At the Bar with Amaya Radjani

Amaya Radjani is a blogger, author, co-moderator of the Blasian Narrative, and the Creative Director of Middle Child Press.  Her debut Blasian novel Corruption is due out this fall.

All right, Miss Radjani. You are a well-known patron here at the bar. You and I go back a little bit, so I know lots about you. But there are those in attendance who are unfamiliar. Tell the strangers a little something.

What I am first and foremost is an author. Storytelling is my life. Everything else I’m doing right now is just details. Writing has always been in me; it’s like breathing. I don’t recall a time when I wasn’t scribbling stories once I learned to hold a pencil. Although I expect to make a living writing novels, it is something I will do for free because I have to. I can’t imagine my life without this gift, and I do recognize it as such. I’ve tried to cultivate it as best as I can.

I’m also a woman, in case that’s not clear, and I’m on a semi-quest to enlighten other women (or at least get them to acknowledge and/or accept) that we don’t have to stay within the boxes society tries to put us in. I’m happily single and happily childless and damned content with my life. Other women want to force the too-small shoes of marriage and family on my feet, but I’m wise enough to know that life isn’t the life for me and I won’t live my life to the satisfaction of others. Of course, considering all that I have going on in my creative life, a husband and family simply will not fit. Truth be told, a lot of women are stuck in relationships, and unhappily so, because they are of the erroneous belief that they should be wifed up and babied down by the time they’re 30. I encourage discussion about it on my blog, but at this point, I’m the only one speaking and you’re one of the respondents. But women are reading, and that’s a start.

We met through the fanfiction world where you single-handledly reignited the S/U craze. Tell us more about your history and experience in fanfiction (how you got started, obstacles you faced).

Single-handedly? *blushes* I don’t know about all that; I was compelled to write that story. My muse had me in a choke-hold and that fic was about me working some things out, and it wasn’t until I was almost done with the story that I realized the shitstorm “Sexy Beast” caused. A lot of women supported me in my struggle to write about a woman’s realization of herself, but a lot of hate came my way as well because of how I did it. *shrugs* I wasn’t bothered by the backlash; when you’re governed by a muse, you do what she tells you to do when she tells you to do it, and you’re grateful she stopped by to visit. People being angry because I wrote Uhura a particular way was an insignificant by-product. The point was that “Sexy Beast” liberated me, and every tear that was shed in the darkness of my sitting room while I churned it out was worth it. We wouldn’t be sitting here otherwise.

I’ve been writing fanfiction for over 15 years. My first foray…? Can’t remember, but I do know it got serious for me with Star Trek: TNG. I love me some Data & Captain Picard. But I don’t allow fanfiction to govern my life as it does a lot of other would-be writers; I’d much rather tell my own stories. So after a few fanfics in TNG, I stopped, and then I’d venture into another fandom and then another and another, as I was inspired. It wasn’t constant. I wrote under the nom de plume of Kabochon when I was a Lecterphile, an X-Phile, and when I was writing in the Pitch Black fandom and the Potterverse. And yes, I caused problems in those fandoms with the darkness and content of my stories. I don’t intend to do it, but I always do. People (especially other women) tend to take exception to a woman unafraid to own her sexuality.

It’s like, with every visit to a fandom, I write an epic dark piece and it polarizes the audience. In the Lecter fandom, it was “Vows;” in Pitch Black, it was “Forever and The Night;” in The X-Files, it was “Steam;” in Harry Potter, it was “Irresistible;” and of course, now it’s “Sexy Beast.” But if you read those stories (and my other fanfics), there is a very dark theme that weaves its way through my work, and it was also present in the stories I wrote for myself. Fans of certain pairings can’t stand or accept to see the female half of the pairing written any way other than innocent, and they get rabid when a writer chooses to portray them as grown women with women’s needs, desires and issues. That always bewilders me because my attitude is, “It’s a STORY! Get over it!!”

What about professional writing? How did you get into that?

As I said before, I’ve never not written. I know that’s incorrect grammar, but I’m a wordsmith and wordplay is what I do. I dreamed of the time when I would see my name on the spine of a book, and it was what drove me. This was all before the internet got so big and everything so available. There were no writer communities and I had no beta or anyone I could trust to read my stories and give me constructive criticism. I was on my own.

I researched and studied what I could, purchased writer magazines and looked for agents to represent me. Of course, I got rejected and rejected and all it did was encourage me. I sensed, because I didn’t know for sure, that I wasn’t being given a chance merely because I have an unconventional first name and the instant association is that “She’s black.” It didn’t stop me. I kept writing and wrote a very short novel about a woman wanting a man she had no business being with and was determined to see it in print. I self-published and actually sold a few; enough to break even. When I look at the book, I’m proud that I have it because it lets me know that I can do whatever I need to do for my craft. And that one day, the people who rejected me will want my business.

