NiNe QuestioNs With Chris Bartholomew
AJ BrowN

When I set out to do NiNe QuestioNs, I was afraid I wouldn't get many takers. For the first few days of talking it up, I had only garnered enough interested people to count them all on one hand. I must admit, I was a little discouraged. But, I am not one to be denied of what I wish to do, so I decided to proceed anyway in hopes that others may fall in line and participate in my little endeavor.

As I finished my first installment of NiNe QuestioNs, I started looking at the information I had received from a couple of other willing victims—I mean, participants. As I read over my notes and e-mails (or Z-mails, if you're part of the Zoetrope network), one particular letter stuck out to me. It was from a lady named Chris Bartholomew. Though the information was brief, I was intrigued immediately.

Why, you ask? That is simple. Chris is a woman who used her writing as a type of therapy while dealing with ovarian cancer. She said something in her letter that I've always thought to be true: "Writers are a wonderful group to hang out with, they encourage and they laugh and cry with you, they are real people."

I've been saying that forever. Even to the point of mentioning it here, on the HL Blog-O-Rama, several times.

After reading Chris' letter, I went to her website and went to her links page. From there I read several of her stories, including Harry's Garage Sale, a story about a man making his millions, and instantly wondered why I didn't come up with the story. It was quite good and I believe it had a solid factual basis to it, but I'm not going to give that away here.

After corresponding with Chris for a few days, I came to admire her for having a tremendously great attitude through what she's been through in recent years. I hope by the end of this NiNe QuestioNs you will admire her, as well.

Having said all of this, I now say this: Chris Bartholomew, I have NiNe QuestioNs for you.

Where are you from and can you give us a little background information about Chris Bartholomew?

I was born in Puerto Rico, an Air Force brat. I was raised in California but left there for Alaska when I was nineteen. I went to Arizona, Virginia, North Carolina and now Georgia. I left California with the intent on going back someday but now realize that it's never going to happen. The bad thing about going where the wind takes you is that when it quits blowing, you are where you are. I am not a southerner and I hate the south. Having said that, I sound like a southerner and I get along with most people. I'm a sarcastic person who can dish it out but usually can't take it.

I love people no matter where they come from or their place in life. I hate prejudice and I hate war. I don't like confrontations but I am a confrontational person. I'm outspoken and really, you either like me or hate me, there has never seemed to be an in between.

You had ovarian cancer, which I know little about. I'm sure it was a moment in your life where you did a lot of reflective thinking. What went through your mind through that whole experience?

Honestly, I didn't go through a reflective thinking process. I worked hard between finding out that I had it and the surgery to take it out. I worked so hard the day before surgery that I fell asleep before they even put me out. My attitude was that there was something in there that didn't belong and we were going to get rid of it.

My family had a hard time, especially my sons. I had just gotten through about five years of sickness. I had MS. Today I am totally over that, but after being so sick and then recovering, my sons thought it a cruel thing to be going through cancer.

I buried myself in reading and writing. Although most people with ovarian cancer die after five years, I never have considered myself as potentially being one of these statistics. It did/does put my writing into perspective though, and I've concentrated a lot on getting that done, it's what makes me happy, so I write a lot.

It's a funny thing (not hilarious funny) but strange. When the doctor found the tumor he was upset, when he turned the monitor towards me, I looked at it and said, 'yep, there it is.' When, after surgery they told me that it had burst when they turned it over to look at it, I thought, 'of course it did.' Ha, I'm used to things going wrong and I've lived through enough to know that nothing is as it should be.

In my case, and who knows maybe everyone's and they just don't know it, it's the people who love me that went through the toughest time. Everyone says things change after cancer and this is what I think happens: Your loved ones, subconsciously, are preparing for you to die. They really are--as terrible as that sounds, they are filling your space with other things. I'm sure that they don't even realize that it's going on, but it is. The cancer was in April of 2005. Now, here it is 2007 and I'm having the rough time. I've lost my place in my family and I believe it is a direct result of them coming face to face with the reality that I won't be here forever…I'm not feeling sorry for myself, but I think it's good for people to understand that it's not always the one with the cancer that walks away, sometimes it's everyone else.

Are you cancer free, now?

I have to tell you that even with insurance, the co pay for all of the tests and surgery wiped us out. I wasn't supposed to go back to work for 4 weeks after the surgery but went back after two. I knew that I couldn’t afford to lose my employment. I went from making two thousand a week to zero. I couldn't recover enough to work, so I had to quit and let myself be replaced. Before I knew it we were out of money, and out of a place to live. We couldn't keep coming up with the seven hundred a month rent so we ended up moving from a big house into a small trailer. I'm still paying for the hospital bill.

I said all of that to explain my answer, am I cancer free? I don't know. The doctor was sure she had gotten all of the cancer. As recommended, I went and talked to a Chemo doctor. His recommendation was that I should have Chemo, not only that but the toughest chemo out there…I declined. When I said no to Chemo, my doctor released me from her care two weeks earlier than she should have. I think she was mad that I refused. It's not all vanity though I will have to admit that some of it is. When I had MS I was on so much steroids that my bottom teeth went in two different directions…I'm better now, but with chemo he said I'd lose my teeth, my hair and probably never fully recover. Now look, I'm fine now, probably better than I've been in years and the guy wants me to lose my teeth, hair, and feel like crap for the rest of my life? No.

Since not taking Chemo, the doctors around here refuse to see me so I haven't had the post op exam. My regular doctor reported everyone to the board, and he continues to badger me on this, but I just can't afford to go back into debt once again to find out how it's going.

I think I'm cancer free.

Your statement, "Writers are a wonderful group to hang out with, they encourage and they laugh and cry with you, they are real people." Are writers any different than anyone else, and if so, what sets them apart in your mind?

