Author, Amaleen Ison's Interview
of author, Kristine Goodfellow
Hello K. It’s such a treat to interview you on my blog. I finally get free rein to barrage you with question So, let’s get this show on the road. Why don’t you start by telling us how long you’ve been writing fiction?
I have written compulsively since I was eleven years old. I’m in my forties. Needless to say, that’s a long time! In the sixth grade, I started a journal in a spiral notebook and wrote in it almost every day. I have a trunk full of all my old journals, and it’s hilarious to go back and read what I thought was an end-of-the-world problem. In seventh grade my mother gave me a bad permanent wave, and I wrote six pages about how my life was over and that I’d never go to school again. Each period in my life is wrought with such moments that make me smile when I look back at them.
Journaling is a habit I have kept throughout my life. I don’t journal every day if I am in the midst of writing a novel. For some reason, I just can’t delve into journaling while writing a new manuscript. Maybe it’s because my characters are so much more interesting than I am.
I wrote my first full-length manuscript in 2001. It was called David, Third Person. I am still in shock that I followed through from beginning to end on my very first try. It’s a great story, but it needs some major editing before it will ever see the light of day. I’ll never forget the moment I finished my first draft. I knew it was the end as soon as I typed that last period. I relished the moment and then typed ‘The End.’ I started crying because it was over. It was like saying goodbye to a good friend. Of course, then I edited it for the next six months, so it was a short goodbye and some days that ‘friend’ was really annoying and stubborn. Ten years later, I still love the story and hope to get back to it one day soon.
Are you a plotter or a pantser, and do you have a favoured Point of View?
I am definitely a pantser. I believe the story is already in my head, I just need to discover it. I let the characters tell me what happened to them in their own words, and I follow along on their journey. I tried being a plotter. I wrote an outline for a book I wrote called, Mansion on Butcher Lake. It was 14 pages long. Yes, I’m even verbose in outline form. It helped to know what direction I was going when I first started. However, once I began chapter three, it veered away from the outline and went in its own direction. I didn’t fight to keep it on track. I loved where the story ended up. So, I tried to be a plotter and it didn’t work for me. I’ve never been adept at following a map of any kind—including a story map.
As for POV, I don’t have a favourite. I like writing in third-person equally as well as first-person. It depends on the story. I wrote an entire manuscript in first person once and when I finished, that character’s voice felt overpowering. I was exhausted by the end of the book and I didn’t want the reader to have the same feeling, so I rewrote the entire novel in third-person POV. It came out much better. I learned that some characters need to have a ‘cushion’ between them and the reader. That’s how I can tell if it’s going to be third-person or first person.
I’ve always wanted to know what inspired you to write a book about the Phantom of the Opera. Can you enlighten us?
I had seen the 1994 movie with Gerard Butler, but there was something about it that never made sense to me. I could not understand why Erik (the Phantom) became obsessed with Christine (the young, fickle soprano). Why was she different from any other beautiful singer he had to have come across in all the years he’d been haunting the Opera house? I read the original novel by Gaston Leroux hoping to find some answers that were lacking in the Andrew Lloyd Webber movie or Broadway version. I loved Leroux’s novel. However, I STILL could not see the big attraction for the middle-aged genius to the young girl. After reading Leroux, I was intrigued with the idea of a disfigured genius haunting the Opera house. What’s not to like about a madman, extortionist? One day, quite by accident, I found a review for a book called Phantom by Susan Kay which is the prequel to Leroux’s novel—the story of Erik’s life. I bought it and fell in love with Kay’s portrayal of the character. I was in heaven when reading that book—enjoying it to the point of drooling. UNTIL the last third when she got to the part where Erik meets Christine. Granted, she had to stay within Leroux’s original storyline and she did a fairly good job with it, but her explanation for Erik’s obsession? He had some sort of Oedipal Complex and Christine reminded him of his mother. Nope. That didn’t explain it for me. I couldn’t buy that excuse. So, although I loved every single page before that last little bit, I still did not get the answer I sought. Being the obsessive person I am, I couldn’t let it go. I wondered what would happen if I gave Erik someone who could keep up with him intellectually. Someone who could challenge him, make him see things a different way. What if he could find someone who could look past the deformity and find the artist underneath? Ahh…yes. So, I decided to write a short story and dedicate it to my husband who had to deal with my Phantom obsession. That short story turned into 80,000 words. Once Erik started talking in my head, the man would not stop. He wanted his story told. He wanted to experience love. I wanted him to teeter on the rim of redemption. In the end, I think we were both very satisfied.
Wow, you are tenacious. Not many people would write a novel to satisfy their longing to better understand an enigma.
I love the title of your novel. Can you tell us how it relates to the story?
