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Gina's Interview Series: Famous People From Around the World
January 2012
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Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:48 AM
 Nancy Kaiser is an Animal Communicator, author and freelance writer. In her first book, she draws on extensive experience to share her personal journey and anecdotes about the animals she has encountered along the way. The result is a spiritually uplifting book that inspires all who truly care about animals or are drawn to the world of interspecies communication.
Where are you located?
I was born and raised in New Jersey, USA. My husband and I had an equine hospital
and breeding farm in central New Jersey for 27 years. He retired in 2004, and
we moved to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the High Country. I
live in Todd, which is just north of Boone with my two Labradors and a Swedish
Warmblood horse.
Tell me about your writing and your book releases....
My husband walked out six weeks into construction of our retirement home. We
separated and divorced in January 2005. I began writing a personal journal
about a year later to understand how and why I was alone and 600 miles from
everyone I knew without a home or a job. At the urging of friends who felt my
writing could help others faced with traumatic life challenges, I turned my journal
into my first book, Letting Go: An Ordinary Woman’s Extraordinary Journey of
Healing & Transformation, which was published in June 2008. I released the
book I’d always intended to write, Tales of an Animal Communicator ~ Master
Teachers, in October 2011. This is the first of a series and shares the stories
of the filly foal who taught me I was meant to be an animal communicator and
healer and my personal animals.
Where do you like to write?
I write in my office looking out at the woods that surround my home.
Do you write every day?
If I’m working on a book then I write daily if my communication and healing
work allows me to. When I’m not working on a book then no, I don’t write daily.
I write according to deadlines for articles I’m submitting, and my monthly
column for Stable Woman Gazette - Horse Tales & Teachers.
How do you maintain ideas and thoughts?
I write what I live, so I access my memories. For me, writing is akin to
channeling. My soul guides what needs to be expressed and shared. Of course,
once it’s on the computer screen then my left brain does any editing and
organizing that’s necessary.
Who is your niche market?
For Letting Go, my market is anyone that is struggling to learn and grown from
significant life challenges; unexpected losses due to divorce or death. It will
help those who want to learn from and release the pain of their trauma as
easily and quickly as possible. The market for Tales is anyone who loves
animals. I’m confident that Tales will broaden people’s perspective on the
significance of their animals in their life while helping them develop more
meaningful relationships with not only their animals, but all animals.
Do you have a favorite author(s)? Why?
I really don’t have one favorite author. I chose books based on topic rather
than author. I read mostly non-fiction, but anxiously awaited each new
installment of Harry Potter. I have an extremely eclectic book collection.
What are your writing goals for future endeavors?
My next book, Tales of an Animal Communicator ~ Being A Clear Voice, will share
the lessons taught by my clients’ animals. I know it will be created in perfect
timing, perhaps 2013. For now, I’m focused on promoting the first in this
series, so that the amazing lives and lessons of the animals that have made me
the woman I am will be enjoyed by as many animal-lovers as possible. These
remarkable souls have waited a long time for me to share their stories and I
feel a responsibility to them. I want to be sure Tales finds all those
interested in enriching their relationships with animals.
Do you have suggestions for newbie writers?
Write for the “right” reasons for you. Write from your heart. Publish to
contribute something of value to others not just to earn money. Surround
yourself with professionals that respect your opinion regardless of your
inexperience. Be open to constructive criticism and be willing to explore new
possibilities and options. Remain true to your purpose and know that your heart
knows best. Even if you never publish, the act of writing alone may be all you
need. Writing healed me; publishing didn’t. But, know that the first time you
hold your own book is magical and enormously satisfying. Each time you hear how
your words have helped another, your heart warms and you smile. Those are the
moments you’ll remember long after any money you’ve earned is spent.
Excerpt from Tales of an Animal Communicator: Master Teachers
I
asked Bob what happened. What did they do to Love? Bob confessed they’d kind of
forced and manhandled her, i.e., disrespected her. They’d tried to carry her.
“Well, no wonder! Love needs to do it herself,” I declared. The breadth of her
emotions continually amazed me. Love wanted so desperately to be independent.
It broke my heart to know she never would be, but I couldn’t let her sense that
from me. I’d learned early on how much she picked up from those around her. I
wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
I
continued to encourage Love to be patient while I applied healing energy and
waited for the stronger cart to arrive. Again, I don’t think I can stay much longer. Is your mission done? No, not really. Didn’t you come to teach me? Yes. Have I learned all
I should? No. Did you come to teach others? Yes. Boots, Bob, Kathy, the other communicator,
and my chiropractor. Have they
learned everything? No. Could you please be patient with people and stay
to help us? I’m trying, but I’m so
sad and tired. I don’t know if I can make it. If I can’t get outside, I don’t
want to live within four walls, no matter what. I spent longer than usual, flooding Love with
healing energy, trying to heal her emotional state as well as her imperfect
body.
Boots
called to say the filly seemed really alert, happy, and energized –
very different from the last week or so. She said Love was lying down just like
a normal foal would, with all four legs tucked underneath her. This was a
momentous first. I asked Love what had changed. Excitedly, she confessed, I can feel things in both my hind legs that I’ve
never felt before. My bad leg doesn’t bother me, because I know where it is now. Is it painful? No, it’s just sensations. The
new cart still wasn’t ready, so we went over with Bob’s cart. I sensed Love’s
excitement. Bob wanted me to handle her head, because he knew I’d let Love do
whatever she wanted to. This was her deal. We’re just there to support her. My
promise had been kept as I helped her outside. She was amazing – flying
as fast as she could to the grass to graze. I was ecstatic to finally see her
out of her stall.
We
headed back in when Bob felt she’d done enough. Love cantered back in, breaking
another wheel and bending the cart. She did it on her own. She had an amazingly
strong will and endless determination. I was so proud of her, and of us. Bob
said she was the most alert he’d seen her, with a very normal head and neck
carriage; all were encouraging observations. She stayed up for quite a while –
meaning she wasn’t too tired. I, on the other hand, was exhausted from her
Herculean effort.
Her
short time out had her sweating and breathing like she’d run five miles. I told
her I was appalled at how hard she had to work. I don’t mind. It’s my turn to work. You’ve been
doing all the work ’til now. As I
talked with her, I felt a buzz down both of my legs that I interpreted as the
new sensations Love was feeling. I thought I’d be happier seeing her outside,
but knowing how many people she had to rely on was disheartening. She’d never
be truly independent, which I knew was so crucial to her. We were so much
alike, this remarkable filly and I.
The
next day, Love was exhilarated when I asked how her muscles felt after all her
exertion. They’re a little stiff,
but that’s okay. Being outside makes my lungs expand, which feels good. I told her the new cart was finally ready. I know it’s outside my stall. I told her we’d be out the next afternoon. I’m
sure it will take some adjustments. Please be patient. Hurry.
The
stronger cart was donated by the generous builder. Love attracted the most
wonderful people to her and brought out the best in everyone. The cart
supported her weight and had wheels that swiveled. She galloped out, calling to
the other horses. She seemed so proud of herself.
