Exclusive Interview with Dark Regions Press
From Dark Regions Press Newsletter today:
Publishing this on my blog for all of you who don't get the newsletter. It includes a free sample story from my brand new collection - MULTIPLEX FANDANGO
Chris Morey: Firstoff, can you tell us a little about Multiplex Fandango? Is there a theme to thebook or are the stories independent of one another?
Weston Ochse: Fandangomeans many things.
It's a dance for sure. Most often using triple meter, itcranks along. Much of the Flamenco music is a Fandango.
Fandango also means 'afoolish or useless act.' But of course the foolishness of such an act is alwaysin the eye of the beholder. Rarely do those doing something like a fandangothink it's foolish or useless. But to me, above all, fandango is a journey.
Kevin Reynolds, who went on to direct such movies as The Beast, Rapa Nui, RobinHood Prince of Thieves, Dances with Wolves and The Count of Monte Cristo, madehis directorial debut in 1985 with FANDANGO. Starring a young Kevin Costner andJudd Nelson, it's the story of fiveTexas collegestudents in 1971who go off on one last journey before they part their separateways, many of them going toVietnam. It's a coming of age movie about how we growup and change. Quintin Tarantino, one ofmy cinematic idols said of the movie, "Fandango is one of the bestdirectorial debuts in the history of cinema. I saw Fandango five timesat the movie theater and it only played for a fucking week, all right."
Multiplex is just what it is - it's a mega theater withmultiple screens. When you put the pairof words together, you get a place with multiple screens delivering a fandangoon each one. My writing has always been called cinematic. That was never myintention, but probably a result of being a child of pop-culture. The results of that cinematic quality in thisshort story collection are word pictures that will take you places.
CM: You dedicate the book in part to RayBradbury and Joe Lansdale. Can you tell us how they have influenced you?
Weston Ochse: Besidesthe fact that they are two of the best short story writers in the last 50years?
Ray Bradbury's The Sound of Summer Running, which became thenovel Dandelion Wine was the mostinfluential story I ever read. It changed the way I looked at literature. Inthat story alone I discovered literature's transformative nature and am stunnedevery time I read it. Then of course there's Dandelion Wine's dark brother, Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bothset in the same fictional town, Something Wickeddeals with the dark in the same ways Dandeliondealt with the light.
Joe Lansdale is aliterary barracuda. He's a razor-sharp tumbleweed that rolls right over yourexpectations. All you have to do is read TheNight They Left the Picture Show to learn that. Joe's ability to entertainwith both humor and violence, while simultaneously dealing with complex socialissues is the model story for me. In my forwardto the anthology I wrote-- JoeLansdale is a literary samurai. His dojo is the page. His two-fisted katanaswings completely eviscerated my sense of what should be when I read "NightThey Missed the Horror Show" and "On the Far Side of theCadillacDesertwith Dead Folks." We have a lot in common. Our southern heritage. Our love ofmartial arts. Our sly look at the world. I'm double honored and humbled that hewrote the introduction to Multiplex Fandango.
CM: Multiplex Fandango contains yourBram Stoker award finalist short story "The Crossing of Aldo Rey" andyour Bram Stoker award finalist novella "Redemption Roadshow." Whatdo you think of the awards process?
Weston Ochse: Awards mean many things to different people.I appreciate them and am humbled when nominated or when I receive them. A literary award is recognition by your peersthat for one brief moment you captured magic with your pen. I won the BramStoker Award for Superior Achievement in First Novel right out of the gates.That award, which sits on my office shelf, definitely meant a lot to me. When Iwas writing my first novel I was filled with self doubt. It took me two yearsto write it and I was terribly unsure if it would even be readable. The awardwas a world-sized sigh of relief. Since then I've been nominated for thePushcart Prize for Short Fiction, as well as the two awards you mentioned inyour question. Although they didn't win, they were considered among the fourbest literary works of their type for that year. That alone is an honor that Iterrifically appreciate.
CM: Why do you write horror and weird fiction? What draws you to thegenre?
Weston Ochse: I never planned on being a horror author. Ijust ended up that way. In fact, when I started writing I just wanted to be awriter. Frankly, regardless of what I write, that's who I am. That the endresult is categorized as horror, or dark fantasy, or weird fiction, well,that's someone else's categorization. Interestly enough, I'm not very well readin the horror genre. I'm not a horror snob, it's just that because of my Masterof Fine Arts Degree (or perhaps my degree is a result of that), I'm interestedin all sorts of literature, to include what is called literary fiction. I've gonearound and around with some friends on this subject when they make fun of mefor not knowing this author or that book. What I think I bring to the genre isa fresh voice, fresh blood and a fresh take on horror.
