Laura Vecchiola

Author agreed to be interviewed via e-mail by Lisa Mahon.

LM: Reading First Degree Magyk, one gets the impression it's based on factual events. Is this true, or is it strictly a work of fiction?

LV: A few years ago, I would have said the story was half-and-half, chapters one through 16 based on actual events, the remainder pure flight of fancy. However, I've come to believe that the only distinction between fact and fiction is one's position on the space-time continuum. For instance, I've never been to Greece or produced a smash hit--yet. Assuming that everything in Creation began as a figment of someone's imagination, then who's to say that so-called fiction isn't but a memory from the future, or a bleed through from another dimension.

LM: The two main characters in your book--Marianne and Lisa--share an interestingly descriptive language. Do you feel this voice belongs to them alone, or is it a crossover from your own way of thinking and speaking?

LV: Family and friends frequently report hearing my voice in their heads as they read, indicating that the voices are a crossover. And of course, a mutual love affair with language was a powerful attraction between the central characters, for whom word play was akin to foreplay. Through the course of revising, I often read the text out loud to better hear if the voices rang true. In retrospect, it seems my writing is a slightly exaggerated version of my speaking and thinking. When combined in dialogue with the voice of she who will ever be known as Lisa, we have the birth of the "brainiac boogaloo."

LM: Is First Degree Magyk your first novel? If so, are you working on another book, or concentrating on other areas of writing?

LV: Other than journalling, I had never written a word until the summer of '95. In the space of six weeks, this novel spewed forth in its entirety, to my mind, a miraculous conception. Since then, it has been my mission to do whatever was necessary to get published, while doing as little as possible to keep a roof over my head. Paying my dues as they say. Consequently, I haven't had much time or energy to write anything other than a slush file of interesting ideas and clever quips for future use.

LM: As I'm sure you're aware, most new writers have a very difficult time finding a publisher--or agent--for their work. Was this an obstacle you faced? If so, how did you deal with, and ultimately, overcome it?

LV: Due to the nature of the material, mainstream publishers felt my work "did not suit their lists," while the smaller and alternative presses were loath to risk their limited budgets on a novice. It was disheartening, but I clung to my faith, consoled by the parade of predecessors, Hemingway, Bertrand Russell, and Margaret Atwood to name but a few talented writers who had suffered similar rejections and eventually triumphed. As my frustration mounted, so did that of my supporters, specifically a good friend who happened to be a successful record producer. Enter Eric Mercury, a.k.a. QuickSilver, living proof that chivalry is NOT dead. Propelled by his belief in this book, he created an imprint, contracted a printer, and voilą, a labour of love was born.

LM: The name "FireMaiden" adorns your Web site and is also the name bestowed on Marianne by the DreamWeaver in First Degree Magyk. What can you tell us about the connection between you and this given title?

LV: Here is one example of art imitating life. According to DreamWeaver, FireMaiden is my spirit name. It represents my personal energy Medicine, the vibration that delineates my essence in the cosmic symphony of which we are all one indispensable and irreplaceable note. As I grow into my name, integrating the duality inherent in a youthful spirit with a wise old soul, there shall I find my challenges, and ultimately, my teachings.

LM: Do you feel writers should branch out into writing fields that are normally 'foreign' to them, thereby exposing them to all areas of the craft, or stay with what is comfortable?

LV: You may have noticed that I've avoided all the questions having to do with the shoulds and shouldn'ts for writers. To be honest, I haven't got a clue. Until I returned from my VisionQuest, I didn't even know I was a writer. No one was more surprised than I when this wonderful story came through me, for I really do feel that a Power greater than myself was responsible for this piece of work. I was simply one of the instruments required to bring it to ground, along with my laptop, paper, and printer. As for what's next, I would dearly love to make the movie and/or put the dance on stage. Should I manage to accomplish either of those feats, I'd certainly have a whale of a tale to tell.

LM: First Degree Magyk is not a book to be rushed through, but to be read slowly so as to catch every word. A wonderfully empowering book, are you ever afraid you won't be able to repeat the 'magyk'?

LV: First of all, thank you for the compliment in this question. To have my book described as "wonderfully empowering" is really the whole point. Of course positive feedback is personally gratifying, but the real reward comes from knowing my words have touched another in a meaningful way. From the Goddess' lips to my hands to your eyes, mission accomplished. Yes, the prospect of repeating the magyk is daunting indeed, but then, what do I know? After all, who would have guessed that the Powers that be would have chosen me to deliver this message? All I can do is stay tuned and seize the opportunity should it come my way again.

LM: How do you, as a writer, define 'magyk'?

LV: Maybe I'm naive, but I do believe in the magnificence of human being. Alas many of us spend our whole lives locked in cellblocks of our own design, afraid to come out or let anyone in. However when we muster the courage to drop the walls, to open our hearts and discover ourselves in one another, then we reclaim a God-given capacity for unconditional love. In that state of being, all wounds are healed, all things are possible, and miracles abound. For me, that is the meaning of magyk.

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