Shelbi Speaks: A blog

Hey there! So, my fourth book is now available.

It's pretty cool. And if you want to check it out, you can find it at Amazon here!

This is the cover. I like it.

Cool. Okay. 

It's my turn to answer the Voight-Kampff Questionnaire. 

Look for the other Q&A from the authors of the boxed Set "What Tomorrow May Bring" on our blog: http://huntfortomorrow.blogspot.com/

And check out the boxed set on Amazon!

WHAT IS THE FIRST SCIENCE FICTION BOOK YOU REMEMBER READING?

I remember reading The Boy Who Reversed Himself by William Sleator in 1989 during a cross-country road trip. We were driving from Oregon to Illinois and at the beginning of every driving day my mom gave me a new present to unwrap for that leg of the trip. While sitting in the parking lot of a hotel overrun with silverfish bugs in Keystone, South Dakota, I received Sleator’s book and devoured it by the time we arrived in Cedar Rapids.

Fourth dimensions, scary monsters, and something to do with ketchup as the best thing ever? I grew up in science-fiction loving house, but this is the first time I remember thinking of all the possibilities the genre offered—and it was a genuine way to escape the monotony of a drive through the Plains States.

ANY MOVIE, ANY BOOK...WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ANTAGONIST?

This is such a fascinating question and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…I can’t limit it to one. So, here are my favorite antagonists, plural:

- Amon Goeth from Schindler’s List: Watching him on screen portrayed by Ralph Fiennes was the first time I had a visceral reaction to a person in a movie. He gave me a stomachache and I had to close my eyes; I was terrified of him, and even more sickened by the fact that he wasn’t an invention—this was a real man, a true monster.

- Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter: I’m big on justice and the INJUSTICE of her reign at Hogwarts sent me into a rage. I needed her to be a real person somewhere in the world, so I could travel there and punch here in the face.

- Honorable mentions: Johnny from Karate Kid; John Doe from Se7en; Mr. Burns from The Simpsons; Scar from the Lion King; Hans Grubar from Die Hard; Mr. Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life; Annie Wilkes from Misery.

IS THERE AN AUTHOR THAT YOU WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MEET?

I desperately want to have a lunch with Stephen King and Joe Hill. Actually, can it just be the whole family? I want to be invited to their Thanksgiving. Omg, can that happen? Can someone make that happen?

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND WHERE DO YOU CALL HOME? WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE?

I was born in Portland, Oregon, and that is also where I currently call home. I’ve always had dreams of taking my writing life and heading off to a small, noisy apartment in NYC, but that feels like I’m cheating on my first love. (But I am taking my whole family there this summer...to write...in a noisy apartment on the Upper West Side. Then I get to come home to Oregon. So, it's the best of both worlds.)

The reality is Portland is a creative town with such amazing talent and a thriving arts community. I’m immensely proud of my city.

DO YOU EVER WRITE IN YOUR PJ’S?

There are people who don’t write in their PJS? Shameful.

WHAT TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE?

I’d always like to be a better writer—I read such talented stories and I’m insanely jealous of their wordsmithing abilities. But beyond that: I was fired by my piano teacher when I was eight or nine. She actually fired me and sat me on the porch to wait for my mom. So, I wish I could play the piano.

WHAT ARE YOUR PET PEEVES?

People who talk during movies; loud eaters; people who are rude to workers in service industries; bad tippers.

IF YOU HAD A SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? AND IF YOU HAD TO GIVE IT UP TO SAVE NEW JERSY, HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN TO NEW JERSEY THEY WERE GOING TO DIE?

I want the super power from that TV show “Out of this World”: to stop time by touching my fingers. Just…pause! Unpause. Pause. Unpause. And, I would definitely avoid saying anything to anyone, and just slowly back away pretending like I didn’t understand. “What? New Jersey? Can’t hear you…”

WHY DIDN'T HURLEY LOSE ANY WEIGHT WHILE ON THE ISLAND?

Can we just pretend that this is the only thing that doesn’t make sense about that show? Because I was a LOST devotee (I had a Dharma Initiative party and replaced all the labels on the food with Dharma labels) and it’s too soon to talk about. Too soon.

ABOUT THE BOOK

HOW IMPORTANT ARE NAMES TO YOU IN THIS BOOK. DID YOU CHOOSE THEM BASED ON SOUND OR MEANING?

