We were lucky to catch up with Alethea Eason recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alethea , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been my last novel Charlotte and the Demons. Though it was the fourth novel I’ve published, the story stems from my childhood. I needed to write the other three to be ready for a story with autobiographical elements.
The story is set in the late 60s and early 70s. I have a lot of popular cultural references: TV shows I grew up with, songs I listened to, and food I ate like fish sticks and TV dinners. The novel is fantasy. Charlotte is raised in a dysfunctional family with a father who is alcoholic and a cop, a rebellious older sister, and a mother afraid to drive. I show that love can exist during the hardest of times.
The book is not religious, but it deals with some of the religious ambiance of my home life, a fear of Jesus and death, mainly…not that we went to church. My parents were older than most of my peers and both raised in the rural south. They reflected what they were taught. I took this material and then created the fantasy,
Charlotte’s prayers for a guardian angel are answered by her receiving a guardian demon, a young man who condemned himself to Hell for making a bad decision that resulted in his death and that of his sister. I wanted a city that could easily have a speculative element. I chose Las Vegas. Satan is losing power in Hell. A powerful demon has taken control and decides to open the Burning Sands Casino in Vegas and staff it with denizens of the underworld. Frank Sinatra shows up for a gig at the casino.
Satan, Lilith, Mary, and Jesus make appearances in the book, as well as a host of demons, including Behemoth, who arrives unannounced as Charlotte’s little brother.
Charlotte has quite the sense of humor. I wanted readers to laugh at times.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve been writing since my 20s, starting with poetry, then short stories, and eventually turning to novels. I went to the University of Redlands in Southern California and was fortunate enough to take writing classes from the esteemed science fiction writer, Bruce McAllister. He encouraged me to continue writing, and I’ve done so ever since.
I’m retired now, but my day job was as an elementary teacher with most of my years working as a reading specialist. I started being published in my 30s. My first publication was in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine. My writing has been included in magazines, journals, and anthologies, including three by the prolific children’s writer Bruce Coville. My first published novel was Hungry (HarperCollins) about a sixth grade alien girl named Deborah (her Earth name) whose species is coming to devour Earthlings…it’s very funny. I self-published the sequel Starved, and am currently working on republishing the books as a series called Deborah Eats the World. I have also published Whispers of the Old Ones, a quieter story best described as magical realism, about two sisters growing up in the wilderness of an alternative Northern California, circa 1900. My poetry collection is called Opened Earth.
I’m a late blooming, self-taught artist, working mostly in acrylic and watercolor. My paintings have been featured in galleries in California and New Mexico. My work has been described as “neo-expressionistic,” “visual magical realism,” and “embodying archetypal soul work.” My main influence has been the Point Zero method developed by Michelle Cassou.
I do occasional work as a line editor for other fiction writers. My strength is seeing the potential in the deep structures of the story, how to take the strengths of an author’s work and maximize them. I work at the level the author needs. I’m not a copy editor, but I help with paring down verbiage. In contrast, I guide my client to enhance image, metaphor, and find a register with language that best serves the story.
I also offer creativity workshops, sometimes adding a twist of spiritual exploration in the mix. My belief is that we all have inner artists within us and by tapping into our creative source, we discover a deep, viable place to sustain ourselves.
Teaching, writing, and art are all parts of my core self.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I don’t divide the world into creatives and non-creatives. People may not write books or paint, but I envy those who can sew (I’m hopeless), or work with wood, or plant beautiful gardens. I could go on. But in terms of what people seem to think of as “artistic” talent, I want people to know that everyone has the ability to tap into a reservoir of creativity. I avoided doing “art” until well into my adult years because I thought I had no talent. It took a determined friend who kept at me. I finally made a collage, and my door to art flew open.
We are conditioned from childhood to break the world into what is ours and what doesn’t belong to us. So many people I’ve worked with are afraid to draw. I get it. So was I. We think we have to draw realistically. We think we have to make “products” and can’t believe that exploration of color, line, and texture…the journey…might be full of joy. I want people to learn not to be afraid of making “mistakes.” The ones I initially think I’ve made have often led to my favorite work.
I still deal with judgments my ego makes. An important part of of Cassou’s Point Zero process that really liberated me was to learn to not stay attached to the critical thoughts, the voices that say “You’re no good at this” or “What you’ve done is ugly.” Trust your body, your feelings, your energy. Lean into the vibration of colors. Feel where the energy demands your attention and keep a quiet mind as much as possible.
The same approach applies to writing. Everyone has a story to tell. Perhaps thinking metaphorically doesn’t come naturally to some, but I believe anyone can write a poem. I used to walk around the classroom and have kids tell me the first thing that came to their minds. That was their first line. If you have wanted to write stories from your life, do so! That urge is telling you this is important. Don’t worry about the audience, whether you want to write professionally or leave a memoir for your grandchildren to read. Simply write. Allow your pen, or fingers over the keyboard, to flow. Find a group of people who you can trust and be vulnerable with, who will respect what you write, while at the same time who will honor your growth as a writer. Be open to feedback. Don’t be cowered by it.
A time comes for the more linear aspects to be applied: the editing, the weeding, the rewriting. But if you write something from the core of your being, you will welcome this work, and each time you return to create something new, the skills you’ve developed will follow.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love how an artistic creation isn’t there, doesn’t exist, and then emerges into the world. For me, the best part of working on a project is finding that it has a larger intelligence than I do. Sometimes my intention is just an unformed desire to make something new, whether a painting, a story, or a poem. As I drop away from a conscious effort to fashion something, getting out of surface thoughts, and allowing my instincts and intuition to guide me, the real magic happens.
I also love sharing what I’ve created, finding out how a painting, a poem, or story has affected others, brought them to a different place, has entertained or moved them, and opened new perspectives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://borderlandwriters.wordpress.com/alethea-eason/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aletheaeasonauthor

Image Credits

Eve West Bessier
Lisa Kirksey