The Matchbox

it works!


Q&A with Marirosa Mia Garcia

Hint from anonymous: not only is she a Dr. Who fan, she's also a domestic goddess, and a wiz with a needle & thread! (Though this is not her work, it could be!)

1. Who or what inspires you? 

Everything. Is that a silly/pretentious answer? I hope not. It's a bit of a hard question to answer because I really do draw inspiration from as many places as I can. From my past, conversations I overhear, photographs I stumble across...it really could be anything that starts a spark. On Duarte Street came about while I was trying to avoid writing another novel and the memory of the day my grandmother passed away popped into my head.

2. Favorite writer and/or book? 

Quite a fan of Neil Gaiman. He was one of the first authors I started actively searching for in the bookstores. I don't have a favorite book at the moment...when I was a child I was quite a fan of Poe's The Raven. I would re-read it constantly.

3. Favorite season and why.

Fall. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico so our seasons were hot, hotter, hurricane season, and 'not that bad'. So Fall is a real treat. I like the slight chill in the air.

4. What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love love going to the movies. I can also nap like a professional. Oh and I like to become so obsessed with a TV show that I have to stream an entire season in one day.

5. If you were a fictional character in literature or film, who would you be?

Doctor Who.

6. Do you have a "writing ritual" that you follow? 

I try. I really do. I get into grooves of writing every day - or re-writing every day - but once in a while I get into a funk where I just want to sit in my PJs and vegetate until I start to smell or something.

7. Favorite song and why. 

Don't have one! I like listening to music people recommend (and I love mix-tapes/CDs). It's a bit like getting to know them in a different way, so my iTunes is filled with the most eclectic collections. I also like creating soundtracks to the scenes I write so I have quite a bit of instrumental music.

8. Best thing that happened to you today. 

Nothing yet. Stay tuned.

9. Anything else you’d like us to know about you: 

I really want a dog. Like this year. Or soon. Hopefully soon.

Q&A with Catherine Pherson 

 

1. Who or what inspires you?   

These days, my grandchildren are my primary source of inspiration.  Their innocence, their joy, their energy and their eagerness to grasp the world remind me to cherish all of life’s experiences.

2. Favorite writer and/or book?  Barbara Kingsolver is currently the storyteller I admire most.  Her 2009 novel THE LACUNA is a beautiful portrait of one man, partly American and partly Mexican, who unwittingly finds himself involved in several moments of historical significance.  Kingsolver also wrote PRODIGAL SUMMER, a marvelous amalgam of poetic imagery, human story and environmentalist manifesto.

3. Favorite season and why.  Summer.  For many reasons – the heat, the seashore, fresh local produce, much less laundry to do when we don’t have to wear sweaters, summer flowers, longer hours of daylight allowing us time to play outside after work, being able to work up a good sweat without lifting a finger – did I mention the heat?

4. What do you like to do in your spare time?  I confess.  I’m a movie addict.  In my spare time, my favorite thing is to curl up with a good video.  Going to the movie theater is even better.

5. What influences your work if anything?  Mostly, my own imagination, which is apparently somewhat infertile, since I do little creative writing.

6. If you were a fictional character in literature or film, who would you be?  Mrs. Miniver

7. Do you have a "writing ritual" that you follow?  No. 

8. Favorite quote or motto.  Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning the devil says, "OH  CRAP, SHE'S UP"!

9. Favorite song and why.  “Amazing Grace” because it perfectly encapsulates the beauty of faith.

10. Best thing that happened to you today.  Cinnamon hazelnut coffee

Anything else you’d like us to know about you:  Born in southern California to a Marine father and homemaker mother, received a BA in Communications from Mississippi University for Women, married Rob Pherson in 1982, settled in New Jersey and raised our two daughters.  Spent many hours over the years volunteering at community theatres, mainly as an actress.  I was awakened to a higher calling late in life, thanks to my elder daughter Jessica.

Q&A with Jessica Licciardello

Who or what inspires you?

I have mainly been a visual artist in my life (drawing and painting), but there are times when I need to express my feelings in writing when the medium calls out to me. My inspiration to pick up the pen or paintbrush usually comes from an immediate need to bring an emotional feeling into a rational, tangible place and hopefully come out the other side with an internal and external resolve.

Within the past few years I’ve experienced somewhat of a renaissance regarding my work and what I wished to put out into the world. I wanted my work to come from a place of light and positivity. This is what I strive for, but also at times it comes from a place of discomfort and problems. Either way I am always looking for the best possible outcome.

