Brian Alan Ellis's Blog, page 26
August 20, 2014
thetsaritsa:
thatlitsite:
That Lit Podcast | Episode 5:...
That Lit Podcast | Episode 5: “Cassandra Dallett”
Bay area writer and author of Wet Reckless Cassandra Dallett joins host Alexandra Naughton for an engaging discussion about mental illness, the writing process, and growing up.
Cassandra is a boss.
jbroe:
Illustration to be featured on the cover of Brian Alan...
Illustration to be featured on the cover of Brian Alan Ellis's upcoming book.
2014
Sneak peek cover art by the insanely talented JB Roe for upcoming book, Something Good, Something Bad, Something Dirty.
REVIEW: The Mustache He's Always Wanted But Could Never Grow by Brian Alan Ellis
Brian Alan Ellis is one of those rare authors who understands that, in order to be memorable, short fiction should achieve a delicate balance between being a full narrative and making the reader fe…
One of the only book reviewers who matter, Gabino Iglesias (author of Gutmouth), wrote some beautiful words about my story collection for Electric Literature. Wowzer Sauce!
"You Millennials amaze me. Y’all think you’re soooo slick. The Millennial cashier at Goodwill didn’t,..."
- Brian Alan Ellis (via thatlitsite)
August 17, 2014
Comments on this ugly flyer used to promote my free book...
Comments on this ugly flyer used to promote my free book promotion:
"A Myrtle Beach trailer park community flyer for a block party."
"A Myrtle Beach trailer park community block party flyer that a drunk clown jizzed on."
"A picture actually taken from inside the Myrtle Beach trailer park community block party ‘Bounce House.’"
August 16, 2014
Check out this ridiculously garish shit I made to advertise this...
Check out this ridiculously garish shit I made to advertise this free book promotion for 33 Fragments of Sick-Sad Living that’s running for the next few days. Seriously. Look at this goddamn thing.
33 Fragments of Sick-Sad Living
In 33 Fragments of Sick-Sad Living, a twenty-something ne’re-do-well attempts to piece together his life following an epic drug and alcohol bender which leaves many unanswered questions: Why is he staying on his buddy Hector’s piss-scented couch? Did his ex-girlfriend leave because he’d eaten her roommate’s food? Will he get stabbed on the way to his shift at the Dish’n’ Chicken? There are things to consider. It’s real tough to think sometimes.
“[Ellis] captures the subtle nuances of those unavoidable bruises life offers—touching on themes of love and relationships; art and poetry; depression and loneliness; family; heartbreak; poverty and addiction… these dark and seedy snapshots take readers to a place where loneliness is replaced with an ever-present bottle, and friends come in the form of fistfuls of pills.”
—Ale Gasso, author of Long Night Out
“Some nice, short, sick-sad shit. I read it while sitting in a waiting room with a bunch of smelly sick-sad people. It is worth the 10 minutes it will take to read it. I have found that reading it while sitting amidst a crowd of tubercular coughers even enhances the sick-sad enjoyment.”
—Lance Carbuncle, author of Grundish & Askew
FREE DOWNLOAD HERE!
August 14, 2014
Entropy’s 10 Best Novels of the First Half of 2014 | ENTROPY
I wrote about Mary Miller's latest novel for Entropy. Just one of the 10 best early-2014 books you should read that were recommended by really smart people, and myself.
August 3, 2014
Shitty-ass King Shit advert I made that’s in the latest...
Shitty-ass King Shit advert I made that’s in the latest issue of Razorcake
August 1, 2014
Go Forth (Vol. 29)
Jim Ruland is the author of Big Lonesome, a short-story collection. He hosts a reading series in L.A.’s Chinatown called Vermin on the Mount. His newest novel, Forest of Fortune, is a glimpse into the lives of three people struggling with addiction. I spoke with Jim about the new book, casinos, and addiction. You can read more about Jim here: www.jimruland.net
—Brandon Hobson
BRANDON HOBSON: Hey, Jim. I really loved Forest of Fortune. You weave three different stories together beautifully, which is not an easy thing to do for a writer. Was pacing difficult for you as you worked on the book? Did you work on each section separately all the way through or work on all three at the same time?
JIM RULAND: Thanks, Brandon. When I was drafting the book, I worked on all three at the same time. I’d spend a couple days on a scene, get the character into some kind of trouble that I didn’t know how to get them out of, and then move on to the next character. By the time I returned to the first character enough time had passed that I knew how I wanted to proceed. It all came together pretty quickly. It helped that the chapters are short, but revising was tricky. When you have three protagonists, you can get 50 pages into a novel without having a ton of stuff happen because you’re introducing distinct characters. That’s when I pulled the manuscript apart and started cutting a lot of the fluff. I wanted characters with messy, believable lives: boisterous families, difficult coworkers, confusing romantic entanglements. But to get the characters in the casino where they could start interacting I had to compress, condense and cut characters for the sake of the story.
BH: Speaking of messy, believable lives, Lupita is highly superstitious, even spends an all-nighter at a casino. I know several people who are just like her. How much research did you do in casinos?
JR: I spent over five years working at an Indian casino in Southern California. I don’t know if I’d call that research or a really bad life choice. But, yes, the casino is full of Lupitas: women at loose ends with discretionary income and lots of time on their hands. On the surface, they seem almost glamorous: attractive, well put together, free with their money. But show me someone who spends a lot of time at a casino and I’ll show you a lonely person.