Writers understand, they work with words and they understand what you are saying. A writer will understand if the most important thing you are doing is working on a story…and the next important thing after that is getting the work published. If I tell you that I have a stack of books and magazines that I'm published in sitting right here by the computer, you'll think that's great whereas someone who doesn’t write has absolutely no idea of the sweat, tears, and rejections that went into getting those works into print.

How did that support group of writers help you in your recovery from ovarian cancer?

During the few weeks between finding that out and having the operation to be rid of it, I spent all of my waking hours on that forum, talking and being encouraged by other writers. I spent all of my days and nights reading the stories and poems on other sites, and it kept me sane, kept my mind off of the cancer and the operation that was to come.

In the last year and a half that I've been writing and submitting stories for publication consideration, I've had over seventy works published. I encourage writers to find a group, to work shop their stories, to better their chances of publication. Twenty-three of my published works were work shopped in zoetrope.
At one time or another, everyone on that forum has been a part of Static Movement; most of the editors are from that time, as well as all of the illustrators save one.

When I read Harry's Garage Sale I was picturing this older man who had the blue collar wear and tear on his body and a big idea. Can you tell me where Harry's Garage came from?

Anotherealm was having a contest and the subject was Garage or Yard Sales. Harry just came to my mind and I knew - just knew that he once thought he'd be a rich man so I had to think of a way for Harry to try to obtain his dream. My mother once sent me a little spice jar full of the ash from Mt. St. Helen, when the volcano erupted it sent ash clear to her in Idaho. Thus, Harry and his awesome idea were born. –It was volcano ash, really it was…

Why did you start Static Movement Online?

I wanted to have the means to help writers get that publishing credit. I wanted to have a way to give something back. I have had the best time publishing that zine, and I hope or at least my plans are for it to be around for a long time.

After one year in publication, we are putting the finishing touches on the first print issue. It will probably just be a few weeks before that is on sale. I’m thinking of publishing a poetry book from Static Poetry…that might even be the name for it. We get so many wonderful writers that I wish I could put them all in print.

You are now the editor of RAZAR Magazine, as well. How did that come about?

A little less than a year ago, Paul Campbell came up for a great idea for a book and we were going in together to write it. Well, Paul paid me for the stories going in, but the idea fell apart. When he came up for the idea of RAZAR, he already owned those stories so he put them into the first issue.

Paul asked me to come on board with RAZAR as editor and I've loved this as much as producing Static Movement. This is by far the best magazine I've ever seen and I'm honored to be included in that first issue. I really mean it that if I never got another thing published, RAZAR would be enough. The illustrations that go with the stories are awesome, better than I could have hoped for. Truth be known, I probably would have paid Paul to be in that magazine.

Having said all of that let me tell you this, it's scary editing a print publication and there are mistakes. I spelled the Twilight guys name wrong…if you don't think EVERYONE noticed that one! It's extremely hard to edit your own work, you read what you thought you wrote…get an editor. Also interesting is that now that I'm in RAZAR, when I submit stories to publications sometimes I'll get a message back that the editor enjoyed issue one of RAZAR so we don't know who has read our work. LOL, because of my spelling mistake I am tempted always to email the editors back and say, 'no! Wait! I can explain!'

Any goals for the future?

My goals for the future are many print publications for Static Movement, and RAZAR. I will continue submitting and hopefully getting published. I will try to find an agent for a book I am going to write, and a publisher for a short story book. I'm just going to keep on keeping on, just as I've always done.

When I write, I usually don't just write a story, I read websites and write something to submit to that one place. Naturally, they get rejected, and once that rejection comes, I turn it around and send it someplace else. There is a story that just got accepted that I worked on for an anthology, The Making of a Bad Wolf. This is the first story that I put on Zoetrope, first in the Horror Library office, and then out in the main building for everyone to read and comment. I sent this to two of my Static Movement editors (though this was before Static Movement) and I think it's a great story with all of the editing help I had for it. It's just been accepted for a print publication to be out soon…so never give up, and find that editor that will like your stuff!

Here is one that started out as a tiny little piece. It got work shopped to death on Zoetrope and hacked up like you wouldn't believe, but here it is:




Coffee and a Gun
by Chris Bartholomew



Sylvia sat at the table drinking her coffee alone, again. She tried not to think of the past, but then again, she didn't want to think of the present either.

She looks at the gun on the table, right by her coffee cup. She thought that looked funny and she smiled. What a choice, should she have coffee - a new day and a new beginning, or the gun, irrevocably, the end of all beginnings.

A year after her marriage to Frank and finding out he was two timing her, she had coffee and the gun. Set out on the table, such temptation.

Four children later and bills mounting up seemed hopeless, never to go away, dreams of college and a better life nowhere in site.

Looking out the window, she saw rat droppings by the garbage. There were never second chances, just living in the same old ways. She had made the choice many times, between the gun and living on, she thought each one had its hard part, which was the pain.

Her husband left, the loss of a daughter, the never-ending parade of bills, just to live. Empty cupboards and roaches scampering across the floor, it all seemed hopeless.

How many times she had sat there contemplating, she couldn’t remember. Why she always put it away, she didn't know. Moving in life from disaster to disaster hanging onto the hope that things would change, nothing stayed the same, some day she would have a better life, but it never came.

Memories of a husband's love, children's laughter and kisses, tears streamed down her face, thinking of dreams never forgotten, yet never attained, she picked up the gun and put it away. Again.


You can check out Chris Bartholomew, Static Movement Online and RAZAR Magazine at the following locations:

http://www.staticmovementonline.com/bikrpreacher/
http://www.staticmovementonline.com/
http://staticmovementonline.blogspot.com/
http://www.razarmagazine.com/

posted by AJ Brown at 2/02/2007 08:46:00 AM 0 comments links to this post