Meet Our Members – May-Kuan Lim

Most Thursdays in 2019 we will be interviewing one of the members of Christian Writers Downunder – to find out a little bit more about them and their writing/editing goals.

Today interview May-Kuan Lim

Question 1: Tells us three things about who you are and where you come from. 

1. I grew up in Malaysia, but travelled to Melbourne as an international student when I was 17.
2. Working as a newsroom engineer for a short stint in the 1990s made me realise that I would rather write stories than broadcast them. In 2007, a journalist friend offered me a parenting column with the Borneo Post and I eagerly took up this opportunity.
3. I now live in Adelaide where I teach English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), run writing workshops and record oral history.

Question 2: Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc).  What do you write and why?

For my column, I used to interview all sorts of people such from teachers to speech therapists and psychologists. My nine-year column was really an excuse to ask questions that might answer my private parenting dilemmas. Through this, I developed a habit of trying to understand the world through interviewing people and writing. I mostly write other people’s stories, in the form of narrative non-fiction. 

Question 3: Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it?

My early articles in the Borneo Post were for the general public – parents, educators, people interested in Australia. (I moved to Adelaide in 2005). In 2013, I self published my dad’s memoirs, Fish in the Well, set in Malaya, which was sold at his church and given to family members.

My latest book, Refuge, is a collection of refugee stories since the Vietnam War. My hope is that anyone touched by migration, displacement or war will read it. For this reason, I am publishing it serially online for free. The book is now at Chapter 5 Iraq, which is the story of a playwright who fell in love with his leading lady. I publish a new instalment every Friday and anyone can subscribe.

I am also adapting the stories so that they can be used as an English teaching resource. As my Port Adelaide TAFE students inspired the book, I like to think that the stories are coming full circle. 

Question 4: Tell us something about your process. What challenges do you face? What helps you the most?

My Facebook page is The Curious Scribbler. My process starts curiosity: something piques my interest or puzzles me.

I try to find out everything on the topic, whether through the library or by talking to people. Then I ask myself – what jumps out? Where is the energy? In other words, I listen to my heart. Finally, I put on my writer’s hat and try to find the voice to tell the story and the structure to contain it.

I love this quote by poet and writing teacher Mark Tredinnick: ‘How a piece of writing becomes a work of art – a plain but unforgettable thing –has everything to do with the integrity and humanity of its voice and the elegance of the work’s composition.’

Question 5: What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why? 

The Little Red Writing Book by Mark Tredinnick because it is a pleasure to read. It is also organised into sensible chapters such as Lore (On voice, music, care and thrift), Grace (On style, economy and poise), and Shapely thoughts (On thought, planning, structure and paragraphs). I also love the memorable one-liners, for example: ‘Write to please yourself; make yourself hard to please.’

Question 6: If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer, editor or illustrator – who would they be?

Megan Higginson. I first came across Megan’s work via her contribution to the 2018 Stories of Life anthology, Three Dummies in a Dinghy. I then heard about her work organising teen street libraries in her area. What a brilliant idea – generous and practical. Wouldn’t I have loved such a library when I was a teen? Megan has a lovely engaging reading voice and went on to read several stories for the Stories of Life. Megan and Ester de Boer are also about to launch their picture book Raymund the Fear Monster. I hope that it will help me stare down my own Fear Monsters. 

Question 7: What are your writing goals for 2018? How will you achieve them?

I have just finished reading Rosanne Hawke’s book, Riding the Wind, on how to write for children and young adults. In line with her advice, I have started keeping two notebooks: one for story ideas and another for my response to other books. Instead of gobbling up words like a glutton, I am trying to read more slowly, to savour the way the words go down, to pay attention to technique and even to copy down exceptional sentences.

I am also experimenting with other genres. To my mind, the challenge to diversify was best put by vet and budgerigar expert Bob Donely: A real doctor treats more than one species.

Question 8: How does your faith impact and shape your writing?

Rebecca Solnit’s words made a deep impression on me: ‘We are our stories, stories that can be both prison and the crowbar to break open the door of that prison; we make stories to save ourselves or to trap ourselves or others, stories that lift us up or smash us against the stone wall of our own limits and fears. Liberation is always in part a storytelling process: breaking stories, breaking silences, making new stories.’

While I don’t think that we can save ourselves, I think she makes a good point about breaking silences, and about storytelling being bound up in the process of liberation. It was for freedom that Jesus set us free. Let us talk and write then about how he set us free. Thinking along these lines motivated me to become part of the Stories of Life team, a team that encourages Christians to write their true stories of faith and testimony.

