The Evolution of Nikki

Posts Tagged ‘Patrick Pillars’

Today is a very exciting week for those of us involved in the From the Dark Side Anthology. We’re all busily promoting it in many ways.

One way that I’ve chosen to do it is by interviewing my good friend Patrick Pillars, who, you may remember, guest blogged on this very site in May.

So, without further ado, here is my interview with Patrick Pillars.

Q: First, can you tell us a little about who Patrick Pillars is?

A: I was born in 1965 and being a part of that generation has shaded my writing as much as my life. I was a typical Michigan kid until I went to the University of Tennessee where I got an education in more then just English Lit.

I have been lucky to be married for 21 1/2 yrs and have 3 sons, the youngest being 4. I have dabbled in art, a rock band, and always writing. I have loved poetry since I was a wee lad and until the past couple years, few knew I was even writing poetry. Like most poets, I am also a frustrated short story writer and someday novelist. That is the condensed version.

Q: Can you tell the readers a little bit about Veil? What inspired it

A: Veil is my nemesis. Some poems just come right out, and I don’t tinker at all with them. Some are more difficult and require some writing and tweaking. Veil was tough right out of the gate. I had a vision standing on a balcony in Traverse City, MI, looking out across the bay. With that came a scene of the vanishing woman type thing and the way I went. This poem has been floating around for awhile and I never really did much with it until the Anthology came along. Then the idea of mirrors and alternate, dream-like reality took over and I worked it for over a month. I think, much like the poem, that I never quite touch what I am looking for, and maybe that was the point. Poetry can be weird that way.

Q: How did you come to be involved in the anthology?

A: One day I was talking with Jennifer Hudock and I asked her if she ever thought about doing an anthology. She said yes, a little, what did I have in mind. So we chatted about some ideas and how to get folks who write in all kinds of genres and styles together to do an anthology, and we would do it for charity. I just kinda gave her an idea and she ran with it and did all the really hard work.

As many of you know by now, Friday is the release date of the From the Dark Side Anthology. And I have to say, I’m VERY excited. This is the first time I’ve had a short story published, so it’s a big deal for me. How lucky am I to be included in a group of such amazingly talented people? (I’ve actually been battling a “I’m not worthy” feeling.)

So, if you were wondering what cool peeps are included in the anthology, here you go:

• David Sobkowiak

• Drew Beatty

• Nicole Godin

• James Melzer

• Patrick Pillars

• Jennifer Williams

• Acadia Einstein

• Mark BurningHawk Baxter

• Keith Dugger

• Jason Warden

• Jake Bible

• Jennifer Hudock

• Jacqueline Roth

• Joseph Bowley

• Pearce Kilgour

• Jim Ryan

• Kate Sherrod

• Josh Crummer

If you would like more information on the From the Dark Side Anthology, you can visit Jennifer Hudock’s site or you can read the press release below:

From the Dark Side: A Charity Anthology

In March 2010, a group of creative types got together in search of ways to showcase their work. There were talks of collaboration which evolved into the From the Dark Side Anthology. Because there were so many people involved in the project, an equal distribution of earnings seemed silly, and so those who gave birth to the idea decided to ask contributors to donate their work.

A worthwhile cause creative-types could stand behind was not hard to find. We turned our attention to the Letters and Light Organization, a non-profit charity that promotes youth creativity.

Since most creative people have a special memory of someone who encouraged and supported them, nurtured their gift and inspired them to pursue their dreams, it seemed like an obvious choice to donate all the proceeds earned from this charity endeavor to The Letters and Light Organization.

Details: Will go on sale electronically July 9, 2010 on Amazon and Smashwords for $4.99 per copy.

Readers do NOT need an eReader in order to download and read the anthology. Amazon offers a download of their Kindle software for PCs and Macs, as well as the iPhone and iTouch. Smashwords has a wide variety of downloadable mediums, from direct browser html and PDF to eReader and Kindle, just to name a few.