Suite101 recently talked to author Jesse Bullington about his next novel, writing as a healthy outlet and some of the trends in recent fantasy fiction.
Do you think that writing is a bit of weird thing to do? I mean, there's a disconnect from the world, at least for some period of time, in which you have to be absolutely convinced of what you're writing or you will fail your intended audience.
Heh, yeah putting it like that it is a little weird, I suppose. Then again, I’ve always had an antisocial streak, so writing is a comparatively healthy outlet for indulging that. Oddly enough I do a lot of my writing in coffee shops, surrounded by noisy strangers—being in the throng and then putting on a pair of headphones to drown the world in music somehow focuses me far better than a tranquil afternoon in an empty house.
I do go a little too deep sometimes, and then the story I’m working on won’t let me tune it out—it’s still humming in the background of my brain, and hours after I resolved to stop working I realize I haven’t heard a word a friend said because I’m still there with the project. It can be a little scary, how perpetually distracted I become when I’m really excited about an idea.
What are some of the trends in fantasy fiction right now that has you excited?
Despite my seven league-wide sentimental streak, any upswing in grit and realism makes me happy, such as what I’ve read of Joe Abercrombie, and a shift away from large series and back toward stand alone novels would be nice as far as trends go.
One series I’m really looking forward to, though, is the trilogy Richard K. Morgan’s recently begun with The Steel Remains. I haven’t had time to give it a read yet but that novel looks right up my alley, and covers a few more moves that have me excited—subversion and satire of genre, and an increase in minority protagonists. Again, I don’t know if it’s a trend yet, but I’m also really enjoying the increased historical aspect I’m seeing in fantasy, such as in the work of Cherie Priest.
Are you able to give us a tiny smidgen taste of your second novel?
A “tiny smidgen taste,” eh? Well...the early 16th century artist Niklaus Manuel Deutsch. There. The old boy’s work holds more than a few clues, but until the ink’s dry I’m going to keep things as mum as possible where this one is concerned. It will be a very different novel than The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, and will display my fondness for horror to a greater extent, I think. The Enterprise of Death is the title, and with it I’ll be addressing everything from race, gender, and sexuality to the undead, the Reformation, and the Inquisition.
What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you about writing?
Jeff VanderMeer’s sage wisdom of “...more coffee...” has been a light in dark places. Also,
my old creative writing professor Cedrick Dewsack was fond of telling us that “[writing] is a terrible way to go about expressing your love for your fellow man, but a jolly good way to woo a basset hound.” That really stuck with me. Professor Dewsack’s passing was as untimely as it was bizarre.
Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, Jesse Bullington received a bachelor's degree in both History and English Literature from Florida State University. Upon graduating he immediately set to work on The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, to be published by Orbit in November 2009. Read more about Jesse and his work at his blog, The Words and Works Of Jesse Bullington
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