Favorite writer and/or book?

I enjoy the Space Odyssey series by Arthur C. Clarke. I am interested in outer space and thoughts of extra-terrestrial existence which is often reflected in my own artwork too. I’m also catching up on some classic literature that slipped through the cracks in my earlier years, which I am enjoying immensely. I just finished “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum and it was amazing. I’m looking forward to reading the other stories in that series. I also have discovered that a book usually “finds me” when I need it or when I am at a certain place in my life. For example, I was working as a graphic designer in an architectural field when I got to read The Fountainhead, which was a surreal parallel that I didn’t even expect, but it gave me an even deeper insight into my world at the time.

Favorite season and why.

I was born in late April, so I do feel a connection to Spring. Some days, I call the weather “Perfect Human Weather.” It’s those days when it feels completely comfortable to be outside, it’s not too hot or cold and the air is crisp and refreshing and the windows can be kept wide open.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I enjoy walking and jogging and find that it gets me healthier

physically and mentally. It’s almost like a meditation. I enjoy

peaceful meditation too, I also love listening to music and records and relaxing with my boyfriend.

What influences your work if anything?

I usually don’t consider a piece of work complete until I feel it in my heart. So until that feeling strikes, I still consider it in progress. My boyfriend William is a great inspiration and influence for me because he has a great artistic foresight and knows when I can push a piece further. He doesn’t let me get away with any lazy work, which ultimately helps my work overall. I appreciate it greatly.

If you were a fictional character in literature or film, who would you be?

Hmm… Well that’s hard because most fictional characters deal with some sort of phenomenal strife. Are there any fictional characters that are rich, happy and have no worries? If so, I’d be that one!

Do you have a "writing ritual" that you follow?

I delve into different mediums and sometimes feel inspired to write on paper, or type it out on a computer. I do the same thing with my painting or drawing. I change the mediums around a lot, but the common thing I find with working creatively is that I sort of zone out into the paper and allow those gaps in my brain to fill themselves in with a message or visual. It’s a mixture of emptying my head while simultaneously focusing deeply.

Favorite quote or motto.

“All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above.” - Godspell

Favorite song and why.

I’ve had the honor to sing on compositions and recordings by William, and one of the songs closest to my heart is “Today’s Not Yesterday’s News” because it was written and recorded at a time of amazing vulnerability. During that time I was closest to “Imagine No Possessions” as I’ve ever gotten in my life, but we managed to record this song and it was a beacon of light.

Best thing that happened to you today.

Waking up and feeling good!

 Q&A with Blake Walker

Who or what inspires you?

My wife and son inspire me. I look at them and know there’s no limit to what I can do.

Favorite writer and/or book?

I don’t have one favorite book, but my favorite writer would be a toss-up between Stephen King and Robert Kirkman.

Favorite season and why.

My favorite season is spring. There’s something about coming out of months of frigid temperatures and feeling that natural warmth again. You step outside and the trees are starting to bloom. The weather’s just right; not too hot and not too cold. There’s life in the air.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

What little I have is spent on reading. I don’t write as much as I should. I spend the majority of my time, happily I might add, with my wife and 6 month old son.

What influences your work if anything?

I really don’t know. Honestly, I think I write the type of stories that would interest me or that I would want to read.

If you were a fictional character in literature or film, who would you be?

This is tough; on one hand I think it would be cool to be Batman. He’s at the peak of human perfection in terms of physique, extremely smart, has all those cool gadgets, and is a martial arts master. On the other hand there’s Superman. He can fly, super strength, and aside from Kryptonite he’s practically invulnerable. It would be cool to fly, and you know Batman’s broody. I think that would get old after a while; being gloomy day in day out. Plus, you know the guy never sleeps. He’s Batman at night and during the day if he’s not doing something for Wayne Enterprises he’s working on some case, or exercising. How many sit-ups does that guy have to do a day? Those abs can’t workout themselves. So to answer your question, I think I’d go with Superman.

Do you have a "writing ritual" that you follow?

No, I should, but I don’t.

Favorite quote or motto.

My favorite motto is “Nothing is impossible”.

My favorite quote is from Stephen King’s book The Gunslinger – “Go then, there are other worlds than these.” For reasons I won’t get into, this quote is what really started it all for me in terms of writing.

Favorite song and why.

I don’t have a favorite song. Really anything from Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin.

