Welcome! I had the pleasure of interviewing horror author Nate Kenyan!
Biography:
Nate Kenyon grew up in a small town in Maine and is a graduate of Trinity College in Connecticut, majoring in English and winning awards for playwriting and fiction. Some of his short fiction found publication in literary and genre magazines such as Nude Beach, The Belletrist Review, Nocturnal Ecstasy and Terminal Frights. Now residing in the Boston area, he has worked in the marketing and communications fields. In 2006 his first novel, Bloodstone, was published and named a Bram Stoker Award finalist in hardcover and winning the P&E Horror Novel of the Year. In 2008, The Reach was released, earning a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was also a Stoker Award Finalist. The Bone Factory is coming in July 2009, and his fourth novel, Sparrow Rock, will hit shelves in Spring 2010. Kenyon has a trade paperback science fiction novella, Prime, coming July 2009 as well. He has recently had stories published in Shroud Magazine, Permuted Press’s Giant Creatures anthology, and Legends of the Mountain State 2, and has several others forthcoming. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers.
After reading the below interview with Nate, be sure to leave a comment because 3 lucky people will win a FREE copy of his book, THE BONE FACTORY!!!
Thanks for being here, Nate. It’s a pleasure.
Thanks for having me!
#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…
I was orphaned at an early age, losing my father in a car accident when I was eight, and my mother to cancer when I was thirteen. These two events shaped me in many ways, but one of the most important was that they made me turn to writing as an escape and a way to explore my darker thoughts. I went to school in a very small town, had a lot of good friends and loved to play sports (baseball in particular, which I played right up through college). I majored in English, with a minor in studio arts--I used to do quite a bit of sketching and charcoal work, although I haven't done much recently.
These days I'm a father of three living in the suburbs, a very busy family man who likes to work on house renovation projects and read in my spare time--not that there's a lot of it!
#2- You are a member of HWA and ITW. What do you feel you have gained from those memberships and would you recommend them for aspiring horror/mystery writers?
I think the biggest thing you gain, especially as a young writer, is this instant network and community. Writing can be a very solitary thing, and when you're dealing with rejections on a daily basis it can feel like you're completely alone in the world. Writer's organizations can help you feel like you're part of something bigger, and they give you the chance to meet others who can help you, both with advice about your career, and even with contacts at agencies or publishers. I met many of my close friends today through HWA and ITW.
For these reasons, I would recommend joining. It's not particularly expensive, so there isn't much to lose--and you can volunteer too, which will expose you to even more people and opportunities down the road.
#3- How do you handle the negative reviews and critiques you receive?
I wouldn't know, since I have not received a single negative review. Kidding…honestly, my very first review was from Kirkus, and it was less than flattering. I remember reading it and just having this sinking feeling, as if I'd pulled the wool over everyone's eyes until now, but they'd figured out I was a fraud and my career was over. It didn't take long, though, until I had a Publishers Weekly review that was a lot better, and things kept looking up from there.
I still get negative reviews every once in a while. But I think that experience taught me a lot---there's always another review, and there are an unlimited number of opinions in this world. You have to separate out the fact that critics are commenting on a novel, not on you as a person. Some of their points may be perfectly valid, and I think you can learn more from a negative review in many cases than you can from a good one.
#4- Were there any movies or authors when you were young that inspired you to write in your genre?
Oh, sure. King was a huge influence, of course. So was Peter Straub, James Herbert, Ira Levin, Thomas Harris, Shirley Jackson, Richard Matheson. I've also been influenced by a lot of the noir detective writers. I read very widely, always have--literary fiction, classics, genre--I think it's essential for writers to read all the time.
#5- Where do you get your ideas and motivation from?
My ideas come from all over the place--current events, magazine articles, other movies or stories, strange events in my own life, even dreams. I just had a particularly strange and vivid one about a group of people in an abandoned and supposedly haunted mansion, looking for hidden treasure, which might become a story or novel someday. My novel THE BONE FACTORY came out of a dream I had about a man in the middle of the woods in winter, at night, looking for a dead body. It was unbelievably creepy and I woke up having to write it down. I started asking myself who this person was, and who was dead? The plot took off from there.
As for my motivation, that's a bit more complicated. I'm not sure--I've always had this compulsion to write, ever since I was a boy. I wrote stories all the time. In fact, when I was eight, I wrote this 25 page typed story called The White Horse, which I copied with carbon paper in a typewriter and sold to relatives for a quarter.
I like exploring the story. I like figuring out where my characters are going to go. There's a real rush when something clicks--suddenly I get it, and I can't wait to put it down on paper. And there's a thrill to seeing my name in print, too.
