A quick summary… I was born in
Washington State, at Fairchild Air Force Base; however, I am not an “Army
Brat.” My father was a mechanic for the army, (and I don’t even know if he
completed his entire service obligation, or if he was discharged; honorably or
otherwise).
My “formal” education ended with 6th
grade. My parents had removed me from school because they were made aware that
they were going to be investigated for child abuse. Learning this, they packed
what meager belongings they did own, (wherever we had lived prior to this
pending investigation, we rarely had furniture, or beds, and never a
television), and thus began our/my life of living in tents, in the middle of
nowhere.
I lived in a tent for almost three
years, a sea-foam green Chevy Impala, (front seat for me, back seat for my
father) after my parent’s cabin tent was destroyed. (My mother and two brothers
took my small dome tent). And finally, I lived in an old Bluebird
(manufacturer) school bus until I left home when I was sixteen.
While my “formal” education did end
with 6th grade, my love for learning did not, so everything else
that I know, I’ve taught myself.
What kind of books do you love to
read? Why?
Truthfully,
I love, (and read), all literature; with the teeny, tiny exception of overly
violent books and/or books that are too verbally explanatory of violence. (For
example, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
is most definitely not my cup of tea). The amount of cruel and senseless
violence found in our world is enough for me. I don’t need to read
exceptionally graphic, or disturbing-to-me, fictional tales about it too. And,
I’m certain that the abuse of my past no doubt influences this aversion as
well…
What type of music do you enjoy
relaxing to?
That really depends on what happened
previously in the day because my music tastes are as varied as my literary
genre likes.
If I’ve had a rough day, I might
relax by listening to hard rock. If I’m mentally tired, I might listen to Sarah
Brightman. Sometimes it’s hip hop, other times it might be music from a
specific era, something classical, country, et cetera.
Growing up the way I did, music was
my outlet as well as my only connection to the “outside” world of the current
day. Consequently, I knew, and easily learned the words/melody to just about
every song, in almost every musical genre. (Traits I still possess today).
Of course, what was played on the
radio was always dependent upon our location. The only thing that really seemed
to “unite” all the states musically, were the various “top music countdown”
radio shows.
Describe yourself in one word:
Inquisitive
If a fairy grants you one wish and
one wish only, what would it be? Why?
My one wish would be that I’m granted
unlimited wishes that come with zero negative consequences to me and/or others.
This way, for the remainder of my life, whenever I saw someone in need, I would
always be able to help them/make their life better/happier.
What’s your biggest regret in life?
(Through no fault of my own), not
being able to spend time with my extended family during my childhood. It would
have been wonderful to have been allowed to form that “familial” bond with my
grandparents, aunts, uncles as well as my many cousins.
What makes you
happy/sad/disappointed/frustrated/hopeful/angry? (Pick one)
I’m saddened when I see how we, as
the human race, continually fight with each other to generally meet only the
needs/desires of ourselves, and/or a specific few. This is a trickle-up/down
effect, and the various governmental actions that are often verbally bashed,
criticized, or worse, are, in fact, simply mirrored and magnified effects of
people’s individual actions.
We are so busy pointing fingers that
oftentimes we forget to use things like empathy, compassion, consideration, or
kindness. Of course, logic is always required in any decision making process,
but so too is “heart;” and there should never be one without the other.
I wish that somehow, each one of us
could realize that we really are all connected. When we affect others, (either
positively or negatively), the reality is that we affect ourselves in the same
manner. And these actions-to-reactions also affect the world around us … which
is heartbreaking because the plants, animals, aquatic life, etc. can no longer
evade us, or escape our global effects. Not to mention the truth about the
world we are leaving behind for our children…
Your writing; when did you write your
first book? How long did it take you to write it?
The Curse of Nefertiti began from a dream I experienced on a night in mid-November,
2006. I woke from one of my vivid/lifelike dreams around 4:00am, and due to
dream’s location, coupled with my love of Ancient Egypt, I got up and wrote it
down.
When I again looked at the clock,
(after what seemed like only thirty minutes), I was shocked to see that it was
now 7:15am. And when I read through what I had transcribed, I was surprised to
see that after I had finished writing the dream sequence; I had additionally
written down, (what later turned out to be), the first three chapter of The Curse of Nefertiti.
Once I finally managed to overcome
the year+ writer’s block that I experienced, The Curse of Nefertiti wound up taking me about six months to
finish writing.
Did you encounter any obstacles in
writing? What are they? How did you overcome them?
Well, of course… The dreaded
“writer’s block” of doom…
You know, I never “intended” to be a
writer. I was a voracious book reader though, consequently I was quite familiar
with phrases like: writer’s cramp and writer’s block; the latter being what
happened to me.
I can write about Ancient Egypt
practically with my eyes closed. I can see the experiences that I’m referencing
down to the last detail; even to the smell of the sun-heated sands. And quite
often, I would put scene to paper, (so to speak since I write my novels using
my laptop), and then I’d wonder: how do I
know that?
