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"JANOOSE and the FALL FEATHER FAIR https://cerealauthors.wordpress.com/2020/ 07/17/janoose-and-the-fall-feather-fair-2/"
Jul 21, 2020

Tell us about your latest book.

In the Place Where There Is No Darkness is a thriller that opens on the night of January 11, 2009. An eight-year-old boy creeps out of bed, drawn by the sound of his father’s voice in the living room downstairs. His father is about to kill himself.

Chapter 2 opens on September 11, 2019. In the suburban city of Mentor, Ohio, Derrion Parsing is a smart but troubled high school senior in a dystopian but utterly recognizable near-future where everything is monitored and the only message permitted is the official message. The Internet as we know it no longer exists- a result of The Invisible War—a pretense used to temporarily plunge the country into martial law, consolidating power and controlling the public even after society returns to “normal".

In a world where everything is monitored and any form of dissent is considered dangerous, Derrion is a young man who wants to open people’s eyes. Ultimately it is his proposal for a school project—citing illicit information from the pre-sanitized Internet—that seals his fate and the fate of those around him.

In the Place Where There is No Darkness is at times intense and emotional, at other times light-hearted and humorous. It is, in the end, hopeful, touching on themes that touch us all.

Where did the idea for the book come from? 

I have always been fascinated with how many adults, as well as the American main stream media, seem incapable of having an intelligent conversation with someone who holds a viewpoint that is in any way representing an opposing view to their own. I decided to confront this issue by writing a novel that takes on some of the most taboo issues in modern America: 9/11, veteran suicide, pharmaceutical drug use in children, school shootings, government surveillance and mind control. 

These are all topics that I find fascinating and, in fact, imperative to a proper discussion of the influences behind the current state of events throughout the world. I wanted to challenge readers of all political ideologies, not to push a particular point of view. My goal was to write a story that is able to both support and challenge the ideas of both the left and right wing mind states, setting off emotional land mines for the reader throughout the course of the book.

Another reason I wrote this book was to shed light upon the lasting effects of the trauma of war on the individual veteran as well as their family. I live in Washington State, near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, one of the largest military installations in the country. Where I live, the sound of machine guns, explosions and military helicopters flying overhead is a normal part our daily lives. My community is filled with veterans and active duty military, the families of those killed in action and those who died by their own hands, whether to avoid future deployments or to stop the pain of their mental and physical injuries. I wrote this book in part for them.

Who and what inspire you to write? 

Writing has always been my passion, the art form in which I am able to express myself creatively. I have been patient in the release of my first novel, allowing myself to gain the life experiences necessary to write a compelling work of fiction, while also taking the time to develop my own style as a writer that I think will help my work stand out among others. This is only the first of many more books to come. I am now, undoubtably, living my dream.

Each author has his or her own inspiring journey. How did you begin writing? 

I don't remember ever not writing- mostly poetry, but I always carried a small notebook and pen with me, jotting down ideas or writing short poems about the little moments in life that can so easily go overlooked. I always seemed to have a particular style that I felt suited me and represented me well. That style is still evolving, and even in  my novels, is rooted in the heart of a poet.

I have worked as a freelance journalist from time to time, but have otherwise always avoided having a job that centered around writing. All jobs bring stress at some point and I never wanted to experience stress along with writing. I love writing. It is one of the most important aspects of my life.

What has been the most pleasant surprise about writing? How about an unexpected down side?

For me, writing is that pleasant surprise. Every time I sit down and begin to add on to a story that I have already begun, or to begin a new piece, watching as the words come to life, as the characters move and speak and learn- it's magic. I respect it greatly. That respect allows me to create art that has meaning beyond simple entertainment. I love puzzles and word games and I look at writing a novel as working out a puzzle. I am given a structure in which to work and am presented specific challenges on my way to reach an end goal. The process of making it to that end goal is always different and always rewarding.

The only downside is that there are times when I am clearly inspired and want to sit down and write, when otherwise I would be sharing that time with my family. It is important to me to balance the two, and to act on the inspiration to share conversations and walks with my wife.

Do you have any writing rituals? 

