JG: What was your first publication to make it in front of
readers, and what impact did it have on you to know others could/would actually
read it?
HDB: My first publication was an unpaid piece, a poem in the
Isthmian Inklings magazine of the Panama Canal Zone in 1971. I was delighted to
have the poem published and didn't really think too much of its impact on
myself or others until years later when I realized how uncommon it was to be
published at all. I always wanted to be a writer and it seemed only right that
I should publish what I wrote. Young as I was, I didn't appreciate the
privilege I had been awarded until long afterward.
JG: Do you feel the publishing industry of today is a
different world than it was some years ago?
HDB: The publishing industry itself is the same. Writers
write, editors edit, publishers publish. Only the media have changed, making it
easier for writers to be published. Unfortunately, this means that the process
of editing has suffered significantly because many writers are either
unfamiliar or uncaring about their presentation. Punctuation, grammar, and
syntax are important. As writers, words are the tools of our trade. Cutting
corners in writing is just as bad as cutting corners in any other art form or
work. It shows a lack of professionalism and disregard for the customer, who in
our case is the reader. In my work I try to never take the reader for granted
and definitely never insult them with anything but my best.
JG: In that vein, what were your early goals as a writer,
and have they changed or evolved into different goals today?
HDB: Early on I just wanted to share stories. I guess every
writer wants to do that. As I went along, though, I wanted to do more than just
share the words. I wanted to share the emotions, evoke a reaction, good or bad,
from the reader. This has led to some very interesting feedback on my work. I
look forward to and welcome any and all reviews, even the bad ones. It tells me
whether I have succeeded in my effort.
JG: You're not the only writer in your family. What's your approach to mentoring your daughter's writing?
HDB: Herika R. Raymer is my daughter. She has a great talent of her own which I try not to suppress in any way. She will sometimes ask me for my opinion on a piece and I do my best to give her an honest answer because I know the only way to improve as a writer is to learn how to handle critique. When I read her work, I'm not her father. I'm a reviewer. It's hard sometimes to do but I hope it helps her.
JG: Do you think
writers ever "arrive"?
HDB: No. If a writer ever thought they had “arrived”, they
would stop trying to improve. I don't think any writer ever really “arrives”.
They may think they have, and their work reflects that. I can think of several
well-known names who qualify for that. I would encourage any writer never to
consider themselves “arrived” but always traveling towards the goal of
perfection.
JG: Social media has
really become a force in helping writers connect with readers, but it has also
changed the relationships between writers and readers, as well. What do you see
as the best, or most challenging, part of this?
HDB: At my age it's difficult to understand social media.
That anyone would want to expose their personal lives to the public in general
mystifies me. As a writer, I like connecting with the readers because they can
give me the best feedback. Their input helps me become a better writer so I can
provide better stories for their entertainment. In spite of that, I keep my
personal and professional life separate.
JG: You had a short
film made based on your novel "Ascendant". What was it like to see
your characters represented by flesh-and-bone actors?
HDB: It was amazing. The casting for the main protagonists
couldn't have been better done. To see the characters and events come to life
left me speechless. I was very pleased that it went so well and that so many
people rose to the challenge of bringing “Swordbearer” to the screen. The best
part about it was that seeing the characters interact in real life was no
different than how I saw them in my mind's eye when writing “Ascendant”. It was
a vindication of my work for me.
JG: Do you have plans to adapt any more of your work into
screenplays? What other projects do you having coming next?
HDB: I am toying with the idea of working out a full-length
screenplay for “Angelkiller”, the first book in my urban fantasy series
published my Seventh Star Press. I think it would be more easily produced than
“Swordbearer” and be more timely in light of current events. In my writing
projects, I have a pulp series starting soon called “The Velvet Wasp Cases”
from Pro Se Press and several short stories with other publishers in several
magazines and anthologies. I like to write in various genres, keep my hand in
as it were. My goal, as I have often stated, is to produce two novels and 12
stories a year until I die then one novel a year thereafter. I figure the short
stories wouldn't make it through the mediums correctly.
Website: http://thrankeep.com
Twitter: @Hdavidblalock
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