Book Interview: Kaci Skiles Laws on 'Summer Storms'
Kaci Skiles Laws wrote her first haiku in third grade about a giraffe. Years later, she wrote her first accomplished poem about her barn cat, Tinkerbell, who later died after getting attacked by her brother’s Jack Russell. The day her mom came to tell her the news she already knew. At the time, she didn’t understand she had the gift of clair cognizance, sometimes referred to as a sixth sense. As a little girl she was perceptive and sensitive in ways her mom respected as true insight, while other, insensitive people didn’t believe her or called her dramatic.
Today, she channels her ability to see and feel things too deeply into her creativity. As an introvert, she finds great peace residing in her mind after it’s been quieted through meditation or channelled into her writing and other various art forms. As a writer, she understands the importance of purging and re-examining the things she wishes to reconcile within her unconscious mind. Most of her poems and essays and short stories come from a place that still needs healing. In writing, she applies the remedy and trims away the rot that must be cut out. She knows of things long forgotten and where to find them in her present life, how to invite them in for tea, and tuck them into their deaths.
Can you tell us a bit about the book you just published with Sunday Mornings at the River?
Summer Storms is a collection of poems and essays I’ve been working on for three years. I organized it so each piece ties to the next and attempted to create a cohesive flow throughout that illustrates my most recent struggles with motherhood, managing an autoimmune disease, contending with current times, losing my German Shepherd of nine years, and wrestling with ghosts of my past. It’s not all bad, nothing ever is; and it was my hope in writing this I could mix humour with turmoil, no matter how brief.
What inspired you to write this book?
It initially started as loose-leaf poems and essays. After a while I had so many I decided to create a second book of my favourite pieces. It was also around the same time Rebecca, of Sunday Mornings at the River, contacted me about working on a book together.
What does the title mean, and why did you pick it?
The title, Summer Storms, is a symbol for healing after tragic winters and my longest months, April and May, leading into summer. My essay, Come Autumn, further explains my impending doom between New Year's Eve and May first. Both mark two suicides within my family and all of the grief.
Summer is a time of decompressing and freeing myself from the heavy months behind me. When I was a little girl, my sister and I would play in the rain at my grandma’s farmhouse. It was the freest I ever felt, so in my mind, I am always looking to return to that place and wash away the suffering.
Summer also holds with it a time of rest. My dad would take me and my sisters to Port Aransas and Houston to see my cousins. Those days were mostly happy, without obligations or responsibilities commanding our time.
Who are some of your literary or artistic crushes, and did they influence you at all while writing this book?
I really love Amy Hempel and Joyce Carol Oates. I’d say their writing influenced me the most while putting this together. R.D. Laing, Shirley Jackson, and Louise Gluck are all in there somewhere too.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
How difficult it is to collect all the final versions of my work and edit them. I am somewhat disorganized as a writer. I’ll edit for hours then go back days later and think, no, this is all wrong. I’ll start moving things around, editing out whole poems. I’ll find words to omit, commas misplaced, and an extra space here or there, amongst other things. I am always shocked to have missed a typo after the hours I spend combing everything over. It’s my least and most favourite part because in a way I’m making final touches to something I’ve worked so hard on, but on the other hand, I feel like I can’t ever finish, and I grieve over missing even the tiniest of mistakes. I want it to be perfect, but it's often unrealistic and unattainable.
What is the key theme and/or message in the book?
Coming of age. Becoming a mother has given me insight and helped me grow in ways I didn’t understand pre-baby. It has forced me to revisit triggers and painful memories of my past that needed integration.
What is the first book that made you cry?
Where the Red Fern Grows was tough, and I’m pretty sure after my fifth-grade teacher read it to us, she had the whole class crying with her. She was kind of twisted, so I think she took pleasure in it. We were only ten!
Night was hard for me to read, too. I might’ve cried for that one as well.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Thinking you’re the next big thing. Also, not taking feedback when presented as constructive, not writing or at least reading every day, ignoring books on writing, trying to do it without a group or community, using too many fancy adjectives, being too descriptive in a way that slows your writing down in a bad way, and being too shallow.
Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
I think it would depend on the type of writer. Creative writing and literature always tend to have more depth. Technical writers may not necessarily feel emotions strongly but are still able to write well on an informational or surface level. I can see how both serve an important purpose. Grammar skills are not easy to master, to have a good handle on them often makes for a good writer no matter the context.
Do you take poetry classes or read books on poetry?
I’ve never taken a poetry class but have always wanted to, nor have I read any books on poetry. I’ve read a lot of books on writing, and a lot of the advice is the same—read, read, read, and read some more. Most importantly, read writing you enjoy. I’ve read lots of poetry books.
Do your family and "real-life" friends read your work?
My husband will listen if I read to him, my sister too. My mom and cousin and brother are really supportive as well, they all bought my first book and helped promote it. It’s more than enough for me!
What does "good poetry" mean to you?