Jesus is not only liberator of those in chains. He is also light in a dark world. As his follower, I therefore try not to shut my eyes to block out dark and frightening things. Cover-ups and silences don’t please or glorify the God of truth. If I can bear to look at a thing honestly and dig deep, my faith assures me that there is no darkness beyond his redeeming power.

Having said that, I often find myself wrestling with how my ancient and invisible faith is to be lived out in this visible and contemporary world. For me, reading and writing seem to be part of this wrestling. Words seem to be the medium through which I sense God’s heart, and the way I offer back something to him.

May-Kuan Lim is a member of Writers SA and Oral History Australia SA/NT. She is also the administrator for the Stories of Life writing competition. Her website is maykuanlim.com.

CWD Member Interview – K A Hart

Each Thursday in 2018 we will be interviewing one of the members of Christian Writers Downunder – to find out a little bit more about them and their writing/editing goals.

Today interview: K A Hart

Question 1: Tells us three things about who you are and where you come from.

I’m happy to report, I’m only half crazy. One side of my family is 5 stars-wacky and the other, well, they didn’t get the memo. The most problematic issue I have currently is I’m living with the former. 

It doesn’t help when you reside in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Even the everyday gardening stories my family has accumulated over the years have ended with blown up trailers. Not to worry - every single green ant did not survive.

I’ve recently moved from Toowoomba, QLD back to Darwin, NT. I’m still adjusting to the flames. My personal sadistic enforcer of pain still trains me every week via FaceTime, but it’s not the same. He can now only glare at me when I stop at twenty burpees.

Question 2: Tell us about your writing.  What do you write and why?

I write specks of ideas that have inevitably exploded beyond their tiny existence. Fanciful lands and space-skirmishes. Daring rescues and gasping torture. Heart-pounding hide and seek. Hold-your-breath moments of love and affection. It all sparks into life and irritates with consistency until it’s written down. Only then, can I rest.

Question 3: Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it?

No one famous. Oh wait, the Quirky Quills have. And a few I-could-start-my-own-library, book-hoarder family members - they’re not famous though.

I envision the perfect readers of my work to lie upside-down on their bed with their feet against the wall and their head hanging over the other side while they read. And Ted Dekker.

Question 4: Tell us something about your process. What challenges do you face? What helps you the most?

Well, the first thing you should have is an idea and then ... Well, first you need something to write with. They ... they know that. Well, obviously you need a writing instrument and you need an idea. I'm just not sure which should come first.

Bones, Season 1, Ep 11

There are those annoying, yet somewhat satisfying distractions like Pinterest, Facebook, life … life … more life. And then there are those procrastinations like … procrastination.

You’d think having a deadline would help with my writing process. If I didn’t have multiple alarm clocks on my phone every morning to get up for work, I’d be scrambling for the car-keys. It’s the same with writing. A deadline is great. Not having people hound you a couple times each month before the deadline isn’t helpful (no need for everyone to volunteer, I already have my Cheer Squad).

Visual cues like collages depicting my story (this is why I love Pinterest) and inspiring quotes are amazing slaps-in-the-face to keep me on schedule. I do wish they had an app to create your own storyboard collage though. It’d save on bluetac.

Question 5: What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why? 

There are Writing Craft Books? Maybe someone could suggest a few in the comments. Books might help …

I have recently bought the Trait Thesaurus’ by Angela Ackerman & Becca Publisi, but have yet to really explore them.

Question 6: If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer, editor or illustrator – who would they be?

Oooh, wow. Just one? How about a CWD, separate, individual group. The Quirky Quills. Mazzy Adams, Adele Jones, Nola Passmore, Janelle Moore and Sandra Troedson. These ladies are some of the most inspiring women I know. They all have unique strengths. All encouraging in their own ways. And all absolutely and beautifully crazy.

We may need to have a honourary Quirky Quills, though. Charis Joy Jackson. Such an amazing and gorgeous soul. Her first novel, The Rose of Admirias debuted in the On the Horizon ebook box set. She is a talented storyteller and I can’t WAIT to have that book in my hands, literally.

Question 7: What are your writing goals for 2018? How will you achieve them?

I plan to write … something. Woohoo! I just did. NAILED IT!

I would leave it there, except I now have the lovely Nola Passmore and Adele Jones whispering in my ear with sharp, hissing words. ‘Finish editing your novel. You need to send it to a publisher.’

So, there’s that. They’ll probably send strategically, worded texts to help prompt some of the editing.

I’ll Skype the Wright Write session that occurs every third Thursday of each month. We may do some writing. We may not. Depends …

Question 8: How does your faith impact and shape your writing?

My talent, the stories, they all come from Him. I cannot boast it to be mine alone.

