Interview with Dori Ostermiller, Author of Outside the Ordinary World

Dori Ostermiller is the author of Outside the Ordinary World, a powerful debut novel that spans almost forty years of painter Sylvia Sandon’s life as she comes to term with her mother’s infidelity and yet seems doomed to repeat those same mistakes.  I gave Outside the Ordinary World a five star review in August and caught up with Dori to talk about getting published, the evolution of the story and the characters in the book.

Outside The Ordinary World is remarkably complex for a debut novel. Can you tell us a bit about how you got the idea for the book and how the story evolved?
Thank you for this wonderful compliment, Mandy.  I started the book, many years ago, as a memoir about the dissolution of my childhood family.  I wanted to write about the family alliances, secrets and betrayals that had so defined my own coming-of-age.  Over time, though, the story became quite fictionalized: I realized that I was more interested in the emotional truth of my experience than the actual facts...  In short, wanted to make things up.  Still, fictionalized though it was, it was still a traumatic story for me to write: it took several incarnations to get the right shape.  I took long breaks between drafts, and over all, it was about 15 years in the making.

Sylvia is an artist and the manner in which you describe the landscapes and vistas in the book feels almost like a watercolour. Are you an artist too?
I’m not currently painting, but I used to paint—not watercolours, but oils.  I love the textures and smells of painting.  It makes me incredibly happy to hear that you experienced the story this way, because that’s really what I was going for: I wanted the reader to experience Sylvie’s world almost as one would step into a painting.

Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced in getting your novel noticed and published?
You know, it felt excruciating at the time, but in retrospect I think I had it fairly easy compared to some other writers I know.   It took a while to find the right agent, for sure—about a year.  The book was rejected by nearly 20 agents, then picked up by someone who turned out to be the wrong agent for the book.  I had to fire her.  Now I have a fantastic agent who I’m sure I’ll be with forever.  Once I found her, the book got a lot of interest quickly, and she was able to sell it within a couple of months.   

Which character did you identify the most with and why?  Was there a character you didn't like or who didn't turn out as you had intended?
I suppose I identified most with Sylvie, since we share similar childhoods, though in truth, I did not have an affair as an adult, and it was a stretch for me to fully understand Sylvie’s choice in doing so.  I wanted to make her different than myself, so I decided to let her act things out and really make a mess of her life, rather than working it all out nicely in therapy and through her art.   
Roz Benton was the biggest surprise: she’s a character who came out of nowhere and just sort of insisted herself onto the page.  Completely fictional and very wacky.  At first I wasn’t sure I liked her, but she forced her way into the story and ended up being an important piece of the puzzle.

I believe that you are currently working on your second novel. Can you tell us a bit more about that?
I’m currently writing a story about a young wife/teacher who loses her husband in a school shooting and in the wake of this loss, begins to question everything she once believed about her life, her marriage.  There are issues of class, family secrets, conflicts within her community...  She’s forced to make a difficult choice... It’s really a story about finally growing up, coming to terms with painful truths and making your own happiness in an imperfect perfect world.   I guess that’s all I want to say about it at present. 

Article first published as Interview: Dori Ostermiller, Author of Outside the Ordinary World on Blogcritics.

Interview: Singer/Songwriter Mali Woods Talks Music, Diversity And Other Serious Issues

Saturday mornings and the first day of summer vacation: the possibilities seem endless as you sit back, relax and think of what lies ahead.  That sense of optimism and anticipation is almost unrivalled yet it is the feeling I got when I first listened to Mali Woods’s Outta the Woods EP.  Drawing on a range of folk, world and hip-hop influences, Mali’s unique brand of “boho folk” is perfectly complemented by her crystal clear, pitch perfect vocals.  Which is just as well because Mali Woods has something to say and she is not afraid of tackling some of the biggest issues facing the world today.

Mali Woods hails from Minnesota but moved to Los Angeles in 2001.  It is a move many aspiring singers make to seek fame and fortune in the bright lights of LA but there was far more to Mali’s story than a simple dream.  It is clear that Minnesota will always have a place in Mali's heart from the almost magical way in which she describes the land of her birth.  “I grew up in the land of ten thousand lakes (Minnesota) in a suburb called Minnetonka,” she says, “which is a Dakota Indian word meaning “great water”… Even though I absolutely adore the earthy people and changing seasons of MN (especially autumn time), I have a deep need to be in a culturally diverse environment”. 