#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?
Definitely. My novel THE BONE FACTORY hit shelves June 30, in paperback, from Leisure Books. It's about a young, troubled family being stalked by a particularly strange psychopath in the depths of the Canadian woods, and it's in stores everywhere now. My short sci fi novel, PRIME, is about a grizzled bug hunter who is hired to chase down a glitch in the world's biggest online network, and finds out this glitch is far more than anyone suspects--and far more dangerous. It's out now from Apex Books, and it's one hell of a great read--sexy, fast and fun.
Any of my works can be found easily on Amazon right here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Nate%20Kenyon
Finally, I've just finished my next Leisure novel, SPARROW ROCK, an apocalyptic supernatural horror-thriller about a group of teenagers trapped underground when the end of the world comes. It's my best work to date, and will be out in the spring of 2010.
My website is http://natekenyon.com, and I can be reached any time at nate@natekenyon.com--drop me a line, I'd be glad to hear from you!
#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thanks again for a great interview! I hope everyone who checks out my work takes the time to shoot me an email and say hello. I love to hear from readers.
NOW, don't forget to leave a comment for a chance at a FREE copy of THE BONE FACTORY!!!
Feel free to subscribe to the Blog for future interviews or check out my site at www.authorkellymoran.com
XO
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Kelly Interviews Author Carolyn Jewel
Welcome! I had the great pleasure of interviewing Paranrmal Romance Author Carolyn Jewel.
Biography:
When not writing, Author Carolyn Jewel is a Database Administrator. My Wicked Enemy is her other title, which is set for release in June 2009. Her first book is My Forbidden Desire. She resides in northern California with her son, three cats, a border collie, several chickens, and some sheep.
After reading the below interview with Carolyn, don't forget to leave a comment because 5 lucky people will win a FREE copy of her book, My Forbidden Desire.
Thanks for being here Carolyn. It’s a pleasure.
#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…
Hello everyone! And thanks, Kelly, for inviting me here.
Quick take away: I have an uninteresting day job, a wonderful son, live in a rural area, and love chocolate and reading.
I really wish I had something glamorous to tell you about myself. If I were a spy I wouldn’t be able to tell you about, but I’m not anything exciting or very interesting.
I have a geek job, which makes most people’s eyes glaze over when I talk about it. I’m a MS SQL Server DBA, short for Microsoft SQL Server Database Administrator. (For anyone who cares, SQL stands for Structured Query Language.)
OK, wake up! Right, so aside from the day job, I live in beautiful Northern California, north of San Francisco, where, in fact, I used to live. I have a son who’s about to turn fourteen and is just now beginning to be horribly embarrassed by his mother.
We have quite a few animals here, dogs, cats, chickens, sheep. I have an MA in English, which took me forever to earn because I was working full time, a single parent and writing. It was worth it, though.
#2- The paranormal romance genre is very hot right now, and seemingly difficult to write. What made you chose that sub-genre of romance and do you have any plans to write in others?
All writing, regardless of genre or sub-genre, is difficult. Put a big fat period there. Writing is just plain hard. Every genre has specific challenges – historical accuracy in a story set in the past, devising a set of consistent magical rules for a story in which the characters have magic, etcetera.
I’d always wanted to try a story with magical or supernatural elements because, well, gee, it’s pretty cool. More specifically though, paranormal creatures mean I get to explore themes and relationships that would be quite difficult -- and quite possibly boring -- to address more directly.
The magical or supernatural creature has a seductive power (I mean that in the singular) that reveals quite a lot about people who interact with that power and who may, or may not, be transformed by the creature. What a journey to send your characters on!
A paranormal creature is “other” in the very classic and academic sense. Us versus them. City folks versus country folks, Republicans vs. democrats, Terrorists vs. ohh --- see what I mean? There’s tension right away!
It can be difficult to talk about that tension without getting all wrapped up in strong and even wholly justified emotions. But when you displace that Us vs. Them to, say, demons vs. humans, you can strip away the initial protective emotions and start looking at why and how and what if. Which I find to be quite a fascinating process.
I started out writing historical romance and still do write historicals. I’d LOVE to write a fantasy. I adore stories with magic and elves and other fairytale creatures. I actually have an idea for one that’s ready to be written, I just need to find the time to write the darn thing!
#3- As you know, I reviewed your title My Forbidden Desire for Bookpleasures and loved it, but how do you handle the negative reviews and critiques you receive?
Thank you, by the way, for your kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed My Forbidden Desire.
