BRYCE CALDERWOOD INTERVIEW
S- What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
B- I went to a Shakespeare festival in Canada… that’s about it, sadly!
S- What is the first book that made you cry?
B- No idea.
S- What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
B- “Spinning” books by other authors and publishing them as your own, followed closely by authors and readers being irresponsible with their loyal friends and fans and unleashing mob destruction on innocent writers.
S- Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Yes!
S- What are common traps for aspiring writers?
B- Not finishing books, not following through with marketing, acting like a damn diva when you’re a nobody, not creating covers to fit genre, not WRITING to fit genre, having no clue about story structure or worse yet confusing it for outlining which somehow you think is bad.
S- Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
B- I think it hurts. Egos are fragile. What’s needed is perseverance and a humble willingness to learn and then apply that knowledge.
S- What is your writing Kryptonite?
B- Online games, heh.
S- Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
B- I don’t know if I’d call it that but I go through long periods of not reading anything.
S- Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
B- I already do! Not for secrecy but just to avoid confusion and negative reactions for readers.
S- Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
B- There’s no dichotomy here, but I think some writers conflate originality with un-marketable and un-sellable. I’ve had to deal with this, myself. “Write the book you’d love to read if you came across it in a bookstore…” Well, maybe there’s a reason that book doesn’t exist and it’s because no one would buy it. People always want to believe they’re the exception and not the rule. I’m mostly writing erotica, I’m not suffering under any illusions about the artistic value of what I do. It’s arousing entertainment. Sure, a deeper touch here and there goes a long way, but I can’t get all angst-ridden about what I’m doing.
S- Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?
B- I don’t see why that would stop anyone, there are all kinds of writers, suited for different kinds of writing.
S- What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
B- Quite a few but Yolanda Olson and Alana Melos are my biggest writing buds. Sometimes you need encouragement and people to talk to and who better than writers whose work you love and admire?
S- Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
B- Coming from a life of reading fantasy and horror I’m more for the connections. My Futanari Apocalypse series about demons and angels has a connection with the Futanari Vampire series. One character appears in both series and both are built around the same lore.
S- If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
B- Learn about story structure NOW.
S- How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
B- It made me realize I needed a process and templates and other kinds of repeatable, reusable bits and bobs. I needed a method and place to hold research and notes.
S- What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
B-Buying Scrivener.
S- What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
B- JK Rowling. I grimaced a little bit at her adverbs at first but she grew out of it and I definitely warmed up to her. I can think of at least one for the opposite, too (cough, cough, Anne Rice, cough).
S- What did you do with your first advance?
B- Never had an advance, as I’ve never been traditionally published.
S- What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
B- The first time I was ever slapped for what I said (which was by my mother, for swearing as a child).
S- What are the most important magazines for writers to subscribe to?
B- No idea. I don’t subscribe to any magazines at all.
S- What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
B- My favorite book of all time is Little, Big by John Crowley. It’s not well-known but it’s definitely appreciated by those who’ve read it.
S-How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking care of the reader?
B-Was I supposed to take care of the reader? Oh, shit...
S- As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
B- The succubus. I love stories about succumbing to the enticement of corruption.
S- What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
B- An apology? Ha ha… Actually none of my characters are based on any one person. They’re a mish-mash of qualities and attributes from me and others I know or have seen, both in reality and in fiction or media.
S- How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
B- Oh… geez… maybe five or six?
S- What does literary success look like to you?
B-Supporting myself from my stories, nothing more complex than that.
S- What’s the best way to market your books?
B- I’m still trying to figure that out.
S- What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Usually I end up having to research oddly specific things that pop up as I’m writing, like a character is going to drive somewhere in another character’s car. What kind of car? It should reveal something about the character. Now I have to do car research. Are the characters using weapons? What kind? What do I need to know to write realistic but readable fight scenes? I’ve also had to do a lot preparatory research before I even begin writing for some series. I had to learn about the names and hierarchies of angels and demons, for example. I had to research abandoned NYC subway stations (that was cool). I had to learn how fast you die from bleeding out a major artery (about 2 mins). All kinds of fun stuff, with the typical “I’m a writer not a murderer” browser search history.
S- Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
B- Nope. But I will say that writing is the closest thing to real magic.
S- What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
B- Nothing. I have a harder time writing characters of the same sex.
S- How many hours a day do you write?
B- Not enough. I’ve gone for days, weeks, and even months without writing (that’s called depression, by the way).
S- Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
B- I’ve read many books that made me think differently about fiction, but probably Story Engineering had the biggest impact.
S- How do you select the names of your characters?
B- I use baby name websites and pick something that sounds like it fits. I like names that are slightly unusual and sound sexy.
S- If you didn’t write, what would you do for work?
Illustration and design or animation.
S- Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
B- Absolutely. The good ones I hold close to my heart. They’re the candles in the dark when I feel I’m about to be swallowed up by my own despair. I read them to remind myself that the bad feelings I have at the moment are lying to me. As for the “bad” reviews, I try to learn from them if I can.
S- What was your hardest scene to write?
B- The next one. Just kidding! I don’t have a specific answer to this question, but I will say that some scenes I blaze through in a heat as if I couldn’t write fast enough, while others I dread and have to sleep on a while before I write them.
S- Do you Google yourself?
B- Occasionally. I like being the number one or nearly number one ranking for futanari vampire, though.
What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?
I don’t need to be a better writer as much as I need to be better at all the various aspects of being an independent writer.
S- What is your favorite childhood book?
B- Harriet the Spy. I read it over and over when I was a kid.
S- What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
B- Getting over myself and my own bullshit to do what needs to be done.
S- Does your family support your career as a writer?
B- Yes, quite literally: I live with my brother. They know I write erotica and don’t judge.
S- If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?
B- Actually write.
S- How long on average does it take you to write a book?
B- Too long! I should be able to publish at least one book a month if not more but I rarely do.
S- Do you believe in writer’s block?
B- Nope. And yet I don’t treat it as much like a professional job as I ought, but that’s the nature of my personal struggle. It’s different for everyone.
**Thank you for joining us and letting us into your brain a little today. It's always a pleasure knowing authors a little more up-close and personal.**
LINKS:
Amazon author page: Amazon.com: Bryce Calderwood: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
BOOKS:
Futanari Vampires Series: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQVL1YJ/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
Futanari Apocalypse Series: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016QBU8QW/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
Futanari Loves Octogirl Trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0788WD84Y/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
How I Became a Futa HuCow, Book 1: The Ranch: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HL4DDNN
Thank you Bryce Calderwood for an intimate interview with you here today.
~Soliel and fans