Shimmer

n. a. bourke’s story “Juana and the Dancing Bear” is the cover story of our Winter 2007 issue of Shimmer. You can reach her at alicebabette@hotmail.com.

Questions About The Story:

Where did the idea come from?
It’s really a combination of ideas. One of my favorite nursery rhymes as a child was “The Little Nut Tree.” One version, which you might know, is:

I had a little nut tree, nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg and a golden pear.
The King of Spain’s daughter came to visit me
And all for the sake of my little nut tree
I skipped over water, I danced over sea,
And all the birds in the air couldn’t catch me.

According to some sources, this was based on the visit of Jauana, the Princess of Castile, to King Henry’s court in 1507. Other sources credit the rhyme as being linked to the wedding gift given to her by her husband, Philip “the Handsome.” According to historical records, her journey to the Low Countries to meet her husband was a monumental caravan including an entourage of 22,000 people. Juana has become known as Juana la Loca (Juana the Mad). Rumours that her passion for Philip led to madness swirled around her both during and after her lifetime–it is said, for example (very untruly), that after he died she had his coffin opened every night so that she could embrace him.

I wanted to write a story that brought these elements together with a pair of characters I was developing for a novel–Just-Simon and the Bear. I also wanted to change Juana’s fate–releasing her from the rumours of madness and an unhappy marriage.

The other seed of the story was a visit to my home by a very wonderful young girl–Georgia Duncan. Georgia has cerebral palsy and she’s one of the most wonderful young girls you could ever hope to meet. She came to visit us with her mum, dad, and sister, and I was just so impressed by her strength of spirit, her charm and smile and beauty, that I wanted to write a story for her –a story where someone truly magical recognized the power and potential of a girl with a body that isn’t like everyone else’s.

How did the story change as you wrote it?
The earliest notes I have on the story in my writing journal say:
Handless maiden + little nut tree: handless maiden as metonymic myth for cerebral palsy? Juvenile arthritis; her hands cursed by a rival for her lover’s affection–slowly turning to silver. OR the prince (Philip and Juana?) is deathly ill. He dreams that the only thing that will cure him is a compote made from an apple and a pear from the same trea. Juana journeys with Bear to Estubal in Portugal to find the “little nut tree”–in order to buy the fruit she gives up her sanit (?) or her hands/–they stiffen and curve and die as she journeys back to him.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings”? Was there a scene or a line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
Ack! A whole old version (I burn those with much glee). The story was written while I was at Clarion South (in Australia)–and the tutor that week (Michael Swanwick) gave me some great ideas about the ending, which was quite unresolved in that early draft.

How is the story like your other work? How is it different?
I guess I write a lot of pseudo fairy tales, because I loved reading them as a child. Bear and Just-Simon are characters I’ve been hanging out with for a while, so in that sense they’re similar. The books I’ve had published have been contemporary realist (non-speculative) fiction so far, but the novel I’m working on now–the two novels–are both riddled with magic and wild science.

Questions About Writing:

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I guess I knew when I was very young, though not in a concrete sense. Even as a young child I wrote lots of poems and stories and such for my sisters. I told stories in the dark while we went off to sleep and acted them out in the bush with my best friend in the whole world–Cavell Altman. As I got older I think I lost the sense that it was something I had any talent for–it took a long time to regain confidence enough to write and submit work for publication.

Who do you write for? Yourself or someone else?
Someone else–always, though rarely the same person or group of people twice. I have this feeling that, for me at least, the best work comes of writing as a gift–writing when I’m conscious that the pleasure is less for me than for the reader.

Who’s your favorite living author?
Just one? I’ve been reading Aimee Bender’s collection, Wilfull Creatures, which I just adore–and Hanna Tinit’s Animal Crackers. Also piled up on my bedside table, spine cracked and well thumbed, are Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Carson, and Margo Lanagan.

Favorite book read when you were a child?
Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham.

Random Questions:

Do you believe in ghosts or the supernatural? Why?
Sure–my partner is a ghost.

Favorite restaurant?
Hmmm, have to be Mondo Organics in West End.

Do you have a secret skill that you never get to show off?
I like to draw and paint a little–but showing it off would require there being some redeeming features in the end results.

Do you check your horoscope?
Nope. Though I did once date someone who checked it for me on a regular basis so they could stay in tune with me. Didn’t work so great.

Clifford Royal Johns’s short story, Dog Thinks Ahead, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer. Contact Clifford at royal@sff.net

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
The story derived from a first sentence, which popped into my head one day when I was drinking a Mountain Dew. That first sentence defined who the character was and what his trouble was.

Editorial Note: Unfortunately, we had to change the first line! It really was terrific, but as the story developed, it didn’t quite work.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
Yes, the first sentence. I’d rather you didn’t print that first sentence, because I might be able to get four or five more stories out of it before it makes it into print. Once a darling, always a darling. It’s a pretty good sentence.

