Let me start by saying how much I admire Marcy. She humbles me with her productivity and her resilience in the face of the many personal trials she and her family have suffered and continue to endure. I am also a stalwart fan of many of her poems and short stories. I enjoyed her first novel, Legacy of Wolves, and looked forward to her next excursion into the world of Eberron. When it comes to Marcy’s writing, I am a little bias. Just so you know.

The Shard Axe did not disappoint me. Both Eberron as a setting, and sword-and-sorcery as a genre, tend to favor stories where Good and Evil come in shades of gray. Marcy capitalizes on that feature by populating her story with characters that all carry some sort of scar or baggage that taints them with suspicion at various points as the plot progresses. For me, that was perhaps the greatest strength of the story. I think I suspected everyone at least once of some culpability in the various intrigues–if not the primary crime–and some characters twice.

Sabira is a great female protagonist. Haunted by guilt and chased by creditors, she is a complex woman, and we are given full access to her thoughts, feelings, and motivations. That’s not to say the book is full of introspective soliloquies or angst-ridden dialogue. This is a sword-and-sorcery tale, after all. There is plenty of swordplay–or axeplay, as it were–and I really liked how low key the magic was, especially in a setting like Eberron where magic is a form of technology that powers the society. The vast majority of magic in the story is artifact-based; there wasn’t very much spellslinging. Sabira proves she can hold her own with her enchanted axe, but while she takes her nickname from it, the weapon is clearly not what defines her.

There were few things I didn’t enjoy about The Shard Axe, but in some sort of attempt to appear fair and balanced, I thought I’d mention a couple concerns I had. First, I didn’t buy the budding romance with the brother of her former partner, but I blame my own sense of suspicious cynicism, which Marcy played on perfectly. I also had a hard time orienting myself once the characters reached the dwarven city that serves as the setting for the second half of the book. I just didn’t get a good sense of landmarks and topographical features. The resulting confusion distracted me enough from the plot that once I finally got back on track, things felt rushed. Maybe compressed is a better word.

I’m happy to say that my lack of familiarity with Eberron or the Dungeons & Dragons Online MMO that the book is tied to did not inhibit my ability to understand or enjoy The Shard Axe, and to me, that is one characteristic of good media tie-in fiction. You’ll have to check some other reviews by fans of DDO and Eberron to see if Marcy stayed true to the themes and traits that are central to those intellectual properties, but I have a feeling she did. I recommend The Shard Axe to anyone who likes to read fantasy fiction, and I am pleased to learn she is already at work on a sequel.Similar Posts:

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Short stories are a different animal than novels from a craft perspective. I didn’t appreciate that until forced to write one. The first short story I wrote was for my creative writing class my senior year in high school, the same one I submitted to a state contest later that year. (I don’t count those stories I wrote for Show And Tell back in the third grade, as I didn’t have a sufficient awareness of the differences at the time.) I remember trying to cram a handful of themes into just a few thousand words. The result was so diluted that none of them were really discernible. That was my first insight into what made a good short story. It takes a certain skill to distill the basic elements of a story into fewer and fewer words.

I believe my experience as a technical writer has contributed to my own development of this ability, and to my acknowledgement of the validity of shorter forms of storytelling. Technical writing is all about the use of concise language to get right to the point. It also helps that I’ve written shorter forms of fiction, honing my craft with each attempt. I remember scoffing at the thought of 500-words being enough to actually tell a story, then writing my first flash fiction piece in a thread on the now-defunct WotC Novels forum while waiting to hear the results of the Maiden of Pain contest.

Short fiction is extremely popular on the Internet. Flash fiction websites pop-up every week on Duotrope, and I know of several online markets that accept longer works in the form of serials. There are even sites that are looking for very short stories–the shorter, the better. My friend Richard F. Yates recently started such a site and is accepting submissions.

How short can a story be, though, before it is no longer a story? Hemingway’s “A Very Short Story” is 633 words, putting it over the threshold for flash fiction. What about his apocryphal six-word story “Baby Shoes”? It’s credited as a “complete” story because it has “a beginning, a middle, and an end.” Those are rather vague terms, so I prefer to analyze it through the lens of the old plot graph I learned back in grade school. A “complete” story should have an introduction, a conflict with rising action, a climax, falling action, and a resolution.

