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The Alternative Library

The Laura Bickle Interview

Author of "The Highwayman"

For the Summer 2007 issue JJ and I interviewed Laura Bickle, author of "The Highwayman." We had a great time gaining some insight into Laura's amazingly diverse professional background, and how that has played a role in her writing. Although Laura indicates she's new to submitting her fiction for publication, she's clearly off to a successful start. Her flash fiction story, "The Dress," was recently published on the MicroHorror.com web site. Laura has also delved into Web design herself, and now has her own site at salamanderstales.angelfire.com. Be sure to check it out. Time allowing and authors willing, JJ and I will continue to publish a new author interview in each issue of the Midnight Times. Enjoy! -- Jay Manning, MT Editor

THE INTERVIEW

JJ Collins: Greetings and salutations!

Laura Bickle: Greetings and good morning!

Jay Manning: Laura, glad you could join us for the interview!

Laura: Thank you! I'm glad to have a chance to chat with you.

JJ: Laura, first of all, tell us what you prefer to be called: Laura? Ms Bickle? A nickname?

Laura: Laura is just fine. Or Overlord of Darkness. Whichever.

JJ: LOL! So tell us a little about yourself and what your day hours consist of.

Laura: I'm a bit of an odd duck. I have a professional background in criminology, politics, and IT (the unholy trinity of my career), and an educational background in library science and criminology. I work full-time and write part-time.

JJ: Oh wow! Jay knows something about a Master's in Library Science.

Laura: Jay's a librarian?

JJ: Yes.

Laura: Do you love it?

Jay: Actually, I'm the Technology Manager for a public library system. Three branches. I work in the administrative offices. But, yes, I do have an M.A. in Information Science, which is a library degree. The pay isn't the greatest, but it's a wonderful work environment.

Laura: Ah. Excellent. Sounds like fun. My M.A. is in Criminology, so I don't have that technical background.

JJ: What are you doing full-time currently?

Laura: I work in IT now. I just finished my Master's in Library Science. My immediate goal is to spend a lot of time with other people's books.

JJ: What influence would you say your prior work experience has had on your writing?

Laura: I think my prior experience has taught me a bit about human nature. People have wonderfully complex motivations, and I think the criminology background helps in the "profiling" of characters.

JJ: Does that typically shape how you approach characterization in your stories?

Laura: Yes. I try to take the character apart, understand what motivates him or her, and how he or she would react in a given situation. Characters have a lot of moving personality parts. The neat thing is I get to build them.

JJ: Tell me about one of your favorite characters in contemporary fiction in either books or film.

Laura: My all-time favorite book is Richard Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and the title character is my favorite. Jonathan's struggle to improve his flying always inspires me. I'm not a pilot, but I think that the struggle to voraciously learn more is a universal theme that speaks to all of us.

JJ: Is this a theme that's appeared personally in your own life and in your career, the desire to voraciously learn more?

Laura: I believe so. I always want to be evolving, adapting, and just plain getting better. That applies to writing, too.

JJ: What's an example of a challenge you've had professionally--that either helped you grow or enhanced your ability to write?

Laura: Well, in my former professional life, I worked as an analyst in a political environment. I became more comfortable with being able to produce under pressure through that experience.

JJ: What types of things does an analyst do?

Laura: In my case, I analyzed the probable fiscal outcomes of proposed legislation. So, if a legislator decided that s/he wanted to add a criminal penalty to the law, I got to figure out how many cases and how much it would likely cost. It was fun.

JJ: That sounds awesome--like a serious career path. Why did you change?

Laura: I enjoyed it very much. Just about every state has a nonpartisan state office that does that type of work. I decided to move more into IT and criminology.

JJ: I have to ask...what does IT and criminology have to do with Library Science?

Laura: LOL! I'm following a calling to become a Ninja Librarian. I can really back up the "SHHH!"

JJ: hahaha

Jay: LOL!

JJ: For some reason I keep thinking about Kaye Scarpetta.

