A new monthly feature is born! This is the first Coffee Conversations on Diverse Reader. I posted and asked anyone if they wanted to participate in the new monthly feature. The response was overwhelming. Enough that I have the next 5 months books lol.
What is Coffee Conversations you ask? Well, I'm glad you did. I pick 5 people. They can be authors, readers, PA's, reviewers, blog owners, painters, poets, anything. I ask them each the same questions. They can't see each others answers. They answer and then I post them together for you all to see.
This month I have author Atom Yang, C.S. Poe, Andi Van, Shell Taylor, and Promotion and PA magician Michelle Slagan.
The question will be posted and each person's response below. They each got their own color so you won't have a hard time following. This was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did.
First question will
be a bit of an ice breaker. Not too harsh I hope. Before we were adults with opinions we were
kids without a care in the world. So, what were you like as a kid? How did you
spend your summers, weekends?
ATOM: During summers, I spent it mostly trying to stay
inside, where I could remain cool and read. My mom was always shooing me
outside to play, but I didn’t like the heat of Southern California.
My most impressionable summer, however, was when I was sent
to Taiwan to go to school and take care of my maternal grandfather, who wasn’t
feeling well. Talk about hot! It was humid, too. The trip ended up being a
disaster that affected me and my creativity deeply (I’m over it now).
Weekends, my family would go visit relatives in Los
Angeles—another hot place, but add the smog and crowds and the injunction that
I should be “social” instead of being a “bookworm,” and you can imagine that
being pretty miserable, too.
Sundays were usually reserved for Chinese School, where my
brother and I had to go and learn how to write Chinese (we already spoke it).
The teachers were old school strict.
Anyway, other than those traumas, I spent it generally
reading comics, novels, and magazines like Dynamite;
watching cartoons, Star Trek, and Doctor Who; and playing with my friends where
in between whatever trouble we were getting into, I’d ask questions like,
“Don’t you wish you were a girl so you could be with Superman (Christopher
Reeves)?”
SHELL: As a young kid, I
was very shy (still am!) I was the annoying one who would rather sit by the
adults because I was too scared to interact with the other kids unless I knew
them well. My high school was relatively small, so I grew out of it and became
a bit of a social butterfly those last few years but then reverted right back
to being shy once I was out of my comfort zone. Both of my parents worked, so
summers were spent at the babysitter’s house. We always took a week to go visit
my grandmother though.
MICHELLE: Depending on what age you are referring to
the answer is a little different but some things were the same. I loved to be the center of attention as a
child (and even now as an adult around family).
I was always the one who try to make people laugh and smile. I didn’t take anything seriously. I was never part of the popular crowd but I
had some great close friends. I was an
athlete all through out grade school and high school. I played volleyball, ran track, t-ball in the
summer, but my true passion was dancing.
I danced from age 3 until 20. It
was a passion I had early on and was really good at it. Always in the advanced classes than moved
onto competition team and student teaching.
By age 16 I thought I was bada$$ and could do as I wanted. I attended every party around (even though I
wasn’t a drinker), snuck into the dance clubs and was completely boy
crazy. I evaded the cops on more than
one occasion and can honestly say I was never arrested for the stupidity of my
decisions. I was untouchable after
all….lol. My father attributes all his
gray hair from my teenage years. My
mother always said that if I was the first I would have been the last.
ANDI: I
was a weird kid. Well, I'm still a weird kid, but I was worse when I was
younger. I was a bookworm (no surprise there) and spent a lot of time reading
and writing. Or I'd be on my bike riding with my friends through the long
series of parks that I lived next to in Sacramento. If it was a period of time
where my brother and I weren't trying to kill each other, I might be in his
room watching him play video games. During the summer, it was bike riding and
reading and swimming at the local pool. My dad had vacation days for work that
stretched out nearly a month every year, and we'd go on long road trips. I
HATED them when I was younger, and I could kick myself now. I wasn't old enough
to appreciate everything I was seeing - we drove cross country to DC to visit
the Smithsonian, or to New Mexico to go to Carlsbad Caverns, or Montana to
visit family and Glacier Park. I'm dying to go back to all those places so I
can actually appreciate them. Sometimes we'd drive to Idaho to visit family, or
we'd go to Anaheim to visit my grandmother (who, conveniently enough, lived
across the street from Disneyland on a part of Katella that no longer exists).
