CWD Member Interview - Linsey Painter

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: Linsey Painter

Beautiful beach in Indonesia

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

I am a child of God, a mum to two rambunctious boys and wife to a wonderful husband.

Where I come from is a bit of a complicated question to answer. J I kind of do life on the move. I was born in Melbourne, I grew up in West Papua, Indonesia and I’ve lived in Arnhem Land, Papua New Guinea and Cairns.
Each place I have lived, has contributed to making me who I am.

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

I primarily write for young people. I love kids books. When I was growing up, reading was a safety net for me, it was a place I could disappear and feel safe and secure. I want to write books that will help kids when life gets tough, that will open their eyes to other worlds and write books that will be their friends.

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

Friends and family and kids of friends have read my work as well as other adults around the globe. I would like my work to reach whoever it needs to. I still turn to kids books as my first love in reading and I’m thirty-six, so I’m more than happy for whoever at whatever age to read my work.

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

My workspace

I’m a pantzer. I get an idea and I write. I skip all over the book and write a chapter in the beginning, then I’ll write the ending, then I’ll start filling in the middle bits. I do get to a stage where I need to do lots of mapping and looking at my structure and plot.
It’s usually a huge mess for a long time but I’m learning that ‘mess leads to clarity’ so there’s hope.

Music helps me a lot. I get so much inspiration from listening to songs. Also, going outside and being inspired by nature is amazing.

I have a lot notebooks because I love to actually write on paper. The majority of my work goes straight onto the computer but I doodle and draw pictures and write down tid-bits, dialogue and even whole chapters into my notebooks.

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

Hmmm, this is a bit of a hard one for me to pin down. I really love Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. It reminded me that writing is not all about getting published. It’s a gift to be shared in lots of different ways.
Libby Gleeson’s Writing Hannah is a fun, practical look at writing for kids.
I also loved Katherine Paterson’s The InvisibleChild. It is actually different papers she’s written and talks that she gave over the years about her experiences and what she's learned through reading and writing children's books.

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

I will give a shout out to my amazing Sci-Fi/Fantasy Skype group that meets once a month. Jeanette O’Hagan, Adam David Collings, Raelene Purtill and Catriona McKeown. They have been such an incredible encouragement for me being such a newbie to writing. Their wisdom, experience and generosity in sharing has taught me so much. Thanks guys!

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

I have quite a number of things that I want to finish off. This interview was one of them—tick! I'm working on a couple of short stories that I would like to finish off with a view to submitting them to anthologies. I'm also writing a fantasy series. My goal this year is to write the second book in the series, so I’ll keep plugging away at.

We’re having an interestingly disruptive year. We’re heading off to Africa for about six months. So, that will influence not only how much I get done but also what I write. I’m excited to see what impact it will have on the stories that I am working on at the moment and what new concepts I might come up with.

 

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

I write from a Christian worldview though not necessarily for the Christian market. So my faith saturates what I write. I want to write in a way that glorifies and honours God. I want to write to have a deep impact. I want to write in a way that the reader is distracted by what’s at the front door while the truth slips in through the side window.

Linsey Painter loves to write stories that draw on her rich heritage of growing up overseas. Her children’s stories focus on growing young hearts, challenging assumptions and exploring courage in the face of life’s difficulties.
Linsey’s books are drawn from real life and imaginative fantasy adventures. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect and sometimes we need to be brave and find out how to love and trust again.
Through her books Linsey shows that joy and beauty are everywhere even when life is difficult.
Linsey lives in Cairns with her husband and two lively boys.
You can find information about Linsey on her website or follow her on facebook or twitter. 

CWD Member Interview - Adam David Collings

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's interview: Adam David Collings

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

1. I was born and bred in Tasmania. I've lived all my life in the beautiful city of Launceston, in the north of the state. Launceston was settled by Europeans in 1806, making it one of the oldest cities in Australia. We have the oldest underground sewers in the country (1860) and the third oldest in the world. Launny was also the location of the first medical operation under anaesthesia in Australia (1847)
2. I make my living as a software developer for an engineering company. When I'm not writing code, I'm writing sci-fi and fantasy stories, or scripting videos. There's actually a lot of commonality between my day job and my writing. In both worlds I create videos, and crafting a story is surprisingly similar to crafting a piece of software.
3. I imported my wife from New South Wales, who I met online, before the days of social media. We have two kids. Our daughter is heading in to high school this year, and our son has a superhuman ability to recall dates.

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

I write speculative fiction, which includes science fiction, fantasy, superhero, and anything else weird. Some of my stories are written for the Christian market, others for the general market. My primary focus at the moment is a space opera series called Jewel of The Stars. This is a long-term series of novellas structured like a TV series. I wrote book 1 very much as a "pilot episode". It follows the adventures of the passengers and crew of a cruise ship in space on the run from an alien armada after Earth is invaded.
I also have a superhero project in the works. This one will be set in Australia. After all, why do all superheroes have to be American?

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

Who has read my work? Well, not many people yet, to be honest. Although, my work has generally been received very well by those who have read it. I haven't done any hard marketing pushes yet. I just don't have enough published content in the world to make it worthwhile. Baby steps. As for who I'd like to read it? Maybe some big name celebrity in the geek world, who will subsequently sing its praises for all to hear. Seriously, I would like my work to be read by those who love fantastical stories. I hope my work entertains them as well as makes them think a little.

