LILLIPUTIAN: THE GENERATION OF

COMPUTER LOVE

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION WHAT IS LILLIPUTIAN? FICTION JEANNE MILACK LEO X. ROBERTSON POETRY MICHAEL PRIHODA AMY LEE PATRICIA P. INTERVIEW WITH A WRITER With LEO X. ROBERTSON With CANDACE HABTE With JENNIFER STEVENSON ARTWORK NINA FONG DEVILLE BRUCE WILSON LI XU

FIN

INTRODUCTION WHAT IS LILLIPUTIAN? "Lilliputian," is a zine I started just for the hell of it. It's a zine to get writers and artists out there. I decided to start this out of my own love for books and writing. So in a weird way, it's my fanzine to literature.

The creator of this zine is named Maria Ng, I've written under several names, but I swear this is my last pen name. I am a book blogger/book reviewer at Notes on the Shore and I've written things for other zines. I don't consider myself a good writer, but it keeps me sane.

The title comes from the hit single, "Computer Love," by the German electronic band, Kraftwerk. The title kind of fits this generation. And I know somebody out there is rolling their eyes out there. This is generation is "Computer Love." We love our technology a lot. But sometimes it also brings in angst and a disconnection from the world. We are constantly exposed to everyone else's miseries. We know what Obama ate for lunch the other day. We know when are friends visited Disney Land. We know how many people die every day. We are ashamed, yet we are hopelessly addicted. But these screens have also brought a lot of happiness to our lives also. Along with bit a too much self-love. And unfortunately, for some people, a loss of sensitivity.

FICTION

CONTACT BY JEANNE MILACK

“Hi.” It‟s such a raspy little thing, spanning the vast distance between me and the mouth it came out of. It‟s nothing monumental, but it‟s enough to get me to look up from my phone, to cause both frustration and fear to quell in my belly. I feel like it‟s been forever since I‟ve heard someone else‟s voice. Not the robotic drone of a news reporter or the exciting howl of a game show host, but the soft whisper of this boy in front of me with dull blue eyes and a smile for days. My own voice is a silken, withered little thing, hiding somewhere inside of me. I am both terrified and thrilled at the idea of having to use it. I have no choice but to reply to this boy with the powder blue stare, but the thought makes my palms slick with sweat in my gloves. I scrunch my hands into uncomfortable fists, glancing away and then back, away, and then, back. My mouth twitches into an answering smile, something quirky and frightening I‟m sure. It hangs on my face like a waxy crescent moon, vigilant of the ground below, afraid and waiting for a disastrous fall. I haven‟t had to use it much, haven‟t had to look into an-other person‟s face so completely, considering computers usually do all the talking for us; they decide what we should eat, who we should date, and what movies we should see. There‟s no need to ask the person next to you about the weather when there‟s an app for that. I‟m sweating despite the chill in the air. My heart is thrumming in my throat, ready to leap out at any second, and then I will be staring at this boy with my lifeline bloody and pulsing in my hands. He will look at me funny, or run away screaming, but maybe then, just maybe, I can go about my day, unheard and unseen. I pull off my gloves and stick them in my pocket, desperate to touch the cold with my just-starting-to-prune fingertips, to draw my answer in the air. I‟m reminded of cha-rades, and then I feel even stupider for even thinking something so silly, something even more humiliating than just answering this boy with my mouth. “I‟m Dave.” He says, stretching a hand towards me, and that‟s when my heart really

starts to hammer. The last person to touch me, did so virtually. Hugs xoxoxo<3.

In this complex world of instant message and video chatting, I can‟t remember the feel of anyone else‟s skin besides my own: soft, smooth, hairless. Will he be warm despite the icy air? Will his long fingers twine around mine like a vine and keep me captive un-til I have a life or death decision to make: talk to me or I‟ll tell everyone you think about charades? I clutch my phone tight with one hand, and start to reach out with the other. The fris-

son I expected at the feel of his calloused skin on the inside of my palm is absent. In-

stead there is a shiver of excitement at human skin to human skin.

