Thanks, Päivi!

Well, this is a fun and wonderful thing!

A few months ago my brother Vic and I met a young woman online who lives far away in Finland and who has an imagination that kicks BUTT. So surprising and vivid, her images. Her name is Päivi Kuosmanen and I turned to her a couple of months ago for help.

See, Ahmed Khan had a submission call out for two anthologies (Cheer Up, Universe and Fun Times in Strange Lands). I like submitting to Ahmed's anthologies because a) he always comes up with cool ideas for them and b) he likes my writing! So it's fun and egoboo. (Usually.)

Well, I wrote a story for Cheer Up. Perfect of course. Not so to Ahmed! Sigh. "This is For Mrs. Zaberewsky" came wending home, tail betwixt her legs.

Then I started on something for Fun Times. Egads! I am so not used to writing YA! I started, I built a head of steam, I floundered.

I ask Päivi for help.

Now, Päivi has limited fiction writing experience. But she has a lively and humorous take on life. I have more experience. But I have a dour and stalwart approach. A marriage made in heaven? Who knows. But it's sure been fun.

I write, I send, she fixes. She writes, I glance over, she writers more. We debate, we miss each other, we blunder ahead on our own; we meet on gmail-chat and negotiate.

What we've written is something neither of us would have produced on our own. Whether it is good or not, who can say? It's harder to control a story when, well, you're not controlling it, and in this process I am sometimes straining in another direction, sometimes running to catch up. But whatever it's flaws may be, "Triona's Beans" has a lot of gentle humour and some very endearing beings in it. And it was a great way to have fun with someone who is thousands and thousands of miles away.

So, thanks, Pie! Now let's hope we can find a home for this.

image by Rudolf Koivu.