R. Thomas Brown, author of "Old Man Coyote", Guest Post

[Giovanni Gelati]

Genre

 

One of the difficult things for me when describing my work (either when self-publishing or when querying an agent or publisher) is to place it within a genre. My stories play with crime, some elements of noir, but not all-in in most cases. I include the supernatural when the story feels right, but it’s not quite horror, but doesn’t feel much like dark fantasy either.

 

I hate the question, but it serves a purpose. Right? Well, I’m not so sure. In a physical bookstore, it lets the patron find the stacks where they are most likely to find what they like. In a market like Amazon of the Nook store, the use is less obvious. Sure, you can navigate through genres, but you can also just search for what you like. Also, recommended books and “readers also bought” lists can bypass the entire process for the customer.

 

Still, it seems we’re not quite there yet. So where does this leave me and you if you’re writing? Most likely, still trying to pigeon hole yourself. I write about people. People who have to deal with rough circumstances. The circumstance might be a gunshot, drugs, ghosts, possession or death in the family.

 

The stories I’ll be doing with Trestle will deal with folklore and ghost stories. In some cases, the supernatural will be front and center. In some cases it will be in the background and may not be real. They might be terrifying. They might be uplifting. Depends on the story and how the characters react. But it’s the reaction that matters. It’s making that person feel real, and connect to the readers that I crave in stories and strive to reach in writing.

 

So, what genre is that? I don’t know. I’ll keep trying to answer that every time I write something, and keep debating it in my head after I answer.

 

Q&A:

 

1. Tell us about your writing.

 

My writing is dark for the most part, in that it deals with bad things happening to people. It’s not hopeless though. Sometimes people overcome bad circumstance, sometimes not. It’s tough to define beyond that. Sometimes mystery, sometimes noir, sometimes horror, I just write about whatever bad thing pops up in my head.

 

I also like to explore some kind of meaning in the story. It might be obvious, as is the case in my story, Hurt, where a woman is trapped in a dull existence, but it may also be more of a lingering meaning. More like a fable with the final line.

 

1. You said that your stories are sometimes hopeful, but not always. Why is that?

 

That feels more real to me. People deal with tragedy and threat all the time. Sure, real life threats are not usually as outlandish is those in the stories, but the threats are real. Some people overcome these circumstances and become great people. Others fall into the patterns of violence and revenge and are lost to their environment. Still others survive, but struggle, never giving in to their darker urges, but unable to escape. When I start a story I am open to any of these and write the ending that feels right.

 

1. What are your writing influences or heroes?

 

The main influences in me as a writer are James Cain and Stephen King. Cain, to me, is the father and master of the personal level crime story. His works focus on normal people who are driven by dark impulses, or are drawn in by the impulses of those in their lives. I would say though that I am inspired by much of the work of King. The ease and power of his story telling always comes through. He finds a way to give all the details and emotions that matter, while leaving a great deal to the imagination of the reader to fill in the blanks. I continue to strive for that.

 

1. What is the story, Old Man Coyote, about?

 

The plot and setting of the story is a choice made by a young man in a depressed southwest town. David has to choose who to believe and what to do once that choice is made. An old man promises an easier life for him and his friends. His grandmother warns him about the old man, saying he is a devil that eats the young. David must choose, as doing nothing is an act in its own.

 

More generally, this story, and some to follow, explore the ghost stories, urban myths, and folklore that I and others heard as children. They explore what would happen if there was more true to the stories than the warnings they imply.

 

1. What’s next for you?

 

In addition to the additional stories in this series for Trestle, I have a few shorts in the pipeline as well as a longer work coming out early next year from Snubnose Press. I also have a novel in the works, as well as one I am polishing. I am also quite busy doing reviews for Spintingler and Crime Fiction Lover. That leaves very little time for much of anything else other than time with the family and doing what pays the bills.