Day: March 8, 2018

Writer Interviews: Maya El

I have some exciting news, beloved readers! I was given the opportunity to conduct an e-mail interview with Maya El, author of The Book of Angels: Twin Flames Rising. She was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about her work, writing, and social injustice.

In addition to being the author of Twin Flames Rising, Maya El is a registered nurse, social activist, mother, and grandmother. She has witnessed racial profiling against her brother and sons as well as general neglect and abuse in the African American community around her. Maya was born and raised in Chicago, and her father was also a political activist who worked to raise awareness about social profiling against young African American males in the 90s.


Maya El, author of Twin Flames Rising

Thank you, Ms. El, for agreeing to an interview with The Writer’s Scrap Bin. I loved your book and am honored to have the opportunity to ask you a few questions. Let’s start with your occupational background. I read that you’re a registered nurse. How has that career influenced your writing? Are you still active in that field? If so, could you tell me how you balance nursing, writing, and your personal life?

Thank you so much for having me.  It is an honor.

Yes, I am a Registered Nurse.  My nursing career has influenced my writing in that it has helped me to see that we are all the same.  We all struggle with life and death issues.   And yes, I am still practicing as a nurse in a local retirement center.  It allows me to show love for those who can’t give me anything in return.  That’s very rewarding to me.

I maintain balance in my life by pursuing a spiritually healthy lifestyle.  I meditate daily and am a pretty strict vegan.  I am also a Zumba fanatic (I was a dancer in a previous lifetime). When you are spiritually healthy mental, emotional and physical health will follow.

 

I know that you’re also a social activist. Could you please tell my readers how that part of your life has influenced your writing, both what you write and how you chose to pursue writing in the first place?

I grew up with a father that was always socially conscious.  He was friends with and participated with founders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark in The Black Panther party in the1960’s and 1970’s.  I saw how devastated he was when they were murdered in their sleep by the Chicago police in 1969.   That was the only time I saw him cry…  Then I have watched my brother’s, cousin’s and my own three sons be racially profiled by various police for years.  When others began to record  similar incidents of racial profiling on there cell phones, I really thought it would be a game changer.  But racial profiling has still continued…

 

Have you had writing interests outside of The Book of Angels series? If so, do you plan to pursue any of them after you wrap up The Book of Angels?

Yes, I have always loved writing.  When I was in grade school I was the sports editor of the school newspaper.

 

On a slightly different note, which writers have influenced you the most? Which books/poems?

I am a romantic so I love Pride and Prejudice.  But lately I’ve been reading a lot of nonfiction like The Isis Papers by Dr. Frances Cress Welsing and The Scientific Intervention in Our Affairs by ZaZa Ali.  My next read will be a book called Medical Apartheid.

I also like Maya Angelou.

 

What advice do you have for budding writers, particularly those who find it hard to balance their writing with their families and other commitments?

My advice would be that you must encourage and motivate yourself.  The only person that really believed in me was me.

And secondly, pay close attention to your own mental/ emotional, and spiritual health.  Take care of yourself first.

 

 

I want to focus more on your book, Twin Flames Rising, for this question. While there is a strong plot to your novel, I felt that it was more character-driven as I read it, considering the book focuses on Nathalie and her emotional/psychological struggles. Do you prefer to focus on the characters when you’re writing or the plot? And do you think one is more important to a good story than the other?

Well I think that you can decide on a plot prior to writing a story.  But it’s the characters and their idiosyncrasies that make a story interesting.  I focus a great deal on character development, especially the villain.

 

As your book discusses social injustice, I would like to ask you a few questions now which address such injustice in the writing/publishing world. I’ve heard a lot of stories about women of color experiencing discrimination in the publishing industry because of both their race and their gender. Did you have to overcome such obstacles while setting out to get Twin Flames Rising published?

There are certainly many obstacles to overcome as a black woman in a society that is built on white supremacy.  However I choose to focus on the fact that I have a story to tell that the world needs to hear.

 

Do you think there’s an issue of representation in modern literature, i.e. a lack of diversity in the characters and writers of today’s novels? If so, what do you think is the best way to eradicate that problem?

I know that one challenge that I faced was finding funds for all of the costs involved in editing, cover designs, publishing and marketing my book. I think that it would be helpful if black children were taught basic financial literacy as well as how to start a business at a young age.

 

If you could change one thing about how the writing/publishing world operates today, what would it be?

I would love to see more socially conscious writers/ publishers.  Our world needs them.

 

Finally, any teasers you can give my readers for the next part of The Book of Angels?

The name of the sequel…

The Book of Angels (part two) The Rabbit Hole.

 

I want to thank Maya El once again for taking the time to speak with me. I’m looking forward to the next book in The Book of Angels series as well as anything else she plans to publish.