My names are important because I name characters after my students as classroom management rewards. Is that strange? Like, "Hey. Stop talking during this quiz or I'm finding/replacing your character from this book. Don't make me erase you." Works like a charm.

WHERE DID YOUR TOMORROW SPRING FROM? IN OTHER WORDS, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE CRAZY WORLD?

There is a reservoir in Portland that is just open to the elements…recently a man peed in there and they had to drain the whole thing. (ADDENDUM: Last week's Portland Must Boil Water fiasco because they found e-coli in the water? Same reservoir.) And it’s where a big chunk of Portland’s water comes from…so, this idea stemmed from a single thought, “How easy would it be…if a group was vast enough…to wipe out civilization by targeting water and air with bioterrorism?” From there, I had to invent and discuss the why. Why would someone want to do that? And then I thought of Noah and how the story there is that God wiped out the world to start over because people were awful. So, give someone a God complex, who wants to decide who is worthy to survive, and have him kill off the world? That is how Virulent took shape.

JUST HOW FAR IN THE FUTURE IS YOUR TOMORROW?

Tomorrow. Like…literally tomorrow. Today. Now. My book develops into a dystopian over the story arc. It starts as a post-apocalyptic tale that shows how our world could fall. I wanted it to feel realistic and scary.

DID YOU DO ANY SPECIFIC OR UNUSUAL RESEARCH FOR THIS BOOK?

Over the course of the trilogy, I have had to do some crazy research (firearms, bombs, bioterrorism). I’m on NSA lists. They don't know what to make of me based on my Internet searches. 

QUOTE A CHARACTER, ANY CHARACTER.

"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."

Oh! You mean one of my characters?

Ms. Johnston says, "Hasn't anyone told you? It's the assholes who inherit the earth."

WHO SHOULD NOT READ YOUR BOOK?

People who have rosy outlooks on human behavior in time of crisis. Seriously? You think everyone is going to band together and become instant do-gooders? I love people, but I don't have a shred of faith in human nature when SHTF.

ARE ANY OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS FROM THE LGBT (LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER) COMMUNITY.

Absolutely. Actually, I got a one-star review because a reviewer didn’t want her pre-teen daughter reading about a woman who had a wife. [Insert eye-roll here] I like to wear that review like a badge of honor. So…we could add that into the “people who shouldn’t read my book” answer, too. If reading about humans bothers you…don’t read this book.

GIVE YOUR BOOK THE BECHDEL TEST

1. IT HAS TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO (NAMED) WOMEN IN IT

2. WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER

3. ABOUT SOMETHING BESIDES A MAN

My books (especially the trilogy as a whole) passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors. But I personally think the test should be harder to pass…let’s raise the bar!

WHAT SORT OF BODY COUNT ARE WE TALKING HERE?

Oh, wow. Yeah. Um. Seven billion people…

Tomorrow becomes today. What will it bring? Our potential for good is matched by that of destruction. At any moment, change can fall on the world, people fight and die, and our comfortable lives can be lost to corrupt leaders. These are circumstances we can’t imagine, but places like this exist in the world today.  What if tomorrow brings that grave reality to us, and we wake to find our lives in flux, poverty and confusion? Perhaps humanity’s insatiable appetites drive us to the brink of survival where sanity is redefined and life, as we know it, changes forever.  Tomorrow, our lives could be very dark.  Dystopian tales take us to these lightless places where suffering is a daily chore. But they also show us that in the deepest part of the night, pitched against a backdrop of despair, a beam of hope will shine brighter than ever before. And in our darkest moments, it can show us the way back.  ON MAY 1

Elliott adores these books and so we took a brief respite from the classics to read a few of them for our nightly reading ritual. We've read a few in the last few weeks because they take only a few nights to get through. (Elliott's favorite was The Missing Mummy.)

They are written by Ron Roy and each book features three plucky grade-school sleuths: Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose. Elliott likes to pretend he is Josh -- the goofy one with the freckles -- and will ask, "Did I just find that clue?" or "did my character just get into trouble?"

Sometimes there are logical explanations for the mysteries. And sometimes there are true bad buys gracing the pages. 

Elliott asks a lot of questions while we read...often related to issues of morality: Why would someone want to steal? Why would people lie? What makes someone a bad guy/gal?

So, we have good mini-philosophical discussions. And moments where I can ask him, "What would YOU do?" Then for days after we are done reading, Elliott acts out mysteries in his bedroom and calls himself ELLIOTT MYSTERY SOLVER. 