Aspiring authors have it easy nowadays. If NaNoWriMo had existed for me, I’d probably be a lot farther along in my career as an author, but I have no regrets. If my struggle and experience can help a newbie succeed, then it was worth it. One of my greatest pleasures came about when I helped three fledgling authors with their first effort at writing for publication. I cannot tell you what The Sultry Court means to me. It’s not a perfect book, but it represents so much for me and for Middle Child Press.

Who were your earliest influences and why?

I swear, I’ve read a million books and I have my childhood favorites. I read anything I could get my hands on: encyclopedias, dictionaries, comic books, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, anything. I loved fairy tales, but only to an extent, because they were whitewashed and sanitized and the women written as helpless and needing to be rescued by a man. But there is one author that had (and still has) the most profound influence on my life: Stephen King. I’ve been reading his books since I was knee-high to a junebug. First of all, Steve’s not lightweight, and I mean that figuratively and literally. He produces fat, juicy novels with complex plots and diverse characterizations. I devour anything he writes; to date, no other author has ever affected me as much as Stephen King. I am the Constant Reader he addresses in the opening of his novels.

He tells such a magnificent story with flawed characters and he has a way of putting you right in the action and you see the world unfurl around you. My favorite book of all time is IT. 1,138 pages and I read it in 2.5 days, nonstop, eyeballs burning and stomach growling, and from that moment on, my storytelling became far more dark and complex. Stephen King has said in his memoirs that he wrote most of his pre-1990 novels under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and considering the darkness of those books, it made perfect sense. I struggled with my own mental and emotional demons up until recently, and it is that dark slant that readers find present in my stories and novels. Corruption represents the end of that extremely long phase in my life.


What is your current creative method? I’ve noticed that sometimes you wrestle with a single chapter for weeks, but then suddenly you’ll churn out an entire work in a matter of days?

I was recently diagnosed as bipolar, and as such, now understand my creative method. Whenever I’m manic or depressed, I write like a fiend because even though my emotions are running high (or low), my mind is extremely clear and I can see. “Sexy Beast” was written during a major depression and I was writing 5000-word chapters every single night and posting them the next day. This was, of course, to the detriment of every other aspect of my life. My most recent (and as for now, unpublished) novel, a 600-plus page behemoth titled The Arms of Orion, was written during a similar period. But my condition is how I’m able to write so many books at the same time. When I’m not shifting, when I’m “normal,” I lack that kind of clarity and can’t write a damn thing. It sucks.

People, especially artists, who suffer from bipolar disorder can’t—or won’t—stay on their meds because they need those highs and lows to produce their work and to survive. I need them too, and for the same reasons, but I also need to function day-to-day because bills must be paid. You have to find a balance, and I’m fortunate that I have. But allowing this condition to run unchecked can wreak havoc and lead to suicide because the shifts are so extreme and the mind can’t handle it.

When I met you, we had a brief discussion about your nature. I told you that you gave a “gothic” vibe, which you hadn’t considered before. How has that realization influenced you since?

Like I said before, I never classified my own work under any particular genre, because I write in a void. But after we met and you suggested that, I did some research and discovered that you were right. My stories have dark tones. A mutual acquaintance has read some of my earlier work and pointed out that very same thing. It also parlays into my daily life. Knowing that part of myself and owning it has been redemptive. It has been nice getting to know aspects of me and understanding who I really am. Even though I’ve laid some demons to rest with Corruption, by no means does that mean I am no longer a gothic writer. I still have demons to fight.

Let’s talk business. We met, and shortly thereafter we decided to begin a publishing press of our own. I’m in still in disbelief about that. Tell the bar a little about how that came about.

We were hanging out in a writer’s community; one that was born after the fallout of “Sexy Beast”, and you sprung one of your brilliant ideas on us. It was The Sultry Court, and we discussed potential publishers and none of the current ones had the appeal we wanted. Then you suggested the idea of forming a business around TSC; one that would be for WoC authors and produce novels by WoC. I immediately saw the potential in what you wanted to do and told you I wanted to help. If you were serious about starting a publishing house for WoC readers and authors, then I was serious about doing it with you. Having dealt and been rejected by other publishers, and knowing the creative control to be owned by smaller publishing houses and not the author, I knew that your idea was gold and I wasn’t about to miss an opportunity. There are not enough outlets for WoC authors who choose to write fiction other than hood lit and/or stereotypical storylines. We write sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, speculative, experimental, all kinds of genres, but TPTB want to pigeonhole us. I’ve been doing this far too long without acknowledgement not to recognize a chance to help other WoC as well as myself.

You and I have a chance to make our mark on the world by filling a need. It’s going to take some time, but we will eventually have a strong fan base and a long roster of WoC authors. We just have to show the WoC writing world that we can deliver a quality product. I knew it was right because when you called me to ask for personal information for the business license (before ever actually formally meeting you), I had no qualms, not one, about giving you that information. I didn’t blink, didn’t worry, didn’t even pause, because I knew it was meant to be.

