Honestly, I am lucky enough to have found the most wonderful meetup group for writers 2 years ago and they have become my second family, quirky and talented as hell.
I was thrilled when one of the writers, whose work I adore, started publishing on Smashwords. These can go right to your PC.
Dwayne Bearup is a writer I've known for 2 years and can honestly say, I still don't really know him. I call this an interview in the dark because he does a good job of keeping up the mystique that suits his unpredictable writing. He truly is the most gifted editor in our group and his no-nonsense way of tackling writing makes it raw, sometimes unsettling as hell.
The one below "Mary Had Too Many Limbs" was so freaky and awesome when he read it in group, I felt a shiver of fear and was uncomfortable going into the parking lot until I was certain he wasn't following-and he's a friend. Yes, that is a talented writer who makes you realize there is more about him you don't know, a dark wellspring of inspiration.
He's also a freaking talented poet, as well. Talk about a renaissance man!
I did a little interview with this enigma man who is going to be your favorite up and coming author. Here's how it played out:
Autumnforest: Do you have a novel in the works?
Dwayne: Yes, I am currently working on a
science fiction novel set roughly 150 years in the future in which
extraterrestrials arrive, believing Earth to be the birthplace of their
creators. I wrote the first draft long-hand in prison over ten years
ago, but have made major changes in the last 18 months or so. I hope to
have a version suitable for presentation at the workshop by the end of
summer.
Autumnforest: Ultimately, who are you writing for?
Dwayne: I'm tempted to say "For my own
edification and amusement" and leave it at that. But my friend Natalie,
who was killed two years ago this May and was also a writer, believed in
my talent and wanted very much to see me succeed as an author. So the
more truthful answer is that I am writing as much for Natalie as for
myself. She believed I had it in me to make a living as a writer, and I
want to prove her right as much as I want to see myself become
commercially successful.
Autumnforest: Who are your favorite authors?
Dwayne: In no particular order: Stephen King - I
own and have read a copy of everything he's ever written - Clive
Barker, Robert R. McCammon, Anne Rice, Paulo Coelho, Joe Hill, Anne
McCaffrey, Julian May, Orson Scott Card, William Tenn, Douglas Adams,
Piers Anthony, Isaac Asimov, Michael Ayrton, John Brunner, C.J. Cherryh,
Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, C.S. Friedman, Robert
A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Michio Kaku, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle,
Edgar Allan Poe, Gene Wolfe,.... That is not by any means a
comprehensive list, but should give a decent approximation of the scope
of my reading interests.
Autumnforest: Are your characters, locations or situations based on things in your own life or a rich imagination?
Dwayne: Generally, my characters and their
locations stem from the situation I'm writing about. A thought occurs to
me - usually a "what-if" scenario - and I pursue it. If I find it
sufficiently interesting, I write it up. The character develops as my
mind pursues the logical course of the thought-stream... I've never come
up with a character and then formed a story around that individual. For
instance, the story "Evolution" was my attempt to answer the question
of how the first religion got started. The premise suggested both the
location and the character.
Autumnforest: What should people feel when they walk
away from reading your work?
Dwayne: I want them to feel thoughtful. I am
trying to entertain people, but at the same time I hope nobody will ever
read one of my stories and say, "Yeah, I saw that coming. I knew that
was going to happen just that way." Hopefully along the way they will
feel either happy, chilled, angry, sad, or enlightened, but in the end I
mostly want my readers to think about the ideas I've presented. That's
why so many of my stories explore the topics of religion and evolution
and morality. I think more people need to think more about those
subjects rather than wallowing in the same morass of knee-jerk spoon-fed
mentality they've lived in all their lives.
Autumnforest: I highly recommend all of these and his many more writings. You can find his author's page here.
That's so awesome that you found an amazing writing group to call home. :)
ReplyDeleteThey are my family; quirky, helpful, chattering all at once, and full of opinions and talent up the wazoo. Love them all.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first writing group I've ever been part of, and I feel very fortunate. After reading so many horror stories about bad writing groups, I would never leave this one.
ReplyDeleteWe will never allow you to leave, Leo. You belong to us now....
DeleteLeo, you do realize I will haunt you until that last dinner is published....
ReplyDelete