Naturally, I want everyone in the world to think my books are the cat’s pajamas; the best thing they’ve ever read. That, alas, is not realistic. My writing is simply not going to click with everyone. (sob!)
Author John Scalzi (Scalzi.com) once exhorted authors to own their one-star reviews. So I did, in this blog post: http://www.carolynjewel.com/weblog/2008/04/owning-my-one-stars.shtml . Check it out if you want to know the worst.
A reader is never wrong about her reaction to one of my books. If someone reads something of mine and thinks my heroine was a doorstop or that a scene was too graphically sexual, that’s not a wrong reaction for that reader.
Readers and reviewers bring a completely different set of experiences and personal psychologies to their reading than I do when I’m writing the story.
None of which is to suggest that I don’t mind bad reviews. Of course I do. I keep my reactions private, though. My tears, anguish and self-doubts remain in the privacy of my own home. How I react personally depends in part on how thoughtful and well written the review is. I’ve certainly read reviews that get facts so wrong I have to wonder if the reviewer actually read the book. But that shouldn’t matter to any of you. Read a book and say what you think.
#4- Where do you feel you get your ideas and inspiration from?
As for ideas, anywhere and everywhere; other books, movies, the news, conversations, dreams, daydreams, sitting around thinking, people watching, you name it, an idea can form from the experience.
As for inspiration, that’s a little harder. I can’t wait around to feel inspired. I’d never finish anything if I did that. When inspiration strikes, yay! I work it for all it’s worth. When I don’t feel inspired, that’s usually because I have a problem in the story, in which case the delete key is my best friend.
#5- Assuming you get any time to read, what authors do you like to read, and were there any books that stand out from your childhood as favorites?
Oh, definitely, there are times when I have less or no time for reading, but making time for reading is a priority for me. I love reading and I feel unhappy and deprived if I go too long without falling into another world.
Favorite authors include George R. R. Martin (one of the best, probably the best, fantasy authors writing today), J.R. Ward (The BDB is a genre-transforming series. It’s been exciting to read, listen and watch how her world is changing the landscape) Sherrilyn Kenyon (Archeron is mine!), Brent Weeks (looking forward to more fantasy from him), Toni Morrison (Beloved deserved the Nobel), Chinua Achebe (my gateway author to African literature), Mary Balogh (I adore her historicals), Lee Child (love Jack Reacher!), Barbra Hambly (thank goodness she’s writing again). I’ve come to adore Meljean Brook’s Guardian series, Nalini Singh, J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer (Shout out if you’re Team Jacob!) and many, many others.
As a child, I read obsessively. Is anyone surprised by that? I particularly loved Mary Renault and her series on Alexander the Great, but I read everything by her. Victoria Holt was another favorite. Bulwer-Litton’s The Last Days of Pompeii was a book that really swept me away. (Yes, I know, but I was 13, okay?) Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, Horton Hears a Who (I think my mother rued the day she ever read that to me.)
As for dead authors, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte (Vilette is so underrated), Yukio Mishima, Junichero Tanizaki, Charles Dickens, Horace Walpole (for his letters, which are just exquisite).
I feel like I should mention at least a few poets. H.D. is a huge favorite of mine, as is Ezra Pound even though I find him personally repugnant, Pablo Neruda, Robert Browning, Byron, Donne, Petrarch.
I have trouble reading the really long poems and if not for grad school probably never would have. But from time to time, I do like to pick up a book of poetry and read the shorter poems. Make of that what you will. I can only stand so much stuff that’s supposed to be good for you.
#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?
Indiscreet is an October 2009 release from Berkley Sensation. It’s a Regency era historical romance set primarily in Ottoman Turkey. You can read the first two chapters at my website: www.carolynjewel.com
#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thank you for inviting me! And thanks to everyone who read my rambling responses. I love to hear from people, so feel free to email me with your favorite authors, series, suggestions for books to read and opinions, contrary or otherwise.
NOW, don't forget to leave a comment for your chance at a FREE copy of Carolyn's book.
Please subscribe/follow the Blog for future interviews, or visit my site at www.authorkellymoran.com
XO
________
Saturday, June 27th, 10 a.m.
And the winners are... Adrienna, Micki, Barbara, Caitlin, and Chris! Grats ladies. You'll get an email soon.
Come back again soon, everyone!
Big thanks to Carolyn for a great interview!
~K
xo
Biography:
When not writing, Author Carolyn Jewel is a Database Administrator. My Wicked Enemy is her other title, which is set for release in June 2009. Her first book is My Forbidden Desire. She resides in northern California with her son, three cats, a border collie, several chickens, and some sheep.