It’s hard to convey all that in less than 10 words, at least literally. How “Baby Shoes” and similar very very very short fiction succeed in doing so is by inference. The text of the fictitious newspaper ad conjures up a vivid image of someone mourning the loss of an infant as they struggle with the decision of what to do with all the things they bought in anticipation. The conflict peaks when the ad is written and submitted to the newspaper, and resolves when it is actually printed. By engaging the reader, and requiring them to fill in the blanks, those few words turn into a story.

I wrote a very very very short story (and am working on a second) and submitted it to my friend’s website. Check out “Disconnected” and tell me if you think it qualifies as a story.Similar Posts:

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Yes, it’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and if you’re not very conversant in the lingo, here’s a translation of the above:

Stop what you’re doing. Today is the official release of Pulp Empire’s Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology. Head over to CreateSpace and order your copy now. If you do so before October 10th, you can use the code 43X7BLJ4 to get 15% off the cover price.

That’s right. “Relvan’s Rescue,” one of 17 New Pulp stories about pirates and their ilk collected in this volume, is now available for your reading pleasure. My thanks to Nick Alhelm, the editor and publisher, for helping Janner Kohl to finally see print. I hope you enjoy his adventures as much as I do.Similar Posts:

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When did you first realize you were a writer?
The blurb I usually submit for a bio begins with the writing I shared for Show-and-Tell in the third grade, but it wasn’t until my senior year in high school–I took a creative writing class and entered a statewide short story contest–that I truly thought of myself as a writer, or considered writing as a career.

What authors influence or inspire you?
Terry Brooks is probably the author who most influences my writing style. I reread the chapter from The Sword of Shannara where Shea, Flick, and Menion travel through the Black Oaks to get inspiration for writing about Adder Swamp in Maiden of Pain. I wanted to capture not just the environment, but the atmosphere Brooks created.

David Eddings influenced my ideas about world-building early on. Tolkien’s use of geography as a quest obstacle is also something that has stuck with me.

What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad, The Sword of Shannara, The Elfstones of Shannara, The Wheel of Time, and the Bible. The first five are genre classics, and some of the first books I read growing up, so there is a sentimental attachment as well as just being fun to read. Wheel of Time is on the list because I often had to go back and reread the series to remember what (if anything) happened as time between new releases grew longer and longer. The Bible is important to me primarily as the source of my faith, but I have looked to it from time to time for its value as literature.

In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Action and adventure over introspection and angst.

What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
“Relvan’s Rescue” had originally been written for a nautical-themed sword-and-sorcery anthology that was published four years ago. It was rejected, but with some nice comments from the editor. I overhauled the story and sent it out to some other markets. Still no takers. I let it sit for a year or so before revisiting and revising it. A second round of submissions began. One market held on to it for a year while they worked through their backlog and instituted a new submission process.

About the time I finally received a rejection from them, I ran across Pulp Empire’s call for submissions on Duotrope. As my story had originally been intended for a “pirate” anthology, I thought this was the ideal market.

How did you come up with the idea for your story? What is your writing process like?
The first Janner Kohl story I started working on was actually the last story I planned to write about him chronologically. At the beginning of the story, he is hired by an older Relvan, and there is a passing reference to Janner having rescued him from kidnappers when Relvan was younger. I chose to explore that when I decided to write a story for the sword-and-sorcery anthology.

My writing process for short stories is different than for novels. I always create a chapter-by-chapter outline before I get too far into the first chapter of a novel. For short stories, I might write up a paragraph synopsis, but I typically just start writing as soon as I have a general idea of the plot in my head.

Once I have a draft written, I’ll send it off to one or two readers. Based on their comments and my own thoughts, I’ll make some revisions before sending it off.

Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
Sword-and-sorcery is a genre I like to both read and write, and has strong ties to the “Pulp” era. I also like to write high fantasy. I typically identify myself as a fantasy author/writer.

Care to weigh in with your opinion of the e-book?
They are the inevitable future of our technology-driven society, and while I plan to take full advantage of the format as an author, you will have to pry the paperback out of my cold, rigor-locked grasp before I trade it in for an e-reader.