Laura: Why Kaye Scarpetta?

JJ: Patricia Cornwell's criminologist.

Laura: Ah. It's been awhile since I've read Cornwell. I enjoy her work. She does a lot of research.

JJ: I've only just started one of the books, but the protagonist is a forensic pathologist who essentially solves crimes. And I've never met someone who has worked in similar fields. Do you also have a family?

Laura: I'm actually engaged to be married this summer. We're working on keeping it low-key and avoiding the rancid touch of the bridal-industrial complex. I've been trying to avoid the folks who try to convince you that love is meaningless without the silver-plated bouquet holders and a bevy of miserable bridesmaids decked out in turquoise butt-bows.

Jay: My wife and I got married on a cruise in 2005. It was just us--very low-key.

Laura: Congrats!

Jay: Thanks!

JJ: Are you at a point in your career where it makes sense to marry or did it just kind of happen?

Laura: Actually, I never expected it to happen. I just happened to meet a charming man with a terribly wicked sense of humor.

JJ: So what are your long term professional goals? You've done so much already. Are you done or are you shooting for something else still?

Laura: No, not done! I want to focus on librarianship and writing now. I'm at a point where I'm focusing on the things I truly enjoy and feel passionate about.

JJ: So tell us more about how you got started writing. What sparked that?

Laura: I've always been writing. I only recently talked myself into the idea that others might actually want to read what I had written for my own amusement.

JJ: When did you start submitting work?

Laura: I started submitting this past year. I've been pleased at the response so far.

JJ: So let's talk about why we're here. What inspired your story "The Highwayman"?

Laura: I thought of "The Highwayman" while snowbound at home one weekend. Pink Floyd's "Yet Another Movie" was cued up on the CD player, and I just started scribbling.

Jay: I have a lot of Pink Floyd--basically everything except their really old stuff. Wish You Were Here is my favorite. "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" has an incredible sax accompaniment.

Laura: That's a good one. A Momentary Lapse of Reason is my all-time favorite. I got to see them live a few years ago on their Division Bell Tour. They were unbelievable.

Jay: I like listening to music while I write.

Laura: Me, too. Keeps the analytical part of the brain occupied, I think.

Jay: The right music for the right type of story can help get the flow really going.

Laura: Exactly.

JJ: I used to be able to do that--listen to music when writing. I've noticed that lately it distracts me more than anything. I can still use it to set a mood, but once I'm there, I have to turn it off. Guess I'm getting old.

Jay: Music that's too loud isn't helpful.

Laura: Ambient music is good and non-distracting.

JJ: Yes. I can work with something mellow and instrumental, for example. But if it's something I really like, I start singing along and looking for videos.

Laura: I like movie scores, sometimes.

JJ: I love movie scores.

Laura: What's your favorite?

JJ: I'd have to say anything with Clannad. I also bought all the Pure Moods CDs. That wouldn't be one movie, but a "greatest hits," if you will.

Laura: I have those! Clannad is good. I also like Brian Eno.

Jay: Funny. I feel embarrassed admitting I have the original Pure Moods CD.

JJ: Every now and then I'll find myself looking for a song from a commercial. There's this one by J. Ralph--"One Million Miles." So awesome--I visualize high cliffs and crashing waves whenever I listen to it.

Laura: I haven't heard that.

JJ: You might recognize it. I can't think of what commercial it was from, but it was very popular.

Laura: Did you get Pure Moods from the infomercial?

JJ: The first one, yes.

Jay: Yes!

JJ: Then I started looking for them and just bought them all.

Jay: I'm cracking up over here.

Laura: LOL. Me, too.

JJ: This is pretty funny. And it's like no one wants to admit they like Pure Moods.

Jay: I know!

JJ: I was rocking out to "Tubular Bells" last night.

Laura: I'm not too cool for Pure Moods. I like the Twin Peaks theme.

Jay: I'm partial to Enigma's "Sadness" and Jarre's "Oxygene."

