“Interview with Intriguing Sci-Fi Author and Editor, Margaret Fieland” by Joan Y. Edwards

Thank you very much, Margaret Fieland, for being a guest on my blog today. I know my readers will find you as fascinating as I do.
I appreciate this opportunity to talk about writing.
Let’s get started.

1.  How did you do in English as a kid?
I did all right in English as a kid, but math was my best subject. My dad, however, was always very insistent on proper grammar, and he drummed it into our heads. Every time we made a mistake, he’d  correct us, and he’d repeat the entire rule and the explanation of the error. It drove me nuts at the time, but now I’m very grateful.

2.  When did you decide to become an author?
I didn’t decide to become an author – I fell into it. I’ve written poetry since high school, and in 2005 I wrote a poem I wanted to keep. I ended up storing it, and some others, online. Then I was runner-up in a poetry contest and started participating in some online communities. In one of them I heard of the Muse Online Writers Conference. I “met” Linda Barnett Johnson and joined her writing forums. She required everyone to write fiction as well as poetry. Up until then, I hadn’t written any.
Anyway, I wrote a chapter book, and had to learn enough about fiction to revise it. I ended up taking the Institute of Children’s Literature course. The book was accepted for publication, but it has yet to appear.
In 2010, I decided to write a sci-fi novel for Nano. It and two follow-on novels are now in print with MuseItUp Publishing.

3.  What’s your favorite book? Why?
Alice in Wonderland. I love the whimsy. In college, when I was studying for exams, I’d forego going to the library so I could concentrate on studying. But I’d suffer from book withdrawal and so I’d reread Alice. I also taught myself to wiggle my ears and write backwards.

 4.  What is your favorite genre? Why?
Science fiction. I’ve read it since elementary school. I selected the then-new “Farmer in the Sky” by Robert A. Heinlein for my tenth birthday. I’ve read reams of the stuff. My Nano novel, Relocated, was the first time I’d written any, though.

 5.  Are you an editor? What mistakes do you see most writers make?
Yes, I’m an editor for 4RV Publishing. Comma usage mistakes are the most common, along with misuse of pronouns.

6.  Are your characters based on real people?
No. They’re entirely figments of my imagination.  The only exception is the grandmother in my chapter book, the one that has yet to appear. She’s based on my kids’ grandmother. I do steal names, however. I named the dog in that same book for a deceased friend of mine. I’ve used variations on some of my foreign-born co-workers’ names for aliens in my sci-fi novels.

7.  Do you outline and plan your books before you write them, or do you just begin writing and let your stories flow on their own?
I have a rough outline – a page or two – with the structure outlined. Not much detail. I need to know the beginning, the problem, the end, and some of the high points in between.

 8.  Do you have trouble saying goodbye to your characters when you finish a book?
{grin} Yes. When I wrote the first sci-fi novel, I didn’t plan to write any more, but the characters refused to leave me alone, and so now I’ve got three published and am working on a fourth.

 9.  How do you know when your manuscript is ready for submission?
After I’ve revised it, edited it, and passed it by a beta reader or two.  But I’m not always right. The novel that became Broken Bonds underwent three major revisions. I passed one of them by a beta reader, convinced it was almost ready to submit, but she convinced me that I was telling the wrong story. So I threw out that version, and a sketchy second version, and started from scratch.

Margaret, thank you for sharing information about your writing success. It is fascinating how your characters roped you into writing more books. I hope that you have many more books published in the near future. I am very proud of you.
Here’s more information about Margaret:

Brief Bio:
Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life.  She is an avid science fiction fan, and selected Robert A. Heinlein’s “Farmer in the Sky” for her tenth birthday, now long past. In spite of making her living as a computer software engineer, she turned to one of her sons to format the first version of her website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. Her poems appear in journals, such as Melusine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved.

Margaret’s Publications:
Relocated, Broken Bonds, and Geek Games:

 

Flash piece by Margaret, recently published: http://postcardpoemsandprose.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/back-of-the-stacks-by-margaret-fieland/

Margaret on the Web
Website: https://margaretfieland.wordpress.com/author/madcapmaggie/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/margaret.fieland

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/madcapmaggie

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417476.Margaret_Fieland
Linked-In: http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_tab_home
Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/margaretfieland/

Thank you for reading all about Margaret here. Ask her a question, if you like. Leave her a message in the comment area. She’d love to hear from you.

Never Give Up

Joan Y. Edwards, Author

Copyright 2014Joan Y. Edwards