Susan Pepper Robbins has been a name brand to Unsolicited Press since our early beginnings, long before we began asking authors to submit to our Q+A questions. We published her book Nothing But the Weather in 2014 -- in our bootstrapping days (although, sometimes we are still pulling up our straps). The collection, a gem, and we knew from that experience, we'd want to with with Susan again. Luckily, she produced another book, this time, a novel, Local Speed. Her novel follows a young girl, Crystal Ball as she works to protect her sister from a sexual predator. Today, we have the honor of sharing bit of Robbins' life with you -- hope you love her as much as we do! If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? Mark Twain would appreciate my homemade bread, beef stew, and apple cake, I hope. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? The blank screen is frightening,but the first sentence or even a phrase can be a cannon shot that gives courage. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Jane Austen’s Anne Elliot in Persuasion waits eight years to be rescued by going to sea just after the Napoleonic wars. Anne’s coping with failure is an inspiration by venturing away from home--the traditional place of safety. What books are on your nightstand? Ones by Elena Ferrante, Eudora Welty, Penelope Fitgerald and Elizabeth Harrower. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Listening to conversations, seeing how a person walks, talks, dresses, cooks, what books she or he is reading. Reading Chekhov’s stories. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? The dash breaks into a sentence in a friendly and helpful way, giving it a resonance. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? Moby Dick. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? My desk. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. I write to notice things, people, events, “unremembered acts of kindness”--if I have Wordsworth right, that should not go unremembered. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? The ordinary is extraordinary. Anton Chekhov says that moonlight on the rock is important, more than the big events. In June, we will be releasing Mark A. Doherty's poetry collection Walking Natural Pathways. WALKING NATURAL PATHWAYS is eclectic, each section its own ecosystem. Doherty pays special attention to the natural world, celebrating it with diverse and stylistic poems. Before we release the book onto you lovely readers, we wanted you to get to know Mark better as a writer, and a person. Here is his interview. If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? I would make a stir fry from our garden served over wild rice for naturalist and conservationist Aldo Leopold, and he would remind me of such things as the secrets in seeds and the histories told by flora. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? I am scared that I will become cynical and lose the innocence of youthful perspective. I combat this by returning to the simple joys of nature and finding the ever-present evidence of the natural world’s capacity for healing. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? I’m in love with Rachel Carson, plain and simple. Her words are the rain that nurtures my knowledge and the creativity that inspires my nonfiction. What books are on your nightstand? A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold has always been there since I discovered it rather late in life at the age of 30. Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire rests next to it. Now, however, E.O. Wilson’s Half Earth and Coming of Age at the End of Nature, A Generation Faces Living on a Changed Planet are on top. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? Half of my ideas come from time spent outdoors and away from civilization; the other half comes from teaching English students, both the honors and the regular kids. Beauty in nature of course inspires me, as well as fine writing of all forms and styles. Progressive acoustic music is also a force for my inspiration. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? This has to be the dash. Maybe it’s because I grew up reading Walt and Emily, beyond that, the dash is the spice that flavors both poems and prose—it creates its own meaning. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? The Great Gatsby. Maybe I’ll get to it when I retire. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? I would certainly thank a polished rock-- a piece of satin-smooth petrified wood. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Words are just plain fun. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? It is a wonder that a mere eight parts of speech can eternally create original work. Writing Immortalizes Experience. WALKING NATURAL PATHWAYS releases on June 19, 2018. You can purchase your copy through our store or at any other major retailer. Unsolicited Press announces the immediate availability of Corin Reyburn’s The Rise of Saint Fox and The Independence, a novel about an underground cryptocurrency movement fronted by a London rock band that gains enough followers to spark a revolution. In a near-future London, eccentric revolutionary Janus Jeeves is the leader of the subversive organization the Arcane Society. When he recruits a charismatic drifter named Sam to headline a band that serves as a front for the Society, the group’s soaring popularity draws supporters by the thousands. The end goal of Jeeves and the Society is to replace the current financial system with their own cryptocurrency—GGcoin. Cash is no longer king, and all transactions are made via a digital implant in one’s index finger called the Dot. “Corin Reyburn builds worlds like J.K. Rowling, only