This need developed when Mali’s family disapproved of a mixed-race relationship that she was involved in, ultimately making her choose between being a part of the family or continuing with the relationship.  Mali claims that it wasn’t even a choice for her and she states on her website, “I knew my love of diversity and unity was thicker than blood”.

Moving to Los Angeles was one of the hardest times of Mali's life and she describes how she had to sell all of her possessions to avoid becoming homeless.  She released her first album Melodic Wand in 2003 but it would be a further 8 years before Outta the Woods was completed.  Part of this was because Mali wrote, recorded and produced 90% of the album herself and nearly every guitar, bass, cello, violin, trumpet, tuba, piano, chime and drum on the album is played by her. 

Mali once remarked that genre in music is determined by the production process, and so she had to learn to stay true to her roots while expressing herself.  “Thanks to Apple Logic and sound libraries, I was able to be a one woman band,” she explains. “It took me a while to get a sense of how to use these instruments in a realistic way and it also took me a while to develop my own sound, while still paying tribute to the folk, world, hip-hop, soundtrack orchestration etc. that have inspired my writing over the years.”

Mali acknowledges that she could not have achieved the last 10% of the album without her business partner and fiancé, accomplished hip-hop producer Moe Johnson.  She explains how Moe guided her through the recording process, adding instruments to her initial guitar sketches while maintaining the folk feel of the tracks.  “I write most of my songs on guitar first,” she explains, “they're like rough drafts that I like to call song sketches.  I take the strongest ones into my home studio, record the guitar and start building the music around that.  My partner was like my anchor through the entire process, helping me not to lose touch with that raw folk feel that I love to over-production.”

The past 8 years have been a massive learning curve for Mali as she muses, “I think consciously locking into my true self really became a creative skeleton key for me.  I feel like now it would only take me a few months to write another album, now that I have, as my partner would say, “my science down”.”  This sense of purpose and confidence is what lead Mali to release an EP at this stage, as opposed to a full-length album.  She explains that with 8 tracks, Outta the Woods is technically long enough to be considered an album but that she is still finishing a couple of songs.  This is her way of implying that there is certainly more to come.

Which, as I said at the beginning of this article, is just as well because Mali has a lot to say.  It is easy to be swept away by Mali’s soothing vocals and catchy melodies but it is her lyrics that belie her desire to tackle far more serious issues than your average singer/songwriter. 

I asked Mali if she saw her music as a means of expression and if so, which issues she would like to raise in future.  “Yes, my music is most definitely a way for me to address serious issues, and unfortunately this world has given me a lot to write about,” she ponders. “From the environment, to wars, to the famines in Africa, global poverty, racism, sexism, LGBT rights to the many, many, faces and ways injustice and oppression rears its ugly head.” 

Mali stresses that her ideas are not limited to our day to day life but extend to the overall picture of what it means to be human. “Nature has shown us that in order to sustain life there has to be an equilibrium,” she states, warning, “humanity has failed to achieve this and we are now facing some really serious consequences because of that.”

It is so refreshing to encounter a young artist who has something to say, especially in light of recent events.  Mali says that she feels inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and that for the first time in a very long time, she feels that a real difference could be made, that real change is on the way.  On the media representations regarding protestors not being clear on what they want, Mali says that it is perfectly clear, saying “regardless of how the injustice has shown up in the individuals life, it's all happening because of the same source of corruption. The "leaders" of this system haven't had the people's best interest in mind.”

This is best expressed in the track “Reversing”, which first caught my attention with the spoken-word lyrics at the end of the song:

“this marriage, this union, this price
this tragic inverted life we’re living in
where money is god and freedom became
just an idea we put in movies
get it outta your head we aren’t dreaming
we’re standing on a stage & karma’s watching”

On “Reversing”, Mali expresses her belief that we've collectively strayed too far from our hearts, that we've lost our way. The song is about reversing, about how sometimes, the best thing to do is to retrace your steps backwards.  She explains that the song “is a call to reverse humanity's collective action, meaning karma, before a consequence we can't run from shows up to restore balance for us.”

