Interview with Danielle Ackley-McPhail
a contender for the Compton Crook Award, which is presented by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society yearly at Balticon, the Baltimore Science Fiction Convention.

by Jon Jordan

1) So, Yesterday’s Dreams is your book. Have you written anything else? Short stories maybe?

OTHER THAN IN THE USUAL SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS, I HAVE HAD POETRY PUBLISHED IN AN ANTHOLOGY ENTITLED SHADES OF SPRING,  POETRY AND SHORT FICTION FEATURED ON THE AMAZING INSTANT NOVELIST SITE  ON AOL, AND I HAVE WORK INCLUDED IN THE UPCOMING ANTHOLOGY "THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY," TO BE PUBLISHED BY LITE CIRCLE INC., A SMALL PRESS OUT OF BALTIMORE, MD.

OF COURSE, I WILL NEVER KNOW THE FIRST PLACE MY WORK APPEARED IN PRINT, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH. WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN A MEMBER OF MY CHURCH CONGREGATION TOOK A SELECTION OF MY POEMS TO THE MAGAZINE SHE WORKED FOR. THEY PRINTED ONE OF THEM, HOWEVER, SHE NEVER TOLD ME THE NAME OF THE
MAGAZINE AND LIKEWISE NEVER MANAGED TO GIVE ME THE COPY SHE'D SET ASIDE FOR ME. IT IS THE GREAT UNSOLVED MYSTERY OF MY LIFE ; )

2) The description of the book is intriguing, how would you describe it?

ACTUALLY, OTHER THAN OFFICIAL BOOK REVIEWS, ALL THE  DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BOOK FLOATING AROUND OUT THERE ARE HOW I WOULD DESCRIBE IT...BECAUSE THEY WERE ALL WRITTEN BY ME : ) NO, BUT REALLY. TO ME IT IS A RIVETING, CHARACTER-DRIVEN, MODERN-DAY FANTASY RICH IN CELTIC LORE AND LEGEND. IT IS EMOTIONALLY CHARGED AND BEAUTIFULLY DESCRIPTIVE, WITH BRIEF COMIC MOMENTS.

3) How much research went into the book?

::::LOOKING SHEEPISH:::: I AM SURE NOT AS MUCH AS THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN. ACTUALLY I RELIED HEAVILY ON THE INTERNET AND A FEW SELECT BOOKS FROM MY PRIVATE LIBRARY. SINCE CELTIC MYTH IS PASSED DOWN FROM A TIME WHEN IRELAND RELIED SOLELY ON ORAL TRADITION, MOST OF THE BOOKS OUT THERE ALL SAY THE
SAME THING AND DETAILS ARE VAGUE. OF COURSE, THAT LEFT ME A LOT OF FREEDOM TO GET CREATIVE WITH MY DETAILS.

4) Did you draw on any personal experiences for the book? Did your Grandfather tell you stories? Is Kara O’Keefe anything like you?

ACTUALLY, I DIDN'T START OUT WRITING FROM EXPERIENCE, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THAT QUICKLY CHANGED. JUST AS I BEGAN TO WRITE ABOUT PATRICK O'KEEFE'S BATTLE WITH CANCER, MY OWN MOTHER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ADVANCED BREAST CANCER. ONE WEEK AFTER  FINDING OUT SHE'D HAD RADICAL SURGERY AND THEN HAD TO GO THROUGH A YEAR OF INTENSE AND DIABLIATATING RADITATION AND CHEMO. I DIDN'T GO INTO MAJOR DETAILS IN THE BOOK BECAUSE THE CHARACTER AND MY MOTHER WERE AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR DISEASE, BUT I DID DRAW ON BOTH MY EMOTIONAL RESPONSES, THE WORRY OVER FINANCES, THE INCIDENTAL OCCURANCES THAT MADE THE TRIAL MORE DIFFICULT (THINGS BREAKING DOWN, THE EFFECTS OF THE TREATMENTS, ETC).

