SPFBO Author Interview - Barry K Gregory

What inspired you to write your SPFBO entry? Is there a particular story, personal experience, or idea that sparked this book?

Actually, yeah. I had joined a writers group and wanted to start something new to workshop there. I had recently re-read Lonesome Dove (one of my all-time favorite novels) and I had just seen the film Bone Tomahawk and couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I decided I wanted to write something in that vein, a more or less straight western but with a heaping of ‘weird’. Of course, I couldn’t pull it off. I didn’t get more than five thousand words in before I had gods and monsters walking the earth.

How would you describe your writing process? How did it evolve during the creation of this book?

I write mostly in the mornings. I get up every weekday at 5am and try to get in a few hours before I leave for work. I used to be a chronic noodler. I would write and rewrite and rewrite passages over and over again. It was during the writing of A Thing Immortal that I finally broke that habit and pushed through to get a finished draft. It wasn’t perfect but it had a beginning, a middle, and an end. This was the first novel I ever finished, though it was the second I published.

What challenges did you face during the writing or publishing process, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for me has always been my own self-doubt. I don’t expect I’ll ever fully shake it but I can temper it through reading and stringently objective comparison. “This author did this particular thing really well. How well did I do the same thing? Not as well. Okay, then. How do I make it better?” That sort of thing. 

Who are your biggest literary influences and how have they impacted your writing style?

I read for pleasure but also to study the craft. I read Bradbury for his lyricism. Vonnegut for his understanding of the human condition. Joe Lansdale defines narrative clarity for me. Every George Martin novel is a master class in how fictional worlds should be constructed. Elmore Leonard for dialogue. William Gibson for subtext.  Dan Simmons, David Farland, Sheri Teper for creativity. I try to find something I can use in everything I read. I’m not sure how much of that comes through on the page, but it’s the stew that I ladle from. 

How do you approach world-building in your fantasy novel? What elements do you think are essential for a compelling fantasy setting?

My goal is to make it seem as if the world exists outside of and independent of the story. It has to feel as if this world existed long, long before the story started and (in most cases) will still exist after the story is over. It has to feel organic and lived-in. When I read a book where the world seems to have popped into existence on page one, that’s a problem. If you have a world where nobody has ever met anyone or been anywhere, where no one has family or friends they don’t meet in the story, where nobody knows anything until it’s explained to them, then it doesn’t feel organic. It doesn’t ring as authentic.

If you could give a piece of advice to the main character in your book at the start of their journey, what would it be?

That’s a great question. One I actually see not as an “if you could” but a “make certain you did.” I think this is something that needs to be in every story. If a character hears advice early on that they really should heed, but don’t, then it foreshadows where things are going. I see it as part of what Save The Cat calls “stating the theme” and I try not to be too subtle with it. I try to disguise it a bit, but I make it explicit. It’s usually one character speaking directly to another. In A Thing Immortal, the holy man tells the wing-thief that he’s myopic and needs to open his eyes. The ghost woman tells the manhunter that he is living in the past and needs to come to terms with his mistakes. The gunfighter tells the girl that she can’t hide who she is.

As a self-published author, how do you navigate marketing and promoting your work?

Not as well as I’d like to. I’d rather be writing, but I get how important marketing is. So I read a lot of blogs for advice and try to follow what seems like wise counsel. I run promotions and I buy ads. I try to be engaging on social media. Like a lot of writers, I’m introverted so it’s easier for me to be myself through my words on a screen than in personal interactions where I sometimes get awkward. So naturally, I’ve chosen a publishing path that requires retail politicking. Smart move, Gregory. Smart move.

What made you decide to participate in the SPFBO competition? How do you think this experience will benefit you as an author?

I did it on a lark. I read about it and thought, “Sure. Why not?” The contest is actually a lot bigger deal than I realized when I entered. I think I might’ve thought twice had I known that.

There are three hundred entrants and only ten will advance to the next round. The judging is understandably subjective and so the odds I’ll advance are not good. If my math is right, about ninety-six and a half percent will not advance. I think the benefit from participating will actually come from the association with the contest and from meeting and networking with fellow entrants. I’m excited to meet writers I didn’t know and read some books I’ve never read. That’s the real benefit.

If you were to win SPFBO, what impact do you think this would have on your writing career?

I suspect it would be a huge boon. But honestly, I try not to think about things like that. I try to visualize outcomes I have some control over … finishing a book by a given date, getting the ending right, what I'm going to write next, what I want a cover to look like, etc.

What's next for you after SPFBO? Are there any upcoming projects you can share with us?

I have five ongoing serials at Amazon’s Kindle Vella. I've been there since the platform launched. Each of those serials will be collected and released as novels. I have a horror serial set in India titled Rakshasa, a sci-fi/superhero epic called How Sharper Than a Dragon’s Tooth, a horror/adventure story titled Biff Stone: Monster Hunter for Hire, a sprawling grimdark fantasy titled Of Gods & Mages, and an ongoing crime/suspense/thriller series (written under the name Greg Kithe). The first book in that series is titled Fortune’s Fool and it’s available at Kindle Unlimited.