C.S.: Not surprisingly, I spent my free
time writing. I was very diligent and focused on bettering myself. I made sure
to write every single day, and when I had free time like weekends and vacation?
I was a beast!
As we do grow, we see
things. The world changes us. We hit many brick walls before we choose our way.
Was there a pivotal moment in your life where you knew you had to stop and
change direction and fight the good fight? Tell us about it.
ATOM: I grew up with domestic violence, so from an
early age, I was aware that the world wasn’t always a safe place. In high
school, under the influence of Alan Moore’s The
Saga of the Swamp Thing and a teacher who took me under his wing, I learned
I could channel my feelings into my writing, and that this was how I was going
to survive and fight the good fight against violence, bigotry, shame, etc. Ever
since, and it’s a work in progress, I’ve striven to be someone who encourages
and accepts. It’s tough sometimes; I don’t always hit the mark.
SHELL: I’m not sure I had
to change direction really, but there’s a general time during college where I
realized I could interpret life and my belief’s how I wanted rather than going
along with the people around me. One of my college housemates was actually a
guy I went to high school with and we even attended the same church, and I’ll
probably never forget an argument we had once about SSM and abortion. I’d been
reading the Bible all the way through for about 3 years and consulting with
people I respected about some of those hot button issues. When I told him I was
pro-choice and didn’t think being gay was a sin, he flat out told me I was
going to Hell. That was a very difficult thing for me to hear, especially from
a friend, even though I didn’t actually believe his words held any authority
over my life. I knew at that moment I didn’t want to be ‘that’ Christian, and
I’ve tried my best to be an example of God’s love since.
MICHELLE: I was never a drinker but my best friend
was. She started hanging with the wrong
crowd – partying and drinking every night.
There were a few nights I would have to go (walking because I wasn’t
allowed to have my license) and pick her up and walk her home. Well….it was
more like drag because she was so drunk she couldn’t walk. One night I receive a phone call from a
friend of hers that someone needed to come pick her up because she was passed
out and the parents were on their way home so everyone had to leave the “party”
house. Me and another friend went to
get her and we dragged her back to her home (we lived next door to each
other). We got her in the house but she
was barely moving. My mom and her mom
were out to dinner and on their way back so of course we tried to cover up the
fact that she was dead to the world.
Right as our moms pulled into the driveway – she started to seize. I was already on the phone with 911 before
our moms came through the front door.
She was taken by ambulance to the local hospital. She coded twice in the ambulance and once
they got her to the hospital they had to pump her stomach. We were 16 and I will never ever forget that
feeling of being in the ambulance and watching her code.
ANDI: My
most recent was probably thanks to my ex. They were extremely emotionally
abusive, and I’d put my writing career on hiatus the entire time I was married
to them because they didn’t like me not giving them every second of my
attention. After just over decade, I finally had enough and got up the guts to
say “I’m miserable, you’re the cause, you need to go.” And then I started
writing again.
C.S: There was, actually!
I will spare personal details, but I woke up and decided: I'm moving to Japan.
So I did. Less than six months later I had a job waiting for me just outside of
Tokyo. I got my visa, tossed a lot of junk (literally) out of my life, and
learned and grew while living overseas. That was definitely the moment where it
hit me that we only have so much time, so take the bull by the horns and
just do it!
How do you see the
direction of the United States going with these fabulous upcoming elections? We
have polar opposite sides here. What does it mean for the US?
ATOM: I see this nation
struggling to find its way into the 21st century, with the people
scared of progress fighting what they
believe is the good fight to keep things the same (for themselves).
The United States is in its adolescence as a country, and
history has shown again and again that what’s happening now has happened
before, and leads to the demise of an empire, if not a concept (like government
by the people for the people). This is no longer the land of opportunity it
once was, and you can see that in the change in immigration patterns, and I
don’t know if it’ll get back to its glory days.
My family (grandparents, aunts, and uncles) escaped war—they
escaped invasions, colonization, and revolutions. They were from the oldest
civilization existing in one geographical location; this tempers my view of
what’s possible and what’s happening in the US and globally.