CM: For those who don't know already, how would you describe your writing style?
Weston Ochse: I don't know if I can accurately dothat. Really, that's for other folks todo. That's like asking Megan Fox how she looks so sexy or a girl how come shekisses so well. As far as my writing style, there are a lot of nice folks whohave written reviews about it. Read Horror recently reviewed a novella of minethusly--'The twists and turns of the plotare handled adeptly and the characterization is superbly nuanced, creatingfully-rounded and believable characters. The prose is crisp, flowing and attimes simply beautiful. The climax, equal parts horrifying and uplifting,leaves you with a sense of one journey ending as a new one begins.' This isa pretty common description of my writing. I've also been called 'a writers writer,' which is a joy everytime I read it. To me that says that not only do readers appreciate my approachto a narrative, but so do my peers and other professionals.
CM: What do you have in the works?
Weston Ochse: PromotingMultiplex Fandango. I want as many people to read it as possible. This is mybest work collected in one volume. Of the more than 100 short stories I'vewritten, these are the very best. Plus it has an amazing cover by Bram Stokerwinning artist Vincent Chong. Heck, with Joe, me and Vince, that's a BramStoker Trifecta. When I'm not promoting this, I'm working on a novel forSt. Martin's Press called SEAL Team 666. I also recentlyfinished an apocalyptic novel for Abaddon Books out ofEngland calledBloodOcean.That's due out in mass market paperback in Feb 2012.
CM: To those unsure about orderingMultiplex Fandango, what would you do? Weston Ochse: I'd send themto you, Chris. Dark Regions has the process down. CM: If fans want to contact you, what's the best way to do that?
Weston Ochse: www.westonochse.com is my website. Fromthere you can go to my facebook, twitter, and message board. You can alsoaccess my books, free stories, screenplays, etc. It's probably the best placeto go. There's also a link there to a page dedicated to Multiplex Fandango,where authors such as Conrad Williams, Steve Tem, Jeff Marriotte, Rain Graves,Rocky Wood, Steven Spruill and Dani Kollin have all provided positive comments. Click here to read more about or order Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse!
Free short story from Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse now available for download!
We are happy to announce that Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse is now in stock and shipping to customers! We are now offering a free short story from the collection as a downloadable PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader required):
Image above not loading? Click here to download the free sample.
Click here to read more about or order Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse!
Multiplex Fandango. Say it. Multi-plex Fan-dan-go. It's beautiful, isn't it? Just rolls off the tongue. It's almost as beautiful and satisfying as the book you may now be holding in your hands, or reading a review about. What we're seeing here is quite possibly the most comfortable, relaxed, and expert takeover that the horror genre has ever seen. With Multiplex Fandango, Weston Ochse has created an incredible collection, and has given the reader one of the smoothest, most satisfying reads they could ever come across. To drive the point home, Joe Landsdale says in the intro that "This is a book that could almost have been written for me.", but I disagree - this book was written for anyone looking for imaginative, intelligent, and thoroughly awe-inspiring, but strangely uplifting scares that force the reader to think more than react." - Paperback Horror
"This is a book that could almost have been written for me."- Eight-Time Bram Stoker Award Winner Joe R. Lansdale on Multiplex Fandango
"Multiplex Fandango is a smooth mix of the old school pulp horror vibe and new storytelling, elegantly crafted for the modern reader. - Rain Graves, Bram Stoker Award winner for The Gossamer Eye
"Weston Ochse is to horror what Bradbury is to science fiction -- an artist whose craft, stories and voice are so distinct and mesmerizing that you can't help but be enthralled. Multiplex Fandango is yet another in a long line of exclamation points that reminds us of that fact." - Dani Kollin, Prometheus Award-winning author of The Unincorporated Man
"The truth of the matter is that for all the drive-in movie references, what Weston Ochse has really created in Multiplex Fandango is a travelogue. Acting as narrator and guide, Weston takes you on a trip to places familiar and obscure--New Orleans, the Sonoran desert, Mexico's Pacific coast, and the dark, impenetrable reaches of the soul. He shows off sights that chill the blood, and as with any good trip, the things seen and experienced along the way will stay with you for a lifetime." - Jeff Mariotte, Novelist and Comic Book Author
"Make way for a new powerhouse on the block. Hard work and formidable skills have already shot-gunned Ochse to the front of the genre's exciting new pack of writers. With creative brawn, brains, and balls, the guy's locked, loaded, and switched to full-auto, blazing away with his unique and original brand of modern horror, one of the few new writers, I'd say, who will help re-define the field for the future."- Master of Dark Fiction Edward Lee on Weston Ochse
Click here to read more about or order Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse!
