Book
Name: Ordinary People
Author
Name: E E Montgomery
Author
Bio: E E Montgomery wants the world to be a better place,
with equality and acceptance for all. Her philosophy is: We can’t change the
world but we can change our small part of it and, in that way, influence the
whole. Writing stories that show people finding their own ‘better place’ is
part of E E Montgomery’s own small contribution.
Thankfully, there’s never a shortage of inspiration
for stories that show people growing in their acceptance and love of themselves
and others. A dedicated people-watcher, E E finds stories everywhere. In a
cafe, a cemetery, a book on space exploration or on the news, there’ll be a
story of personal growth, love, and unconditional acceptance there somewhere.
Author
Links: You can contact E E Montgomery at eemontgomery11@gmail.com,
on Twitter: @EEMontgomery1, or at her web site and blog: http://www.eemontgomery.com/.
Cover
Artist: Maria Fanning
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Blurb(s):
When
Queensland Police Force Constable James Laramee raids a hotel room, he finds
Vinnie Canterbury on top of a naked, dead man, covered in blood. Vinnie
promptly vomits all over James’s shoes.
Thanks to a cocktail of horse sedatives and Hendra vaccine, Vinnie’s memories of his ordeal are fractured. Finding the culprits and the reasons behind his abduction will be a challenge. With his apartment trashed, his building set on fire, and his clothes, phone and wallet gone, Vinnie needs a place to stay. To his surprise, James not only takes him in, but also lets him cry on his shoulder. It must be true love. Vinnie has plans for his future with James all mapped out, and he hopes he can get James on the same page.
Thanks to a cocktail of horse sedatives and Hendra vaccine, Vinnie’s memories of his ordeal are fractured. Finding the culprits and the reasons behind his abduction will be a challenge. With his apartment trashed, his building set on fire, and his clothes, phone and wallet gone, Vinnie needs a place to stay. To his surprise, James not only takes him in, but also lets him cry on his shoulder. It must be true love. Vinnie has plans for his future with James all mapped out, and he hopes he can get James on the same page.
Excerpt:
His bed was stripped to the
mattress. The shredded mattress. Foam stuffing bubbled up between the slashes
like pus weeping from an infected wound. He tore his attention from the bed to
find his sheets and duvet scattered all over the floor. In pieces. He
whimpered.
“I just bought that set.” He pressed
his fingers against his lips. Even in his shock he recognized the inanity of
his comment. His gaze was drawn to the freestanding full-length mirror beside
the windows. Black writing marred the polished surface.
NEXT TIME DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD FAG OR
THE SAME WILL HAPPEN TO YOU.
He turned to see Laramee beside him,
his hand again clamped on Vinnie’s arm. “What was I told?” he whispered. “I
don’t know what I was told.”
It was too much. He flung himself at
Laramee, buried his face in the warm, slightly harsh fabric of his uniform,
ignored the button digging into his forehead, and burst into tears.
“I don’t even know your name. I
can’t sob all over you if I don’t know your name,” he wailed.
Tour
Dates & Stops:
Now for the interview!
E E MONTGOMERY
June 2014
1. What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?
Two things: never stop learning, never give up. Even when what you’ve written seems like it’s the best it can be, there’ll always be something to improve, either with this one or the next. So keep learning your craft, re-learn things you’ve done before. You never know it all. Sometimes, something you write will be perfect; sometimes it will be absolute dreck. Shit happens; don’t assume it means you can’t write. Rewrite it, write something else, work out why it didn’t work and fix it. If writing is your passion, don’t ever give up.
Two things: never stop learning, never give up. Even when what you’ve written seems like it’s the best it can be, there’ll always be something to improve, either with this one or the next. So keep learning your craft, re-learn things you’ve done before. You never know it all. Sometimes, something you write will be perfect; sometimes it will be absolute dreck. Shit happens; don’t assume it means you can’t write. Rewrite it, write something else, work out why it didn’t work and fix it. If writing is your passion, don’t ever give up.
2. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I’m not sure if I’d call it writer’s block or something else. There are times I don’t know where to take a story, I can’t work out how to edit the stories I have finished; my head is totally empty of new ideas. Sometimes these times last for days or weeks, sometimes longer. What I do about it: I worry. I stare into space. I worry some more. I go for a walk and worry while I walk. Eventually, I sleep—for a long time. That usually works.
