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      Plano writer Julia S. Mandala says fantasy and science fiction writing are her penance for her years as a lawyer.
      She received a B.A. in History from Kansas State University and a law degree from Tulane University.
      Her eclectic hobbies include scuba diving, middle-eastern dance, costuming and music.  Her stories are equally diverse.
      Her chapbooks, Four Redheads of the Apocalypse, co-authored with Linda Donahue, Dusty Rainbolt and Rhonda Eudaly, and Dracula's Lawyer, are available from Yard Dog Press.  "Bubba's A Broad" appears in YDP's International House of Bubbas.
      Her other short stories have appeared in The Mammoth Book of Comic Fantasy II, MZB's Fantasy Magazine and Adventures of Sword & Sorcery.

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The Law of Fantasy
By Richard-Michael Manuel

Richard-Michael Manuel: Well, I'm glad to get a chance to pick your brain about writing for a bit. What's been going on with you in this past year?

Julia S. Mandala: This year has been pretty exciting.  I co-authored a chapbook (a novella-length publication) with Linda Donahue, Dusty Rainbolt and Rhonda Eudaly entitled Four Redheads of the Apocalypse, published by Yard Dog Press. Now a famous fantasy author has decided to option the film rights.  He plans to write a screenplay and try to market it to Hollywood.  It could turn into nothing, or it could be made into a movie, which would be very cool.  It's been a real morale boost for all of us.
     I also had a short story appear in YDP's new anthology International House of Bubbas, third in a series of humor anthologies about a future where only bubbas and zombies survive.  I also sold a story to the next anthology, Houston, We've Got Bubbas, which should come out around May or June.
     Mostly, though, I've spent this year editing two novels, an epic fantasy that got a little too epic, and a humorous fantasy, co-authored with Linda Donahue, which had quietly grown during revisions from 100,000 words to 139,000 words.  Since we were pretty sure no editor would even look at a 139,000 word light humorous fantasy, we decided to see what could come out of the manuscript and were quite amazed at how much could go without being missed.
     I think self-editing is the hardest skill a writer can learn, but it's becoming more and more essential.  Editors and even agents have less and less time to do major edits, and are thus less willing to.  If you don't learn to do it yourself, you're just handing the editor or agent another reason to reject you.


RMM: What's that meant to your family life? How's your husband taking it?

JSM: My husband has always been very supportive of my writing. He's excited about the sales, and of course about the possibility of Four Redheads becoming a movie. He also is reading the revised novels, both to see that the revisions read smoothly and to offer ideas.
     I don't have kids, and the cats actually like it when I sit at the computer and write. The only dispute they have is who gets to sleep in my lap while I'm working.


RMM: What do you think is the next step for you artistically?

JSM: Once I get these books sent to publishers for consideration, I will start another. I'm still waffling on what I'll write about, but I have a couple of months to decide while I'll finish revisions on both books.  When an unagented book goes to a large SF/Fantasy publishing house, it can easily sit there for years.  So you can't wait around to hear whether someone wants to buy it before you start another one, or you'll write very few books.
     I tried to get an agent for both novels, but it's pretty hard to get a quality agent these days.  Many publishing houses will now only look at agented submissions (unless you get to know an editor and he invites you to send your manuscript).  That has moved the "slush pile" to the agent's desk.  Most agents require you to send a query letter before sending the manuscript, and they're getting a lot more selective about what projects they are willing to look at, let alone represent.


RMM: I know that you work with a writer's group--I just joined it last spring and sorry for missing the holiday party.  Where did you get the idea to work in a group, for writing?

JSM: Linda Donahue, Kathy Turski and Chris Donahue started the group. Linda and Kathy had been taking a Science Fiction writing workshop, and I think the instructor suggested writing groups--I'm not sure. Anyway, I just got lucky--very lucky.  Linda saw one of my stories in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine and saw in my bio that I lived in the Dallas area.  She sent me a letter inviting me to join the group.


RMM: Would you say that the group has had any affect on your success?

JSM: Most definitely.  They keep me motivated to write, especially when I'm working on a novel.  
      I try to hand out a chapter at every meeting, which keeps me working.  We meet every three weeks, so it's not an unreasonable goal.  In fact, I try to get ahead, partly so I can start revisions while the group finishes critiquing the book and partly in case something comes up and I can't write for a while-- I have chronic fatigue syndrome and sometimes the flesh is weak and the brain is foggy.
     The group is also helpful in pointing out logic flaws in my plots, character inconsistencies and sometimes just adding a cool new idea that I didn't think of. We're all happy to throw out ideas for others to use.  It's a big help, because even if you don't use that particular idea, sometimes it sparks another idea that fits better with your story concept.
     The moral support and comraderie is also a huge help. Writing is a solitary experience for the most part.  Also, with the market being this frustrating, it's good to have a place to vent.


RMM: Is there anything that you think contributes to the effectiveness of a group that anyone interested in forming a group should watch out for?

JSM: First, I think you ought to have a definition of what the group will critique.  It's very difficult to have a group that's just open to "writing."  A person who writes only mysteries will not be able to critique a fantasy story as well as someone who writes--and/or reads--fantasy.
     The reverse is, of course, true. Each genre of fiction has its own tropes, requirements and expectations.  Also, the readers of each type of fiction already know certain things that you don't have to explain to them, but a non-reader of the genre will want those things explained in detail.  This can cause the writer to receive bad advice.
     Sometimes you can easily tell when advice is bad, but sometimes it's harder. Also, you hate to make someone spend that much time critiquing on an issue, only to be told that readers in the genre expect this or understand it.
     Size is another important factor--yes, size matters. When we had about eight people in the group, we had to limit all critiques to 15 minutes. And the writer didn't get to respond or ask any questions until the end. The larger the group, the more formal your rules have to be.
     At one time our group was down to four writers; I wouldn't get any smaller, if you can help it. We got very free-form then. We kind of go page by page, with everyone throwing out their comments, and the author can ask questions if he or she is confused.  Sometimes, if the story has a major issue, we stop and brainstorm how to fix it.  This has been very satisfying, but obviously wouldn't work with a larger group.
     It's important to teach the group constructive criticism skills.  It's no help to the writer to say "this character is stupid." It's much better to say, "this character is acting stupid by going off alone when he knows there's a psychotic killer on the loose."
     Finally, you want to find people who are dedicated to writing and are willing to make the commitment both to submit work to the group and to do a thorough critique.
     Most writers don't realize how much they will improve their own writing by critiquing others' works.  Many times I have been raking someone over the coals--constructively, of course--only to realize I do the same thing in my own work.
     The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has some good guidelines for critiquing groups on their public Web site.


RMM: I know different artists have something about their work that stands out.  Is there anything about your style that you think makes your voice,
yours alone?

JSM: I'm a big believer in humor, even in non-humorous stories. People like characters with a sense of humor, and it's reasonable to believe most characters would have a sense of humor.  In a story full of dire situations, it's easy to forget to have your characters laugh now and again.  Yet most of us find a way to laugh at the dire things in our lives, if only as release of fear or stress.

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