IRONICALLY ENOUGH, I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT I MOVED INTO THE O'KEEFE'S HOUSE... ACTUALLY, IT WAS THE MCNEILS, BUT THE BASIC DESCRIPTION OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND MY NEW HOME PRETTY MUCH MATCH THE DESCRIPTIONS IN THE BOOK, COMPLETELY BY CHANCE, BY THE WAY.

I WOULD LIKE TO THINK KARA IS LIKE ME, I KNOW THAT I DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO HELP MY PARENTS THROUGH MY MOTHER'S ILLNESS, FROM MONEY TO BUYING STAMPS, TO ORDERING A WIG WHEN MOM'S HAIR FELL OUT, AND REPLACING THE DISHWASHER WHEN IT CHOSE THE WORSE TIME OF ALL TO BREAK DOWN. UNFORTUNATELY WE ONLY HAVE A SUPERFICIAL PHYSICAL RESEMBLANCE ; ) OUR GRANDFATHERS DID DIE ABOUT THE SAME TIME, BUT THEY WEREN'T VERY MUCH ALIKE. I DID SIT ON GRANDPOP LAP IN THE KITCHEN, HE HAD A ROCKING CHAIR IN THE CORNER WHERE HE LIKED TO DRINK A BEER AT NIGHT, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT.

5) When writing books that are in the fantasy genre, is still important to have certain realistic qualities to the work?

I FEEL THAT REALISM IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT, WHETHER YOU ARE SETTING YOUR SCENE IN A FANTASY REALM OR IN THE MIDDLE OF NEW YORK CITY. IT IS THE REALISM THAT LEDS CREDENCE TO YOUR FANTASY ELEMENTS. READERS CAN MORE EASILY TAKE LEAPS OF FAITH AND SUSPEND THEIR DISBELIEF WHEN THE THE FICTION IS SET OFF BY THINGS THEY CAN IDENTIFY WITH...YOU COULD SAY THAT REALITY GIVES US THE FRAMEWORK FOR OUR FANTASY.

6) What kind of books do you read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

I READ PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING, THOUGH I PREFER FANTASY AND THEN SCI FI. I WILL EVEN ADMIT TO ENJOYING A GOOD BODICE-RIPPER <OXYMORON? ; )> AS JUNK FOOD READING NOW AND THEN : ) JUST
DON'T HAND ME A TEXT BOOK ; )

MY FAVORITE AUTHORS ARE ANNE MCCAFFREY, MERCEDES LACKEY, PIERS ANTHONY, P.C. HODGELL, ROBIN MCKINLEY, TEE MORRIS, AND DANIELLE ACKLEY-MCPHAIL! I ALSO ENJOY CHERRY ADAIR, THOUGH SHE IS IN A DIFFERENT GENRE.

7) How long did it take to write this first book?

YESTERDAY'S DREAMS TOOK THREE YEARS TO WRITE AND ANOTHER TWO YEARS TO SEE PRINT. WRITING WAS SPORADIC BECAUSE I WORK BEST UNDER INSPIRATION AND SELDOM USE AN OUTLINE. THAT ALLOWS FOR MORE FREEDOM IN A STORYLINE, BUT ALSO LEADS TO DRY SPELLS.

8) How well did your husband and cats deal with you being at the computer for hours at a time?

MY CATS DEALT WITH IT BY CLIMBING INTO MY LAP AND TRYING TO CRAWL ONTO THE KEYBOARD...MY HUSBAND TRIED THIS ONCE, BUT GAVE UP WHEN THE KEYBOARD TRAY THREATENED TO GIVE WAY... BUT SERIOUSLY, THE CATS WERE PERSISTANT IN TRYING TO CUDDLE WHEN I WROTE AT HOME. MY HUSBAND, ON THE OTHER HAND, WAS NOTHING IF NOT SUPPORTIVE. HE BROUGHT ME DRINKS AND FOOD TO KEEP ME GOING, TURNED ON MUSIC FOR ME WHEN THE SILENCE WAS TOO MUCH, AND WATCHED TV WITH HEADPHONES ON SO AS TO NOT DISRUPT MY INSPIRATION.

