Last week we had our first guest post from the newest addition to the Writing to be Read team, author Jeff Bowles, who will be sharing his Pep Talk to keep writers inspired and motivated, the first Wednesday of every month. I’m excited to have him join my team, and I think you readers will be too, after you learn a little about him.

I had the good fortune to attend the same graduate program with Jeff, and I have to tell you, he is an extremely talented young man. His stories different and often don’t fit neatly into a particular genre, although I think most that I’ve read can be called speculative fiction.

For his thesis, Jeff came up with an epic idea for an Armageddon story, where a gigantic God and Satan have a  physical battle and destroy most of Earth in the process. His thesis proposal was probably an inch thick, and the story outline was very complex. All of his cohorts said, “It will be really hard to pull off, but if anyone can do it, you can, Jeff.” I heard this time and time again. Hey did pull it off, and he ended up with an awesome novel.

Since then I’ve gotten to know Jeff and I learned that he’s a madman when it comes to writing, and you never know what he’ll come up with next. But, whatever he writes, you can be assured that he will put you in the story, and even if his characters are lightning bolts, he will suspend your disbelief and make you care what happens to them.

In addition to his M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Jeff has publishing credits for many short stories, including a collection of short stories, Godling and Other Paint Stories, which he published himself. His second short story collection, Fear and Loathing in Las Cruces, will be released on March 28, keep an eye out here for a review). In addition to his Pep Talk here, Jeff’s wisdom and talent can be found on his own blog, God Complex. (You can also find some of Jeff’s opinions on the publishing industry in my interview with Jeff for my publishing series, The Pros and Cons of Traditional vs. Independent vs. Self-Publishing.) But, the best way to get to know about Jeff is to ask questions. So that’s just what I did. I hope you enjoy the resulting interview, below.

Kaye: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Jeff: I’ve kind of only ever had two passions in my life, music and writing. I wrote my first story when I was about ten years old, which also happens to be the age I wrote my first song. When I got older and met my wife, I realized being a musician wouldn’t be conducive to family life, what with touring and recording and the general pressures of the business. So at that time I decided to settle on my writing, and I haven’t looked back since. Good choice. You can write a song any old time you want. Short story tales are forever.

Kaye: What is the one thing in your writing career that is the most unusual or unique thing you’ve done so far?

Jeff: Let’s see … Probably the couple of comic scripts I sold to English comic book press FutureQuake. I’ve written everything from short stories, novelettes and novellas, to full-length novels, screenplays, newspaper articles, nonfiction, a bit of ghost writing, you name it. I found being diverse and far-reaching was way better than narrowing in on one small niche. At this point I could take a stab at anything, any time. Very helpful if you actually want to make a little money, and who doesn’t?

Kaye: You seem to have a bit of a preoccupation with God, which has certainly shown up in a lot of your writing. Can you tell us what that is all about?

Jeff: Ha ha, well I think I just found it to be the largest, most expansive concept in existence, right? I mean, I try to tackle topics and themes that are gargantuan in relation to small, fragile beings like you and I. That sort of thing has always appealed to me, so God was a natural extension, one most people have a strong gut reaction to in one way or another. My newer work–including my latest short story collection, dropping on March 28–has very little to do with God or gods or anything of that nature. I was also on a personal quest for God for many years, I suppose. I was raised agnostic, so my whole life I was searching for a reason to believe and worship, and corny as that might sound. Writing about Him always seemed like a good outlet for my spiritual curiosity.

Kaye: How many of your stories have been based on God to some extent, or featured God?

Jeff: Quite a few, actually. If not the Almighty Himself, I’ve tinkered with super beings, celestials, demigods, and everything in between. Most writers are timid about concepts. I go for the biggest, largest, hugest.

Kaye: Your thesis novel involves God, and Satan, too. Would you like to tell us a little about your novel?

