StanleyWheeler

 Author Interview with

A R Meyering

Author of The Resurrectionist, and the short stories, FATHOM and Appeal

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

I’m planning on writing a few sci-fi/horror shorts for an anthology that will be published by BHC Press in 2021 to go with my dark sci-fi stories FATHOM and Appeal. They’re all philosophical and disturbing looks at how we relate to machines, and to each other. All the stories are meant to take place in the same timeline, going in a sequence that reveals what has happened to the Earth from near future to the distant.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

I got the idea for the anthology’s main novella FATHOM while I was living in Japan. It takes place in the prefecture where I used to live. It’s about a man whose job is preserving the physical experience of the real world in digital format, as everyone is living in a full-immersion digital simulation in response to the climate crisis.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes! All my stories tend to have an aspect of horror to them, but I like to blend that with fantasy and sci-fi, too.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

I try to strike an interesting balance between whimsical and frightening. I also put work into making strong emotional develop arcs for my characters, which I hope proves satisfying for the reader.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

I’m a very anxious person, so I end up worrying about everything all the time. I think the fear I feel through my personal experience shapes the way I approach horror. It’s interesting and cathartic to write about frightening situations when you’re so familiar with the emotion.

What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

I love history and philosophy, and I try to have those elements as strong and engaging parts of my stories.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

Slade House by David Mitchell was such a cool little gem. So creepy and atmospheric, and a great example of how to weave a lot of different stories together into a powerful, unified ending.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

The Resurrectionist, which will be available on Halloween of 2020! I think it will appeal to those who like dark fantasy, horror, historical fiction, and a dash of romance. It centers around the real-life Burke and Hare murders in the 19^th century, and the mysteries that they left behind.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

I was really lucky to have a strong mentorship from an editor I worked with, Angela Brown. She really took me under her wing and wouldn’t let me give up, even when I was at my mopeyest. I think that I probably wouldn’t have gotten published if it hadn’t been for her support and brilliant editing work!

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

I am one of those unfortunate people who is always hoping I can trick someone into talking about philosophy with me. I think any question about the way philosophy plays into my work is satisfying to engage with.

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

I like Anne Lamott’s motivational phrase, “bird by bird.” She talks about it in her book on writing, which is of the same name. The idea is that her little brother had put off this huge project on birds until the night before it was due, and he had no idea how to approach this enormous task. Her father told him to just take it one step at a time and go ‘bird by bird.’ She relates this to how you should approach this nearly impossible project of writing, and I use that as motivation a lot. Just one little bit at a time, that’s all you have to do.

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Thanks to A R for participating in the interview. She did get the interview returned to me in October, but I didn't get to until now. Hopefully the release of The Resurrectionist went well.

Promise of Carnage and Flame (Yes. I have decided that is the title, rather than In The Course, which I had originally planned to call it.) has hit the home stretch. I outlined the final five chapters to make sure I was pulling in the elements I wanted included from earlier in the story. "Outlined" is rather an overstatement. My rough notes resemble an outline in the same way a package of cheese and crackers with the little red plastic spreader resembles a gourmet meal. I finished chapter 29 yesterday, so there are only four more to go. I'm looking at 120K words for completion. Additionally, I've made another change in that this book will be book 4 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series, rather than the first book of a sequel trilogy. I've taken the advice another author gave in one of his videos and decided to chose to do the saga as one series rather than 2 or 3 trilogies. Either way, the awesome factor of the story continues to push the needle to the peg.

Rather than do the movie reviews I had wanted, I'll do something less.

Over the past several weeks, I've been able to see a few Danny Boon movies. It began with Supercondriaque. In this movie, Boon plays a hypochondriac who becomes unwittingly involved in love and international intrigue. It is super fun and very entertaining. I recommend it.

Boon's character's obsession with germs, disease, and his own health makes for a great representation of what our society has become during the "pandemic."

Family is Family--and I use the English title because I can't make sense of the French one--introduces us to an interior designer and his wife who are at the top of their game and living the high life in Paris. Boon's character claims to be an orphan, but that is a big lie to hide his trailer trash roots. His family from northern France (who speak a peculiar patois) makes a surprise trip to Paris at his big exhibition on the pretense of celebrating the mother's eightieth birthday. A head injury erases the last 25 years of his memory, and Boon and his wife make a number of discoveries about themselves and who they have become. It's another fun film.