TO BE FAIR TO HIM I TRIED MORE OFTEN THAN NOT TO WRITE AT WORK, EITHER DURING THE LULLS OR AFTER HOURS. I HAD A JOB THEN WHERE THE WORKLOAD WAS EITHER STACKED TO THE RAFTERS OR NONEXISTANT,
DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF YEAR, AND I COULD GET AWAY WITH THIS.

9) Once the book was done, what was the process of getting published like?

WELL, I AM NOT THE BEST PERSON TO ASK ABOUT THAT AS YESTERDAY'S DREAMS WENT BETTER THAN A DREAM. I ALMOST HESITATE TO SAY THIS KNOWING THE KIND OF HATE MAIL I MIGHT BE LETTING MYSELF IN FOR, BUT I ACTUALLY NEVER HAD TO SUBMIT THE BOOK ANYWHERE...NOT EVEN A PROPOSAL.

WHEN I FIRST STARTED WRITING IT I WAS A VOLUNTEER ON AN AOL WRITER'S SITE. SINCE SO MANY PEOPLE WERE INTERESTED IN MY PROGRESS I USED THE AOL FREE WEBSITE FEATURE TO CREATE A HOMEPAGE FOR MY STORY ONCE I DECIDED I WAS GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY WITH A NOVEL (YD STARTED OUT AS A SHORT STORY). I DIDN'T SEE MUCH TRAFFIC BEYOND THOSE WHO ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE STORY, UNTIL ONE DAY, OUT OF THE BLUE, SOMEONE ACTUALLY E-MAILED ME FROM THE DUSTY "CONTACT THE AUTHOR" LINK ON MY SITE. IT WAS A PERSON WHO TOLD ME THEY WERE AN AGENT FOR A COUPLE OF PUBLISHERS AND HE THOUGHT THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED. HE WANTED ME TO CONTACT HIM WHEN IT WAS DONE. AT THAT TIME I ONLY HAD ABOUT THREE OR FOUR CHAPTERS UP ON THE SITE AND WRITING WAS SPORADIC. I FILED AWAY HIS NAME AND KEPT PLUGGING AWAY, MUCH ENCOURAGED BY THE E-MAIL.

FINALLY, TWO YEARS LATER, I FINISHED. ON THE OFF CHANCE THAT HE REMEMBERED ME I DROPPED HIM AN E-MAIL.  SURPRISINGLY HE STILL REMEMBERED ME!  IT TOOK ANOTHER TWO YEARS TO IRON OUT THE DETAILS AND GET THE BOOK IN PRINT, BUT THAT IS THE CHARMED LIFE I'VE HAD WITH PUBLISHING. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT ISN'T VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF EVERYDAY AGONY MOST ASPIRING AUTHORS HAVE TO GO THROUGH. I DON'T HAVE EVEN ONE REJECTION SLIP, BUT THEN, I NEVER SENT THE BOOK ANYWHERE ELSE.

AS FOR THE REST OF THE PROCESS, IT DID TAKE SOME TIME TO HEAR BACK FROM THE PUBLISHER WITH AN ACCEPTANCE LETTER, AND THEN WE HAD TO NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT. THE WORST PART WAS THE LONG WAIT, NEARLY A YEAR IN ITSELF, TO HEAR BACK FROM EDITORIAL AND DESIGN ON THE OVERALL CONDITION OF THE
MANUSCRIPT AND THE FINAL APPEARANCE OF THE BOOK ITSELF.

10) What are your writing habits like?

IF YOU ASKED AN ENGLISH TEACHER, THEY WOULD SAY ATROCIOUS. I DON'T DO OUTLINES, MY NOTES ARE HAPHAZARD, AND I DON'T PLOT OUT MY CHARACTERS. IF YOU ASK ME, I SAY MY WRITING HABITS ARE INSPIRED AND COMFORTABLE. I GET A CORE IDEA, GET IT DOWN ON PAPER, HOPE THAT IDEA LEADS TO OTHER, AND IF IT
DOESN'T I READ OVER WHAT I HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN, TWEAK IT WHERE NECESSARY AND FLESH IT OUT AS I GO. SINCE I CONTINUALLY GO BACK OVER WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN I AM GENERALLY 99% CONSISTENT IN MAINTAINING CONTINUITY THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.

