VICKI CASE
- Guest Poet -
G'day folks,
Welcome to an interview conducted with an Australian poet - Vicki Case. Vicki is not only a poet, as you will soon read. She is also a very generous writer who always encourages and promotes other Australian writers. Vicki has read my latest book, 'Pa Joe's Place', and loved it. She has promoted it far and wide, including a 5-Star review on Amazon. For that I'm very grateful.
Welcome, Vicki ...
1. TELL US
A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR POETRY JOURNEY.
I am just a humble
Australian country girl, born and raised on a large citrus and stone-fruit farm
on the outskirts of Western Sydney. My high school history teacher once told me
that I would never be able to write. Boy!
Was he wrong?
Prior to meeting a
man I affectionately call ‘Eros’ I had difficulty stringing several words
together. However after I met him and
subsequently fell head over heels in love with him I found a creative chakra
which ultimately became my poetic journey to the literary world. Initially the words of admiration and
adoration for him began flooding my head sporadically before turning into a
tsunami of words that bombarded me relentlessly until they formed the next
poem. I told Eros of my love for him via
a daily poem I would text to him during his commute to work. It didn’t take long before they filled a
folder; then two. Eros would often tell
me that my poetry was good and that I should consider publishing it but I just
believed his words were a way a appeasing me; rather than telling me the
truth. It wasn’t until after he
unceremoniously severed me from his life that I actually seriously contemplated
the prospect. The rest is history and I
am now a published poet and author. Who
would have thought?
2. WHEN
AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A POET?
I
found my calling as a poet in 2009. It was unexpected and came from out of the
blue. In 2009 I met an extraordinary man who I fell in love with him. Prior to meeting him I had difficulty putting
stringing several meaningful words together. However after I fell in love with
him words literally circled my head and bombarded me relentlessly (day and
night) until they formed a poem.
3. WHAT DO
YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A POET?
The
favourite part of writing poetry is that poetry allows me to express my inner
most feelings, fears and desires in words and verse. Writing poetry I can be angry one moment and
overjoyed the next. The best thing that
I have discovered about poetry is that it provided me with an avenue through
which to deal with life and loss; at a time when I found myself alone and
lost. If I had not found poetry when I
did I may not be here today sharing this interview with you; and that is the
sad and honest truth.
4. WHAT IS
THE HARDEST THING ABOUT POETRY?
The hardest thing
about poetry is its lack of appreciation in today’s society. Despite poetry being the inaugural literary
art form, it is undervalued and underappreciated today. When I tell people that I am an author they
get excited. However, when I tell people that I write poet they simply respond
“oh” and walk away.
5. WHAT
WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A POET?
Prior to rising from
the ashes and becoming a poet I was (and still am) an internationally certified
criminal analyst working with an Australian law enforcement agency. I have been in the field of law enforcement
since 1990. It’s a career I really enjoy
& it gives me a lot of personal satisfaction; not to mention, at times, frustration.
6. WHAT IS
YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
Without question, my
greatest writing achievement has been the publication of my poetry. If you had told me five years ago that I’d be
a published author I would have laughed at you.
7. WHAT
ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
I
am currently working on two projects simultaneously. My projects are not poetry this time. I have diversified my writings and am
expanding my horizons into writing fiction and non-fiction.
My
first project is a fiction story I have titled ‘Chameleon Blue’. It is a behind the scenes story of policing
and a police station. It’s not a story
about fighting and solving crime; it’s a story about the lives and happenings
surrounding a group of police officers in an Australian police station. It is guaranteed to surprise, shock and
entertain. When people think of Police
officers’ they think of a person in a uniform who is there to attend to them
when they have suffered and been a victim of crime. The truth is that Police are ordinary people,
drawn from society, who want, feel and desire just like you and I. Unfortunately for Police, the community at
large never get to see, nor do they understand that there is another side to
the men and women who strive to make society a safer and better place to
live.
My
second project is my memoirs which I have titled ‘No One’s Story’. A few years ago, after enduring the
devastation of losing the love of my life and seriously contemplating ending my
life as a consequence; a friend suggested that I write my autobiography. She
suggested that it was a way of; not only grieving, but a way to deal with the
hurt and pain that I was experiencing. Initially I thought she was nuts but
then I came to the realisation that I have had a pretty different life and
survived to tell the story. I am now;
after having commenced the book; am of the belief that people who read it will
learn from my mistakes and appreciate and respect the courage I have
demonstrated through adversity. I guarantee it will make you laugh one minute
and cry the next.
8. WHAT
INSPIRES YOU?
A lot of things
inspire me; from the beauty of the sun rising in the east each morning; to the
spender of nature; to the courage, resilience and fortitude of the human
spirit. When all seems lost; you will always find
someone who is worse off then you.
9. WHAT
SORT OF POETRY DO YOU WRITE?
