The Next Big Thing: BLACK GOD

Nick Antosca, most recently the author of The Obese, tagged me in the "Next Big Thing" interview series. What is the "Next Big Thing" interview series? It's a blog series in which the tagged author answers 10 questions and then tags another / other authors who will then do the same thing. There are a lot of writers participating in this series. For a place to start check out: Michael J Seidlinger's post here and / or Jamie Iredell's post here. 

1) What is the title of your latest book?

BLACK GOD (Goodreads)

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

It felt like a black hole.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Maybe some sort of slipstream? But probably not. Peter Markus said: "...it is a book that might have been written by the son of Kafka and Braque." I was reading Kelly Link's collection PRETTY MONSTERS the other day and noticed that Audrey Niffenegger said of Link that "...[Link is] the literary descendant of Jorge Luis Borges and Franz Kafka." Existentialistic Cubism as literary genre sounds good.  

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Michael Fassbender and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Repetitious love, looping walls, lost children and a dying wife.

6) Who published your book?

Blue Square Press.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

It was a year before I had something that felt like a good draft. It was another year before it was finished. I started it, shelved it, picked it back up, assembled, cut, added and completed it over the course of about 2 years.   

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  

I was influenced by Peter Markus, Brian Evenson and the memory of H.P. Lovecraft. Any book by Markus, FUGUE STATE by Evenson and the literal weight and idea of Lovecraft's complete collection.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Something like depression but more like brooding. 

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

For the people that read my first novel, FLOWING IN THE GOSSAMER FOLD, there is a "cameo" by the main character of that book for about 5 pages or so.   

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That's it. Thanks for reading and be sure you go read Nick's interview if you haven't already.


Next up I've passed the Q & A to two authors:

1) David Peak is one of my favorite writers and he will be talking about his recent collection of short stories, GLOWING IN THE DARK. GLOWING is an amazing collection of literary horror from Aqueous Press. Check for the post in a few days. 

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2) Christopher Bundy will be talking about his upcoming novel, BABY, YOU'RE A RICH MAN, from C&R Press. Check for the post in a few days.