I‟m unpracticed and excited. I take a deep breath and say, “Hi. Sarah.” I shift my weight, back and forth, back and forth, elation mixing in with the surge of emotions already swelling deep inside me. He laughs a little and asks if I‟m alright. I test my voice again. “Fine.” I say, reflexively. My mouth feels dry. I lick my lips. “You?” “Fine.” He repeats with a handsome smile. My cheeks light up pink, like a ballerina‟s tutu or pink lemonade. I giggle a little, resist the urge to laugh harder (damn nerves), and crush my bottom lip between my teeth. “You‟re really pretty.” He says to me, and this time I really, truly think I will spit my heart out at him. A. Hot. Bloody. Mess. That‟s what I am. I look down at my boots bashfully, and then meet his eyes again. “So are you.” I tease, feeling somewhat more at ease with conversation. Like I‟ve been doing it all my life; talking out of my mouth instead of a computer. “I‟d like to talk to you more.” He says, grinning like a little kid waiting for the ice cream man to round the corner. I nod, and consider giving him my number. I give it to everyone else. It‟s the way we talk now, electronically. I squeeze the phone in one hand, and he squeezes the other. I had forgotten that he was still holding it. “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee with me? I swear I‟m much cooler than I look.” He tempts, point out at the Starbucks across the street. I consider, squeezing my phone again. He wants to go get coffee and talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. I swallow and ease my phone into my pocket. “I‟d love to."

JEANNE MILACK Jeanne Milack is an up and coming story teller living in New York. When she is not

writing, she is reading, thinking about writing, or something in between.

I'VE BEEN TO PARADISE

BY LEO X. ROBERTSON (Previously published in his collection, Sinkhole) My name is John and this is my confessional. I can„t tell you what it feels like to say that! I live in London and I‟m in prison but it‟s okay I did London years ago. Big Ben Houses of Parliament London Eye West End Musicals Madame Tussaud‟s Tower of London British Museum Hyde Park Natural History Tate Modern Tate Britain London Bridge. I was a travel blogger for years. I did the Grand Canyon I was in awe I did Dubai I was excited I did Vegas baby! I did Auschwitz I was shocked I did the pyramids I was… dis-appointed I did Vietnam I was humbled I did Amsterdam I felt naughty. I did Macchu Pichu in Peru when my hiking obsession began I did Budapest Disneyland Stone-henge safari Golden Gate Orient Express Tokyo luau Route 66 in a red cadillac Carni-val in Rio Great Wall of China Blue Lagoon Greek Islands Niagra Falls Kilimanjaro Goldeneye Dam I shook the Dalai Lama‟s hand! I threw tomatoes while doing Barce-lona and saw a bullfight and I cried I did Oktoberfest ate bratwurst and got pissed I did swimming with the dolphins and touching Orcas I did jumping out a plane I did a hot air balloon and when I was home again I did the seeing-my-three-kids-being-born thing: really changes you you know?

My blog had one hundred and one thousand three hundred and twenty six followers

and five hundred and seventeen thousand eight hundred and thirty five total views. I

was on Twitter Instagram Facebook Reddit Pinterest Myspace Google Plus and

Linkedin too. I had ninety-five thousand two hundred and thirty-five Twitter followers,

eighty-six thousand four hundred and ninety-two Instagram followers, one thousand

two hundred and twenty-two Facebook friends with a cumulative total of nine hundred

and seventy-one thousand two hundred and eleven likes on all posts, eighty-nine thou-

sand two hundred and sixty-eight Reddit upvotes, two thousand one hundred and

eighteen re-pins, eight hundred and sixty-seven Myspace friends, five hundred and

ninety-six friends on Google Plus and my Linkedin connections were seventy-two thou-

sand eight hundred and forty-eight, one hundred and eighty-nine thousand three hun-

dred and eighty-five and two hundred and seventy-five thousand three hundred and

fifteen for first, second and third respectively.

I met my wife at a charity marathon, my very first, really changes you, can‟t tell you

what that feels like. We did Paris together and kissed under the Eiffel Tower, we did

Italy sat in a gondola saw the colosseum Trevi fountain leaning tower of Pisa (and we

got the photo of us holding it up) saw buddhas while doing Thailand chilled in an ice

hotel built houses while doing Malawi bungee jumped while doing Kuala Lumpur.

