Working Writers Interview with Jay Luke

Working Writers
July 31, 2009

Interview: Jay Luke
by Cherie Burbach

Today we’re talking with Jay Luke, author of When Coal Was Queen. It seems writers have a wealth of creative talents sometimes, and this is certainly the case with Mr. Luke. Like many writers, he also has talent for artwork and music. He tells us about his inspiration for writing, favorite writers, and how he came to pen his latest work. I know you’re going to appreciate his advice to other writers as well. Enjoy this interview.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and how long have you been writing?

Hello there, my name is Jay Luke. I’m a lifelong resident of Throop, PA. I’ve been writing for almost as long as I can remember.

What types of writing do you do?

Most of my earliest stuff developed from poetry, then to lyrics for songs I wrote. After awhile I got around to putting ideas together for a novel I’d been kicking around in my head. Somewhere in between it all I wrote about the history of my neighboring town Olyphant.

What’s the best thing about writing?

To me, writing is a great form of expression, and therapy as well. I think just like with music and art, it allows me to vent and get things off of my chest whereas other people might get into trouble trying to vent in other ways. It provides a safe escape to let steam off, and keeps me out of trouble.

Share some of your writing goals.

I think my goals depend on what I’m writing. If I’m writing song lyrics, my goal is to make the words thought-provoking while fitting into a melodic soundscape. For the book I just wrote on Olyphant’s history, my goals were to do the best documentation I could of this coal mining town. Writing about history is supremely challenging as it requires tons of fact checking. Someone who may have documented an event long ago might clash with another person’s documentation of the same event. So there were many dates that needed to be thoroughly researched as well as name misspelling. I suppose what I had in mind was to tell the story of the town’s rise to fame through the famed anthracite industry. Today’s generation has no idea what really took place and how important the mining in this area was for the town’s formation. The main goal was to accurately educate those who want to know how the town developed from its earliest days.

Is there a specific time of day you like to write?

With me, I write when I feel inspired. There’s no ritualistic time for me to write. Inspiration hits me at sporadic times and it sometimes gets to a point where I may be at a restaurant and have to jot ideas down on a napkin. I think there’s a certain magic to the spontaneous inspiration. It makes it less contrived and more true to the heart.

What’s the most interesting book you’ve ever read?

Ever since Dan Brown released the Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons I fell in love with his blend of story lines mixed with history lessons. I think it’s a really beautiful concept. I like stories with twist endings that you never see coming. Mixing those ideas all together create a way of almost tricking the reader into learning, which is the best way to truly retain the knowledge. It makes it an adventure, which is how I think it should be.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

My writing aspiration stemmed from my musical influences. I always wanted to be a musician/songwriter and I quickly got into writing songs. Looking back at some of my earliest efforts, I find them to be almost laughable but without them I would never have developed. You have to start somewhere so from there I kept writing more and more. I stuck with it and never gave up. Eventually I realized that in writing songs I was often trying to tell stories. So when I got to writing without having to rhyme lines it really made things easier for me and I found it to be a great outlet for ideas without the trappings of having to sing and make them fit to music. So as soon as I looked at things in that light I think that was when I realized writing was something I could do. The key to a good writer is to write about things you know well, or things you’re interested in. Otherwise it will always feel halfhearted, which is something I don’t believe in. If I don’t feel a passion for the subject matter or storyline then I’d rather not be involved.

Favorite authors?

I have so many but I can try to list a brief few here. Dan Brown, Kurt Vonnegut, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason, Randy Pausch, Edgar Allen Poe, and many more.

Book you’re currently reading.

I’m the kind of person that needs to have a million things going on at once to maintain normality, as weird as that seems. Idle time is my version of hell. So I usually read 3 books at a time. Currently those 3 are Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, a music bio called Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance, and one called Forbidden History.

Any type of writing ritual you have?

When I write I like to burn a candle, have any necessary research information that I may need handy, perhaps some atmospheric music in the background and have a comfortable chair. Sometimes I might be without all of the above – as I said before, inspiration strikes at odd moments.

Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how did you get past it? If not, why not?

I can see how certain people may get writer’s block. If I get bogged down on something I’ll take a break and do something else until the next idea hits. I might start writing a new music piece, or work on a painting. I like to always keep active with art of any sort. I feel it keeps my creativity flowing.

What’s the measure of a successful writer?