With her talent, enthusiasm and motivation, Mali is an inspiration and could be the voice for a new generation of disenchanted youth.  Her aim is to continue talking, writing and singing until her soul tells her there is no longer a need and her vision is to inspire and unite people who share the same concerns as her. “Not everyone wanted life to be lived like this,” she says as we close the conversation. “Cutting down trees, endangering animals, not giving equal opportunity, or equal rights, all this materialism, greed,wars […] it feels like those who would never do these things are suffering the most.”

Outta the Woods is available for purchase on Mali’s online store.  You can catch up with Mali on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or her website MaliWoods.com.

---

Article first published as Interview: Singer/Songwriter Mali Woods Talks Music, Diversity And Other Serious Issues on Blogcritics.

Music Video: The Orbital – “Doctor?”

 

Well, that didn't take long at all. Just over two weeks since the end of the sixth season of Doctor Who (or the 32nd season to be perfectly correct), I am already obsessing over it and missing it like crazy.  I definitely think it is time to start watching the current series again from season 1.

I’m pretty partial to the Doctor Who theme tune but I have to be honest:  I prefer the previous versions.  I miss the bass-driven sounds of the original theme tune, with the beautiful riff at about 0.34 and 1.31.

I miss the excitement of the theme from the early to mid-1980s, with its futuristic, electronic flavour.  That is the theme I grew up with and I will always love it.  The riff was present again at at 0.36 but it sounded more electronic and robotic.

When the show returned in 2005, it took longer, but that magical, majestic riff played in at 0.56 and 2.04.  To me, it gives the theme a sense of occasion, circumstance, excitement  and importance.

It probably sounds silly, but I really miss that riff in the current theme tune.  To make matters worse, the theme ends just before the riff would begin.  I know I am meant to feel grateful that the theme is now shorter and the episode begins sooner but it doesn’t feel right. 

It is like eating half a hot dog*, I feel utterly unfulfilled every time I hear it and I rush off (after the episode) to my iPod to listen to The Orbital version.  The Orbital version, “Doctor?”, is really a tribute but it has everything.  It has the deep baselines of the original, the futuristic feel of the 1980s version, the magic and circumstance of version from 2005 but most importantly, it has that riff.

This is a fun fan video featuring the Orbital version.  It is a real pity that there is no official video but I thought it was slightly more fun than the versions of them performing it in concert (even when Matt Smith joined them at Glastonbury).

*Disclaimer: This analogy might only work if you are as crazy about hot dogs as I am.  In fact, this whole post might only work if you are as crazy about Doctor Who as I am.

Featured: Adam Gidwitz's Origin Story

Today I am honoured to feature a guest post by one of the best up and coming children’s authors around.  Adam Gidwitz is author of A Tale Dark and Grimm which I reviewed in August and today he will tell us his origin story. Thank you Adam for this wonderful, witty and entertaining story!

Adam Gidwitz’s Origin Story

This is the origin story of the writer they call Adam Gidwitz.

When Adam (that is, me), was twelve years old, an author came to speak at his school. Adam remembers nothing about this author. Not her name, not her books, nothing. Nothing except for a single answer she gave to a single question. The question was this: How do you know if you’re a writer? Well, young Adam’s ears perked up. He was curious. He had considered a number of careers thus far in his short life, from President of the United States to playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls. Writer might be an interesting possibility to add to the mix. He waited with bated breath for this writer’s answer to the question. The writer thought for a moment, and then said, “Writers write.”

Young Adam was blown away. The sheer tautological brilliance of it was astonishing. Writers DO write! Wow! Then he stopped to consider. Did he write? Well, he wrote in class, when his teachers asked him too. And he wrote for homework, when his teachers made him. But did he wrote on his own? For fun?

No.

And so, right then, at age twelve, Adam decided that he was not a writer, and the occupation of writer was stricken from his “career possibilities” list, to be followed, a few years later, by playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls (this was after average half a point a game, or one basket every four games, for his JV basketball team).