Mysteries are powerful tools to build critical reading skills -- making predictions, discussing red herrings, character motivation. When I searched for chapter books to read to my 5-year-old, I was faced with list after list of picture books...and very few bona fide chapter books. Kindergarteners aren't expected to sit and listen to the joys of a longer story? Nonsense. 

I'm finding that I should forget the lists -- we are making our own. Whether it's a classic text or a newer series, Elliott is falling in love with stories. He loves a good mystery; a mouse on an adventure; an indian that comes alive. He's learning about siblings, parents, how to treat other people.

March is almost over and April will soon be here. We will be in 1/3 of the way through this year of reading together and already I can see the growth in him. Whether he's asking questions, pondering an ending, or rewriting the book with his own interpretations, Elliott is learning that reading isn't a passive activity. 

Parenting: A Timeline

When the group over at Infinite Ink Authors officially brought me into the fold, I was overjoyed. It felt a little bit like getting picked for dodgeball or getting asked to the prom by a super amazing, brilliant, attractive person who you never thought would notice you in a million years.

For a year, I tried to carve out a path for myself as an Indie author while staying on a little island. It wasn't intentional. Lots of blogs and experts said that I needed to make "author" friends, but how do you do that? I just focused on the trilogy -- plugged along -- and saw other authors support and tweet about other authors and I watched from the sidelines. 

I was yearning for that connection, too. Who else out there can understand what it's like both as a writer in general (I'm bawling over this character decision -- please tell me you've been there) and as an indie author (which book tour company is the best?)? My closest friends are my biggest allies and they listen to me about my books and my author issues more than is reasonably necessary. But sometimes you need people in your field...sometimes you need people who have been there before...who might even share your same fan base!

And from that longing, through happenstance, I was invited to join Infinite Ink Authors. 

This group is fantastic. Don't even get me started on how amazing it is that we are a group of kick-ass FEMALE speculative fiction writers who are changing the world with our adventures. Beyond that, we are here to support each other and to introduce our readers to the work we are creating behind closed doors. Writing is lonely. This is not.

I am passionately telling you to check out Infinite Ink and follow us on all the major social networks. 

Come talk about science-fiction with us on Goodreads...engage me in a conversation about Orphan Black on Twitter...ask us writing questions on Facebook. We want to connect with YOU and we are thrilled to introduce you to our collective.

Infinite Ink Authors: http://www.infiniteinkauthors.com/

Twitter: @infiniteinkauthors

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/infiniteinkauthors

BONUS: We are having a giveaway!! $25 Amazon gift cards and books are yours for the taking if you come join us on this adventure. Visit the website!

Wow. Elliott adored this book. We've had success with Oz and now this Beverly Clearly staple. Is there anything more exciting that an adventurous little mouse trying to outwit the hotel employees?

There is a part in the book where the other mice were concerned about being poisoned.

Elliott: But a mouse is a living creature...why would anyone want to hurt a living creature?

He was very concerned that Ralph S. Mouse and his family was going to die -- which I thought would make a rather macabre children's book:  start with a cute young mouse and a toy motorcycle, end with everyone dying. But there is quite a lot in this book that deals with the imminent dangers of being a pest in someone else's home. While Ralph's overprotective mother is played for hyperbolic effect, Elliott certainly picked up on some personal connections to his own life.

Elliott: You don't want me to do dangerous things either. Me: Like what? Elliott: Like run out in the road or stuff like that. Me: Well, why don't I want you to run out into the road. Elliott: [rolls his eyes] Because cars don't look for little boys... Me: Right. And I DO let you do things were you can be brave. Elliott: Like watch ET? Me: I was thinking of all the trees you climb. Elliott: The kid next door said I would break my arm and then he went 'nanner-nanner-nanner'...which is a mean thing. Then he told me my baumanot is just a stick. [Editor's Note: Elliott's baumanot is a magic wand that can turn anything in the backyard into anything else...and it is also a stick.] Me: The kid next door is a...the kid next door can't come over to play anymore.

Elliott cheered when Ralph found the little boy some aspirin and wanted to know if the dog is a mean dog or if the dog just wanted to be Ralph's friend and if dogs "just sound the same when they bark, mean or happy."

He was riveted from start to finish.

Elliott gave this book 99.98.678 cotillion(?) stars.