When we rode elephants we thought them majestic when we ate beating snake‟s hearts we felt odd when we tried truffles we felt exotic. When we saw the Mona Lisa she cried and I didn‟t and she said seeing it was once in a lifetime experience so I pinched her arm and it bruised and she laughed at me and I didn‟t like her eyes. It started with my best friend at the time, Fred. I loved Fred! He‟d been my best mate for ten years, so the nostalgia was ten times as strong and by the way he had only one child and so knew three times less about parenting than I did. Anyway his wife died and he totally changed, said he‟d never get over it, said I had no idea how it felt. When he said it I was filled with pity and I put my arm around his shoulder and I thought this is new, but I didn‟t want to comfort him, I wanted to hurt him. Then I killed my wife. I said to Sarah Fred‟s wife is dead and he‟s totally changed, says I don‟t know what it feels like so I‟d like to kill you and she said yeah and we high fived. She bought poison then gave me the little jar of it. She said I could put it in an apple then feed it to her just like Snow White because she could remember the first time she saw it, really stayed with her you know? We both saw that film when we were small and thought wow! That‟s a film that‟s the film we tell people turned us onto films.

I put the poison in the apple and she took a bite of it then she got really sad and

started to cry. She showed me the apple and said look at the inside of this apple,

you‟ve never seen that before I said what are you talking about? I‟ve seen the inside of

an apple before but she said not this one, only me and you have seen the inside of this

apple, it‟s something you can say you‟ve never seen before and I said wow that‟s how I

know I love you but I can hardly blog home about it and she said you‟re right of course

you‟re right.

I said remember Paris she said that‟s when I knew I loved you I said remember Rome

she said the colosseum is something else she said remember Venice I said the smell

of the canals is once in a lifetime I said remember Australia she said we were never

the same after the barrier reef she said remember New York I said the bright lights like

the Northern lights she said I‟ll never forget! Then she said I wish I could kill you after

you‟ve killed me I said I know, I wonder how it feels to be as selfless as you right now

she said wow you‟re right and we high fived. Then she started choking, I thought wow!

Watching a loved one die is something else, can‟t tell you what that feels like.

Then after I thought I wish I‟d killed her in different ways. I wish I‟d burned her stran-

gled her slit her throat drowned her shot her bled her out in the bathtub smothered her

sealed her in a car with a hose to the exhaust pushed her off a cliff given her an over-

dose or even just waited fingers crossed I‟d outlive her or I wish we had died together

or I had died first.

I posted pics of Sarah online then I looked in the mirror and got a total shock: I was staring into the eyes of a killer! If it‟s something you never do I have to say it‟s chilling. Then I was laughing and crying because I didn‟t expect that one and I was sad be-cause my wife died so it totally paid off. The police caught me straight away and I‟ve been in prison ever since. Fred still comes to visit, says his loss helped him live in the moment and see the world anew so every place we‟ve ever been every pub we ever hung out in every coffee shop every house every street every moment in the same place is like living a holiday everyday, God! He did make me laugh, but he was right about one thing, when your wife dies you never truly get over it, it‟s something else. I cried and cried and wished I hadn‟t done it but we were always about the no-regrets thing.

And now I‟m dying of prostate cancer, also in my liver lungs brain bones lymph nodes

and kidneys so I‟m telling you this. I wish I could read this confessional for the first

time as someone else, I wish I could be out of prison and I wish I could live to be a

hundred get a telegram from the Queen and I wish I could go to my own funeral and

the wake too but at least I know what it says on the tombstone- “Nailed it."

LEO X. ROBERTSON

Leo X. Robertson is a Scottish chemical engineer living in Oslo. He is the author

of Sinkhole (in which this story features), Rude Vile Pigs and Saxual Healing (coming

soon.) When not engineering chemically, he enjoys binge-watching documentaries in

pajamas with his husband, Juan.

LI XU This ugly piece of shit was produced by the twin artistic failure of Maria Ng.

They both have no idea what the fuck they're fucking doing. All of the hideous

noob glitch art in this zine is made by Li Xu. Any artwork with no name beneath

it is made by her.

POETRY

ASHAMED BY MICHAEL PRIHODA

my kitchen is a room lit by venom. I haven‟t grocery shopped in two weeks. worst of all I forgot to cancel Vogue,

a Christmas present in twelve anechoic parts. is it too late to call my plumber?

to reinvent the parts of myself I saw at the zoo? was it wrong to wonder

what an orangutan on LSD might accomplish? I‟m interested

and not willing to be ashamed.

MICHAEL PRIHODA Michael Prihoda is an artist and poet, born in the Midwest. His publications appear in

various journals. He is the founding/managing editor of After the Pause, he tweets

@michaelprihoda, and blogs at michaelprihoda.wordpress.com. He loves animal

crackers and wants to own a pet llama.

