We selected Kevin B's story "The Blender Says Goodbye" for publication and found that it continued to surprise us with funny moments and quirky bits of language all the way through our publication process. Learn a little more about the author in our interview below.
What compels you to write or create, even when it's hard?
I think consistency is the key. I write every day. Even when it's difficult, I feel like without it, I'd be walking through life with a muzzle on. I give myself very reasonable writing goals so I find that I'm never lecturing myself on "falling behind."
What other creative endeavors do you pursue?
If karaoke counts as a creative endeavor, then I pursue that with a passion unknown to man since the Middle Ages.
What's your first memory of realizing you were good-weird (not one where you felt ostracized or bullied, but one that gave you a positive feeling instead)?
When I was a kid, I would entertain my family in my grandmother's living room. We would go over to her house and watch television, and during commercial breaks, it was my job to crack everybody up before the show was back on.
Does where you were born affect your writing?
Absolutely. I think when you're a lifelong New Englander, that's embedded in your DNA, and you end up drawn to both pragmatic stories and the outrageous. Living where I live means being surrounded by both history and the current moment every single day. All of that works its way into my writing.
What is your favorite word?
I love the word "accentuate."
What is your favorite banned book?
I know at one time they were banning Ray Bradbury, and he's one of my favorite writers, so probably Fahrenheit 451.
What will your biography be titled?
Let's Try That Again
Name a book that made you cry (or feel like crying).
Very few books can actually get tears out of me, but when I was a child, Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary could make me cry every time I read it, and recently I went back and found that it could still do it, especially in the section where the mother and son are eating dinner in her car.
What's saved your life?
It sounds cliché, but writing has. Numerous times. And friends, of course. Time will also save your life if you let it.
Do you celebrate any weird holidays?
I'm a film buff, so I watch certain movies on certain days or during certain seasons. I'm a huge Halloween fan, but I also find myself drawn to rom-coms in the winter and comedies all summer. That would be how I celebrate. It's like a cinematic religion.
Do you have any superstitions?
I guess my superstition would be that you should always voice your fears, because if you talk about them, they're less likely to hurt you, and then, if they do, you'll become an urban legend.
Do you collect anything?
Various hot sauces.
What's a movie you return to again and again?
Moonstruck. It's perfect. Not a word out of place.
Have you ever gone on a literary pilgrimage—to see an author's birthplace or setting of a favorite novel, etc.?
I'm actually very lucky, because a house where Herman Melville lived is within driving distance of me, and it's been turned into an inn. I've visited, but I plan on staying there some night.
What's your process for naming characters?
I try to find names that don't sound like character names. Sometimes you'll read a book and the author has named the character "Turner" and you think, "Nobody's named Turner." Of course, people are named that, but in that instance, it comes across like an author trying to make a character unique with a semi-unique name. I'd rather read about a character named Mike who the author then has to make unique using something other than a name. I'll usually think about how old the character is, and then look up what the popular names were at that time.
Do you have a favorite book on writing or creating that's been a helpful resource?
It's a book on theater writing called The Playwright's Guidebook by Stuart Spencer. Anybody who wants to write anything should read it. It's focused on theater, but the advice it gives can be applied to every kind of writing.
What is your ideal writing environment (busy coffee shop, silent home office, the train, dark pub, etc.)?
I'm very much a coffee shop person. The busier, the better. Silence only comes in handy for me when I'm revising. When it's revision time, I can't deal with any noise whatsoever. When it's just me throwing stuff out there, I need a raucous kind of energy.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I think being a movie star would be pretty fantastic. Or one of those people who seems to travel all the time and not work. I'd love to try that.
What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
A day in New York in the fall having dinner with friends and staying in a nice hotel is usually the perfect day.
Who's your favorite weirdo?
George Saunders has become kind of mainstream (which I think happens to all weirdos after a lot of success) but he'll always be my favorite.
What’s your biggest fear (body-horror edition)?
The thought of getting any part of my body pierced is terrifying to me.
Unpopular opinion, go:
Don't talk about what you're writing until it's written and don't call yourself a writer until you have some writing to show for it. Doesn't have to be published, but it has to be something you consider finished.
Advice on creating that you’ve learned by trial and error?
If the first draft is perfect, something is horribly, horribly wrong.
Read the Fall 2024 issue here!
Kevin B is a writer and poet from New England. They have been published in Esoterica, Molecule, and Third Wednesday. They are the George Lila Award Winner for Short Fiction, and the Barely Seen Featured Poet of 2023.