Blog Tour: Day 4, splashing with Joanne

Today I get to be a proud mum, because Joanne Faries is asking me about my kids.

I'm going to be a but slow replying today, however, because I'm meeting a friend for a hot chocolate - which always turns into at least two, and then some shopping as well.

When I get home, England will playing in Euro2016, against Wales, which will probably end up being a very nervy and nail-biting game.

And here's a picture of hot chocolate, and Artoo, who seems to enjoy hanging out with my blogging buddies now!

And now for something completely different... Poetry!

Next up on my guest list is Joanne Faries. Joanne is a great blogging friend, who has supported me since Cat and The Dreamer was a mere kitten, so when I noticed she was publishing three collections of poetry with a whisper, I thought I should shout about them for her!!

Amazon US and UK

Amazon US and UK

No memorization required!!!  No hidden meanings.

Amazon US and UK

Follow the links under each title to take you directly to the Amazon page of your choice.

Welcome to my blog, Joanne. I'll admit it straight away, I'm a little out of my depth when it comes to poetry... Tell me a bit about the collections you've just published? 

Thanks, Annalisa, for having me and I'm out of my depth on poetry too. It's the last thing I expected to write. However, I met Sheryl Nelms through Trinity Writers' Workshop.  Her poems were funny and I understood them. I could express myself with poetry, and actually my first publishing successes in on-line journals were poems. Now over five years later, I chose to compile my work and certain themes sorted out - nature/childhood nostalgia/emotion. I decided to keep my Wordsplash title and call these Poetry Puddle. I hope folks splash through the collections and come away thinking, "Huh, I like poetry. Who knew?"

Yes, your blog is called Word Splash and your collection of flash fiction is called Word Splash Flash. I read and loved your flash fiction, so I'm looking forward to reading these collections. Do you prefer writing prose or poetry?

Thanks. The words flow into prose or poetry depending on how the picture takes shape. Some tales need dialogue and become flash. Some teensy thought just needs word brush strokes to become a poem (and they can have a small plot or a character - read Brush Your Teeth in Hazy Memory. It conveys astonishment at my Nana's false teeth)

How do your ideas form themselves into finished poems? I've read thousands of fiction writers' methodologies, is poetry similar? 

I hear a phrase or drive in fog or sit on my patio in Texas having heat stroke - there are a few "hot" poems in Nature.  In Hazy Memory - I reflected on times at the beach or with my grandmother. I had a happy childhood, so these poems are joyful gauzy memories. In Tread Water - I tap some deeper emotions. I have one about communication. It evolved from watching folks dining out and not talking. Everyone was staring at a cellphone.

Have you ever started writing a poem and found it turned itself into a piece of flash fiction? 

Absolutely and vice versa. I'll write a flash and decide I like some phrasing or image, and turn it into a poem. It's funny - I have trouble writing full blown fiction. Maybe it's my business background, but I was great at writing terse memos. Now, the few novels I've attempted - I find them too talkie. I can't seem to expand. I remove extraneous verbiage, and use a thesaurus, etc to choose the absolute right word. I also like the letter "S" - I definitely use a lot of slithery, slippery, skedaddle words.  

Do you float around meadows staring at the clouds like Wordsworth? (Yes, my vision of poets is very romantic!)

In Texas, you float in the pool. Splish, splash.

What question are you dying to be asked that no one has ever asked you?

Which poem has been rejected the most, but you love it anyway? Answer - Hardy Garden and yes it is in the Nature book.

Final thoughts: 

I will say - don't be afraid of poetry. I hope my poems demonstrate that and just make folks happy or nod their heads in agreement at the moment I captured. I haven't studied meter or anything fancy and I don't pretend to think I'm Maya Angelou or Mary Oliver. I try to space the words on the page as needed and sometimes the whitespace adds dimension to the poem story. Sound is important - the words need to clunk, clink, kerplop - they add action and can heighten tension.

I used the word shlop in one of my stories  - I love words like that! Thanks for visiting my blog today, and good luck with your collections.

Joanne Faries

Friday interview with Joanne Faries

Today, Joanne Faries has popped over to be bombarded with questions. I met Joanne during the A-Z Challenge where she blogged about a wide variety of things, including Guns N Roses, jellyfish and opium!

Welcome to my blog, Joanne... I hope you're ready... 

 

What’s the best thing about being a writer? 

Saying, "I'm a writer" without stammering over the words, and having a book (My Zoo World) to prove it.

And the worst?   
Rejection is still difficult at times, especially when I think a piece was perfect for a publication. I sent them my little gem, and they tossed it in the trash. But I do re-polish and send out again.

What’s your writing routine like? Do you have one?  
I have no routine. Just when I think I'll have a writing day, plans change. I do try to jot down thoughts at any time to spur me on when I do plop in front of the computer.  

What are you working on at the moment?  
I have several poems in various stages of disarray. I'm also working on a new collection of humorous essays - tentative title is Athletic Antics. 

Why do you write?   
I like to make people laugh, and enjoy the word play.  

What inspires you?   
Nature for poetry. Peoples' stories and real life situations for fiction. I expand and exaggerate from teensy actions. My co-workers are a constant source of crazy.

Do you have a day job?  
I'm a documentation specialist for an aerospace testing lab, and work 3-4 days a week. We test processes, and as my boss says, "Get to break things, rust things, and test boundaries." 

Why did you start blogging?  
In theory, to promote my "platform" and all of that "What you should do to be successful stuff."  I'm lousy at promotion, butI found I enjoyed the blog for myself, I try to keep it steered toward writing, and often it's a warm-up exercise. 

Has it helped or hindered your writing?   
I'm fortunate that I don't have to make a living at writing. That pressure stressed and sucked the life out of creative aspects.  The blog is an outlet. I also write a movie review column for the sheer joy of writing - it combines my love of movies and of putting pen to paper. My husband's aunt distributes The Little Paper of San Saba and I contribute whenever and whatever I want. It's a town without a cinema, so readers are at my mercy. I review blockbusters, artsy flicks, and I feature What's in Your Queue? Those are my Netflix choices - fave recommendation right now is Portlandia. 

Thanks so much for being here today, Joanne.
Thanks for having me. I enjoyed meeting you through the A-to-Z Challenge.

Joanne blogs at Word Splash

You can find her book - My Zoo World - on Amazon here!


My Zoo World is a humorous memoir of animal encounters with a twist. Among published animal tales, very few are skewed with a touch of fear and laughter on every page. Unlike books written by pet-loving authors, these chapters introduce the reader to a manic menagerie of animals: a snapping Shetland pony, a bowling ball playing pit bull, and a terrified turtle that tolerates distress. Meet Benji, the cat, Muff, the dog, and more. Friends are convinced they can overcome Joanne’s concerns with their precious pets. Join them and root for the animals as you read My Zoo World.