Later,
I asked what she was screaming at the other horses. When I told them you were going to fix me so I
could go out, they told me people wouldn’t if it was too hard. I wanted to show
them they were wrong about people.
The older horses’ low opinion of people broke my heart, but I certainly
understood it. I asked how she felt. Did anything hurt? I don’t really know how I feel. I’m enjoying it so
much. I don’t focus on anything negative. Smart gal. Do you feel your hind legs? Not much, just a little. I use my hips to move
them when I’m going fast enough. That’s why I go fast.
We
got Love out again the following day. She was elated, moving fast and
attempting to buck and play just like any four-month-old foal. She almost got
away from me. I was leaving for a weekend workshop at the Omega Institute in
Rhinebeck, New York, the next morning. She’d be without my help the next few
days. I’m not sure who was happier about her adventures outside, Love
or me. No doubt Love, because I knew this was the best we could give her, while
she had no expectation for her future. Animals know nothing of future. For Love,
now was all she knew – an important lesson we humans
could learn from our animal brothers and sisters.
Follow Nancy
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Posted on Friday, January 27, 2012 10:14 PM
Welcome Marla!
 From Orangevale, California, USA, Marla is an art director/illustrator/designer, writing ad copy and marketing material, as well as an accomplished writer - Marla has six novels up her sleeve! Girl in the Woods is in the works, an epic fantasy romance adventure, to be released soon! Marla likes to write alongside her cat 'Oscar'. She is an avid photographer as well, and loves to take photos of her lovely daughter, Charlotte.
Marla and I are in the Wolfpack Writing Group, a daily symposium of phenomenal writers. We share accomplishments, challenges, artistic endeavors, and more! So happy you are here, Marla....a howl for the pack!
Tell me about yourself....
I draw. I paint. I cut intricate things out of paper. It is what I do and who I am. I tell jokes and it doesn’t take much to make me laugh. I live for art and keeping life creative. I write stories of adventure. I read about 5 books a month (mostly fiction). I figure out the history and stories of historical artifacts. I love anything to do with costume, and history and art and adventure and good wine. I love to walks by the river, road trips, visits to the frog pond and watching the stars. I collect old photographs from the 1840’s – 80’s. I also collect old friends and new, because like the antique artifacts, they all have wonderful stories and bring beauty and joy.
What is your inspiration for writing?
 It’s a lot cheaper than therapy and a lot more fun. When I write I keep a sense of my own personal self. I've always worked for others doing design work or writing, but my own writing, my
fiction and essays are my own. I don’t share any of my own art or writing with
anyone in my “professional” life as an art director/designer. It is my secret
life.
What keeps me writing is that it is entertainment for
myself, then for others. It is fun. My dad always told us stories he’d just make up off the top
of his head. He was always a great science fiction and fantasy reader as well.
We’d spend a lot of time discussing books and speculating on time travel and
sharing stories. Story telling was part of my life from the start.
I started out years ago writing plays, poetry and essays. I
had several essays published, plays produced and read one of my bits on NPR.
Now I’m writing novels and short stories. Writing about relationships and
characters and dialog is great. Start with a great cast of characters and then
the plot will evolve around them.
Until about 8 years ago I’d more or less stopped writing
seriously. There were too many emotional roadblocks. Everything I wrote was
serious and not even fun for me. I became one of those brooding gloomy writers.
I appreciate good gloom, but I’m just not good at it.
Writing started again when I wrote a story sort of as a joke
for a friend. Eight years later that turned into 700 pages and a sequel. A lot
of old ideas came to the surface as well as new stories and books. I started to
have fun again. I brought the humor and light back into my writing.
A big inspiration is the people in my life. My husband Steve
Kings and daughter Charlotte, my mom, my friends – especially Becky Miller who
has pushed and pushed me over the years, both of my Kims, and of course my dear
dear amazing creative writer friends in the Wolfpack [a writer's symposium] who have been such an
inspiration and kept me going on those dark and stormy nights. I’ve never
had so many people cheer me on and encourage me. And this time there is no
negativity or pushing. This is my time as a writer – there are no limits this
time.
Another inspiration is photography and art. I collect 19th century
photography. I’m always looking for faces of my characters in old images, or
photos with a story behind them. I’ll do the same with art – my own or the art
of others.
How do you collect ideas?
Collect is a great term for ideas! I have no idea how I
collect ideas. I’ve found that anything and everything can spark the idea for a
story. I’ll drive down the road and see a roadside memorial at an accident
scene then think it would make a great story about some kids who put up fake
memorials, then that thought moves on to something else and by the time I’m
done I might be writing a science fiction story from the Civil War.
I also get ideas from my own life, the stories of others and
history. I don’t write historic fiction but I’m inspired by it.
Do you have a favorite place for writing?
I write in my head on walks. I used to listen to audio books
but now I play my own stories and work out characters, dialogue and plots. Then
I key it in.
My computer is by a fish tank so I hear the sound of the
water, sort of like a calming fountain. Or I like to take the laptop outside
when the weather is nice.
Any suggestions for novice writers?
Have
the proper tools ready and available at all times (a computer that works,
perfect fountain pen, a notebook in your car or purse for ideas, sharpened
pencils).
Write
all the time – in the computer, on paper, in your head.
Don’t
worry about what others think right now – just write.
Hone
your craft. Learn to use the words, like you’d learn about cooking or fine
wine. Savor it.
Don’t
be too into yourself – look at others and the world around you for inspiration.
It will open up your eyes.
READ
– the more I read the more I write. Be it a National Geographic magazine, a
historic novel, science fiction, murder mystery, and styles and genera I would
NEVER write, it doesn't matter – the more you read the more you’ll write. It is
yoga for your brain.
Most
of all – suffering for your art is not a requirement and I don’t recommend it.
Have fun. You don’t HAVE to be serious. Yes, serious about your writing but not
about your subject matter. HAVE FUN.
What are you currently writing?
Six novels and several short stories.
Family Tree (working title): A novel about a girl named Liz,
who runs from an abusive husband into the arms of a serial killer, then escapes
to find a new face, a lot of money, a new life and a group of eccentric friends
who have secrets of their own. In the meantime her ex-husband becomes more
famous by the day building a career on her disappearance.
Misplaced Souls: A ghost story/novel. Sort of a New Wave
Ghost and Mrs. Muir murder mystery romance.
I have several others in the work as well including a book
based on camping trips I used to take once a month with girlfriends when I was
in my 20’s (rain or shine).
A few short romantic stories are also in the works.
What are your future plans as an artist and a writer?
To keep writing. I have pages and books of funny graphic
novel sort of things I used to play around with. I’d like to complete one.
Who is your favorite author? Why?
I love to read. I go nuts if I don’t have a book or two going. A few of
my favorites are, of course Mark Twain, John Sanford (Prey series) is at
the top of the list. Nelson De Mille, Matthew Pearl, Martha Grimes, Tana
French, Douglas Adams, to name a few. I also have a few guilty pleasures
– writers that I won’t admit reading to most people. There are so many
good authors writing now. The authors I like the most are those with great
characters I can relate to or at least find interesting, good dialogue and a
bit of humor and/or romance thrown in.
My feeling is a good writer can put a character in any
situation and run with it.