Publishing this on my blog for all of you who don't get the newsletter. It includes a free sample story from my brand new collection - MULTIPLEX FANDANGO
Chris Morey: Firstoff, can you tell us a little about Multiplex Fandango? Is there a theme to thebook or are the stories independent of one another?
Weston Ochse: Fandangomeans many things.
It's a dance for sure. Most often using triple meter, itcranks along. Much of the Flamenco music is a Fandango.
Fandango also means 'afoolish or useless act.' But of course the foolishness of such an act is alwaysin the eye of the beholder. Rarely do those doing something like a fandangothink it's foolish or useless. But to me, above all, fandango is a journey.
Kevin Reynolds, who went on to direct such movies as The Beast, Rapa Nui, RobinHood Prince of Thieves, Dances with Wolves and The Count of Monte Cristo, madehis directorial debut in 1985 with FANDANGO. Starring a young Kevin Costner andJudd Nelson, it's the story of fiveTexas collegestudents in 1971who go off on one last journey before they part their separateways, many of them going toVietnam. It's a coming of age movie about how we growup and change. Quintin Tarantino, one ofmy cinematic idols said of the movie, "Fandango is one of the bestdirectorial debuts in the history of cinema. I saw Fandango five timesat the movie theater and it only played for a fucking week, all right."
Multiplex is just what it is - it's a mega theater withmultiple screens. When you put the pairof words together, you get a place with multiple screens delivering a fandangoon each one. My writing has always been called cinematic. That was never myintention, but probably a result of being a child of pop-culture. The results of that cinematic quality in thisshort story collection are word pictures that will take you places.
CM: You dedicate the book in part to RayBradbury and Joe Lansdale. Can you tell us how they have influenced you?
Weston Ochse: Besidesthe fact that they are two of the best short story writers in the last 50years?
Ray Bradbury's The Sound of Summer Running, which became thenovel Dandelion Wine was the mostinfluential story I ever read. It changed the way I looked at literature. Inthat story alone I discovered literature's transformative nature and am stunnedevery time I read it. Then of course there's Dandelion Wine's dark brother, Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bothset in the same fictional town, Something Wickeddeals with the dark in the same ways Dandeliondealt with the light.
Joe Lansdale is aliterary barracuda. He's a razor-sharp tumbleweed that rolls right over yourexpectations. All you have to do is read TheNight They Left the Picture Show to learn that. Joe's ability to entertainwith both humor and violence, while simultaneously dealing with complex socialissues is the model story for me. In my forwardto the anthology I wrote-- JoeLansdale is a literary samurai. His dojo is the page. His two-fisted katanaswings completely eviscerated my sense of what should be when I read "NightThey Missed the Horror Show" and "On the Far Side of theCadillacDesertwith Dead Folks." We have a lot in common. Our southern heritage. Our love ofmartial arts. Our sly look at the world. I'm double honored and humbled that hewrote the introduction to Multiplex Fandango. CM: Multiplex Fandango contains yourBram Stoker award finalist short story "The Crossing of Aldo Rey" andyour Bram Stoker award finalist novella "Redemption Roadshow." Whatdo you think of the awards process?
Weston Ochse: Awards mean many things to different people.I appreciate them and am humbled when nominated or when I receive them. A literary award is recognition by your peersthat for one brief moment you captured magic with your pen. I won the BramStoker Award for Superior Achievement in First Novel right out of the gates.That award, which sits on my office shelf, definitely meant a lot to me. When Iwas writing my first novel I was filled with self doubt. It took me two yearsto write it and I was terribly unsure if it would even be readable. The awardwas a world-sized sigh of relief. Since then I've been nominated for thePushcart Prize for Short Fiction, as well as the two awards you mentioned inyour question. Although they didn't win, they were considered among the fourbest literary works of their type for that year. That alone is an honor that Iterrifically appreciate.
CM: Why do you write horror and weird fiction? What draws you to thegenre?
Weston Ochse: I never planned on being a horror author. Ijust ended up that way. In fact, when I started writing I just wanted to be awriter. Frankly, regardless of what I write, that's who I am. That the endresult is categorized as horror, or dark fantasy, or weird fiction, well,that's someone else's categorization. Interestly enough, I'm not very well readin the horror genre. I'm not a horror snob, it's just that because of my Masterof Fine Arts Degree (or perhaps my degree is a result of that), I'm interestedin all sorts of literature, to include what is called literary fiction. I've gonearound and around with some friends on this subject when they make fun of mefor not knowing this author or that book. What I think I bring to the genre isa fresh voice, fresh blood and a fresh take on horror.
CM: For those who don't know already, how would you describe your writing style?
