5/1. If your cast of characters were a music band, who would play which instrument? Introduce them as they come on stage!
On pitched tom-toms and vocals, Amy. Giving us a solid foundation, on bass, Mr Ross. Sharing lead vocals and percussion, welcome Araminta and Wovoka. Finally, and most important, bringing the thunder and the rage on drums, Diane.
4/30. How and when does your material make use of alliteration?
I feel that advising authors to always avoid alliteration avoids any actual application and assumes an absence of an authentic aim.
It’s not a part of the narrative. But. Characters may use it for its poetic or mnemonic value. I can’t recall any, however, so it’s either rare or unintentional.
4/29. What’s your best-selling or most popular story?
I write non-fiction that sells. There’s a small dose of “story” in computer programming. There is exposition of mysteries. There is drama presenting unworkable algorithms and leading the reader away from weak assumptions about how things work. But. The story is generally buried under technical details.
https://www.packtpub.com/en-us/search?q=Steven%20lott&country=us&language=en
4/28. Do you pick the story, or does the story pick you?
The character and the situation shape the story. I fiddle with both until I can deal with the sequence of scenes I need to write.
The core inspiration? Ken Layne’s Desert Oracle Radio.
#politics #anarchism thanks @AnarchistArt He is frequently overlooked. Too many #stalinist & #western #capitalist rewrites of #history 
Rust – Watch the new trailer for the Alec Baldwin Western here https://bit.ly/4jSuqkb
4/27. Would you ever want your MC’s life?
Never. It’s harsh.
It’s also a commitment to easing human suffering, wherever it’s found; something I’d struggle with.
4/26. Does your MC have good or back luck?
Mostly bad. That seems to be an essential element of horror. Good luck is an illusory misunderstanding. Bad luck is inevitable.
4/25. How long does it typically take you to draft a novel?
From a short of 6 months to a long of over a year. The fantasy series has been on hiatus for years, but the first part wrote itself in something like six months.
4/24. Would your MC rather lose their sight or hearing?
Singing is important. Music is an essential part of the world where uncanny horrors from other realms resonate with ours.
Diane’s a really good shot, also. Skilled with pistol and the old-style smooth-bore long guns. Losing her sight would be as catastrophic as losing her hearing. It’s a coin-toss for her.
4/23. Do you plan your themes or do they arise from your writing and then get tweaked in edits?
It feels like an organic process. Theme and characters grow together. I do a fair amount of adjusting and pruning to get a character arc I want to read aloud.
Salvation Army, San Francisco, California. Exhortation
#SalvationArmy #SanFrancisco #California #American #WorldWarII #Western #TheSalvationArmys #undefined #photography #DorotheaLange
![The black and white photograph captures a moment of public exhortation or speech, likely taken during the 1930s given its style. A man in military-style attire is seen raising his right hand towards the sky with fingers extended upwards as if making an emphatic point. He appears to be addressing a crowd out-of-frame; several individuals can be observed behind him, including what seems like a police officer on the far left and other men possibly listening or participating in the event.
The setting is urban with industrial buildings lining either side of a street where two vintage cars are parked—one facing towards us and another further down the road. The sky above is clear but has no discernible features to suggest weather conditions, time of day, or specific geographic location beyond that it's daytime outdoors within an American city.
The man's expression exudes confidence and conviction, suggesting he may be a figure of authority such as a public speaker, politician, or community leader. His attire indicates formality yet practicality for what might have been considered outdoor work during the era—indicative perhaps of wartime efforts given historical context clues like his cap bearing insignia.
The presence of military-style garments suggests this could relate to some aspect of World War II morale boosting activities as common in many Western countries at that time. The Salvation Army's involvement adds another la [...]](https://mastodon.ozioso.online/system/media_attachments/files/114/388/917/998/419/293/original/479a5ca0a58da803.jpeg "The black and white photograph captures a moment of public exhortation or speech, likely taken during the 1930s given its style. A man in military-style attire is seen raising his right hand towards the sky with fingers extended upwards as if making an emphatic point. He appears to be addressing a crowd out-of-frame; several individuals can be observed behind him, including what seems like a police officer on the far left and other men possibly listening or participating in the event.
The setting is urban with industrial buildings lining either side of a street where two vintage cars are parked—one facing towards us and another further down the road. The sky above is clear but has no discernible features to suggest weather conditions, time of day, or specific geographic location beyond that it's daytime outdoors within an American city.
The man's expression exudes confidence and conviction, suggesting he may be a figure of authority such as a public speaker, politician, or community leader. His attire indicates formality yet practicality for what might have been considered outdoor work during the era—indicative perhaps of wartime efforts given historical context clues like his cap bearing insignia.
The presence of military-style garments suggests this could relate to some aspect of World War II morale boosting activities as common in many Western countries at that time. The Salvation Army's involvement adds another la [...]")
4/22. Would your story work in a vastly different setting?
I think it would because I fell horror should transcend place. I’ve got some screenplay drafts of urban horror. It has several overlapping themes with the westerns. I think I may rework the screenplay MC to fit better with my western MCs. More curiosity. More secrets.
I found the time I lived in the desert inspiring.
4/21. Is there anything that bores you about any of your characters?
I write the books I want to read aloud. I have to avoid characters that don’t interest me. If I can’t bring them to life easily while reading, they need work.
(I have a tarot deck. A few cards gives me a colorful, unique backstory.)
#RansomCanyon #review This soapy #TV series is a contemporary #Western with Minka Kelly playing a lead role. Yee Haw.
https://oldaintdead.com/ransom-canyon-review-a-soapy-contemporary-western/
"Self-defense" in a #western mouth is the unilateral nonexistent & criminal "right" to destruct the other. It's a warmonger, perverse & mass killer terminology. I couldn't say when they used the notion appropriately once (for the last decades I know & these contemporary times for sure not, before that, I'm not historian. Nor archeologist to excavate the ancient world to which these actual western primitive "quest-of-fire-leaders" as modern as a mummy belong).
4/20. If someone gave you a million dollars (or equivalent) to never write again, would you take it?
Heh. I’d have to know how they’d audit my (lack of) compliance. I could not stop writing.
4/19. Have you ever learned something about yourself from your characters?
Yes. I’ve learned I don’t live the kind of high-drama, all-or-nothing life that makes for compelling story-telling. I’m barely an anecdote when compared with my characters.
4/18. What would it take for your MC to become violent?
In book I, all it took was Duncan’s hands out of place to set Diane off.
In book II, Antonia doesn’t injure anyone until she is cornered at gunpoint.
4/17. Is your antagonist high maintenance?
The book I antagonist is an ass, but mostly self-sufficient. Considering the standards of the wealthy in the 1800’s, he doesn’t demand a large household staff. Two enslaved workers and a batch of mercenaries seem to cover his needs.
By American frontier standards? He’s a monster.
