Just last week I asked Zena to talk seriously about her writing process; she regularly chats about all sorts of serious ‘writerly stuff’. Check out her blog’s About and Becoming A Writer pages.
This week, as I invite her to visit Calingarry Crossing pub and share a beer nut and a chat, we meet the OTHER Zena, the whacky Zena, the party Zena who enjoys a little Gangnam style!!
Come on in, Zena. Grab a pew. What can I get you to go with your beer nuts? (Shandy? Wine Spritzer? Pink Lemonade?)
A: Thanks, Jenn! I’ve already had a few champagnes while I was editing by the pool earlier (I wish!), so I’ll have a Malibu and pineapple, please – no ice, well, as long as the pineapple juice has been chilled, which I’m sure it has!
Hey, did you hear the one about …
A: How do penguins drink their whisky?
On the rocks.
Cute! I’m a beer nut nut, Zena. What bar snack would you be and why?
A: Flamin’ Hot Monster Munch, because they’re from England, they go well with beer, are very moreish, and really wake up your tastebuds.
Ahh, my beer hit the spot. Let me slip a drink coaster under your glass while you tell us—on a scale of 1 to 10—as a writer are you a messy desker or tidy desker?
A: 1 = people wonder how I can possibly work somewhere so tidy.
The publican offers you free drinks all night if you will:
- Dance to Gangnam Style
- Sing John Denver’s ‘Take me Home Country Roads’ on the Karaoke machine
- Spend an hour washing dishes
Which do you choose?
A: Dance to Gangnam Style – willingly and with gusto!
That’s the spirit. Time to liven the place up. Got a buck? We can crank up the old jukebox in the corner. You get to pick three songs.
- Rizzle Kicks – “Down With The Trumpets”
- Justice Crew – “Everybody”
- Ylvis – “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)”
Okay, an author, an agent and a chicken walk into the bar… how do you know which one crossed the road?
A: They all arrived together but the agent crossed the road because a publisher walked by on the other side. The author stayed with the chicken so the agent could use them as a talking point and generate interest in the author’s new book, because every author needs a chicken to look interesting.
(Too true!)
Now, there’s a stapler on the bar. Tell me what it’s doing there.
A: It’s a decoration – because who uses so much paper they need a stapler these days?
The pub is the heart of a small town and most locals would be lost without one. What are three things you’d be lost without?
- Time to write.
- Hugs from my family.
- A good night’s sleep.
There are a few good prizes up for grabs in the bar jackpot. Do you have a lucky number?
I wish I had a lucky number! I’m not really a lucky person. But that’s okay, because I reckon I’m lucky in life these days, and I’m happy with that!
Last drinks, my friend! It’s been great. But before we go, tell us how we can find out more about you and your writing/books.
I’m part-cyber so lurk in most online social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Goodreads, and I blog on my website too. Come and find me if you like wild rides through the gulches of adventure that spit you out breathless; or close-to-reality books of the unexplained, ones that take you away from the everyday yet stay so close it’s only when you shut the book you realise you’ve been away at all. Everywhere I’ve travelled in the world – and I’ve been to almost fifty countries – I’ve sought out unusual stories and uncommon sights, then taken copious notes on them. Now I use those notes to conjure thought-experiments and journeys into the ‘what ifs’ of fiction, the beyond and the magical… Life is magical. Life is about searching for improved existences and converting the unfamiliar into something more recognisable. Life is an adventure at once unseen and unlikely yet there and very real, sometimes thrilling and dangerous, yet ultimately ours to relish. If I can, with my stories I’ll show you just how thrilling and magical that adventure can be…
Hi! I’m a British-Australian author who loves putting characters inside the most perfect storm of their lives, then watching how they get out. I like wild rides through the gulches of adventure that spit you out breathless, and close-to-reality books of the unexplained. I’ve won seven national fiction writing competitions (all blind judging) and am represented by literary agent Alex Adsett. Watch this space for news on when my novels will be published! I also run the widely attended Northern Beaches Writers’ Group, and give regular talks/tutorials on creative writing and social media (because, after all, I am part-cyber!).
Fantastic. Please leave a comment for Zena and if you can, share the love online. Every author need good lovin!
Tweet me: http://twitter.com/zenashapter
Connect me: http://facebook.com/ZenaShapter
Read me: http://zenashapter.com/blog
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In the meantime, watch out …
It’s on the way …
This storm season, in Calingarry Crossing, a perfect storm is heading Maggie Lindeman’s way. Find out more, right here. Simmering Season: April 1, 2014
For emergency alerts and warnings for Simmering Season, subscribe to Jenn J McLeod’s blog before you go, or LIKE her Facebook Page.
It’s great to be taking part in this blog hop on The Writing Process in which different writers answer the same questions about their writing process.
Helene Young
Natasha Lester
Zena Shapter