Interview with Humorist, Allison Hawn

Today, I am interviewing a funny writer, Allison Hawn, whose new book, “Life is a Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor,” will be released on September 7.  

A few words about her:

Allison Hawn is a short, snarky, scrappy force of nature. As a social worker, self-defense instructor, avid Batman enthusiast and coffee-addicted insomniac she attracts her fair share of adventure. Allison is the author of two humorous collections of true short stories: “Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus” and “Life is Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor.” She resides in Spokane, Washington with her two cats and the ghost that keeps opening her closet door at strange intervals.

SARETT: Are you funny in real life -- or just funny in fiction?  What led you to the comic side of the writerly aisle?

Hawn: Well, considering all of the stories in my humor books are true, I guess that would mean that I’m funny in real life. I’m the type of person that weird things just happen to on a daily basis. For instance, this last week at work I had to break up a fight between a couple of forty-ish year old men over My Little Pony. As one of my good friends put it, “Allison, you’re broken in fun ways.”

I’ve hit the point in my life where I’ve realized that if I don’t laugh at myself and my own misfortune, then I have no right to laugh at anyone else. So, I wrote two books that I sincerely hope will help others feel better about their day.

SARETT: I find in writing comedy that pace seems all-important.  If it is too slow, the writing feels flat-- whereas in drama, you can linger over, say, the light coming in through the forest.  What’s your feeling?

Hawn: There’s a reason that the end of a joke is called  a “punchline.” It’s not a “ambling-lazily-to-your-point-line” or a “casual-stroll-towards-a-conclusion-line. As an ex-boxer, this idea makes perfect sense to me.

Have you ever listened to someone tell a joke where you could tell what the end was going to be before you got there? How much did you laugh? (If you laughed a lot, I’m guessing that you are concerned about this person writing you out of their will.)

Humor is supposed to catch you off guard, get its hits in where it can, then back up so that it can build build for another attack. The only difference is that humor will probably not break your nose. Though, if it’s done well, with just enough precision, it will make your eyes water as if your nose was just broken.

SARETT: There’s that saying, dying is easy, comedy is hard.  True or not?

Hawn: Absolutely true. This is true in written comedy and in stand-up (which I’ve done). Sometimes you write a line and think, “This is BRILLIANT!” only to read it out loud to someone else and realize, “Wait… I wouldn’t laugh at this. Where did this come from!? Was I drinking cold medication instead of coffee last night?”

Comedy has so many factors. If you don’t have the right timing, audience, syntax structure, pop culture references or proper buildup then you can turn the best line into a giant pile of gryffon poo.

SARETT: There are lot of rules about what’s good writing and what’s bad.  Is there any writing rule that you secretly enjoy breaking?      

Hawn: I try not to break too many of the “good writing” rules. However, I do have an adamant admiration for alliteration, so that may creep into my writing more than some would like.

SARETT:  Tell us about your new book!

Hawn: “Life is a Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor” is a recounting of pieces of my life as the human magnet for the bizarre. What do I mean by human magnet for the bizarre? It means that, for me, owning a cursed car, being attacked by a man wielding a foam sword, or having to battle an evil pony could manifest on any day ending in “y.”

These stories provide readers with important life lessons learned through trial and, mostly, error. It is proof that truth is far stranger than fiction in a way that readers can be entertained, without having to experience being bitten by a three-legged chinchilla themselves. You’re all welcome.

SARETT:  In a comic novel, lots of stuff that can seem scary in other forms (like corpses, for example) are treated lightly.  What’s the secret to making it funny?  

Hawn: Humor is in the absurdities. It’s not necessarily that the concept of a corpse (or equally serious thing) is funny. It’s finding the strange details about it that make it funny.

Nearly all the humor in the film “Clue” is based around not one, but two, corpses, and that movie is one of the funniest in existence. Why is a movie about dead bodies so humerus (pun intended, please make your own *ba-dum-tish* noise)? Because the writers found the absurd details surrounding the circumstances of the corpses and drew attention to those, instead of drawing attention to the overarching idea of death itself.

SARETT: I’m always trying to discover new (or forgotten) humor writers.  Do you have suggestions for our readers looking for funny stuff?

Hawn: 
--“Foop!” by Chris Genoa
--“Politically Correct Bedtime Stories” by James Finn Garner
--“Big Trouble” by Dave Barry.

SARETT: Any new projects in the works that you’d like to share with our readers?

Hawn: I am working on both a science-fiction novel and a third collection of short stories. They are racing each other for completion, who wants to take bets on which one will win?

Follow Allison Hawn here:  

Facebook Page

goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085837.Allison_Hawn

twitter: (@AllisonHawn)

Buy  her books on Amazon:

Life is a Circus Run by a Platypus

Life is a Pirate Ship Run by a Velociraptor (Available Sep. 7th)

Interview with Craig Hart, Editor of The Rusty Nail and Sweatshoppe Publications

Today’s interview is with Craig Hart who founded the magazine, The Rusty Nail as well as the publishing company Sweatshoppe Publications.  