I LIKE TO WRITE WITH INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND--FOR ME INSPIRATIONAL MEANS RELATED TO WHAT I AM WRITING, WHICH IN MY CASE MEANS A LOT OF CELTIC MUSIC, PREFERABLY IN GAELIC OR JUST INSTRUMENTAL--AND NO ONE ELSE IN THE ROOM. I CAN WRITE ANYWHERE THERE IS A COMPUTER, AND HAVE ALSO BEEN KNOWN TO DO SOME OF MY BEST WRITING ON A STENO PAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NYC SUBWAY ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK.

11) What kind of things do you do in your free time?

WELL, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO I STARTED WORKING FOR RANDOM HOUSE AND THAT CUT INTO MY FREE TIME, LATE HOURS AND ALL OF THAT. THEN WE BOUGHT A NEW HOUSE LAST YEAR SO LATELY I REALLY DON'T HAVE FREE TIME! IF I'M NOT WRITING I AM RENOVATING/REPAIRING SOMETHING IN THE HOUSE. NOW, WHAT I
*LIKE* TO DO IN MY FREE TIME IS READ (OF COURSE!), CROCHET, COOK, AND PUTTER AROUND MY GARDEN.
ONCE IN A WHILE I ESCAPE TO THE MOVIES.

12) If a movie was made of your life, who would you cast in it?

OUCH... THAT IS A TOUGH ONE... I THINK I'D WANT ROSIE O'DONALD IN THERE SOMEWHERE, JUST BECAUSE I GET A KICK OUT OF HER. PERHAPS ALLY SHEEDY TO BE ME BECAUSE I THINK SHE IS A GREAT, UNDERUTILIZED ACTRESS...AND ALSO BECAUSE AT ONE TIME EVERYONE SEEMED TO THINK WE LOOKED ALIKE, STILL DO, BUT NOT AS MUCH NOW THAT WE ARE IN DIFFERENT DRESS SIZES.

I WOULD WANT LAWRENCE L. BOWEN TO BE MY HUSBAND (THEY LOOK NOTHING ALIKE AND LLB IS A DESIGNER ON THE BRITISH DYI PROGRAM CHANGING ROOMS, NOT AN ACTOR, BUT WHAT THE HECK...IT'S MY MOVIE!)

13) Have you done any events as an author yet? Conventions, signings and such?

I MADE MY DEBUT AT A SMALL CONVENTION THAT IS JUST STARTING UP AT VASSAR COLLEGE, NONCON (POUGHKEEPSIE, NY). IT WAS THE CONVENTIONS SECOND YEAR AND IT WAS VERY SMALL (VERRRRRY SMALL). I WENT FROM THAT TO BALTICON 36 (BALTIMORE, MD), WHICH WAS NONCON'S EXACT OPPOSITE. THAT WAS
A MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE. I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME AND MADE SOME GREAT FRIENDS IN THE WORLD
OF SCI FI/FANTASY AUTHORS. UNFORTUNATELY DUE TO A MISCOMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLISHER I HAD NO BOOKS TO SELL, BUT OVERALL IT WAS GREAT.

I HOPE TO BE AT THIS YEAR'S ASTRONOMICON AND PHILCON, THOUGH I  AM WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION. NEXT YEAR I EXPECT TO APPEAR AGAIN AT NONCON AND BALTICON, AND I WILL ALSO APPEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME AT LUNACON (RYE BROOK, NY) AND JERSEYDEVILCON (EDISON, NJ).

I AM ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP SOME READINGS AND AUTHOR SIGNINGS THROUGH BARNES AND NOBLE.

