Interview With Author Paul Garland
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
While I have been a storyteller all my life, this is the first collection of my poems I have published. I moved around a lot as a young person, and everywhere I went, there was the comfort of books and libraries and stories. The same book I loved in one state was still the same book in another state, and that just stuck with me, how well stories travel.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called “Love, Loss and the Hope In Between”, and came about sort of by accident. I entered a contest to have a poem written in a chapbook, and while the idea of being in a book with other poets was intimidating, I thought it was time I took a risk. One thing lead to another, and suddenly, here I am, a published author!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to write free-form, just sitting at a keyboard and letting my fingers do the thinking for me, then going back and revising with a pencil after I print it out. I find that if I take the time to worry about if the absolute best word is the first one chosen, I never get anything written.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’m a voracious reader, so that is rather like asking someone what is their favorite dish at a buffet. If I had to chose, I always return to Robert Frost, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and old favorites like that.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I am working on a book for young adults, loosely inspired by my moving so much as a pre-teen, but with a mystery thrown in to make it interesting. I also am part of a writer’s group that has me working on one-act plays and ten minute scenes, which are great ways to work on your dialogue, and clarity.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Tell everyone- facebook is your friend, coworkers are your best marketing street team.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t have to be print ready- it just has to get out of your heart and head. Imagine how many wonderful books would never have been written if the author hadn’t picked up a pen or pencil and started to write. And find your people- ones you can trust to give honest feedback, give direct criticisms. And then, take the feedback, the criticism and act on it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There was a remarkable woman named Annie Wilkins, who rode her horse from Maine to California because she wanted to see the Pacific. This was in 1954, and Elizabeth Letts wrote a very enjoyable book about Annie’s trip, called Ride of Her life- I can’t recommend it enough- go read it! In the book, Annie is quoted multiple times as having a motivational poem, and I took it to heart:
“If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you won’t
If you’d like to win but think you can’t
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you will lose, you’ve lost
For out in the world you will find
Success begins with a person’s will
And it’s all in the state of the mind.”
What are you reading now?
Working my way through a to be read pile that grows almost daily. I think it has to do with being married to a librarian. Currently , on my kindle I’m reading Frankenstein (which I am ashamed to say I don’t remember ever reading before) and in print I’m reading “The Crossroads of Should and Must” By Elle Luna. Rather different ends of the literature spectrum, those two.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m working on the young adult book I mentioned, and have several short plays in the works. Mostly, I plan to keep writing, even if it isn’t as good as I’d like it right away- it’s a process. Trust the process, you know?
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?
Oh, brother- there are so many choices. A lot would depend on what other resources I had. For survival, I’d take The Knowledge: How to rebuild civilization in the aftermath of a cataclysm. For fun, pretty much anything by PG Woodhouse. And for personal growth, North of Boston by Robert Frost. I always find such refreshment in his writings.
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