After reading the below interview with Carolyn, don't forget to leave a comment because 5 lucky people will win a FREE copy of her book, My Forbidden Desire.
Thanks for being here Carolyn. It’s a pleasure.
#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…
Hello everyone! And thanks, Kelly, for inviting me here.
Quick take away: I have an uninteresting day job, a wonderful son, live in a rural area, and love chocolate and reading.
I really wish I had something glamorous to tell you about myself. If I were a spy I wouldn’t be able to tell you about, but I’m not anything exciting or very interesting.
I have a geek job, which makes most people’s eyes glaze over when I talk about it. I’m a MS SQL Server DBA, short for Microsoft SQL Server Database Administrator. (For anyone who cares, SQL stands for Structured Query Language.)
OK, wake up! Right, so aside from the day job, I live in beautiful Northern California, north of San Francisco, where, in fact, I used to live. I have a son who’s about to turn fourteen and is just now beginning to be horribly embarrassed by his mother.
We have quite a few animals here, dogs, cats, chickens, sheep. I have an MA in English, which took me forever to earn because I was working full time, a single parent and writing. It was worth it, though.
#2- The paranormal romance genre is very hot right now, and seemingly difficult to write. What made you chose that sub-genre of romance and do you have any plans to write in others?
All writing, regardless of genre or sub-genre, is difficult. Put a big fat period there. Writing is just plain hard. Every genre has specific challenges – historical accuracy in a story set in the past, devising a set of consistent magical rules for a story in which the characters have magic, etcetera.
I’d always wanted to try a story with magical or supernatural elements because, well, gee, it’s pretty cool. More specifically though, paranormal creatures mean I get to explore themes and relationships that would be quite difficult -- and quite possibly boring -- to address more directly.
The magical or supernatural creature has a seductive power (I mean that in the singular) that reveals quite a lot about people who interact with that power and who may, or may not, be transformed by the creature. What a journey to send your characters on!
A paranormal creature is “other” in the very classic and academic sense. Us versus them. City folks versus country folks, Republicans vs. democrats, Terrorists vs. ohh --- see what I mean? There’s tension right away!
It can be difficult to talk about that tension without getting all wrapped up in strong and even wholly justified emotions. But when you displace that Us vs. Them to, say, demons vs. humans, you can strip away the initial protective emotions and start looking at why and how and what if. Which I find to be quite a fascinating process.
I started out writing historical romance and still do write historicals. I’d LOVE to write a fantasy. I adore stories with magic and elves and other fairytale creatures. I actually have an idea for one that’s ready to be written, I just need to find the time to write the darn thing!
#3- As you know, I reviewed your title My Forbidden Desire for Bookpleasures and loved it, but how do you handle the negative reviews and critiques you receive?
Thank you, by the way, for your kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed My Forbidden Desire.
Naturally, I want everyone in the world to think my books are the cat’s pajamas; the best thing they’ve ever read. That, alas, is not realistic. My writing is simply not going to click with everyone. (sob!)
Author John Scalzi (Scalzi.com) once exhorted authors to own their one-star reviews. So I did, in this blog post: http://www.carolynjewel.com/weblog/2008/04/owning-my-one-stars.shtml . Check it out if you want to know the worst.
A reader is never wrong about her reaction to one of my books. If someone reads something of mine and thinks my heroine was a doorstop or that a scene was too graphically sexual, that’s not a wrong reaction for that reader.
Readers and reviewers bring a completely different set of experiences and personal psychologies to their reading than I do when I’m writing the story.
None of which is to suggest that I don’t mind bad reviews. Of course I do. I keep my reactions private, though. My tears, anguish and self-doubts remain in the privacy of my own home. How I react personally depends in part on how thoughtful and well written the review is. I’ve certainly read reviews that get facts so wrong I have to wonder if the reviewer actually read the book. But that shouldn’t matter to any of you. Read a book and say what you think.
#4- Where do you feel you get your ideas and inspiration from?
As for ideas, anywhere and everywhere; other books, movies, the news, conversations, dreams, daydreams, sitting around thinking, people watching, you name it, an idea can form from the experience.
As for inspiration, that’s a little harder. I can’t wait around to feel inspired. I’d never finish anything if I did that. When inspiration strikes, yay! I work it for all it’s worth. When I don’t feel inspired, that’s usually because I have a problem in the story, in which case the delete key is my best friend.
#5- Assuming you get any time to read, what authors do you like to read, and were there any books that stand out from your childhood as favorites?