Where can someone find more of your work?
All of my professional publications are currently out of print, so you’ll have to track them down used somewhere. I have some excerpts, poetry, and a five-part fantasy serial published on this site.
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When did you first realize you were a writer?
I’m 48, and sold my first story at the age of 41. So I got started writing – backwards! By gaining life experience. I spent ten years in the army. I used the G.I. Bill to attend a community college, hoping to eventually get a university degree in Engineering. However, when circumstances necessitated that I drop some classes, I discovered that the only class I stayed with had nothing to do with Engineering; it was a writing class instead. A year later, I had a new plan.

I couldn’t find an undergraduate fiction writing program at Arizona State, at that time, but realized classes at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism were staffed by visiting editors from national magazines (such as National Geographic), as well as past senior editors of several major daily newspapers. These editors were the professors at the Cronkite School and, if nothing else, I figured they could certainly teach me to write. In 2002 I graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications. During my senior year, I made my first sale to a national magazine.

What authors influence or inspire you?
I love the old pulp masters: guys like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Isaac Asimov. John Creasey, who penned over 500 novels in his lifetime, is terrific; check out his rollicking Toff series at your local used bookstore! Alistair MacLean is great too; this is the guy who wrote The Guns of Navarone, which stands with his Ice Station Zebra as one of the all-time best suspense novels in history IMHO.

Heinlein holds a special place in my heart, because he wrote about Special Forces Engineer Sergeants and clearly understood the place of the military in Sci-Fi. New masters, in updated versions of those old pulp shoes, include: Lawrence Block, Loren D. Estleman, and Bill Pronzini. My entire being often seems to be captured for the length of a novel, when it’s written by Dick Francis or John D. MacDonald (and anybody who’s never read MacDonald’s Travis McGee series is cheating themselves out of one of life’s great pleasures).

For military adventure, I enjoy the Brotherhood of War, and The Corps series by W.E.B. Griffin; I spent ten years in the army, and Griffin knows that sweet green bitch as intimately as I do. The stunning realizations presented in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged make it must reading, IMHO —though I disagree with her on some subjects. But the man I consider the greatest living novelist of our time is Dean Koontz, who fuses multiple genres – mystery, suspense, horror, literary, and even the supernatural — into seamless novels that grab a reader by the balls, the scruff of his neck, his mind and very soul!

What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
The first book I read repeatedly was about the Great Johnstown Flood. It was non-fiction, but the excitement of the story forced me to check it out of my elementary school library every September.

The first fiction book that had this effect on me was Ice Station Zebra. I had never read a novel with an unreliable first-person narrator before. And the way Alistair MacLean used it to his advantage completely blew me away. I was eleven years old, and read it in almost one sitting over the course of a day and very late night. The next morning, I started reading it again.

In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Pulp is like Crackerjacks: fun to munch, filling—satisfying as hell! And, when you’re lucky, you discover the “Toy surprise inside” is a real gem.

What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
To begin with, I really like what Pulp Empire is about. I think the old pulp editors, who published on newsprint (hence the “pulp” moniker) because it was the cheapest way to put out their magazines, would have jumped on the internet bandwagon like ravenous dogs. And for the same reason—it’s a medium that provides great ‘bang for the buck’: inexpensive mass marketing combined with the low physical inventory requirements that come with print-on-demand.

It’s great to see contemporary editors who realize these benefits, and I like to do everything I can to support good editors trying to accomplish great things. Additionally, I discovered that Pulp Empire would take longer stories than many print magazines, and I’ve got longer stories hanging around my computer, which I can’t find a print market for. This isn’t because magazine editors are parsimonious; they just have very limited space, so they have to hold down the story size.

When I saw they had Pirates & Swashbucklers coming up, I thought: “How great is that? How often do you get to write a pirate story?” So, when I submitted a story for another anthology, I queried if they’d be willing to take a contemporary pirate story set off the coast of Somalia, the Caribbean, or maybe the South China Sea. They said they’d be interested, so I got started.

How did you come up with the idea for your story? What is your writing process like?
I spent about ten years in the army—the first half working for Military Intelligence, and the last half running around Central & South America and West Africa with a Girl Scout hat on my head. So, I know what it’s like to work in denied areas and participate in covert ops. Consequently, it made sense to me that contemporary counter-piracy operations might theoretically be set up in a similar manner—with multiple compartmentalized elements conducting complex operations orchestrated by higher echelons. In my story “Blooding of the Black Shark,” I tried to show a little of how I thought this might play out. Some of the elements clearly know about some of the other elements. But none of them knows about all of the other elements, and this adds a little note or two of surprise I think.

