Josh Darling - Author Spotlight

What genres do you write?

When I started writing, it was predominantly horror. That was so long ago, horror didn’t have sub genres. I still call it "horror" not "paranormal urban dark fantasy suspense thriller." A few years ago, I started working as a ghostwriter --it's the one thing that I suggest every writer should do. Part of the gig is being able to write anything. Whether it's erotic werewolf fiction, regency romance or crime. As a ghostwriter, I learned so much about myself as a writer and a person. More than I did in my two years as an English Major.  That's why I think every writer should ghostwrite. I didn't know that I liked writing crime, and "lit fiction," until I was forced to write them. Now I find myself writing between genres.

Which do you prefer to write: short stories, poetry, novellas, novels, essay, non-fiction… ?

I used to love writing short stories and screenplays. For a long time I wanted to work in film because of my dyslexia and that industry is more forgiving with spelling and grammar. Then a few years ago, technology caught up to me and now I write whatever.

From working on so many novels as a ghostwriter, my style is more tuned to “long haul” writing now. Even when writing short stories, I finish with 7,000 – 10,000 when I'm trying real hard to keep it short. I wrote something that was 4,000 words for an anthology recently (Monsters ‘N Things, out in October 2017) and that felt claustrophobic.

    I also love doing spoken word. While my inspiration for writing comes from all over the place a lot of my inspiration for spoken word comes from GG Allin. Granted I don’t get naked, cut myself, eat shit or throw it, and I don’t hit the audience, but I like to keep those options open when on stage.

What genres do you read?

The ones written in words. The worst thing a writer can do is pigeonhole themselves. Each book is a new learning experience. You can learn so much from every book, and even from the bad ones. While some people are genre sensitive, and won’t read something like romance, I'm style sensitive. For me, the writing has to be lean and emotive, but I have exceptions to that. I like Kerouac, Rice, and Whitman, and they are far from lean.

What made you want to become a writer?

Nothing. In fact, I wish I wasn’t a "creative person," it fucking sucks. If someone is reading this, and they are like, I don't know if I should become a garbage man or a writer, I'll tell you, become a garbage man. You won’t have to live hand to mouth, deal with constant rejection, being told by family and friends to find a real job, be looked down on by your in-laws, not have to explain to your kids why you can't buy that toy "right now," or worse, have to borrow money from family to get your kid fillings, cause Medicare only pays for extractions.

If I could be anything other than a writer I would, and in a heartbeat. I’ve tried but I don't last long. If I go more than three months without writing I get suicidal.

           Being a writer isn’t a choice for me, I wish it was, but I need it. There is the rule of three in wilderness survival. It goes something like, 3 minutes without air or in icy water, 3 hours without shelter in brutal environments, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food, and in my case, 3 months without writing.

What is your first memory of writing?

           I’ve got a couple of firsts, but the first time I loved it, was in the 2nd grade when we started doing essay writing. It was the first time I was encouraged to write as fast as possible, the thoughts passing from my hand to the paper were almost synced. The only problem was none of it was readable. I still use some of those stream of consciousness exercises.

What and/or Who inspires you to write?

     I don’t need “inspiration” to write. More often than not I need a break from it. And inspiration or not I’d still be writing. For me, it's more like, who or what inspires me to get my work out there, because rejection is a motherfucker. My goal isn't to be a James Petersen, cause money isn’t my thing. I’d write for free on the right project, and for some gigs, there isn't enough money in the world. I say that as someone who works as a ghostwriter.

Writers in the trenches inspire me to keep trying to get published. People like Bob Freville who wrote “Battering the Stem” or C.S. Andersen author of “Sin City Succubus,” Mark Green is another one, Mark Allen Gunnels, Rob Easton, Danae Wulfe Jones, AP Fuchs, Jim Aikin, MF Wahl, Mitch Workman, Jeani Rector, Rick Carufel, Veronica Smith, Jacky L Lane, Michael Noe, Kasey Hill, James Kirk Ward, Mandy Melanson, Selene Macleod, Leza Cantoral, Alex S. Johnson, Elizabeth Black, C Abraham Bellamy, Stephen Lindow, Reverend Wyrdsli, Jeff C. Stevenson, Kitty Kane, Jason Morton, James Longmore, Wrath James White, Xtina Marie, Robbie Rodgers, Rachel Bernstein Coles, Lisa Vasquez, Dusty Grein.... The list goes on and I know I'm missing people. Indy authors working to get their stuff out there make me want to do the same.

