I had a great time questioning this great author and all his answers left my mouth opened widely. Besides the stories he has written, while he speaks/writes he's quite amazing!
I'm very thankful to VERONA BOOKSELLERS for making this great opportunity available to me.
Here goes the interview:
Bri: First of all, thank you so much for giving me some of your time to chat with me. I feel honored to be here questioning you and also, you're the first author I'm interviewing!
BL: But of course! Thank you for having me on your blog.
Bri: So for the first question, I'm quite intrigued to know at what age did you start writing and having the knowledge that you liked doing it?
BL: I first started writing stories in December of 2005 when I was in third grade. I had always been intrigued by newspaper investigations, so I thought I would create my own little newsletter, which was essentially a single piece of paper with my name at the top made using Microsoft Publisher. Turns out I liked the storytelling aspect more so than the actual reporting, so all the news was fiction and based off whatever little weird ideas I had in my head at the time. Even so, it was my creative outlet for a while. Kind of embarrassing!
Bri: I wouldn't say embarrassing but yes quite creative! You could say you started your writing career at a very young age. Was there any writer (or writers) who inspired you to proceed with your writings?
BL: Stephen King's introduction to his book JUST AFTER SUNSET definitely inspired me to try my hand at short stories to see where they took me. It was through Bryan Lee O'Malley's work, however, that I was able to see the benefits of coming-of-age storytelling, or rather, works featuring teenagers as the central characters. I think it was a lovely combination of both authors that engaged my creative energy and allowed me to pursue longer fiction when I felt comfortable enough.
Bri: So, to put it in even less words, your inspiration is a mixture of two great writers and thus was born your own book!
Besides those two authors you've pointed out, could you recommend a book that you think a lot of teenagers should read?
BL: Every teenager should read Jay Asher's THIRTEEN REASONS WHY. Really makes you think about the way you treat a person, especially peers you may not know all too well. THE STRANGER by Albert Camus is also a must, though I would recommend this one specifically for juniors and seniors in high school during their second semester. Meursault's existentialist viewpoint is refreshing and unsurprisingly relatable at that age, and it's a quick read, too.
Bri: Since I don't know the books you've mentioned, I'll also make sure to read them. Thank your for the recommendation!
Now for a more random question. Do you get writer's block?
BL: Frequently! I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my writing, so the first draft is always difficult. I'll get frustrated with myself for not knowing a certain character's motivation just yet, for example, or I'll be dissatisfied with how I ended a particular paragraph. That's about the time I'll take a break, as an important piece of writing advice I once heard is to write when you feel inspired; don't force it. You'll get sludge if you do, and while sludge bumps up a word count, you'll always have to delete it after. I figure, in those instances, I might as well do something to bring back that creative energy, such as watching a TV show or reading a book in a similar genre or mindset as whatever I'm writing at the time. It's a struggle, but so it goes.
Bri: I agree completely when you said that you should write when inspired and to not force. I think that if you're truly inspired, the writing comes more nicely.
Besides considering yourself, and I quote. ''a bit of a perfectionist'', what other word would you choose to characterize your writing?
BL: My work can be viewed as satirical. An an American contemporary writer, I've seen there's a lot of the 2010s to talk about, whether its our obsession with technology, our nostalgic longings for simpler days, our growing concern with politics, our shaming of cruel standards, and with globalization, our sudden need to find acceptance and applause from those outside our social circle. I'm generalizing here, obviously, but these are the facets of our time that genuinely fascinate me, so it's only natural they find their way into my writing. I like calling out the inconsistencies I see, but don't get me wrong, I'm no saint. Nonetheless, I feel by doing the research to properly execute my thoughts, I'm becoming better informed on the issues of today, and in doing so, perhaps I can invoke actual change.
At the same time, I'd also use "facetious." Just because these are serious concerns of mine doesn't mean I won't approach them in a light manner. It's a segue into the darker stuff, I believe. Baby steps.
Bri: So in a way you use your viewing of today's world and adapt it to your writing, is that it? From what I've grasped from your book To Hear the Ocean Sigh, you pointed out several common issues teenagers go through on daily basis and it seemed you tried to ''joke around the topic'' as if approach a serious topic in a lighter way.
From this book, what was the hardest part to write?
BL: I wouldn't say I joked around the topics of sex, drugs, death, technology, and religion, but I certainly tried to introduce them in a more comedic tone. That's what kids do, after all. They test the waters with serious issues before going all-in. They're afraid of being judged by friends and family for having honest questions and concerns. By presenting these topics with comedy first, I believe they are easier to approach. After that, we can have an authentic conversation on sex, drugs, death, etc. Before the Internet, many teenagers would turn to novels for information on these sorts of issues, not simply because they were scared to ask a parent, but because novels are an excellent medium to discuss real aspects of our lives sans censorship. There's still a lot that can't be depicted in television, film, and video games, whereas novels can get away with a lot more. I try to do my part by engaging in these subjects by way of humor first, then reality soon after.
Bri: Now I understand it better, thank your for clarifying it for me and future readers.
And I have to agree that by introducing those topic the way you do, it turns easier to later approach them in a serious way.
Now regarding your novella Exodus in Confluence, what I wanted to know is how do you connect the ending (the part where it talk about the school shootings) with the zombie story?
BL: The protagonist of EXODUS, Stephen Hart, is a troubled individual filled with rage, as are many school shooters. The 2012 Sandy Hook and Aurora massacre sickened me, and I was so frustrated with how these young men could commit such awful acts. In writing the novella, I wanted to explore the mindset of these mass-murders. Stephen wishes for a specific girl to see him as more than just a friend, to which I'm sure a lot of high schoolers can relate. But Stephen takes his obsession too far, which he justifies in his mind by fabricating a world in which he is a survivor in a zombie apocalypse. Is he the protagonist? Yes. Is he a hero? No. He is human, not a monster, which is a notion I wanted to explore with this piece.
Bri: I must say the way you ended the novella left me wide open mouthed. I didn't even had the word to describe it but I thought it was wonderful. The connection I made with the ending and the zombie story was somewhat what you've just explained, but now that I'm reading the connection with your words, it's easier to understand the meaning behind it all.
Well, these were all the questions I had for you.
Thank you so much for answering them all and for giving me your time.
BL: Not a problem! Thank you for reading. It means a lot.
Bri: Thank you for writing such amazing stories!
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