We're spending time getting to know
LQR author, Stuart R. West.
LQR: Thanks for hanging out with us today, Stuart. Can you
tell our readers a little about you, please?
Stuart: Well, hey, Kai and readers, what’s up? Afraid I’m not very
interesting. Nothing as cool as what’s going on in my writerly head, I mean. I
was a graphic artist for 27 years or so and the corporate world wore me down.
Now, for better or worse, I’m writing, sharing my insanity with the
public-at-large. I guess you could say it’s kinda’ interesting that I’ve delved
into the worlds of music, performance art, illustration and writing, but,
honestly, the most interesting thing that ever happened to me was when I was
13. Frank Gorshin (aka, the TV show Batman’s “Riddler”) offered me a cigarette.
I declined the smoke, still carry the memory.
LQR: I think many authors lead a very mundane life. Thank
goodness for all the excitement we create in our heads, huh? If you had to pick
only one moment that spurred you to write professionally, what moment is the
most defining or inciting?
Stuart: Um, probably when the lousy company I worked for as an
artist for 25 years closed the doors due to incompetence. If that doesn’t work,
let’s go with my sixth grade teacher giving me a blank book as a gift and told
me to fill it with imagination.
LQR: Does the majority of your work focus around or within a
single theme?
Stuart: Somehow, I’ve found myself in the position of writing
Midwest tales, stripping away the Norman Rockwellian veneer of “solid middle American
family values.” Wait! Don’t run away yet, it’s not nearly as dull or creepy as
it sounds. Well, yeah, it can sometimes get a little creepy. But someone has to
do it. And since I’ve been stuck in a Kansas City suburb all my life, who
better to do it? I also like to bring the funny. Even when I’m writing about
spooky stuff. I strive to bring the humor, heart and sometimes, horror; the
“Three ‘H’s.”
LQR: Tell us about your newest release and what you’re
currently working on.
Stuart: My newest tale of trauma, Rapture of the Living Dead, will
be out by MuseItUp Publishing this year. I took the zombie mythos, twisted it,
came up with my own warped spin. Expect suspense, pathos, searing emotion,
romance, and humor. Up next? A lot of stuff. A thriller taking place at a bed
& breakfast during a horrific winter storm; a darkly comical thriller about
a corporation that sponsors serial killers; a historical thriller spanning two
decades entailing the downfall of a mining town; and a darkly comedic novel
about a stand-up comedian who crosses a demon. Also contemplating a new Tex,
the Witch Boy book, this one set in college.
LQR: Well, you won’t be running out of material any time soon.
Share with us a favorite authorial moments from your career so far.
Stuart: Several teens have contacted me regarding the Tex, the Witch
Boy trilogy. They’ve said how much it helped them with bullying and with, well,
life. That meant more to me than sales or stellar reviews.
LQR: Last month’s theme here on Lightning Quick Reads was goals. Can you tell us a writing
career goal of yours five years down the road?
Stuart: Gah. Tough one. In three years, I’ve written eleven novels.
So, um, doing the math (not my strong suit)…let’s see…25 novels within five
years?
LQR: Let’s lighten the mood a little. Do you write what you
read? Watch? What are your favorite television shows and movies?
Stuart: Yes and no. I enjoy dark thrillers. But some of it’s a
little too much for my tender sensibilities. Not a fan of gore. Regarding
movies? I LOVE me some awful bad ‘70’s and ‘80’s genre films. Sure, they’re
terrible. But that’s the fun. More laugh out loud moments than any Adam Sandler
comedy.
LQR: I agree about those campy movies, though I have to limit
the amount of them I watch in order to maintain my appreciation. If you had one
week away from any and all responsibility what would you want to spend your
time doing?
Stuart: Clearly, I’d want to rule the world, doling out candy to
good citizens. Or, wait…is that Santa Claus? I get confused.
LQR: You always make me laugh, Stuart. Anything else you’d
like to add?
Stuart: The acclaimed (by more than just family and friends!) Tex,
the Witch Boy series will be out in paperback this year, 2015!
LQR: How exciting. Congrats! Where can our awesome stalkers
readers find you online?
Stuart: Hanging out here all the time: http://stuartrwest.blogspot.com/
LQR: Thanks again for visiting with us today, Stuart. Readers, Stuart is happy to answer any additional questions you have, so fill up that comments section and he'll respond when he can!
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Be sure to return tomorrow for Katie Carroll's Love short.
