An Interview with Jolene Rice, author of An Oily Mess

by Ted Wallenius

Jolene:

Hello everyone. I’m Jolene Rice AKA Chico’s Mom. Chico is my 10 pound Chihuahua. He’s found a place in most of my works.

When it comes to writing, I’m all over the place: poetry, fan fiction, Christian fiction and science fiction.

Disclaimer; I am from Appalachia. I’m fiercely proud of my heritage and the rich culture it represents. It’s reflected in many of the characters I’ve created. In An Oily Mess, there may be words that you think are errors. I color my writing with the everyday language used in my geography. As I like to say, “I’m country as cornbread.”

I’m excited about this project with y’all.

Ted:

Great to see you Jolene! Thanks for coming in and I’m so glad to see you!

Jolene:

Thank you for the invitation.

Ted:

You were the first WordPress blogger I found who was interested in writing. Even if you don’t know it, your fingerprints are all over this place. I wouldn’t dream of doing it without you.

Jolene:

Thank you. As always, you are so kind.

Ted:

What’s your favorite short story?

Jolene:

Ray Bradbury- All Summer in a DayTed:

I remember that story a little bit. My mother loved Ray Bradbury. What about it do you especially like?

Jolene:

I was in elementary school when we read All Summer in a Day. In a nutshell, it is a story about a little girl from Earth whose parents moved to Venus. On Venus, they get two hours of sunlight every seven years. None of the children can remember sunlight. Except Margot, the little girl from Earth. The other children are so jealous of her, they lock her in a closet and she misses the two hours of sun light. All these years later, I remember this story. How mean other people can be to someone just because they are different. Or have had different life experiences.

I credit Ray Bradbury for my love of science fiction.

Ted:

What’s the first piece of fiction you remember writing, and how old were you?

Jolene:

The Legend of Dan Gut. I was in high school. My English teacher had us write a story and presented it to the class. Dan Gut was the name of the holler where my dad grew up. No one knew why or how it got its name. So, I made up a story about it. Later, before I published it on WordPress, I cleaned it up.

The Legend of Dan Gut

Jolene:

Thank you.

Ted:

That is a wonderful anecdote. And holler is a wonderful word. I’m gonna have to check out thisHave you had any really good teachers or mentors in the writing world, or even people who made great characters for your stories?

Jolene:

The teacher I mentioned before from high school. And a casual mentor that I work with sometimes. We have very different writing styles. So it makes him good at saying, what aboutthis or that? Have you tried this? Or, stick with that.

Some of the characters in my stories get their base from my life. But ultimately it’s like I put all the experiences I’ve had in a blender and see what happens. In my story Sunshine Valley, the character of Jack is based on my dad. In real life, my dad never worked at a saw mill. And was never in a hot air balloon.

Ted:

I feel like you have a really good touch with both emotion and conflict. Where do you think that comes from?

Jolene:

Thanks. It may be a combination of things, I listen more than I talk. And I’m a people watcher.

Ted:

I confess to the people watching thing too. And the listening. Although sometimes I talk too much. I need to learn to cut that out. This is what it’s all about though. People. Humanity. Shared experience. Darkness in common.

What’s been your biggest writing challenge?

Jolene:

Grammar! I tend to write the way I talk. Being from the Appalachian part of Kentucky, I like to mix our country/mountain slang into my work. It adds to the grammar nightmare for me.

Ted:

I love your ‘accent’ and I know I’ve gotten on you for some things but please understand I respect your background and everything you do!

Jolene:I’ve always had trouble with grammar. It’s an area I know I need to work on.

Ted:

Hmm. There’s always someone saying do this do that, and as a reader there does need to be a sort of code, so that we can all be in pretty much the same place. But I don’t think it should be or even can be written in stone and it does evolve over time. There’s no reason Appalachian shouldn’t be considered a valid language, if you know what I mean. It’s about acceptance and originality.

Jolene:

I use it freely.

Ted:

What’s the first book you remember reading and saying “I’d like to/could do that”?

Jolene:

It was one of Stephen King’s novels. And I don’t even remember which one. The idea of reading it intimidated me. He’s so popular, well liked and respected. I remember being stunned by its simplicity. There were no $5.00 words. They used to be fifty cents; had to adjust for inflation. I didn’t need a dictionary to read any of it. They were simple words pieced together to paint a story.

Ted:

I remember The Dead Zone being in my parent’s bookshelf, and just being scared of it. Then one day I went to the library and checked out Misery. The book by a writer about being a writer. I loved it. I’ve sort of moved past my Stephen King phase, but I’ll never get over my first creative writing professor in college saying “Don’t try to be like Stephen King.” I wanted to say “Why not? He’s sold about a billion books. Why wouldn’t I want to write like that?”

Jolene:

For real.

Ted:

And you know I respect his advice on writing. What are you reading right now?

Jolene:

Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado. It’s an Audiobook. I really enjoy his writing. He puts a lot of life anecdotes in his storytelling. And he puts the Bible in an easy to understand perspective.

Ted:

I’ve heard of him. I’m not a theology guy, although I’m fascinated by religion. Heck, I’m not even an audiobook guy. I like anyone who can connect. What’s his best piece of advice for you?

Jolene:

Keep it simple. Lucado takes the very complex subject of religion and makes it simple and relatable.

Ted:

That’s great advice. For writing too. We (as writers) always want to complicate things up, introduce too much when a little will do just as well. Less is more in so many cases. I think we tend to fall in love with the words we think up.

Do you remember the first time you really felt like you connected with something you wrote on WordPress?

Jolene:

The Snake and The Rabbit. I’m a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. That is a piece of fan fiction I wrote, hopefully showing honor for my love of the characters.

Ted:

That was the first full length story of yours I read. It was also one of the first reviews I wrote for a fellow WordPress writer. I remember being like “this is fan fiction” (I had no experience with that) and then I remember being amazed by the feel you had for your setting and characters. Your love for the material was so evident. I was astounded by your skill and your story. It changed my mind about ‘fan fiction.’ Recommended reading, everyone.

Jolene:

Thank you.

Ted:

Okay, last question I think. I need a good book to read, because I’m done with The Corrections. I know your first choice is probably the Bible, and I’ve got no problem with that, but would you tell me another piece of literary fiction you liked that you think I would like too? I’d love to have a good, honest recommendation.

Jolene:

The Sherlock Holmes canon.

Ted:

That’s a great recommendation. I haven’t read any Sherlock Holmes in years, and there’s a reason that character became so popular. Thanks Jolene, it’s been a pleasure talking to you!

Jolene:

Thank you!

Part 1 of The Snake and The Rabbit

The Snake and The Rabbit

Part 1 of Sunshine Valley

Sunshine Valley