Welcome to the AdultFic interview book. Inside you'll find interview sessions with inspiring authors posted each month, as well as helpful hints for readers and writers alike.
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Hey, this is Jinn Tiole (jinnis) from adultfiction and I welcome you to today's interview.
Right now I'm sitting on the bank of North Umpqua River, looking out onto the water in the friendly afternoon light. Birds chirp in the branches and a light breeze ripples the reflecting surface.
Footsteps in the undergrowth disturb the peaceful silence as Grady Richards (GradyRichards) joins me. He sits down next to me on the trunk of a fallen tree.
JT: Hello Grady, thank you so much for joining me here today. How are you?
GR: Great, thanks. And you?
JT: Great, especially as I get to enjoy this truly picturesque place. This is the setting of your story A Stroke of Luck on Bogus Creek. Is this a place you have a special relationship to?
GR: Not in the real world, unfortunately. Oregon is one of my favorite states; I love the diversity in landscapes that you can find there. But I haven't had the pleasure of visiting the North Umpqua River in person. I came across a place called Bogus Creek when I was online scouting a potential kayaking trip, and I couldn't get the name out of my head. I just knew I was going to use it in my writing somewhere. When this story came to mind, it was just perfect. I tried to paint as clear a picture as I could, despite not having been there myself, by using memories of similar places I've been when kayaking or hiking. I probably borrowed the most from a favorite of mine: a hidden branch off of the Rock River in northern Illinois, with a place I used to camp when on overnight canoeing or kayaking trips.
JT: You sound like an outdoor guy. I imagine these trips are a great source of inspiration and your story paints a picture of someone with a heart for the wilderness. Are you willing to share a bit more about your writing background?
GR: Being outdoors connects you, I think, with the lost generations ten thousand years in the past. People who gathered around campfires to tell their stories. As a storyteller myself, I'd be lying if I said I didn't draw some strength from the introspection you can have when you're alone in the wilderness -- even if it's just a forested bike path at the edge of town. Concerning my background, I think I started the way most people did. Some rainy day when I was a kid, I got bored and started writing a story in my notebook. Most of my stories back then involved me meeting some hero of mine and going on an adventure with them. I didn't write so much through middle school and high school, but when I was eighteen I started writing a fantasy novel and it pretty much became the activity I use to express my soul. After writing two and a half connected fantasy novels, I lost faith in the story (or at least my ability to tell it) and I started looking in other directions. I wrote some short stories and found a love for horror stories. That's pretty much what I do now. I'm working on novel-length horror stories these days, though.
