Frequently Asked Questions
For those of you who feel the biography just didn’t quite cut it, here are a few questions that I’ve been asked upon occasion. Please drop me a note if you have any others. I’m always glad to give answers and may even post them here!
I don’t know that I was inspired so much as herded in that general direction. I’ve always daydreamed of a career in the arts. When I was four or five, I wanted to be a sculptor. At ten, I and the local rabble rousers had a rock and roll band all prepared (sans musical instruments and talent.) At thirteen, I was devastated to learn I had an immature voice for choir. My mother had always urged me toward commercial art fields, and my father attempted to pen his first science fiction story when he was in his early twenties.
I finally settled a few years ago on fine art with an eye toward book covers. My genre was science fiction / fantasy. I idolized Luis Royo’s and Boris Vallejo’s work (and still do!) I would be quite content with a small studio, pumping out airbrush work that sold for decent bucks at conventions or to publishing houses.
I am cursed with a need to create. If I am unable to do so (in whatever way I’ve chosen to do it,) I get horribly cranky and depressed. I’m no fun to live with. Atilla the Hun would be more entertaining. (Or Jabba the Hut?) In any case, I found myself in a position with no studio, no place to have one, and no way to create anything. I found some stories online and read them voraciously until I could find no more. At that point, I decided I would write the story that I wanted to read.
How do you find story ideas?
Ideas come from everywhere! Don’t let anyone tell you differently. I’ve gotten story ideas from songs, from news articles, from combining aspects of different television shows and movies. They’ve reared their bizarre little heads from bits and pieces of dreams, or even simply walking across a room and seeing an interesting item or person.
It’s all a matter of asking the right questions. What if this happened and how could this happen? How could a runaway princess end up in a circus? What if a naive young butch discovers her crush on the most popular girl in school is reciprocated?
What kind of novel is your favorite to write?
My most favorite novel to write is, of course, the lesbian romance. Unless you’re trying to pin me down to a genre - i.e. science fiction, historical, fantasy, etc.? I’d have to say none of the above in that case. I read pretty widely. My bookcases are full of horror, science fiction, speculative fiction, historical accounts, and contemporary titles. They’re also full of language texts, books on different cultures, practical survivalism, cats and computer books. I’m not particularly interested in tying myself down to one genre.
What kind of computer do you have? Do you have special programs you use to write with?
I am the happy owner of an ugly little eMac! I’ve been a switcher for several years, and am quite proud of that fact. (My father, the computer programmer analyst, still rues the day I gave up my Gateway.)
As for programs . . . Let’s see, I use Mariner Write, of course. All stories are written in there. I only use Microsoft Word when I’m in the editing phase for publication. (There seems to be no ability to track changes with Mariner and the two programs don’t work well together.) I use NoteTaker for outlining books as well as going in depth with the characters. And I program this site predominantly with Wordpress blogging software and Transmit FTP program.
How do you keep motivated to continue writing when you don’t feel like it?
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Just gotta keep walking. Or typing in this case. I’ve found that if I skip over the scenes I’m not interested in, those scenes will never get written. So, I have to plug through from beginning to end, regardless of how much I detest a story. And I always detest a story halfway through the writing!
How much research do you put into book?
Depends on the book, really. Some take more research than others. For my Iditarod adventure in Alaska, I spent a minimum of fifty hours researching online and read about a dozen books on the topic. Warlord Metal was done with minimal research, though I’ve skimmed through The Recovery Book for the main character’s alcoholism.
What was your first novel, and where did the idea for it come from?
My first novel was actually a Star Trek fan fiction, but I assume you mean the first of my published novels? That would be Warlord Metal (written a year prior to Tiopa Ki Lakota.) The idea came from a heavy metal song
by the band Sevendust. The song is called Face. It relates a rape from the view of a rapist, though it’s murky enough in that the intended victim seems o enjoy the act. A serious case of sadomasochism gone awry, I think. In any case, I became fascinated with the song and wondered what kind of person would write it? This followed the next tangent - what kind of woman would write a song like that? And thus, Torrin Chizu Smith was born.
Is there any character in Warlord Metal that you particularly relate to?
Actually, no.
In Tiopa Ki Lakota, it is rumored that you had planned to kill the child, Tatanka Teca . Why did you change your mind?
Because I made mention of this fact to my best friend who promptly shrieked and threatened to beat me about the head and shoulders if I did so. (o_0) After a long session of my explaining why I was going to kill him off, she convinced me that the characters would reach the same emotional destination if I allowed him to live.
So, everyone thank Shawn. She saved a life that night.
How much research went into Tiopa Ki Lakota?
Considering the quality of book I found on the Lakota, quite a bit. I discovered a trio of titles by James R. Walker written about his eighteen years of residence on the Pine Ridge Reservation from 1896 to 1914. They gave me some good ideas for the general look and feel of an indian village among other things. I also found a verbal calendar that I stuck pretty close to when mapping out Anpo’s life.
Another book I’ve gone through is Reading and Writing the Lakota Language by Albert White Hat, Sr. Not just a language book, it explained why the language developed as it did, what the cultural reasoning behind the words were. It was quite helpful to me and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Lakota culture.
Will Tiopa Ki Lakota ever be available for purchase again?
The third edition of Tiopa Ki Lakota has been published by PD Publishing. This edition is pretty much the same as the second in which I spent quite a bit of time in rewrites to better show the Lakota culture.
In many of your stories, the characters are in their late teens or only slightly older. Why?
Good question! I’ve wondered that myself!
I’ve always been in love with falling in love. It’s the ultimate high. The quest to learn as much as you can about the person you’re focused on, reaching for the goal of a kiss, a word, a touch. Can’t beat it!
The concept of the first love is much more heady than later occurring ones. I think it’s due to the hormonal shifting that younger people have. Besides, when you’re eighteen you have your entire life ahead of you. You can make stupid mistakes and find ways to fix them without completely screwing yourself for life. When life hits you with a bowl of pits, it’s really the pits! Younger people feel more than us old fogeys. They soar higher and hit lower depths.
So, I suppose it’s a way to go back to my youth and make the stupid mistakes I was too scared to make, find ways to fix them, and live happily ever after.
Which character is most like you?
Um, none of the above.