What is your favorite book?

I’m a true bibliophile, not only do I love the stories in books but I love books, like real books. I love the way books look, the way they feel, the way the pages smell. I loathe reading on tablets, kindle is fucking garbage, I learned the hard way if I can't hold it in my hands and read it, I can’t be bothered with it. My guess is this isn’t the answer you’re looking for.

There are so many I love that there are too many to list. Clive Barker's "The Hellbound Heart," Elmore Leonard's "Out of Sight," J.G. Ballard's "Crash," Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," Bukowski’s “Factotum,” Nabokov’s “Lolita,” Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” Richard Bach’s “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” Thomas Harris’ “Silence of the Lambs,” Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” Wally lamb’s “She’s Come Undone,” Poppy Z. Brite's “Love in Vein” anthologies, Jeff Gelb’s “Hot Blood” anthology series, Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, the collected short stories of Lovecraft; I could just go on and on.

What do you look for in a book?

Style and voice.

Bukowski is a writer with a shit ton of voice. "Factotum," doesn't really have a plot. In that book, the main character goes through a succession of menial jobs, while drinking, fucking, and gambling, over and over again. But when I picked up the book and started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I want to keep reading because of how it’s written, not because Henry Chinaski needs to save the world from Nazi alien terrorist selling crack to kids. A writer without a voice can only work plot heavy. Imagine a Robert Ludlum book without a plot.

And then there is style, which is kind of like voice but more deliberate. Carver is a master of style, because you can tell he's picking every word, you know, styling. His stories flow because they are all meat words and no descriptive fat or gristle. Which requires a lot of faith in the reader. You're allowing them the courtesy to have their imaginations way with your characters and settings. I recently reread Carver’s short story "Why Don't You Dance," from his anthology "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love." There are 3 characters in the story, "man," and a young couple, "boy" and "girl." There is no description of the characters, you get their age and everything else from their actions and dialog. The setting is outside the man's house in a place where he has neighbors, and all of his furniture is outside. Carver described the furniture but that description is a puzzle piece to the story. Cause when you get to the end of the story and think about the furniture you go "that's messed up."

Writers need to choose each word like they have to pay for them, and they better damn well know, the wrong words will cost them.

What turns you away from a book?

Nothing pisses me off more than a writer who patronizes the shit out the reader. I’d say Stephenie Mayer does this, but her readers are total fucking idiots so maybe not

What books do you have out currently?

Under my name, that I can talk about, a few anthologies and I've got an Amazon page with two short novellas.

One is called "Saint Krampus of Claws,” about a mall Santa who does a lot of coke and gets his dick bit off by a lap dancing Krampus.

The other book, "The Last Day at the Office," is about a man who struggles with impotence. After discovering the erotic nature of obituaries, he begins masturbating at work while his marriage disintegrates. He gets caught whacking off and he decapitates someone in HR.

What books do you have coming out?

I've got stories coming out in four anthologies, "Monsters 'N Things," "The ABC's of Horror," "Gut N' Gore," an epistolic piece in an anthology from Rhetoric Askew, as well as a poem in "Anthem: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen." I've also begun writing political non-fiction for yesclash.com.

Novel wise, I've got two very different projects I'm working on.

"The City of Sand and Thorns," is a splatterpunk story about a priest from another dimension who manipulates people through their dreams to commit homicide so he can enter this world.

I'm also in the middle of editing a book I co-authored with Sybrina Durant. It’s a young adult book about a unicorn fighting extinction and getting kicked out of diners for stiffing the waitress. I don’t think there is anything else out there like this book. Think Tolkien epic through the eyes of Groucho Marx. I shouldn’t say Groucho, that makes me sound too old. It’s like the Odyssey as told by Judd Apatow, or “My Little Pony" if it had the writing staff from "Rick and Morty."

I hope to be putting out "The City of Sand and Thorns" and "Deep Blue, Nightmares and Other Unicorn Dreams," by X-mass.

Read Josh Darling'a story Goodbye Alex and Victrola Talking Machine

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