First, here’s some background on Craig:

Craig Hart is a writer, editor, and publisher. Early in 2012 he founded The Rusty Nail literary magazine for which he serves as editor-in-chief. He is also the publisher for Sweatshoppe Publications. Hart lives in Rockford, Illinois with his wife Kimberly in a house owned by their cat, Gracie.

SARETT: There are thousands and thousands of literary magazines-- and they do come and go. What was your impetus for starting The Rusty Nail?  

HART: My hope for The Rusty Nail is for it to remain true to the tagline, “Your words, your way.” A lot of literary magazines become extensions of the staff. They choose what they like, edit them down, and the reader ends up with a sanitized version. I want to preserve the raw feeling of words directly from the writer’s mind.       

SARETT: As an editor, are you sensitive to the experience of reading online?  Do you feel that reading online places special burdens on stories?  

HART: I tend to be a traditional reader. I like paper copy, which is why The Rusty Nail offers a print version. However, I know that many people like reading online and it does increase the accessibility of the work. There’s a place for both.

SARETT:  I’m amazed that editors can read as much as they do-- and you not only have a magazine, but a publishing company.  In your mind, what are the ingredients that make a good editor?   

HART: An editor should know the audience. I think an editor does well to keep in mind not only what they like, but also what the outlet’s audience will like. There are pieces that have appeared in The Rusty Nail that, as a reader, I wouldn’t choose. But if I know there is an element of TRN’s audience that enjoys that form of writing, then it has a good chance of making it through.

SARETT: We all know that writers read literary magazines, or at least some writers like me do -- but is that the only audience for them? Or put another way, is there a way to make that audience more diverse?

HART: I agree that the biggest audience for literary magazines are writers or, at least, people with literary interests. The Rusty Nail has addressed this by offering a diverse range of selections. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a defined audience. I think one mistake other magazines have made is trying to be all things to all readers. It can’t be done. By trying to make sure everyone is equally represented and served, it’s easy to end up representing nobody, at least not well.

SARETT: You’re also a writer (although how you find the time baffles me.) Has the process of being an editor has changed the way you approach your writing?  How?

HART: It has caused me to be more cognizant of the errors I see in the writing that I go through on a regular basis. It’s easier to find faults in writing other than your own, of course, but I’ve made a concerted effort to practice my preaching. Having said that, I think it’s important to run your work past an outside source. Being an editor doesn’t necessarily make one qualified to edit one's own work.

SARETT: You’ve started a publishing company, Sweatshoppe Publications (love that name!). How would you describe its editorial focus?   Is there a specific type of writer you’d like to attract?

HART: So far, Sweatshoppe Publications has published mostly poetry and short story collections, with a couple of novels thrown in. We’ve been pleased to publish a couple of non-traditional novel forms and first-timers. The writing we tend to lean toward is intimate and, in the case of fiction, with fully developed characters. We love honest writers who write without reservation, without holding back.

SARETT: Lots of us, including me, have chosen the self-publishing route.  What are the advantages, in your mind, of using a publisher like Sweatshoppe are versus self-publishing?

HART: One of the greatest benefits of self-publishing can also be its greatest flaw. Namely, the fact that anyone can do it. There are writers, like yourself, who are capable of putting out quality writing via self-publishing and I think that’s great. I’ve used self-publishing in the past myself.

The main advantages of a publisher like Sweatshoppe are that 1.) There is oversight. We don’t publish everything we get so if your work is accepted you can know that we’ve seen value in it. 2.) We don’t charge authors. The cost of design and getting the book onto the marketplace are assumed by Sweatshoppe. 3.) A lot of writers prefer to be able to say they’ve had their work accepted by an unbiased entity. It suggests an air of legitimacy.
None of this means that I think any less of those who self-publish, mind you. I love that industry. In fact, the parent company of Sweatshoppe Publications has begun a self-publishing option called Coffee Ring Publishing. You can find all our publishing options at: www.sweatshoppemedia.com

Available on Amazon

SARETT: You are a busy guy -- and I see that you’re also published a book on writing exercises. Are these exercises designed for the neophyte or the more advanced writer?  

HART: There is something in there for both. Some exercises are more complicated than others. The exercises address the most common writing issues I see as an editor/publisher, little things that can make the difference between acceptance and rejection.

SARETT: Have you used the exercises in your own book?  (Just checking!)

HART: Haha...I’ve used versions of them, yes. I wanted to make sure they worked, after all!

SARETT: Any other projects that you’d like to tell us about?

HART:  I am writing a novel entitled Mosquito Bay, which is about a boy named Jimmy who discovers troubling things about his family, including his mother’s death. It’s a gritty tale, but honest, as we watch Jimmy struggle to grow up in the shadow of his family’s dark past.

You can visit Craig on Facebook, Twitter. His blog is at http://craighartonline.com/