Do you have a favorite quote that sums up who you are as an
artist and a writer?
“Ignorant people think it's the noise which fighting
cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it's the sickening grammar they
use.” Mark Twain A Tramp Abroad
“I may not have gone where I intended to go but I think I
have ended up where I needed to be.” Douglas Adams
Girl in the Woods- Prologue
 Alexander Byron a Prince of the Northwestern Kingdom is told that he must marry a Real Princess. Having been engaged three times already to Real Princesses he is ready to give up when Princess Candi shows up. But Candi isn't all she seems to be. On an attempt to get away from the pressures of it all Alex goes on a diplomatic mission where he meets Olivia Snowhawk, a child of war and wizardry, and the President of the powerful mulit-national corporation Universal Technologies International. She is anything BUT a perfect princess. Olivia is a woman of frightening mysteries and secrets unlike anything he could ever imagine. In a world where technology and wizardry are both common facts of everyday life the pair figure out what it really means to love heart and soul.
Excerpt from Night at the Crest by Marla Todd
Chapter 1 ..... He loved the drive through the rolling oak forested hills. He spent every weekend he could with his cousin Ruth. But this weekend might be rough. He was going to ask his family about his latest job offer. This was his dream job. He’d all but signed the contract. Everyone would be there to give him their own jaded opinions. Most wouldn’t be too thrilled.
He looked over at beautiful golden Lorna dozing in the seat next to him. She was his older sister, his mentor, the one who kept him grounded. He imagined her with a halo and beautiful wings spread out in shining glory. Then he wondered if she was sleeping with her new best friend, a plastic surgeon named, Dennis O’Brian. Denny, as she called the man was nice enough, but suddenly Jonathan felt like he wanted to beat the crap out of the guy if he ever touched Lorna. Then he’d torture him and flay off his skin leaving him a quivering mass of, well, whatever. He had to stop being so protective of his sisters.
Jonathan’s mind skipped back Dallas Andrews. He felt sick to his stomach. It had been unpleasant business, but somebody had to do it. After all it wasn’t easy being angel.
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Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 2:16 PM
 Welcome Joan! Joan is an Animal Communicator and author of Communication with all Life, Revelations of an Animal Communicator (Hay House). She is the founder of Communication with all Life University. Through private sessions, workshops, teleseminars and speaking events, Joan facilitates a deepening of the human/animal connection. Joan was chosen by MSN as one of the “Top 25 People Who Do What They Love” and has been featured on Dateline, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Animal Planet to name a few. Her healing CD, Animal Alchemy Energy Work for Animals and Their Humans, will be out in 2012, along with her newest book, Energy Healing for Animals.
Where are you located?
I grew up outside the Seattle, Washington, USA, area in an place that was
once rural and is now quite suburban! I look at people’s homes now and
remember ripping through what is now their living room at about 35 mph bareback
on my horse - Honeyhorse!
Tell me about your writing and your book releases....
 My first book is Communication with all Life,
Revelations of an Animal Communicator, published by Hay House. I should
really back up and tell the whole story at this point. When I was seven years old I
wrote plays to perform with the neighbors, the proceeds were to go to buying a
horse. Thankfully that year I won a horse and the world was spared my bad
singing. I always kept a diary, then a journal. I wrote poems, short
stories, and plays in college (I was a theatre major). One of my plays was in my college's Literary Magazine Harbinger; all the other [plays] were produced. I wrote
performance pieces in New York City and Los Angeles. I won Critics Choice at the Edinburgh
Theatre Fringe Festival for a play that I co-wrote, co-performed and co-produced
called “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World, a Two Woman Show”, with Karen
Loftus. I then wrote screenplays and in 1996, when I had an about-face
turn of careers, I became an animal communicator. I started writing about my
experiences. I knew Hay House would publish my first Animal Communication
book and I wrote that on a post-it-note in 1998. They finally found me
about six years later and published my first book. My new book will be
out in 2012 called Energy Healing for Animals, Techniques to Enhance the
Health, Longevity and Wellness of the Animals We Love, published by Sounds
True.
Where do you like to write?
I love to write in my office which has a view right
into the pasture where my horses are. Across the pasture the ravens have
a big nest and are always up to something., and I watch other wildlife
float through.
Do you write everyday?
In a perfect world, yes. Sometimes that doesn’t look as
romantic as writing great philosophical pieces or poems about the
animals. . . . . sometimes writing is reminding a client to keep the hope
up in an e-mail or thanking someone for a profound experience. I like to
write in my journal if I haven’t carved out time to write or rewrite a current
piece. Thankfully when you do write everyday – it isn’t something you
have to stop and think about.
How do you maintain ideas and thoughts? I keep a journal for starters. A lot of ideas
get flushed out in that. If I’m driving, I’ll write on a bank statement
if I have to something like “forgiveness piece, Michael Vick’s dogs….” And then
thankfully, I have an excellent memory for the imagery I created in the
daydream. I also have notes in computers for each months
newsletter. So I already have next months and the following months
newsletter etched out for my clients and readers. Where my memory fails
me sometimes is what [file name] I’ve saved my brilliant idea under in the
computer!!!!! So I have learned to keep a list of ideas.
What/who is your niche market?
While on the one hand my market is anyone with an
animal, I have a couple of niche markets. One is anyone with an animal –
I have something helpful to say about creating connection whether you believe
in Animal Communication or not. After 16 years of being an Animal Communicator,
I have 16 years worth of working with behavior and wellness, so I have a lot to
offer anyone with an animal. Anyone with an animal with a challenge is
definitely my niche market!! I have a healing background – so people
interested in alternative health. I also have had a lot of high level
competitors as clients –horses in the Olympics, dogs at Westminster and of
course I love helping the kid in 4-H that wants a better connection with their
barrel racing partner. I love to get the horse and rider or the dog and
handler truly connected on the same page and moving forward as one in
competition. And in general – my goal is always household or barnyard
harmony!! Do you have a favorite author(s)? Why?
As an Actress and writer in the theater, I love
Chekhov, Gurney, Tennessee Williams, William Inge to name a few. And of
animal books – J. Allen Boone – Kinship with all Life (he was a screenwriter
and basically an animal communicator of the 1950’s – 1960’s. Machelle
Small Wright – Behaving as if the God in All Life Matters – I love this because
she had so much trauma in her life and really turned it around for a spiritual
relationship with animals. I love books like Seabiscuit, Laura
Hillenbrand did an amazing job of recalling the period in history and why the
world needed a horse like Seabiscuit. Healing books – my favorite is
still Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss – I was lucky enough to study with
her for a few years about 13 years ago. My favorite Spiritual book is
Living Buddha, Living Christ by Tich Nhat Hanh. Authors of novels range
from the Brontes to Salinger.
What are your writing goals for future endeavors?
I have 2 or 3 books in general I want to write, and
two documentaries I want to write and direct. I have some self-published healing CD/workbooks coming out immediately and hopefully a DVD!! I also
blog – not regularly enough – partly because I’m currently in a rewrite for the
new book.
Do you have suggestions for newbie writers?
