Meet once again, writers Angella and Pierre of Mysterious Ink as they talk about how they met and what their future holds.
1 ) How did you two meet?
Pierre: Oddly enough we met because of Stephen King. I hate to say this but I was going through a clutter phase and had some books I wanted to get rid of including some Stephen King books. Angella answered an ad inquiring about some of the books I had. And since I am so shy our conversation eventually led to not having time to read because of cartooning and writing. We then chatted about writing which led to a friendship and eventually collaboration which became Mysterious Ink.
Angella: That’s how it went indeed. Who knew that Stephen King would spawn such a collaboration? It was unexpected but definitely a life turning event for me as a writer.
2) With Mysterious Ink you post a lot of your current stories. Do you find this limits you to growing your writing career or do you have piles of other works just waiting to win contests?
Pierre: We created Mysterious Ink thinking we could use this as a way to get exposure and interest readers in what we do. In the beginning we were posting most of what we did to grow some content on the site. Although our focus is now changing a bit to grow as writers we have many ideas for a possible future of Mysterious Ink which is really just our collaborative partnership.
Angella: We do have lots of other works waiting, but not so much waiting to win contests, but rather waiting to be promoted and pitched. We tend to look at more tangible ways of putting our work out there and in hands of readers and/or people of interest in the publishing industry, or even those that could help us promote. We don’t shy away from trying different and new methods and approaches, which for us seems to be working.
3) A lot of us writers find writing a lonely business but with your partnership it seems you inspire one another at just the best times. Do you ever find you’re both in a slump at the same time?
Pierre: Slumps do happen and take different forms for everybody. Some people it’s a lack of time to work and finding the energy to work when you do have time. Work and personal lives sometimes get in the way but one can’t stop living. Finding a balance is key but not an easy thing to do. Collaboration has helped us in the past by motivating and inspiring each other and continues to do so to this day.
Angella: Thankfully we have yet to both fall into a slump at the same time. It is a question of balance and we try to remind each other of the reasons why we do what we do. It’s easy to lose track sometimes, but when we are reminded that we chose to write and create Mysterious Ink because of our love and passion for stories, it brings us both on track again and refocused on the tasks at hand.
4) Do either of you feel the other is missing when you do write something solo?
Pierre: When writing solo it mostly reminds me of how good Angella is at weaving words and setting scenes. I enjoy doing both and with that said have plans for both in the future. Working together has created some of our best work that we look forward to putting out there in the future.
Angella: Pierre, stop trying to get brownie points, I still won’t wash the Batmobile! LoL
Seriously though, as much as my writing partner can say nice things about my writing, I can say the same about his abundant and limitless imagination and his ability to come up with the most amazing of ideas. So you see it’s why we work so well together. We both bring our strengths to the table and help the other grow in areas where we are weaker. Writing solo is something we both have done and will continue to do without affecting Mysterious Ink along the way. We both aim high with our collaborations and we both support each other fully with our solo writing projects. Pierre is also a published cartoonist, and I completely support that also, just as he supports my graphic design sideline. Respect and mutual hope for our individual and collaborative success is what makes us a winning team.
5) Where do you both see Mysterious Ink in 5 years?
Pierre: My attitude is shoot for the moon but don’t be disappointed if you never reach it. I am a “sky’s the limit” type of person and I have a work hard mentality. Myself I hope to attain some prolific success for Mysterious Ink but I am not overconfident about it. My parents raised me to be humble and so to claim that it will happen goes against my nature. Also I know it won’t happen on its own either so I plan on working on the dream.
With that said the goal for us is to simply to tell stories. So in 5 years I hope that we have gotten to tell stories and are able to continue doing so whether it is on a small scale or large scale for that is the goal in all this.
Angella: In five years I see Mysterious Ink cranking out stories for readers to enjoy and maybe cause a few people to get lifelong phobias from (see my previous answers regarding Pennywise from Stephen King’s IT…)! I would love to see some success for us as writers, publishing our stories either on our site or in print. I do agree with Pierre, that the work needs to be done though, and that is still no guarantee, especially in this industry. We both agree that our goal is to tell stories, and so it keeps our feet planted firmly on the ground but with our eyes looking up towards the moon. We have big dreams, but we do know hard work is required to achieve them along with a dash of luck. The trick is understanding that we create our own luck by stepping outside of the confines of what ‘should be done’ or how things ‘should be done’. We don’t wait for the rainbow, we get a hose and make one in our backyard. I think that is what makes us feel successful already, is having the idea that it is within our own power to achieve success and not being afraid to go for it.
6) With the world of ebooks do you ever plan to make a collection available of your writing?
Pierre: We are currently looking at a few options of publishing some collections of short stories in the near future. We have plans for many stories as it is and just lack the time to focus on working on them at the moment. So yes, ebook and paper books are in our plans.
Angella: Ebooks are already very popular and increasingly so with the rise of the electronic gadgets that are available for downloading them. It is definitely something we are looking into at the moment and look forward to having available to our readers in the near future.
