It's the Christmas season, a time awash in images of snow and candy canes, Santa and Elf on a Shelf. There are those of us, however, that do appreciate it when someone can include a love of Poe and Oscar Wilde on a Christmas mantel, or dress up a tree with vintage paper dolls. Apples and Spindles is lucky to have an exclusive holiday look into the home of Serena Valentino, a writer known for the popular graphic novels,
Gloomcookie and
Nightmares and Fairy Tales, as well as the young adult fairy tale novels
Fairest of All: A Tale of a Wicked Queen and
The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince. We get to see her home that inspires her, including an antique writing desk and a fantastic library, and she answers a few questions for me too! If you have not yet discovered her amazing work, please waste no time in picking up her books (available in the blog bookstore.) Consider it a fabulous gift to yourself this holiday season!
AS: You are one of the pioneers of women in the comic book world. Was it harder to get published or more difficult in any other way, or do you find that the comic book world had an open mind?
SV: Dan Vado, president of SLG has had a long history of hiring women editors, staff, and creators, so on that front it wasn't particularly challenging. As for the rest of the industry, I think it has a long way to go before we can say as a whole that it has an open mind. That isn't to say there aren't publishers out there hiring women, however I feel there should be a lot more.
AS: What are your favorite comics/graphic novels?
SV: I'm very fond of Alan Moore's work and just about anything he has to say on almost every topic.
AS: Fairy Tales are at the center of much of your work. Describe how and why they inspire you in your work and in life.
SV: Loves and inspirations are interesting beasts. Sometimes the reasons for our fascinations are very clear and easy to articulate, while others are a mystery, because they evoke a deep visceral reaction within us that is impossible to properly express. Fairy tales are that for me. I've always been fascinated by their deceptive simplicity, their beauty, horror, and intriguing female characters - that's why I'm so thrilled to be expanding upon some of my Nightmares & Fairy Tales stories in novel form. It will give me the opportunity to explore and further develop some of my favorite characters.
AS: Do you actually write at that fabulous writing desk or does it's beauty inspire you while you write from other parts of the house?
SV: While I search for the perfect chair it will remain an inspiration while I write in other parts of the house. The desk is slightly tall for me. (I'm only 5'). Though I do most of my writing in my front parlor, I also enjoy writing at the dining room table because the room gets lots of light in the afternoon, and I have a view our garden and the many birds it attracts.
AS: You, Neil Gaiman and Bill Willingham are authors that work in both the comic book world and the world of novels. How is your writing process for those the same/different? Do you have a preference? You seem to be doing more with novels these days.
SV: My writing process for comic scriptwriting is very different from writing novels. When writing comics, I'm writing for myself, the readers and for the artist. I spend a lot of time finding visual references for my artists, from the way I want a character to look, to dress, or their facial expressions - and of course there is their environment. I write full script with panel to panel descriptions and I provide the artist I'm working with as much detail and references as possible. I've even been known to layout a dummy book and make little sketches and maps. I didn't always work this way, especially when I first started writing for comics and I found myself disappointed, but quickly learned how to write a tight script while leaving room for artist collaboration. I find comic scriptwriting more challenging, and in ways a bit more rewarding. I love working with the artists and seeing my characters visually come to life. There is a lot re freedom when witting novels. I love being able to explore characters and easily moving from their thoughts, emotions, dialogue and even time without fear you may lose the reader. Those things can be done within the comic book format, but they are much easier to achieve when witting a novel. I love letting my characters talk, or muse for pages at a time. My space in which to tell the story isn't limited. (Which is why I feel witting for comics is more challenging, and it's within my nature to love the things that challenge me most.Though if asked I don't think I could honestly say which I loved more, because they are such different beasts, and allow me to tell stories in unique and beautiful ways.
Thank you, Serena Valentino for taking the time to do an interview and send us such great photos during a busy holiday season! Apples and Spindles is a lucky blog indeed.