Just keep writing, edit later. Get it down on
paper, you can always make it pretty later!! Try to write everyday – that
way it isn’t something that becomes overwhelming so you just don’t do it.
Find a quiet time in the day to connect with yourself and write. Also, if
you are a horse or animal person, have some outings each day – sometimes your
best material comes on a dog walk or grooming a horse!!
An excerpt from Communication with all Life, Revelations of
an Animal Communicator published by Hay House.
From the Chapter: Setting the Tone Thoughts, Memories, and Deep-Seated Belief Systems
"So many times horse trainers tell you 'This is too
much horse for you'. As long as your safety isn’t jeopardized, rather than look
for another horse, look for a different trainer. Dog trainers may say, 'Oh,
you’re never going to accomplish this'. Get a different trainer. Get a trainer
that supports your belief system: you have a right to love and to dream big. Cindy called me because her
horse just wasn’t cutting it. She had a barn full of great barrel racers and
she had convinced herself that this one horse just didn’t want to do it. He
liked barrel racing, he told me, but I got a sense he was truly a late bloomer.
Work was fun, but why did he have to do it all of the time? He was naturally talented, so
if she could just take her mind out of it and make it more fun, this would be a
breeze for him. She had a tough time getting her mind out of it as many of the
horses followed her mental track. Because she had a knack for finding
competitive horses that loved this sport, she had a lot at stake. Yet this one
horse was providing her with a sense of failure so strong that she couldn’t get
her belief out of the way that this horse could not do it. So she’d get out
there with him and he’d fulfill that negative prophecy. When we had our session, we
talked a lot about her belief system about him and that she had to get her mind
out of the way. So the next barrel race, she spent her time in the warmup ring
and even in the box saying out loud: 'La, la, la, la, la, la….' Like a little
kid, reminding her mind that she couldn’t hear it. They had their best time
ever!"
Connect with Joan
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Posted on Monday, January 23, 2012 4:22 PM
 Michael Forester is Chief Executive Officer of Equi-Earth, a
division of New World Equine, an aspiring company pursuing excellence in equine
care as well as state-of-the-art global equine acquisitions. Currently surrounded by Arabian horses, Michael is
an all-around equestrian. He is also involved
in networking kids with horses, an honorable vocation….
Where do you live?
I am originally from Western Wisconsin, USA, just across the
State border from Minneapolis / St. Paul, Minnesota. My official
current residence is Las Vegas Nevada. I am currently looking for farms
in both California and Kentucky.
When did you meet your first horse?
Before I could walk. I was introduced to horses through a local friend / local who had horses and
showed them in parade with his authentic stagecoach, which is currently in
a museum.
How long have you been an equestrian?
I have had and worked with horses since I was 9 years old. I currently represent top quality Arabian horses all over
the world. I am putting together a new way to market Arabian horses
that will be a game changer, reduce the cost of both selling as well as searching
for purchases of Arabian horses (other breeds
to eventually follow), the best part is that it would add, not subtract
from, what others are already doing ... I am also putting together a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) to
purchase LARGE equine related proprieties. I am talking about more than
just a farm, taking advantage of the opportunities in the market with respect to value of
acquisition which could pay for the acquisition in
double quick time.
Who is your favorite horse trainer/method?
I have many that I like Bob Battaglia, a true horse-person's
horseman; Shelia Varian, even though she does not show any more I
love the way she never forgets that you need to make room for a horse to be a
horse and that includes all of the champions she has bred throughout the
decades; Michael Byatt, for the horseman he has become as well as an ambassador
around the world that he is for the breed; Jay Allen, for the
thoroughness in the job that he does in preparing a horse along with what
he has done as the president of the Arabian Horse Association of Arizona.
I think Jeff & Jerry Schall do a good job, as
well as Sandro Pinha. Jenna Ball is
someone people should consider as she is an up-in-comer in
the industry (and I can certainly vouch for her family’s
character personally)... so many more...
 What is your favorite horse breed? Why?
The Arabian horse, for it's
beauty, purity of blood, it's soulfulness that you can
see in the eyes. They raise your spirits, inspire your creativity, and they
help people raise their children, making them responsible for an
animal they respect and helps them to create a positive identity for themselves in
the show ring.
Do you spend long hours in the horse barn?
Yes, I am helping a friend take care of
35 Straight Egyptian (Al Khamsa) Arabians, plus one Polish bred
Arabian. They were severely neglected for ten months. They are all healthy now with some of
them selling half way around the world.
Do you have a favorite horse quotation?
“For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe
the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the king was lost; for the lack of
a king the battle was lost; for the battle being lost the kingdom was lost and
all for the want of a nail.”
What are your future goals as an equestrian and horse-lover? - The REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust)
- The Charity (working with kids and horses).
- Connect buyers and sellers in a way never
thought of before.
- Buy, sell, breed and show some of the finest
horses in the world.
What advice do you have for those who would like to own a horse?
- Buy or breed for what you like not what is the
flavor of the month. Quality is always in fashion and fads are 15
minutes away from being 5 minutes ago.
- Buy the best mare/mares you can find; the foal
is at least 60% of the mare, and invest in old bloodlines.
- Remember that no matter how much you pay for the
horse, the purchase will be the cheapest part of ownership, so the purchase
price should not be the primary limiting factor.
- Have a plan for each horse (show horse, sale
horse, broodmare, etc.)
- Set a limit to how many horses you can handle - in expenses, time and attention. Don't buy more until you have sold one
or more. Stay under your limit; if more people did this the market would be much healthier for all breeds.
- If it were to ever come down to feeding the
horse or yourself, the horse eats first, or you should not own.
- Make time for your horse to be a horse, and not
just work to a stall and back again (necessary if you want
to maintain the horse’s mental health).
- Most of all, own them because you like what we
have in the breed, not because you think you can make a profit, or as a tax shelter.
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Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 11:00 AM
 Welcome Deborah!
Following her dreams of becoming an author, Deborah writes about her relationship with her cats as inspiration for her first book. Currently residing in South Florida, USA, Deborah talks about her book, writing methods and cats.... Where do you live?
I was born in Lansing, Michigan and have moved about two dozen times in my life. I currently reside in the paradise of South Florida
with my fiancé, Dan, and my seven beloved cats.
Tell me about your writing and your book releases....  For as long as I can remember, I have been a writer, but it
was not until the completion of my first book in October of 2011, The
Chronicles of Zee & Zoey – A Journey of the Extraordinarily Ordinary, that
I could claim I was an author. My writing began in typical fashion – scribbling
with lipstick on the bathroom mirror as a toddler that elevated to a career as
an Executive Assistant for over twenty-five years. It was after two
life-changing and unexpected events in my late forties, that I found the personal
strength and courage to follow my dream of actually writing a book – one was a
surprise of nature – Zee, my lovable male Maine Coon cat, and Zoey, my
high-spirited female Bengal cat fell madly in love and subsequently had a
litter of kittens together. The other event was less joyful, I was unexpectedly
laid off and went through a very difficult time dealing with the unemployment.