But Adam was wrong to strike “writer” from the list of possibilities. Indeed, he was already a writer. This was how young Adam spent his time: not writing, but bent over plastic action figures, making them talk and fight and telling stories with them. Or out at the basketball hoop behind his home, taking shots and narrating his long and storied career in the NBA to the surrounding trees and asphalt. He was writing all the time; he just never wrote anything he wrote down. If you know what I mean.

Ten years went by, and Adam went to college, majored in English literature, and then got a job teaching seven year olds. Because this is about all a degree in English literature qualifies you for.
Adam found he was not very good at teaching seven year olds. The key to teaching seven year olds is to get them to shut up for more than three minutes. If you can get them to shut up for more than three minutes, you have a chance of teaching them something. For the first many months of “teaching” seven year olds, Adam taught them absolutely nothing.

And then, one day, he discovered something. It was a mad day in his classroom. Harry was in one corner hitting another child on the head with a wooden block. Mick was jumping up and down on a table and screaming at the top of his lungs. And Reed was gluing cotton balls to his face and singing Christmas carols, even though it was April. In other words, it was a perfectly typical day in Adam’s classroom. Adam stood on the rug, shouting at Harry to stop braining his poor classmate, at Mick to stop jumping on the table, and at Reed to stop gluing things to his face. To no effect whatsoever. And then, something crucial to the course of Adam’s life occurred. He sat down in his teacher chair and said to himself, “I don’t give a rat’s behind what they do anymore.” And so he turned to the three children actually sitting on the rug and attending to him, and he decided that, instead of teaching them anything, he would just tell them a story. It was, after all, what he felt like doing.

He started, as he must, with “Once upon a time.” And Harry, over in the corner, lifted the wooden block in the air to brain his poor classmate—and then stopped. Mick continued to jump up and down and Reed kept singing. But Adam pressed on. “There was a poor woodcutter, who lived in a house with his wife and two little children.” The crashing of Mick’s feet on the table suddenly ceased. Harry, Adam noticed, was now sitting just outside of the rug, a block cradled in his lap. Reed put some glue in his mouth and continued to hum to himself. “One night,” Adam went on, “the wife turned to her husband in bed and said, ‘We must get rid of the children, or else we will starve to death.’” Mick was now sitting on the table, his legs swinging back and forth, and Reed put down his cotton balls.

It was on this day that Adam decided his entire teaching career would revolve around telling stories, for it seemed to be the only thing he was good at. And so it transpired. The rest of the year went swimmingly: The children were all well-behaved, and Adam started writing down the stories he told the children, exactly as he told them, in books. Which soon were published, in the US and in the UK. And everyone lived happily ever after.

Except for Reed. The glue gave him a skin condition.

The End

---

This post is part of the A Tale Dark and Grimm blog tour and I encourage you to visit the other blogs in the tour:

10th: The Book Zone For Boys – The Grimm Truth About Fairy Tales
11th: So Many Books, So Little Time – Top Ten Grimmest Ways to Die
12th: Mostly Reading YA - 10 Strange Things about Adam Gidwitz
13th: Addicted to Media (me!)  - Adam Gidwitz's Origin Story
14th: Sarah's Book Reviews -- Extract from A Tale Dark and Grimm
15th: Heaven, Hell and Purgatory - Q & A with Adam Gidwitz

Upcoming Blog Tour: A Tale Dark and Grimm

Look out for my entry tomorrow as part of the blog tour for the brilliant children's novel, A Tale Dark and Grimm. I will feature a guest post from Adam Gidwitz where he describes his origins and how he became a writer.

Live Video: The Heavy – “Short Change Hero”

I’m really trying not to like Strike Back: Project Dawn as much as I do, on account of its misogyny and glaring political inaccuracies but the sad truth is that I am rather hooked. 

One of the best things about the show is the song that plays during the opening credits and it has become one of those shows where I never skip through the opening credits (Doctor Who and Hawaii 5-0 being the other two examples). 

I really like this track and think it is high time that I took a proper listen to more of The Heavy’s music.  They remind me of two of my biggest musical discoveries this year: The Gutter Twins and The Twilight Singers.