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

I'm a heavy plotter, so a lot of "writing" takes place before I actually begin the first draft. First, I spend time thinking about the story, and "dreaming it out". This is a great thing to do while walking. Then I produce a detailed outline, drawing on the principles of story structure and scene structure. Then I flesh each scene out into a first draft. After that, I'll read through and do the first-pass edit myself, before passing it along to my editor.
The biggest challenges I face at the moment are time and finance. It takes a lot of both to produce a book, and they're often in short supply. I've found the best time for me to fit in writing time is to do it before work. That way all my energy hasn't been sapped away by the day job. Working from home can be helpful in this, as the time usually spent traveling becomes writing time. I'm moving house next month (no wonder I'm busy) and the new house will have a dedicated "office" for me in the garage. Having a space where you can go to be free from distractions is a big plus, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that will help.
As for finance. Well, there's no easy answer to that one. It just comes down to prioritising, and putting aside something for writing expenses when you have it.

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

I'm a huge fan of Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K.M. Weiland. The concept of story structure (which I first learned about in another excellent book - Story Engineering by Larry Brooks) revolutionised my world. It really made the story-telling process come alive for me. K.M. Weiland's book delves into the nuts and bolts of how stories are structured, even down to the scene level.

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

I'd like to give a shout-out to my editor Iola Goulton. Without her, I wouldn't have my work out there in the world. I'll also shout out Charis Joy Jackson. She recently finished a book called The Rose of Admirias, which will be released as part of the On The Horizon boxset. I read a little bit of an early version, and am looking forward to seeing how the final product turned out.

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

At this stage, I aim to publish episode two of Jewel of The Stars during 2018. I also want to publish my superhero project. There's not a lot I can achieve toward these goals until I move house in February. After that, it's dedicated slow and steady work.

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

My faith impacts everything I write, mostly on a thematic level, regardless of what market I am writing for. My stories deal with issues that I am thinking through at the time, or facing in my life. For example, in my superhero short story Chronostream's Father I explored some of the challenges I was facing in my parenting, and how my faith imformed how I'd approach it all. In Jewel of The Stars episode 1, I deal with the theme of risk. When is it appropriate to take risk? This lead to me thinking about the links between risk and faith.

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Adam David Collings is an author of speculative fiction. He lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife and two children. Adam draws inspiration for his stories from his over-active imagination, his life experiences and his faith.
Adam is a great lover of stories, enjoying them in books, movies, scripted TV and computer games. Adam discusses these on his own youTube show – Stories with Adam Collings.
Find him at adamdavidcollings.com or sign up to his email list for a short story.

Interview with Jack Haines

By Ian Acheson

Photo courtesy of Rendeeplumia/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I had the opportunity to sit down with Jack Haines, the hero of Angelguard. In a long wide-ranging interview that covered various topics including Jack’s faith, dealing with grief and the loss of loved ones, to his passion for ball sports and a hidden talent, Ian was able to share an excerpt with us on Christian Writers Downunder.

Thanks Jack for your time today. Perhaps fill us in with what occupies most of your days.

Ian, it’s my pleasure. I spend most of my weeks during the academic year teaching organisational design, leadership and entrepreneurship to students at the one of Australia's leading Graduate Management Schools. I also run my own consultancy business where I share my learning’s as a student of business with a small number of global clients.

And what about when you’re not working?

Running around being exhausted by two daughters, two-year-old twins. As a single dad it can be a lot of work. I’m blessed that my dear mum, Louise, moved into my home after Sarah, my wife, passed away last year. Mum cares for the girls while I’m working. I’m fortunate that I’m able to do a lot of preparation work at home so I can be within earshot of the family on most days.

Last year was a traumatic time for you. Are you able to share a little about how this impacted your walk with the Lord?

As you can imagine it was really tough at first. We were living the life, busy work and enjoying being a family of six, and part of a wonderfully caring church community. Then bang, tragedy struck, that family was halved and all of a sudden I felt terribly alone having to care for my two little ones. It was a real test of my faith. At first, I blamed God, but through His gentle reassuring touch He ministered to my broken heart. It’s still healing but what I’ve come to appreciate is that God wants us to depend on Him. Not just for the big things in life, but the everyday. So each day when I rise I seek Him out and ask for His help in everything I’m doing that day: caring for Gracey and Catie, teaching my students, being a son, friend and brother.

You confronted real evil last year on a few occasions. What was that like?

Fortunately, I can now only remember the joy I felt when we were together on the train heading towards Circular Quay. What happened after we crashed has now become a blur, until I woke in the hospital to be told Sarah and my two eldest had perished at the hands of a terrorist. Those first moments on hearing that news I expect I’ll never forget even though I was on heavy painkillers.

We’re all familiar with the Bible verses that tell us about what Satan and his workers are all about. John 10:10, “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” well I’ve seen the results of his handiwork firsthand. All the atrocities that occur in this world should remind us that evil does exist and as far as the enemy is concerned it’s a full-bloodied assault for our souls.

But the second half of that verse tells us we have the ultimate warrior on our side: Jesus. He has come that we may have life and have it to the full.

Even though there’s still sadness, I know God’s in charge, He’s crazy about me and as I mentioned before I’m learning to give over more of myself to Him. My prayer life has become such an important part of my day. Even days’ that are incredibly busy I make sure I give time to be in His presence and thank Him for all that He has blessed me with.

That’s all with have today. Further excerpts will be made available in the future.

If you’re not familiar with Jack Haines, his story can be found in Angelguard, the first novel in the Chronicles of the Angelguard.

Angelguard reveals the timeless supernatural war that continues unabated and it’s intersection with our physical world. In bringing the warring angels and demons to the forefront of a rollicking tale that crosses the globe, it highlights the ferocity of this conflict. The physical story focuses on three survivors of separate acts of terrorism that occur within weeks of each other. 

The power of prayer in engaging heaven is a second prominent theme of the novel. 

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is now available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter