Interview with Author Ewart Rouse

The following interview with SJWG member and author Ewart Rouse was conducted by Marie Gilbert and originally presented in slightly different form on her blog, Gilbert Curiosities. You can read the original interview here, but we are proud to re-present it below, Enjoy.

Marie Gilbert: I love being a member of the South Jersey Writers' Group. Our group provides opportunities and inspiration for all members to reach their goals. Everyone has a story to tell and if you check out our blog, you will learn how many of the members got started down that road to publication. Our group is blessed with many talented people and I was happy to have this chance to interview Ewart Rouse on his books and on his love of Cricket.

Ewart Rouse is the author of the Sticky Wicket Trilogy: Watkins at Bat, Sticky Wicket Trilogy Vol.1; Watkins Fights Back, Sticky Wicket Trilogy, Vol. ll; Watkins' Finest Inning, Sticky Wicket Trilogy Vol. lll; and Watkins' Overseas Tour: Another Sticky Wicket Inning. All the books are about a game I don't know that much about, but Ewart Rouse was graceful enough to explain.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your days as a reporter in Trinidad and here in the States. Did you always want to be a reporter?

Ewart Rouse: I grew up in Trinidad back when it was under British rule. Because there were few local authors at the time, we studied primarily British and American literature in school. I decided I wanted to be a reporter after it struck me that many of my favorite authors - including Dickens, Steinbeck, and Hemingway - were journalists.

There are no journalism schools on the island. Fortunately, the Guardian, the major daily newspaper, ran a training program for would-be journalists who, if they cut mustard, were offered jobs. I applied and was accepted into the program. After three months of following the beat reporters around, attending formal classes that they taught in the newspaper's library, and covering stories, I made the cut. I was given the court beat, and soon was covering politics, the top beat, at a time of great political upheaval with the island seeking its independence from Britain.

With that background, I landed a reporting job with the Associated Press in New York when I migrated to the United States in the 1970s. After brief stints in the wire service's bureaus in Newark, Atlantic City and Washington (the Watergate scandal that led to Nixon's resignation and Gerald Ford's swearing in as President was brewing then), I joined the staff at the Philadelphia Inquirer. I worked at the Inky for three decades, primarily as a business writer, retiring as a suburban editor in the paper's Cherry Hill bureau a few years ago. While at the Inquirer, I also taught newswriting as an adjunct journalism professor at Arcadia, Temple, Rutgers and Rowan Universities.

Marie Gilbert: Ewart, your books are about cricket and the men who play this game. Would you explain the dynamics of the game and what attracted you to it? How long have you been playing? Can women play, too?

Ewart Rouse: First, a little history: my series of “Sticky Wicket” novels originally were published by LMH Publishing. I acquired the rights back to the books and now have republished them, with new covers and material, through CreateSpace. Each volume is part of the same story, but can stand on its own.

Now, they aren't sports books, but rather novels about immigrants from countries where cricket is the national sport - India, Pakistan, the West Indies islands, England, etcetera - who yearn to play the game of their youth in their adopted land. It's a humorous look at a supposedly “gentleman's” game, a game considered the granddaddy of American baseball. I take an almost over-the-top approach to the challenges the men face, not least of which are wives who think it's time the men grew up and spent more time with their families, as well as Little League and soccer moms who don't take too kindly to these strangers in white uniforms, chattering in myriad languages and with funny accents, who have taken over their playgrounds - “hijacked,” as they tell it - to play a “foreign” game that nobody understands, a game that lasts the entire day, freezing out their kids.

As one angry Little League official demands of Watkins during a confrontational meeting, “You people are in America now. Why don't you play an American sport?” That quote tells you it's a story about a clash of cultures, and that something's gotta give. What attracted me to the game? Because it is a national sport in Trinidad, it was natural for me to pick up a cricket bat when I was old enough to lift it, as natural as an American kid would swing a baseball bat at that age.

And yes, women do play the game, at all levels, including international tournaments.

Marie Gilbert: Is the character Watkins based on you, or someone you knew?

Ewart Rouse: That's one of the first questions I'm usually asked. Watkins and the other characters are composites of people I know ¬- men who are so obsessed with the game they are willing to jeopardize their marriages to play it, and women who have given their husbands an ultimatum: put down that cricket bat and attend religious services with me on weekends or the marriage is over.

It's a scenario with which athletes and spouses in any sport, and readers of any genre, can identify.

Marie Gilbert: Can you explain to the readers what exactly a “sticky wicket” is?

Ewart Rouse: As I explained on my website the expression is akin to “being in a pickle.” For example, try explaining to your boss what you were doing at the casino, where you were spotted, after you had called in sick from work.

In cricket parlance, a “sticky wicket” refers to the condition of the playing surface of the game - the 66-feet-long by 10-feet wide strip in the middle of the field. When it is adversely affected by moisture, the surface - called “the wicket” or “pitch” - is likely to cause the bounced ball to behave in an unpredictable manner. It might pop up, go right, go left, or creep like a rat toward the batsman.

Even the most talented of batsmen - the ones with the sharpest of eyes and quickest of reflexes - can be surprised by such a delivery, end up playing the wrong stroke, and getting out.

The novels' “sticky wicket” titles refers to “the pickle” in which protagonist Freddie Watkins finds himself as he battles the wives and the establishment.

Marie Gilbert: Do you feel that cricket is becoming more popular in the states as more people learn about the game and how it's played?

Ewart Rouse: Back in the mid-1980s, there were seven established clubs in the Philadelphia-South Jersey area. Today, with the influx of immigrants from cricketing countries, (New Jersey reportedly is among the most popular destination in the United States for immigrants from around the world), there are dozens of clubs in several leagues. Nationwide, there are now hundreds of clubs.

It has remained a largely immigrant sport, but there is a concerted effort by the United States Cricket Association to get Americans to take up the sport, just as they have soccer, once considered a “foreign” game. That effort includes getting schools to follow New York City's example and make cricket part of the schools' sports curriculums.

Marie Gilbert: Can you tell us about the Lifetime Achievement Award that you received and the proclamation given to you by the Mayor of Camden?

Ewart Rouse: The South Jersey Caribbean Cultural Organization holds an annual “heritage day” festival on the Camden waterfront, with lots of music and vendors selling ethnic foods and things Caribbean. The mayor of Camden issues proclamations recognizing the day and the recipients of various awards. In 2013, I was presented with a lifetime achievement award in recognition of my years as a journalist, teacher and my activism on behalf of the cricket community. It was quite an honor.

Marie Gilbert: You have four books out in your Sticky Wicket Series. Can we expect a fifth one?

Ewart Rouse: Following the mantra “write what you know,” I'm going from the cricket field to the newsroom, from humor to thriller. My next protagonist is a crusading journalist who becomes the story after he loses his moral compass and becomes involved in a number of potentially career-ending, headline-grabbing incidents.

Marie Gilbert: What advice would you give to young people who are curious about trying their hands playing cricket?

Ewart Rouse: There's plenty of info on the USA Cricket Association website.

Marie Gilbert: What advice would you give to young people who are interested in becoming writers?

Ewart Rouse: Take notes about interesting quirky people, their idiosyncrasies, their pithy quotes and vignettes. They might recognize themselves in your stories and threaten to do bad things to you if portrayed in an unflattering light. When that happens, you have your sequel.

Also read anything you get your hands on, from books and newspapers (before they go the way of the dinosaur) to labels on paint. Each contains nuggets of information that the mind will retrieve for just the right spot in your next project. Embellish them, take them to the extreme and, who knows, maybe you end up with a bestseller. Some might call you a dreamer but, hey, as the saying goes, you can't have a dream come through if you don't have a dream.

Marie Gilbert: Thank you, Ewart Rouse for this interview. Too those of you out there who are interested in learning more about the game of Cricket and the men and women who love the game, pick up the Sticky Wicket books. They are available from Amazon on Kindle and in paperback here.  

September Writers Coffeehouse

By Dawn Byrne

I counted thirty attendees at the Philly Liars Club Writers Coffeehouse in Willow Grove, PA on Sunday September 27th. Jessica Hunter and I represented the SJWG at this meeting, in the rear of Barnes & Noble on Park Ave.

The Coffeehouse began with a two-sentence bio of each person in our group. I'd gotten to know faces and names of those who sat with me, since I'm a regular Coffeehouse addict, and easily joined in the applause and enthusiasm when a person in our midst mentioned a forward step in their creative endeavor.

Janice Gable Bashman, Bram Stoker nominated author, publisher of The Big Thrill, and the International Thriller Writers' Vice President, invited our group to add its wealth of knowledge to her orchestration of discussions. She encouraged us to ask questions too.

One of the topics? Patterns in the way people speak to show a character to the reader. So much about a character's physical appearance, personality and background can be relayed to the reader through dialogue in a way that is showing, not telling. This is true for characters who aren't native to the setting of the story as well as those who are. Also, what the character doesn't say, and what another character's internal dialogue says in response to their dialogue, keys the reader into creating in their head who the character is, even if physically different from the author's vision. Only aspects of a character that's important to the story must be picked up correctly by the reader.

Janice touched on how to present a character's ethnicity without hitting the reader over the head. The meeting ended after a writing exercise on dialogue, with volunteers sharing their results.

Janice urged us to read Publisher's Weekly's newsletter. She explained that if we didn't want to subscribe, some articles are free, and to check out their Twitter.

Other valuable information: Oyster, a subscription service for books, is going out of business; ebook sales have dropped some and print is making a comeback with increased sales at Barnes & Noble; book scans only pick up 75% of your book's sales; If an editor shows interest in your book, you should still get an agent - when you email the prospective agent, type "Have Editor, Need Representation," in the subject line to get quick attention.

The Coffeehouse in Willow Grove won't meet in November or December, so make sure you don't miss the October 25th meeting from 12 noon to 2 PM, plus another hour for networking. But before that, go north on October 10th to the Palmer Branch of the Easton Area Public Library for their YA Fest 2015. Janice will be signing books and speaking as part of their authors' panel.

I've benefitted many times from listening to Janice share information on various facets of the writing world. I appreciate the time she gives for free and freely to the Coffeehouse.

Loner in the Garret: A Writer's Companion

Guest blog post by Jennifer R. Hubbard 

Last year, I gave a talk for the South Jersey Writers’ Group called, “It Was Sunny Just a Minute Ago: Weathering the Storms of Writing and Publishing.” It focused on an aspect of this business where I’ve needed a great deal of support myself, and have found myself encouraging others: the mental and emotional aspects. 

Writers spend a fair amount of time and energy coping with rejection, writer’s block, sudden changes in fortune, ups and downs. We try to quantify the qualitative, predict the unpredictable and control the uncontrollable. Even when we recognize how much of this is out of our power, that our power lies in our ability to tell our own stories, it’s easy to say, “Just sit down and write.” Doing it is another matter.

Out of all this came my latest book, Loner in the Garret: A Writer’s Companion (edited by SJWG’s own Amy Holiday!). There are so many good books on the craft and business of writing already. I wanted to focus on this particular side of it, on cutting through the emotional obstacles and mind games. I wanted to produce a book that would provide short bursts of inspiration, suitable for pre-writing-session reading. I wanted to provide the kind of reassurance to others that has helped me along the way: the simple knowledge that the path is unpredictable and rarely smooth, and it’s okay to keep going anyway.

We’re not alone.

Synopsis: Sometimes the most difficult part of writing is not coming up with a plot or the perfect turn of phrase. It’s getting motivated to sit down and start, or having the confidence to go forward, or finding the courage to move past the sting of rejection. Loner in the Garret: A Writer’s Companion provides inspiration and encouragement for that mental and emotional journey. Covering topics as varied as procrastination, the inner critic, fear, distractions, envy, rejection, joy, and playfulness, it charts the ups and downs of the writing life with honesty, gentle suggestions, and a dash of humor.

For more: http://jenniferrhubbard.blogspot.com/p/publications.html

Bio: Jennifer R. Hubbard (www.jenniferhubbard.com) is the author of three novels for young adults, several short stories, and a nonfiction book about writing. She lives near Philadelphia with a very understanding husband, a pile of books and chocolate, and a tyrannical cat.

What Inspires You?

By Glenn Walker

This has been a busy week for the South Jersey Writers' Group, and Kathryn Craft as well. She can't seem to get rid of us! Thursday she spoke at our regular meeting, and Sunday she was the Philadelphia Liars Club representative at this month's Writers Coffeehouse. She moderated a terrific session on inspiration and motivation.

Kathryn's prelude to the meeting came via the Writers Coffeehouse Yahoo! Group where she posted before the meeting:

Since I'm getting the impression we've all about had it with winter, let's think inspiration and renewal—and tap into our inner child by having show and tell! Bring one or two quotes or small items along to share that you keep in your writing space for inspiration. We know you have them. If propriety suggests this item not be brought (no booze or pets, please!), then you can just tell us about it. BECAUSE WE NEED ALL THE INSPIRATION WE CAN GET!!

Sure enough, come Sunday afternoon, all of the writers in attendance brought something from their workspace, whether an actual object or a description of same to share with the group. It was like a mad, creative game of show and tell. I have to say, it was wonderful and inspiring just hearing about all the things that inspire other writers, full of unique items, motivational quotes, pictures, and even Legos.

It's worth mentioning that the Writers Coffeehouse is always in itself an inspiring and motivational experience, just hearing what other writers are doing and going through, and meeting and networking with folks you already now or only know online - in person. I got the chance to finally meet in real life Uriah Young, who I've known only online for some time. He's a terrific young writer who has a bright future ahead of him, you should all check out his blog and Follow him on Twitter.

When it came around to me to talk about what inspires me, I blathered on about making music playlists, and how I had some action figures and Legos on my desk, but it wasn't until after the meeting that I realized what really inspired me. As fellow South Jersey Writers Patti O'Brien, Dawn Byrne, Robert Repici, Tom Minder, and I sat around talking writing at Panera Bread, it came to me. I'm inspired by the presence, encouragement, and support of fellow writers. I think we all are. As much as writing seems like a solitary sport, it's really a group effort. That's why get-togethers like the Writers Coffeehouse are so important.

Now, what inspires you?

Kathryn Craft Tunes Our Storytelling Engines

By Glenn Walker

This past Thursday at the regular monthly meeting of the South Jersey Writers' Group, we had a very special guest. Author, editor, blogger, and member of the Philadelphia Liars Club, Kathryn Craft came to speak with our group. Her topic - Tune Your Storytelling Engine.

Kathryn's talk took us through a basic understanding of story structure, but more importantly how it works, why it works, and how to fix it when it doesn't work. Along with her presentation she provided an excellent handout outlining the process. For over an hour she dazzled us with her talent and experience, answering questions and discussing obstacles and solutions with the group. I could tell you what we talked about, but I don't want to spill all of Kathryn's secrets here. You can check out her work in that area at writing-partner.com and at The Blood-Red Pencil.

At the end of her presentation, Kathryn Craft read an enticing and emotional excerpt from her debut novel, The Art of Falling. Much of her presentation came from her experiences writing this and her upcoming second novel, so it only cemented a very subtle sales pitch for the book. I bought mine for Nook on my iPhone while she talked earlier in the evening. I'm reading it now, and it's excellent. The only downside is I couldn't get Kathryn to sign my new ebook copy.

We at the South Jersey Writers' group thank Kathryn Craft for her time and spending a wonderful evening with us. She was entertaining, educational, inspirational, and one very cool lady as well. She rocks. If you'd like to get in touch with Ms. Craft, you can go to her website, and you can buy her novel The Art of Falling here.

The Writers Coffeehouse in Willow Grove

Guest blog by Dawn Byrne

Can you believe there's a group of professional writers who are available to the public the last Sunday of each month? They talk about their claims to fame, share marketing information, and answer questions from the audience about anything related to writing life and its craft. Can you also believe it's free of charge?

The Philadelphia Liars Club hosts this monthly gathering called The Writers Coffeehouse at the Willow Grove Barnes & Noble in Pennsylvania on Park Avenue from 12 noon to 3 pm. The Liars are fiction writers who volunteer their time to inform and encourage networking with other writers.

November's meeting was led by Kathryn Craft, author of The Art of Falling. She blogs at bloodredpencil.blogspot.com where you can find out about her and her novel, which is launching January 18th in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Kathryn talked of patience with publishing and shared the reality of waiting almost two years for her book to debut. She told us that the time of publishers sending limos for authors to speak at events the publisher arranged is over. Marketing and promotion is mostly the author's job. Authors who do, and have an online following, are more desirous to publishers.

Liars suggested bringing translated versions of your work to the book sale if that applies to your work or audience. And if you're an introvert, invite to the book sale a PR pitch friend who has a personality to talk and will schmooze with customers.

Everyone introduced themselves and any writing related information. If you have a business card, bring extras to pass out during the Writers Coffeehouse. You'll surely have an opportunity to receive others. Shameless self-promotion abounds here. This helped us identify others in the group whom we could talk or network with after the meeting. I enjoyed chatting with three other inspirational writers.