Now, the main reason we’re gathered here at the bar is that your first full-length novel, Corruption, is coming out this fall. Tell the bar a bit about it.

Corruption is the first full-length novel I’ve published. I have a file cabinet full of unpublished, unedited books. Maybe they’ll see the light of day. I don’t know, but I digress. Corruption is the product of an unconventional way-wrong, way-inappropriate crush. It was meant to be a contributory piece to The Sultry Court, but I couldn’t let it go. I kept writing, wondering what it was that I was dealing with that my muse wouldn’t allow me to finish within sixty pages. Eventually I figured it out and finished the book at warp five. Corruption is about a 39-year old successful professional care-free cougar and her precocious, confident not-quite-there-yet cub. Each encountered the other with nothing but sex in mind, and ended up with more than they bargained for. You can find a teaser here.

 Why did you opt to do a Blasian piece?

I’ve never written anything other than black women paired with black men, because that’s the world I live in. As I’ve said, I spent the majority of my writing years in a void, and so I was never bothered by that because it was the story that drove me. Meeting you and being exposed to the Blasian movement changed a lot of things for me, including my philosophy and perspective. It was a challenge, writing a character other than black. Jordan, the cub, is Japanese-American and I had to research aspects of Japanese-American culture to produce an authentic story. It was important that Jordan be interpreted as clearly of Japanese origin as opposed to having a banal background with a Japanese label slapped on him just to satisfy the Blasian community. I abhor laziness and inauthenticity in storytelling. Put the time in and do the work; make your book the best it can possibly be. Unfortunately, there are a lot of authors who produce shoddy work, and copious amounts of it. And people pay them millions of dollars.

Now some people may be thinking, “Um, ‘Jordan’ is not a Japanese name.” No, it isn’t. But when the story was initially conceptualized and the male character created, Jordan was his name. Mahogany started out as Ivory, but that got changed quick, fast and in a hurry, like within seconds. It didn’t feel right and I do not argue when the muse tells me the name of my characters. They’re real people to me. Jordan’s Jordan, and he’s never been anyone else.

What else are you working on? Who are your new influences?

I’m always working on three or four books at a time. It’s just the way my muse works. I’ve finished the first draft of book one of my epic sci-fi fantasy series, Blade Dancer. I’ve outlined the second book, In the Pale Moonlight, and I’m working on another Blasian piece, Adrenalin, which is inspired by Ninja Assassin & The Fifth Commandment, and adapted from my fanfic of the same name. I would have Rick Yune’s baby in a New York second. Ricky, I’m ready…

Blade Dancer is the evolution of fan faves Sheila Stephens & K’avir Velimir from fanfic OCs into protagonists in their own universe. In the Pale Moonlight is the origin story of K’avir’s parents, K’ervian & Jaire Velimir. You can read more about the Velimirs here. I’m also painting landscapes of K’avir’s home planet of Alvelar, which I’ll start posting on the blog. Adrenalin is about a vicious, violent assassin couple, Roxy & Raiden.

In addition to the above, I’m also writing a dissertation, so I have not spent nearly as much time reading for pleasure as I used to. But I’m still collecting books. Lately, I’ve been fascinated with science fiction, dark fantasy and erotic horror. I want to write about aliens, demons, monsters and other supernatural beings. I don’t have specific authors, just reference materials. You know that when I’m writing, I don’t read other novels because I don’t want anything influencing the story I’m trying to tell. So I doubt that I’ll be reading much outside of what’s necessary for MCP.

What message do you have for the artistic POC community?

If you want to write, then write. Don’t want to be an author—be an author. If you have a story inside of you, sit down and give birth to that bad boy, even if you don’t know where it’s going. Most people don’t care about the labor; all they want to see is the baby. So get it out. Don’t worry about publishing or editing or criticism, especially when the book isn’t finished. Write it, and all of that will come later. Most of us don’t have the luxury of a publisher-in-waiting and a contract based on a story OUTLINE. Most publishers want to see a finished draft, not an idea. Stephen King said to write the first draft of a novel so you can tell yourself the story. Subsequent drafts are you telling others the story.

If you can’t finish the story, that’s fine. The point is to try. Keep writing. And don’t expect to produce a 300-page novel the first time you sit down. It might be all of 50 pages, and that is fine. Don’t expect for the story to be perfect, grammatically or otherwise, when you write the first draft. The words and images in your head do not translate easily to paper and it can be frustrating. That’s fine too. You won’t get better unless you practice. Read as much as you can, because it does help. Nurture your writing. Feed it, grow it, and take care of it. It won’t do it on its own.

Another thing is that if you have what is a potentially good idea; don’t share it with just anybody. Protect your intellectual property. Folks are trifling, and will just as soon steal your idea than look at you. I’ve experienced this to an extent, so shield yourself.

Here are the links for the teasers:

Corruption trailer
Velimir Teaser

Amaya, it's always good to see you here at the bar.