Erik is always hiding in the shadows. Several places within the book, he’s described as being on the edge of illumination whether it be a lamp, a candle or sunlight. I liked the idea of the ‘edge’ of something. Symbolically, I liked that flames could represent ‘light’ and yet, fire can burn and cause injury. It’s a double-edged sword. I also think passion is like a flame. I believe love can start slow, smouldering with embers and building up until there is fire or, as in Erik’s case, sometimes love immediately flares up to an all-consuming bonfire, flames lapping at your heart. That’s where the idea of ‘flame’ came into the title. For passionate people things happen fast. And there is no character I’ve ever written who is more passionate than Erik.
If you were casting for an actor to play Erik, who would you choose?
I’d cast Campbell Scott. (Not to be confused with actor Scott Campbell.) Campbell Scott is a somewhat obscure actor, but he has the “voice of an angel.” His speaking voice is indescribably beautiful—deep, sensual, the kind that sends shivers down your spine. Since that is what Erik’s voice is said to have sounded like, Mr. Scott fits the role. I’d make sure he wore a full mask as that is the way Leroux created the character. Scott is the right age, too. In the original Phantom of the Opera novel, Erik is said to be close to fifty. A young, hunky actor just would not do if I wanted to keep the integrity of the character. He’s supposed to be tall and thin and Campbell Scott is both of those things. A bonus is Campbell Scott’s long, slender fingers fit the description of Erik’s incredible magician/musician dexterity. I haven’t given this much thought, as you can see. (Google him playing Hamlet and see if your knees don’t weaken.)
So, where does your writing magic happen?
I wrote Phantom: Edge of the Flame when we lived in Pennsylvania. My desk faced a giant window. A gorgeous farm backed up to our yard-literally four feet from our grass. The corn rows spread up the soft, rolling hills of Pennsylvania for acres. In the distance, directly centred in the window, there was a big, white, two-story barn with a double-door loft. This view couldn’t have been more perfect if it had been painted and framed. It was amazing because it changed from moment to moment depending on the light, the weather, the time day and the season. We live in Texas now and I really miss that view. Here, my desk faces a smaller window and well, a television. But, the window next to me looks out onto a golf course and a lake, so I can’t complain. To be honest, I love where my desk is placed in this house, too.
What is your favourite word?
I have many favourite words, but I think there’s one that captures my spirit, mirrors my inner self. That word is imagine. It’s an open-ended word. I like the way it sounds, too.
Who is your favourite writer and why?
I can’t say I have a favourite writer, only favourite books. And like my children, I love them all the same—only differently. If I had to pick one book that inspired me the most, I’d say Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. That book made me want to write! I have read it numerous times and I still cannot get enough of Heathcliff and Cathy. It’s a dark tale and the characters are not at all likeable, yet, I am drawn into the story like a magnet to steel. I have to admit, I like exploring the dark side of relationships. I am a gothic romance fan and I love a good Byronic hero. Wuthering Heights has it all.
Have you ever taken a writing class, and do you think belonging to a critiquing/writing groups helps to improve writing?
I took writing classes in college, but at the time, I had no intention of making it my full-time career. I try to attend every writer’s conference that is in my area within a four hour drive. I’ve been to three conferences in the last four years. Every time I go, it lights a new fire in my heart. Being around like-minded individuals does something to me. I learn so much from the classes and seminars, but also from the other participants. As for critiquing groups? I am blessed to belong to one of the greatest online critique groups in the world. Without them, I would never have had the guts to try and get any of my work published. To find a group where every single person writes well is unbelievable. To find a group where everyone doesn’t just write well, but with brilliance is unheard of. We have 12 members and within the confines of our group you’ll find inconceivable amounts of raw talent, hard work and dedication. Their support is invaluable to me.
What goes on in our critiquing group, stays in our critiquing group, but maybe you could share a secret. What is your most common writing mistake?
I have a tendency to use filtering words. Filtering only sets the reader further apart from the action. However, when I’m in the throes of writing, those little buggers find their way in every single time. Instead of saying, ‘John heard the mountain lion roar,’ I should say, ‘The mountain lion roared.’ It takes some discipline to keep myself from falling back into that terrible habit of ‘he heard, he saw, he knew’ etc. Even after several edits and polishing sessions, I still manage to find the little nuisances hiding in my manuscripts.
Thank you so much for providing us with such fun and detailed answers. I’m sure readers will join me in wishing you every success with Phantom: Edge of a Flame.
Please write a comment below to let Kristine know how much you’d enjoyed her interview. Perhaps you have a pressing question that I failed to ask. Don’t be shy. Write your question in the box, and Kristine will be more than happy to provide an answer. You can also subscribe to my blog (top right) for the next author interview with JD Field to be delivered to your email in-box. Please like the page before you leave. Thank you for your support.