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
Several of my stories are about slackers and often from a first person point of view. I’m not a slacker myself. Really, I’m not. Not most of the time anyway. But the personality type intrigues me. I am not a slacker. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Questions About Writing

How did you celebrate your first sale?
My first sale was to Fine Woodworking. I celebrated by saying, “Well I’ll be darned. They bought it.”

Favorite book you’ve read recently?
Bingo Night at the Fire Hall by Barbara Holland

Random Questions

If you have a day job, what is it? What do you like about it?
Integrated circuit design, and writing computer aided design software for doing this. It’s actually my ideal job. I like building things, and I like solving puzzles, and I get to work with a great bunch of people. They even pay me to do it. How cool is that?

Favorite food?
Fried Spam and cheese on toast. OK, actually I prefer oatmeal with broccoli florets. Well really, it’s Mountain Dew and Cheetos.

What are some of your hobbies?
Woodworking, volleyball, dog rescue, tractors, blues harmonica and studying the peculiar.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A gentleman farmer, or at least a farmer.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a light bulb? Please explain your answer:
All depends on your point of view.

At Shimmer, we’ve been collecting interesting interviews with our authors and sharing them with our subscribers. We’ve decided to start sharing them with the larger community. These will go up once a week both here and at Shimmer’s Live Journal site . What’s more, we’ll periodically throw in some audio fiction. So, without further ado, we have an interview with Paul Abbamondi who first appeared in our Spring 2006 issue.

Paul Abbamondi’s short story, The Dealer’s Hands, appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Shimmer. Read his blog or send him e-mail

Questions About the Story

Where did the idea come from?
It all started with the character of the Dealer. This eerie image of him standing next to some rickety barn popped into my head, and from there on I had to figure out why he existed. Once I knew why that was, the rest just sort of fell into place.

How did the story change as you developed it?
The story went through three different endings, each one completely unlike the other. Spencer’s outcome was the same, but how he met his fate happened in different ways. In the original ending the Dealer had used the pinch marks on his stomach to “tag” him for death. The remainder of the story remained unchanged.

You know the advice “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” Was there a scene or line that it really hurt to cut, but cutting it made the story stronger?
No, anything that was cut only made the story stronger. Killing my darlings allowed “The Dealer’s Hands” to be much more alive.

How is this story like your other work? How is it different?
I write more fantasy (urban, high, and sword & sorcery) than I do horror, so it’s pretty drastic in the amount of gore and creepiness that I produce. I generally have a couple stock characters in my stories, such as the obvious bad guy.

Questions About Writing

How did you celebrate your first sale?
I had trouble sleeping that night from all the excitement if you want to call that celebrating. I went out later for dinner and allowed myself to have a fancy drink. I kept it pretty low-key.

Does your work tend to explore any particular themes?
Not that I know yet. Some might say death, but to me, it’s only a part of my stories and not the central theme.

What people have helped you the most with your writing?
I’m part of Critters and have a couple of first readers that offer wonderful comments on what gets an approving thumb and what doesn’t. But other than that, I’m writing solo. “The Dealer’s Hands” was seen by no one before I submitted it.

Favorite book you’ve read recently?
I recently, as in a few months ago, read The Scar by China Mieville and was completely blown away by it. Simply amazing, and it goes beyond the borders of creativity. I’ve bought his other two books based in the same world, but haven’t had any time to start them yet.

Random Questions

If you have a day job, what is it? What do you like about it?
I’m an assistant editor for a market and research firm in chilly New Jersey. It’s nice because it allows me to write at night and on the weekends, and I’m actually interested in editing copy. It’s fun finding mistakes, circling them, and having them fixed! It’s kind of like doing a word search for misspelled words from eight to five.

Favourite food?
I’m a sushi fanatic. California rolls, shrimp tempura, any kind of nigiri or maki. I love it all. If a reality show was ever created on the basis of eating sushi, I’d either be on it or religiously attached to its airings.

What are some of your hobbies?
I enjoy reading lots of science fiction and fantasy novels. I also play guitar in my free time and attempt to record music in my apartment. I watch a decent amount of movies, but generally never get to see the new ones in theaters. Just don’t have the time to see them all.

All-time favourite movie?
I will forever be a fan of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, and of all three of them, Return of the King is the one I can watch over and over. Extended edition, of course.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A bestselling author with Tor or DAW. That, or an editor for a publishing house. As long as I’m still involved with the publishing industry I’ll be happy.

Quiz: How many writers does it take to change a light bulb? Please explain your answer:
Two: one to write how it is done, and the other to critique his work.

If you are filling out your Hugo nomination form at the last minute, here’s a reminder that Shimmer is eligible for a semipro magazine nomination.