Tiny TOE Press

3 months ago
11 February 2012
Reblog

kindle-author:

An Interview with Mitchell Anne Hagerstrom// Author of MISS GONE-OVERSEAS
1) Where were you born, where do you live now, and are you close to perfect swimming water?
Born in Iowa City, Iowa, now live in Austin, Texas. The famous Barton Springs is a stone’s throw but I hate cold water and have never done more than dip a toe in it. Just after dusk, when the summer temperatures exceed 110, the pool at my apartment complex feels just right, feels like silk.
2) What is your favorite smell?
Fresh sawdust at an East Texas lumber mill.
3) Tell us about your education and what you do now (jobs and hobbies).
My education has been from books lugged home from the public library. I was a mediocre student in grammar & high school – meaning I excelled in English and geography while flunking math and penmanship. When I finally went for my BA, I was in my early 30s and majored in English (reading books). Classes were small, teachers were excellent; going to classes was like going to a round of cocktail parties everyday – no smoking or drinking, but extremely lively discussions about very good books. I work in a public library – the pay keeps a roof over my head and the easy access to books keeps me in continuing-education mode.4) Tell us about your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife. How did you meet? What is your favorite thing about him/her? How about your children (if you have children)? How about a dog or cat?
I’m a sucker for good writers. My current husband sat across from my younger brother in 9th grade – so I’ve known him that long, known him through his two previous wives. We got together through an email courtship – it was obvious right off that he’s a terrific writer, though our styles and interests are totally different. My daughter is my delight. We’re half a continent apart, but as close as phone & email allow.5) Is ignorance bliss?
Probably. Why else do people watch reality shows on t.v. or read stacks of romance paperbacks (devouring them like a boxes of bon-bons) – to the exclusion of pursuits that require some brain-input? It may be bliss but it is certainly very selfish to refuse to educate oneself – the world will never be a better place if it’s entirely populated with dumb-asses.6) How did you get interested in writing?
I got seriously interested when I went to a reading given by one of my teachers – I was gobsmacked by the emotional power of the words, words written by someone I actually knew. I wanted to do that, too. After I started writing I would occasionally go to the library and be unable to find anything I wanted. What I wanted was to read the book I was then writing.
7) How has your practice evolved over the course of time?
At first I wrote in longhand & then typed, and retyped, and then retyped some more, draft after draft, edit after edit. Computers make it all so much easier. But I still find it difficult to actually “finish” something – seems there is always a way to make it better.8) What do you consider to be your greatest success?
Learning to cut my own hair.9) Is there any thing that your family or friends would be surprised to learn about you?
Nothing would surprise family or friends, a lot would surprise acquaintances. However, I suspect all but a small number of intimate family & friends were surprised by this book.10) What did you find out after finishing MISS GONE-OVERSEAS? What weren’t you expecting?
The book ends at a logical place, but I cannot let this character go. I’ve put what I thought would be my next project on hold and I’m working on a series of short stories that are related to the book. What I wasn’t expecting was the feedback from both male and female readers who do not normally read historical fictions: they fall in love with her – just like I have.

3 months ago
6 February 2012
Reblog

kindle-author:

An Interview with M. L. Kennedy // Author of The Mosquito Song
1) Where were you born, where do you live now, and are you close to perfect swimming water?I was born in Buffalo and live in Chicago which is about 2,100 miles worth of road from perfect swimming.
2) What is your favorite smell?I liked vanilla as a teenager, but nowadays I’m more of a coffee and bacon guy. It’s not a particularly sexy answer.
3) Tell us about your education and what you do now (jobs and hobbies).I’ve got a degree in psychology from the University of Chicago and the majority of the credits for an unfinished graduate degree in education. I work a couple of jobs, and spend the majority of time raising my daughter, Thalia.
4) Tell us about your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife. How did you meet? What is your favorite thing about him/her? How about your children (if you have children)? How about a dog or cat?I met my wife in college. I’m not exactly sure when or how. That is to say, I can’t remember which of our early adventures is our first one. I remember crashing a weird party with her on the Quads where everybody was talking about mentors and protégés, the sort of thing one does for a free cup at age 18. My wife is great. She manages to both support me and call me on my bullshit. It keeps me honest.
I’ve got one daughter. She’s a third grader, a ballerina, a straight “A” student, and she knows all the words to the PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES love theme.
I have only one dog, but he sheds enough for at least four. Fuzzy bastard.
5) Is ignorance bliss?At times, it can be. It tends to be a costly bliss. I tend to think of myself as an Agathist, which one can more easily reconcile with reality than simple optimism.
6) How did you get interested in writing?Same way I got interested in eating mashed potatoes; I’ve just always done it. I remember when I was seven that I made up a whole team of super-heroes. There was a girl who could breathe fire, a guy with really pointy fingernails, and a guy with a long neck. Seven year olds don’t always invent the most practical super-powers.
7) How has your practice evolved over the course of time?Well, I spent my 20s writing screenplays and short stories. THE MOSQUITO SONG was approached as a serial. It changes a few things. You have to name the story before it is finished, you can’t go back and change plot points. It is an interesting way to do things, but I’m approaching the next book differently. The story is kind of expanding from the middle, where I can see what I need for the end and insert it in the beginning, whether it be a prop or a theme.
8) What do you consider to be your greatest success?Being happy more than 75% of the time.
9) Is there any thing that your family or friends would be surprised to learn about you?I have seen every episode of NewsRadio and listened to all the DVD commentary tracks. Wait, maybe that should be my greatest accomplishment.
10) What did you find out after finishing THE MOSQUITO SONG? What weren’t you expecting?After finishing THE MOSQUITO SONG, I learned why master keys make locks easier to pick. I felt like I could’ve used that thing.

3 months ago
6 February 2012
Reblog

sugardevil:

Surprise book! Sorry, all other books. You’ve been pre-empted.

Book = The Mosquito Song
Author = M. L. Kennedy
You can buy this hand-pressed from Tiny TOE Press or digitized on Kindle

3 months ago
5 February 2012
Reblog

4 months ago on
29 January 2012

KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD Bridget had a fierce desire for survival which made her a fighter. Michael had a hankering after immortality which made him a useless dreamer. And that was the great difference between these two Austin transplants who loved each other so well.

4 months ago on
29 January 2012

Behind the scenes look at Tiny TOE Press making M. L. Kennedy’s Mosquito Song. If you dig bookmaking and/or stop motion and/or apathetic vampires, you’ll dig this shit.