I’m not sure if I’d call it writer’s block or something else. There are times I don’t know where to take a story, I can’t work out how to edit the stories I have finished; my head is totally empty of new ideas. Sometimes these times last for days or weeks, sometimes longer. What I do about it: I worry. I stare into space. I worry some more. I go for a walk and worry while I walk. Eventually, I sleep—for a long time. That usually works.
3. Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your genre?
Definitely multiple genres. My published works are all contemporary, some with a small element of mystery. I also write Science Fiction but I’m not happy enough with the editing of those stories to have sent them out yet. A couple are getting really close to publishable, so it’ll happen soon.
Definitely multiple genres. My published works are all contemporary, some with a small element of mystery. I also write Science Fiction but I’m not happy enough with the editing of those stories to have sent them out yet. A couple are getting really close to publishable, so it’ll happen soon.
4. What is the hardest part about writing for you?
Editing. That’s where I have to check that the overall structure works, that everything everyone does makes sense for their character, that the plot elements interweave properly and are interesting, that I’m showing and not telling, that I’m writing actively and not passively… the list goes on. Anything that doesn’t work has to be changed. Sometimes the changes are minor, sometimes major. There are so many things whirling around in my head, I can’t keep track of it all, and even though I write it all down, I still miss bits. Some days it does my head in and I have to walk away from it. Other days, I get into a groove and resent every interruption.
While I prefer to just make stuff up and write it down—that’s the fun bit—I know editing makes my work stronger, so I persevere. Ordinary People began life as a 3000 word short story. For a long time I couldn’t work out why it didn’t feel right. Then I started looking for the gaps in the narrative.
My most recent WIP has taken a lot of time to get right. I ended up having to completely remove one plot thread, change two characters’ roles and combine another two characters into one character. I also had to remove one character’s point of view scenes and write new ones from another character’s point of view. Those things in themselves are doable, but it became complicated when I kept coming across things in the plot lines I was keeping that had been impacted by the one that no longer existed. Removing the character left a gap in pace and dialogue that I had to work out how to fill, and combining two characters meant I had to change all the physical descriptions and dialogue so it all matched the new character. Some actions had to be attributed to another character for it to make sense. The process got easier the deeper I delved into it. The hardest part was deciding how to make it work and then starting.
Editing. That’s where I have to check that the overall structure works, that everything everyone does makes sense for their character, that the plot elements interweave properly and are interesting, that I’m showing and not telling, that I’m writing actively and not passively… the list goes on. Anything that doesn’t work has to be changed. Sometimes the changes are minor, sometimes major. There are so many things whirling around in my head, I can’t keep track of it all, and even though I write it all down, I still miss bits. Some days it does my head in and I have to walk away from it. Other days, I get into a groove and resent every interruption.
While I prefer to just make stuff up and write it down—that’s the fun bit—I know editing makes my work stronger, so I persevere. Ordinary People began life as a 3000 word short story. For a long time I couldn’t work out why it didn’t feel right. Then I started looking for the gaps in the narrative.
My most recent WIP has taken a lot of time to get right. I ended up having to completely remove one plot thread, change two characters’ roles and combine another two characters into one character. I also had to remove one character’s point of view scenes and write new ones from another character’s point of view. Those things in themselves are doable, but it became complicated when I kept coming across things in the plot lines I was keeping that had been impacted by the one that no longer existed. Removing the character left a gap in pace and dialogue that I had to work out how to fill, and combining two characters meant I had to change all the physical descriptions and dialogue so it all matched the new character. Some actions had to be attributed to another character for it to make sense. The process got easier the deeper I delved into it. The hardest part was deciding how to make it work and then starting.
5. Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
Vinnie’s father was a dick. He tried to make Vinnie conform to what he thought was the norm. Three-year-old Vinnie couldn’t understand why his father was always angry with him. Thank goodness his great-grandmother showed him it was okay to be himself.
Vinnie’s father was a dick. He tried to make Vinnie conform to what he thought was the norm. Three-year-old Vinnie couldn’t understand why his father was always angry with him. Thank goodness his great-grandmother showed him it was okay to be himself.
6. Do you use a pen name? If so, how did you come up with it?
My pseudonym is a conglomeration of a number of things that have meaning for me. I love science fiction and one of my favorite authors when I was growing up was E.E. (Doc) Smith. Smith was considered the father of science fiction. He was no longer writing when I was a child but my father had all his books. Isaac Asimov is actually my favorite SF author and I considered have Isaac as a surname, but I have family with that name so it wouldn’t work. The Montgomery came from two places: Star Trek (adore Scotty), and Bewitched (adore Elizabeth Montgomery).