However, that same ease of writing
was not to be had with the “present day” aspect found within The Curse of Nefertiti. What was I
supposed to write for the Kayla of the 21st century? And, much like
a ship that founders upon the hidden rocks, so too did my writing. Of course,
the more I agonized over my apparent loss of creativity, the worse things
became. Finally, several months after the dream that started me down the path
of writing, I closed the word doc and filed it in one of my computer’s
organizational folders.
And there it sat … almost as
completely forgotten as the ancient world history that had spawned its creation
to begin with.
Time moved forward, and the year was
now 2008. The weather in Phoenix was beautiful, still cool, and I was spring
cleaning. Seeing that my stash of DIY periodicals was starting to take up too
much space, I decided to sort through them. My intent was to remove any wanted
project information, and then toss/recycle the remainder of the magazines.
I removed the magazines from their
basket, and there, (still sitting in the basket), were the twenty-seven pages
of my story I had previously printed out. Well, wasn’t that a shocker…
I couldn’t believe I had forgotten
about them so completely. More than that, I couldn’t believe how much time had
elapsed since I had set the writing aside for “later.” At this point, I was
drawing the very obvious (and logical), conclusion in regard to this story and
my writing. Neither was going to happen.
Yet, even as I stood there, holding
those twenty-seven pages, (all neatly clipped together), the most curious thing
happened. With my silent acknowledgement and acceptance that this story,
(whatever the title might have been), was not going to happen; a massive weight
felt like it had lifted off my chest.
With that unnoticed, but still
oppressive “weight” gone, I suddenly felt the desire, no, the
unable-to-be-ignored compelling urge to write. This certainly threw me
for a loop, especially as I had just made peace with the fact that this story
would never be finished. So, what exactly had changed??
It was that moment, that pivotal and
oh-so-important moment, when I realized that in having allowed myself the
“freedom” to “fail” at something, I had also given myself the freedom to escape
from my self-imposed expectations and my naïve, yet confining, notion as to
what makes a successful writer, successful.
To me, (as I had no other
knowledge/facts to show me otherwise) success meant “being on the New York
Times Best Seller List.” (Hellooo… “Type A” personality here, people… *chuckle*
…plus, growing up, I had been programmed that I had to succeed. “Failure is not
an option.”)
With my new-found clarity, I realized
that my self-imposed expectations were what had caused my writer’s block to
begin with. The more I had focused on attaining the NY Times Best Seller list
as the only means to “success” the tighter that noose of unmet expectations
became; until it finally choked the life out of my creativity. And yet, much
like the mythical Phoenix, my creativity resurrected itself once I released
that thought process.
Many things make people successful;
however, fame and money are not one of them. They are helpful, but they are not
the cause.
And so, with that new and different
outlook, I wrote. And, I finished The
Curse of Nefertiti. And, I’ve never suffered from writer’s block again.
And, yes, I’m aware that that’s a lot of sentences beginning with the word
“and” but, I’m doing it for dramatic effect. *smile*
How did you feel when you receive
your first contract? What did you do? Any celebratory dinner, dance, event,
etc. to commemorate the occasion?
I was elated to the point of being
speechless. As an aside, that’s a rare occurrence for an author to experience…
It was close to Thanksgiving, (2008)
and it was 7:15 in the morning. I was about to step out the front door, on the
way to a Christmas staging/decoration job, when I had the thought that I needed
to check my email again. Back I went, there was the offer, it was all very
exciting and that was that. (Only with a lot more hoopla)!
What do you think about editing?
Editing is an incredibly important
piece of the writing process. You can have a fantastic plot/storyline, complete
with amazing characters that readers will connect with as if they are a
long-lost friend, however; if your book is not properly edited then you risk
losing all of that.
Yes, certain things are subjective,
which is why you should always have
a conversation with your editor prior to him/her beginning the editing process.
You need to explain to your editor
what your book represents. What’s the era? What’s the timeline? What’s the
educational experience, background, and personality of your main
protagonist(s)? Lastly, what are you, the writer, trying to convey with your
book, in its entirety?
These are just some of the things
your editor needs to be aware of/needs to understand; else you will not be
happy with what they return to you! And, if after having this conversation, you
don’t have the sense and/or they tell you they can’t provide what you’re
seeking, then, by all means, contact a different editor. Just as writers have
specific genres that they gravitate toward, so too, do editors.
Also, being a professional book
reviewer as well as an author, believe me when I tell you that I have read many
a book that had a great plot and/or message for its readers, but unfortunately,
due to poor, (or non-existent editing), the book completely failed to reach the
majority of its potential.
Where and when do you write? Tell us
about your favorite work place and time. Any special reason?
Generally, since I’m a night owl, I
wind up writing at night and then way into the wee hours of the morning.