Through the lessons learned from my cats, I found the strength and creativity I
needed to write a story about how powerful the feline-human bond is and how
integral my cats were to my road to personal healing. My current writing
revolves primarily around my Blog, Zee & Zoey's Chronicle Connection, that
is a collection of beautiful photos, artwork, and heartfelt true stories about
myself and my life with my cats.
Where do you like to write?
I like to do my
structured writing at the computer, but the majority of my writing occurs at
any hour of the day or night when a thought or concept comes to my mind.
Do you write everyday?
Absolutely. Because I
maintain a blog and am looking to branch out into article writing and another
book, I find it imperative to write my thoughts down loosely everyday.
How do you maintain ideas and thoughts?
I am very old-fashioned in that sense – I have piles and
piles of handwritten notes that range from Post-it notes, to scraps of paper,
to formal notebooks that are later typed into more formulated and concise
thoughts at the computer. Sometimes an idea is perfect right out of the gate
and sometimes I will struggle with it for hours or days, looking for that
perfect sentence. I find that most of my thoughts occur at random moments of
the day - normally either while I am at work at inappropriate moments; driving
home during hostile rush hour traffic; when I am watching one of my favorite TV
shows and my mind wanders; or when I am exhausted and need to get some sleep,
but my brain just won’t shut off, forcing me to get out of the bed at an
ungodly hour to jot down my thoughts. If am driving, I will grab any scrap of
paper I can find in my purse – check stubs, receipts, shopping lists, lottery
tickets – and quickly and incoherently scribble my random thoughts to translate
later onto the computer. I become obsessed when my creative juices are flowing
and have learned the hard way, that I won’t remember them with the same
foresight or genius passion later on if I try to recreate them.
Who is your niche market?
While it is primarily cat lovers, my humorous and spot on approach
to the nuances of everyday life situations makes my writing universally
appealing.
Do you have a favorite author?
I no longer have the time I used to for leisurely
reading, but when I did, I read a variety of books from romance novels, to vampire
gothic, to historical sagas. I can’t say that I have a favorite author, as I
become fully absorbed in any story I read. I also like to keep myself open to
storylines that appeal to me and not just a particular author.
What are your writing goals for future endeavors?
I would like to write another story about my feline
gang, but I am not yet sure of what direction I want it to go in – possibly
something more for a younger audience and I also have a very solid idea in mind
about the masculine side of loving cats. For me, my writing goals are not just
about books. I want to use my skills in a broader scope to help educate people
about the serious problem we have in this country with cat overpopulation. I
would like to become a strong voice and leader in helping to increase shelter
adoptions for cats and decrease the number of them that are brought to shelters
for behavioral problems that could be corrected with more knowledge on how to
correctly care for a cat.
Do you have suggestions for newbie writers?
Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. I was 50 years
old when I wrote my first book and it has been an incredible joy and liberation
for me. You can’t always write with the sole purpose of fame and recognition
either – I find for me, writing has opened so many new doors and possibilities
I never knew existed just by reaching out and trying. It is also extremely
important to take advantage of social media. I have made dear friends for life
through Facebook in niche markets and by attending conferences in my field. You
will find that most people want you to succeed and the mental scope is
fascinating in that your world will stretch to depths you never thought
possible otherwise. Lastly, really like yourself as a person. When you are
happy with who you are and accept the fact that you are human with weaknesses,
imperfections, and flaws, it will give you a certain strength and confidence to
believe in yourself. While writing is a joy, it can also be brutal. You need a
really thick skin and have to learn to take the praise along with the
rejection. Above all, don’t take it personal – learn from it and move on!  Excerpt from The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey
"Imagine, if you would, a world of love at first sight,
where pigs do fly, where carpets are meant for magical rides, where empty boxes
are transformed to magnificent castles and forts and a door becomes the gateway
to the unlimited possibility of a charming and enchanted garden filled with
endless adventure and intrigue. That, my dear readers, is the looking glass
world of Zee and Zoey and this is their journey of a shared life, where every
day, the merest of ordinary becomes the possibility of extraordinary in their
minds eye."
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Posted on Monday, January 16, 2012 8:39 AM
Denise Lee Branco is the founder of Strolling Hills
Publishing and author of Horse at the Corner Post: Our Divine Journey,
which won a silver medal in the 2011 Living Now Book Awards.
Branco's memberships include American
Horse Publications, Women's Horse Industry Network and Northern
California Publishers and Authors. She has been a featured guest on KAHI
Corral - KAHI AM 950 Radio and Speaking of Horses TV, and her book recently
received commendable reviews in Northwest Horse Source, Yankee Pedlar,Horses
All, and Honest Horses magazines.
Where do you live?
Born and raised on a small cattle ranch, just
outside city limits in the small (back then) town of Merced,
California. All kinds of animals made the ranch their home, too; from the
typical horses, dogs, and cats to rabbits, chickens, and even a duck who used
to waddle behind my bicycle, until he figured out he could take a shortcut on
the circular gravel driveway to get ahead of me. It
was wholesome country living at its best in
my Portuguese-American family, where most extended family members
lived only an hour away. I feel very blessed to have that type of
upbringing.
 Tell me about your writing and your book release....
I released my first book, Horse at the
Corner Post: Our Divine Journey, in October 2010. Although writing always
seemed the best way for me to express my feelings, my career hadn't taken me
down a professional writing path until that time. In doing research for
the book, my parents found stories I had written as a kid about ranch life
stored away in boxes that were signed by, "Denise Branco,
Author". I guess it was fate after all.
Where do you like to write?
On the couch, sitting right between my two
cats. Seeing them content, lounging alongside me, puts me at ease to let
the writing flow.
Do you write everyday?
Sadly, no. I still have a regular job and
most of my extra time this past year has been spent promoting Horse
at the Corner Post. However, I am making an effort in the new
year to write every couple of days or so, even if it's just a few
sentences.
How do you maintain ideas and thoughts?
I'm pretty much old school...still handwrite all
my thoughts and ideas on note paper.
What/who is your niche market?
Animal lovers, but horse lovers the most...ages
6 to 96. I've been incredibly fortunate to receive beautiful
feedback from all ages, sharing how my story has touched their
heart. That is what I live for.
Do you have a favorite author?
Now that I've met so many fellow authors,
I couldn't choose a favorite even if I tried. I love them all.
We support each other and want the best for one another. That is such a
beautiful thing.
What are your writing goals for future endeavors?
I have several ideas for the books I'll
write next, but it's the order of them, that's the challenge. I like
writing when it flows, but in the end, I feel I need to let the path unfold
before me. I need to see what direction this book goes, and that will decide
which book will be next. I'm just one of those that believes things
happen when they are meant to happen. Do you have suggestions for newbie writers?
Join writers organizations and do your
homework. What I mean by that is learn as much about your craft
and the industry as you can. Learn from those who you aspire to
be. But most of all, believe in yourself. We only have one
life to live. So, go for it! Write that book now, instead of
never and looking back at the end of your life wishing you had. Excerpt from Horse at the Corner Post, page 5:
"It was a year packed with events celebrating the
United States of America's Bicentennial. Freedom '76 slogans briskly
swept through America while red, white, and blue trios sparkled across the
land. Old Glory elegantly waved with each subtle breeze.
American pride--we all had it.
