The Next Big Blog Thing is a project designed to help writers get the word out about their latest works. It works like a blog chain letter. Marie Gilbert tagged me last week. I’ve tagged Joseph Arechavala – who wrote a silly sort of western featuring a height- challenged gunslinger riding a three-legged horse – to pick up the torch next. By the way, Joe has also published a vampire novel called Darkness Persists (now available at Amazon!)
What is the title of your current book?
“Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey” is an anthology from the South Jersey Writer’s Group. It was the brainchild of Amy (Amy HaHa) Hollinger and Marie (Steampunk Granny) Gilbert who wanted to give our members a taste of the publishing world. I have a story in it called “No Fun Joe.”
Where did the idea for the stories come from?
I had pulled an all-nighter as the only sober member of my brother’s bachelor party over the summer. As I was sitting in the chair at Bally’s, I picked up a bottle of whiskey from the table and thought up the story pretty much on the spot. The plan was to freak out my brother when he woke up…I got bored waiting for him, so it never played out, but I did get a good story out of it.
What genre does the book fall under?
The book ranges from personal essays to horror to slice of life vignettes. There’s a lot of humor in it. John Farquhar, who writes very funny almost absurdist stories (think Douglas Adams with less space travel) wrote a fabulous piece about a kid running into Santa Claus in a men’s room. Bill Harden wrote an excellent, somewhat creepy piece called “The Junkyard” that keeps you moving along nicely before throwing a knee-buckling curveball at the end that I think readers will really love. (At least I did!)
I suppose “No Fun Joe” would be considered literary fiction
What character would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie?
For some reason, everything I write these days has Joseph Gordon-Levitt plugged into the lead role – so I think he’d be the narrator. Joe needs to be someone who could look nebbish-like, but have a certain amount of darkness….Patton Oswald might make a good Joe, (though technically, since Joe is based on me, I think only someone as devastatingly good looking as a Clive Owen or a George Clooney would really fit.)
What is a one sentence synopsis for your stories?
Even the best of us have some baggage.
Is your book self published or represented by an agency?
It was self-published
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Probably about two hours, though for all intents and purposes, it was already written in my head the minute I picked up the whiskey bottle and wondered “what if?”. All I really did was transcribe it.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Sheesh…I don’t know. Maybe “Herzog” by Saul Bellow or “The Body” by Stephen King. The story really is nothing like those, but they deal with regretted items hidden in the past.
Who or what inspired you to write these stories?
Like most writers, I’m an unrepentant liar. So I guess I’m inspired by lies, filthy, filthy lies.
KnippKnopp 
I loved the post and thank you for giving me (Steampunk granny) some help in spreading this thing.
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Excellent, and excellent story, sir! When’s it my turn? I’ll add here as a plug for Mister KnippKnopp, that “No Fun Joe” was one of maybe 7 stories submitted that hardly needed any revision. Also, I’ll add as another plug in case he needs a second career, he makes a fabulous emcee. Although come to think of it, we didn’t ask him to rap for us. Next time.
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Like this. Thanks.
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