Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
O.E. Tearmann is a pen name for a writing duo: Olivia Wylie and E.S. Argentum. Together, we’ve written the six books of the ‘Aces High Jokers Wild’ series.
So, why are we writing under a pen name? When we decided that we were going to work together, we adopted this name. It has a special meaning for us; both Olivia and E.S. study the Irish language. In Irish, ‘tearmann’ is defined as: noun. A refuge, place of asylum, home or sanctuary. When these two authors decided to write a series centering healthy social bonds as the best way to deal with traumatic events, and giving agency to marginalized characters, it seemed only fitting to use a name that means ‘a sanctuary’.
The O. in O.E. Tearmann, Olivia Wylie (she/her), is a professional horticulturist and business owner who specializes in the restoration of neglected gardens. When the weather keeps her indoors, she enjoys researching and writing about the plant world, the future, and the complexities of being human. Her solo work is in illustrated non-fiction works of ethnobotany, intended to make the intersection of human history and plant evolution accessible to a wider audience. Born in the deep woods of upper Wisconsin, she lives in Colorado these days with a very patient husband and a rather impatient cat. Her solo works can be viewed at www.leafingoutgardening.com
As the “E” in the O.E. Tearmann writing duo, E.S. Argentum (they/them) brings to a life a cast of eccentric, loveable characters. They bring the same passion for diverse, character-driven stories seen in Aces High, Jokers Wild to their solo work. E.S Argentum’s fantasy and scifi romances center on GLBTQ+ relationships with the emotional comfort of your favorite puff piece, layered with rich, unique twists. They have short stories published in multiple anthologies under the pseudonym of Emily Singer, including Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Crossing Colfax and Ultimate Power, from Northwest press. When they’re not writing, they’re generally found playing video games, having existential crises, or napping with their cat. Their solo work can be viewed at https://argentumbooks.weebly.com
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Our most recent book, ‘Aces High, Jokers Wild Book 5: Draw Dead’ is the newest installment in the Aces High, Jokers Wild series. A lot of things have gone into the book: the seed of it was the chance to show our world through the eyes of one of our favorite side-characters. She’s helped the other characters so much that it was definitely her turn to shine. We also used this book as our way to cope during the darkest days of Lockdown; focusing on a world with problems we could fix was really healthy for us both, and using our tangled emotions for writing fuel instead of letting them go around and around in our heads was really good for us both.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Well, our writing style is pretty unusual! We wrote the first drafts for all 8 books in the series in one long, two-year fun-filled creative jaunt. Now we have a routine for cleaning up these drafts. Admittedly, it usually begins with Olivia, the optimist of the team, saying ‘oh this one is almost perfect, it won’t take much work!’ And then E.S. snickers at her.
Olivia starts by going through the draft, cleaning it up where it’s needed and adding details, as well as filling in plotholes and language to made the first draft into the second. Then Nonir takes it and polishes it up into our third draft. After that, it goes out to our first round of readers, then the expert readers, followed by the sensitivity readers. Finally it goes off to Amphibian Press for its final edit and formatting.
Olivia does have a writing trick: she has two tattoos based in Irish myth. One is an otter chasing the Salmon of Knowledge. The Salmon is placed so that, when she looks down at her write arm during a moment of irritation with the writing, she finds herself looking the Salmon of Knowledge right in the eye. That always kickstarts her writing and gets her focused again.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
E.S. has always adored Tamora Pierce, Neil Gaiman, and Gail Carson Levine. They share a love of Terry Pratchett’s work with Olivia, who also adores Anne Block, Charles DeLint, and was definitely influenced by watching far, far too many episodes of the TV show MASH 4077 as a child.
What are you working on now?
Currently, we work together on the Aces High, Jokers Wild series. This project began a number of years ago, as the proverbial crap was hitting the fan. So many people in 2016 were saying ‘we’re screwed’ that we started to feel hopeless, more and more isolated and powerless. So we said ‘okay, fine. Let’s posit ‘we’re screwed’. Let’s write the darkest version of America we can imagine. And then let’s write our way out of it and into a better world. This way, we prove to ourselves and others that no matter how dark it gets, we really can turn it around.’
This is how the Wildcards and their world came to be imagined.
A little bit about this series:
seven corporations run the City Grids for a profit on the land that was the United States of America. You are indentured to your Corporation the day you’re born, and your life is dictated by the hand that holds your Corporate Citizen Contract. Freedom is just a word in the news vids.
But off the Grids, there are people fighting for a change.
This series revolves around one unit in the fight to return representative democracy to America. Officially Democratic State Force Base 1407, they are known as the Wildcards. They are dreamers and fighters. They are a family. They fight for one another, and a future worth living in.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
We’ve had the amazing luck to be placed with Creative Edge Publicity by our press, and they’ve introduced us to some really great people. Beyond that, we’ve had good results with StoryOrigin as a place to connect with reviewers. Our real lifesaver is Buffer; since Olivia is a landscaper by trade, she works between 12 and 14 hours a day in April, May and June. Since E.S. also has a day job, that makes it hard to keep up, so we sit down together in January and use the social-media scheduling app to plan all the years’ social media posts. It’s a lifesaver.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice is this: keep a consistent schedule. It doesn’t matter what it is. Just keep it. Keep writing. And don’t compare yourself to anyone else; you’re on your path, not theirs.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.
What are you reading now?
Olivia is currently bouncing between two books: Go Big: How To Fix Our World, by Ed Miliband, and While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams. She usually has a fiction and a nonfiction book going at the same time.
E.S. hasn’t been reading much lately, but they’ve been bingeing Hilda and Steven Universe.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Oh, we’ve got all kinds of things going! This fall, E.S.’s first solo novel, Heart Trick, will be coming out. Olivia will be releasing an illustrated collection of Old Irish poetry. In the spring the sixth Aces High, Jokers Wild book will come out, along with the audiobook for the fourth book. We’re excited!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Olivia would bring Tapping The Dream Tree by Charles DeLint, Welcome To Bordertown, Sherlock Holmes and Good Omens.
E.S. wouldn’t limit themselves to four. They’d stuff as many books as they could in.
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