A successful writer has to have a passion for what he or she is writing about. When you write about things of interest it convinces the reader as well. I think with most forms of art the public can spot a fake, therefore sincerity is, to me, the mark of a great artist in whatever field they choose to express themselves in.

Advice for other writers?

Find what interests you, or something you want to know more about. Keep notes, do your research. Make it an adventure to find your material and then after accumulating your knowledge let it spill out of your mind onto the page.

Where can we learn more about you?

I have a few networking pages:
www.myspace.com/jaylukedesigns
www.myspace.com/jayluke
www.facebook.com/JayLukePage

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’d just like to encourage readers out there to follow your dreams, whatever they may be. They only seem unachievable if you restrict your thinking. Focus on the positive thought and let negative thoughts bounce right off of you. With persistence and determination anything is possible. Never give up.

When Coal Was Queen Review by Coal Region History Chronicles

Coal Region History Chronicles,
July 29, 2009

When Coal Was Queen by Jay Luke
by J. Stuart Richards

For the coal region history buff a new and interesting book is out written by Mr. Jay Luke. It is entitled When Coal Was Queen by Tribute Books. This book tells the story of Olyphant, Pennsylvania - a town that was built upon the anthracite coal industry in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The book is a collection of fascinating stories about the people, the various fire companies, the life and times of the people who worked in and about the mines and especially the coal miners from the area. Also included is a look at some of the interesting and notable personages of the town of Olyphant, Pa. What interested me is the well researched history of coal mining in the region. The author Jay Luke is a musician and artist. He has complied an interesting, well-researched history of Olyphant. Jay is a graduate of Marywood University, and works as a graphic artist. His interests in history and the arts is well represented in this great book.

When Coal Was Queen: The History of the Queen City - Olyphant, Pennsylvania Video Book Trailer

Andrea Nepa Interview with Grown in My Heart - An Adoption Network

Grown in My Heart - An Adoption Network
July 24, 2009

Red In the Flower Bed: a book review
by Michelle McNally

I was recently introduced to the new children’s book, Red in the Flower Bed: An Illustrated Children’s Story about Interracial Adoption, by Andrea Nepa. This gentle, rhyming children’s story tells of a poppy seed who blows out of her original garden in search of a place to bloom and grow. It’s a sweet metaphor for an adoption placement. When reading any story about adoption, I’m alway curious to find out how the author is connected to adoption. I was fortunate enough to find out that a whole lot more when I had the opportunity to ask the author a few questions.

What inspired you to write this story as symbolic, rather than use people?

I chose a flower since it is easy to see how a flower develops from a tiny seed into a beautiful being if it receives good care, and I wanted the story to be fun for a child to read. Mostly I wanted the child to be able to identify with the seed/flower in their own way. For example, if I used an Asian child as the setting for the story, then it would mostly only appeal to Asian children.

The adoption message is clear for the adults reading the story–did you not use the word “adoption” in the story for a reason?

I purposely didn’t use the word adoption so that the child can interpret the story at his/her own pace in a way that they are ready for. A parent reading this story with their child could discuss the theme with their child to see what their understanding of their adoption is and discuss it from there.

When you decided to adopt, how did you come to chose trans-racial adoption?

We were quite open to any child when we first considered adoption, but I think we liked the idea of a foreign adoption so that the birth mother couldn’t change her mind (although a disadvantage has been that we don’t know anything about our daughter’s birth mother). Also, the process of adopting from Vietnam at the time was very quick (only 9 months), and the children are beautiful.

Did you think, at the time, that there would be unique challenges to becoming parents of a child with a different cultural background? Were there fears you had that weren’t realized or did obstacles you didn’t anticipate pop up?

Our adoption agency prepared us for these issues ahead of time, although it wasn’t a surprise to learn about the challenges of raising a child in a multi-racial family. We have always been very open with our daughter about her background and expose her to Vietnamese culture. She is proud of her background and likes to tell people that she is from Vietnam. We know many other families with adopted Asian children, so I don’t think that it seems unusual to her. I grew up with a Jewish father and Catholic mother, so I can relate to growing up in a “mixed” family, which was quite difficult for me. One thing that surprised me was how sad I was for my daughter when we flew her out of Vietnam. I felt like she was being ripped away from her homeland.

As your daughter matures, do you find the challenges of being a multi-racial family change?