Laura: Love Enigma!

JJ: I love Enigma too! One mini-side story and then we'd better get back on track. At work I kept playing "Tubular Bells" over and over. People were getting annoyed. I had never seen The Exorcist, so I didn't realize it was from that movie.

Jay: You didn't know that! I can't believe it.

Laura: LMAO! I bet your co-workers were freaked.

JJ: Well, I'd never seen the movie. They were, and they kept asking what was wrong with me. I just thought the song sounded pretty.

Jay: It does.

Laura: Yes, it does. That movie scares the bejesus out of me.

JJ: Me, too--when I finally watched it. I didn't have that demonic association.

Jay: It's weird it's like that, really.

JJ: It is. That's probably what made it so creepy in the film. Now I just listen to it with my headphones on. And despite all that, it's still one of my favorites.

Jay: That's a good example of writing music, I would say.

JJ: But back to your story, Laura. One of the things that impressed us so much is the originality. It's very difficult to be original and interesting with genre themes. You did that so well. Where did your main character come from?

Laura: Thank you. I usually start daydreaming about a germ of an idea, and keep asking myself a snowballing avalanche of "what ifs." Sometimes, I draw diagrams to show "trees" of possibilities for a story, and wind up writing the path that's most interesting to me. Gavin was inspired by a guy I saw walking down the street.

JJ: What did he look like?

Laura: He just looked like a very cold, resolute person. It was winter, and he was trudging through the snow. So beware pedestrians, writers will seize your soul and write about you!

Jay: I think the setting was exceptional.

JJ: It was. I was shivering while reading it. Every time the snow was described it was just enough to put you there.

Laura: Thank you. I really wanted the reader to feel winter.

Jay: You do. The character Gavin. The winter setting. It's perfect for the MT "darkness" theme.

JJ: So what happened in your head after you came up with the Gavin character? Did the scene and story just explode, or did you keep expanding on it later?

Laura: I was formulating the idea for the character, and it just clicked after I saw him. I did go through several drafts. The idea of the lost love didn't come along until later.

JJ: Ahh. One of the things that made it feel original was the characterization of Gavin. He felt real. His reactions were real, his motivations justified. Like when the vampires were trying to get into the circle. It helped me identify with him. Even though I don't go around killing people, I understand why he was the way he was.

Laura: Thanks. Even though he doesn't act or react as you or I would, I wanted his logic to make sense to him.

JJ: I also liked how he wasn't completely defenseless against the vampires. I like when a protagonist puts up a good fight. Even if he's still going down ultimately.

Laura: Yes. He was used to being powerful at all other times, but not against larger predators.

JJ: Was there a reason you went with the hunter being hunted theme?

Laura: Well, a vampire is the ultimate hunter. Humans generally think that we're the best predators, and I wanted to explore the discord between those two ideas.

JJ: I get that. You made the point well. I also love how all the details were relevant, such as when he met the wayward travelers and they were clutching their runes and writing in the snow.

Laura: Thanks!

JJ: I wondered about it as I was reading it and was thinking how useless their beliefs were in warding off regular human attackers. But sure enough it wasn't useless--just in that situation. Those are the types of complexities that arise in real life. You think you're suited to handle a situation, and then something changes and your world gets turned upside down. Life is very much like that.

Laura: There are always unanticipated effects to our actions. As a writer, one can explore all those little possibilities. In real life, a lot of those outcomes are unseen by us.

JJ: Yes.

Jay: You have a really diverse background, professionally. Does that come into play in your story? For example, Gavin seems very diverse.

Laura: Yes. Thank you. I hope so. I like to try and look at situations from various angles.

JJ: I have to say I personally feel a lot of that was manifest by the complexity of the story's characterization and the reflection of the complexities of real life. I don't think someone with little experience in the real world could have made that translate as effectively. It helped, for me as a reader, with that multilayered effect.

Laura: Thanks. I try to root my fantastic elements to mechanisms of the real world. I'm glad it came through.