The video above is of The Heavy performing “Short Change Hero” live at Gebäude 9 in Cologne, Germany.  Gebäude 9 is a former warehouse that is situated inside a defunct factory site on the right bank of the river Rhine and it has been used as a popular concert venue since 1996. 

There was no official music video for “Short Change Hero” but I just had to share this song somehow.

The 81st Book Review Blog Carnival

Welcome to the 81st Book Review Blog Carnival.  This carnival is published every other Sunday on a different blog. You may submit a book review post from your own blog, for the next carnival here.

We’ve had 21 submissions in this edition and the quality has been extremely high.  I heartily recommend that you visit each and every one of the blogs below as I have really enjoyed reading them all.

Fiction

	Zohar presents Thoughts on: Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman posted at Man of la Book.
	Clark Bjorke presents Edson posted at I'll Never Forget the Day I Read a Book!. He remarks: It's a great novel - nothing happens all the way through!
	Toni presents Book reco: The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano posted at Wifely Steps. She remarks: There’s a romantic quote somewhere that goes you know you’re meant to be with someone if you’re comfortable in each other’s silence. But for how long? Can a prime number, one seemed to be destined alone, ever find happiness in the silence of another? Giordano takes us on a quiet and moving journey between two primes.
	Zohar presents Thoughts on: A Short History of a Tall Jew by Dennis Danziger posted at Man of la Book.
	Zohar presents Thoughts on: Call Me Princess by Sara Blædel posted at Man of la Book.
	Jim Murdoch presents The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan posted at The Truth About Lies. Jim remarks: One last full moon - then it will all be over. Jacob Marlowe has lost the will to live. For two hundred years he has wandered the world, enslaved by his lunatic appetites and tormented by the memory of his first and most monstrous crime. Now, the last of his kind, he knows he cannot go on. But as Jake counts down a violent murder and an extraordinary meeting plunge him straight back into the desperate pursuit of life - and love. An intelligent and literate addition to the genre.

 

Young Adult Fiction

	Rida presents Review- If I Stay by Gayle Forman posted at Raindrop Reflections.
	Emm presents Book Review: The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter posted at Addicted to Media. She remarks that: The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter is a modern day retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Hades and Persephone. Protagonist Kate undergoes a series of tests in the Underworld to spend just a few more days with her dying mother.

 

Children’s Books

	Read Aloud Dad presents Winnie-the-Pooh, Complete Tales & Poems posted at Read Aloud Dad.
	Kalyan presents Bombay Duck Is A Fish posted at Book Marks.
	Emm presents Book Review: The Snow Merchant by Sam Gayton posted at Addicted to Media. She remarks that: The Snow Merchant is the type of book that defies rating scales as I would give it six out of five stars if I could.  Needless to say, it gets five out of five stars and I wholeheartedly recommend it. Whatever you do, make sure you get hold of this book this winter.

 

Biography / Autobiography

Jim Murdoch presents Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal posted at The Truth About Lies. He remarks: This book does what it says on the tin. Over 240 pages the author provides short entries in alphabetical order in which she describes herself and her life. She says in the foreword: “I have not survived against all odds. I have not lived to tell. I have not witnessed the extraordinary. This is my story.” And if you think that sounds boring that is where you would be wrong.

Rachel presents Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) posted at Books In The Sun.

 

Audiobooks

Peter presents Unbroken Audio Book | Laura Hillenbrand posted at Audio Book Downloads.

 

