitting all by yourself on a rug in the middle of the forest. What matters is what you are going to do when you're surrounded by people and have a full agenda for the day.
I don't think you CAN write without putting your beliefs into characters and plot. Rather than inserting my philosophical approach to life as dialogue between characters, I prefer to make it my underlying theme, elusive, perhaps, but guiding still.
H: For me there is no distinction. A basic philosophical framework is the foundation of any novel that isn't simply random words on paper. What makes a story interesting is the infinitely varied character development and interaction within that framework. All I can do as an author is portray the character accurately without putting my own beliefs or spin on the perception a reader comes away with. …Of course, this automatically leads back to the fact that all characters are the product of the author's own experiences and life lessons. It’s a vicious cycle…
Q: That’s a very nuanced perspective.
Speaking of authors, who are your favorite authors and why? Hilary?
H: That’s a hard one. As far as fiction goes, there are almost too many to choose from. Ray Bradbury, Hemmingway, Ellory Queen and James Patterson off the top of my head. Now for non-fiction, I quote equally from Ayn Rand’s “Virtue of Selfishness” and the Bible. Objectivism and Christianity sit side by side on my shelf. Wrap your brain around that one!
E: My favorite author? Me! Or I wouldn't be here! …But I’m a photo-finish tie with Clive Barker, Dennis L McKiernan, Piers Anthony, Robert Heinlein, Terry Pratchett, Robert Jordan. To me all these authors have put more than the normal time and energy into their work. Oh -- and Lovecraft!
I: Sounds like Eric's been reading "Virtue of Selfishness" too!
E: The way I heard it, she wrote that after reading my palm! (pause)
In my honest opinion, I should definitely get points for that one. Can we invent a scoring system real fast?
H: Good lord.
Q: I'm sensing a bit of competition between you -- Hemingway would approve! What do each of you see as the other's greatest literary strength?
E: Hilary is definitely more organized. And driven. And more experienced when it comes to starting and finishing a novel. I have never completed anything longer than a short story. I have yet to see exactly how she writes at length, but her dialogue is great, and her character development is quite deep. Her style is immediately interesting.
H: Eric's right, I am organized. I'm probably undiagnosed OCD. But it doesn't do anyone any good to organize useless, lifeless thoughts and Eric has an incredible imagination. He conjures the fantastic in a way I’m utterly incapable of.
Q: It sounds like you compliment each other well then.
Since this is the first time either of you have been interviewed as authors, I'm going over the top with this next one.
What literary legacy do you hope to leave for future generations? Hilary?
H: Wow. No pressure. Well, I would love to see success as an author while I'm still alive and preferably young and "feisty" enough to appreciate it. But, on the other hand, the idea of being the hidden gem among tomes stashed away in the back of a library doesn't sound bad either.
E: I would hope that the people who appreciate my writing appreciate it. And I hope my children can read my stories and smile!
Q: Well, you two certainly make me smile – you’re both characters in your own right! Thanks to both of you for your time! We'll all be following along in the weeks and months to come!
E: Thanks!
H: Our pleasure!
Ask the authors a question of your own! Email them at: contact.us@splitfiction.net or follow them on twitter: @split_fiction
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