hers are places we could see in the future,” said Alexander Norwahl, Editor at Lone Wolf Press. The Rise of Saint Fox and The Independence is available on June 6, 2018. Preorders are open to the public directly from the publisher (www.unsolicitedpress.com) and where all books are sold. Founded in 2012, Unsolicited Press is a small press in Portland, Oregon publishing exemplary poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. THINGS I PRAY I NEVER FORGET (Unsolicited Press, June 6, 2018) — Reality can be a hard pill to swallow: Trump is president, bigotry is running rampant, and all the good people are considered “rioters” instead of protesters. It’s a topsy-turvy world that’s flung humanity back to the 50s. It sounds bleak, we know, but in difficult times such as these, we are even more astounded at how humanity has the capacity to come together for change. What does this have to do with Doug Haines’ new book THINGS I PRAY I NEVER FORGET. In times of conflict, maybe we need to focus on people--well, people who aren’t involved in politics at least. Normal people who have issues that can’t be resolved with new bills and corrupt money. Take a break from politics and “fake-news” and join the characters in Haines’ collection of short stories as they tackle problems that they may or may not be able to overcome because, well, that’s life. Follow the alcoholic barrel man who has to learn how to be responsible for his daughter. Sympathize with the struggles of recovering alcoholic Tom W. as he is faced with a daunting decision. Why not take 15 minutes and join Andy Bergheim, up-and-coming Football coach as he is faced with the opportunity of a lifetime. The underlying theme of these stories are how we have to live with the decisions we choose, whether it's going out with a pretty girl when it means compromising your values, teaching your dog proper habits, or going out with a guy way younger than yourself. Doug S. Haines is a Texas-born musician and writer. In 2013, he co-authored Resurrecting Trash, a book about sustainable living published by Texas Review Press. His fiction has appeared in journals such as Slippery Elm, Reed, and The Chicago Tribune’s Printers Row. He teaches creative writing at Fayetteville Tech in North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Katie, and their two dogs, Lucille and Mabel. THINGS I PRAY I NEVER FORGET is available where all books are sold. If you could cook dinner for any author, dead or alive, who would it be? What would you make? I would cook Schezwan food for Philip K. Dick. He probably wouldn’t like it. What scares you the most about the writing process? How do you combat your fears? That I’ve bitten off more than I can chew and won’t be able to do justice to the story I’ve conceived in my mind once it’s out on the page. I remind myself that the story is already there, has existed, will always exist, and it’s simply a matter of allowing it to happen + hard work and discipline. The yin and yang of writing. Who is your biggest literary crush, author or character? Is Soren Kierkegaard a weird answer? What books are on your nightstand? The Island by Coleman Dowell, The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman, Our Friends from Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick, Affair by Nick Stokes, Dune. Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you? David Bowie. Communication technology. Lucid dreaming. Favorite punctuation mark? Why? I have a love and hate relationship with the em dash--it’s great for creating emphasis, but can be overused. What book were you supposed to read in high school, but never did? I read every book I was supposed to read in high school. I might have skimmed a couple chapters in The Red Badge of Courage. What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements? My shower. It’s where ideas happen. Why do you write? The first 5 words that come to mind. Go. Dissatisfaction. Compulsion. Love. Energy. Change. If you could write an inspirational quote on the mirrors of aspiring writers, what would you write? You can make the impossible plausible. CORIN REYBURN drifts through Southern California teaching a bit of this and coding a bit of that, and enjoys transmuting cosmic energy, cats more than people, and the use of unconventional instruments in rock n’ roll music. Corin holds a degree in Creative Writing and Critique from Oregon State University, and has work featured in places such as M-BRANE SF, Subtopian Magazine, The Molotov Cocktail, Jersey Devil Press, The Gateway Review, Free Focus, Silicon Valley Debug, Clutching at Straws, and Quantum Muse. Reyburn co-produces and curates the speculative fiction podcast SubverCity Transmit. Find more of Corin’s work at corinreyburn.com. Get Your Copy of Corin Reyburn's Book TodayThe rock band Saint Fox and the Independence is the key to taking back economic freedom.
In a near-future London, eccentric revolutionary Jenson Jeeves is the leader of the anarcho-capitalist group the Arcane Society. When he recruits a charismatic drifter named Sam to headline a band that serves as a front for the Society, the group’s soaring popularity draws supporters by the thousands. With the youth of the nation on his side and a biotech weapon that will revolutionize commerce, Jeeves will at last see his plan fulfilled: To reset a corrupt financial system and eliminate the wealth gap—without violence. Or so he believes. Puppeteered by Jeeves, Sam is more than willing to champion the cause as Saint Fox—the honey-voiced, incendiary idol of the revolution. But before he knows it he’s a wanted criminal, with millions of devoted followers looking to him for their next move. No war is without casualties. |
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