Sometimes nighttime feels like the only “quiet” place where I can finally be
undisturbed…
Where do you get your ideas? Do you
jot them down in a notebook, in case you forget?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, my
novels begin from lifelike dreams I experience now and again. Once I wake from
the dream, (anywhere from 1am-4am), I will groggily roll out of bed and shuffle
around the house, while barely awake, in search of the necessary pen/pencil and
paper.
Once my dream is written down, I’ll
return to bed and to sleep. The exception is when it takes me too long to get
everything written down; if it’s later than 6:00am when I finish, then I’ll
just stay up.
Which comes first, characters or
plot?
My novels actually start from
lifelike dreams. Because of this I wake up with the characters as well as the
plot at the same time.
The storybooks I write for
children are a different matter… With those it’s definitely the characters
first and then the plot/story.
Plotter, Pantser, or somewhere in between?
Again, since my novels come
to fruition because of lifelike dreams, I wake up with the characters, the
knowledge of the timeline/story I will be sharing, as well as the necessary end
point. Once I’ve written the dream out as the book’s Prologue, I then begin the
writing of the journey I will be sharing. And as I write, I allow the dream’s
tale to take its own shape…
However, once again the
storybooks are different. While I don’t have a completely detailed layout for
each story, I do have an exact idea of what will happen and in what sequence.
Of course, as I write the storybooks, new characters and/or additional scenes
will pop into my head that I will wind up adding.
What is the one question you wish
interviewers would ask (answer)?
Truthfully, I’m at a loss to
answer this question... I know that all interviewers are individually unique,
with their own personal interpretation of the world around them. I’ve actually
never thought about what I wish(ed) they would ask me. I’ve just always presumed
that they ask questions of authors that they themselves find interesting.
Among those that you’ve written,
which is your favorite book and why?
I love all the books I’ve
written, but my favorite, (and don’t laugh), is The Princess, The Toad & The Whale. It’s such a happy tale, yet
with an important message and the characters are adorably cute!
Have your characters ever taken over
the story and moved it in a direction totally different than you had in mind?
What did you do?
Hmm, sort of, but not to move
in a different direction… Because of my dreams, I already know the direction of
the story and its characters; its beginning, its end, and the journey the story
must take to reach that “end” point. While I do allow the interior part of the
tale to write itself, I still have a general sense/knowledge of who each character
is and what their various actions throughout the book will be. During my
writing of, The Curse of Nefertiti,
there was maybe one scene set in ancient Egypt that I was surprised by.
Do you have a "must have"
book for writing?
Well, I do keep The Elements of Style handy…
Any advice for new or even seasoned
authors?
Always be you; and always
believe in yourself. And yes, I’m very much aware of how challenging either of
those suggestions can seem to be…
Sometimes writers are urged
to conform to a “write what sells” mentality, but if that’s not your writing
passion, then your words can fall flat. We should always remember that we
authors write because we can, because we have a story to share, because we’re
good at it and because we love it. While I appreciate the “money” aspect of
writing, I don’t think any of us woke up one day and decided to “write to
become rich.” (But that would certainly make an eye-catching book title)!
Bottom-line though, just be you. Write what you’re passionate to write, and the
rest will follow.
There’s also a lot of
negative commentary re: the writing industry that’s easily accessible for all writers
to read. I’m pretty certain that the more seasoned writer knows to avoid this
type of diatribe, as, more often than not; it’s usually written by unhappy
and/or angry writers who didn’t enter the industry in the successful manner they
expected. Unfortunately, the newer and/or aspiring authors aren’t aware of
this, and consequently, these newer authors can become overly critical of themselves
and/or their work. Hence my “always believe in yourself” advice.
SUMMER QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
Ice Tea or Lemonade?
Lemonade at home. Ice tea, or
Arnold Palmer, (the drink), when I’m out.
Lake or ocean?
Water is my “muse” so I enjoy
it in any format; however I’m probably slightly more partial to the ocean.
Ball cap or floppy hat?
Usually neither… I do own a
big floppy hat – the Pretty Woman
kind of huge hat that I adore. I hardly ever wear it though as it’s a challenge
to keep it from blowing off.
In the car - Air condition or
open windows?
Open windows! In fact, when I
lived in Phoenix, it was rare that I turned the A/C on in the car until the
temperature went over 110 degrees.
At home - Air condition or open
windows?
Again, open windows. I like fresh air and the feel of air movement. The
difference between the car and the house though, is that I will turn the A/C on
when the interior temperature reaches 85 degrees. I’ll also use it to cool the
house at night if it’s too hot – I like it cold when I sleep.
How can readers find out more about
you?
Well, they can start out at my
website: www.CharlineRatcliff.com
and then they can branch out and follow additional links from there.
I never heard of the Black Tom Is.
bombing. According to what we were taught, no country every came close to
bombing any part of the American territory. Now the truth comes out!! We weren't
taught that Woodrow Wilson, who is now called a progressive, was anything but a
patriotic American. Talk about suppressing news!