JJ: What other writing projects are you working on?

Laura: My near-term writing goals involve finding a home for the two novels I've written. It will be a series of four books, a dark fairy tale dealing with corruption. The first installment is called "Black Summer." The main character is struggling with the curse of poison--she kills everything she touches--and is used as an assassin in a war between a group of exiled Fey and the humans who once served them. Down in the Cellar is publishing one of my short satirical stories this summer. It's called "Ketchup" and can be found at downinthecellar.com. The story's about a luckless union member of the local Illuminati. He's charged with finding a human sacrifice in order to keep the world's laundry safe from a plague of demon sock monsters. These demons are the creatures responsible for socks that disappear en route from the laundry basket to the dryer--a truly fearsome blight on humanity.

JJ: Lol! It sounds like it will be hilarious. Admittedly, normally I'm not into pure fantasy, but after having read "The Highwayman," I'm extremely interested in seeing how you've worked it out.

Laura: Thanks. I wanted to experiment with satire. "Ketchup" is the first to be published. It was a lot of fun to work on.

JJ: I have a question about your timing in terms of attempting to publish. I've met intelligent people with big vocabularies who try to write, and while they can draft a great academic document, their fiction sucked. At what point did you realize you had a talent for writing fiction, and decide to start submitting? You mentioned you've been writing for a long time, but only recently started submitting stories. You seem to be doing well.

Laura: Thanks! Well, while I can draft dry, academic material, I don't enjoy it as much. I really enjoy fiction. I've gotten some great input from my writer's group. They offer a great deal of encouragement, constructive criticism, and chocolate on a regular basis.

JJ: That's awesome. I tried a writer's group once, but it was more like meeting with the Addams Family. So weird I had to quit and go it alone.

Laura: Really? How weird was it?

Jay: VERY! JJ told me all about it. It was like an ongoing gothic soap spoof. I considered writing a short story based on all the weirdness he told me about.

JJ: There was a wiccan who literally cackled like a witch. All her stories were about dominatrixes who subdued men and cast spells. The leader gave off a very pedophilic vibe and all his stories were based on these gruesome dreams he had. And when the stories didn't make sense, he'd argue that that's how the dream really was. Another woman wrote Biblical non-fiction. I still never understood why she was there. But there I was, reading and commenting on her non-fiction writing about God.

Laura: How'd that go over?

JJ: Well, it was okay. Just mostly irrelevant to what our aim was. The group was nuts. There was a woman who hated seeing the pronoun "it," and she would wage holy war whenever someone put it in their writing. To this day I shudder when I'm reading something and I run across it. I think she scarred me for life.

Laura: A crusade against a pronoun!

JJ: Yes! Before we conclude, is there any advice you'd like to offer new and upcoming writers who read stories on MT?

Laura: Be persistent and stay focused. Also, story outlines are your friend. They show you where you're going, and how to get there. Don't be afraid of feedback--it teaches you how to get better. I think a lot of folks are afraid of outlines, but they're really very useful.

Jay: That's good advice. I think outlines are extremely helpful when writing a novel. I usually outline major events. I wonder if writers who don't like to outline maybe have a fear of revealing too much? Sometimes when I write an outline, I feel like I might be giving too much away to myself, because to some extent I like not knowing what's going to happen next.

Laura: I never thought of that. I recently became an outline convert when it helped me to show how story arcs develop and mesh. It keeps the analytic part of my brain happy and fed.

Jay: That would be a good, practical use of outlining.

JJ: I have to say I admire your ambition and professional demeanor and how it's enhanced your writing. I have no doubt you will reach every single one of your goals. We look forward to reading your novels. I really enjoyed your story, and it was great meeting you.

Laura: It was nice to "meet" you, JJ! Thank you very much for the interview. I enjoyed chatting with you guys, and look forward to future issues of Midnight Times!

Jay: Thanks, Laura, for joining us for the MT Author Interview. It was a blast!