Blurb: When one woman calls to another across three centuries, a grieving family finds the strength to overcome adversity. In Acquiescence, Pamina Campbell and her family try to piece their lives back together in a 1770 Connecticut farmhouse, but have no idea that secrecy, homophobia, and a ghastly confession await. Two plot threads twine as one woman calls to another across three centuries. |
Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?
The message in Acquiescence is that even though a person may have no desire to re-live a challenging or difficult time in their life, the obstacle can play a role in shaping who you become. If you allow adversity to become an opportunity for growth, you may become a different person.
Do you have a favorite snack food or favorite beverage that you enjoy while you write?
While I don’t have any particular type of snack or drink at my side as I write, I did have a food-incentive-as-reward for when I received my first Offer of Representation for Acquiescence. Although I don’t eat them (because years ago I gave up corn syrup, GMOs, and wheat), I’m crazy about Vienna Fingers cookies. A year ago, when I started sending out query letters, I decided to buy a package of Vienna Fingers and keep them on top of an exposed hand-hewn beam in our kitchen. I promised myself that on the day I got my offer, I would welcome “corn syrup coma” and gobble down the entire twenty-four pack, along with a cold glass of raw milk. The enticing red and yellow package stared down at me every time I walked under the beam. With every rejection letter, the rounded-end finger-shaped cookies taunted me. I could almost hear them sneer, “Ha! Ha! We’re safe up here. You’re never gonna eat us!” And then, came my Offer of Representation from Second Wind Publishing. As I triumphantly dunked each crème-filled vanilla cookie, every “unfortunately, this manuscript does not fit our needs at this time” rejection drowned in the glass of milk.
What advice you would give to an aspiring author?
The best advice I would give an aspiring author is a quote by literary agent, Dan Lazar:
“The best rule of thumb is always to start the story where the story starts.” This was one of the stumbling blocks in my first drafts. Where does the story start? Until you, the author, have that straight in your mind, the story’s flow won’t be right. Also, although it’s difficult, being able to summarize your book in one sentence clarifies its goal. |
Aside from the sisterhood, the thing I've enjoyed most are the names and the costumes. Each skater must create her alias or "skater name" and once it's registered, the name is hers forever. I haven't quite figured out how the scoring works, so when I'm not watching the Jammer, I spend a good part of each bout reading the names on the backs of shirts and chuckling to myself about the clever wit of the skaters. Skaters often assume the persona that goes along with their skater name. Some of my favorites are:
Eleanor Bruisevelt
Eva Bangoria
Maura Buse
Yankee ClipHer
Wynona Juggs
Ether Bunny
Dewey Decks'emall
Doom Hilda
Victoria Deck'em
Beyonslay
Syphilis Diller
Tess of the Derby Wheels
Vandal Eyes
Artillery Clinton
My daughter, whose last name is Urban, experimented with names like Urban Blight, Urban Decay, Urban Sprawl. I could simply be Veal Chopper.
Most people over the age of forty have heard of roller derby, but it's a sport of mystery and misinformation. That misinformation is the reason my husband and I weren't quite sure we heard correctly when our daughter said she wanted to try out for a roller derby league. She's a gentle young woman who practices yoga and Reiki and never raises her voice. She helps turtles cross the road and, like me, puts spiders outside rather than kill them. In the 1950's, a skater could hit, elbow, and punch another skater. After attending our first bout, we learned there are now penalties for grabbing or using the hands, blocking with the forearms, tripping, kicking, pushing, punching, shoving, elbow jabbing, blocking with the head, and hitting from behind.
In the 1950's, physical violence was all part of this entertaining, but scripted, sport; much like the WWF. Today, most of the derby leagues are governed by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The days of a banked track are gone and I've read that every amateur track is absolutely flat. This is the beauty of the new roller derby; a league doesn't have to buy or build a track. There are women skating in roller rinks, old warehouses and bowling alleys, airplane hangars and even in empty parking lots. Each team member volunteers her time, talent, and skill in organizing and running different committees, much like a business and this was actually a question posed to my daughter. There are fundraising, sponsorship, public relations, merchandising, and volunteer committees and most leagues believe in giving back to the community. Women helping women; that's what it's all about.
So what's the appeal of contemporary roller derby? I don't follow any sport, so that's not what attracts me. There is so much more to roller derby than you might think. It's not about the fishnets. For me, it's the idea that women all around the world have created these spaces for themselves. That's the beauty of it all: it's grassroots. Men aren't excluded, but neither are they running the show. On just one team you'll find college students, lawyers, waitresses, dental hygienists, stay-at-home-moms, and teachers. There are women of all sizes, all ages. Some are tattooed, many are bruised but they're doing it their way. You can feel it from the "suicide seats" located on the floor. Roller derby girls are no different from the women who belonged to Amish quilting circles of the 1800's, or Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha of Sex and the City fame.
You know you want an alias? What would yours be?
Velya Jancz-Urban is the author of Acquiescence and the creator of Colonial Goodwife: The Not-So-Good Life of the Colonial Goodwife
Learn more about her and her novel at:
Acquiescence is available from Second Wind Publishing
Website
Blog