Be sure to check out my review of The Book of Angels: Twin Flames Rising.

What do you think about her advice for budding writers? About what she wants to see changed in the writing/publishing world? Do you know of any writers I should interview or any books I should review? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or e-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Book Reviews: The Revenge of the Forgotten by Xavier Mayot

Greetings, readers and writers! I’m probably going to be bombarding you with quite a few posts over the next few days, both reviews and other topics, so you best be ready. I want to start with a review of a book which I’m pleased to say is quite different from other works I’ve read before. While billed as a psychological novel, I’d also argue that it’s a modern moral fable, just as The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder has been called a moral fable by some critics. The book I’m reviewing in this post is The Revenge of the Forgotten by Xavier Mayot.

Fabrice is your typical skilled factory worker, employed by the biggest recycling plant in France: + VERT. He has a wife he adores and a loving ten-year-old daughter. They don’t have a lot, but they have each other, and that’s enough for them. The only problem? Fabrice’s daughter, Coralie, is ill with a rare heart condition and requires a transplant ASAP. Unfortunately, donors are in short supply, but Coralie’s doctor, Professor Marty, has put her as a top priority on the waiting list.

Baptiste is your typical one-percenter: rich, a little overly-confident, and used to getting his way. Like Fabrice, he works at + VERT, but with a huge difference: he’s the CEO. This position has allowed him, his wife, and his son to live a comfortable life, but even the world’s richest have their problems. For Baptiste, it’s the disheartening fact that his son, Dorian, has inherited a rare genetic heart condition from his paternal grandfather. The poor boy needs an organ graft, and soon. Fortunately, Dorian’s doctor, Professor Marty, is close friends with the family and keeps them up-to-date on any news of a possible donor.

What will happen when a possible heart donor pits these opposites against each other in a competition of will and physical strength? Can Baptiste buy or manipulate his son’s way to the top of the donor list, or will Fabrice’s dedication and work ethic finally pay off? What follows is 160 pages of tension, high-running emotions, and an unlikely solution to a delicate situation.

Mayot’s concept is at once unique and familiar. It’s a combination of David and Goliath and “The Tortoise and the Hare” with a splash of Around the World in 80 Days thrown in. However, Mayot uses this mixture to bring attention to a couple of topics prominently on our minds today: economic disparity and the shortage of organ donors. The themes of love, money, greed, pride, and perseverance ring throughout, giving new life to old tropes.

Another interesting element to Mayot’s writing is that it’s almost fable-like, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post. The writing is very simple and straightforward; in fact, other than the French names, I had no problem following along with the narrative. (Honestly, a lot of my mother’s family is French and French-Canadian, why do I have a hard time with these names?) The characters are not overly-complicated and yet I established an emotional connection to Fabrice and his family. I felt bad for Baptiste and his family because of Dorian’s condition but, really, their sense of entitlement made it hard for me to root for them. The plot is also straightforward and the themes and lessons overt. It’s the combination of these simplistic features coming together to make an engaging and encouraging story which makes me view this book as a modern moral fable, one much more cheerful and uplifting than books like The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

I also admire Mayot for his ability to incorporate modern technology and capture the over-the-top voice of TV commentators in his work. I had a hard time not laughing whenever the commentators opened their mouths because I could perfectly envision what was happening. It also helped that Mayot includes maps of the courses as well as boxed—which you could argue is in the style of a television screen—descriptions of what spectators see during the coverage of the trials.

I must say, Mayot certainly knows how to push my buttons. Baptiste infuriated me to no end. This man, who could easily look to another first-world country for a donor, insists on making the other family go to another country like Colombia for a donor and surgeon, even offering them the Euros to do it. Why? Pride, plain and simple. He’s a man who’s used to getting what he wants and nothing is about to get in his way; I couldn’t wait to see him get knocked down a peg. The ending is a happy one—I won’t elaborate due to spoilers—but suffice to say I still hold a grudge against Baptiste on Fabrice’s behalf. For a writer to ignite this passion in me, he must know exactly what will strike people’s nerves and when to present them in a story for maximum effect.

Overall, The Revenge of the Forgotten by Xavier Mayot is both a psychological book and a modern moral fable. It offers a happy ending which left me satisfied that the plot was resolved, despite the fact that the cynic in me had serious doubts about it. Mayot highlights both the good and the bad in humans and leaves readers with the hope that nice guys do not finish last. I can guarantee that you will pick up this book and not be able to put it down until you find out which child will get the heart—and which of our proud fathers will have to eat crow.

You can buy a copy of The Revenge of the Forgotten from Edilivre’s website. Stay tuned for more information on when a copy will be made available on the American Amazon site.

Do you know of a book I should read? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com and let me know!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011