10 Questions With Benjamin Kane Ethridge
1. Black and Orange has a highly developed mythos. How did you create the backstory and world for Black and Orange?
I had to establish rules I may or may not use during the course of the story, so I kept them in mind as I introduced concepts and tried never to break those rules. The other world, the Old Domain, is a place of wonderful dark power, but this power can only be derived from sacrifice or loss. I took a look at what we know about Halloween only on the surface and then abandoned those explanations. Pagan history may have been true, but it wasn’t the whole truth, and that distinction was necessary to build a subterranean explanation for the holiday.
2. What did it mean to you to win a Bram Stoker award for Black and Orange?
It meant that I had arrived at a new place in my writing life. I didn’t feel superior for winning it, for I’ve read far too many great books that never made it to the final ballot, or the preliminary for that matter. I did have a sense of accomplishment because I had tried to write the best book I possible could and then I tried to get the book out there with just as much energy. That second part was probably key, because as I said, a great story isn’t always enough. People have to know it exists and when you’re in the small press, that’s no mere foothill to scale.
3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“Finnegan’s Wake” by James Joyce, though I would hope for supplemental analytical material.
4. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
It’s been a boon for me. Being in the small press means limited distribution and e-books remedy that nicely.
5. What did your relationship with the late Michael Louis Calvillo mean to you as a writer and a person?
As a writer, he was my beta reader and steadfast supporter. As a person, he was like a long lost brother I found when I turned thirty years old. My relationship with him, in both facets, has improved my soul. Feeling sorry for yourself, feeling worthless and misery, it’s all easy to do as a writer, but Michael would never hear of such things. He taught me it’s possible to meet your goal, despite the odds, and he also taught me that after I’ve done all I can for my own work, to help other writers whenever and however possible. He did that for me and I will never forget it.
6. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
Both. I try to have a general direction, but nothing hard. The times I’ve made detailed outlines I feel like I’ve already told the story, so writing it becomes a retelling and is beyond tedious. It’s better to think on my feet, but also with a mind for staying on the road.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
Yikes, well, I’m pretty busy. I’m finishing the proof for my next novel BOTTLED ABYSS, which should be out in June 2012. After that, I’m doing the last edit on NOMADS, the sequel to BLACK & ORANGE. I’ll be co-editing a shared world anthology called MADHOUSE with the powerfully good writer Brad Hodson. There is also a shared anthology edited by Anne Petty named LIMBUS, which I’ll be writing a novella for sometime soon. Also, this year I will begin a three book series for Journalstone publishing, the first installment entitled NIGHTMARE BALLAD.
8. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Run! Beat cheeks! Hightail it! Fast! No, I’m joking. But, well, um, escaping should always be an option on the table. Let’s face it: not everybody is cut out for this trade. You have romantic hearts that love writing and will always write, but they won’t pursue publication, won’t promote their book once it is published, won’t understand why nobody bought it. Therein failure grows.
Nowadays being a writer is so much more. A whole range of other jobs have already been absorbed into the title and now some writers are publishing their own work. So it’s not enough that you’re a writer, editor, agent, public relations, publicity, but now you want to be a publisher? For some folks who don’t want to spend much money that could also entail becoming graphic artists, layout designers, marketers, merchants, etc. I get exhausted thinking about it. Too much work. Way too much. Some people can do it, and to be fair, some can pull it off in an honorable, respectable manner, but why would you want to get yourself into twelve different jobs for the credit of having one?
I accept that writers will take on editing and promotion and even representation, but after that, for me, forget all that other stuff. It’s too much blood and treasure for the end result. The only caveat is e-book publishing your extensive catalog of previous work, which hopefully arrived into the world the correct way at some point.
9. How did you get the concept for Black and Orange?
I love Halloween, so I gravitated toward the subject matter. I also had become bored with traditional small town Halloween stories, so I wanted to see what would happen if I took a completely different approach, where the creepiness came from a foreign dreadful place outside the world, rather than the holiday itself. It was important to me that this place wasn’t just Hell, because that’s tired too. I wanted the Old Domain to be a place of wonder and mystery, just as much as it was hellish. I also adore fantasy, so writing a Halloween Fantasy outside the realm of children’s books and film made sense for my imagination.
10. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Any scenes that allow me to tickle language. I enjoy evoking strong emotion from language as well, but I really love to take advantage of the written medium. It’s not enough to write a scene as you would see it in a film, for if that’s what you’re setting out to do, why is this not a screenplay? Not all stories need contortions of language or flourishes of style, but they should always be considered, and I will always opt for something unexpected than commonplace. That’s what keeps me happy.