Thanks Angella and Pierre for being such sports about this and thank you for reading!
Sarah Butland
And now for both:
-
How did you two meet?
Pierre: Oddly enough we met because of Stephen King. I hate to say this but I was going through a clutter phase and had some books I wanted to get rid of including some Stephen King books. Angella answered an ad inquiring about some of the books I had. And since I am so shy our conversation eventually led to not having time to read because of cartooning and writing. We then chatted about writing which led to a friendship and eventually collaboration which became Mysterious Ink.
Angella: That’s how it went indeed. Who knew that Stephen King would spawn such a collaboration? It was unexpected but definitely a life turning event for me as a writer.
-
With Mysterious Ink you post a lot of your current stories. Do you find this limits you to growing your writing career or do you have piles of other works just waiting to win contests?
Pierre: We created Mysterious Ink thinking we could use this as a way to get exposure and interest readers in what we do. In the beginning we were posting most of what we did to grow some content on the site. Although our focus is now changing a bit to grow as writers we have many ideas for a possible future of Mysterious Ink which is really just our collaborative partnership.
Angella: We do have lots of other works waiting, but not so much waiting to win contests, but rather waiting to be promoted and pitched. We tend to look at more tangible ways of putting our work out there and in hands of readers and/or people of interest in the publishing industry, or even those that could help us promote. We don’t shy away from trying different and new methods and approaches, which for us seems to be working.
-
A lot of us writers find writing a lonely business but with your partnership it seems you inspire one another at just the best times. Do you ever find you’re both in a slump at the same time?
Pierre: Slumps do happen and take different forms for everybody. Some people it’s a lack of time to work and finding the energy to work when you do have time. Work and personal lives sometimes get in the way but one can’t stop living. Finding a balance is key but not an easy thing to do. Collaboration has helped us in the past by motivating and inspiring each other and continues to do so to this day.
Angella: Thankfully we have yet to both fall into a slump at the same time. It is a question of balance and we try to remind each other of the reasons why we do what we do. It’s easy to lose track sometimes, but when we are reminded that we chose to write and create Mysterious Ink because of our love and passion for stories, it brings us both on track again and refocused on the tasks at hand.
-
Do either of you feel the other is missing when you do write something solo?
Pierre: When writing solo it mostly reminds me of how good Angella is at weaving words and setting scenes. I enjoy doing both and with that said have plans for both in the future. Working together has created some of our best work that we look forward to putting out there in the future.
Angella: Pierre, stop trying to get brownie points, I still won’t wash the Batmobile! LoL
Seriously though, as much as my writing partner can say nice things about my writing, I can say the same about his abundant and limitless imagination and his ability to come up with the most amazing of ideas. So you see it’s why we work so well together. We both bring our strengths to the table and help the other grow in areas where we are weaker. Writing solo is something we both have done and will continue to do without affecting Mysterious Ink along the way. We both aim high with our collaborations and we both support each other fully with our solo writing projects. Pierre is also a published cartoonist, and I completely support that also, just as he supports my graphic design sideline. Respect and mutual hope for our individual and collaborative success is what makes us a winning team.
-
Where do you both see Mysterious Ink in 5 years?
Pierre: My attitude is shoot for the moon but don’t be disappointed if you never reach it. I am a “sky’s the limit” type of person and I have a work hard mentality. Myself I hope to attain some prolific success for Mysterious Ink but I am not overconfident about it. My parents raised me to be humble and so to claim that it will happen goes against my nature. Also I know it won’t happen on its own either so I plan on working on the dream.
With that said the goal for us is to simply to tell stories. So in 5 years I hope that we have gotten to tell stories and are able to continue doing so whether it is on a small scale or large scale for that is the goal in all this.
Angella: In five years I see Mysterious Ink cranking out stories for readers to enjoy and maybe cause a few people to get lifelong phobias from (see my previous answers regarding Pennywise from Stephen King’s IT…)! I would love to see some success for us as writers, publishing our stories either on our site or in print. I do agree with Pierre, that the work needs to be done though, and that is still no guarantee, especially in this industry. We both agree that our goal is to tell stories, and so it keeps our feet planted firmly on the ground but with our eyes looking up towards the moon. We have big dreams, but we do know hard work is required to achieve them along with a dash of luck. The trick is understanding that we create our own luck by stepping outside of the confines of what ‘should be done’ or how things ‘should be done’. We don’t wait for the rainbow, we get a hose and make one in our backyard. I think that is what makes us feel successful already, is having the idea that it is within our own power to achieve success and not being afraid to go for it.
-
With the world of ebooks do you ever plan to make a collection available of your writing?
Pierre: We are currently looking at a few options of publishing some collections of short stories in the near future. We have plans for many stories as it is and just lack the time to focus on working on them at the moment. So yes, ebook and paper books are in our plans.
Angella: Ebooks are already very popular and increasingly so with the rise of the electronic gadgets that are available for downloading them. It is definitely something we are looking into at the moment and look forward to having available to our readers in the near future.
