Interview with P.H.C. Marchesi

This time around I am happy to be hosting an interview with P.H.C. Marchesi, the author of “Shelby and Shauna Kitt and the Dimensional Holes“. Before I get to the actual interview, I’ll let you know a little about the author.

P.H.C. Marchesi has a Ph.D. degree in English literature, and teaches British literature to undergraduates. She is currently working on book two of the “Shelby and Shauna Kitt” series. As a child, she lived in many different countries, and experienced many different cultures. She studied at an International School and had friends from all over the world – these experiences shaped her writing and the fantasy world she created in “Shelby and Shauna Kitt and the Dimensional Holes”.

Now then, let’s move on to that interview!

How long have you been writing?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve made up stories. I always seemed to be daydreaming, inventing exciting places and adventures for myself. Often I’d run entire adventures in my head while doing something else! Once I was able to write, I began putting together home-made picture books of short stories with my own illustrations. The drawing habit eventually died off, and I focused more and more on writing as I composed several short stories as a teen. Eventually, the stories got so big I began to consider writing novels instead of short stories!

What inspired you to become a writer?
I think you have to be a writer when the stories in your head insist on being told. I always had so much imagination that the need to get it all onto paper was enormous – in a way, it was a huge relief not to have it all in my head. Imagination is strange that way: it absolutely demands to be shared. You also have to be absolutely convinced that you have something worthwhile to say – this, rather than selling a lot of books, is the real motivation behind true writers.

Who is your favorite author?
This is an incredibly difficult question, as it’s almost impossible to pick a favorite when there are so many excellent writers in the world. As a child, I used to love Michael Ende’s “The Neverending Story”, and I think he still holds a special place in my heart. This particular novel, incidentally, is all about losing yourself in the world of fantasy books, and perhaps this is why I found it so meaningful in my youth.

Do you prefer to write on a laptop or a desktop computer?
I prefer to write on a laptop. In fact, it’s been years since I’ve owned a desktop! The nice thing about laptops is that they enable you to write anywhere, and this is important because you never know when inspiration will hit you. Sometimes you’ve just sitting somewhere, and then all of a sudden you put the odd pieces of a story together, or come up with the perfect way to say something you’d been previously struggling with. A laptop can be really handy then.

What do you most enjoy about writing?
Since I have to pick just one aspect, it would have to be putting together all the pieces of a story. It’s the greatest feeling in the world for me when bits and pieces begin to come together, and I start to see where they will fit. I don’t know exactly how this “click” phenomenon happens – creativity has a brewing period, I suppose – but these “click” moments are my favorites.

What are you currently working on writing?
I’m currently working on the second book of the “Shelby and Shauna Kitt” series. Writing a series has its own challenges!

What is the best writing advice you ever received?
To write what you know. When I was a teen, for example, I moved from Brazil to Austria. I still remember, as if it were yesterday, the excitement I felt at the prospect of having a great adventure (that’s how I thought about moving to a different continent, where the language, culture, and climate were all different from what I was used to). I incorporated those memories into my novel, where thirteen-year-old Shelby and his twin sister Shauna go on an incredible adventure to a different dimension. All of my characters, in some way or other, exhibit behavior I’ve either observed through the years, or have experienced myself.

What advice would you give a new writer?
The most important thing is to write your first draft. Don’t agonize over whether it will be perfect. Since you have a story to tell, do it! From your first draft you can begin to polish and fix things. It’s amazing how much a story develops from the first draft! If you worry too much about making the first draft perfect, however, chances are you’ll stifle your story (or yourself!) by demanding that everything fit perfectly on the first try.

It’s a draft – that’s all it is. From there the fun begins.

What issues or challenges do you struggle with the most?
What I struggle with the most is learning the odds and ends of publicity/marketing, and having to take time from writing in order to promote my book. That’s just the way it is, though – if I believe my story is worth reading, then I have to take some responsibility for ensuring that people know about it.

What is the most difficult challenge in putting your book together?
For me, it was making sure that the story line was consistent, and that any inconsistencies in plot, character, dialogue (etc.) were fixed. Because writers “live,” so to speak, inside their stories, they need others to read what they’ve written and point out elements that are confusing, poorly explained, overlooked, etc. At the end of the day, the story needs to be compelling, and it can’t be if there are noticeable inconsistencies.

© 2011, Steven R. Drennon. All rights reserved.