Author Interview- Kirk Jones

Hey, everyone, a new interview today, too. And can you belive it that he is the husband of the author I interviewed yesterday? That is so amazing! I feel so privileged to interview both of them together.

Kirk Jones is part of the 2010 New Bizarro Author Series. He lives in Northern New York with his wife and daughter and instructs humanities for the SUNY system. His first book, Uncle Sam's Carnival of Copulating Inanimals, is available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble.Here is the amazon.com link-
Visit his blog to get updates-

TRIVIA

Favorite Color: Blue, probably. To paraphrase Father Ted, it has sort of a calming effect.
Favorite Author: Philip K. Dick. His later work is filled with great concepts. His early work is light and fun.
Favorite books: I like Mao II by Don DeLillo. It really captures the experience of a writer who is published for the first time.
Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Place of your dreams: probably right where I am right now.
Your motto: Don't ever live by a single motto.

INTERVIEW

1. Is the life of a writer as you imagined it to be?

Ans. Yes and no. I've been writing for school papers and small lit journals for almost a decade now. The personal satisfaction of seeing my work in print always sufficed. Now that I have a book published, I have an obligation to my work as a writer that I didn't have before. NBAS is a testing ground for new authors. We have a series of challenges, including selling 200 copies of our book. If we succeed we get a contract with our press. They are incredibly helpful and it really has been more like being a part of a family. Eraserhead Press is a publisher with a very supportive community. So while life as a writer isn't always what I imagined it to be, in almost all ways it is better.

2. What genre do you write and why?

Ans. Eraserhead Press publishes a genre (some refer to it as a sub genre) called bizarro fiction. I love it because bizarro elements can be incorporated into almost any other genre, resulting in bizarro horror, bizarro science fiction, bizarro humor, and just pure bizarro. It's perfect for authors still experimenting with voice and genre.

3. What inspires you the most?

Ans. Everything in life: the good and the bad.

4. What kind of characters/settings do you like?

Ans. I really enjoy reading about and writing about characters who are somewhat out of place in their environment. An example would be Lane Meyer from the film Better off Dead. He's just trying to make sense of the world, and everyone else around him is so abnormal. His reaction to the environment amplifies their strangeness, and really makes me empathize with his disposition.

5. As a reader, would you prefer to read comedy, romance or sci-fi/fantasy?

Ans. Whew. I like science fiction and comedy the most.

6. Have you ever suffered the dreaded writer's block? How do you deal with it?

Ans. I have not suffered the dreaded writer's block. Laziness is probably my biggest problem. I'd rather think about plot and character development instead of actually writing the story. As a result, I'm never short for ideas, but I really should get on the ball and write more often.

7. What message would you like to give your fans?

Ans. My fans are awesome. They've been incredibly supportive. I try to make connections with people on the fence about bizarro fiction. Don't let the first bizarro book you read influence your overall perception of the genre. There are so many different approaches to bizarro that there is literally something for everyone. The titles and descriptions are meant to appeal to the fan base that has already been established, so if the titles or descriptions interest a prospective reader, they should check it out because they might find there's a lot more going on than the bizarro elements highlighted in the descriptions.

RC- Thank you for the interview.