Twinja Book Reviews 3rd Annual Diversity Month Day Three: Interview with @EAComiskey + #coverreveal & #giveaway

We're excited to do a cover reveal for an upcoming book with a super cool cover. We were lucky enough to talk to Nuff Said Publishing and have an interview to introduce the next interview.

First things first:

Look at this uber-awesome cover!

With all that awesomeness, we'd like to introduce our next author interview!

Twinja Book Reviews Annual Diversity Month Day Four:

E.A. Comiskey

Thank you for stopping by the blog! Why don't you introduce yourself to readers!

Thank you for sharing this space with me! I'm the lucky wife of an extraordinary man, mom to four smart and sassy kids, caretaker to a ridiculous number of things feathered, furred, shelled, and scaly and a bibliophile of the highest degree. If it's got words, I want to read it. The more I read, the more I want to write! There are so many stories to hear and share. I also love to nap. I have no idea how people stay awake for sixteen consecutive hours.

What has it been like so far with your journey to writing?

I swear I came out of the womb writing. Well, OK, maybe not. But it seems that way. I used to get sent to detention for writing fiction during class. I loved it because I had an entire, uninterrupted hour to sit and stare at the wall, dreaming up the next story. For all that, in all the years I was growing up, it never once occurred to me that a person could make a living with their writing. After college I entered corporate America. I made a lot of money. I despised my work. I quit. I made no money. I loved the freedom, but found poverty quite unpleasant. Then I married a guy who said, "You're so creative. Why don't you start writing again?" 

At about that same time my best friend introduced me to the world of blogging. The rusty wheels in my brain took a while to get turning again, but one thing led to another and I found myself pounding out a novel during NaNoWriMo, 2013. It was amazing! I was home. Now I'm doing what I love and loving what I do. I write every single day. It's a joy to me. It feeds my soul. I can't imagine I'll ever stop again.

What can you tell us about your experience growing up?

I grew up in a tiny town in the Midwest. It seems like ninety of the ninety four kids in my graduating class had blonde hair and blue eyes. The whole town was like that. We were all of German or Polish descent. Everyone went to a protestant church. 

I honestly thought that the US was 90% Christian and Caucasian until I followed a job to Washington DC. My roommate was a gorgeous Filipino woman. 

My boss was a black man from the UK. A huge number of the staff were Mexican immigrants. Everywhere I looked there were these wonderful, beautiful people that were so different from me in appearance, religion, political beliefs, and cultural history. I was delighted and amazed and determined to live life with open eyes and cherish the world for the fabulously diverse place that it is.

How can we make the conversation about diversity where it needs to be?

I didn't set out to write a diverse book. I set out to write a book that was set in the real world, which happens to be a wonderful, diverse place. Now that it is done and being published, I am honored to contribute to a conversation where we can stand on our common ground and celebrate our differences. I think that conversation begins when we overcome our fear of offending and begin asking people about things we don't understand. 

Why is your idea of God so different from mine? Why do you put so much emphasis on something that I was never taught to cherish? Why do you wear those kinds of clothes? Why do you fear things that I embrace? Why do you embrace things that I fear? I was terrified to ask those questions, but once I started I found that almost everyone is willing to answer them. All people, everywhere, want to be appreciated and how can you truly appreciate what you don't understand? When we can offer those questions, the answers, and even the discord that may come from those differences in an honest and thoughtful (perhaps even entertaining) way, through our creative endeavors, we create a safe place where we can all learn and grow and become better human beings.

Are there any books(or form of media) that you thinks gets representation right?

I don't watch TV at all except for the one show I adore--Once Upon A Time. The women are warriors who stand by the ones they love to the grave, and often beyond. I don't think I've seen a single poor, weeping damsel in distress. True love's kiss is between a mother and her ailing child. The men are gallant and chivalrous but also prideful and real. Merlin is a gorgeous young black man. Mulan is in love with Sleeping Beauty. The evil queen did it all for love and the children often have the ideas that save the day. Plus, Captain Hook is just delicious. It's all such a wonderful, colorful mess, just like real life, but with magic and more fabulous clothes.

What type of advice can you give to those still figuring themselves out as a writer?

Don't give up. If it is in your heart to write, never quit. Not ever. You have to keep writing. Some of it might be garbage but allow yourself to fail forward. Each work helps you explore and grow and improve so that the next one can be better. In the midst of that process of pouring your soul into work that could end up literary genius or complete drivel, you're going to doubt yourself, so it's crucial to have some writer friends to cheer you on. I think, as creative people, we all doubt ourselves sometimes, so we're good at being empathetic when others do the same. And don't expect non-creatives to get it. They love you. They just don't understand why you're drinking scotch and weeping over the loss of a fictional character that you made the choice to kill. Seriously, it's a special kind of madness that only other writers understand. So make good friends and let them hold your hand through your failures and celebrate your victories. And never ever quit.

What sites would you recommend for those trying to educate themselves better on the conversation about diversity in books and media?

Writingwithcolor.tumblr.com is an amazing resource for white writers who want to better understand how to appropriately portray people of other races. Wattpad.com is also a wonderful place with voices of every background writing in a way that is very raw and unedited. If you truly want to understand what people different from yourself are saying, it's not hard to find their voices.

Finally, where can folks go for updates, and to learn more about your projects going on?

 You can head over to my Official blog or Author Page or even my Facebook Page!

E.A. Comiskey is a nationally syndicated columnist and award winning blogger. A former classmate once remarked, "In every memory I have of you, you were writing stories in the margins of your school work." More Things In Heaven And earth is her debut novel. It is a testament to the awe and wonder that every corner of creation inspires in her heart. She shares her life with her twin soul, Brian, four beautiful children, six chickens, three hermit crabs, assorted barn cats, and the most fabulous doofy dog that ever barked.

 

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