Friday, May 8, 2015

Laura Bickle

Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. She dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs, also writing contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams. Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.

Bickle's new novel is Dark Alchemy.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:
I’m reading Sara Wiseman’s Writing with the Muse: Opening to Conscious Creativity. I do believe that any kind of creation – whether it’s writing, gardening, doll-making, painting, or sculpting – requires an openness to the world around them. Artists of all kinds have a give and take with the world, a way of communicating with ideas. Each one evolves their own technique of receiving input and producing a finished work that represents the artist’s experience in the world. I’ve enjoyed Wiseman’s previous work, and I like her approach to opening to inspiration, wandering with ideas, and transmuting the knowledge gained into art.

I’ve also picked up Xorin Balbes’ SoulSpace. I’ve been in the process of revamping my indoor office and my outdoor working space to better support my work. Balbes walks the reader through a process of creating space that allows for greater creativity, leisure, and openness. As I work through the book, I’m amazed by how much clutter I’ve gathered and how ineffective some of my current work spaces are.

Romeo and Juliet: The War by Stan Lee, Terry Douglas, Max Work, and Skan Srisuwan is also in my reading stack. It’s a very visually-appealing retelling of the classic story. I’m enjoying the sci-fi perspective, seeing how a classic story can be updated for a different audience. The art is lovely – much interplay with light and shadow. I was curious to see if I could become emotionally involved in a story for which I already know the ending…and I’m pleasantly surprised to see that I can.
Visit Laura Bickle's website, blog, Facebook page, and Twitter perch.

The Page 69 Test: The Outside.

The Page 69 Test: Dark Alchemy.

--Marshal Zeringue