Joe Kilgore won the Story of Excellence Award in the Western chapter for
SOME DREAMS DIE
EVEN HARDER THAN DESPERADOES
BAM: Where are you located, Joe?
Joe: My home.
BAM: Bet you have a large bookshelf, working from home and all. What are some of your go-to books?
Joe: The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler — Paris Trout by Pete Dexter — Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
BAM: The Long Goodbye brings back good memories of creative writing class in my University of Houston days. So, when you sit with a book, what's something you have near you?
Joe: Pinot Noir.
BAM: When you're not reading or writing, what are some movies you might watch to take a break? Some of your favorites.
Joe: Lawrence of Arabia — It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
BAM: It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World was epic. I miss movies where they took a sad truth and made a comedy about it to show people how ridiculous the world is, and laugh. Do you have any favorite places that inspire your writing?
Joe: Sedona, Arizona.
BAM: Will check it out one day. Do you have a writer circle?
Joe: No.
BAM: Okay. Who do you write to when you picture your reader, or who is your target audience?
Joe: Me. I write what I like to read.
BAM: Perfect sense. By the way, are you always a sipping Pinot Noir, or is there something else?
Joe: Coffee & wine.
BAM: Got it. Now a more serious question. Many writers, whether they know it or not, tell readers in a subtle way something they want to change about the world. On that note, is there something you passionately want the human race to stop doing?
Joe: Hating one another.
BAM: I'll keep that in mind the next time someone smoking a cigarette next to a no smoking sign, where children play, gets me angry. Long story short, I yelled at a smoker the other day. Anyway, back to you. What’s the best way to write?
Joe: Sitting down.
BAM: Funny. How do you relax?
Joe: Watch movies.
BAM: Movies are a great way to relax. What's the best animal on Earth?
Joe: Dog because it's God spelled backwards.
BAM: True. What's your greatest achievement in writing?
Joe: My magnum opus, A Farmhouse in the Rain.
BAM: It's on my reading list. You describe it as being about "War and peace. Crime and punishment. Love and loss. And finally, hope" during WW2. I actually just listened to Catch 22, and am eager to read something else that took place around the same timeframe. Can't wait to read your book. So, what got you into writing, Joe?
Joe: Reading.
BAM: Okay. Then, name some books you read recently.
Joe: In the Miso Soup
BAM: You've read Ryu Murakami's Miso Soup? That's another one on my reading list. Got to read it soon, then. So, when did you realize you liked writing?
Joe: When I determined I could do it relatively well.
BAM: Tell me, do you watch or listen to anything while writing?
Joe: No.
BAM: Is anyone in your family a writer?
Joe: Only me.
BAM: All right. What deceased or living writer do you want to meet?
Joe: Graham Greene.
BAM: Oh. He died, I think, in 1991 at about 86. I should reread The Power and the Glory, soon. Graham won so many awards. On that note, what's the greatest writing award you hope to win?
Joe: A boatload of money
BAM: Well, I can give you $.42 for winning the Story of Excellence Award. It will fit on a boat, but not fill one. I digress. Are any of your friends writers?
Joe: No.
BAM: Who is the author you vehemently hate, and why?
Joe: None come to mind.
BAM: Well, are you in a writer's group part of a workshop?
Joe: No
BAM: Hmm. What's the most drafts you've written for a story?
Joe: More than 10.
BAM: Some writers do hundreds of drafts. What are your main distractors while writing?
Joe: Dogs and cats.
BAM: Speaking of pets, what is your main pet peeve in writing?
Joe: Deciding what next project to begin.
BAM: Okay. On editing, do you edit alone, have a friend read your work, or do you hire a professional editor?
Joe: Alone . . .Then professional editor.
BAM: What inspires you to write?
Joe: Reading other writers inspire me to write. The best of those writers are Graham Greene, Raymond Chandler, Malcolm Lowry, Pete Dexter, Cormac McCarthy, and Jim Thompson. I am inspired to keep writing in hopes my work will entertain others and make their lives a little more livable.
BAM: You mentioned some great authors. Many of them struggled with writer's block. What do you do to overcome it?
Joe: I get more writer's haze than block. Fogginess about where to go, how to move the plot along, etc. Nothing helps clear things up and provide more options than walking. A good two-mile walk always seems to provide actionable ideas.
Biography:
Kilgore
is an award-winning writer of novels, novellas, screenplays and short stories.
His work has appeared in books, magazines, creative journals, online literary
publications, and anthologies. Joe lives and writes in Austin, Texas.
A reader who likes intrigue will enjoy his book Misfortune's Wake, which can be found at info@encirclepub.com
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