PHANTOM: Edge of the Flame is published by Bird-in-Hand Books.
I have written compulsively since I was eleven years old. I’m in my forties. Needless to say, that’s a long time! In the sixth grade, I started a journal in a spiral notebook and wrote in it almost every day. I have a trunk full of all my old journals, and it’s hilarious to go back and read what I thought was an end-of-the-world problem. In seventh grade my mother gave me a bad permanent wave, and I wrote six pages about how my life was over and that I’d never go to school again. Each period in my life is wrought with such moments that make me smile when I look back at them.
Journaling is a habit I have kept throughout my life. I don’t journal every day if I am in the midst of writing a novel. For some reason, I just can’t delve into journaling while writing a new manuscript. Maybe it’s because my characters are so much more interesting than I am.
I wrote my first full-length manuscript in 2001. It was called David, Third Person. I am still in shock that I followed through from beginning to end on my very first try. It’s a great story, but it needs some major editing before it will ever see the light of day. I’ll never forget the moment I finished my first draft. I knew it was the end as soon as I typed that last period. I relished the moment and then typed ‘The End.’ I started crying because it was over. It was like saying goodbye to a good friend. Of course, then I edited it for the next six months, so it was a short goodbye and some days that ‘friend’ was really annoying and stubborn. Ten years later, I still love the story and hope to get back to it one day soon.
Are you a plotter or a pantser, and do you have a favoured Point of View?
I am definitely a pantser. I believe the story is already in my head, I just need to discover it. I let the characters tell me what happened to them in their own words, and I follow along on their journey. I tried being a plotter. I wrote an outline for a book I wrote called, Mansion on Butcher Lake. It was 14 pages long. Yes, I’m even verbose in outline form. It helped to know what direction I was going when I first started. However, once I began chapter three, it veered away from the outline and went in its own direction. I didn’t fight to keep it on track. I loved where the story ended up. So, I tried to be a plotter and it didn’t work for me. I’ve never been adept at following a map of any kind—including a story map.
As for POV, I don’t have a favourite. I like writing in third-person equally as well as first-person. It depends on the story. I wrote an entire manuscript in first person once and when I finished, that character’s voice felt overpowering. I was exhausted by the end of the book and I didn’t want the reader to have the same feeling, so I rewrote the entire novel in third-person POV. It came out much better. I learned that some characters need to have a ‘cushion’ between them and the reader. That’s how I can tell if it’s going to be third-person or first person.
I’ve always wanted to know what inspired you to write a book about the Phantom of the Opera. Can you enlighten us?
I had seen the 1994 movie with Gerard Butler, but there was something about it that never made sense to me. I could not understand why Erik (the Phantom) became obsessed with Christine (the young, fickle soprano). Why was she different from any other beautiful singer he had to have come across in all the years he’d been haunting the Opera house? I read the original novel by Gaston Leroux hoping to find some answers that were lacking in the Andrew Lloyd Webber movie or Broadway version. I loved Leroux’s novel. However, I STILL could not see the big attraction for the middle-aged genius to the young girl. After reading Leroux, I was intrigued with the idea of a disfigured genius haunting the Opera house. What’s not to like about a madman, extortionist? One day, quite by accident, I found a review for a book called Phantom by Susan Kay which is the prequel to Leroux’s novel—the story of Erik’s life. I bought it and fell in love with Kay’s portrayal of the character. I was in heaven when reading that book—enjoying it to the point of drooling. UNTIL the last third when she got to the part where Erik meets Christine. Granted, she had to stay within Leroux’s original storyline and she did a fairly good job with it, but her explanation for Erik’s obsession? He had some sort of Oedipal Complex and Christine reminded him of his mother. Nope. That didn’t explain it for me. I couldn’t buy that excuse. So, although I loved every single page before that last little bit, I still did not get the answer I sought. Being the obsessive person I am, I couldn’t let it go. I wondered what would happen if I gave Erik someone who could keep up with him intellectually. Someone who could challenge him, make him see things a different way. What if he could find someone who could look past the deformity and find the artist underneath? Ahh…yes. So, I decided to write a short story and dedicate it to my husband who had to deal with my Phantom obsession. That short story turned into 80,000 words. Once Erik started talking in my head, the man would not stop. He wanted his story told. He wanted to experience love. I wanted him to teeter on the rim of redemption. In the end, I think we were both very satisfied.
Wow, you are tenacious. Not many people would write a novel to satisfy their longing to better understand an enigma.
I love the title of your novel. Can you tell us how it relates to the story?
