Leif Grundstrom-Whitney
is the proud co-author of the epical satire The Hidden Chalice of the Cloud People; the
wicked and witty character known as Facinorous contained therein is a product
of his multifarious mind. He has been published in several obscure poetry
journals (hold your applause). To say that he is an edacious reader would be an
understatement worthy of Hemingway. If he had a spirit animal, it would
probably be a raven who knows how to play a Hammond B-3 organ.
Jason Grundstrom-Whitney
has been a Social Worker and Substance Abuse Counselor in the State of Maine
for many years. In this time, he has introduced meditation (tai-chi, qigong,
yoga, and meditation) groups to teens when told he would fail. This was one of
the most successful and long lasting groups. He developed a Civil Rights/Peer
Helper course that won state and national awards (for High School) and has
worked as a civil rights activist. He has also worked as a long term care
social worker and now works as a Hospice Medical Social Worker. Jason is a
poet, writer, and musician playing bass, harmonica and various wind
instruments. Lover of all styles of music he has played classical, jazz, rock,
funk, country, blues, and rap. He is very excited to play bass with his
brother’s band and his son’s. He is very proud to have co-authored The
Hidden Chalice of the Cloud People with his son Leif.
Questionnaire:
Thanks for letting us interrogate
you! Can you give us a go-for-the-gut
answer as to why you wanted to be an author?
The
simple act of obeying the creative whim of the imagination or peregrinating along
a certain line of thought that leads to words scribbled on paper fills our hearts
with one of their greatest pleasures. Traversing the grandeur of the mind
whilst admiring and luxuriating in the beauty and bewitching splendor of the
ethereal regions of the Muse connects our spirits to the transcendent and the
sublime in a manner similar to that which is described exquisitely by
Wordsworth in his genius epical epopee The Prelude. When that creative
sensation of mental exploration rolls through our minds, we feel jubilant and
carefree and profound. The whole experience of writing enriches our souls;
drowning our thoughts in joy and afflatus.
What
more is there that we can tell? The blood of Orpheus polluted our ancestors’
generational well.
Is
the art of writing part of an agonistic struggle to be heard,
Misreading
illustrious predecessors in a manner almost absurd?
Let’s
leave that a mystery for those of prodigious sagacity to solve.
Tell us (we won’t tell
promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be?
I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?
Writing
fulfills a clamorous need, almost sacerdotal in its truculence, for creative
expression. What could be as vital and important to an artistic soul?
To
silence the howls of the persistent Daemon (the inscrutable force of creativity
within each one of us) that haunts our deepest inwardness is the greatest
single perk of writing. There is nothing so satisfying or rewarding as
completing a complex literary project, particularly one of significant length.
The demands consist of nothing but a complete
devotion to countless hours of hard work at your craft; pledging yourself utterly
to your artistic duty as a sentence-shaper and story-summoner.
Which route did you take –
traditional or self-published – and can you give us the nitty gritty low down
on what’s that like?
Though we succumbed to the allure of
self-publishing, we are still very much in pursuit of a traditional publisher.
For the moment, our book is published through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
There is not much of a “nitty gritty low down” to describe. The whole process
took a grand total of ten minutes. They have really made self-publishing easy
and accessible. If this answer bears a certain Hemingwayesque
terseness, you have our apologies.
Tell us for real what your
family feels about you spending so much time getting your book written,
polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
Our
family has fully supported us throughout our pursuit of this wild literary
endeavor. We have been lucky and fortunate in that regard. Their understanding
proved invaluable during the whole writing process and we are grateful to them
for the continued generosity of their permissiveness.
This is for pet lovers. If you don’t own a pet, skip this question,
but do your pets actually get their food on time or do they have to wait until
you type just one more word?
The
supernal landlords of the cosmos forbid a scheduled feeding should be missed! The
pets, a prissy diva-like cat and two theatrical harpies (also known as
parrots), would revolt and tear the house down board by board with fearsome tooth
and piercing claw! Woe Betide the poor fool who shirks his responsibilities towards
his pets!
This is for plant lovers. If you don’t own a plant, skip this question,
but if you do, are they actually still alive?
Yes,
they are most certainly alive. Each one is a stubborn survivor needing very
little care. It would be a difficult task indeed to stifle their vibrant
vitality. They are tough living structures suited for an existence in a
post-apocalyptic wasteland.
In writing your book, how did
you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing dinner or your boss
calling you saying you’re late?
The
creation of the book was handled in such a way as to eschew these issues. That
is to say it was crafted in a rather disciplined fashion during the hours of
the day wherein the possibility of interruption interfering with effort was
slight.
What was the craziest or insane
thing that happened to you in the book publishing process?
The
publishing process was mercifully unmarked by “crazy” incident. There was a
certain ease to self-publishing with Amazon Kindle Direct. We welcome, however,
“insane” events, so long as they are not pernicious or counterproductive, in
our continued effort to find a traditional publisher.
How about the social
networks? Which ones do you believe help
and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
The
benefits of the social networks have yet to manifest. We are neophytes that
have just recently joined Facebook and Twitter but our expectations are high.
Linkedin should most likely be avoided by fresh authors seeking to promote
their work. That particular website, from our experience, yields little
success.
Book sales. Don’t you just love them (or lack of?)? How are you making the sales happen for you?
Book
sales? What are those? We thought they were only lofty myths couched in the
byzantine hearts of various extravagant fables. No, but seriously, the sales
have been relatively mediocre so far and that is why we hired a skilled
publicist to help us in the promotion department. A blitzkrieg publicity
campaign, smothering numerous forms of media in a wide shadowy web, will
hopefully increase the sales and visibility of our book.
What is one thing you’d like to
jump on the rooftop and scream about?
One of us would likely drag forks of lightning
down from a tempest-afflicted welkin to use as utensils for an ambrosial
banquet. That individual would pluck the horn of the moon out of the gelid
celestial abysm and then fashion it into a stylish cap. In all seriousness
though, we would shout about having accomplished a lifelong dream and how
rewarding the satisfaction of such a feat feels.
Okay, too much sugar for you
today! Here’s a nice cup of Chamomile
tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the waves roll in. Now…can you tell us what you love about being
a published author and how all those things above doesn’t matter because it’s
all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t have it any other way?
It is all worth it, carving a tremulous paradise
out of the chaos of our experiences in the world. What
is life without the miracle of a realized dream (artistic or otherwise) though?
An empty shell of an existence, gutted by the malison of loneliness, withering
unto an unmourned conclusion!
