Author Margaret Fieland: Sci-Fi and Poetry

Join me in meeting Poet and Novelist Margaret Fieland.

Margaret, why did you pick to write books for kids?

Poetry is my first love, and I started taking myself seriously as a writer along about 2005 or so, when I wrote a poem I wanted to keep and see published. This led me to the Muse Online Writers Conference, where I discovered Linda Barnett Johnson and joined her writing forums. Linda required everyone to join both the poetry and fiction forums. That's when I started writing fiction, and I picked writing for kids because it seemed less intimidating. Before that I'd never written any fiction at all, and if you had asked me, I would have sworn I never would.


What types of books do you like to read?

Poetry, science fiction, romance, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal fantasy, mainstream fiction. If it looks interesting, I'll give it a try.


Tell us about Relocated and how the story came to be.

In spite of being a long-time science fiction fan, I was very wary (read phobic) about writing it, and, on a whim, I decided to sign up for 2010 Nano and write a science fiction novel. I decided to write for kids again -- my main character is fourteen -- once more because, again, it intimidated me less than writing for adults. Why? I was anxious about having to write a long book {grin}. Because I wanted to increase the potential word count, and because I love poetry and am crazy, I also decided to go for Robert Lee Brewer's poem-a-day chapbook challenge that November. I created an imaginary poet in the universe of my novel, and wrote 31 of his poems. Eight appear in the book.

 Relocated Blurb

When fourteen-year-old Keth's dad is transferred to planet Aleyne, he doesn't know what to expect. Certainly not to discover Dad grew up here, and studied with Ardaval, a noted Aleyni scholar. On Aleyne, Keth’s psi ability develops. However, psi is illegal in the Terran Federation. After a dangerous encounter with two Terran teenagers  conflict erupts between Keth and his father. Keth seeks sanctuary with Ardaval.  Studying with the Aleyne scholar Keth learns the truth about his own heritage. After Keth's friend's father, Mazos, is kidnapped, Keth ignores the risks and attempts to free him. Little does he realize who will pay the cost as he becomes involved with terrorists.

 

 
Have you written other books? If so, tell us a bit about them.

I'm co-author of Lifelines, a poetry anthology published in November, 2011, and of Sand in the Desert, the book of poems that goes with Relocated. The last two were published this past July. I also have a chapter book, The Angry Little Boy, that will be coming out in 2013.


What’s next for your writing? Are you working on a new story?

I'm editing the novel I wrote for 2011 Nano, another tween/YA science fiction novel that features one of the secondary characters from Relocated as well as an adult science fiction novel featuring another (adult) character.


What advice do you have for other authors?

Learn your craft, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling, to seek out a community of sorts, either online or in person, and to have a realistic view of yourself and your writing, both the strengths and the weaknesses.

I earn my living as a computer software engineer, and at one of the places I worked we would hold design and code reviews. The rules for these were straightforward. We would meet, and the moderator would record the issues brought up by the reviewers. The person being reviewed was allowed to ask questions to clarify the issues, but not to respond to them. After the meeting, the moderator would circulate the completed issue list, and the author could then respond. IMO this is excellent advice for authors as well as computer programmers.


 When you are not writing, what do you like to do?

I love music and play the flute and the piccolo, and I want to try to devote more time to that in the near future. Right now I'm busy raking acorns. We also own a large number of dogs, and they keep me busy as well.


Where to find Margaret and her books:




Relocated:

MuseItUp Publishing's Bookstore

Amazon

Smashwords

Bookstrand
 
Sand in the Desert:   Amazon

Lifelines:   Amazon


Margaret Fieland's Web Site

The Poetic Muselings blog


from Margaret:

I am a native New Yorker, born and raised in Manhattan, and have lived in the Boston area since just after the blizzard of 1976, thus missing the opportunity to abandon my car in a snowbank and walk home. I am the daughter of a painter and the mother of three grown sons. An avid science fiction fan, I selected Robert A. Heinlein's "Farmer in the Sky" for my tenth birthday, now long past.

In spite of earning my living as a computer software engineer, I turned to one of my sons to put up the first version of my website, a clear illustration of the computer generation gap. An accomplished flute and piccolo player, I can also write backwards and wiggle my ears. Thanks to my father's relentless hounding, I can still recite the rules for pronoun agreement in both English and French. My articles, poem, and stories have appeared in anthologies and journals such as Melusine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. My 2010 NaNo novel, Relocated, was published by MuseItUp Publishing in July.  I published the book of poems that goes with the book through CreateSpace. My book The Angry Little Boy,will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2013. I am one of six authors of the poetry anthology Lifelines.