14) What other types of jobs have you had?

OH MY! WHERE DO I START? LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY, MY VERY FIRST JOB WAS AS A PACKER AT AN ONION FARM! AFTER THAT, YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH NAME IT AND THERE IS A CHANCE THAT IF IT'S LEGAL I DID IT. SOME OF MY MORE INTERESTING ONES WERE AS A BELL-RINGER FOR THE SALVATION ARMY, A CLOWN, AND AN USHER AT AN OFF-BROADWAY THEATRE. OF COURSE, FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS I'VE MADE A PLACE FOR MYSELF IN PUBLISHING.

15) Can you tell anything about what you are working on now?

CURRENTLY I AM WORKING ON THE SEQUEL TO YESTERDAY'S DREAMS, WHICH IS ENTITLED TOMORROW'S MEMORIES. THIS ONE BASICALLY PICKS UP WHERE THE OTHER LEFT OFF... IN FACT, VERY SLIGHTLY THEY OVERLAP IN EVENT, THOUGH NOT TEXT. THE O'KEEFES AND THE SIDHE ARE ON THEIR WAY TO IRELAND AND TIR NA NOG,
LITTLE DO THEY KNOW THAT EVIL FOLLOWS THEM AND MORE AWAITS THEIR ARRIVAL IN IRELAND. WE WILL SEE THE MAIN CHARACTER, KARA, DEVELOP MORE STRONGLY, EXPLORE MORE OF THE WORLD OF THE SIDHE, AND BRING IN SOME ADDITIONAL DYNAMIC CHARACTERS TO MOVE THE STORY ALONG. WE ALSO EXPLORE MORE OF THE ANCIENT PAST OF IRELAND AND THE SIDHE, SOME FACTUAL AND SOME THE CREATION OF MY FERTILE MIND.

THERE ARE ALSO A FEW OTHER STORYLINES I AM EXPLORING, THOUGH THEY TAKE EXTREME SECOND PLACE TO THE SEQUEL.

16) Have you thought about putting together a website?

I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF DESIGNING A NEW AUTHOR WEBSITE, WITH THE HELP OF MY GOOD FRIEND TEE MORRIS OF IMAGINE THAT STUDIOS, AND AUTHOR OF MOREVI, A WONDERFUL FANTASY EPIC. IN THE MEANTIME I HAVE A PAGE ON AUTHORSDEN.COM AND A NEWS GROUP CALLED YESTERDAY'S DREAMS WITH SMARTGROUPS.COM, NOT TO MENTION MY OWN PAGE HERE AT BOOKS N BYTES : )

17) What’s the hardest part of writing?

GETTING STARTED, KEEPING IT GOING, AND KNOWING WHEN TO STOP!  LOL. BUT REALLY, I THINK IT IS LEARNING HOW TO NOT LET THE EVERYDAY WORLD INHIBIT YOUR PROCESS, YOU KNOW, DON'T LET FIGHTS OR THE WEATHER OR THINGS LIKE THAT BRING YOU DOWN TO THE POINT WHERE YOUR NOT MOTIVATED TO WRITE.

18) As a New Yorker, could you see yourself living anywhere else? What makes New York so unique?

I MAY LIVE IN NEW YORK, BUT I'M NOT A NEW YORKER BORN AND BRED. I ACTUALLY GREW UP IN A SMALL PLANNED COMMUNITY IN THE BOONDOCKS OF SOUTH JERSEY. I MISS THAT QUIET KIND OF LIVING. NEW YORK
IS GREAT FOR GETTING AROUND AND FINDING THINGS... AND YOU COULDN'T ASK FOR A BETTER PLACE TO BE IF YOU PLAN A CAREER IN PUBLISHING, BUT EVENTUAL I'M GOING TO FIND MYSELF A QUIET SUBURB WHERE I DON'T MIND RAISING A FAMILY.

19) What’s the one thing always in your refrigerator?

HMMM.... KALUHA, GREEN OLIVES, MINCED GARLIC, AND BACON!