Tim Healy Interview for
Midwest Book Review
December 2004 Edition

by Laurel Johnson

Interviewer note: Tim Healy is Webmaster and Art and Story Director for New Works Review. This quarterly magazine featuring short stories, commentaries, poetry, photographs, and art can be found at www.new-works.org. Tim is a humorous man with a fascinating history. I thought our readers might enjoy hearing what he has to say.

LJ for MBR: Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Tim. How did you become associated with NWR?

Tim: I'm not really certain. It was either divine intervention or one of those wonderful crapshoots of life. One day, out of the blue, I decided to sign up for a computer-programming course. I just happened to plop myself down next to Lucia Greer, who looked brainy and possibly a source of "how to" when I got stumped. She really did turn out to be a good security blanket when things got sticky. Peeking over her right shoulder helped a lot. Lucia told me to call her "Chia", and after the first class session we chatted about the Internet, and what we could do to make it better. Because I am a writer, as is Chia, the conversation gravitated to "ezine". We shook on it, and I proclaimed Chia editor. She gracefully accepted, and we were off to the races.

LJ for MBR: What is the philosophy behind NWR? I know, for example, that it is a family oriented site. What else is included in the collective philosophy?

Tim: Ah, philosophy. As we talked, Chia and I both agreed that we had to make an impact on our readers, and that our yet unnamed ezine should publish only good, clean, quality stuff. We wanted to avoid publishing F-word authors because they were a cop-out on good writing. We also agreed that we wouldn't publish material that any of our readers would find troubling or offensive. Our objective is to delight all and offend none.

LJ for MBR: As a group, what are your future hopes and goals for NWR?

Tim: One of my future hopes has dawned. We are now receiving contributions from top-gun authors, artists, and photographers, many on a repeat basis. Our poetry is superb, thanks to Charles Fishman, NWR's poetry editor. He has corralled the best poets on the planet, and has sufficiently twisted their arms to get only their best. Our essays are wonderful reading, and our art and photography contributors are truly talented.

My second future hope is to attract sponsors to the site. I haven't vigorously pursued this idea, however I consider it to be a natural progression based on the quality of the publication and its wide readership. My planned sponsorship fee is extremely modest, which I will share with NWR's editorial staff. These hard-working guys and gals deserve a little treat.

In the wild-dream department, I see a New Works Review magazine. However, my pockets aren't quite deep enough to get that idea kicked off. I'm going to need an angel or Daddy Warbucks to make that happen.

LJ for MBR: You work with a talented group. Was the NWR staff built over time or chosen prior to establishing the website?

Tim: In the beginning, Chia and I were the staff. Chia also did all the HTML formatting. Hats off to her! It was hectic. Many a night I went to bed cross-eyed from reading manuscripts. Occasionally I put one of my stories in, just to fill things out. Later, Chia successfully coaxed Barbara Massie to join the fray, and now we were three. Barbara's input and extra opinion smoothed and soothed. However we desperately needed more talent. Chia coaxed some of our regular contributors to sign up, and that is how Sherry Bowen, Gordon Bennett, and Joyce Nower came on board.

Some of our editors are volunteers, such as Charles Fishman. Our current editorial staff consists of Sherry Bowen, Gordon Bennett, Laurel Johnson, Charles Fishman, and myself. Some of our previous editors had conflicts, and weren't able to continue. Chia had to drop out because of her eye condition, however she does publish another Website called Passport Journal (http://www.passporthournal.org) Right now NWR could use another story editor. Any Volunteers? The qualifications are simple; be a published author, have a good sense of humor, or be a certified looney. Two out of these three will work.

LJ for MBR: Tell us a bit about your web presence. Such as, where do your submissions come from around the world? How many submissions do you receive? And how many people access NWR per month?

Tim: Talking stories, art, photography, and essays, I now receive 30-plus submissions per quarter. The decision to publish or not publish is made by the Story Panel, which consists of myself, Laurel Johnson, and Gordon Bennett. Charles Fishman receives poetry by invitation only.

Submissions arrive from all points of the compass. Off the top of my head I can think of places such as China, India, Italy, South Africa, Ireland, Israel, Bulgaria, and Canada. The U.S. is our biggest source of material.

I haven't put a hit counter on the site, however judging by the sources of our material and the nice comments we receive, I'd say we have a very large and dedicated global readership.