He slips in silently and threads his way through the story. Unnoticed. Unassuming. He doesn’t hinder the true nature of the human or the depiction of a sinful world. He works through it and transforms words into sentences, into paragraphs, into chapters to entire stories. And I marvel at his creation.

K A Hart has had two short stories published. Stone Bearer, appears in Glimpses of Light and Tedious Tresses, in the As Time Goes By Mixed Blessings anthology. She is currently working on a fantasy novel.

Website: www.kahartauthor.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kahartauthor/

Member Interview - Hazel Barker

Each Thursday in 2018 we will be interviewing one of the members of Christian Writers Downunder – to find out a little bit more about our members and their writing/editing goals.

Today’s interview is with Hazel Barker

Question 1: Tells us three things about who you are and where you come from.

1. I was born in Burma of an Iranian Muslim father and an English Catholic mother, and have
lived in Australia for 50 years.
2. I’ve always loved reading – especially the classics.
3. As a teenager, I dreamed of freedom, travel and love.

Question 2: Tell us about your writing (or editing/illustrating etc). What do you write and why?

I write memoirs and historical novels, and wanted to be a writer from an early age, after reading Little Women. But my writing journey only commenced in 2013, when my short story, ‘Hunger’ was
selected for publication in the Redlitzer Anthology.

2016 saw the publication of my memoir, Heaven Tempers the Wind: Story of a War Child, Armour
Books, and my debut novel, Chocolate Soldier. The Story of a Conchie, Rhiza Books.
Part 2 of my memoirs, The Sides of Heaven, Armour Books, was released in February this year. I’m
now working on Part 3, Count Your Blessings.

My historical novel, The Soprano is in the pipeline.

Question 3: Who has read your work? Who would you like to read it?

My memoirs have mainly attracted female readers, but my novel, Chocolate Soldier: The Story of a
Conchie is popular with both sexes. This is probably because of the war theme and romantic scenes,
but particularly due to the message of PEACE.

I’d love all those who wish to give glory to the Lord by witnessing his message and forgiveness, to
read my books.

Question 4: Tell us something about your process. What challenges do you face? What helps you the
most?

My greatest challenge is the lack of time. I usually spend my mornings writing, but I can’t hold back
the clock, and my age is against me. I ask myself, ‘Will I be able to complete Part 3 of my memoirs
and finish my novel? How long will the Lord give me the health and strength to continue writing?

My husband Colin helps me the most. He encourages me and takes me to writers meetings,
conferences and workshops. He’s most understanding and considerate. God Bless him!

Question 5: What is your favourite Writing Craft Book and why?

My favourite writing craft book is K.M. Weiland’s, Structuring Your Novel. It was recommended to me by Iola Goulton when she did a sample edit of my work. It helps keep my writing on track. Thanks Iola.

Question 6: If you were to give a shout-out to a CWD author, writer, editor or illustrator – who
would they be?

If I were to give a shout for a CWD writer, it would be Paula Vince. I met Paula when I first joined
Omega Writers at an Omega Conference in Brisbane, and was struck by her kind and gentle ways. I
enjoyed the fellowship, the encouragement and the workshops. I love her books on Divine Healing.
Her romantic suspense novels. I enjoyed reading her books, particularly Picking up the Pieces and
The Risky Way Home.

Question 7: What are your writing goals for 2018? How will you achieve them?

My writing goals for this year are:
. to polish Count Your Blessings and to revise my historical novel, The Soprano.

Question 8: How does your faith impact and shape your writing?

My faith and my writing go hand-in- hand.
My faith is like a candle that lights up my work.
My faith rules my life, and hopefully, my writing will strengthen my readers’ faith, hope and trust in the Lord.
My faith and prayers too, may lead the despairing to hope, the sinner not to despair of the Lord’s
mercy and the prodigal to return to the Fold.

Hazel Barker lives in Brisbane with her husband Colin. She taught in Perth, Canberra and Brisbane for over a quarter of a century and now devotes her time to reading, writing and bushwalking.

From her early years, her passion for books drew her to authors like Walter Scott and Charles Dickens. Her love for historical novels sprang from Scott, and the love of literary novels, from Dickens. Many of her short stories and book reviews have been published in magazines and anthologies.

Hazel’s debut novel Chocolate Soldier, was released by Rhizza Press in September 2016. Book One of her memoirs Heaven Tempers the Wind, was released by Armour Books in August 2017. Both books are set during World War Two – the former in England and the Far East; the latter in Burma.

Her latest book, The Sides of Heaven, is the sequel to Heaven Tempers the Wind: Story of a War Child, which was shortlisted in the Australia and New Zealand-wide CALEB Competition of 2017.