Erik is always hiding in the shadows. Several places within the book, he’s described as being on the edge of illumination whether it be a lamp, a candle or sunlight. I liked the idea of the ‘edge’ of something. Symbolically, I liked that flames could represent ‘light’ and yet, fire can burn and cause injury. It’s a double-edged sword. I also think passion is like a flame. I believe love can start slow, smouldering with embers and building up until there is fire or, as in Erik’s case, sometimes love immediately flares up to an all-consuming bonfire, flames lapping at your heart. That’s where the idea of ‘flame’ came into the title. For passionate people things happen fast. And there is no character I’ve ever written who is more passionate than Erik.
If you were casting for an actor to play Erik, who would you choose?
I’d cast Campbell Scott. (Not to be confused with actor Scott Campbell.) Campbell Scott is a somewhat obscure actor, but he has the “voice of an angel.” His speaking voice is indescribably beautiful—deep, sensual, the kind that sends shivers down your spine. Since that is what Erik’s voice is said to have sounded like, Mr. Scott fits the role. I’d make sure he wore a full mask as that is the way Leroux created the character. Scott is the right age, too. In the original Phantom of the Opera novel, Erik is said to be close to fifty. A young, hunky actor just would not do if I wanted to keep the integrity of the character. He’s supposed to be tall and thin and Campbell Scott is both of those things. A bonus is Campbell Scott’s long, slender fingers fit the description of Erik’s incredible magician/musician dexterity. I haven’t given this much thought, as you can see. (Google him playing Hamlet and see if your knees don’t weaken.)
So, where does your writing magic happen?
I wrote Phantom: Edge of the Flame when we lived in Pennsylvania. My desk faced a giant window. A gorgeous farm backed up to our yard-literally four feet from our grass. The corn rows spread up the soft, rolling hills of Pennsylvania for acres. In the distance, directly centred in the window, there was a big, white, two-story barn with a double-door loft. This view couldn’t have been more perfect if it had been painted and framed. It was amazing because it changed from moment to moment depending on the light, the weather, the time day and the season. We live in Texas now and I really miss that view. Here, my desk faces a smaller window and well, a television. But, the window next to me looks out onto a golf course and a lake, so I can’t complain. To be honest, I love where my desk is placed in this house, too.
What is your favourite word?
I have many favourite words, but I think there’s one that captures my spirit, mirrors my inner self. That word is imagine. It’s an open-ended word. I like the way it sounds, too.
Who is your favourite writer and why?
I can’t say I have a favourite writer, only favourite books. And like my children, I love them all the same—only differently. If I had to pick one book that inspired me the most, I’d say Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. That book made me want to write! I have read it numerous times and I still cannot get enough of Heathcliff and Cathy. It’s a dark tale and the characters are not at all likeable, yet, I am drawn into the story like a magnet to steel. I have to admit, I like exploring the dark side of relationships. I am a gothic romance fan and I love a good Byronic hero. Wuthering Heights has it all.
Have you ever taken a writing class, and do you think belonging to a critiquing/writing groups helps to improve writing?
I took writing classes in college, but at the time, I had no intention of making it my full-time career. I try to attend every writer’s conference that is in my area within a four hour drive. I’ve been to three conferences in the last four years. Every time I go, it lights a new fire in my heart. Being around like-minded individuals does something to me. I learn so much from the classes and seminars, but also from the other participants. As for critiquing groups? I am blessed to belong to one of the greatest online critique groups in the world. Without them, I would never have had the guts to try and get any of my work published. To find a group where every single person writes well is unbelievable. To find a group where everyone doesn’t just write well, but with brilliance is unheard of. We have 12 members and within the confines of our group you’ll find inconceivable amounts of raw talent, hard work and dedication. Their support is invaluable to me.
What goes on in our critiquing group, stays in our critiquing group, but maybe you could share a secret. What is your most common writing mistake?
I have a tendency to use filtering words. Filtering only sets the reader further apart from the action. However, when I’m in the throes of writing, those little buggers find their way in every single time. Instead of saying, ‘John heard the mountain lion roar,’ I should say, ‘The mountain lion roared.’ It takes some discipline to keep myself from falling back into that terrible habit of ‘he heard, he saw, he knew’ etc. Even after several edits and polishing sessions, I still manage to find the little nuisances hiding in my manuscripts.
Thank you so much for providing us with such fun and detailed answers. I’m sure readers will join me in wishing you every success with Phantom: Edge of a Flame.
Please write a comment below to let Kristine know how much you’d enjoyed her interview. Perhaps you have a pressing question that I failed to ask. Don’t be shy. Write your question in the box, and Kristine will be more than happy to provide an answer. You can also subscribe to my blog (top right) for the next author interview with JD Field to be delivered to your email in-box. Please like the page before you leave. Thank you for your support.
PHANTOM: Edge of the Flame is published by Bird-in-Hand Books.