Today I am excited to introduce J. Travis Grundon. This man writes, edits, publishes and catches flies in mid flight. Okay, so I’m not really sure about the flies. Maybe I can ask him about that later. J. Travis is a Glorious Bastard. Yes, you read that correctly. But before we get to all that, let’s get to know a little something about today’s guest:
J. Travis Grundon has served as an editor and contributor on *Forrest J Ackerman’s Anthology of the Living Dead*. His other work can found in the Silven Trumpeter, the Tecumseh Review, *Scars*, *Paracinema*, *Twisted Dreams* and *The Monsters Next Door* magazine. Other works include stories for *Help – An Anthology To Benefit Preditors and Editors*, Concrete Blood: Dark Tales of the City and Toe Tags 2.
Here’s a look at his new collection of short stories:
Eclectic Collection is a feast of fiction, that illustrates J. Travis Grundon’s love, and craft of short stories.
Now for a chat with the Glorious Bastard and mastermind behind the stories:
Let’s talk about your author persona first. You have a new book of short stories out called Eclectic Collection. Congratulations on that! As a writer, what draws you toward short stories rather than full length novels?
I have actually written three novels too. It just seems like there is more of a market for short stories, with everyone’s fleeting interest in reading. Short stories can seem less intimidating, to someone who doesn’t read or doesn’t think they have time.
I was burnt pretty bad by two different publishers on both of my first novels. I’ve since deconstructed one of them, and completely lost interest in the second one. I just have a hard time writing about monster and supernatural heroes, when there are just as many crazy and fantastically realistic stories to tell.
The one thing that attracts me to short stories, is that is seems like a dying art. There is a challenge to telling your story in 55 to 10,000 word. I like that challenge. It is something Raymond Carver and Etgar Keret both mastered.
Is there an underlying theme and/or a particular genre this collection fits into?
There isn’t really a theme, unless it is bleak. I say bleak because, when my dad finally read it all he said was “you sure do have a F***ing bleak outlook on life.”
The book is pretty “eclectic,” with stories that range from flesh eating zombies and vampire violence to modern, hard boiled justice and everyday people at their worst. Eclectic Collection was the only title that worked and I think the stories within illustrate an interesting range of storytelling.
When writing, which comes first for you – characters or plot?
All of my Stories are character driven. I can also say that most of these characters come to me in situations, or as I get to know them the plot thickens and the situations lead to new twist.
What is your writing environment like? Silent or noisy? Neat or messy? A king’s throne or a lawn chair?
One thing I have to have when I write is music. I don’t always listen to the music that fits what I’m writing, but I have to have music playing. I listen to music while I do everything. Everything else depends on what I am writing.
More recently I have been using a good old spiral note book or type writer to get the words out. It helps my editorial process, by having to retype it.
It really doesn’t matter if I’m using a notebook, typewriter, laptop or random napkins and receipt paper my other “must” for writing is caffeine. Like music, I have to have my coffee to get my hands moving almost as fast as my brain.
I use to keep a pocket notebook, but then I’d still write on whatever was in my hand, or on my hand itself, so I usually have a lot of scraps and notes all around me when I’m writing, from jotting down random ideas.
Now let’s talk about your new publishing venture. You’ve started a company called Glorious Bastards Press and your book Eclectic Collection is the first to be published via this press. First, I have to ask, what inspired the name of your press?
Glorious Bastards Press is really just an imprint, for like minded authors. Right now it is just Joe Schwartz and myself, until we find some other Bastards. I have a few in mind, like Scott Lefebvre, but the idea is to have a collection of transgressive authors, where if you like one author, you may want to check out another Glorious Bastard.
Joe actually came up with the name when we were kicking the idea around one day and it snowballed from there.
What prompted you to start your own publishing company?
I wouldn’t call it a publishing company. It’s more like a gathering of like minded authors. We are printing through Create Space and keeping all of the control with the control of the book with authors. It seems like the best way to have creative freedom.
I was always told, write the book you want to read and you will find your audience.
What type of work will you be publishing?
We are focusing on transgressive fiction.
