STEVE VIVIAN

Self Made Monster

"Steve Vivian was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, the town made briefly famous by the film 'Roger and Me.' He holds a BA in English, an MA in English, and a Ph.D in English Studies with a concentration in cognitive grammar, a small but vital branch of linguistics.

His novels are 'Flunky', 'A Self-Made Monster', and the still-in-progress 'Some Weird Aesthetic'. He's also published numerous short nonfiction pieces, which are now scattered across the Web.

A Time To Shine @ Sime~Gen would like to Welcome Steve Vivian and thank her for interviewing with us.


THE INTERVIEW

What genres do you write?

I write, for the most part, in the genre of satire (broadly defined). Self-Made Monster" is my least satiric work, although it's clearly satirical in terms of the characters (they're all monsters in their own ways). Beyond that, "Monster" is an effort to revitalize the vampire narrative, which hasbeen struggling for years under the accumulated debris of Victorian cliches: ripped bodices, the vampire as seducer, etc.


Where do you get your ideas?

From everywhere...ideas are like electro-magnetic waves, filling the air. More specifically, "Monster" was taken on a dare from a person who remarked that horror fiction--especially the vampire narrative--really needed to be picked up by the scruff of the neck and shaken to new life. Perhaps the dare was worthwhile, given some of the enthusiastic responses to "Monster", such as the old "Dragon's Lair" 'zine calling it the "most unusual" vampire narrative one could read.


How do you come up with your characters?

From real-life, for the most part, although I also blend features from fiction...that is, I mix traits of real people with traits of people from novels, films, etc. By the time I'm done, I hope the characters are vividly drawn and interesting enough to sustain a narrative. The protagonist of "Monster", for instance, is schizophrenic; therefore, the reader is not entirely sure until we're well into the book if Alex is, indeed, a vampire or only thinks he is.


What books do you have planned for the near future?

I'm revising a draft of a novel at the moment, this one a blend of satire and, in its own way, tragedy. The tone of the book is, generally speaking, marked by (I hope) black comedy, as most of my stuff is.


When is your next book due out?

That would be out in about a year or so. Difficult to say at the moment.


Can we have a sneak summary?

It's about sex (of a forbidden kind), drugs (a little), and rock and roll...also about the life-sustaining quality of beauty and he life-sapping quality of narrow moralism.


Do you have any book signings/appearances in the future?

Not in the near-term.


What do you feel makes your books unique or stand out from others in your genre?


I hope the prose itself; each book has (I hope, anyway) a distinctive voice and tone. Finding the right voice for a narrative is necessary for me; I can't really get too far until I've got the voice down cold. What I mean by "voice" are qualities such as: the beat or cadence and the attitude that lurks beneath the prose.


Do you have a favorite place that you like to write?

Right in front of my computer...I have a small office, and if I get a few hours at a time, I can get rolling pretty well.


In what order do you write? (Beginning to End; combining parts; in random order; development cycle).

From start to finish. I typically have a general (perhaps even vague) idea of how the narrative will end, although that invariably changes by the time the book is finished. That's okay, I suppose...if I'm surprised by what happens, then one hopes the reader will be, as well.


Do you feel that the ebook industry affords authors a bit more freedom of expression in their books?

Without question. E-book publishers are, it seems, a bit more willing to take a chance, which is good. The big, established presses have so much money riding on releases, one can understand why the industry is sometimes crippled by self-paralysis. My publisher, Boson Books, was in fact the first e-publisher of general, commercial fiction and nonfiction. Boson also publishes trade paperbacks, but its roots are very much of the e-model, which I like.


What do you like about what is/isn't being done to promote authors?

I'm not sure...for the most part, as a practical matter, authors must promote their own work. At the very least, authors must take the lead. Publishers can do only so much, and typically they concentrate upon theirtop authors.


Do you think that marketing departments have their "fingers on the pulse of readers?"

In a sense, yes. It depends, of course, on what readers they marketers have in mind. If we're thinking about readers of stuff such as self-help books, pop psychology, diet books, etc, then no doubt, the fingers are on the pulse. In another sense, readers who want something more "literary", then no, marketers don't have their fingers on that pulse--at least, not firmly.


How do you feel about the review rating system and its affects on public opinion?

It's fine. Any publicity is good. One must understand that reviewers have their own likes and dislikes, which is of course perfectly legitimate. If the reader can tell up front what a given reviewer's biases might be, and take those biases into account, then that's terrific.


In what kind of venues can we find your books?

The typical...Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.


What do you feel is the best aspect of the Publishing Industry?

Finding a publisher such as Boson who is willing to take a change on off-beat stuff.


What do you feel could stand to be "tweaked" so to speak?

The tweaking is underway: the digitization of publishing. The cost benefits are very considerable and therefore give publishers the chance--should they choose to take it--of rolling the dice a few times with new people.


With the rise of the E-book publishers and small press, do you think they will be the wave of the future?

Not exactly. Conglomerates are the wave of the future...or rather, the biggest wave. There have always been, however, smaller publishers and real independents, and digital technology has helped them get established.


How do you think the E-book industry has affected the Publishing industry?

Not as much as it should have. E-books are still largely a matter of untapped potential, but the potential is becoming more concrete with the Tablet PC's and the easy distribution of PDF formats. Beyond that, e-publishing led the way for the digitization of publishing, by which the contents of books are stored in digits. That's a very fundamental shift in production, and the e-book pioneers really led the way.


Is there anything else you would like to add that we haven't covered?

No....thank you very much. I enjoyed the questions.

Recent Or Upcoming Author titles:

 
Flunky

Self Made Monster

Flunky



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Last updated: March 22, 2004


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