Oh, definitely, there are times when I have less or no time for reading, but making time for reading is a priority for me. I love reading and I feel unhappy and deprived if I go too long without falling into another world.
Favorite authors include George R. R. Martin (one of the best, probably the best, fantasy authors writing today), J.R. Ward (The BDB is a genre-transforming series. It’s been exciting to read, listen and watch how her world is changing the landscape) Sherrilyn Kenyon (Archeron is mine!), Brent Weeks (looking forward to more fantasy from him), Toni Morrison (Beloved deserved the Nobel), Chinua Achebe (my gateway author to African literature), Mary Balogh (I adore her historicals), Lee Child (love Jack Reacher!), Barbra Hambly (thank goodness she’s writing again). I’ve come to adore Meljean Brook’s Guardian series, Nalini Singh, J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer (Shout out if you’re Team Jacob!) and many, many others.
As a child, I read obsessively. Is anyone surprised by that? I particularly loved Mary Renault and her series on Alexander the Great, but I read everything by her. Victoria Holt was another favorite. Bulwer-Litton’s The Last Days of Pompeii was a book that really swept me away. (Yes, I know, but I was 13, okay?) Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak, Horton Hears a Who (I think my mother rued the day she ever read that to me.)
As for dead authors, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte (Vilette is so underrated), Yukio Mishima, Junichero Tanizaki, Charles Dickens, Horace Walpole (for his letters, which are just exquisite).
I feel like I should mention at least a few poets. H.D. is a huge favorite of mine, as is Ezra Pound even though I find him personally repugnant, Pablo Neruda, Robert Browning, Byron, Donne, Petrarch.
I have trouble reading the really long poems and if not for grad school probably never would have. But from time to time, I do like to pick up a book of poetry and read the shorter poems. Make of that what you will. I can only stand so much stuff that’s supposed to be good for you.
#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?
Indiscreet is an October 2009 release from Berkley Sensation. It’s a Regency era historical romance set primarily in Ottoman Turkey. You can read the first two chapters at my website: www.carolynjewel.com
#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?
Thank you for inviting me! And thanks to everyone who read my rambling responses. I love to hear from people, so feel free to email me with your favorite authors, series, suggestions for books to read and opinions, contrary or otherwise.
NOW, don't forget to leave a comment for your chance at a FREE copy of Carolyn's book.
Please subscribe/follow the Blog for future interviews, or visit my site at www.authorkellymoran.com
XO
________
Saturday, June 27th, 10 a.m.
And the winners are... Adrienna, Micki, Barbara, Caitlin, and Chris! Grats ladies. You'll get an email soon.
Come back again soon, everyone!
Big thanks to Carolyn for a great interview!
~K
xo
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Kelly Interviews Author Ben Tanzer
Welcome! I had the pleasure of interviewing author Ben Tanzer.
BIOGRAPHY:
Author Ben Tanzer’s writing has been featured in Punk Planet, Chicago Parent, THE2NDHAND, Dogzplot, Opium and Wonka Vision. Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine follows his first book, Lucky Man. He resides in Chicago, Illinois with his family.
After reading the below interview with Ben, be sure to leave a comment, because 3 lucky people will win a FREE copy of his book!
Thanks for being here Ben. It’s a pleasure.
#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…
Sure, thanks for having me. I am a dad, husband and Senior Director of Communications at the national office of a nonprofit. I edit the literary zine This Zine Will Change Your Life, which on good days is intended to be a life-changing confluence of literature, street art and indie music. I also oversee the faux media empire TBWCYL, Inc. and I am one of the founding members of Wham!, though this is rarely acknowledged by the rest of the band, much less by Wikipedia which continually rejects my edits to the Wham! entry on the site.
#2- When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer and where do you feel you get your inspiration from?
At some point as a teenager I knew. I took a creative writing course senior year in high school and I knew immediately. It was similar to when I learned how to read. Or, my first fight, the first time I went running, moved to New York City, shot pool or fell in love. Even the first time I drank too much or got high. There is so much pleasure and escape and excitement with all of these things that I knew I wanted more of it and really chased after it. The difference with writing though, is that I didn’t really get started for many years. I just couldn’t believe that people really wrote or that I had the capacity to do so. And then I was pushing 30 and felt like I just had to get started and there was this incident that freaked me out and that first story just came in a rush of emotion and anxiety. After that I was off and writing like mad. And I am still writing like mad. Sometimes it even works, which when it does, is nice, very nice.
