WHO ARE THE KINDLE ALL-STARS?
A series of 20+ short interviews with the team behind the Kindle All-Stars short story anthology ‘Resistance Front’ posted daily in the run up to its publication.
Please be sure to check any relevant images and links for each individual at the end of their interview.
I hope you enjoy this interview with Alix Rendell.
WHO ARE THE KINDLE ALL-STARS?
Short conversations throughout November with the stellar talent behind the revolutionary short-story anthology THE KINDLE ALL-STARS PRESENT: RESISTANCE FRONT
FS: How did you come to hear about the Kindle All-Stars project?
Alix: Bernard Schaffer is an amazing storyteller. I discovered his blog a month or so before he announced this project.
FS: What’s your contribution called?
Alix: “Creating a God”.
FS: And without giving too much away, what’s it about?
Alix: After her sister’s suicide, a grieving young woman leaves home to face her own emotional breakdown. By chance, she encounters a man who has no idea that he’s affected her life profoundly. And she intends to let him know this, in the most dramatic way possible.
FS: What was the main inspiration behind it?
Alix: We’ve all known at least one person who thinks the rules don’t apply to them. They use friends and toss them aside, leave a path of destruction everywhere they go, and seemingly are never being penalized for their behavior. That type of person inspired my story.
FS: Did you write it specifically for the Kindle All-Stars, or was it written prior?
Alix: I wrote the first draft six years ago.
FS: Obviously the primary goal behind this anthology is to make some money for disadvantaged and abused children. But secondary to that, it is to promote fresh, new writing talent – the punk rock of literature – and show that Indie writers are out there, dedicated and working hard to produce Class-A work.
If people take notice of what you’ve written for this anthology, what do you hope the outcome is of that attention?
Alix: Obviously, I’d love to have a fan base someday. But even more than that, I would love to know that the attention generated by this project would help get people back to reading for quality entertainment. One of the first things I learned as a newspaper reporter was that my editor would not approve any articles written for someone with higher than a fifth-grade reading level, the biggest demographic of a newspaper-reading public. Eighth-grade reading levels were standard ten years ago. We no longer encourage people to do better; instead, we “dumb down” our content to accommodate them. That’s absolutely shameful.
FS: How do you write? Are you a plotter? Do you fly by the seat of your pants? When do you write, and where? I write at night, at the dining table, when the kids are in bed and the place is finally peaceful and quiet. And I work everything out on paper before I sit down to write. What have you found works best for you?
Alix: Most of my writing is done on the fly. I carry a little notebook and write in the doctor’s waiting room or in my car at lunchtime – whenever I have a few spare moments. I’m terrible at plotting too, especially sticking with the outline once I start to write. It goes faster for me to just jump in and see how my characters react when challenged.
FS: How did you find the editing process with Bernard? I found it to be like a smack in the mouth and a pat on the head at the same time, saying “I like this” at one point, to a specific sentence, and then “You need to stay in Active Voice!” the next. I learned a lot, and I think I have a much stronger piece of writing now than I did when I submitted it. What was your personal experience?
Alix: This was my first experience with having my fiction edited. I was afraid I wouldn’t interpret his feedback or suggestions properly, which might lead to another round of edits – or being booted from the project. But his initial comments were very clear about where he felt revision was necessary. He even offered a suggestion on how to improve the section. The process of being edited was a wonderful experience for me.
FS: Is there anyone in particular who’s contributed to the anthology that you’re excited to be included alongside?
Alix: Harlan Ellison and Alan Dean Foster are a given. But I’ve read the excerpts from our lesser-known KAS contributors, and honestly, I’m thrilled to be included alongside all of these authors!
FS: We know that there will be a KAS 2 at some point. Plans are already afoot. Is there a dream name you’d like to see involved in it the next time around? Me personally, getting published in a book that includes a story by Alan Dean Foster is one of those “Wouldn’t it be great if one day…” things that I can now tick off of the list.
Alix: I would love to see Lee Child contribute a Jack Reacher short story. How amazing would that be?
FS: So when you’re not helping to fight evil, what do you get up to in real life?
Alix: I work for a non-profit agency whose main purpose is to raise money for other non-profit, social service agencies. So I’m still fighting evil.
FS: Are you working on anything now? Anything you’d like everyone to know about?
Alix: My debut novel, TRACKING THE WOLF, is going through the final editing stage, and will be available in the coming months.
FS: And to your readers – both potential and existing – is there anything you would like to say? They might be reading this months after Resistance Front has landed, wanting to know more about you. What would you like to say to them?
Alix: I would like to tell them what I’ve told everyone in my life at one point or another. “Thank you for giving me a chance – I’ll do my best to not let you down.”
FS: Thats it! Time’s up! Hopefully we’ll the chance for a much more in-depth chat at some point in the near future when KAS is out on sale!
Keep checking here for when TRACKING THE WOLF is released
Tony Healey 