TO MYSELF, I SHALL NO LONGER LIE BY AMY LEE

This fear that clutches my heart Ever so slowly does it fade This darkness that once clouded my sight Has begun to part, I can see the light The poison that once kept me falling No longer does its hold confine me Though far from my reach my truth resides From my heart pours forth a joy my fear hides.

AMY LEE

Amy Lee is a turbonerd game programmer up in Chicago, IL. She loves to hang out

with her friends and write poetry on occasion when the Gods of Mount Olympus call

upon her masterful penmanship.

IMPETUS

BY PATRICIA P.

A stranger came up to me the other day, just to say “Life just isn‟t worth living anymore.” that person walked away, head hung low with a sigh stuck on his breath, defeated and dejected I wondered and pondered on what this could possibly mean: couldn‟t that person see that the sun rises and the stars shine so he could go far? if life isn‟t worth living no more, then why do the birds sing a different song each morning? why does the ocean roar and rise when the moon tells it so? why does our heart continue to beat even if we don‟t want it to and why does it ache when it tries to fit another person in, even if we tell it not to? I was much too late, and I still hate myself for not having run after him to watch his expression as I tell him that he is not a loose screw, but the columns that keep the world from falling through if life isn‟t worth it anymore, then why doesn‟t the Earth stop spinning? why hasn‟t the mastermind behind all this flipped the switch and called it quits? why is it when we watch the evening news we hear of people who have overcame fatal diseases and death-defying situations? why is it, then, that it is in our nature to run away when danger is tagging along our heels?

why do we fear bodily harm or imminent peril if we believe that life is but a game you can choose to lose? No one said that it would be easy, but they did promise that it would be worth it. A poor man he is, and I pity him, for he cannot see that the land expands itself so he can view the wonders of the world and find the secrets it hides deep below the ground I want to end up on his doorstep, give him a warm hug and whisper into his ear: Life is worth it, because it is so short, yet so filled with stories that could exceed libraries.

PATRICIA P. Patricia P. hails from the Philippines, but lives on the internet. Her work has been published in Degenerates: Voices For Peace Anthology and several online zines. You can contact her and find more of her work at pennilesspoet.tumblr.com

BRUCE WILSON Bruce Wilson is from Vancouver Canada. Short film maker, printmaker, Illustrator.

BW's other zines include, Bruce and Suzie go to the zoo, Kackle issue #1, and Kackle

issue 4D which is currently in production.

When he showed me his zine, I couldn‟t help but notice how original it was. So far, I‟ve never seen any zinesters doing something like this. It‟s some weird, surreal, 3-D art-work. Mostly comics. I wonder if I need some 3D glasses. If you want the zine or to check out his other zine stuff, here‟s the info: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kackle/138951436215708 or email him: spatty31@hotmail.com

THE DIGITAL DIARIES

NINA FONG DEVILLE Nina Fong Deville is a zinester that hails from MexiCali, Baja California. Nina is

the author of the perzine, Reflujo. You can find Reflujo on Facebook.

INTERVIEW WITH A

WRITER

WITH LEO X. ROBERTSON What do you think is the best in the process of writing? Just going through with it, slamming keys, getting everything down, or reading and editing? Writing every day until the first draft is done is definitely the way to go- that‟s not to say I have the stamina to do it every time! The thing I‟m writing at the moment I had to take a break from, and I ended up half-editing half-writing- it was a misstep. Write to the end, take a break, edit with a clear head. Tried, tested, hard to go wrong.

Who is your writer crush? Brain crush: David Foster Wallace. Face crush: Jonathan Safran Foer.

Do you have a soundtrack when you write? if so, what albums or artists? If si-lence, where's your comfy writing spot? I have an mp3 DJ mixer thing I‟ve used before to create mixes based on the mood of what I‟m writing- but I‟ve also listened to the Machinarium soundtrack so much that I‟m conditioned into working just at the sound of it- great ambient ebb and flow. Video game soundtracks were designed for non-intrusive atmosphere, so they tend to work. I‟ve found that white noise-style constant stimulus is a good thing for creativity, and also for that initial reservation of „I don‟t wanna write‟, you can be like „Chill, we‟re just gonna stare at the screen and listen to music for a bit‟, then you start writing and it‟s cool, and anything that can help you get started is a big bonus because that‟s tough-est.