Right now my daughter is only 7 1/2 years old, so there will no doubt be issues that arise when she is a teenager. So far it has been hard when she asks questions about her birth family that we don’t know the answer to, and when she sees how similar I look to my mother and twin sister I think she feels left out.

This is a story that can be read again and again, and each time, your child will be able to take a little more away from the story. With illustrations inspired by Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle (two of Nepa’s favorites), it’s bound to become a favorite on the bookshelf.

New Article by Helen Silvestri (pen name Ellen Chaksil)

From the author of With God There Is Hope: Hope for Humanity

JESUS CAME TO CALL US TO LOVE AND PRAY
Have you ever wondered if there could be something "MORE" in that call??

I entered into a personal relationship with God in 1978 and in 1983-1984, it had been revealed to me that, "YES" there is "MORE."

In 1998, the feasibility of the fulfillment of the "MORE" had became known to me.

That year, 1978, was significant in my life: The Holy Spirit led me to personally know God and experience some of the gifts we read about in 1Corinthians 12. I especially want to share about the Gift of Prophecy: In the Church of St. Ubaldo, in Gubbio Italy, I heard my first word: "WHEN THEY ARE THREATHENED WITH THE LOSS OF ALL THIS, ONLY THEN, WILL THEY TURN TO ME." Over the years by way of prayer, scripture, prophecy, supplementary articles, books, etc., that message became clear.

Often coincidentally, some of the above resources would come into my possession thus aiding and abetting clarification.

God revealed that cosmic collision, as had happened innumerable times in the past would once again threaten the Earth, only this time, humanity could be instrumental in either the forestalling or the cessation of this devastation.

In reviewing recorded results of past catastrophes and being alerted to the outcome of possible future occurrences, I doubted that humanity could withstand the devastation brought about by either the Earth turning on its axis, one planet encroaching upon the orbit of Earth, as had happened in the past, or an immense asteroid plummeting into the Earth to disrupt its rotation.------Yet, by way of my writing, inspired by God, I was assured that life on Earth would persist.

In the interim of this surfacing knowledge, while assessing this war torn world, the poverty due to the inequitable sharing of the planet's resources also the existing immoral situations, etc., etc., I wondered why God desired ongoing existence??

The following truth revealed the answer: God created humanity in His image and likeness, and so time, life, is needed for this transformation to occur thus enabling eternal existence.

Here, surfaces exposure into the "MORE," where love is concerned: We are called to love, for in the interim of loving, whether by word, thought or deed, our soul, our spirit, is being transformed as we become "MORE" like Him, in whose image and likeness we are created.

The means for either the forestalling or cessation of the prophesied catastrophe, may be found in the following Scripture passages:

Matthew 17:20 "If your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it would move, nothing would be impossible for you."

Luke 8:24 They come to Him saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing" He awakened, rebuked the wind and the waves subsided and there was calm.

John 14:12 "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I do and will do even greater ones than these because I am going to the Father.

Reflection upon these truths, revealed that, yes, with a depth of faith and God's grace, we humans could participate in this supernatural happening, that of the forestalling or the cessation of annihilation!!

But, I wondered, could the required unification of all God's Children ever happen?

Based on the existing disunity, it appears futile. Yet, common sense dictates; if the Earth' existence and the lives of its inhabitants were threatened and it became known that all of God's own coming together in PRAYER, could reverse this annihilation, yes, it is indeed feasible to believe that unity and continued existence could occur.

Here presents exposure upon the "MORE" where "PRAYER" is concerned.

Hypothetical proof that "PRAYER", collaboration with God, could release the power, the energy, needed to deter disaster has been established: In 1985, while people engaged in prayer, the electroscope (An instrument for detecting the presence of an electric charge.) of Dr. Boguslaw Lipinski (The founder of the Institute for the Scientific Understanding of Spirituality) registered radiation which would have been deadly to those involved, yet, the presons who prayed walked away, unaffected. Upon examination of the facts, the scientist had no recourse but to determine he had registered Spiritual Energy when people congregated in "PRAYER."

CONCLUSION: One day all of God's Children will be called to, TURN TO HIM, and temporarily set aside their religious differences, as they engage in intense, unified, PRAYER to Him, the One True God, their Mutual Father and Creator. While engaged in "LOVE & PRAYER" they will emanate Spiritual Energy, great enough to prevent catastrophe on Earth that existence be enabled until the End Time.

