Jason: First of all, tell us about Eden Fell. What was your inspiration for the story? And what was the writing experience like?
Lily: The inspiration was an old occult saying I heard during a conversation back in 1998. "The unicorn died giving birth to the dragon, thus the garden of Eden fell." Meaning, innocence died giving birth to knowledge, thus Eden fell. I liked how it was phrased and I was intrigued by the possibility of personifying myths as well as the battle of innocence versus knowledge. And that was the initial seed of an idea for the book.
Writing Eden Fell was an intense experience. Eden has such a strong voice in my head and it literally overtook my life. I was a basket case while writing that story.
Jason: What do you think makes the main character so unique? Is there any of yourself in Eden?
Lily: Sorry, I can't tell you, the answer is revealed in the final chapter ;)
Just kidding.
I was fascinated with Eden as a character. Although her behavior is questionable (huge understatement), what makes her the most unique is the lack of ambiguity. Right from the start, you know who she is.
I'm not like Eden. At least I hope not *lol* She's self-destructive whereas I'm always searching for ways to better myself and my work. I think the only thing we might have in common is the lack of pretenses. Because I always live for a good challenge, my fictional characters tend to be the opposite of me.
Jason: You also have a previous novel out, Daylight. Is there a common theme to the two stories? Or are they completely different?
Lily: They're completely different stories. I did things all backwards. I wrote Eden Fell about 5 - 6 years before I wrote Daylight, which is a dark coming of age tale and a human drama. I suppose you could fairly say that general darkness would be the only common theme in both stories.
Jason: You self-published Daylight. What was that process like? Do you recommend that route for other authors?
Lily: I did self-publish Daylight through Lulu.com. Because I've worked as a graphic designer at publishing companies, I already had the skills to do layout and design for a book, which I've done many times in that capacity. So for myself, the process was the almost the same as any job I've had. Though I did find there was more pressure involved because I was on my own. It wasn't like I had a team of people checking my work like I've had as a graphic designer.
I don't necessarily recommend self-publishing but I don't have anything against it either. Self publishing should be a personal choice, as it was for me. Daylight was always a personal project and my goals were to learn about putting together a fictional novel and sharing a bound book with others. Self publishing was just a means to an end. Though I don't regret the experience, it was a one time only. Once was enough for me.
Although in retrospect, and using the knowledge I have now, there are better options than self-publishing. Such as independent companies like Damnation Books. Alas, Daylight will always remain a personal project to me and I don't have any regrets.
Jason: In your former life, you were a graphic designer. What made you switch careers and explore writing?
Lily: Heh, former life, I like that ;)
My focus changed at some point, for a variety of personal and health-related reasons. The fact was, I wasn't happy as a graphic designer. Now that I'm a published author, I couldn't be happier with the work I'm doing. It's a trade-off, of course, and a hard decision to make. But again, I'm quite content with that decision.
For myself, I find creative writing is the ultimate form of expression. There are many challenges and techniques in writing that I could never achieve in art. Creative writing seems to be the next level for me.
Jason: The art gallery on your web site contains a variety of pictures. All are beautiful, while some are more eerie. Is there a common theme between your art and writing? Where does it come from?
Lily: Thank you, especially the eerie comment, that's a high compliment to me :)
In everything I do, whether it's art or writing, what comes naturally to me is darkness in a variety of forms. I'll touch on just about any subject, from fantasy to horror to human interest. Like I said before, I live for a good challenge. The theme of darkness is one of the main things that provides that challenge for me.
As for where it comes from, I have absolutely no idea. Your guess is as good as mine ;)
Jason: You’re also getting a short story published in Ethereal Tales. Congratulations! Tell us about it and what your future writing projects/plans are.
Lily: Thanks! I'm looking forward to receiving my copy of that issue in the mail. The story is called Bleeding Apple. It's about Peter and how he deals with his wife's absence, necrophilia and a trip to hell. It was a little piece I wrote a while ago, and when I found out about Ethereal Tales, I was reminded of a couple of stories that would work, including Bleeding Apple. I'm very pleased it's been accepted for publication.
I have about 3 potential novels in the works and the main one I'm focusing on is a horror novel. I've already written a host of short stories I might pursue publishing in the meantime. But again, the horror novel is the main focus. _________________________________________________
That’ll wind things up for now. Thanks Lily for giving us some very interesting insight into your writing and creative process. Feel free to stop by any time. Good luck to you on all your future writing endeavors!
You can check out both of Lily’s books at: http://www.lilykleiman.com/Learn more about Lily’s writing and art at http://www.lilyauthor.blogspot.com/
And this Friday, I’ll be on Lily’s blog, answering a few of her questions. Bye for now!
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