What is that one book you read over and over, or read portions of? That one book you will save from a fire? I try to let books be of a time and place because I don‟t wanna sully my past naivety if I fell in love with something that's actually crap from when I was younger, so I don‟t do so much re-reading! Unless it‟s for writer learnings, with the companion books for study- with big dense tomes, you always end up picking up more from the re-read, because so much of the first read has that „Will I get through it?‟ feeling. I can dip in and out of Robert Musil‟s The Man Without Qualities and always find some-

thing that resonates- it is beautifully written, philosophical discussions mostly. Where

did I leave that though? Maybe it‟s burning right now…

Who's that one writer(s) you wish everyone would shut up about? I love the industrial concept of her novels, they take place in industrial cities and her

heroes are architects, railway engineers and so on. I think that industrial settings and

themes are really cool and quite rare in fiction, so as bad a writer as Ayn Rand is,

that's why I liked her novels, the industry concept, and I enjoyed reading her novels,

for what her legacy has done, has to be Ayn Rand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=_8m8cQI4DgM

What book to movie adaptation disappointed you greatly? I don‟t think there‟s been one- although I loved The Time Traveler’s Wife so much I re-fuse to even try the film- same with Life of Pi. I‟m disappointed no one is taking on the Gormenghast novels as a film series though: so much potential!

What book(s) is on your current reading list? (It could be on or in your Goodreads, on your night table, book bag, purse, etc.) I‟m really excited to read some more Alice Munro and Hemingway short stories. I brought Carver‟sWhere I’m Calling From to London (I've been staying in London so I traveled with that book) - I‟m in a very unpretentious realist short story mood! I think it‟s important to choose the next book based on your mood so that the epic Goodreads lists don‟t seem like a chore. What was the worst thing you have ever written? I‟ve written a slew of terrible short stories that I probably then deleted (oh, yeah, re-membering some now- cringe). But how was I supposed to know if they were terrible or not until I‟d seen them? It‟s not like I ever regret writing anything bad, and the possibil-ity always exists!

When working on whatever writing project you're on, do you focus on a sched-ule of words counts, pages, or just finishing that one chapter? For example, I've read that most writers would just write 1,000 words a day. The Stephen King 2k a day is a nice goal, or the NaNoWriMo 1667 words a day is ade-quate and pretty tough sometimes. Writing around this amount each day I‟ve found produces maximum quality- isn‟t too much or too little. Minimum 1k to feel comfy- but again I think best to go with your mood if you want to be productive. I‟ll generally do one or two “sessions”, where I sit at the computer and type as much as what comes to me until I feel tired (maybe about 45 mins/ session) then I take a break- that generally gets you in the ballpark! I‟ve written as much as 16k (once, though) and sometimes as little as 300 words (much more often)- as long as you don‟t beat yourself up about it and if you‟re keeping with the daily discipline (but then, I sure don‟t), you‟re not going wrong. Who‟s to say that stopping after 300 words one day to prevent burnout doesn‟t entail 16k the next? What's that one book you wish you wrote? There was a guy, I don't remember his name, but I heard somebody talking about him, who rewrote F. Scott Fitzger-ald's The Great Gatsby, every word. Just so he could feel what it is to write a hit novel. That‟s a cool idea and I watched a talk with Joan Didion who said she learned to type by typing out Hemingway and became infected with his rhythms! A creative writing teacher I once had said that some classes were based on this whole idea of typing out someone else‟s work, but then, not even the original author had the experience of it coming out perfectly the first time (although Faulkner‟s As I Lay Dying was minimally edited?) I remember wishing I‟d written In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami, which is weird- it was just so powerful and succinct. It‟s a positive feeling for sure though when

you wish you‟d written something, a weird form of inspiration.

How long have you been writing? Since I was 22, which was four years ago- on and off though. I‟ve been writing read-able things for one year, maybe less. But I didn‟t notice the time passing, and getting good at anything with practice is inevitable, so whatever.

What do you prefer in reading and writing? A character driven or plot driven story? Great question. Every element of a story is key to its argument: that‟s to say there must

be a point in where it‟s taking place, in who it involves and in what‟s happening- in this

respect character-driven and plot-driven stories are misnomers, as every part of what a

story involves is important. In saying that, not every author chooses to use every ele-

ment equally- a writer has certain tools, and using a handful of them well is usually

enough to write something great- novelists in particular do on occasion heavily swing

the balance and get away with it! I couldn‟t say that I prefer character- or plot-driven

stories without context- it very much depends on what the story is and how it must be

told. The best character study novel I‟ve read is We Need To Talk About Kevin, and

the best plot-driven is Out by Natsuo Kirino. I have no idea what my own writing is!

