GUEST POST
Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I started writing when I was twelve years old, back when I was in sixth grade. This story might reveal how sappy I am underneath all of the doom and gloom that you find in my writing and probably should be more embarrassing than I make it sound, but basically, I was head over heels for this girl. This was my first really, true, deep crush. I scribbled something random down on my phone that was based off of some lyrics from some edgy post-grunge band (I think Three Days Grace) and showed it to her. She told me I was absolutely amazing at what I did and that I should keep going. Little did she know, I was aping lyrics from other people and calling it my own poetry; however, I suddenly had to keep going, so I continued using lyrics from pop-rock and metal to craft my own “poems.” I would send them to her, which gave me more confidence, then posted them on an app called “Poet’s Corner.” Long story short, I asked her out, she said no, then she fell in love with an abusive, older dude, who smoked a lot of weed and seemed a lot cooler than me at the time. I got called out on Poet’s Corner for stealing lyrics, I got embarrassed, then decided I needed to prove myself as someone who actually had the balls to write their own work. I got mildly depressed as I watched my first love stay with some horrible psycho of a person, then I lost my feelings for her, we became best friends for a long time, she developed an eating disorder, and my poetry took on a much darker and sludgier form. This included an obvious horror influence, coupled with my own depression that grew and grew through my middle school years. I wrote my first horror “novel” when I was 13 or so under a false name, “FurthermoreFiction.” I posted my poetry on an Instagram under the same name, before finally going back to my real name, leading to my first actual published novel when I was 15.
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I have an obsession with finding new music and diving into the discography of random musicians. In the last month, I have listened to every album by the following artists: KMFDM, Ministry, Author & Punisher, 3Teeth, Street Sects, Young Code, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Dope, Static X, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Whenever I hear a random song that I even remotely like, I add it to my “VARIOUS” playlist on spotify. It’s most centered around rock and metal, but it’s pretty unfocused and is filled with things that I think sound cool. I’m getting close to having 2,000 songs on it and I’ve been working on it for about six months. You can listen to it here.
Beyond that, I am pretty deeply involved in a variety of other projects. I am a writer for the newspaper at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. I do a lot of opinion pieces, the most recent of which actually was about pride month. I also do a lot of reviews for movies and music. I also make a bit of my own music with JaredMiller. His first song just came out on streaming services and it’s called “I See You Are Also A SoundCloud Rapper.” I play bass, synthesizer, programmed drums, and did a decent amount of sampling. I also did the artwork for the piece, which I am pretty proud of and I suppose makes me something of an editor/photographer. Jared is wonderfully talented and I was blessed to work with him.
Finally, I’m a film major, and while I certainly don’t have as much to show for that, I directed (in collaboration with Travis Hill as part of the now defunct BeckerHillFilms) both music videos for Bury Me In Black. I’ll probably be putting together some short films in the coming years.
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
Uh…, I was concieved.
What are some of your pet peeves?
Okay, call me crazy, but every book cover looks the same right now, it’s nuts. 95 percent of covers are some person standing in front of a background trying to look dramatic. Either that, or it’s some minimalistic symbol. Go to the bookstore (if they still even exist) or your closest Barnes and Noble and tell me I’m wrong.
Where were you born/grew up at?
I was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, but I was adopted by an American family when I was very young and have lived most of my life in Boone, North Carolina.
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how would you spend your last day?
I would divide it between my family and my partner, Duke. They’ve made my life a very lovely place recently. Seventh Circle wasn’t inspired by them and I’m sure it made them a bit jealous, but they’ve been an amazing part of my life. I’d probably hang out with my parents, then go watch some of my favorite movies with Duke. Yeah, that would be nice.
Who is your hero and why?
David Lynch. Lost Highway and Eraserhead will be endless sources of inspiration to me. His work is just pure… art. You can see his influence on my more surrealist works, like New York Onions, which is available for free on my website. He’s a bit of a madman and I think this video that shows him cooking Quinoa illustrates that quite nicely.
What are you passionate about these days?
Experiences. Especially being in a first world country, I am able to experience so much. Even with the COVID-19 stuff, I have unlimited access to Spotify. People who complain about not being able to find good music are pretty damn lazy. There’s so many different sound pallets and genres to explore that it’s absurd. You could spend hundreds of years listening to songs you haven’t heard before and never reach the end. How could you not find a handful of interesting things to listen to? Netflix and other streaming services make it easy to find any movie you could possibly dream of. Hell, if you have no internet access, you can go walk to a library and rent a book or a movie. If you don’t have the ability to read, I’m not sure how you are reading this, but there’s so much to explore out there. Even if entertainment isn’t your thing, you can download an app like Reddit and surround yourself with new and different ideologies. Or, you could just go outside and say hi to a stranger. Life is much too short to be bored. There’s so much to do, so much to experience.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
I sleep, I write, and I listen to music.
How to find time to write as a parent?
I don’t have any human kids, but my partner and I have a kid- a baby goat named Cleo. She’s disabled and has a hard time moving around. She’s a heartthrob. You honestly make time. I don’t compare to anyone who has human children, but if you want to do it, you’ll find a way. Even if you have five minutes in the bathroom at work or you’re up at 2 AM, you find time.
Describe yourself in 5 words or less!
I am really bad at descriptions. Shit, that’s six.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When people started calling me one. I think that was sometime in the last seven years.
Do you have a favorite movie?
Lost Highway is amazing. Ari Aster also has some fantastic horror works, such as Hereditary and Midsommar. Most recently, I watched Come To Daddy with Elijah Wood in it and quite enjoyed it.
Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
I usually write with the idea of each scene as something in a film. That’s kind of where my meticulous descriptions come from. Seventh Circle isn’t a novel, but I could see a movie coming from it.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
I relate to swans. They're very beautiful and majestic animals, but similar to geese, they can be extremely aggressive and have quite the ugly temperament. I think after people read Seventh Circle, this will make more sense.
Thank you so much for having me!
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