Some Words After Afterwords. Interview with Stephen Bias
Alternative Title: Henlo Gets a New Intern- Me!
Henlo friends, Hecktor here!
Today is officially my first day as the newest Henlo intern!
Over the next few months I will be spending my time with The Henlo Press helping them run social media and blog threads!
I am sure many of you know that The Henlo Press is getting ready to release their fourth book, Afterwords. (Even better, there will be a launch party at Cicada Books on February 12th!)
Since I was eager to get to work I might have sent an e-mail interview to the author, Stephen Bias to answer some very important questions about his upcoming book.
In which I send a very important e-mail.
I decided to do the interview via e-mail. I have to be honest. I am not a fan of phone calls and "in person" interviews don't always go they way I would hope.
Enjoy!
Hecktor: Tell us about how you came up with the idea for Afterwords.
Bias: Courtney asked me for a submission. She'd known of a comic book I worked on that never got off the ground because the artist on the project wanted way too much of a cut. After procrastinating, I was going to work on something after visiting my mother that evening. Mom asked me why I didn't force my daughter to go to church, and why I didn't go for that matter. I went for the free meal and stayed for the lecture. She complained that she found my lack of faith disturbing, and when I left I went home and just let it go from there. It is why the book has the religious overtone that it does.
Hecktor: What does your writing process look like?
Bias: I eat or stand and pace before sitting back down to write. I'm a very nervous writer because I visualize the entire scene in my head. Everything is played out in a storyboard, or a comic book, It's why I think my writing is so dialogue-heavy.
Hecktor: What is your favorite dinosaur?
Bias: Nothronychus
Hecktor: This is your first book, right? What have you learned from the whole process? If you could go back to the past (as your future self) and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Bias: The amount of work that is thrown into writing a novel, not just from my end, but the editing, the decision making, the workshops. It's all overwhelming for someone who has never attempted one before. This goes beyond jotting a short story in a notebook. This becomes a marathon of ideas. I would tell myself to relax and be patient. This isn't something that happens in a month or six for that matter. I started Afterwords almost a year ago. It's long. It's a lot of questioning yourself, but when I wrote the word "end" it was all worth it.
Hecktor: Do you think Chandler is an asshole? (She insisted I ask.)
Bias: Chandler wasn't that bad.
Hecktor: What advice would you give to prospective authors hoping to tackle their first novel?
Bias: It's good, keep going. Don't second guess yourself. Once you get that first draft done then tighten it up. Don't keep going over your first act. MOVE ON.
Hecktor: What is the best writing snack?
Bias: Peppermint Patty
Hecktor: Anything I missed? Anything you would like to tell the world?
Bias: We are just getting started.
Afterwords Release Party
Just like the heading says. We are going to be having a launch party for Afterwords on February 12th at Cicada Books in Huntington.
Check out the link below and join us!
https://fb.me/e/1dx4rBwJ9 (Facebook Party Invite!)
Thank you all for having me! I hope to call many of you friend. Keep an eye out for more exciting Hecktor content! I can't wait to share this adventure with you!