LJ for MBR: You have a full life outside NWR. Do you mind telling us a bit about yourself? For example, you are a licensed pilot. For how long?

Tim: Flying has always been my passion. I can still remember, as a young boy, looking to the sky when airplanes flew over. I also remember autogyros thumping overhead, and I remember the seaplane that taxied up to the beach where I was building a sand castle. These memories are as vivid today as the day they happened. I think I was predestined to fly.

I received my private pilot certificate in 1955 and my commercial certificate under the G.I Bill in 1975. When I lived on St. Croix, USVI, I naturally got to know my fellow air-bums and assorted followers. Clipper Air International was conceived after a long session of elbow bending one night at the Skyway Inn. By chance, our main source of financing and equipment came from Mike Burke's Windjammer Barefoot Cruises. Mike also provided a significant portion of Clipper Air's business. Each weekend we would transport food, supplies, and passengers from San Juam, Puerto Rico to Mike's sailing ships "down island". In the morning we took the seats out of the airplanes and flew food and supplies. In the afternoon, the seats went back in and we flew Mike's passengers. It always went smoothly, except for the occasional container of thawing fish juice that got spilled on the carpet. It was good that Mike's passengers had hearty good humor.

Clipper Air also had an interline agreement with Eastern Airlines. We also ran a light St. Croix - St. Thomas schedule and some charter flights during the week. After about a year I sold the airline and the buyers soon closed it down, I think for tax reasons.

LJ for MBR: You also hold dual citizenship with the US and Ireland. I'd be interested to hear why, and how that process went.

Tim: One day long, long ago I heard that descendents of parents or grandparents who were born in Ireland could receive Irish citizenship by descent. That thought sort of percolated around in my subconscious until one day a discussion with a friend who regularly traveled to Ireland on business kicked it to the front burner. My first move was to search the Internet for "how to" instructions. I found a book on the topic, and later contacted the Irish Consulate for Texas. They sent the latest requirements, and I immediately got started. The requirements are very strict. For starters, I had to prove without a doubt that my grandfather was born in Ireland. But how? Again the Internet came to my rescue. An outfit named Genfindit, based in Australia, specialized in obtaining records in England, Ireland and Wales. My sister, Pat, told me that Uncle Joe had gone to Ireland many years before to search for family records. He didn't have any luck, however Pat remembered he had gone to a town named Patrick's Well just outside of Limerick. I emailed this info to Genfindit and they put their operatives to work. In about two weeks I received a notarized copy of my Grandfathers birth/baptismal certificate from the parish of Mungret/Crecora in the Diocese of Limerick. From that point, I had to produce every birth, marriage and death certificate of my forebearers, including my own birth and marriage certificates. I submitted my material, paid the fee, and was officially pronounced Irish about six months later. The Irish records state that I was (I think, unfortunately) born abroad, and infer (I think, thankfully) that I am now safely back where I should have always been. I now sport two passports, U.S. and Irish.

LJ for MBR: What advice would you give writers, poets, or others wishing to submit their work to NWR?

Tim: That's an easy question. Read and comply with the guidelines and send only your best work. We are not running a critiquing service. Please, authors, spell check like crazy, and don't figure that NWR will fix your mistakes. That's the author's job. We have enough to do without fighting that battle. Art and photography should have viewer appeal. No family snapshots, please.

LJ for MBR: Is there any other question you wish I had asked or any bit of information you'd like to share with our readers?

Tim: Yes. Why should an author consider publication on the Internet? Many of my author friends frown on Internet publication. I think they have a mindset that says 'being published is being on paper'. Of course I can't disagree, because that's how it's been since Guttenberg. But let's look a little deeper. Today, big-name publishing houses tend to put out books by recognized authors and public figures. Household names, if you will. The wanna-be author trying to break in is running uphill in the mud.

Another consideration is that, if an author does luck out, her work will have limited distribution. The World is a big place, and only the Internet covers it completely. The struggling author has to be recognized. Editors who know their apples regularly surf the Web in search of new talent. Yes, these may be small-press editors, but that is where the majority of new talent is published. Several of NWR's contributors have been tapped for inclusion in anthologies and book deals.

A novel is not Internet friendly, however an editor who reads a good short story will ask the author what else he has in his quiver. Something to think about, eh what?