Good poetry moves me, makes me feel something, has me rereading it from the impact. It’s a special sort of language I look for when I’m searching for poetry. If it’s too shallow or cliché, I don’t get anything out of it. I like weird and unique, or profound beyond words.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I’m friends with Daniel Flore III. He encouraged me to submit my first manuscript to various places. I actually got my first poetry book published with his advice. Jordan Trethewey has been a mentor, not only by example, but he’s helped me get published more and get a role as an editor at Open Arts Forum.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I’d like for my books to stand alone and build a body of work with connections, if that makes sense. No matter how subtle, I’d like them all to be together and separate at each phase of my writing.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
You’re doing amazing. The time you are putting in now is worth so much. Your writing habits will be fruitful. Don’t stop pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Be vulnerable. People are going to love and hate your writing, don’t let either go to your head.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
On workout gear, actually. Every time I get paid to write something, I gift myself an expensive yoga mat or cute workout clothes off of Cassey Ho’s website, Popflex. It motivates me to show my body love and get moving, which always gets me focused to write.
What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
Joyce Carol Oates was a wild card for me at first. I love her memoir and her collection of horror stories, especially The Doll Master. Joe Hill was hit-and-miss, but I kept giving him a chance as there were a few memorable stories I adored, like Pop Art. Chuck Palahniuk and Kurt Vonnegut are similar, hit-and-miss. I have to be in a certain mood to read them.
What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
When I was five I called my stepmom, Deanna DeVil, a play on words. I didn’t understand the association at the time, but I know it made her mad. I was confused, but looking back I see I was unconsciously putting a name to an archetype, which in this case happened to be a negative connotation. If the shoe fits…
What are the most important magazines for writers to subscribe to?
I like Poets and Writers, but mostly a variety of literary zines will help keep you well-rounded. 32 Poems and Capsule Stories are two I enjoy.
What’s your favourite under-appreciated novel?
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk is pretty genius. There is so much to love about it.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Two. I’ve been working on The Boogerman for close to six years now. It’s a children’s book about an intrusive booger. There are two parts to it, a lot of trial and error as I’m illustrating it as well. It’s coming along, and I’m getting close to being finished. I plan on completing it after Summer Storms.
Here's a snippet:
It all started one morning,
my nose was extra stuffy,
my eyes were so tired,
while my face was red and puffy.
I looked in the mirror,
and boy was I a mess
I realized something spectacular
even though I was in distress.
I was feeling quite ill,
but I could not hold it in,
I smiled at my reflection
a wide-tooth grin.
I grabbed the thermometer
from the medicine cabinet,
so my mom could see I had a fever
and that I wasn’t faking sick.
I jumped up in the air.
I did a little spin,
and that was about the time
my troubles did begin.
When I landed back down,
I let out a giant sneeze,
and it was so big, it brought me
to my knees.
As I went to stand,
I spotted in the mirror,
a thing that reminded me
of the blob was now smeared there.
My immediate response was to gawk
in total awe at the biggest booger
I ever saw.
The other book is an illustrated book as well, but it’s a genre I’m really fond of: two sentence horror stories.
Here's a juicy morsel, one of the hundred I will be doing. So far it’s the last in line to be completed.
I'm Here, Sweetheart
The day after my mother died is the same day I started coughing up pieces of the dress she was buried in, her pearls and earrings. I gagged and dry heaved on all the mornings her curdled body came up.
What does literary success look like to you?
Moving forward and growing as a writer. I like to look back on things I wrote five years ago and see my progress. I also challenge myself to edit them.
What did you edit out of this book?
A few essays and poems didn’t quite make the cut with me. One essay was about my pet hamster, Sniffles and his untimely end, another, Plastic Play Thing, about the time I broke my grandma’s hip after I left a plastic bracelet on the floor, and she went sliding. The Brown Closet illustrated the bond between me and my sister when my parents fought.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I read them; I haven’t gotten any bad ones yet, but I’ve gotten not so great reviews of my music on YouTube. It hurts for like a day, then I move on with my life. Not everyone is going to like me. That would be weird if they did. The good reviews always make me smile.
What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?
Second guessing my choice to continue writing when it seems childish or pointless in my friends' and family’s eyes. Above all, it should be about what I want.
What are your favourite literary journals?
Coin Operated Press is really beautiful and creative. I really admire the art and writing that goes into it. They have a fast turnover rate and accept previously published work too, which is always nice. Sunday Mornings at the River is also another favourite of mine. The books are so well constructed and beautiful. I am grateful to have Summer Storms published with Rebecca.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Getting into my creative flow. Some days it just doesn’t happen.
Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
Some of the essays are based on real people and circumstances, but names have been changed, of course. Even my poems and prose based in fiction have a lot of truth tied to them.
Kaci Skiles Laws is a closet cat-lady and creative writer who reads and writes voraciously in the quiet moments between motherhood and managing Crohn’s Disease. She grew up on a small farm in a Texas town alongside many furry friends, two sisters, and two brothers. She has known tragic loss too well, and her writing is a reflection of the shadows lurking in her psyche. Find her latest book ‘Summer Storms’ here.