What’s your
name, and where aremyse you from?
My name is Rachel Oaks and I'm from Orem, Utah.
How long
have you been writing?
I became dedicated to writing in junior high, which was when I first
had an audience of my peers. Even though writing is something I do crouched
over a computer or notebook, I'm not a terribly introverted person, so I thrive
off of lots of immediate feedback.
What
genre(s) do you write?
I'm most interested in
magical realism. Day-to-day life can be absurd and fantastic, and I like see
that stretched a little bit further. I also write a great deal of fantasy, but
I prefer to collaborate on those projects for many reasons, the chief being I'm
not a very dedicated world builder.
What’s your
current WIP? Can you tell us about it?
I'm the co-creator and scriptwriter
for a webcomic called Children of Eldar. It's a fantasy about three
young friends who are thrown into a war-worn world on the brink
of annihilation. They band together in the face of xenophobia, captivity,
and a demon army set on devouring every living body on the planet. As they
become familiar with the people and cultures of their new world, they find
things worth fighting for. The artist, my fellow creator, is
the remarkably innovative Jemma Young, and the comic will be online
in March 2013.
What’s your
current day job? How does it help or hinder your writing?
I'm an English teacher in
Japan. The experience is stocking my arsenal with good material, but
the hours and workload are not highly conducive to writing as such.
Who is your
favorite author?
I enjoy Aimee Bender, because she writes simple and lovely stories
about sad and lonely characters.
Favorite
book?
My favorite books are the ones that help me understand my own current
situation better, and I read Bender's An Invisible Sign of My
Own at exactly the time I needed to.
What other
hobbies or activities do you do outside of writing?
I like to travel, and I try to take a trip every month or so. The
train system here makes with really easy to get places, even though I don't
have a car. My most recent trip in Japan was to Mount Koya, which is the
headquarters for a Shingon sect of Buddism. I stayed at a temple, ate tofu,
tried their outdoor bath, and sat so still for their morning ceremony my legs
fell asleep. I couldn't even stand on my own afterward!
What is
something unique about yourself?
My belly button. It's sort of an inny that wants to be an outie.
Do you have
a blog, Twitter, and/or Web site we can link to?
My tumblr is Sunny in Seto.
You can see a pretty teaser picture of Children of Eldar at
Eldar Chronicles
until March of next year. After that, it will be replaced by a comic that will
rock your world, probably.
My favourite book at the moment is The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender. I picked the book up at random, and I'm really glad I did.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview. Thanks Charlie.
I think it would be awesome to be a teacher in Japan. What a wonderful opportunity!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview ladies!