A Pitch Black Day

Beautiful faces, mouths agape   
Eyes with tears, cries from red lips awake.  
Nightmare begins like a thunderclap.  
Pleadings, cries, flailing arms, fingers slap.  

Hands raised to the walking night.   
Evil rages, the young lose their fight.  
The nightmare unfolds, and terror calls.  
Groans and gasps echo down the red halls.  

Lifeless faces downward bent   
Ugly eyes stare.  Silent lips, blue and spent.   
Racing men, unprepared for the sight.   
Sons, daughters, babies...gone in the night.    

Spirits rising upward, fire.   
Silent lips, voices clear as the spire.  
The nightmare now is for the living.  
Questions, anger, and no forgiving.   

Bright figures don't look behind.   
Innocence regained, love unconfined.  
Today, the children play at His feet.   
Sons, daughters, babies have arrived complete.

Sharing an Office Interview

I was graciously interviewed at my state office today for an internal state agency profile.  In case you don't work within sight of my exciting tax cubicle, here's what Craig Spivey prepared this afternoon.  Special thanks to Craig and the rest of the gang in Communications!  (I've made some adjustments to formating for the blog.)




Employment Department Tax Auditor, Karl Erickson, would seem to be on a hot streak.  In 2010 we wrote about the success of his first book, Tristan's Travels, as it was published in hard back. Now Karl readies for the release of his second childrens book, Toupee Mice.

Writing childrens books seems to be such a separate world than that of a Tax Auditor, I thought it would be fun to have a question and answer session with Karl.

EDweb: Why do you write?


Karl: I've enjoyed writing for years.  There's a satisfaction that comes from crafting a quality tale, and there's even more satisfaction in seeing children laugh and giggle at the stories.  There's so much negativity and darkness around us, I like to focus on the lighthearted dimension in my children's books.  Finding and exploring the good (and silly)  is something to which children need greater exposure.  Writing is also a powerful creative outlet.  The author is able to create and populate his own world.  That beats football in my book!

EDweb: Where do your story ideas come from?


Karl: The origin of story ideas varies greatly from book to book.  When it comes to my books for children, the ideas were often sparked by stories I would spontaneously create and read aloud for our own kids.  I'd pay close attention to what they liked the most, and then adapt and polish the tale into a book form.  Other times, scene images or character sketches have led to the larger stories.  In one short story, for instance, the image began with just a young university student running furiously through a dark and rainy Seattle campus.

Sometimes it's also "all of the above" when it comes to ideas sparking a story.   That's kind of the way it was with my current mystery novel, The Blood Cries Out (not a children's book).  It's almost finished, but it's been in development for years.  It began first with the protagonist's character sketch and a glimmer of an idea for a particular scene in the San Juan Islands.  It grew from there, and it's been an exciting journey.  (I even received a tour of the Seattle Police Department's Homicide Unit by Seattle Police Commander and popular mystery author, Neil Low.)

The freedom of writing for older audiences is probably where I'll be focusing for a while, but I may return to children's books someday.

EDweb:  Tell us about the collaboration with you and your wife.  How do you mix your writing with her art?  How does she get the feel for your stories to be able to translate them into illustration?

Karl: As we've been married for over 20 years, it's challenging to put the process in words; we both know the stories and the characters inside and out.  One part of the creative process, though, is something similar to storyboarding.  You've probably seen this demonstrated in behind the scene features on movie productions, but what we do is similar.  We'll brainstorm on important scenes that could be illustrated first, then Kimberly will do quick sketches of each scene.  Some scenes are great in the book, but not necessarily perfect for visual depiction.  Kimberly looks at layout, feel, and other elements to decide which scenes she will ultimately paint.

Another challenge that comes up at times concerns the illustration models.  Kimberly prefers to paint from my animal model photographs.  (I know this brings to mind someone saying "Flaunt it, baby!" to a rabbit...but bear with me here.)  Surprisingly, though, sometimes it's hard to photograph a seagull reading a newspaper.  This is where things get particularly creative--but I can't divulge all of the artist's secrets!

EDweb:  People don't necessarily equate Tax Auditors with creative artists.  How do you combine those two worlds?


Karl: I think the creative process actually serves as a good outlet for my kind of accounting work--not that I want to do this forever.  In fact, I think learning to look at things with a humorous or creative perspective actually is helpful when it comes to problem-solving and thinking outside of the box--or outside of the outer box, as I like to say.  Humor is a powerful thing, and I think we need more of it around our offices, too.