And now for both:
1 How did you two meet?
Pierre: Oddly enough we met because of Stephen King. I hate to say this but I was going through a clutter phase and had some books I wanted to get rid of including some Stephen King books. Angella answered an ad inquiring about some of the books I had. And since I am so shy our conversation eventually led to not having time to read because of cartooning and writing. We then chatted about writing which led to a friendship and eventually collaboration which became Mysterious Ink.
Angella: That’s how it went indeed. Who knew that Stephen King would spawn such a collaboration? It was unexpected but definitely a life turning event for me as a writer.
2 With Mysterious Ink you post a lot of your current stories. Do you find this limits you to growing your writing career or do you have piles of other works just waiting to win contests?
Pierre: We created Mysterious Ink thinking we could use this as a way to get exposure and interest readers in what we do. In the beginning we were posting most of what we did to grow some content on the site. Although our focus is now changing a bit to grow as writers we have many ideas for a possible future of Mysterious Ink which is really just our collaborative partnership.
Angella: We do have lots of other works waiting, but not so much waiting to win contests, but rather waiting to be promoted and pitched. We tend to look at more tangible ways of putting our work out there and in hands of readers and/or people of interest in the publishing industry, or even those that could help us promote. We don’t shy away from trying different and new methods and approaches, which for us seems to be working.
3 A lot of us writers find writing a lonely business but with your partnership it seems you inspire one another at just the best times. Do you ever find you’re both in a slump at the same time?
Pierre: Slumps do happen and take different forms for everybody. Some people it’s a lack of time to work and finding the energy to work when you do have time. Work and personal lives sometimes get in the way but one can’t stop living. Finding a balance is key but not an easy thing to do. Collaboration has helped us in the past by motivating and inspiring each other and continues to do so to this day.
Angella: Thankfully we have yet to both fall into a slump at the same time. It is a question of balance and we try to remind each other of the reasons why we do what we do. It’s easy to lose track sometimes, but when we are reminded that we chose to write and create Mysterious Ink because of our love and passion for stories, it brings us both on track again and refocused on the tasks at hand.
4 Do either of you feel the other is missing when you do write something solo?
Pierre: When writing solo it mostly reminds me of how good Angella is at weaving words and setting scenes. I enjoy doing both and with that said have plans for both in the future. Working together has created some of our best work that we look forward to putting out there in the future.
Angella: Pierre, stop trying to get brownie points, I still won’t wash the Batmobile! LoL
Seriously though, as much as my writing partner can say nice things about my writing, I can say the same about his abundant and limitless imagination and his ability to come up with the most amazing of ideas. So you see it’s why we work so well together. We both bring our strengths to the table and help the other grow in areas where we are weaker. Writing solo is something we both have done and will continue to do without affecting Mysterious Ink along the way. We both aim high with our collaborations and we both support each other fully with our solo writing projects. Pierre is also a published cartoonist, and I completely support that also, just as he supports my graphic design sideline. Respect and mutual hope for our individual and collaborative success is what makes us a winning team.
5 Where do you both see Mysterious Ink in 5 years?
Pierre: My attitude is shoot for the moon but don’t be disappointed if you never reach it. I am a “sky’s the limit” type of person and I have a work hard mentality. Myself I hope to attain some prolific success for Mysterious Ink but I am not overconfident about it. My parents raised me to be humble and so to claim that it will happen goes against my nature. Also I know it won’t happen on its own either so I plan on working on the dream.
With that said the goal for us is to simply to tell stories. So in 5 years I hope that we have gotten to tell stories and are able to continue doing so whether it is on a small scale or large scale for that is the goal in all this.
Angella: In five years I see Mysterious Ink cranking out stories for readers to enjoy and maybe cause a few people to get lifelong phobias from (see my previous answers regarding Pennywise from Stephen King’s IT…)! I would love to see some success for us as writers, publishing our stories either on our site or in print. I do agree with Pierre, that the work needs to be done though, and that is still no guarantee, especially in this industry. We both agree that our goal is to tell stories, and so it keeps our feet planted firmly on the ground but with our eyes looking up towards the moon. We have big dreams, but we do know hard work is required to achieve them along with a dash of luck. The trick is understanding that we create our own luck by stepping outside of the confines of what ‘should be done’ or how things ‘should be done’. We don’t wait for the rainbow, we get a hose and make one in our backyard. I think that is what makes us feel successful already, is having the idea that it is within our own power to achieve success and not being afraid to go for it.
6 With the world of ebooks do you ever plan to make a collection available of your writing?
Pierre: We are currently looking at a few options of publishing some collections of short stories in the near future. We have plans for many stories as it is and just lack the time to focus on working on them at the moment. So yes, ebook and paper books are in our plans.
Angella: Ebooks are already very popular and increasingly so with the rise of the electronic gadgets that are available for downloading them. It is definitely something we are looking into at the moment and look forward to having available to our readers in the near future.
author of Sending You Sammy