SHELL: It’s a bit scary,
isn’t it? I’d gotten wrapped up in the elections a while back, fearing what
would happen if he-who-shall-not-be-named won the Republican bid or worse…
POTUS. But I’ve really tried to step back from it, and let go and let God as
they say. I’m a hugely enormongous fan of President Obama. I think he’s done so
much good for our country and I think he genuinely cares about people. I will
sorely miss him next year no matter who is in office. That said, I think
Hillary Clinton can pick up where he leaves off and keep our country moving in
the right direction. I wish we had less divisive candidates running/winning as
I really feel the best thing for America right now would be for the two sides
to work together a little more.
As for the other guy… I’m just not thinking about what’ll
happen if he’s elected into office.
MICHELLE: I try not to let other people’s views sway
my decision – BUT – I think we as a country are pretty much screwed regardless
who wins the Presidency. Now – the
decision that I need to make is how bad do I want to be screwed so I can
decide on which candidate will give it to me.
Trump & Clinton both scare me for different reasons. If Trump wins - I think I might need to move
the family to Canada. If Clinton wins –
I think we will end up in WWIII.
ANDI: Personally,
I think we’re doomed. I am probably the least political person I know, and even
I can tell the system is screwed. That said, my opinion is basically “anyone
but Trump”. (And by “anyone”, I mean any Democrat.) Trump wins, I’m moving to
Canada.
C.S: I'm not one to
publicly discuss politics. I will only say that even if a party isn't a
person's "default," that they honestly and wisely consider the words
being spoken. Hate and fear only push us backward, and US policies affect the
world. The world does not need more hate.
Gay romance… This is
a topic all of you are very familiar with. You either, read it, write, promote
it, or do all three. Five years ago it wasn’t as big as it is now. What do you
think it will be in five years from now?
ATOM: In terms of the
readership, it’ll grow—that’s a given. However, in terms of where the genre
will be? I think it will be more diverse as the next generation of storytellers
comes into its own, and are composed of people of various identities and
backgrounds who believe, because they read our stories and we encouraged them,
that their stories matter, too—and should be told by them.
SHELL: Gosh… it’ll be
amazing, right? I feel like gay romance’s Harry
Potter or Fifty Shades of Grey is
right around the corner… and I mean that as – someone’s going to blow up big
and it’ll be the new ‘it’ thing to read. It’s been a pleasure and an honor for
me to write in this genre, and I can only see it going up from here.
MICHELLE: In 5 years I would love to see more Gay
Romance reaching the top of the Best Sellers List. I want to see the authors, readers and
promoters not being targeted because they like to read about LGTB stories. It can only get better each year and I cannot
wait to see what happens.
ANDI: As
with marriage, I’m hoping by then it’ll just be “romance”.
C.S: One can hope gay
romance will be mainstream in five years. I hope that if I go into a chain
bookstore, I can find a good gay romance in the romance section, not on the
LGBT shelf that's in a corner, where they cram romance, fiction, genre, and
non-fiction all together.
What do you think is
the biggest misconception about this genre?
ATOM: The biggest one is that
it’s mainly written by gay men for gay men. The second biggest misconception is
that it’s all about sex. That’s like saying the action genre is all about
killing.
SHELL: Hahaha… I try to
stay away from the drama, Mere! And you’re pulling me right in!
I think romance books in general are kind of looked down on,
which is sad because everyone needs love. But the general consensus seems to be
that romance can’t equal quality writing. While I’m not going to try to perform
open-heart surgery after reading a love story where the MC is a surgeon, I
think romance books can be so well-researched and well-written that they allow me
to visit places I’ll never get to see and experience things I wouldn’t
otherwise. I’ve learned so much and opened my eyes to different walks of life
simply by reading love stories. It’s amazing! I’m not sure how that can
possibly be considered “less” on any level. Of course, adding in gay romance
adds another level of “less” to some people, but once again, I whole-heartedly
disagree.
MICHELLE: That the stories are just porn on pages
and not an actual plot with fantastic characters. That there is no way a Romance story can be
about 2 (or more) of the same sex.
