Hello all! I’m
super excited to bring you an interview with Ms. Clovia Shaw, author of
Nogitsune. Clovia and I met via Twitter and I am thankful for having the
opportunity to get to know her.
A little background
on Clovia (GoodReads Bio):
Clovia Shaw is
an ordained Dudeist Priest (who can resist an Ordain Me! button?), a collector
of Urban Vinyl art toys, and once designed a line of elongated pennies for
belly dancers. She has degrees in both Journalism and Interior Design, and is
probably thinking really hard about putting actual pants on right now.
A big fan of
Kissing Books in which things blow up, Clovia lives in Annapolis, with her very
patient husband and the ghost of a very good dog.
Time for the interrogation..
I mean interview:
1.
You're
introducing yourself to someone new. What words do you use to describe
yourself?
What, like,
in person? I’m a hermit, so the very idea of telling someone about myself near
paralyzes me. Most likely I’d shake their hand, say “Clovia” and then just smile
too big and nod too much while trying to find some polite avenue of escape
before I did something fatally embarrassing.
It’s
hilarious how much we share in common. My roommates and I, have and inside joke
about how we are hermits. Introductions are always an awkward situation,
there’s the “ice breaking” phase, the small talk phase, and eventually the
awkward silence phase.
2.
Lets
narrow down the above. What one word best describes you?
Neurotic.
Haha love the word choice.
3.
I
see that you have degrees in both journalism and design. How did you
incorporate your education into writing Nogitsune?
The most
obvious way is that Delia is an Interior Designer. I don’t go much into detail
about her mundane job, but as a geomancer, it helps her get clients because of
the way the house feels after she’s redone or rearranged it. I didn’t plan it
that way, but it makes the most sense that a geomancer would be a decorator or
designer.
4.
Becoming
a published author sounds like no easy task. What, if any, were some of the
obstacles you had to overcome?
Well, I
self-published, but I started out (many) years ago trying trade-publishing
route. I queried this one to agents and pubs, too, but it just wasn’t what
anyone was looking for at the time. And that’s okay. They have to make money,
and some books just don’t fit what they’re acquiring for their lists, for many
reasons. I’d still like to be trade published someday, but I felt like this was
a story readers would enjoy.
I have no
doubt you that you will succeed in becoming trade published.
5.
Nogitsune
is based off of Japanese folklore; something I assume is uncommon to most
readers. Where did you come across these stories?
Growing up
nerd, there was a strong thread of East Asian art and themes through my
entertainment—anime, movies like Blade Runner, storylines in my favorite comic
books, etc.—and I’ve always been interested in world mythologies and folklore.
The kitsune is a living, evolving cultural icon in Japan, and I felt like fox
people would feel just as natural in many UF worlds as European folk creatures
like vampires and werewolves.
I
absolutely love the concept behind Nogitsune. If you haven’t read it, you
definitely should.
6.
I've
studied the Japanese language, though I'm not fluent. Can you speak Japanese?
Have you been to Japan?
I have not
been, but would love to go, if I ever have the means. In particular, I’d love
to see the Inari Grand Shrine at Fushimi in person. I do not speak Japanese,
though I have picked up some words and phrases over the years. I have several
friends who do speak the language, and had them read through the manuscript to
make sure I wasn’t misusing the words I do have throughout the book.
For those who don’t know what the Inari Grand Shrine is:
 |
| Notice the kitsune??? |
.jpg/800px-Fushimi_Inari_Taisha_(%E4%BC%8F%E8%A6%8B%E7%A8%B2%E8%8D%B7%E5%A4%A7%E7%A4%BE).jpg)
7.
Is
there a genre you like to stick to or is everything fair game?
As a reader,
everything is fair game, though mostly Spec Fic unless it’s Romance, in which I
also read historical and contemporary. I read everything from Christopher Moore
and Terry Pratchett to Jennie Crusie, which probably indicates that I look for
a cockeyed sense of humor in the storytelling. As a writer, it all ends up
being fantasy, either whole-cloth Sword-and-Planet, Portal, Urban Fantasy, or
something unhelpfully genre-bending.
I applaude
the diversity, I’m attempting to add some to my lineup haha.
8.
What
are you reading now?
Mostly
beta’ing for other writers lately, though I’ve been trying to get to a Gaiman
joint on my tbr pile for awhile now.
9.
Are
there any books on your TBR (to be read) list that you are super excited about?
If I’m super
excited about something, I usually read it as soon as it’s downloaded or
bought, haha, so nothing that jumps to mind.
I get
excited about my TBR books too, but my list is growing faster than I can
compensate for!
10. The cover is amazing. Nope, that's not
a question, just thought I'd throw it out there.
Thank you!
It’s by Ashley Neal, who’d never done a book cover
before. I had a hard time finding an artist, and I’m so thrilled with how it
came out.
Wow, first time? She did a great job.
11. Are you planning any future works? If
so, care to drop a hint or two?
I’m planning
at least two more books in the same world as Nogitsune, with the same
characters. Then I have a couple more projects set in completely different
universes, that I’ll probably try the trade publishing route with again before
deciding whether or not to self-publish them. I’m in it for the long haul. It
may take some fine-tuning before I find an audience, but I’m good with that.
Awesomeness!!!
12. What advice would you give those
reading Nogitsune? Likewise, what about those who are on the fence of reading
it?
The biggest
thing is: It’s Different. It’s not going to read like your average Urban
Fantasy, but I think that’s a good thing. It’s an unfolder, a story I hope
readers will sink into and enjoy taking their time reading, and a new twist on
a very old folklore they might not be familiar with. Not a bad gamble for three
bucks, right?
Nope, not at all. Seriously folks, give it a shot.
13. What advice would you give to future
writers?
While it’s a
scary time to be a writer now, it’s also a very exciting one. There’s a lot of
anxiety about the state of trade publishing and brick-and-mortar stores, but I
promise you, the book will survive. If you’re going to self-pub, be prepared to
do the work, and put the best book you’re capable of writing out there. Write
it, edit the absolute hell out of it, listen if your most trusted beta readers
say something doesn’t work, then polish ‘til it shines. If you’re going the
trade route, do all that before you
query the manuscript, do your research before you submit, and don’t get
discouraged by those rejections. Everyone gets rejections. Everyone.
For any of
you who are considering this route, it would be wise to follow Clovias advice. Always
put your best work forward, listen to your readers, and believe in your work.
Great advice, thanks Clovia!
14. This is probably off topic, but it's
been on my mind ever since I read your bio on GR and Amazon. You designed a
line of elongated pennies for belly dancers? This is not something you hear of
everyday. So, I'm curious as to how this came about. I'm sure it stems from
your degree in design, but belly dancers?! Mind sharing a picture of your
design?
Haha, sure!
I took a lot of belly dancing classes back in the day, and noticed there
weren’t a lot of copper costuming components for dancers. Just gold and silver.
Elongated pennies seemed like a natural choice—great shape, fun and familiar to
anyone who’s ever put a penny in a souvenir machine, and the possibility of
unlimited designs. I thought it sounded like a good gamble for a well-targeted
start-up business, and ended up doing five designs, and issuing three for
purchase.
 |
| Clovia's elongated penny design, fancy huh? |
 |
| Clovia's hand painted Hamsa earings. Wow, the design is awesome. |
15. Anything you would like to add?
Thanks so much
for having me on your blog!
You are
certainly welcome! I also want to thank you for taking the time to answer these
questions and for letting my readers get to know a little about yourself.
Well… since you
now know how awesome Cloiva is, here are some links to help you keep in touch.
collection
,
Halloween
,
Magic
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