My publisher Whisk(e)y Tit has published an interview with me about my novella, The Ice Mine. Jon Frankel sent me the questions by email and I tried my best to explain the origins of the book and my poetic endeavors. If you have a moment, please check it out. You can order the book via the Tit website or on Amazon.
Jon's work is also available on these platforms. His "lo-tech noir" novels are vivid and finely-honed visions of a dystopian future both incredibly strange and sadly familiar. He's a voracious reader and his works are a mix of pulp fiction and true erudition. I don't know anyone with such a deep and wide knowledge of English literature, and though he doesn't whack you over the head with it, his books are filled with sly references to "the English canon". Harold Bloom would approve!
Jon's "blogh" is also worth a gander: The Last Bender.
Hey, great interview! Props to you and Jon!
ReplyDeleteI haven’t seen Schismatrix, have to give that a watch.
I dont think that you mentioned the Wizard of Oz as an influence, but it came to my mind frequently while reading the Ice Mine. Ditto for the Crying of Lot 49.
Thanks for sharing this!
Cheers!
Oz I can see, but why Lot 49? BTW, Schismatrix is a book not a film (yet). Should be though! :) Thx for reading! Lo is still eager to come this Autumn. I'll keep you posted. Still up for it?
DeleteHappy New Year! I’m absolutely still looking forward to Lo coming this Autumn! Keep me posted.
ReplyDeleteLot 49 — maybe I remember it wrong, but I recall it as a quest novel with a central mystery at its core, as I see Ice Mine. Also, Ice Mine’s cannibal scene reminds me of Lot 49’s breast feeding scene — although they are opposites, with Ice Mine being much darker here (although Ice Mine is generally more optimistic). Finally, both are funny, with much of the wit coming from the playful language.
Anyhow, I enjoyed the interview!
I see what you're getting at now....I must read it again, I've forgotten the scene you're talking about§
Delete(Lot 49 is also a novella....)
ReplyDeleteFinal note for the night: Lot 49, if I remember correctly, suggests a secret society that has shaped history. Same for Ice Mine, yeah?
ReplyDeleteHaha, I could go on, but I won’t. I’m trying to flood the backyard ice rink tonight but it’s leaking and the entire backyard is slowly getting coated with ice...
I'll keep you posted 'about Lo as well. Funny thing is I didn't really think of the secret society angle, which is weird because as you say, what is the Mine if not a small society? And secret? haha I suppose it was an evocation of the Illuminati's reputation, the belief in the unseen hand, the agents planted everywhere (which isn't true, exactly, though certainly Capt. Bello is an example of that....)
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