I always strive to ensure details in my stories are right, and make sense. I know weapons and explosives fairly well, and get bent out of shape if I read an action/suspense story clearly written by somebody who has no idea what it’s like to pull a trigger, or how weapons or demolitions operate. I got a buddy who’s an ex-Navy Commander (equivalent to an army Lt. Col.) to look over the story and vet all nautical terms and designations. He initially balked at one place where I let an ensign have the con of a large vessel for about twenty minutes, but after talking it over with a few beers, we decided, “Well, it might work out in this particular situation, given crew choice.” So, I let the ensign keep stand his post-er-watch.

I spent time researching the languages spoken in Somalia, in order to ensure I portrayed the pirates’ spoken language pretty accurately. And, of course, it’s necessary to tell the pirates’ story too, because not all pirates are bad guys, and noting the difference is important.

I freely admit to making up the GAU-75 Gauntlet gun. I have enough experience calling for fire from MC-130 gunships (Specter) that I have a good feel for what such a weapon does to a target—and I believe I did a good job of describing that, though I was worried it might prove too graphic. Thankfully, the editors kept my description.

Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
I consider myself a “fiction writer” and believe that Pulp represents fiction at it’s most wild and woolly. The old pulps were out there because there wasn’t any television, and movies often cost more than pulp mags. The plethora of pulps gave budding authors a place to cut their teeth, and provided a proving ground where more experienced writers could hone their skills. This is why, while many proclaim that pulp is vapid entertainment, I believe it often presented classic literary gems. Further, these great stories are proof that “literary” does not have to mean “lacking action.” Read Raymond Chandler, and you’ll see what I mean.

That’s why I strongly enjoy being published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Pulp Empire and similar media. It gives me the chance to earn a buck and improve my writing. My attitude is like that of Babe Ruth, who said he could hardly believe they’d actually pay him to play baseball.

Care to weigh in with your opinion of the e-book?
I think of the e-book as a hybrid concept, which acts as a stepping stone in history, as readers transition from the printed word to relating with fiction media through digital gaming-type interaction.

Where can someone find more of your work?
More of my stories may be found in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Boys’ Life, and other national magazines.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your writing?
I’m currently shopping for an agent, and if I sell my latest mystery novel manuscript I’ll let you know.Similar Posts:

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When did you first realize you were a writer?
I started writing fiction in kindergarten. Apparently, I assumed this meant that I was a writer. Inaccurate, to be sure, but it did spare me wondering “Am I really a writer?”

What authors influence or inspire you?
A full answer to that question could go on for pages, even if I stuck to making a list. So I’ll stick to the main influences for “Sea-Child,” my story in Pirates & Swashbucklers. And those influences (visible or not) would be the pulp deities Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, and Leigh Brackett, and the historical fiction goddesses Mary Renault and Rosemary Sutcliff, all of whom I first encountered in my teen or tween years.

What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
I recently re-read ERB’s A Princess of Mars and Tarzan of the Apes. I hadn’t read them since high school, over 30 years ago, so I was curious as to how they’d hold up. Pretty well, actually. They’re far more racist and sexist that I realized as a small-town Maine schoolkid in the ’70s, of course, but other aspects are strong. The prose, for example, was a lot better than I’d expected. Time to re-read REH’s Conan stories, I think.

Brackett, Renault, and Sutcliff I revisit for the prose, the characterization, the world-building. A couple of other titles I like to re-read are Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint (does another novel offer better insight into the way a swordsman’s mind might work? I doubt it) and Georgette Heyer’s The Masqueraders (sword-fights! cross-dressing! wit!).

In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Fast-paced, colorful action/adventure fiction in any genre, with more emphasis on entertainment and excitement than literary prose or deep character-excavation.

What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
I thought my story “Sea-Child,” already written, might fit the theme.

How did you come up with the idea for your story?
Pirates being all the rage, I wondered if I could write a story about them. But I’ve been burgled a time or two, so I wasn’t feeling particularly sympathetic to the pirate viewpoint. Meanwhile, I’d noticed that there are far fewer undersea characters than you might expect in fantasy fiction. When it occurred to me to combine these thoughts, I had my story.