Non-Fiction

	MainstreamMom presents 7 Weeks to a Healthier, Richer You posted at Mainstream Mom. She remarks: "The Thrifty Mama, Crystal Collins, has recently released a new eBook, Not Your Mama’s Crunchy Granola – 7 Weeks to a Healthier Lifestyle. This book is a beginners guide to help you get a jump start on healthier living."
	Rebecca presents Review of the Garden of Gratitude by Rabbi Shalom Arush | Book Nerd – High Quality Book Reviews posted at Book Nerd - High Quality Book Reviews. She remarks: This is a book that can change your life and make you wake up with a smile on your lips, every day!
	Beating Broke presents The Wealth Cure - Beating Broke | Beating Broke posted at Beating Broke. They remark: When you first see the image of who Hill Harper is (He’s an actor on CSI:N.Y.), you assume that this is just another book by a celebrity to boost his status and pad his wallet. What you get when you read this book, however, is another thing entirely.
	Jonathan Dunsky presents Dukan Diet Review posted at World of Diets.
	The Wealthy Canadian presents A review: The Wealthy Barber Returns | The Wealthy Canadian posted at The Wealthy Canadian.
	Lazy Man presents Can I Retire? by Mike Piper Reviewed posted at Lazy Man and Money. He remarks: I mentioned a couple of days ago that at a conference Mike Piper offered me a copy of his book Can I Retire?. I wasn't necessarily going to review the book, but let me just say the following: I'm sending this to my mother in a few days with a note that simply says, "Read This." I can't think of a higher compliment I can give.

 

Graphic Novels

Zohar presents Thoughts on: Holy Terror by Frank Miller posted at Man of la Book.

 

Literary Criticism

Eli presents Clutching at straws (a post on manifest destiny) posted at Rust Belt Philosophy. Eli notes: This post compares a character in Cormac McCarthy's outstanding "Blood Meridian" to a certain mode of philosophical thought

 

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of book review blog carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Book Review: The Snow Merchant by Sam Gayton

Very little compares to the experience of waking on a cold winter's morning and discovering that the landscape has been transformed into a winter wonderland overnight. Or better yet, staying awake late enough the night before to catch those first snowflakes as they begin their silent descent to the ground. It is a rare and treasured experience, as rare as encountering a truly unique and inventive imagination.

Sam Gayton's The Snow Merchant takes us back to the time before snow was invented (you did know it was invented, right?), when winters were long, desperate seasons of bitter cold and icy winds with none of the magic and adventure of today.

Lettie Peppercorn lives in a house on stilts, for she is forbidden from stepping foot on the ground.  Confined to her house, Lettie's days are filled with looking after the guests at the White Horse Inn while her father gambles and drinks away his sorrows.  He has never been the same since the departure of Lettie's mother several years before.

Fear not, this life of floor-sweeping, bed-making and soup-stirring is not too much for Lettie for, in her own words, she is not a child.  No, Lettie is twelve-years-old and she is the landlady of the White Horse Inn.

One windy and treacherous winter's night, a man with blue teeth and an icicle beard arrives at the inn.  Claiming to be the Snow Merchant, he turns pebbles into shillings and tells Lettie that she is his customer.  Lettie has no idea what snow is but she is quite certain that she can't afford it.

And so begins a wonderful tale of alchemy, intrigue and the creation of snow. Featuring a boy with a stalk growing from his shoulder, a woman composed of air and a pigeon fashioned from clay, The Snow Merchant is astounding in its imagination and creativity.  At times it reminded me of the works of Enid Blyton or Philip  Pullman but I am certain that I have never read anything quite this inventive before.

The Snow Merchant is beautifully illustrated by Tomislav Tomic as he brings to life the strange and exciting characters throughout the book. This is the perfect winter gift for both girls and boys aged 9 to 11 and I will be certainly be giving a copy of this book to every child I know this year.

This is exactly the kind of book that will stimulate imaginations and have young children squealing with glee.  I absolutely enjoyed every single page of this magical and impressive adventure.

Author Sam Gayton completed the Writing for Young People MA at Bath University in 2009. The Snow Merchant is his first novel but I don't think it will be long before he becomes one of the most treasured children's authors.   The Snow Merchant is another stunning novel by Andersen Press, the publishing imprint that has had a brilliant, award-winning year so far.  I am quite certain The Snow Merchant will be up for awards too.

The Snow Merchant is the type of book that defies rating scales as I would give it six out of five stars if I could.  Needless to say, it gets five out of five stars and I wholeheartedly recommend it. Whatever you do, make sure you get hold of this book this winter.

Rush out and buy The Snow Merchant at Amazon.co.uk ¦ Amazon.com now.

---

Article first published as Book Review: The Snow Merchant by Sam Gayton on Blogcritics.

A copy of this book was provided to me for the purposes of this review and all opinions contain herein are my own. This review contains affiliate links.