Happy Dagger on Come In, Sit Down, Tell Us About...

For you that are new, please read our intro now printed in Blue - for our returning guest feel free to jump to the text in black:

This blog is a meeting place for authors and others in the arts .... each week as others are directed to our door or just stumble on by, they come and leave information about themselves - telling about their new books or drawings or photos or to tell us about their new blogs. ****PLEASE be sure your comments are appearing on the latest most timely blog insuring your inclusion in the sending off to Google plus land at the end of the week.*****


Here is the link to Gwen’s site: http://indieauthornetwork.weebly.com/ , a site which I am closely affiliated.


As I am wont to say {as does Facebook}, our site is free to comment and share and always will be free. This is a great site to join and to become interactive with guest blogging. It gives you a chance to step out of your box and be whatever you wish.


Another blog that I have a close tie is CRYPTO and CO. Please pop over and check out all their pages.


I have been off doing business and my blogging, unfortunately, falls by the wayside. There is so much news to tell and swamping tends to cross eyes and brain fog off... so only a few links on today's news.

If we thought last month was busy, this month got off to a plunge into new adventures of editing, writing, publishing, promoting, and social interaction.


The Rain Cloud's Gift written for Children's Charities by our group The Peacock Writers' is on it's way to the NYC BOOK FAIR at the JACOB JAVIT'S CONVENTION CENTER. No mass books or signing, just books displayed for industry professionals, stars, editors, publicists, publishers, and acquisition teams for the movie industry. Gwenna D'Young has an Angel who was so impressed with the book, and has given us the money and backing to have the book appear in the line up. We are also in the process of releasing a full, pictures included, limited edition.


Our next book in this series will celebrate the fall season and we are recruiting writers {1 each} from India, Japan, and Philippines - America has Halloween and Thanksgiving, Great Britain has Guy Fawkes - we would like stories that reflect fall traditions or holidays for these other cultures as well. The stories would remain the sole property of the author and their use as a donation would only occur for the book collection for Children's Charities. The story is to be written on a level where a child could either read it or have it read to them - our age goal for readers is 0 through 12. Please contact me at https://www.facebook.com/paula.shene if interested in being considered.

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Today, Tuesday June 5 2012 we have, as our guest, Happy Dagger.

The first time I read something by Happy Dagger, my reaction was ewwwwwwwwwww - his description was so clear, it left no room to imagine he could be possibly writing about anything but what he was in fact writing. He reminds me very much of Stephen King description-wise. I am delighted he agreed to an interview ~ 


What inspired you to write? 

For me, writing is more of a compulsion than an inspiration. I was snookered into reading by kindergarten teachers as a small child. If you could read a sentence on a piece of paper, you were rewarded by being allowed to grab hold of some sugary Captain Crunch cereal from a giant shiny blue bowl. Like a good monkey, I was highly adept at completing my tasks and getting my pellets. 

Reading, being a gateway drug, led me down the slippery slope to writing. Often, living in a little world of my own creation, writing became the next thrill to pursue. Constructing the beginnings, middles, and ends of a story with characters became the closest thing, from my point of view, to playing God. 
Some folks would consider God play as an extreme expression, to describe authors and their works; they would be more comfortable to label it as imagination or deem it weird. 

Writing has always been a release for me. Absorbing all that goes on around me can be too much to contain and writing allows me push it out of my system, expressing all the infernal wonder and madness I see in myself, the world, and the people that I have met. 

Pursuing a sense of balance in a chaotic and insane world would be my inspiration to write. If I can use my abilities to entertain readers, then I have found a symbiotic purpose where we both win. 


Do you have anyone you show manuscripts to and get advice from or are you a loner doing it all yourself? 

Yes, readers. I consider anyone who is willing to read my work and give me feedback has a valid point of view. I find it impossible to be objective about my work, because I wrote it. How can you step out of your own skin and see what an audience sees? 

I have found valuable critiques, in regards to my work, from folks who are harsh in their responses, as well as those who enjoy and praise it. Adversaries can be useful. They will tell you the things you don't want to hear. Beneath the possible extremities of their subjective disdain, an artist can grow by discovering weakness in their work and improve as a writer. 


Fans are beneficial because they help hone in on developing an audience base, and assisting in creating something of value for others. 

Editors are also a priceless commodity. Like many writers, one may have massive wings of the imagination, but lack proper footing in the realm of grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. It is an arduous task to fly and try to land with broken feet. Stevie Grace Ricketts, a BookRix member, is an excellent editor and has helped me with my work. Also, I have received beneficial BookRix membership help from Wendy Reakes, Stacey Doss, and Carol Wills. 

What genre do you normally write in? Also, is there a genre you've always wanted to write in, but don't feel you could pull it off?
 
I have three main genres that I focus on: Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. These genres are vast enough to keep me busy for a life time. For now, I do not hold a keen interest in writing for other genres. 

Do you ever base your characters on people you know? 

Yes, I consider every person I have ever met, read about, observed from a distance, or have watched and communicated with via any form of modern media fair game to build future characters for my stories. 


However, as of yet, I have not based any of my characters on a single person. I use my personal, social library of experience to be my stock medium of colors. My characters are mostly hybrids of many people that I have met throughout different parts of my life.
 
Like mosaic art, I take a little piece of this, and a little bit of that, until I create a new fictional character. They are all breathing Frankensteins of past perceptions and memories. 

What advice would you give to someone who was just starting off in writing? 

Perseverance is the key. If you are a true writer, you will continue to do it, regardless of whether the world approves of your work or not. Take every win and loss as a gift, an opportunity to improve. 

Do your stories tend to have morals, or special messages, included within them? 

Every reader is different, morally. I focus more on catching a reader's attention, getting them to empathize with the characters, and taking them along for the ride as the characters face overwhelming obstacles to attain their goals. 

If there is a moral involved, it is a subjective bi-product acquired by the reader, alone. I do not purposely or directly apply morals to my work. 

Tell us why we would enjoy reading your books? 
Well, from what I hear, my stories are thought provoking and a little strange. If you are into slightly warped storytelling, I'm your man. 

Links to Happy Dagger ~ 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/happy.dagger.7 
BookRix http://www.bookrix.com/-happydagger