Hildy Silverman
This week: Hildy Silverman!
This week we are featuring a writer and publisher! Hildy Silverman publishes Space and Time Magazine. But here on The Writer's Pane, Hildy talks about more than just writing - check out her answers below!
Name: Hildy Silverman
Website: www.spaceandtimemagazine.com
Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, horror, urban fantasy/mystery
Story ideas have always just popped into my head constantly. Some are triggered by coming across a particular sight, say an artfully arranged pile of rocks on an otherwise empty trail in the woods, or an incident like when a young boy at a con got his loose shoe sole sucked into the bottom of an escalator, scraping his foot and drawing blood. It can be a sound, a smell, or just rise out of nowhere while I'm performing simple tasks like doing the laundry.
Which character in literature do you associate yourself with the most?
I can't think of a single one, but generally female characters with multiple, often conflicting sides -- gray characters -- rather than all good or all evil.
Which piece of your writing was the most entertaining/enjoyable to write? Why?
Most recently the pastiches on Sherlock Holmes -- one in which Sherlock was a vampire and Watson a hellhound (in Baker Street Irregulars, A Scandal in the Bloodline) and in the second anthology where Sherlock and Watson were an alien couple (Baker Street Irregulars II: The Game's Afoot, My Dear Wa'ats). It was a lot of fun to read through Doyle's original stories and come up with ways to keep the characters recognizable to readers even while changing them into completely different, non-human beings.
Was the first novel you published the first you ever wrote? What was?
I've only published short stories so far. However, I've written two novel-length works -- one a long time ago that could use a lot of work if I'm ever going to submit it, and another more recently that also needs some refining before submitting.
When I’m not writing I’m usually…
Working my day job in marketing and public relations, and also publishing my magazine, Space and Time.
If you could tell or ask any character in literature or film anything, what would it be?
I'd tell Ellen Ripley (Alien, et al) to choose a different career path and stay on Earth!
If you had lived a different life, made different choices, what would you be doing now?
I'd still be an Orthodox Jew, probably married to a rabbi or other religious man with a bunch of children, and resenting every second of my life.
What are five things you couldn’t do without?
My daughter, my friends, enough income to enjoy life, my health, and a laptop.
That I invented and once held a patent on a device to help notify blind people when it was safe to cross the street.
Are you working on any current projects?
(As a writer or publisher) I'm working on the next edition of Space and Time (Issue #132) and just had a story accepted for a new anthology coming out around Christmas (Release the Virgins, edited by Michael Ventrella).
What work of fiction made you want to be a writer?
Richard Matheson's short story collections, Shock 1-4, and Shock Waves.
What tools do you use for writing, organization, marketing?
I simply write in Word and do research online for the most part. I keep electronic files organized on my computer in separate folders, but nothing fancier than that. I market through social media and convention appearances primarily.
Why do you write?
It's not a choice. I can't not write for any length of time, or I start to become anxious. It's an intrinsic part of who I am -- whether I'm writing fiction or nonfiction articles, I have to express myself through the written word. And I love escaping into worlds of my own making -- there's nothing more freeing.
What's the most intimate or profound experience from your own life that you've ever worked into your fiction?
Losing my virginity (in one of my unpublished novels) -- a female character has a very similar experience to mine, although not identical.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Don't submit while on the high of having finished your first story or novel. No matter how great you feel about it, it isn't ready yet. Wait a week or so, then read it with fresh eyes -- you'll be shocked by all the errors and opportunities for improvement you find. And make sure you learn the rules of writing before you start breaking them, ideally from published professionals who can help you attain mastery of your craft.
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Author Bio: Hildy Silverman is the publisher of Space and Time, a five-decade-old magazine featuring fantasy, horror, and science fiction (www.spaceandtimemagazine.com). She is also a short fiction author whose recent publications include, "A Scandal in the Bloodline" (2017, Baker Street Irregulars, Ventrella & Maberry, eds.), "The Show Killer" (2017, TV Gods 2: Summer Programming, Young and Hillman, eds.), "Invasive Maneuvers" (2017, Love, Murder and Mayhem, Colchamiro, ed), "My Dear Wa'ats" (2018, Baker Street Irregulars II: The Game's Afoot, Ventrella & Maberry, eds.), and "The Lady of the Lakes" (2018, Camelot 13, French and Thomas, eds.). In the mundane world, she is the Manager of Marketing and PR for Signia brand hearing aids.
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