Andrea Nepa Interview with Mormon Mommy Blogs

Mormon Mommy Blogs
July 3, 2009

Red In the Flower Bed
by Jennifer Jackson

Andrea Nepa's new children’s book, Red In the Flower Bed: An Illustrated Children’s Story About Interracial Adoption fills a great void in the canon of books for transracially adopted children. While the body of "books for adopted kids" includes many wonderful books that would be a treasure on any adopted child's shelf, the presence of transracial adoptive themes are noticeably underrepresented. As I read and re-read this book (all the while picking the brain of the author), it was clear that this literary effort was certainly rooted in love.

Red In the Flower Bed tells the story of a small poppy seed and its long journey to a beautiful garden where it doesn't resemble any of the other flowers. As it grows tall and blooms, it learns that our differences are beautiful and needed - and we, the readers, take away the idea that transracial adoptive families are more complete and radiant because of those differences.

The author and her husband adopted their daughter, Leah, from Vietnam more than seven years ago. A registered dietician by trade, Ms. Nepa didn’t consider writing a children’s book until Leah was diagnosed with cancer at age five. In an interview with the blog Road to Ethiopia, the author said, "The idea started when my daughter started asking questions about her adoption, and we didn’t have the answers. One especially sad memory is her at 5 years-old sitting in a hospital bed receiving chemotherapy and asking, 'Does my birth mother know I’m here?'…Her journey as a young infant to the other side of the world and then fighting cancer seemed like a big journey for a little girl."

Though the author clearly intended this book to benefit adopted children - especially her own - it’s obvious that residual benefit resulted. I asked Ms. Nepa how the book-writing process was for her, as an adoptive parent, and she responded, "I think that writing this book has been good for me possibly because it has forced me to see adoption from my child's point of view and it has helped to define how I feel about adoption. More than anything it has allowed me to use my artistic abilities in writing and illustrating that I wouldn't normally use in my career. It has also allowed me to have more contact with other adoptive families."

Those contacts with other adoptive families that have come in the sharing of this book and through their adoption experience have also been of great benefit to the author. When I asked how those interactions have impacted her family, she replied, "We are in close contact with several of the families that we traveled to Vietnam with to adopt, and they feel like a second family to us. The kids call each other 'cousins' and know that they all came from the same orphanage… I think it is important for the kids to see that not all kids look like their parents and that families can be different from other families."

Through simple (but beautiful) illustrations, Ms. Nepa has created a subtle-yet-profound venue in which parents can open an age-appropriate dialogue with their children to answer the inevitable questions of "Why don’t I look like you?" and "How did I come to our family?" and the heartstring-tugging "Didn’t my birth mom love me?" Having a catalyst for those important conversations - in this case, for transracial families - is a valuable tool to create unity and understanding while celebrating the differences.

The idea of a seed and a flower is powerful, yet a concept that even young children can understand. The author said she chose a flower and a seed "because of several reasons: The seed blossomed into another red poppy like its birth mom to represent the fact that a child retains his/her heritage no matter where it lives…When my daughter asks what her birth mom looks like, I say 'She looks like you,' which she loves to hear."

You really can’t place enough value on the books written for kids that are about kids who are just like your kids. And while Red In the Flower Bed was intended for transracial adoptive families, it has great value for adoptive families at-large. As the mother of a Caucasian, adopted child (who is often mistakenly pegged as biological), I found this book to be an asset to our ongoing adoption dialogue - a conversation that grows and matures as our son does. And while "being adopted" is part of our everyday vernacular around these parts - and is as essential to our son's identity as his blue eyes and wide feet and monstrous cowlick - it's always refreshing to know that through such a routine activity as simply reading a book, we can maintain those lines of communication - the goal of which is to ensure our son that he is loved from more directions than he could possibly imagine.

After all, isn't it all about love?

Interview with Sara Dobie, Public Relations Coordinator

Sara Dobie is a Public Relations Coordinator for a publishing house. If you're an author who doesn't self-promote, she will find you and throw tomatoes. Rotten ones. Read more PR advice from Dobie on her blog: http://saradobie.wordpress.com/.

1. How can an author best utilize his/her personal contacts?

First off, organize them into an email group. (Snail mail is so OUT right now. Too expensive, especially when email is free!) Send this contact group emails regarding upcoming events, new releases, and media coverage/interviews you receive. Develop a fan base; start with your nearest and dearest.