Do you write during the day or night? I write straight after work on weekdays and in the mornings on weekends. I feel like a nighttime person (which apparently means I‟m a morning person) and I‟m most produc-tive on Saturday mornings straight out of bed when I‟m still a bit sleepy.

Have you self-published or traditionally published a book (small press or Big Four publishers) or are you in the process of doing that? If so what's it about? If you haven't published anything, but was published in a literary magazine or an-thology, talk about that. I‟ve submitted to many literary magazines, literary agents and publishers, and when I have had feedback it was positive-nothing has come of it yet, but I‟m still new to the market and staying open about the options available. The first thing I self-published was my first novel Findesferas, about this time last year, then two more books end of last year (Sinkhole and Rude Vile Pigs). I have almost 3 first draft manuscripts to edit and a fourth one to write very soon, so no shortage of material from me in the near fu-ture!

And finally, what's your quote or motto? It could be one by a favorite writer or your own. I‟m always surprised by how many of my worries or problems can be traced back to

either “charity begins at home” or “everything in moderation”, so I would always check

if either of these apply.

WITH CANDACE HABTE

What do you think is the best in the process of writing? Just going through with it, slamming keys, getting everything down, or reading and editing? The best for me is the natural high of a new idea, character, story, etc. But I would say even better is when that “high” is gone, and I start to think “What have I gotten myself into?” Instead of giving up (which I know that feeling too and it stinks), I push through it. Getting over the brink when the words aren‟t flowing easily, but sitting down and writ-ing anyway is one of the best feelings for me. I get into the groove of writing even more when I keep at it. Who is your writer crush? My first writer crushes were probably Langston Hughes and Nikki Giovanni. Their work was way before my time, and I don‟t remember how I got into them, but I‟m grateful to have read and absorbed their work at such a young age. They‟ve graduated from crushes to first loves. Right now, there‟s probably several, but I‟d say Pearl Cleage (What Crazy Looks Like on an Ordinary Day) and my friend W.K. Tucker whose writer‟s voice is so distinct and her imagination is amazing. She definitely inspires me. When it comes to YA, it‟s Ned Vizzini all the way.

Do you have a soundtrack when you write? if so, what albums or artists? If si-lence, where's your comfy writing spot? No particular soundtrack, but sometimes I listen to music. It just depends on my mood or what I‟m writing. If I‟m already distracted, then I try to write in silence (on my couch, kitchen table, or the floor). One of the stories I‟m working on now has a heavy hip-hop influence, so I‟ve been listening to a lot of hip-hop lately (“90‟s Golden Era” or some-times the Kendrick Lamar station on Pandora). What is that one book you read over and over, or read portions of? That one book you will save from a fire? For some reason, I tend to read picture books over and over again. One of my favorite is The Growing Tree by Shel Silverstein. Who's that one writer(s) you wish everyone would shut up about? Well, no one at the moment because I‟m not always “in the loop” to know who every-one is talking about.

At one point, I thought that the hype for John Green was a bit much. Although I‟m a fan of his work and own most of his books. But I remember thinking, he didn‟t create young adult fiction (or stories with kids dying from cancer). I don‟t have any personal resent-ment towards him or any other uber popular writer for that matter. It just made me think of some of the authors I grew up loving that didn‟t get a modicum of that shine. Even other well-known YA authors, such as Walter Dean Myers, are not celebrities. And maybe they wouldn‟t want to be (maybe John Green didn‟t either—who knows). Anyway, I remember reading these One Last Wish books when I was a kid, and the series was about terminally ill kids. I cried a few times even, and though the author may have had some success back then, I had to Google her name just now (Lurlane McDaniels). On the flip side, a name like John Green will forever be etched in my mind because I‟ve heard it so many times. He‟s pretty much everywhere. It‟s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make me think about different levels of success and popularity, what‟s “fair”, etc. I suppose, that‟s life… There will always be someone that‟s more hyped than others. It‟s not a big deal to me. I just try to stay in my lane—read, write, learn my craft— and maybe one day my books will impact someone. That‟s all I can hope for.

What book to movie adaptation disappointed you greatly? Strangely, I can‟t think of any right now but I‟m sure there have been some. One film that I was impressed by was Bridge to Terabithia. I went in thinking the filmmakers would mess it up, but they did a pretty great job all around. What book(s) is on your current reading list? (It could be on or in your Goodreads, on your night table, book bag, purse, etc.) There are way too many to name. My to-be-read list is getting ridiculous, especially since I moved close to this used bookstore. Right now, I‟m regrettably behind on read-ing and critiquing a friend‟s work, so that‟s at the top of the list.