What is your writing process like?
I do a lot of mulling. When the idea has mostly gelled into a story, I start typing. Sometimes, the mulling can go on for decades. Sometimes, I’m still mulling. Fortunately, like most people who regularly write fiction, I have a lot of ideas.

By editorial fiat, I recently had to outline a story. That seems to clarify plot problems pretty well, so I may outline again:)

Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
I consider myself a writer of science fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction, since those comprise 99% of what I write. Some of it is pulp fiction, but not all, so it never occurred to me to identify as a pulp writer.

Care to weigh in with your opinion of the e-book?
I prefer to read e-books. The e-readers I’ve handled (Nook and Kindle) don’t weigh as much as many physical books. I’m not going to read a Stephen King or George R.R. Martin tome in hardcopy. Also, you can prop up an e-reader or tablet for a mostly hands-free reading experience, which is nice for readers with disabilities or chronic pain. On the down side, your e-reader or tablet may run out of juice or spontaneously reboot, and you can’t leave it on during takeoffs and landings.

Are e-books going to replace physical books? Only in the sense that television replaced film or the stereo replaced the radio or the Internet replaced all of the above. With an enormously transformative new technology, people predict the death of the old technology. But the usual effect is that the old technology survives and adapts, even thrives. Stereos evolve iPod jacks. Movies and television shows appear on Hulu and YouTube. Radio stations stream on webpages and apps (as I write this, I’m listening to NPR in an area with no reception over the air). CDs and DVDs and LPs specialize for collectors, completists, and fans. I suspect physical books will join CDs/DVDs/LPs in targeting collectors, completists, and fans. After all, how many of us are likely to get our e-reader autographed?

Where can someone find more of your work?
I haven’t published a collection or novel yet. However, Fictionwise has several of my stories for sale in a variety of e-book formats. Most (though not all) of my fiction publications are listed at my website. As for nonfiction, Nisi Shawl and I coauthored the fiction-writing handbook Writing the Other: A Practical Approach.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your writing?
It continues to improve. Thank you for interviewing me.Similar Posts:

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When did you first realize you were a writer?
When I wrote my first yarn. I was like: “Wow! I’m a writer! Awesome!”

What authors influence or inspire you?
Robert E. Howard.

What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
The “Complete Chronicles of Conan” by Robert E. Howard because it contains the best fantasy yarns ever written; “Prometheus Rising” by Robert A. Wilson because it is the absolutely best book about the workings of the human mind, and what you can do to make the most of yours.

In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Robert E. Howard.

What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
It seemed like an excellent opportunity to showcase my exquisite writing ability. Seriously.

How did you come up with the idea for your story? What is your writing process like?
I looked up some famous pirates; the story of Red Legs Greaves caught my attention because of its real life pulp-like nature. So all it needed were some fantasy elements to make it better than real life.

My writing process look something like this: I come up with a good idea for a yarn. I write a good yarn. I get published.

Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
But of course. I like to write pulps because that’s what I like to read.

I also write genre fiction like fantasy, historical fiction, adventure, horror and sci-fi, sometimes in pulp style, other times not. I’ve tried writing those contemporary dramas, steeped in emotional wallowing and whining, seasoned with quasi-intellectual and philosophical self-indulgence. It didn’t work.

Care to weigh in with your opinion of the e-book?
I prefer to chop down trees, grind them into blindingly white paper and proceed to print out my yarns on it because the trees are more useful that way, than just growing idly in the forests. But then, on the other hand, they do provide shade on a sunny day…

Where can someone find more of your work?
Currently on my hard drive, but come November you’ll find one of my many exquisitely good yarns in Pulp Empire Volume 7.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your writing?
Well, you see, being a supreme arbiter of taste, a connoisseur of art in general, as well as an erudite savant in literature, I try, unlike most of modern writers, to uphold the lost tradition of entertaining the reader as well as delivering eloquently-crafted content of high quality instead of relying on cheap gimmicks like overabusing shock value as a substitute for a lack of writing skill.Similar Posts:

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When did you first realize you were a writer?
It changes depending on my mood. Sometimes I think it was when I sold my first short story. Sometimes I think it was my first (and thus far only) professional short story sale. Sometimes I don’t really consider myself a writer at all because I don’t write fiction for a living. Sometimes I think that’s ridiculous because I do make a living writing and editing, just not fiction. Then there are other times when I think that if and when I have an actual novel published, like I hopefully will with the one I just finished writing, I can then honestly look in the mirror and say, Chum, you’re a writer, you are.

