1. What inspired you to write this book now/why is it pressing in this moment?
This book is something that I began many years ago and it became my COVID project at the beginning of the pandemic. Fomite Press was interested in publishing the book, and under the suggestion of Fomite’s Marc Estrin, I wrote additional stories and began working with him on the editing process for the book’s release. I think the book is timely for 2021, because although it’s set in the 1970s, the stories deal with m
any issues that are still pressing in the modern world.
2. Please tell us more about the book itself.
The book is a collection of fictionalized short stories, which present as poetry and are based on my childhood. They are brief vignettes told in the voice of a first-person narrator, who traverses the full spectrum of human rites of passage. The pieces can get dark (like life), but I hope they also offer a measure of humor, irony, hope, or poignancy. While they are poetry, they also generally employ a three-act structure.
3. What is next for you/what implications does the work hold?
I’ll keep on writing while continuing to navigate the pandemic, like everyone else. As of late, I have been working on this particular book release, but I also want to spend some more time on screenwriting, which has been a passion of mine for the past few years. I have a feature screenplay and a series pilot based on “The Saint I Ain’t”, so it may be a good time to focus on those projects. I also have a second book in the works, albeit in early stages. For my “day job” I work as a music composer for film and television, but there is far less production going on for the foreseeable future. I have been grateful to have writing projects to work on over the past year.
4. Who are the authors/thinkers that you read most often?
Edgar Allen-Poe, Flannery O’Conner, Rod Serling, George Carlin, Charles Bukowski, Denis Johnson, Cintra Wilson, David Sedaris.
5. Where can we find more information about your work?
My author website is: www.bobbyjohnstonauthor.com and the site for my work as a film composer is: www.bobbyjohnston.com
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