What was the worst thing you have ever written?

Probably something I wrote this week. I‟m constantly writing something sucky. But

every once in a while something good comes of it, and that‟s the point. One of the sto-

ries that stick out though was something I wrote in middle school--there were ghosts,

hospital conspiracies, evil nurses, stereotypes galore, and I threw some Black Pan-

thers in the mix too. It was awesomely bad.

When working on whatever writing project you're on, do you focus on a sched-ule of words counts, pages, or just finishing that one chapter? For example, I've read that most writers would just write 1,000 words a day. I try to stick to tracking my word count using Scrivener just to have some type of struc-ture, but I do focus on drafting scenes too. I don‟t have enough foresight to figure out chapters until I‟m much further along. What's that one book you wish you wrote? There was a guy, I don't remember his name, but I heard somebody talking about him, who rewrote F. Scott Fitzger-ald's The Great Gatsby, every word. Just so he could feel what it is to write a hit novel. It would have to be 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter. Some may blow it off as a beach read, but I thought it was pretty genius the way she intersected growing up Black and poor, perceptions of beauty, bullying, adultery, betrayal, 80‟s pop culture,and her main character‟s“crush” that bordered on obsession. On top of that, each character felt so real, and the plot was multi-layered, but easy to follow…it was a pretty amazing read. How long have you been writing? Since I was little kid I wrote poetry and made up stories. I just kept writing (from free-lance journalism to short stories, and eventually longer fiction). I have been writing with different levels of consistency and focus (from casual to near obsession) throughout the years. What do you prefer in reading and writing? A character driven or plot driven story? Depends on my mood, but I think character will always win this fight at the end of the day. I‟ve read stories without clear plots with strong characters that I enjoyed. But I‟ve never read a story with all plot and no characterization that I could finish without a struggle. Do you write during the day or night? Mostly during the day (morning), but sometimes late at night if I can‟t sleep. Have you self-published or traditionally published a book (small press or Big Four publishers) or are you in the process of doing that? If so what's it about? If you haven't published anything, but was published in a literary magazine or an-thology, talk about that. I self-published a book of poetry and co-wrote a book of stories and poems years ago.

One was under my maiden name, and one was under a pen name. I was proud of publishing at the time, but in a way both of those projects were practice. I made some mistakes, and editing could have been tighter with both. I‟ve had short stories pub-lished in Blackberry and The Liberator magazines, and a lot of rejections. I would love to be published in an anthology one day. Recently, I published a small collection of short stories called all sugar ain’t sweet. It‟s a collection of short stories dealing with the complexities of love. I didn‟t do much pro-motion, but I learned a lot from publishing it. I plan to apply what I‟ve learned as I make the leap into publishing longer works of fiction this year and beyond. Right now, I‟m just taking the sage advice (as the authors ofWrite.Publish.Repeat suggested) to keep writing and publishing. So my goals are to publish more consistently, and make sure my work is well edited before I do so. I plan to publish my first full-length book of fiction this summer. It‟s called & The Brain Said. It‟s a collection of three sci-fi(ish) no-vellas.

And finally, what's your quote or motto? It could be one by a favorite writer or

your own.

Besides reading, I‟m a music junkie (and Bob Marley is one of my favs). One of my

favorite quotes of his is:

“Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.”

WITH JENNIFER STEVENSON What do you think is the best in the process of writing? Just going through with it, slamming keys, getting everything down, or reading and editing? To be completely honest with you, I have done multiple variations of all of the above. I only say that because it is a process of elimination to see what works best for you. I get a thought an idea in my head then I figure out what type I am trying to work and then I just write. This is a free flowing process. I tend to do this on a daily or weekly basis. Sometimes actually most times the body of work isn‟t finished but later I go back and edit. I add or finish and fine tune my work.

Who is your writer crush? I have several writer crushes. Poets: Louise Gluck, Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou and Pablo Neruda. Fiction Writers: John Green, Jhumpta Lahiri and Stacy Hawkins Ad-ams.

Do you have a soundtrack when you write? if so, what albums or artists? If si-lence, where's your comfy writing spot? I don‟t have a soundtrack when I write. I like silence…not necessarily silence, but I like nature sounds or natural sounds. I hear kids playing outside, birds chirping, someone cutting their grass etc. Those sounds just are feel good sounds to me. I like to write upstairs in my house. I‟m not really sure why because I write in my journal then type it up later so I could write just about anywhere.