ANDI: I
think it shares the same misconception that hetero romance has - that it’s a
guilty pleasure, a ridiculous thing that people should only read in the dark
under the covers so no one else knows.
Hell with that. I’d probably get into a fist fight the first time
someone tried to tell me I should be embarrassed to be reading the Whyborne
& Griffin books.
C.S: I think gay romance
still suffers from the misconception that romance as a whole is hurt by:
Romance has no substance. You can write a romance in your sleep. There's no
serious skill needed. Etc, etc, etc. Instead of trying to fight the
misunderstandings of gay romance, of lesbian, of straight, we should fight the
misconception of romance as a whole. Everyone benefits. Writing isn't easy, no
matter what the genre.
In your opinion; what
do you think is our world’s biggest threat? What should we be most worried
about and do you feel we are addressing it?
ATOM: I think the world’s
biggest threat is selfishness—a sense of entitlement that disconnects people
from each other and the rest of the world.
We should be worried about how we shame people and
ourselves, because it’s a poor solution that creates more problems.
I feel like we’re addressing it more these days, when we
look at how people form a shame mob on social media to punish someone, or how
women are slut shamed, or how readers are book shamed, etc. We need to address
it more in how we parent and educate our children so we don’t create people who
run for the highest office in the land on a platform of fear and hatred; we
need to address it in ourselves, so we don’t run away from it and hide under
the apron of perfectionism, intolerance, self-loathing, and self-importance.
SHELL: This one is tough
for me. I can’t pick a thing… like global warming or ISIS or unemployment or
(lack of) clean water. I think each of those things links back to a bigger
societal issue of something… but what? Lack of compassion? Lack of education?
Too much greed? Lack of awareness of what’s really going on around us? It feels
as if so many of us are concerned about the wrong things in life. We put too
much focus on appearing perfect rather than being real, and we worry more about
the latest celebrity gossip than helping our neighbors. Obviously, there are a
ton of good people out there, fighting to make a positive change in the world,
but at the heart of every threat I perceive is one common factor, and that’s
us.
I don’t think I answered that how you intended… SORRY!
MICHELLE: Ourselves!!! Our biggest threat is the people around
us. Everyone feels they are privileged
and should receive the world without putting anything into it. We fight amongst ourselves too much. Our suicide rate is too high, our murder
rate is too high, and our missing children rate is too high. Someone needs to step up and FIX our
children & society before fixing other Countries.
ANDI: Honestly,
I think ignorance is our biggest threat. There’s been an alarming trend of
dumbing down worldwide that becomes the backbone of racism, sexism, and other
bigotry (see: North Carolina). Remember
how in the 80s, the government made a big deal about the “War on Drugs” and drug
usage/trafficking actually got worse once that “war” was declared? They need to
declare a “War on Science and Rational Thinking”. You know, so we can have more
of it.
C.S: Good lord.... There
are a lot of problems. Energy, I believe is a major point of worry. And the US
is not addressing it. The pollutants in the air will hurt us all, and we need
to embrace solar and wind power to heal the damage that has been done
Describe yourself
using just one word. You can’t elaborate.
ATOM: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
SHELL:
Compassionate
MICHELLE: Loud
ANDI: Quixotic
C.S: Sparkly
And finally. This
isn’t meant to be depressing but I think it’s something we’ve all thought about
when we’re alone. When you gone; what do you want to be most remembered for?
ATOM: That’s not depressing,
it’s motivating! I want to be most remembered for how I made people
feel—accepted and encouraged, with a good dose of wonder.
SHELL: I hope people
remember that I loved as best as I could with my whole heart.
MICHELLE: I would like to be remembered for being
the best mom I could be to my minions.
ANDI: I’d
like to say “making a difference in my friends’ and family members’ lives”, but
knowing my luck I’ll end up being most remembered for the time I crashed the
car into the freezer when I was five.
C.S: When I'm gone, I can
only hope that I will be remembered as someone who could make people smile.
Smiles are wonderful!
Thank you my victims.
I hope you aren’t in tears. You’re stars!!!
ATOM: Great questions once
again, Mere. Thank you!
I really hope you enjoyed these beautiful souls. I appreciate them taking the mask off for a bit and sharing their answers with me, and with you.
How would you answer some of these questions?