What authors influence or inspire you?
Early on, I would say authors like Raymond Feist and David Eddings influenced me the most as I tried to write fantasy-adventures, but lately, much more James Ellroy, Elmore Leonard, Joseph Wambaugh, and Donald Westlake as I’ve been writing more noir crime fiction. I read several detective fiction authors as I worked on some of my recent pieces. Raymond Chandler, Peter Lovesey, and then I read Ellroy. The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, and many more. I wasn’t prepared, my mind exploded. I could not put them down.

What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
The first book I remember reading more than once was A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. I read it when I was a boy, and it was my first real introduction to fantasy literature. Quite a primer, right? I re-read it constantly, the language, the world-building, the characters. It was all there.

In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Pulp as a genre takes me back to the old serials: over the top heroes and villains, nonstop thrill-ride action. That’s only 20!

What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
I always wanted to write a sword-and-sorcery adventure on the high seas with people who go “argh!” This was the perfect opportunity.

How did you come up with the idea for your story? What is your writing process like?
“Voyage of the Hangman” actually started out as an even longer story (I know, it’s not long enough?). There were a couple of basic elements when I started: Pirate ship invaded by demons bent on invasion, young man with latent magical abilities who somehow manages to thwart them. Now go discuss! After that I pretty much let my imagination go. It was definitely one of the less structured pieces when I began. That’s probably why it was so much fun.

My day job and family life keep me quite busy, so my “process” basically consists of writing whenever I can scratch out the time. Lately I’ve had to be extremely disciplined since I’ve been writing several things at once, which is not something I necessarily recommend, especially from a mental health aspect. But it’s good work if you can find it.

A while ago, I read something by an author who said his approach to writing is to treat it like a job and write even when you don’t feel like it. That was like a mini-revelation to me, because let’s face it, I don’t always feel like writing. Sometimes I’m just tired after a day at work, or frazzled from the kids. But so what? When I had the time, I started making myself. And you know what? Within ten minutes, I was off and running without fail.

Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
Some of the writing projects I’m involved with currently are very pulp-ish, noir detective type stuff, so at the moment I definitely feel that way. But I also write fantasy and hard scifi, so it varies. Basically I just like to write a good story. Whatever style fits is okay with me.

Care to weigh in with your opinion of the e-book?
E-books are great. I used to not like the idea of them, but after my bookshelves got crammed beyond capacity I got a Kindle just so I wouldn’t have to find space for more hard copies. It’s been tremendous. Endless books at the touch of a finger. The pricing model has changed, though, and that’s the downside. Why on earth should an e-book cost just as much as a hard copy? There’s absolutely no good reason other than the publishers think they can get away with it. The sad thing is that they can. But that’s why I refuse to buy an e-book until it’s no longer in hard cover. When the price comes down to paperback level, I’ll consider it.

There also needs to be a better way of sharing e-books. I’ve bought it, I own it, why can’t I lend it to my wife via her Kindle, and vice-a-versa? There’s a feature for this, but it depends on the book, and few of the new releases actually allow it. But these are relatively minor quibbles. E-books are a marvelous invention that has made reading even more convenient.

Where can someone find more of your work?
I currently write an online paranormal crime series called The Dark InSpectre that comes out in bi-monthly installments. It’s scifi and pretty dark. For my other writerly pursuits, feel free to visit my website.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your writing?
I hope people have half as much fun reading my stories as I do writing them.
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When did you first realize you were a writer?
I’d always liked making up stories, but don’t think I started writing anything down until Junior High and it wasn’t until college that I got brave enough to actually send stuff out to try and get published.

What authors influence or inspire you?
I’ll try and keep this list small: Philip Jose Farmer, Spider Robinson, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Douglas Adams Jules Verne, Alexander Dumas, almost everybody that ever worked for Marvel or DC comics, Kate Phillips, Robert E Howard, Lester Dent, Frank L Baum and Fritz Lieber.

I’ll probably think of six more as soon as I hit send.

