Reading Toxic

The Novel under construction discussed in much of this interview is dark, a little violent, and as twisted as it claims to be....be forwarned...

Jester

...lest you, like me, become utterly addicted to the characters, story and prose. Not to mention the enticing style of display. The writer updates with new chapters, patchwork short stories, and art. I'll be honest, I like etsy, but I prefer a good read, and today's feature is about a writer, and etsy shop owner, Mathaowny

"It's a haven, a little dark spot in a little crazy world."

1. About the genesis of Toxic Paradise. In your artist's page, this world is referred to as long standing, something you have been working on your whole life...How much of Toxic Paradise came to you as a series of dreams? How much invents itself as you write down? How much, if any, planned ahead?


A lot of it started when I was really young; I had a lot of reoccurring dreams with a few of the characters in them that I now use-- Puppetmaster, Whistler, Puck and Sesyara in particular. So I started to put a story with them, and added some characters as I went. Some of them are inspired by people I've met, others I just made for small parts (such as Scathach) and their importance to Twisted World just grew more and more. A lot of strange dreams keep adding to the story, and occasionally inspire a new character.

When I'm writing I have to keep the characters acting as they would in their world, so that really helps as new pieces are invented-- their reactions keep the story going. I do have to make up a lot as I go, particularly battle scenes.

I have most of Toxic Paradise and part of the second book (unnamed) planned out as well, but not much beyond that. I know pieces of the third, but have yet to really link them together.

2. What is your favorite breakfast meal in the world, and why?

A nice juicy steak with A1 sauce, eggs and hash browns with salsa on the side from IHOP.

For some reason I thought the answer might be oatmeal;

"Whistler makes the best oatmeal on the planet. Filled with fruit, doused with thick cream and sweetened with honey, it makes a great breakfast for someone that's been up all night making an attempt at survival." -Toxic Paradise.

Wait, are you, or have you ever been one of those people who sits all night in I-Hop writing poetry, or discussing writings with friends? (and least you feel interrogated, I am one of those people whenever I get the chance)

Yes, actually. I used to sit in IHOP at like 3 in the morning and write and draw and chat with two of my closest friends about the most random things. It's nice and quiet in there, perfect place to throw ideas out there and see if they fly.

4. Please tell us more about Puck, I can't speak for other readers, but I am eagerly waiting his reappearance....

Puck is short for Pucckarie. All I'm going to say is that he is the son of a rather powerful TW warlord, and also the owner of a flock of...um...birds. Yeah, that's it. "Birds".

5. Name at least three writers, musicians, or artists who have inspired you, and why...

Stephen King-- I've been reading his work since I was like 8 or 10, and love the horror aspect. He can reveal the dark side of a normal part of everyday life, which is a talent most writers don't have.

Nikola Tesla-- I'm counting him as an artist, since a lot of his creations, though scientific, have really inspired the artwork of TW. This is especially true of Loethial, who appears later in the first book. Also, Tesla had a lot of experiments dealing with sound and destruction, which I found out after the creation of Jester but found really interesting.

Austen T.-- a really good friend of mine that has this incredible talent for writing screenplays, in particular the horror ones. His work is absolutely amazing, and a constant inspiration.


Are you a fan of Lewis Carrol, and if so, what is your favorite qoute?

I am a fan of Lewis Carrol, though I haven't seen much of his work but Alice in Wonderland. A
good quote I can think of is:

"One of the secrets of life
is that all that is really worth the doing
is what we do for others."

6. Have you ever, or would you ever consider turning Toxic Paradise into a graphic novel or film?

I would absolutely love to, especially a film. As long as the director would stay true to the stories and characters, I think it would be stunning to be a visual entity like that. There are so many opportunities for a group of filmmakers to get really creative with something like a dreamworld.

If you've seen A Scanner Darkly I think it would be interesting to do it in that kind of way. As for a graphic novel, that's my plan for the end result.

For more, see Mathaowny's Etsy shop and also her website, the detailed and oft updated Whistler's Apartment.