Secondly, do you have a friend in the media? Give them a review copy of your book. Do you have a friend who works with educators/media specialists? Give them a review copy of your book. Do you have a friend who just likes TALKING to everyone in your community? Give them a review copy and tell them to blab all over town.

Having said this, in an ideal world, these personal contacts should go buy your book. (Guilt them into it. Don’t feel bad; it’s your job to sell your book.) Tell your personal contacts to go buy your book at a local bookshop. If the book isn’t in stock, have your friends ask the bookstore to order your book. This starts to get you some attention over time. If your book is selling in bookstores, distributors and store buyers take notice, and bookstores will be more apt and enthusiastic to schedule you for events.

2. What is the best way to prepare for a book signing?

Make flyers for the bookstore where your signing will take place. (A good bookstore will help with this, but just in case, do it yourself!) Hang them up yourself if you have to. It’d be awful if your pretty flyer just sat on a dusty desk, as opposed to hanging in the front window.

Tell your local media about it a couple weeks before the event. If you’re good at the public relations side (meaning, if you’re familiar with AP style and know your journalism junk), write a press release and send it to your newspapers, radio stations, magazines, and TV stations. This press release should include info about you, your book, and all event details. If you’re not comfortable with writing a press release, send local media an email. (Their contact info should be on the newspapers/radio/TV website.) Offer to send a review copy of your book as bait. If you don’t hear from them the week of the event, call them. Stop in the station, if you want. Don’t be afraid of the media. They’re just like you and me, and they’re the ones looking for the next big story. You’re doing them a favor by handing them the breaking news.

Make your signing into a party. Offer an activity or writing workshop on the side as a package deal. Make your event a place for people to learn, as well as meet a totally cool writer person. As an addendum to the party idea, plan to have refreshments at your event. Make it a celebration! Make people want to stick around and meet you! Hey, who doesn’t like free food, right?

Always have tons of books. NEVER run out. NEVER! And if the store will let you, sign the remaining books at the conclusion of your signing. People dig copies signed by the author. Plus, it makes you feel like a big shot. Good stuff.

3. How can an author get the most out of his/her blog?

Offer to review the books of other authors. (Get in touch with the author directly or the public relations guy/gal at the book publishing house.) You’ll get free books out of the deal. Then, you’ll be able to give a fellow author press by posting the review on your blog. Maybe someday they’ll review your book, too. (In theory, scratch their back, and they’ll scratch yours.) Then, hold a book giveaway contest. Ask people to post a comment on your blog to be entered into the giveaway. Choose a name at random, and send them the book. Everyone likes free stuff, and it’ll drive traffic to your site.

Post on the Verla Kay Blueboards. It’s simple. Just sign up: http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php. There’s a Message Board just for blogs. Whenever you post something new on your blog, post a synopsis on the Message Board. It’ll get attention and traffic from your fellow author/illustrators. Basically, you’ll be getting traffic from the industry people who matter, and you might learn something from them in the process.

Always post information about your upcoming events—the where, when, what, why, etc. How are people going to come meet you and buy your book if they don’t know how to find you?

Make your “official” info easy to find, as in contact info, bio, and how to order your book. This will be helpful for media people who want to interview you. It will also be helpful for people who want to buy your book, which in turn, is helpful for YOU.

Post your URL on the internet everywhere you touch. Post it on Jacketflap. Post it on Facebook/MySpace. Leave posts on other publishing industry sites so that people can read your comment and follow your link. Keep that URL in your email signature. Business cards. Press releases. Book website. You get the idea. Basically, post that URL EVERYWHERE.

4. How can an author best use Amazon to his/her advantage?

Whenever a friend/family member/reviewer reads your book, have them post a write up on your Amazon page. The more reviews, the better it looks. It’ll make other people think, “Sheesh! I should probably read this book, too!”

5. How can an author handle a spur of the moment phone interview by the press?

Always be ready to sell yourself and your book. ALWAYS. A phone interview by the press is a lot like a job interview. Instead of them offering you a job at the end of the call, though, they’re assessing the saleability of you and your book. You gotta wow them, or their report on you will be drab and uninspired.

In my personal experience, I’ve done some brainstorming. I prepare a list of possible questions that I think the media would ask. Then, I prepare my answers to these questions and practice. Sounds dorky, but it helps. Like the Boy Scouts—always be prepared. If you know yourself/your aspirations well enough, there will never be a spur of the moment phone interview. There will only be amazing, wonderful, and terribly charming interviews with the press.