What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
Three Musketeers, Around the World in 80 Days, most of the Oz books, the Riverworld series, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Glory Road, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Watchmen and Doctor Omega.

Mostly, because they are all brilliant stories, occasionally for research for my own stories and because every now and then when you need a comfort read, these are the books I go back to.

In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
‘Pulp’ is adventure and action in it’s purest form. It’s storytelling stripped down to basics.
It’s also the genre that gave birth to comic books.

What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
Because it’s pirates! I love pirates and here was my chance to write my very own pirate story.

How did you come up with the idea for your story? What is your writing process like?
As this was my first pirate story, I wanted to keep it small, otherwise I’d have to do research on ships and geography. Then I needed a cool pirate character. Once I had a pirate and a location, the rest just fell into place.

Once I have the story idea, I just have to force my self to stay at my desk until I’ve got it all typed up. There’s a lot of staring at a blank page, grinding of teeth and suddenly realizing I need to check my e-mail. I subscribe to the Douglas Adams school of writing. Between an odd work schedule and keeping track of two teenagers, I don’t really have a set writing schedule. It’s more a case of whenever I can get some free time I try to get a couple pages written

Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
Yeah, I think my writing has many pulp qualities. Probably due to all those comic books and Doc Savage paperbacks I read as a kid.

I like nearly all genres so have tried my hand at a good amount of them, but mostly sci-fi, mystery and fantasy. Even the genres I’m not a fan of, I have a vague interest in writing, just to see if I could.

Care to weigh in with your opinion of the e-book?
Not a huge fan, as I’m a bit of a luddite and really just love books. A friend of mine has a Kindle and they look very sleek and Star Trek, but as long as they are printing books I can’t see myself really getting into e-books.

Where can someone find more of your work?
I’m a regular contributor to the ‘Tales of the Shadowmen’ anthology [published by Black Coat Press]. Or feel free to check out my blog, where I ramble on about my thoughts on writing.

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your writing?
Besides: go out and buy lots of copies, so I can quit my day job and devote myself to telling more stories?

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When did you first realize you were a writer?
I realized I was a writer upon receiving the check for my first story; I was paid for writing so I must be a writer.

What authors influence or inspire you?
Glen Cook, Bernard Cornwell, Lindsey Davis, Jack Vance, George MacDonald Fraser, Roger Zelazny. Frankly, I’m influenced by whatever I happen to be reading at the moment. And I read constantly and widely.

What book(s) have you read more than once? What drew you back?
We can just take Tolkien as a given, right? I’ve gone back to “Silverlock” by John Myers Myers (not a typographical error, that was his name) again and again. The flawed, cynical, self-centered character always resonates with me. Take that as you like. The scope and depth of Myers world, the allusions piled upon allusions, reward each revisit.

In 25 words or less, how would you define “pulp” as a genre?
Pulp is a sensibility, an expectation of entertainment indulged at, or beyond, the borders of contemporary respectability.

What made you decide to submit a story for the Pirates & Swashbucklers anthology?
As an exercise/challenge undertaken by my writing group.

How did you come up with the idea for your story? What is your writing process like?
The character and his world have wandered through my mind for the better part of a year. The writing process was an odd combination of discipline and leisure: I brought my notebook along on a trip to Hawaii. I wrote the opening section on the plane, and then forced myself to write each subsequent section while sitting by the swimming pool over the ensuing days.

Do you consider yourself a “pulp” writer? Why? Is there another genre you like to write?
I don’t consider myself attached to, or beholden to, any particular genre. I suppose my fledgling list of credits does tilt pulp – crime fiction and comic book science fiction (or science fantasy: I don’t intend to rehash the argument as to what genre precisely “Star Wars” fits into.)

Care to weigh in with your opinion of the e-book?
I cannot offer an informed opinion. I haven’t explored the topic as a reader, though after a conversation with the writer Steve Perry, I published a novella (“Savage Journal”) on Smashwords to see what the process was like.

Where can someone find more of your work?
http://www.tfaw.com/Profile/Noir-TPB___345941
http://www.amazon.com/Short-Story-Me-Genre-Stories-Anthology-ebook/dp/B003F777ZQ
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Tales-Jim-Pascoe/dp/B001O5OMJA

Anything else you’d like to tell us about your writing?
Enjoy it. Cheers.Similar Posts:

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