My pseudonym is a conglomeration of a number of things that have meaning for me. I love science fiction and one of my favorite authors when I was growing up was E.E. (Doc) Smith. Smith was considered the father of science fiction. He was no longer writing when I was a child but my father had all his books. Isaac Asimov is actually my favorite SF author and I considered have Isaac as a surname, but I have family with that name so it wouldn’t work. The Montgomery came from two places: Star Trek (adore Scotty), and Bewitched (adore Elizabeth Montgomery).
7. How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?
I’ve been told often by other writers that I have an incredible imagination. I’m constantly asking ‘what if’, even when I’m just walking down the street and watching cars cross through an intersection. I don’t have a lot of limits in my imagination. To me, anything is possible. Once I think of something, I then have to find if something like that could actually be possible. If it’s not, according to the laws of physics, I’ll write it in a way that makes it possible, or adapt the idea to something workable.
I’ve been told often by other writers that I have an incredible imagination. I’m constantly asking ‘what if’, even when I’m just walking down the street and watching cars cross through an intersection. I don’t have a lot of limits in my imagination. To me, anything is possible. Once I think of something, I then have to find if something like that could actually be possible. If it’s not, according to the laws of physics, I’ll write it in a way that makes it possible, or adapt the idea to something workable.
8. What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing your book(s)?
A while ago, I was doing research for a planet I was building. I wanted a way for them to have space travel without raping the planet of its resources to achieve it. I started looking at the earth’s magnetic field. I have no scientific background at all, so I have to talk to people who do. I rang a friend who was a scientist to ask him how strong the magnetic field was and would it be strong enough that we could harness that energy to launch space shuttles and land them again, without damaging the planet either short term or long term. To my surprise he said there was already some research into landing shuttles using the magnetic field. We talked for ages and at the end of the conversation, he said I’d given him some ideas for where the research could go next. How cool is that?
A while ago, I was doing research for a planet I was building. I wanted a way for them to have space travel without raping the planet of its resources to achieve it. I started looking at the earth’s magnetic field. I have no scientific background at all, so I have to talk to people who do. I rang a friend who was a scientist to ask him how strong the magnetic field was and would it be strong enough that we could harness that energy to launch space shuttles and land them again, without damaging the planet either short term or long term. To my surprise he said there was already some research into landing shuttles using the magnetic field. We talked for ages and at the end of the conversation, he said I’d given him some ideas for where the research could go next. How cool is that?
9. How do you do research for your books?
The internet is my friend. Google is my best friend. Books are my soul mates. I’m a librarian with access to a home library, a library at work, associated libraries, and extensive databases. These things make up about 90% of my research. I also have friends who are pharmacists and nurses and I’m absolutely positive the local police snicker every time they see me walk in the door (they’re very kind and helpful).
The internet is my friend. Google is my best friend. Books are my soul mates. I’m a librarian with access to a home library, a library at work, associated libraries, and extensive databases. These things make up about 90% of my research. I also have friends who are pharmacists and nurses and I’m absolutely positive the local police snicker every time they see me walk in the door (they’re very kind and helpful).
10. Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m a panster but I’m trying to learn how to plot better in an effort to reduce the amount of editing I have to do (see no 4 above). I’m trying to find a balance between the two that works for me. My problem is twofold.
Firstly, if I know how the story is going to end, I lose interest in writing it. One of the major reasons I write is to find out what happens. If I already know what happens, why write it?
Secondly, my characters develop as I write them. I begin with a character profile but I’m still learning about their personalities and idiosyncrasies as I write the book. That means there will come a time, in every book, where the plot takes an exciting left turn because of something a character has said or done and anything I’ve planned goes right out the window. The story is usually better for it so I go with the flow, totally enjoying this new journey, while in the back of my head, I’m screaming “more editing, you fool”.
I’m a panster but I’m trying to learn how to plot better in an effort to reduce the amount of editing I have to do (see no 4 above). I’m trying to find a balance between the two that works for me. My problem is twofold.
Firstly, if I know how the story is going to end, I lose interest in writing it. One of the major reasons I write is to find out what happens. If I already know what happens, why write it?
Secondly, my characters develop as I write them. I begin with a character profile but I’m still learning about their personalities and idiosyncrasies as I write the book. That means there will come a time, in every book, where the plot takes an exciting left turn because of something a character has said or done and anything I’ve planned goes right out the window. The story is usually better for it so I go with the flow, totally enjoying this new journey, while in the back of my head, I’m screaming “more editing, you fool”.
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