#3- As you know, I reviewed your titles for Bookpleasures and loved them, but how do you handle the negative reviews and critiques you receive?
First off thank you for your support with both books, I really appreciate it. For me, every negative review or critique is killer, though some of them, whether it’s because of the timing or the source of the review, are worse than others. Some of that is less about me taking it personally though, than the bad review feeling like a lost opportunity. My books are fairly off the radar and so if someone wants to take the time to read them and actually review them, and then doesn’t like them, the review carries a lot more weight for me. That said, I try and learn from the comments, move on and get back to work. I always get right back to work. I can really obsess about things and so much of the energy that I might use to obsess over why someone doesn’t like a book of mine I try to channel into whatever I am writing at the moment. I have also been fortunate so far in that both books have been fairly well received, though your timing is excellent because Most Likely received a terrible review the other day, I mean, just a trashing, and initially it was soul-crushing. Still, there is stuff I can use from the review going forward, there always is, and frankly, the review was so negative, I couldn’t help but smile when I re-read it.
#4- As an author with a small press publisher and on several social media sites, how do you feel the sites have helped you and would you recommend them for other aspiring authors?
Overall, these kinds of sites have been great for me, though I would say that is primarily because I have been able to meet and connect with so many writers, like yourself, who I may not have met or whose books I may not have known about otherwise. That was definitely a goal of mine in general and so it’s been great. I don’t know that it has impacted book sales significantly, though it has also let me re-connect with a variety of old friends from high school and college and many seem to find the fact that I am writing entertaining and have since joined my slowly expanding rabidly quasi-fan base on some level. I would add here, that an important part of all of this for me, the writing, the editing, the social marketing, is my desire to have fun and entertain myself in whatever I’m doing and so I do get a lot of enjoyment from blogging and making YouTube videos, even Twittering, which I find fun in a highly compulsive way. I know this reflects poorly on me, but I do love being compulsive in ways that are borderline constructive and creative, and these activities allow for that. I also think that given the various things I have been into over the years it could be much worse.
#5- Assuming you get any time to read, what authors do you like to read, and were there any books that stand out from your childhood as favorites?
First off, please be prepared for some massive name-dropping.
And second, I was a reader long before I was writer and like everything else I do a very compulsive one at that. As soon as I could read, it was one of the only things I wanted to do, and early on I sucked down all of the Judy Blume and S.E. Hinton books, The Chocolate War, Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack, and that ilk, John Carter Warlord of Mars, the whole Flowers in The Attic series which is the bomb, before moving on to Stephen King, especially Carrie, repeatedly, The Martian Chronicles, The Catcher in The Rye, anything by Kurt Vonnegut and then The Basketball Diaries, still one of my all-time favorite books. Later there was The Bluest Eye and Bastard out of Carolina, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Bonfire of the Vanities, The Foundation Trilogy, Meditation From a Movable Chair, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Jimmy Corrigan: Smartest Kid on Earth, Fun Home and Cruddy. And I really love Cruddy.
More recently, I have been lucky to read and meet some wonderful writers. Joe Meno and Elizabeth Crane here in Chicago are fantastic, just really talented. And Don DeGrazia who wrote American Skin, the book that really inspired me to try and write Lucky Man. Spencer Dew is a favorite, as are Pete Anderson, Nick Ostdick, Amy Guth, Robert Duffer, Jill Summers, Kyle Beachy and Tim Hall. They can all really write and their all local. It’s crazy.
Outside of town, some other people I have been reading are Ken Wohlrob in Brooklyn, Jamie Iredell in Atlanta, William Walsh in Providence, Corey Mesler in Memphis, J.A. Tyler in Colorado, Ginneta Corelli in Nevada, Jason Jordan from Kentucky, Shannon Burke in Nashville, Michael Fitzgerald in Montana, who wrote the amazing Radiant Days, Joseph Goosey down in Florida, Kelly Moran in Milwaukee, who is quite awesome, and then Barry Graham in Ohio, Joshua Mohr in San Francisco, Scott McClanahan in West Virginia and John Domini in Iowa, all writers I have met more recently in some fashion, have started to read and just love what they’re doing or trying to do anyway. I mentioned where there all from, because it’s very cool to me just how many good writers there are and just how many places they are writing in. It’s a really good time for writing I think, for readers any way, especially if you just ignore the whole book industry is dying thing.
#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?
I am currently talking to Achilles Chapbook Press about a collection comprised of the humor pieces I have worked on over the last several years that will be part of a larger collection focused on five short story writers. I am really geeked about it, but I don’t want to jinx it, so I will leave it at that. I am also currently writing some new short stories inspired by this recent blog tour I was on and editing my new novel tentatively titled You Can Make Him Like You which I look forward to getting out before some publishers soon.