Weston Ochse: I don't know if I can accurately dothat. Really, that's for other folks todo. That's like asking Megan Fox how she looks so sexy or a girl how come shekisses so well. As far as my writing style, there are a lot of nice folks whohave written reviews about it. Read Horror recently reviewed a novella of minethusly--'The twists and turns of the plotare handled adeptly and the characterization is superbly nuanced, creatingfully-rounded and believable characters. The prose is crisp, flowing and attimes simply beautiful. The climax, equal parts horrifying and uplifting,leaves you with a sense of one journey ending as a new one begins.' This isa pretty common description of my writing. I've also been called 'a writers writer,' which is a joy everytime I read it. To me that says that not only do readers appreciate my approachto a narrative, but so do my peers and other professionals.
CM: What do you have in the works?
Weston Ochse: PromotingMultiplex Fandango. I want as many people to read it as possible. This is mybest work collected in one volume. Of the more than 100 short stories I'vewritten, these are the very best. Plus it has an amazing cover by Bram Stokerwinning artist Vincent Chong. Heck, with Joe, me and Vince, that's a BramStoker Trifecta. When I'm not promoting this, I'm working on a novel forSt. Martin's Press called SEAL Team 666. I also recentlyfinished an apocalyptic novel for Abaddon Books out ofEngland calledBloodOcean.That's due out in mass market paperback in Feb 2012.
CM: To those unsure about orderingMultiplex Fandango, what would you do? Weston Ochse: I'd send themto you, Chris. Dark Regions has the process down. CM: If fans want to contact you, what's the best way to do that?
Weston Ochse: www.westonochse.com is my website. Fromthere you can go to my facebook, twitter, and message board. You can alsoaccess my books, free stories, screenplays, etc. It's probably the best placeto go. There's also a link there to a page dedicated to Multiplex Fandango,where authors such as Conrad Williams, Steve Tem, Jeff Marriotte, Rain Graves,Rocky Wood, Steven Spruill and Dani Kollin have all provided positive comments. Click here to read more about or order Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse!
Free short story from Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse now available for download!
We are happy to announce that Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse is now in stock and shipping to customers! We are now offering a free short story from the collection as a downloadable PDF (Adobe Acrobat Reader required):
Image above not loading? Click here to download the free sample. Click here to read more about or order Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse!
Multiplex Fandango. Say it. Multi-plex Fan-dan-go. It's beautiful, isn't it? Just rolls off the tongue. It's almost as beautiful and satisfying as the book you may now be holding in your hands, or reading a review about. What we're seeing here is quite possibly the most comfortable, relaxed, and expert takeover that the horror genre has ever seen. With Multiplex Fandango, Weston Ochse has created an incredible collection, and has given the reader one of the smoothest, most satisfying reads they could ever come across. To drive the point home, Joe Landsdale says in the intro that "This is a book that could almost have been written for me.", but I disagree - this book was written for anyone looking for imaginative, intelligent, and thoroughly awe-inspiring, but strangely uplifting scares that force the reader to think more than react." - Paperback Horror
"This is a book that could almost have been written for me."- Eight-Time Bram Stoker Award Winner Joe R. Lansdale on Multiplex Fandango
"Multiplex Fandango is a smooth mix of the old school pulp horror vibe and new storytelling, elegantly crafted for the modern reader. - Rain Graves, Bram Stoker Award winner for The Gossamer Eye
"Weston Ochse is to horror what Bradbury is to science fiction -- an artist whose craft, stories and voice are so distinct and mesmerizing that you can't help but be enthralled. Multiplex Fandango is yet another in a long line of exclamation points that reminds us of that fact." - Dani Kollin, Prometheus Award-winning author of The Unincorporated Man
"The truth of the matter is that for all the drive-in movie references, what Weston Ochse has really created in Multiplex Fandango is a travelogue. Acting as narrator and guide, Weston takes you on a trip to places familiar and obscure--New Orleans, the Sonoran desert, Mexico's Pacific coast, and the dark, impenetrable reaches of the soul. He shows off sights that chill the blood, and as with any good trip, the things seen and experienced along the way will stay with you for a lifetime." - Jeff Mariotte, Novelist and Comic Book Author
"Make way for a new powerhouse on the block. Hard work and formidable skills have already shot-gunned Ochse to the front of the genre's exciting new pack of writers. With creative brawn, brains, and balls, the guy's locked, loaded, and switched to full-auto, blazing away with his unique and original brand of modern horror, one of the few new writers, I'd say, who will help re-define the field for the future."- Master of Dark Fiction Edward Lee on Weston Ochse
Click here to read more about or order Multiplex Fandango by Weston Ochse!
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