For me, the writing itself is the “ritual”. I respect the power of the word. Writing is a form of meditation. The act of writing, for me, is no less than accessing a trance state. Essentially, this simply means being present, living in the now. The interesting part of that is the “now” that I am present in is elsewhere, existing in my imagination, but playing out in my mind as reality.

Do you write your books in order?

I am one of those writers that still believes in “inspiration.” I do not believe “writer's block” exists and I do not sit and write a certain number of words or pages per day. I do all of my writing by hand in notebooks and later type them out on the computer. I contemplate ideas and themes and write when I feel I have my finger on the pulse of what I am trying to express. I'll spend two or three days on a single sentence, not write anything for a week or two, and then write a chapter in a matter of hours. I never push myself to write, I allow the writing to come forth. I consider the contemplation of the book as important as the writing itself, and often do this while driving and when I first wake up. I see writing as a true miracle- 26 letters containing infinity. As I said earlier, I respect the art of writing greatly, and I approach it the way one would approach a respected elder, not with caution, but with reverence.

What is on your writing playlist for this book?                  

Liquid Mind, Lunz, H.U.V.A. Network

Any favorite writing snacks?

Red wine.

What advice would you give writers who aspire to be published? 

Self publish, but pay for a professional editor. The only downside I see now to self-publishing is the lack of proper editing. I have read many reviews by people who said they loved the book, but they were distracted by simple grammar and spelling errors. I read through my book more than ten times looking for any errors, including reading it backwards- yes, starting with the last word and reading it backwards. This is a technique I learned in high school, which obviously is more challenging when you apply it to hundreds of pages, rather than several pages of a school essay. It works, though. Gives you a chance to look at each word individually without being caught up in the imagery of the prose. I know I have one, maybe two errors in my book, but I have seen that in 7th editions of bestsellers. Edit as much as you can on your own- have someone you trust read your manuscript as well and offer editing feedback, but absolutely pay the money to hire a professional editor. If you don't take yourself seriously, no one else is going to. After each manuscript is complete, send out a query letter to an agent, but keep moving forward on publishing the book yourself.

Are you working on anything new right now? 

I am currently working on my next novel, Take Me Away, a piece of historical fiction that takes place in the 1860's. I am using the character Flora from Henry James' The Turn of the Screw, and placing her twenty years in the future from the conclusion of that book, joining her on the journey of her adulthood in the wake of an awful youth.

Who is your favorite character in your current book?

Perhaps not my “favorite” character, but I have had a pleasant time incorporating Louisa May Alcott as a character in Take Me Away. Flora befriends Louisa in Boston, and their friendship plays a significant role in the book. I read several biographies which not only helped me capture the spirit of Louisa May Alcott, but also of the time period. It all happened quite organically. It started with a book cover. I purchased the cover from Damonza, whom I had worked with on In the Place Where There is No Darkness. Each time I looked at the site, this one cover kept catching my eye, and I challenged myself to write a book to place behind it.

I did an internet search for the most beautiful word in the English language for inspiration for a title. One phrase that came up was from Henry James: summer afternoon. This led me to read Turn of the Screw, which states early on: “Douglas has a story to tell.” This line sparked my interest, and by the end of reading The Turn of the Screw, I knew that an adult Flora would be the main character of this book. 

There were obvious connections with actions in The Turn of the Screw and the cover image (which can be seen on my website www.kmdouglas.org). My research into Henry James led me to the more sensational writings of Louisa May Alcott, who wrote short stories for periodicals under the name A. M. Barnard. Once I had decided on the backstory and characters, I moved forward with the themes that I wanted to address and ended up with a book that deals with the challenges of trust in relationships, as well as how experiencing trauma and the death of family members early in life can affect adults much later in life. 

One quote from Take Me Away that sums up an important aspect of the theme is: “If ignored for too long, the fear of death quietly transforms itself into the fear of life.”

What is your favorite book of all time? 

Hermann Hesse - Steppenwolf

Tell us in one sentence why we should read your book.

I have consciously created an exciting, compelling story intended to take you on a journey meant to both challenge as well as entertain you, giving you the opportunity to see the world through someone else's eyes, to think with someone else's mind and to feel with someone else's heart.

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