Author Interview: Dia Calhoun

I was fortunate enough to get the chance interview Ms. Dia Calhoun, author of young adult fantasy novels like Aria of the Sea, Avielle, and The Phoenix Dance. Her books have been honored with numerous ALA Best Book for Young Adult awards. Despite her busy schedule as a full time writer (she’s also an amazing letter artist!), Ms. Calhoun was kind enough to take time to answer a few questions about how she writes and offer advice for other writers.

CZX: Out of all the genres, what draws you to fantasy?

DC: I am intoxicated by the otherworldliness of fantasy. The escape into another world. I like historical fiction for the same reason, though it does not have quite the intrigue for me that magic has. Magic and so much in fantasy comes out of the deep parts of the mind. I feel like I can access that part of myself better in fantasy. I do not like urban fantasy, I think because it lacks the elemtn of escape for me. I don’t want to read or write about cars and computers and nightclubs. I read and write to get away from all that.

CZX: What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you?

DC: To stay totally present with each word, each sentence, each paragraph as I am writing them. Not to rush through to the next thing and the next thing, but to savor each moment in the writing as though it is all there is in all the world. My best writing comes out of that mind state. I forget, then, about, whether the work is good, whether it will get published, whether reviewers will like it, whether people will buy it. All that is unimportant. Only the process of writing matters.

CZX: How do you know when a dream is no longer right and what do you do then?

DC: That is what I was writing about in Aria of the Sea. Sometimes, something–a dream or goal that you have worked for all your life–changes. Circumstances change, you change. It is hard to let go of a dream. It can be seen as an ending. But it it is usually an ending that results in a new beginning. I went through this process when my dream of being a ballet dancer changed. I started dancing when I was five. By the time I was seventeen, I had developed other interests. It was so hard to let go of the dancing, just as it is for Cerinthe in Aria of the Sea. What I have found since then is that to be a full human being, you have to constantly let go of the old dreams, old ways, to make room for the new. Life is flow.

CZX: Can you give us a walkthrough of a typical day in your life?

DC: First thing in the morning I get up and make a huge thermos of black tea with milk. I take it upstairs to my office and, fueled by tea, I write until noon–so three-to four hours. After lunch I work as a freelance lettering artist to pay the bills. At five o’clock I either go to the gym or go for a walk–I infinitely prefer the walk to the noise and confusion of the rush hour gym. Walks restore and refresh me. Evenings are spent reading, listening to music, talking with my husband, playing with my cats, and sometimes, my great vice–doing jigsaw puzzles while I listen to old movies.Then at the end of the day, 45 minutes of meditation. In the summer, I go to our farm in Eastern Washington every other week and work outdoors under an umbrella with only the wild hills for company. I love summer!

CZX: Any advice for writers who are trying to break into publishing?

DC: Be concerned with your writing first, publishing second. Be patient. It took me five years to write my first novel, Firegold, and five more years to sell it. Don’t get wrapped up in rejection, but learn to let it roll off of you like water off a mountain. Being a writer has nothing to do with getting published. It took me many years of being published to realize that. I still get rejected all the time.

One Word Bonus: What’s your drink of choice?Assam Tea!

Thank you for your time Ms. Calhoun! We’ll try to contain our envy when we think of you in the summer. Please visit her website: http://www.diacalhoun.com/ for more information about her books and biography. While you’re there, take some time to browse through her gallery of fantastic letter art. Ms. Calhoun is also one of the founders of Readergirlz, an online community for girls to gather and discuss books featuring strong heroines with the authors themselves.