Best thing that happened to you today

First thing this morning I got a big, toothless grin from my son when I walked into his room.

Q&A with Kacy Muir

 

1. Who or what inspires you? Everything inspires me—from a spider spinning its web to strangers on a train.

2. Favorite writer and/or book? Breakfast On Pluto by Patrick McCabe. 

3. Favorite season and why. Fall is my favorite season. I love nothing more than hearing and smelling the crackling leaves underneath my feet.

4. What do you like to do in your spare time? Read, write, and watch as many bad horror films as humanly possible.

5. What influences your work if anything? My influences include, but are not limited to Edgar Allan Poe, William Faulkner, Joan Didion, Patrick McCabe, Roddy Doyle, Frank O’Hara, Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, and of course, my friends and family.

6. If you were a fictional character in literature or film, who would you be? Pippi Longstocking—since I was five I believed we were one and the same.

7. Do you have a "writing ritual" that you follow? Writing everyday, editing every other, and submitting work as much as possible. What's the worst that can happen? Rejection letters make mighty fine napkins.

8. Favorite quote or motto. “I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.” (Lloyd Dobler, Say Anything)

9. Favorite song and why. “Jersey Girl” by Tom Waits because I’m a Jersey girl who loves Tom Waits.

10. Best thing that happened to you today. I woke up. That’s always a plus in the grand scheme of things. 

 Q&A with Jessica Pherson

1. Who or what inspires you? Those who are strong even when the odds are against them; Ayn Rand; my daughter, Lily; beautiful weather.

2. Favorite writer and/or book? The Perks of Being a Wallflower takes the grand prize, but some notable mentions are The Fountainhead, Life of Pi and The Time Traveler’s Wife. Oh, and The Historian and Heart of Darkness. Fave authors are Ayn Rand, Edgar Allen Poe and Joyce Carol Oates. (is it weird that I don’t include books by my favorite authors as my fave books?)

3. Favorite season and why. Summer! I really should be living on the West Coast where I can enjoy the beach, mojitos, and wearing tank tops every day.

4. What do you like to do in your spare time? What spare time? When I can find some, I either veg out and watch one of the few TV shows I like or try to do something social.

5. What influences your work if anything? I can’t even tell you, sometimes things just come to me out of the simplest details. For example, I’m curently writing a story that was influenced by a little blurb in The Village Voice.

6. If you were a fictional character in literature or film, who would you be? I wish I could say someone amazing like Howard Roark in The Fountainhead or Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, but I think I’m more like Debra on “Everybody Loves Raymond”: a little neurotic, a little too clever for my own good, and married to a mad man.

7. Do you have a "writing ritual" that you follow? Not really, I just do it when I have the time and inspiration strikes.

8. Favorite quote or motto. I just learned this great one from Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

9. Favorite song and why. I have so many, but the first one off the top of my head is “The Killing Moon” by Echo and the Bunnymen. It’s just simply a perfect and haunting ballad.

10. Best thing that happened to you today. I launched “The Veillee”!(these questions were answered on Monday)

Q&A with Rachel Lynn Brody

 

1. Who or what inspires you?

I try to take inspiration from everything – circumstances, people, situations – I encounter.

2. Favorite writer and/or book?

A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters by Julian Barnes, is a book I go back to over and over again. China Miéville, I’ll devour anything he writes.

3. Favorite season and why.
Fall. I'm an October baby.


4. What do you like to do in your spare time?

What’s spare time?

5. What influences your work if anything?
Everything influences my work. It's impossible to create in a vacuum.


6. If you were a fictional character in literature or film, who would you be?

Marion Cotillard’s character from Midnight in Paris. This week.

7. Do you have a "writing ritual" that you follow?

Grab a pen/pencil/paper/computer/keyboard and start writing. Gnash teeth on twitter. Rinse, repeat.

8. Favorite quote or motto.

Writing is a long game.

9. Favorite song and why.

Mysterious Ways by U2. The one song that, every time it comes on the radio (or Pandora, these days), I have never once fast-forwarded through.

10. Best thing that happened to you today.

I had the time to clean my room, now I feel happy sitting in it.

Anything else you’d like us to know about you?

If you enjoy The Tell Tale Tech, head over to my blog at www.rlbrody.com and sign up for the mailing list – that way you’ll be the first to hear about the short story anthology “HOT MESS,” being published on Kindle this Spring. Five authors, six stories, and inventive takes on how climate change might alter our world.