In fact, I'd suggest that there are even appropriate and effective methods of employing carefully tailored humor within a business setting as a technique for de-escalating conflicts.  ...Not that I wear my arrow through the head hat during audits, mind you, but a sense of humor puts people at ease, and it conveys a sense of shared humanity.

EDweb: Writing a book is a long process. . .what is your process from taking an idea, turning it into a story, developing characters with personality, and then finally coming out with a finished product?  What does that look like?

 
Karl: I consider my writing as a second job.  Not only is it a very long process, but it doesn't always go in chronological order.  I actually wrote Toupee Mice before Tristan's Travels, but they are being published in reverse order.  The success of Tristan's Travels helped to bring the older tale of tails to print--after we revised it.  I like to say that each book I undertake is like an exercise in extraordinarily complex project management.  There are so many different elements that have to come together that it's really more like designing a building than simply a piece of writing.

The foundation of the story is the plot and its central characters.  On top of this, you create memorable scenes, inject humor and surprise, and build tension--all built within the setting of the story.  It's the setting that perhaps most strongly conveys the sense of place found in a book, and this is always something I spend a lot of time on.  For example, I frequently do research trips relating to my stories.  For Tristan's Travels, this meant taking a lot of photographs around Astoria--as well as getting in touch with a fellow named Sean Astin.  For Toupee Mice, it required us to shoot hundreds of animal photos around the valley.  The Blood Cries Out has taken me to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, downtown Seattle (including the police department and city offices), and even Joseph, Oregon in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains in majestic northeast Oregon.

Skipping ahead (past outlining, character sketches and profiles, simmering character conflicts and critical backstories, etc), one comes to the marketing and promotion side of the business.  For those like me who avoid the self-publishing route, some would say this is where the heavy lifting really begins for the author.  Everyone and their neighbor has a word processor, after all, and many people try their hand at writing.  It's a very competitive field.  One needs to be patient and have a positive attitude.  If you find a traditional publisher to accept your work, you're indeed one of the fortunate few--at least until the next rejection letter arrives in the mailbox.

How Not to do a Book Giveaway ("Heroes Proved")

I still remember coming back from my early morning newspaper delivery route in Yakima, Washington during the summer of 1987 and turning on the television to watch the Iran Contra Hearings.  (Yes, I may have been a strange kid...)


Oliver North has always been a fascinating, patriotic character to me, and  I still enjoy listening to his commentaries.  Fast forward to yesterday afternoon on Fox News when I caught an intriguing book promotion offer from the  the famous author.  If listeners could identify the name of the song from which his title was taken within the next hour and submit to his olivernorth.com, he would mail them a signed copy of his latest novel, Heroes Proved.   

I quickly determined that the title was taken from "America, the Beautiful," and I sent in my answer within a few minutes of the announcement.  No response was forthcoming.  After following up on social media with still no response, I decided to write up a few brief thoughts.

First, I suggest that with the advent of Google it may be easier to track down obscure pieces of information like this than Oliver North realized.  That being the case, it's probably best to put a limit of some kind on the number of free copies to which one is committed to giving away.  (I wonder if Threshold Editions is not to pleased with its author today...)

Second, if you have unmonitored social media and e-mail accounts, you're really missing the central point of social media--e.g. the social part.  At the very least, an author or publisher should ensure that an automated e-mail reply is generated when your message is received.  When it comes to electronic communications, authors and editors often seem to be the least organized people around.

I look forward to still reading Heroes Proved (on Kindle), but I won't be holding my breath for that signed edition.

"Toupee Mice" Excerpt!

Here is the promised sneak peek!

A Dangerous Mission: The Mantel Recon

“Are you sure this idea of yours is entirely safe?” I asked, looking nervously down at the living room floor from atop the lofty fireplace man

tel. “What if they come back early, Fred? What if we don’t find the right hiding spot? Fiddlesticks warned us—”

“Of course we’re safe, my dear mouse,” Fred interrupted. “I’m sure they won’t be back for a while yet. We’ll blend into these incredible works of art, these...what are they called again?”

“They’re mouse Hummels: little statues or figurines,” I replied, inching carefully between two of the delicate figures.

“Well, this new owner has excellent taste, that’s fer sure. Very lifelike they are. Shame we have to knock some sense into this poor chap.” He extended a curious paw to examine a figurine’s tail when suddenly it turned and knocked his paw aside, exclaim- ing, “Excusez moi, s’il vous plaît!”