I write emotionally
honest poetry using the rhyme scheme with every alternate line of my verses
rhyming. My poetry comes straight from my heart and reflects the ebbs and flows
of my emotions as I transverse the feelings of finding love, to losing it, to
living to tell the tale of the aftermath.
10.
DO YOU
HAVE ANY TIPS FOR ASPIRING POETS?
Never give up and
never throw out your work. If poetry is
your dream then never give it up and never, ever let anyone tell you that you
can’t do it; because you can.
11.
DO YOU
SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
Initially,
no however more recently; yes.
12.
DO YOU
HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
No I don’t have a
preferred writing schedule. With respect
to my poetry, I write it when it comes to me; which is mostly at night between
the hours of 2100 and 0100. However now,
I have to fit it into my career and family commitments which is proving
difficult.
13.
DO YOU
HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
Not really. Unfortunately for me the majority of my
poetry comes to me when I am sleeping; generally between the hours of 2100
& 0100 hours. I have found that I
have to sleep with a writing pad and pen beside the bed so that I can jot them
down as they come to me so that I don’t forget them. Generally, the following day I will re-write
them (so to ensure they are legible) or type them up for inclusion in my next
poetry book.
More recently however
I have diversified into the world of fiction and for this writing I generally
write in my study (or ‘ego’ room as I call it).
I have a PC set up in my study so I find it easier to write my novels in
there.
14.
WHAT IS
YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
The greatest joy in
writing for me is seeing my book[s] come to fruition and appear on the Internet
to buy.
15.
WHO IS
YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
I don’t believe that
I actually have a favourite author per
say; however the author whom has written the most books I have read would
have to be Patricia Cornwell. I must;
with some embarrassment admit; that prior to reading a Patricia Cornwell novel
I preferred non-fiction works. However since reading her work I am now more
read in the fiction genre.
16.
WHAT’S
THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
Without question, the
greatest compliment I have ever received from a reader was after she read my
poetry and then; on social media; began referring to me as the ‘Aussie Poet of Love’. What greater compliment could a poet receive
than to be given a title such as this? Each and every day since I have
endeavoured to be worthy of this title.
17.
WHAT
WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?
It’s not really a
comment that is the worst comment from a reader; it’s a common reaction that I
receive that is difficult to deal with. When the topic arises and I tell people
that I am a published author; you can visually see their demeanour change to
one of enthusiasm and a willingness to get to know me better. However once I
tell them I write poetry they generally just respond with an ‘oh’, followed by
a shrug of their shoulders and they disappear back into the ethos from which
they came.
When you consider
that poetry was the inaugural form of literature; coupled with the fact that it
takes a creative person to write poetry; I find this reaction extremely
difficult to deal with. You can call me
‘vain’ if you wish but my poetry is exceptionally good and it takes enormous
personal courage and faith in one’s self to publish one’s works. Considering all of the offender’s to date
have not published a book themselves; I find their reaction[s] a poor
reflection on our lack of literary culture and our education system.
18.
WRITERS
ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Absolutely, whether
it is my poetry or my current memoir or fiction projects, there is always
something within them that is or was influenced by an event or an
individual.
19.
OTHER
THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
I am a very diverse
individual actually. In my spare time
(what I have of it) I love to play the guitar (I have three). I have a music
room set in my home with all the mod-cons and I regularly play and sing to my
heart’s content. Generally at a decibel
that doesn’t upset the neighbours though.
I am also learning the
violin. My father gave me his great;
great; great; great-grandfather’s violin a few years ago as a family
heirloom. However for me though it had
been in his wardrobe for 40 years and my grand-fathers shed for umpteen dozen
years prior and, as such, it was in a state of disrepair. Luckily for me; after a few months at the
violin hospital it came back to me looking incredible and sounding awesome. It was then that I decided that if I had it,
I should learn to play it; and I have.
It was the best feeling when I sat my father down and played Amazing
Grace and the Marseille’s for him. These
two songs were very dear to him as my grand-father would play them for him when
he was younger; before a farming accident which left him with a severed finger.
I also sing with a
band (when the opportunity arises). My
girlfriend is the lead singer in a band & on occasion she invites me up on
stage to sing duets with her. It’s an
amazing feeling.
Finally, I ride my
racing bike. It’s a great form of
exercise and when you consider Santa had to take my first bike back when I was
much younger because I couldn’t master riding it; being able to ride the roads
today is quite an achievement.
20.
DID YOU
HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
No. I have a number of great friends that perform
this function for me and do it for the love of it. Admittedly we may miss an odd spelling but so
too do the professionals.
21.
DESCRIBE
YOUR PERFECT DAY.
A perfect day for me
would begin with the privilege of a sleep-in followed by a big plate of mum’s
porridge. Then take my beautiful Australian Cattle dog (Patch) for a long walk
in the sun before enjoying a meal and a glass of wine with family and friend.
22.
IF YOU
WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
Without question it
would be my mother. She is the greatest
and most courageous woman I know and I would be lost without her and her
guidance.
23.
WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
Come and live in the ‘real
world’ for a while. You have spent far
too much time in your ivory tower, protected by your body-guards and
bullet-proof vehicles, surrounded by everything that is bought and paid for by
the tax-payer to truly know what it is really like. You don’t risk being mugged on our trains or
streets, or robbed by someone who is off their face on a cocktail of drugs or
having to look your family in the eye when they ask what’s for dinner when you
know there is only small change in your wallet.
24.
WHAT
ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
My
goal is eventually to retire from my career and make a liveable income from my
writing.
25.
WHAT
FIVE BOOKS WOULD YOU TAKE TO YOUR GRAVE?
The Bible
My Prison Without
Bars by Taylor Fulks
The Thorn Birds by
Colleen McCulloch
The Dictionary (for
sure); and
A blank notebook to
record my poetry in heaven
26.
DO YOU
SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
Yes, in my upcoming
fiction novel I am one of the main characters – Valencia; an intelligence
practitioner working in the police station.
27.
DOES
THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
The most frustrating
thing for me is that the publishing industry is all about the $. If they’d only realise that by making
literature more readily available to reader’s at a less cost; that they would
ultimately sell more; hence making more money.
Everyone would and could win.
28.
DID YOU
EVER THINK OF QUITTING?
Often! It is easy to
consider quitting when you compare your expenditure to your royalty cheque (if
you ever get one that is). However then
I sit back and realise that God gave me this incredible gift and, as such, I
should share it with the world.
29.
WHAT
WAS YOUR FAVOURITE POEM TO WRITE? WHY?
I don’t really have a
favourite poem per say. Each poem is
precious and was written for a specific time, hour or minute in my life. If you single one poem out of my four poetry
books I could probably tell you where I was when it was written and exactly how
I was feeling and why.
30. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER?
I define success as a
writer when the author has created a literary work with which ‘they’ are
completely happy. Even if the author
never sells a copy; or it is never read by another individual; if the author is
totally (100%) happy with their finished work; then they have succeeded as an author.
31. WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY
FROM YOUR POETRY KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?
I want readers of my
poetry to know that it is okay to feel; to hurt, to laugh; to want; to
desire. Too often we feel that we have
to adhere to the standards society has set for us, such as ‘grown men don’t
cry’. Well, the truth of the matter is
that they do. We all love, hurt, want,
grieve, and the list goes on. I loved
the only man I have ever loved but it wasn’t enough for him and he walked away.
He left me feeling alone, rejected and desperately considering the worst
alternative. Yet he didn’t know or even care.
Only a hand full of people actually knew of the horrendous time I was
going through and my one and only salvation was my poetry. It allowed me to vent and to hurt. I want everyone who has ever been hurt and
heartbroken to read my poetry and put it down knowing that there is life after
loss and that I epitomize this.
32. HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO
DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
I put a lot of
thought into my books covers. Firstly
and foremost, the cover has to capture the reader’s eye. Secondly, the cover has to say something
about me (the author) and the book’s content.
How many great books have your ever seen sold that had a plain coloured
cover with just its title and author’s name on it – none?
33. WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
That
my upcoming fiction novel – ‘Chameleon Blue’ goes as viral as Fifty Shades of
Grey did.
34. WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING
YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
To be effective you
must market your product and this in itself is a full-time job. There are so many would-be authors in the
world and now social media and the internet are bringing them right to our
door.
35. ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?
Yes, all of my books
are self-published. To date I have four
(4) poetry books available; those being:
Unconditional
Forbidden Love
A
Journey of Hurt; Captured in Ink
Love
is Eternal
Forever
Love
Book
Trailer (UTube) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTAMo9ejE28
36. ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
One thing that I have
learnt from the experience of becoming an author is that there are oh so many
people out there that will help you at a whim and never ask for anything in
return. I am sincerely grateful to each
and every one of them for their help and assistance. To single one or two people out would be
difficult.
Clancy's comment: Thank you, Vicki. Agree with you about the joy of a book coming to fruition. The production of a book is involved, and it doesn't happen overnight.
I recently read one of Vicki's poetry books and gave a review. Here it is:
‘Forever
Love’, Poetry by Vicki Case, Balboa Press, 154 pages
Don’t shy away from this book of poetry. Don’t. Trust me.
This book is a must read for anyone who has broken anyone’s heart, or had their
own heart broken. Yes, it’s for anyone old enough to have loved and lost, and the
preface to this book is raw, passionate and honest. Vicki Case writes simple
but easily understood poetry that makes you recall names of people who have
come and gone in your life – the special people who have moved you, changed
your life or left you gob smacked and speechless. Vicki Case writes a beautiful
style of poetry. It’s almost as though she has visited my mind, heart and soul
at some stage during my life. I’d highly recommend this beautiful book, which
comes with a matching bookmark.
Clancy
Tucker, Author, Blogger and Photographer."
Keep scribing and stay positive, Vicki.
Love ya work!
I'm ...
Think about this!
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