According to Wikipedia – Transgressive fiction is a genre of literature that focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual and/or illicit ways. Because they are rebelling against the basic norms of society, protagonists of transgressive fiction may seem mentally ill, anti-social, or nihilistic. The genre deals extensively with taboo subject matters such as drugs, sex, violence, incest, pedophilia, and crime.
Ebooks only or also print?
We have a great tech support guy, formatting all of our books and project for Kindle and the Nook. Our tech guy, James M. Bowers, says It seems stupid to not do ebooks in this market. He has convinced me, to not be open to that format is practically eliminating a considerable portion of you readership.
Right now we have Eclectic Collection available on Kindle for only $5.00, and it shows just how assessable an ebook can really be.
I hear you will soon be publishing something by Joe Schwartz, who has an incredible gift with words. Can you give us the title, a little info and the publishing date?
At this time I think the plan is for Joe and I to both to release several individual books under the Glorious Bastards Press, umbrella, but we are also collaborating on an anthology of transgressive short stories. The book is called Fracas: A Collection of Short Friction. It will also include Scott Lefebvre (Spooky Creepy Long Island, Forest J Ackerman’s Anthology of the Living Dead) and St. Louis horror author, John F.D. Taff, just to name a couple.
The problem we are running into with the book is that many of the authors and people involved are so busy with other projects both deadlines have already passed, and I’m still waiting on stories.
Time to toss in a few personal questions. We’ll start with an easy one. What genre and/or author do you enjoy reading most?
I am a big Chuck Palahniuk fan. I have loved almost everything he writes. I credit his book, Haunted as a major influence on my work.
I would also consider Etgar Keret a big influence on my work too. He is a great short story author that can do more with 2000 words than most authors most authors can do with an entire novel. His work is absolutely unforgettable.
I’m also really into Bret Easton Ellis, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Charles Bukowski, Amy Hemple and Nick Hornby. More recently I’ve been reading, and loving, a lot of Raymond Carver.
I could never forgive myself if I failed to mention that my other favorite books include The Book Thief and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Both of these books are so well written, in my opinion. I love them both.
Which do you prefer – print or ebooks? Why?
I still love print books. I honestly get headaches looking at a screen for too long, and I just love the feel and smell. I know it’s cliché, but it’s the truth. I have the Kindle app on my phone and I support reading in any form, but I’ll stick with books.
Are you an old-fashioned radio kind of guy or the modern music-streaming kind of guy?
I just love music. I have a huge collection of MP3s on my computer, but I also have a turntable and a growing collection of country western and folk rock music.
Tell us one fact about you that is either crazy, silly, odd or interesting. (Or all of those things combined!)
Wow! That is a very loaded question. I have so many things I could say here…but since I’m keeping it PG, that limits a lot of it.
One of my favorite interesting things to mention is, that my story Contravention, from Eclectic Collection, was picked up by Darkrider Studios and made into a film. The film was a part of Jabb Pictures the collective. Darkrider let me have a stab screen writing for the first time in years and I think the end project was pretty cool!
It wasn’t my first screen work, but that’s another story, for another time…
No fair leaving us hanging! I had no idea you’d done screenwriting. Very cool!
Thanks for answering all my pesky questions! Is there anything you’d like to add?
Thanks for asking me questions. It was fun answering them. I hope hope everyone checks out jtravisgrundon.blogspot.com and they pick up Eclectic Collection. This is just the beginning and there is A LOT more still to come!!!
I have yet to read Eclectic Collection but I’m looking forward to the experience! I’ll be following the Glorious Bastards. I have no doubt they will be keeping us all entertained.
Here’s a look at some of J. Travis’ work on Amazon:
I hope you’ll check out J. Travis’ writing, as well as that of Joe Schwartz and all the future Glorious Bastards.
Thanks for reading. 
Tags: Author Interview, authors of short stories, Eclectic Collection, Glorious Bastards, Glorious Bastards Press, Guest Authors, Indie Authors on Kindle, Indie Publishing, J. Travis Grundon, Joe Schwartz, short stories, writing short stories
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Jessica