Fred squeaked and leapt aside in a manner most unbecoming for a hero of Super Squirrel’s reputation. He jumped a little too far, though, because he alighted on the mantel’s edge, teetering there for a moment before he regained his footing. A real mouse had been hiding right beside us, atop the somewhat crowded mantel.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The newcomer glared at Fred and straightened his black wool beret. With a sidelong glance at Fred, he answered, “Je suis—”
He paused. “Sorry, I forget I am not back in Paris, Texas. I am Pierre, the famous barber and member of the Lonestar Barber- shop Quartet. Why, may I inquire, is your companion dressed up like a spoiled cat on Christmas morning?”

“I resent that!” declared an exasperated Fred. “We’re spying on the new owner and his feline partner. The mantel was my idea, my plan! Ian and I need a way to disguise ourselves so we can get around whenever the need arises. We want to spend less time sneaking around mantels and more time singin’ and dancin’ at talent shows. Anyway, Mister Pet Store Mouse, I can’t be seen by anyone except Ian, because my magic cape creates a shield of invisibility.”

“But I see you!” Pierre pointed out. “You are right there,” he said, tweaking Fred’s nose for emphasis.

Fred turned pale, his eyes glazed over, and he began nibbling on his cape before he caught himself. “Quick,” he blurted, “Ian’s idea is no good. Get off the mantel!”


Pre-order your copy of Toupee Mice today!

Sliding into the Guild's News Position....

Illustration by Kimberly Erickson

Greetings!  Please bear with me as I try to lend a hand with getting the news out for the Catholic Writers' Guild!  I'm new at this, so hopefully everything will work as it should-- but I'll ask your patience in advance!



So, who am I, and what am I doing here?  Well, why don't we leave the philosophical musings to John Konecsni...but let's just say that I am glad to be endeavoring to lead a more active role within the guild in the coming year.  That said, I should probably mention that I am a very busy guy.  Between the full time state government job  (doing terrible things to numbers) and a novel which has been nearing its last and very final stage towards completion for about....the last year, I sometimes am tempted to throw in the towel and open a bed and breakfast in Friday Harbor (San Juan Island, Washington).

Seriously, perhaps you would like to know a little about me?  I'm the author of two lighthearted children's books: Tristan's Travels and Toupee Mice.  Both are available from Rafka Press--but the latter tale is still pre-order.  They are illustrated by my lovely wife, Kimberly Erickson.  If you'd like to learn more about me, please drop by Karl Erickson.  I also have two Facebook pages setup currently.  This is the main author page, and the second page is designated for the children's books.  (If you want to make an author happy, "like" them today--especially the newest one!)

                                                             
As far as the spiritual journey which brought us here, you can read about that in Catholic Answer's This Rock.  To make a long story short(er), we're very happy to be done once and for all with church shopping.  We're home where we belong in the Catholic Church, and we couldn't be happier!  Now...could we just work on some of those hymns!

I thought I'd conclude with two of my trailers for our books, but I also want to put a quick plug in for a new experiment I'm doing.  It's called the Catholic Writers' Guild (Western Branch).  It occurred to me that it sometimes it's easy to feel geographically removed  from the larger group when only a few brave souls occupy the "western frontiers."  If you think that having an online place to gather for those of us in the western states would be helpful, please just swing by and hit like (hard).  So far, I only have one other person who is remotely excited about the idea.  If no one else has time, I'll probably shelve the group entirely after Christmas.  I won't be promoting that group any more--most likely--so drop by now if interested!

I look forward to helping CWG members get the word out concerning their exciting work and achievements!  Here are the two promised book trailers: Tristan's Travels followed by Toupee Mice.

PS.  You can also find me on Twitter at PacNWCathWriter!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope all of you have a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving!

Win a Signed Book and Gift Card!!

Fred from Toupee Mice

Ian, Fred, and Pierre can barely stand the excitement!  

With Toupee Mice pre-ordering only a couple weeks away now, I'd like to quickly boost membership on our Tristan's Travels and Toupee Mice page over on Facebook.  So, here's the plan...  If we can get the members (or "likers") up to a minimum of 100, we will donate one signed copy of Tristan's Travels and a $5 Starbucks gift card to a randomly selected Facebook follower.  Both the author and illustrator will sign the book!  (We'll announce the winner on December 1st.)

So, make sure you're entered today!