I had to establish rules I may or may not use during the course of the story, so I kept them in mind as I introduced concepts and tried never to break those rules. The other world, the Old Domain, is a place of wonderful dark power, but this power can only be derived from sacrifice or loss. I took a look at what we know about Halloween only on the surface and then abandoned those explanations. Pagan history may have been true, but it wasn’t the whole truth, and that distinction was necessary to build a subterranean explanation for the holiday.
2. What did it mean to you to win a Bram Stoker award for Black and Orange?
It meant that I had arrived at a new place in my writing life. I didn’t feel superior for winning it, for I’ve read far too many great books that never made it to the final ballot, or the preliminary for that matter. I did have a sense of accomplishment because I had tried to write the best book I possible could and then I tried to get the book out there with just as much energy. That second part was probably key, because as I said, a great story isn’t always enough. People have to know it exists and when you’re in the small press, that’s no mere foothill to scale.
3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“Finnegan’s Wake” by James Joyce, though I would hope for supplemental analytical material.
4. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
It’s been a boon for me. Being in the small press means limited distribution and e-books remedy that nicely.
5. What did your relationship with the late Michael Louis Calvillo mean to you as a writer and a person?
As a writer, he was my beta reader and steadfast supporter. As a person, he was like a long lost brother I found when I turned thirty years old. My relationship with him, in both facets, has improved my soul. Feeling sorry for yourself, feeling worthless and misery, it’s all easy to do as a writer, but Michael would never hear of such things. He taught me it’s possible to meet your goal, despite the odds, and he also taught me that after I’ve done all I can for my own work, to help other writers whenever and however possible. He did that for me and I will never forget it.
6. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
Both. I try to have a general direction, but nothing hard. The times I’ve made detailed outlines I feel like I’ve already told the story, so writing it becomes a retelling and is beyond tedious. It’s better to think on my feet, but also with a mind for staying on the road.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
Yikes, well, I’m pretty busy. I’m finishing the proof for my next novel BOTTLED ABYSS, which should be out in June 2012. After that, I’m doing the last edit on NOMADS, the sequel to BLACK & ORANGE. I’ll be co-editing a shared world anthology called MADHOUSE with the powerfully good writer Brad Hodson. There is also a shared anthology edited by Anne Petty named LIMBUS, which I’ll be writing a novella for sometime soon. Also, this year I will begin a three book series for Journalstone publishing, the first installment entitled NIGHTMARE BALLAD.
8. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Run! Beat cheeks! Hightail it! Fast! No, I’m joking. But, well, um, escaping should always be an option on the table. Let’s face it: not everybody is cut out for this trade. You have romantic hearts that love writing and will always write, but they won’t pursue publication, won’t promote their book once it is published, won’t understand why nobody bought it. Therein failure grows.
Nowadays being a writer is so much more. A whole range of other jobs have already been absorbed into the title and now some writers are publishing their own work. So it’s not enough that you’re a writer, editor, agent, public relations, publicity, but now you want to be a publisher? For some folks who don’t want to spend much money that could also entail becoming graphic artists, layout designers, marketers, merchants, etc. I get exhausted thinking about it. Too much work. Way too much. Some people can do it, and to be fair, some can pull it off in an honorable, respectable manner, but why would you want to get yourself into twelve different jobs for the credit of having one?
I accept that writers will take on editing and promotion and even representation, but after that, for me, forget all that other stuff. It’s too much blood and treasure for the end result. The only caveat is e-book publishing your extensive catalog of previous work, which hopefully arrived into the world the correct way at some point.
9. How did you get the concept for Black and Orange?
I love Halloween, so I gravitated toward the subject matter. I also had become bored with traditional small town Halloween stories, so I wanted to see what would happen if I took a completely different approach, where the creepiness came from a foreign dreadful place outside the world, rather than the holiday itself. It was important to me that this place wasn’t just Hell, because that’s tired too. I wanted the Old Domain to be a place of wonder and mystery, just as much as it was hellish. I also adore fantasy, so writing a Halloween Fantasy outside the realm of children’s books and film made sense for my imagination.
10. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Any scenes that allow me to tickle language. I enjoy evoking strong emotion from language as well, but I really love to take advantage of the written medium. It’s not enough to write a scene as you would see it in a film, for if that’s what you’re setting out to do, why is this not a screenplay? Not all stories need contortions of language or flourishes of style, but they should always be considered, and I will always opt for something unexpected than commonplace. That’s what keeps me happy.
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