What is that one book you read over and over, or read portions of? That one book you will save from a fire? I read Loving Donovan by Bernice McFadden almost every year either in its entirety or

just Chapter one. It is about a lost love. I think it is so important to nurture and appre-

ciate what we have when we have it so we don‟t have to create situations in our lives

that make us feel like this.

Who's that one writer(s) you wish everyone would shut up about? E L James. I read 50 Shades of Grey. I actually read both parts for a book club. I wasn‟t impressed…it wasn‟t shocking or anything. I definitely don‟t see the feminist ties some people were trying to allude to. I didn‟t see the movie and don‟t plan on watching it either.

What book to movie adaptation disappointed you greatly? Harry Potter. I love love the books, but I guess so much was left out in the movie ver-

sion and the imagery was just not what I pictured.

What book(s) is on your current reading list? (It could be on or in your Goodreads, on your night table, book bag, purse, etc.) A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah at work, Pretty Girls in The VIP by Daaimah S. Poole in the car on CD and at home Aimless Love by Billy Collins.

What was the worst thing you have ever written? I‟m my own worst critic so that is a hard question. For me a body of work is bad when the message I‟m trying to convey isn‟t received in the manner in which I intended or hoped it would be. I have several pieces of work that meet that criteria. My challenge is to go back and to re-work them to the point where I can share them and be happy with the feedback.

When working on whatever writing project you're on, do you focus on a sched-ule of words counts, pages, or just finishing that one chapter? For example, I've read that most writers would just write 1,000 words a day. I give myself concise deadlines. I work best that way. I need a rough draft by such

and such a time. I need to do a first edit by this time and then I need final revisions by

this date. I make a timeline. My first book took me about 8 years to put together off

and on of course. The next book will be released much sooner.

What's that one book you wish you wrote? There was a guy, I don't remember his name, but I heard somebody talking about him, who rewrote F. Scott Fitzger-ald's The Great Gatsby, every word. Just so he could feel what it is to write a hit novel. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

How long have you been writing? I have been writing for a little over 20 years. I got a poetry assignment in the 4

th grade

and I have loved to write ever since.

What do you prefer in reading and writing? A character driven or plot driven story? I identify most with characters. I like to read stories where characters drive the plot.

Do you write during the day or night? I write mostly during the day. I am no night owl by any stretch of the imagination.

Have you self-published or traditionally published a book (small press or Big Four publishers) or are you in the process of doing that? If so what's it about? If you haven't published anything, but was published in a literary magazine or an-thology, talk about that. I decided to self-publish through CreateSpace because it gave me the most freedom, it was simple and it had very good reviews. For my first book I wanted to be involved in each fact of putting the book together. I wanted to choose the cover, pick the arrange-ment of poetry as well as to edit my work. The process of marketing has been an un-dertaking but I‟m so excited. I have had so much support from my followers on Google and Twitter it has been amazing! I also had a very successful Book Launch Party where I sold a good number of books. The word is getting out there now as a result of my physical event and I also have a feature event coming up in June and in July I will be selling my book at the Harlem Book Fair. I want to start working on my next book in June. I plan to self-publish all my books. I‟m not sure how many I will write but I am off to an excellent start.

MARIA SAYS:

Some artists' hands have been mangled by society saying "No."

And some artists die from their own juices. Their masturbatory egotism. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The pictures of people I butchered with phony and natural glitches in order, starting from the cover: Jun Togawa, Yukio Mishima, An episode of Orphan Black, Mirel Wag-ner, World's End Girlfriend's Katsuhiko Maeda, and Julieta Venegas. Yukio Mishima and Katsuhiko Maeda were done naturally with the WordPad trick. The Orphan Black glitch happened naturally while watching either episode 5, "Ipsa Sci-entia Potestas Est" or episode 6, "To Hound Nature in Her Wanderings." The video started lagging and breaking and I took screenshots of it while full screen. I have a natural WordPad trick version of Mirel Wagner, but I decided to use the phony one be-cause it was prettier. The phony glitch pictures, Jun Togawa, Mirel Wagner and Julieta Venegas, were done with Georg Fischer's GitHub. I call them phony because I used a generator instead of my own way of manipulation. Do you want a PDF? Do you want to send us some art and writing? Send it all to: lilliputianpress@gmail.com.

FIN