I was a youth and had convinced myself that my collection of commemorative
coins and two-dollar bills would, one day, be worth millions. Instead, I
learned that the most valuable things in life have nothing to do with
money."
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Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 9:07 AM
Richard Carreño resides in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA........... a writer, bookseller, and an educator, formerly a
lecturer of American literature and English composition at
several universities in the United Kingdom and in the United States. He
is editor of The Philadelphia Junto and a
partner in the on-line bookshop, @philabooks|booksellers and WritersClearinghousePress.
He specializes in art, architectural, and cultural reporting and criticism.
In 1996, Carreño was a visiting scholar at Cambridge
University and, in 1998, an educational consultant to the U.S. Agency
for International Development (A.I.D.) in Ukraine. Carreño was based in
the late 1990s in London, working as a media consultant, writer, and editor for
Writers Clearinghouse, a firm he founded in 1978 in Fabyan, CT. He travelled
widely in Europe and the Mid-East. Returning to the United States in 1999,
he held a short-term, mid-career assignment as a James H. Ottaway Sr. Fellow at
the American Press Institute, Washington.
He is the recipient of an honors citation from the
Lowell Mellett Fund for a Free and Responsible Press, Washington, for his work
as a media critic; a first place award from the New England Scholastic Press
Association; and a Friends of The Bahamas Essay Award, among others.
In 1999, Carreño founded @philabooks|booksellers in
partnership with late father, Ralph J. Carreño of Boston. The on-line bookshop
specializes in books about The New Yorker and its authors; men's
fashions; works by and about the Pennsylvania author John O'Hara; and
books by and about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. @philabooks also
sponsors The Philadelphia Book ConneXion, a charity that distributes free
books.
 Carreño was a reporter and editor for many years in the
1970s and 1980s for numerous newspapers, includingThe Boston Globe; The
Hartford Courant; the Telegram & Gazette, Worcester, Massachusetts; and The
News, Southbridge, Massachusetts, where he served as the first news critic and reader
ombudsmen in New England. His free-lance writing has appeared in scores of
regional and national publications in the U.S. and in the U.K.
His work now appears regularly in the Philadelphia Weekly
Press. He also edits The Philadelphia Junto, an on-line blog.
Among his teaching posts were adjunct positions at Johnson
& Wales University, Providence, Rhode Island; the Harvard University Extension
School, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Clark University and Assumption College, both in
Worcester, Massachusetts; and at the Choate-Rosemary Hall School, Wallingford, Connecticut. In
2004, he was an ESL specialist in Spain.
For many years, Carreño operated a family-owned boarding
stable in Connecticut. He is an amateur horsemen,
previously participating in foxhunting in Massachusetts and polo
in Florida and Massachusetts. His interest in equestrianism extends
to book collecting in that area and it being specialty designation of @philabooks. He has amassed a 5,000-title personal library,
including a comprehensive collection of works by and about John O'Hara.
Before moving to the U.K., Carreño served as an elected and
appointed official to several library panels, including the Connecticut
Association of Library Directors; the Connecticut Governor's Conference on
Libraries; and the Thompson, CT, Library Board of Directors. He is a
member of Pen & Pencil Club, Philadelphia; the Cambridge University
Society; and the Mid-Century Society, Philadelphia and London.
Carreño was educated at New York University, where he was a
Regent Scholar and studied under the noted historians North Callahan and John
Tebbel. He obtained undergraduate degrees from the American University, Paris,
France; and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This was followed by
graduate work at Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Carreño has also worked and lived in France and
Switzerland. His childhood home was in Nassau, The Bahamas, where is mother,
Marion Berman Carreño, is buried. Carreño is a former resident of Worcester, Massachusetts, and Thompson, Connecticut.....
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
First time I read The New Yorker as a kid. What is your genre and writing style?
Advocacy first-person journalism. Informal.
Where do you like to write?
In my office.
How do you maintain ideas and thoughts for manuscripts?
Files, Notebooks.
In your opinion, what makes a great writer?
Non-fiction: Kick-Ass Cheeky Honesty Fiction: Universal
Timeless Theme.
What suggestions do you have for first time writers?
Write, proofread, cut, edit, write and do it again an
again.
Do you have a favorite author/poet?
Author: John O'Hara
What are you currently working on?
A biography of Paul Mellon.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Whoa! One day at a time, please
Follow Richard
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Posted on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 7:58 AM
Welcome Kelly!
Kelly is an animal lover and author of Real Dogs
Don’t Whisper.
Raised on a ten-acre property in Pennsylvania, USA, she grew up with
horses, rabbits, and dogs. Mr. MaGoo is a nine-year-old Lhasa Apso and the
book’s co-creator and co-writer. Mr. MaGoo has forged ahead with this project
in an attempt to present the facts from a dog’s perspective.
Where are you from in Pennsylvania?
I am originally from
Brogue, PA; a very small rural town that is south of Harrisburg, PA. In
fact, so small, to this day a sign reads; “Welcome to the Village of Brogue,
PA”. Throughout the years I moved from PA to Washington DC to San
Diego CA; and now, I am a resident of San Jose, CA.
Tell me about your writing and your book releases....
My
writing comes from life experiences and how my dogs have inspired me to
overcome many hurdles and obstacles that I have thus far endured. My
goal is to inspire and motivate my audience to enjoy life; live in the moment,
much like our pets. As cliché as this may sound; every cloud does
have a silver lining, just need to have one thing, faith.
What I wanted to avoid was the book becoming too heavy, I
decided to have my spunky Lhasa Apso, Mr MaGoo as my co-author. His
chapters are humorous to say the least, he provides his perspective on life and
how us humans need to learn a few things from, you guessed it, him. After
all, according to him, he is the alpha of the Universe.
My book released this past April, as this is my first
published book; I am already brainstorming ideas for my second book. My
goal is have it completed late 2012/early 2013. While I do not want
to reveal too much, my co-author, Mr MaGoo will be actively involved in this
one too.
Where do you like to write?
I like to write in my home
office with my dogs’ right beside me; they provide me with endless
entertainment as well as material to write about. With Mr MaGoo constantly getting into something, this is the perfect medium and blend for
content to write about.
Do you write everyday?
For my upcoming second
release, I am still in planning phase. However, Mr MaGoo has
published both a blog and monthly newsletter; both of which, keep me writing
and the creative thinking flowing.
How do you maintain ideas and thoughts?
My best ideas come to me when I am not in front of the
computer, never fails. They usually are when either walking my dogs
or working out. What I now do is keep a journal in the car, this way
I can keep track of my ideas as I am leaving the gym.
For those ideas that come to me as I am walking my dogs; now
don’t laugh, I call myself. I leave a detailed voice mail,
containing the idea; what was occurring at that time; and any other piece of
information that may help me recall what it was that I was brainstorming about.
Who is your niche market?
My niche audience
would be pet/dog lovers. While my book is about my dogs’ and
co-authored by a dog; this book is idea for any pet/animal lover. Our
pets can be the best teacher in our lives at times, which makes this book idea
for not just dog lovers. In addition, while the book is aimed for
the Young Adult reader, there is a strong cross over potential. In
fact, I am finding my book is reaching all genders and age ranges, which makes
this book idea for all.
Do you have a favorite author? Why?
I do have a
favourite author and that is Mitch Albom. His writing style
leaves you feeling inspired, motivated to embrace life; his deep thinking
and ability to describe the feelings in a few words distinguishes him from many
writers. His message in any of his books is love and love freely and deeply.
What are your writing goals for future endeavors?
Some
of my writing goals for the future are: publish my second book; expand digital
efforts; and look into publishing for children too. Perhaps take
what I have already done, take snippets and create a book for children in the
age range of 4-8 years old. This is an idea that I have been mulling
over for a while now; perhaps a 2012 release?
Do you have suggestions for newbie writers?
Yes, follow
your dreams. If writing and getting published (either self or
traditional) is your dream, then, go after it. The only item that
will stand in your way is yourself; believe and have faith in yourself and
watch what wonderful events will transpire. There are so many
excellent resources out there; seasoned authors that will help; and new avenues
to explore with work and determination, and a dream, anything is possible.
A short excerpt (not an easy selection) highlighting Mr
MaGoo's humor, as Kelly hints in the interview.
"WOOF! I thought I’d never get that human off the
computer. It’s purely ridiculous that I have to share a computer with her to
begin with—PC: personal computer. Hello! I’ve not been able to check
my e-mail for all of eternity. Forget about writing a book. And is it remotely
possible that she takes a break and plays catch or spends a few minutes telling
me how wonderful I am? Oh heck no. The human has been on her very own little planet the entire
time. It’s absolutely amazing that medicines and bare necessities have been
tended to at all. Oh sure, she’s fed us and walked us, administered daily
medications and cleaned up all of our messes. But get this—despite my gentle
reminders to purchase doggie treats, the human seems to think being down to
one, single, solitary two pound bag of doggie treats is somehow acceptable. I
think the human would do well to tend to the canine catering and leave the
writing to the pro—me. And as for the three (count ‘em three) chapters the
human just finished writing—it looks like unadulterated balderdash to me. Talk
about the Princess of Poppycock! WOOF! I haven’t even bothered to
read them. At a glance, it looks like she added a bunch of unnecessary details
to my already perfectly brilliant work. I’ll go back and read that nonsense
when I need some insomnia material. Sorry that y’all had to wade through it. I know you guys are aching to know what I’ve been up to.
That’s why you picked up this book originally. And who could blame you? I am an
amazing animal. I’m fun. I’m entertaining. I’m freaking smart and way beyond
your basic level of cute. It’s a shame no one has figured out a way to clone
me. Enough about me though. Let me tell you what I’ve been up against while the
human was being a computer hog.
I was taking a nap and dreaming about cool grass and chasing
butterflies when I woke to the sound of tap-tap-tapping on a keyboard. It was
the human and it was sadly just the beginning of several days of much of the
same tap-tap-tapping. I started off just trying to get the human’s attention. I
dropped my favorite squeaky toy at her feet. Nothing. I picked it up and gave
it a couple more squeaks. Still nothing. I noticed that the sound of the
telephone ringing diverted her attention and it occurred to me that perhaps
that’s when she’s in listening mode, so I’d squeak the toy several
times when she was on the phone. It became painfully obvious I needed to come
up with ways to entertain myself."
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Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2012 3:43 PM
Welcome internationally acclaimed writer and performance poet, Omer Tarin....
When did you first realize you
wanted to be a writer?
There
wasn’t ever a fixed time, when I knew, no sudden epiphany or realization! I
always read and wrote a lot, even as a child, and my imagination was always
working. I used to day-dream a lot, too; and many of my dreams became ‘ideas’
for poems or stories. So I have been writing ever since I can remember, all
sorts of things, and gradually, quite by themselves, things began to fall into
place. I must say my parents, especially father, were very supportive and
encouraging—my father was my earliest literary mentor and guide and he had very
good taste, was an avid reader and had a rather substantial library which he
allowed me full use of. I never remember him saying ‘read this’ or ‘read
that’—it was a true voyage of discovery for me, one day reading (say) Dickens,
and a few days later Gerald Durrell or Robert Frost or selections from various
regional languages and literatures. And then, when I began to write, my father
encouraged me all the more, would often take time out of his busy schedule to
discuss a poem or story I’d written. Later on, I was lucky to go to some of the
best schools in Pakistan, in the old British colonial ‘public school’
tradition, and some of the masters there were absolutely splendid people.
They’d encourage us to ‘do our thing’, whatever inspired or appealed to us, and
always had time to discuss, to critique and guide. Although I write in three
languages, the major part of my writing now is in English and this was
something that my teachers guided me towards initially, and they were also the
first ones to publish some of my work in school and college magazines and
later, to prompt me to write for literary journals and even newspapers and
periodicals. This gave me a great deal of confidence in my writing potential in
my student days.
What’s your genre and style?
I
am essentially a poet. However, I have also written some shorter fiction and
non-fiction prose—some of these writings have only just been made available in
privately printed editions, in the USA/North America. Since I’m also an
academic and research scholar by profession today, in addition to my literary
writings I have also written a fair amount of research: on history, culture and
folklore, Pakistani and South Asian regional literature and art and so on. As a
poet writing in English, in South Asian contexts, I am not, I believe,
restricted to any limitations of style or content. Although most of my poetry
is vers libre, I have experimented and keep on experimenting quite a lot. Even
with forms and styles that are not usually found in English/Western literature.
As a young student, I was deeply influenced by certain mystic, spiritual and
meditative aspects of some of our South Asian literary traditions, for example
such as the works of the Punjabi Sufic poets like Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah,
Waris Shah; and also by the broader ‘Islamic’ Sufi poetic tradition, especially
the classical Persian works of Rumi,
Hafiz and Attar. One of my own early poetic mentors in Pakistan was Taufiq
Rafat, a fine poet who was also an authority on Punjabi poetry and a bold
exponent of the adaptation of a Punjabi idiom into his own English poems. I
guess one way or the other, these ‘influences’ are all to be found in my work.
Do you use real life experiences,
characters, storylines etc, for inspiration?
Yes
and no. ‘Inspiration’ for me isn’t a fixed or systematic thing. It’s something
that just ‘happens’. Sometimes, you are thinking, or in a day-dream or reverie,
or sometimes some person, word, action, some sight or sound or smell becomes
evocative and –lo! I think I do tend to draw upon personal experience in
certain ways, too, in fiction by utilizing certain events or people that I’ve
met or known, and ‘filed away’ as the basis for imagined scenarios and
characters, in due course. In poetry, my ‘experience’ is something different;
something from another source, or part of me altogether. As you might know, I
am also a ‘practicing mystic’ in the Islamic Sufic way, and various forms of
meditation, of ‘connection’ to higher spiritual ‘realities’ are regular parts
of such practice. At times, these experiences, which aren’t really
‘expressible’ in other forms, find their voice in my poetry. At other times,
the subjective condition, that strange half-awake and half-asleep ‘poetic
state’ emerges out of some part of me on its own account and ‘inspires’. I must
add, that for me at least, ‘inspiration’ is seldom direct. I don’t go and sit
by a river or watch a sunset and say “Oh! How lovely! I’m going to write about
this!”. It acts in subtle, elliptical ways. Seeps down into the subconscious
and takes on some strange and often unbelievable shapes and disguises. . .
Where do you like to write?
I
am personally most comfortable writing at my ease in my small study, or work
place at home. For more ‘academic’ type of writing I like to be at my desk and
with my Computer/Word processor in front of me and flanked by all my
paraphernalia like dictionaries and thesauri and reference books etc. When I
write poetry, this can take place anywhere; there are many nights when I wake
up and start to write, and I always keep pen and paper handy. Later on, I take
my ‘draft poem’ to my desk, too, when I start to ‘polish’ it up. This takes me
quite some time, as I like to write and rewrite a poem a number of times, and a
number of ways. I enjoy experimenting like this. One thing I am normally not
able to do, is write outdoors, in proximity to nature—I might take in varied
impressions, sensory perceptions and all, in such surroundings, but for me
these have to be eventually ‘refined’ through a certain process. Was it
Wordsworth who said that poetry was “Emotion recollected in tranquility”? I’m
not sure; but whoever it was, came quite close to expressing how I (a) ‘feel’
and then (b) create, later.
How do you maintain ideas and thoughts
for manuscripts?
Mostly
in diaries that I keep. These are less the standard daily journals than my
general musings, thoughts/ideas and all. Often, during the course of such
writing, I come across good or useful ideas for a future essay or story or
something—not poetry, generally—and when such an idea occurs to me, I jot out a
quick outline how I’d organize it, or do it, and then I flag the outline or
page/s, using my own codes and abbreviations. This makes it easier for me to
return to a particular idea or outline, when I need to. Usually, I don’t
maintain bulky files and odds and ends (although I know some writers who do)
except for my research/academic writing –but for that, I also have other
resources, and people, to assist and help me out. That’s quite a different
sphere of activity for me compared to creative writing.
In your opinion, what makes a
great poet?
To
tell you the truth, it is very difficult to say. Poetry is such a complicated
business, and such a ‘personal’ one, that it’s very hard to pass such facile
judgments! Even with regard to many ‘great’ poets at one time or another, their
‘acceptability’ as great is or might be something entirely to do with certain
popular trends and critical opinion and such things—take Lord Byron, for
example, the quintessential product of a certain time and age; and take Emily
Dickinson by way of comparison, who was quite unknown and unrecognized in her
time, but ‘discovered’ by a later one. Yet, inspite of this, one feels there
are some ‘commonalities’ too, in some truly ‘great, lasting poetry regardless
of where it’s written. As I see it, such poetry ‘reaches out’ to us at many
levels, in many ways, and makes us ‘sing’ within! It whispers fantastic things
into our ears and hearts, and makes us fly and soar away, into certain realms
that we don’t always know exist within us. It also somehow changes us, and
allows us some sort of insights into ourselves and into the world and into many
things that we normally perhaps don’t think about, or feel in any deeper sense
during the course of our routines. It’s a very delicate thread, that binds Rumi
and Shakespeare and Basho and Goethe and Tagore and makes them as one. In a lecture ‘On Poetry’ delivered in 1900,
WB Yeats made that famous albeit ponderous statement that sublime poetry
emerged when , “All sounds, all colors, all forms, …call down among us certain
disembodied powers [which]…we call emotions; and when sound and color and form
are in a musical relation, a beautiful relation to one another, they become one
sound, one color, one form, and evoke an emotion that is made out of their
distinct evocations and yet is one emotion”.
This is as close as one can come to expressing what ‘great poetry’ is.
What suggestions to you have for
first time writers and poets?
I’m
very happy to see so many people, at least, writing nowadays, especially young
people! Even twenty years ago, this wasn’t so common, at least in this part of
the world. Young people, or those young at heart and overflowing with words,
would often be sidetracked or even actively discouraged; and in a way, there’s
a ‘publishing revolution’ that is going on at this time, major changes, which
allow writers access to audiences worldwide and very quickly, too. So, in this
respect, there’s a lot that’s positive for aspiring writers. At the same time,
the basic standards for good writing, for writing that is meaningful and
lasting, remain the same as they ever were. I think that all good writers
automatically start by reading a lot of good literature, or reading a lot,
generally! And this is something that I always advise new writers, please do
read, try to see and note and feel what has been written by the best writers
everywhere, and how they’ve written it. Finally, if you are seriously committed
to writing as a vocation, then just keep on writing, and don’t be discouraged
by negative criticism or sidetracked by quests for fame and fortune. These
things will come too, in good time. But whether they do or not, write, as if
writing was all, and write as well as you possibly can and take time—don’t be
in a hurry. There’s no race going on, and that’s just the illusion of the
‘marketplace’, and if you’re good you’ll get published sooner or later. Just
believe in yourself and put in a lot of hard work.
Follow Omer via these links....
A sample of Omer’s poetry… Two in My Garden
They stand together
The twin stalks
In my backyard,
Sometimes reminders
Of some things not done,
Some weeds not plucked
When it was time to do so;
Why I did not clear the yard
Is not so important now
As why did I want to?
Indeed, I see no petal
Half as nice as those two
That grow together, in their awkward fashion,
And they have some part of me
Where it wouldn't do;
It doesn’t matter anymore, of course,
When other weeds have grown
Along them, only not like them at all,
And choked the petunias
Out of their shallow beds;
And there is some justice
In my garden going to seed,
Then standing tall and together
Once I’ve ceased to tend.
Shandur Polo
Had I seen the ghosts of this place
They would dance their victory dance;
Glorious vale
Cup, chalice,
Basin;
The glacial streams
Empty into that lake
Quiet, ever so silent,
Rippling lyre, reflection;
Snows and rocks frame it —
I have no words
Only emotions
Which boil and rise
With the thunder of horses,
The sound of stick
And ball thudding
Across the turf;
The ghosts of this place,
Had I but seen them,
Pale as the snow
Cold as the lake
As vivid as the night-fires
That light the valley;
The whistle of wind
The throb of drum
The chant of song
Had I seen the ghosts dance
Their victory dance….
Question
All my life
Has been lived
For the one moment
Beyond being
Which now points out
New horizons, yet unseen;
Not-being,
What will be?
Mists
over Thandiani*
Tonight on the veranda
I behold
The crystalline hilltops
Sublimate into an avalanche
Of snowflakes, in turn
Dissolving into the haze
Of silent mists;
Trees stand frozen
Like stiff soldiers
Mantled in unstirring ranks
Braced for some dire consequence Ill-defined;
A wolf’s eldritch howl
Echoes
And night-birds trill their alarm
As the sickle moon
Glides away behind its many veils;
Owl-flights haunt
My dreams now
And your long green hair
Bewilders me with witchcraft.
* Thandiani is a hill resort located at approx.9000 ft above sea level in the
Hazara Division of the NW Frontier Province of Pakistan. It is surrounded on
three sides by dark coniferous forests and these offer a stark contrast to the
snowy peaks of the Pir Panjal Range, in Kashmir, to the North-East.
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