Jeff: Sure. Body of Heaven, Body of Darkness is a contemporary horror fantasy. Harold Math watches in terror as God and Satan, each ten miles tall, beat each other to death in the rural desert of Nevada. Booze and anxiety become his life, until a strange, supernatural boy in a red cape causes a terrible car wreck that kills his fiancé and unborn son. The world slips into chaos as the deaths of the two immense beings herald national disasters and the destruction of the city of Los Angeles. A horrifying hell-beast emerges in the chaos and begins terrorizing the country, even as Harold reunites with an old flame and tries to put back together the shattered pieces of his life. At last, the boy in the cape reveals himself to Harold as the all-knowing Will of the Universe. He’s chosen him and three others to destroy this contamination before it spreads.

 

Kaye: In addition to being a very talented writer, you are an artist, as well? You did the cover for Godling, right?

Jeff: I did. Just sort of produced it on the fly. I don’t have any training or know-how really. Plenty of talent to spare though, I guess. This is my humble face. Can’t you tell? 😀

Kaye: Your stories are very unusual, your descriptions vivid. How do ideas and images develop into stories for you?

 Jeff: Well they don’t just come, that’s for sure. Most of the time I have to kind of open myself up to the universe, if you will. If I’m actively looking for ideas, working to make it happen, they often occur to me. Thing about really unique story ideas is that first blush versions of them are usually tame and have the potential of having been done before. I like to take a concept and cook it a while before I ever hit the page with it. A lot of the unusual nature of my work has come from a need to be myself. Twists and turns develop in the actual plotting. It’s hard work trying to sell stuff no one’s ever seen before, but so worth it when you do.

Kaye: You’ve had quite a few things published, including a comic book. How did that come about? Did you do the artwork for that? Or was it collaboration? Tell us about the process in either case?

Jeff: No, I didn’t do the artwork. I wrote the script and submitted it to the publisher just like you’d do with any short story. They accepted it and paired me with an artist. I got to see his work evolve over the course of several months, and it was always rewarding to check out what true artistic talent could do with my material. I couldn’t draw like that if you paid me. Writing a comic book script, though, it’s something I urge a lot of science fiction and fantasy authors to try out. Very cool, very challenging medium to work in.

Kaye: Other than God, what kinds of things of things influence your writing?

 Jeff: Movies, video games, life in general. I sort of belong to a generation that’s grown up on 24-hour media and all-encompassing entertainment options. It’s no wonder my stories are fast and loaded with concepts. I don’t think I ever intend my work to come out unusual for the sake of being unusual. Maybe it’s an attention deficit thing. I get bored with stories very easily.

 

Kaye: What are your favorite genres to read? To write?

Jeff: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror are my bread and butter. I like to read and write nonfiction and more literary work as well, but my home and my love will always be speculative stuff. It’s what I was raised on, so it’s the most natural thing in the world for me. Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Marvel and DC, all these mega-nerd story types and franchises, I probably dream the stuff at this point.

Kaye: What is the biggest challenge for you when writing short fiction?  Or when tackling a novel-length work? How about when writing comic books?

Jeff: For short fiction there’s always a push and pull between expressing myself fully, telling an engrossing story, and making something concise and fully realized with a limited word count. Novels are tricky because they’re a marathon, a long-haul project, though I find the actual writing to be easier than short form on a day-to-day basis. Comic book scripts are another beast altogether. Kind of the ultimate test of a writer’s mettle when it comes to precision and execution. Highly recommend writers try it out at some point. Probably learn a thing or two in the process. Sometimes it pays to be a mad scientist with your writing. Take no prisoners! Hold nothing back!

 

Kaye: Which is your favorite type of writing? Short fiction? Novels? Comic Books?

 Jeff: I’ve produced way more short fiction than just about anything else, though I find I don’t like reading it all that much. Books and comics, those are my favorite forms of entertainment, though movies and video games are also very important to my storytelling diet.

Kaye: Is there anything unique or unusual about your writing process?

 Jeff: No, I don’t think there is. I don’t have any cute tricks or rituals. It’s a simple equation, really: apply ass to seat and type until something’s done. There’s no accounting for hard work, and the writers who make something of themselves rarely do so without a ton of discipline and a healthy work ethic. You’ve got to write on even when you don’t want to. Especially when you don’t want to.

Kaye: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

 Jeff: Game. Did I mention video games? Oh, I did? 😀

 

Kaye: Any advice for aspiring writers?