The Writers Coffeehouse, photo from Liar Jon McGoran's blog

Kathryn also led an activity she used in workshops she's given in libraries. During a break in the meeting, she suggested everyone choose a book from the Barnes & Noble's shelves that struck their interest. This demonstrated how important certain elements are to sell a book: book cover; where the book is located in the store; if it's faced out or spine out; the blurb on the book; first paragraph in the work. I surprised myself with my choice. My preferred reading is inspirational. I selected a book that appeared inspirational but wasn't yet piqued my interest. Some people bought the book they used as their example.

November was National Novel Writing Month. Audience members and Liars talked about this and about editing their NaNaWriMo novels. Bernie Mojzes, Liar and co-editor of The Journal of Unlikely Entomology, mentioned a call for submissions for April. Check this out at www.unlikely-story.com and www.grumpsjournal.com. Jim Kristofic praised Liar Marie Lamba who is his editor for his memoir, Navahos Wear Nikes: A Reservation Life.

The Coffeehouse doesn't meet in December, but join them on January 26th 2014 and you'll be introduced to writers from a plethora of genres who are eager to inform and encourage newbies, as well as seasoned writers. You can check them out at www.liarsclubphilly.com. To get updates on the Coffeehouse, go here and subscribe.

The South Jersey Writers Group plan a roadtrip to the next Writers Coffeehouse event, if you want to go, click here. Speaking of the SJWG, the above-mentioned Kathryn Craft will be our guest in February, details can be found here.

About today's guest blogger:

Dawn Byrne, a grandmother, writes inspirational and fictional stories about families from her New Jersey home. She's a member of the South Jersey Writers' Group, facilitates the Juliette Writers' Group, and teaches Sunday School. Dawn strives to leave a small carbon footprint, reads classical literature, and has stories featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Wives: 101 Daily Devotions to Comfort, Encourage, and Inspire You and Chicken Soup for the Soul: It's Christmas!: 101 Joyful Stories about the Love, Fun, and Wonder of the Holidays. Her website is www.dawnbyrne.yolasite.com, and her blog is here.

Merry Jones at SJWG

Guest Blog by Victoria Marie Lees.

At the South Jersey Writers Group monthly meeting held on November 2l, 2013, writers and friends welcomed Merry Jones, an established novelist and writing teacher at Temple University. Merry has a master’s degree in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania and an impressive array of writing credentials from humor to non-fiction to mystery, including her latest release, Outside Eden.

Merry opened her discussion with a surprising fact: The average writer earns about $3,500 per year.

“So why do we write?” She asked the assembled writing group.

That’s a good question.

Merry informed the group that some people have a need to communicate. Writing is a communication process. “Writers are writers because they can’t help it. If we don’t write, we feel guilty.”

The process of writing is a lifestyle for the writer according to Merry. It’s a part of their personality, a basic fundamental aspect of their lives.

One of her grad school professors felt that creative people must create. If they didn’t, there would be physical symptoms to deal with. Merry finds she becomes grouchy and agitated if she doesn’t write regularly.

While some writers at the meeting agreed, some writers felt that they needed to wait for inspiration or a reason to write. This brought up a very real obstacle for many writers: incentive. With no agent, no book deal, why am I writing? Why write if I’m not getting paid to write. I should find a real job and make money.

Merry understood their quandary. She had it at the beginning of her career, too. She informed the group how the publishing field has changed since she wrote her first book, advances are much smaller, no paid tours by the publishing house. Editors don’t promote writers like they used to. They don’t help writers much.

“In publishing no one is your friend,” Merry said, “not your agent, not your publisher. Sales numbers are how you acquire your next book deal.”

Merry was cut by St. Martin’s Press because she was a midlister, as that publisher eliminated all midlisters at that time. Her agent cut her off too. She was lucky, though. Through some writing friends she acquired another agent about a year later, and because she continued to write, Merry had books to give her new agent. Small presses are a good alternative to the big publishing houses.

Writing groups are essential for both the budding writer as well as established writers. “All writers need writers to share experiences, energy, and the drive to continue writing.” Merry said.

And she’s correct.

Do people really decide to become writers or is it instinctive? What do you think? Why do you write?

About today's guest-blogger:

Victoria Marie Lees has been a member of the South Jersey Writers' Group for several years, maintains blogs at Adventures in Writing: One Woman's Journey, Parenting Special Needs Children, and Camping with Kids, and she can be found on Twitter.