#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?
I really want to thank you again for your time today and your support, you rock, big time. I definitely want to give a shout-out to Steve Lafler at Manx Media and Jason Behrends at Orange Alert for publishing my first two novels, they took a chance and I really appreciate it. I would add here, that I am contractually obligated to let you know that Orange Alert has also just released a killer new book called Sunlight at Midnight, Darkness at Noon which all of your readers should totally buy after they purchase multiple copies of Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine. I need to thank Jason Pettus at CCLaP as well, who is a real champion of mine, and who more recently released a short story collection of mine titled Repetition Patterns which I am really excited about. I also want to thank Diane Lane and Connie Britton, they don’t have anything to do with this interview, but I am thankful for their presence in my life, even if only on an imaginary level. Patrick Ewing deserves a shout-out for sure, especially if he’s reading this. And maybe, definitely, The Hold Steady, because listening to their music has been the inspiration for the new novel You Can Make Him Like You and I want them to know much I appreciate that.
NOW, don't forget to comment for a chance to win a FREE copy of Ben's book!
Feel free to follow the Blog for future interviews and contests, or visit my site at www.authorkellymoran.com. xo
BIOGRAPHY:
Author Ben Tanzer’s writing has been featured in Punk Planet, Chicago Parent, THE2NDHAND, Dogzplot, Opium and Wonka Vision. Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine follows his first book, Lucky Man. He resides in Chicago, Illinois with his family.
After reading the below interview with Ben, be sure to leave a comment, because 3 lucky people will win a FREE copy of his book!
Thanks for being here Ben. It’s a pleasure.
#1- Tell us a little about yourself outside of your writing career…
Sure, thanks for having me. I am a dad, husband and Senior Director of Communications at the national office of a nonprofit. I edit the literary zine This Zine Will Change Your Life, which on good days is intended to be a life-changing confluence of literature, street art and indie music. I also oversee the faux media empire TBWCYL, Inc. and I am one of the founding members of Wham!, though this is rarely acknowledged by the rest of the band, much less by Wikipedia which continually rejects my edits to the Wham! entry on the site.
#2- When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer and where do you feel you get your inspiration from?
At some point as a teenager I knew. I took a creative writing course senior year in high school and I knew immediately. It was similar to when I learned how to read. Or, my first fight, the first time I went running, moved to New York City, shot pool or fell in love. Even the first time I drank too much or got high. There is so much pleasure and escape and excitement with all of these things that I knew I wanted more of it and really chased after it. The difference with writing though, is that I didn’t really get started for many years. I just couldn’t believe that people really wrote or that I had the capacity to do so. And then I was pushing 30 and felt like I just had to get started and there was this incident that freaked me out and that first story just came in a rush of emotion and anxiety. After that I was off and writing like mad. And I am still writing like mad. Sometimes it even works, which when it does, is nice, very nice.
#3- As you know, I reviewed your titles for Bookpleasures and loved them, but how do you handle the negative reviews and critiques you receive?
First off thank you for your support with both books, I really appreciate it. For me, every negative review or critique is killer, though some of them, whether it’s because of the timing or the source of the review, are worse than others. Some of that is less about me taking it personally though, than the bad review feeling like a lost opportunity. My books are fairly off the radar and so if someone wants to take the time to read them and actually review them, and then doesn’t like them, the review carries a lot more weight for me. That said, I try and learn from the comments, move on and get back to work. I always get right back to work. I can really obsess about things and so much of the energy that I might use to obsess over why someone doesn’t like a book of mine I try to channel into whatever I am writing at the moment. I have also been fortunate so far in that both books have been fairly well received, though your timing is excellent because Most Likely received a terrible review the other day, I mean, just a trashing, and initially it was soul-crushing. Still, there is stuff I can use from the review going forward, there always is, and frankly, the review was so negative, I couldn’t help but smile when I re-read it.
#4- As an author with a small press publisher and on several social media sites, how do you feel the sites have helped you and would you recommend them for other aspiring authors?
Overall, these kinds of sites have been great for me, though I would say that is primarily because I have been able to meet and connect with so many writers, like yourself, who I may not have met or whose books I may not have known about otherwise. That was definitely a goal of mine in general and so it’s been great. I don’t know that it has impacted book sales significantly, though it has also let me re-connect with a variety of old friends from high school and college and many seem to find the fact that I am writing entertaining and have since joined my slowly expanding rabidly quasi-fan base on some level. I would add here, that an important part of all of this for me, the writing, the editing, the social marketing, is my desire to have fun and entertain myself in whatever I’m doing and so I do get a lot of enjoyment from blogging and making YouTube videos, even Twittering, which I find fun in a highly compulsive way. I know this reflects poorly on me, but I do love being compulsive in ways that are borderline constructive and creative, and these activities allow for that. I also think that given the various things I have been into over the years it could be much worse.
#5- Assuming you get any time to read, what authors do you like to read, and were there any books that stand out from your childhood as favorites?
First off, please be prepared for some massive name-dropping.
And second, I was a reader long before I was writer and like everything else I do a very compulsive one at that. As soon as I could read, it was one of the only things I wanted to do, and early on I sucked down all of the Judy Blume and S.E. Hinton books, The Chocolate War, Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack, and that ilk, John Carter Warlord of Mars, the whole Flowers in The Attic series which is the bomb, before moving on to Stephen King, especially Carrie, repeatedly, The Martian Chronicles, The Catcher in The Rye, anything by Kurt Vonnegut and then The Basketball Diaries, still one of my all-time favorite books. Later there was The Bluest Eye and Bastard out of Carolina, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Bonfire of the Vanities, The Foundation Trilogy, Meditation From a Movable Chair, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, Jimmy Corrigan: Smartest Kid on Earth, Fun Home and Cruddy. And I really love Cruddy.
More recently, I have been lucky to read and meet some wonderful writers. Joe Meno and Elizabeth Crane here in Chicago are fantastic, just really talented. And Don DeGrazia who wrote American Skin, the book that really inspired me to try and write Lucky Man. Spencer Dew is a favorite, as are Pete Anderson, Nick Ostdick, Amy Guth, Robert Duffer, Jill Summers, Kyle Beachy and Tim Hall. They can all really write and their all local. It’s crazy.
Outside of town, some other people I have been reading are Ken Wohlrob in Brooklyn, Jamie Iredell in Atlanta, William Walsh in Providence, Corey Mesler in Memphis, J.A. Tyler in Colorado, Ginneta Corelli in Nevada, Jason Jordan from Kentucky, Shannon Burke in Nashville, Michael Fitzgerald in Montana, who wrote the amazing Radiant Days, Joseph Goosey down in Florida, Kelly Moran in Milwaukee, who is quite awesome, and then Barry Graham in Ohio, Joshua Mohr in San Francisco, Scott McClanahan in West Virginia and John Domini in Iowa, all writers I have met more recently in some fashion, have started to read and just love what they’re doing or trying to do anyway. I mentioned where there all from, because it’s very cool to me just how many good writers there are and just how many places they are writing in. It’s a really good time for writing I think, for readers any way, especially if you just ignore the whole book industry is dying thing.
#6- Are there any upcoming releases we would like to know about, and could you give us your web site so readers can check it out?
I am currently talking to Achilles Chapbook Press about a collection comprised of the humor pieces I have worked on over the last several years that will be part of a larger collection focused on five short story writers. I am really geeked about it, but I don’t want to jinx it, so I will leave it at that. I am also currently writing some new short stories inspired by this recent blog tour I was on and editing my new novel tentatively titled You Can Make Him Like You which I look forward to getting out before some publishers soon.
#7- This about concludes it. Thank you again for joining us. Is there anything else you would like to share?
I really want to thank you again for your time today and your support, you rock, big time. I definitely want to give a shout-out to Steve Lafler at Manx Media and Jason Behrends at Orange Alert for publishing my first two novels, they took a chance and I really appreciate it. I would add here, that I am contractually obligated to let you know that Orange Alert has also just released a killer new book called Sunlight at Midnight, Darkness at Noon which all of your readers should totally buy after they purchase multiple copies of Most Likely You Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine. I need to thank Jason Pettus at CCLaP as well, who is a real champion of mine, and who more recently released a short story collection of mine titled Repetition Patterns which I am really excited about. I also want to thank Diane Lane and Connie Britton, they don’t have anything to do with this interview, but I am thankful for their presence in my life, even if only on an imaginary level. Patrick Ewing deserves a shout-out for sure, especially if he’s reading this. And maybe, definitely, The Hold Steady, because listening to their music has been the inspiration for the new novel You Can Make Him Like You and I want them to know much I appreciate that.
NOW, don't forget to comment for a chance to win a FREE copy of Ben's book!
Feel free to follow the Blog for future interviews and contests, or visit my site at www.authorkellymoran.com. xo
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