The Armpit of Evil is an exhaustive dissertation on the effects of the axilla region of the body on altruism. It’s also a satirical spin through everything we love, and hate, about the fantasy genre, filled with heroic chins, evil citadels, damsels in distress, vile sorcerers, and monsters of every type. It’s the only book in existence that examines aerodynamics of cutlery-style grappling hooks, reveals the secret marketing schemes of dungeons, and features a madcap cast of characters so jam packed with hilarity that no physical media yet has been crafted that can handle the insanity! That’s why it’s only an e-book.
As for the name The Armpit of Evil, it came from being the last domain name left on the internet. Ever. It was just sitting there, like the last puppy at the Oliver Twist Puppy Orphanage, cold and lonely and unwanted, its fur mangy, its bowl kibble-less. So I bought it (the domain name)and wrote a book to remind us all that the world is not some cruel place where we let such travesties happen! Every time you visit The Armpit of Evil site,that poor, shivering domain name feels loved and you, yes you, make the world a better place.
Well, it’s only peripherally related to writing, but I’m planning on turning The Armpit of Evil into a perfume line for women.
Actually, in all honesty, as much as I enjoyed writing a light-hearted satire like Armpit, I lately have been taking a successful dive into horror/spec fiction work. I had my obligatory-creepy-little-girl-horror-story appear in the most recent Arcane (as the anthology opener no less!), and I recently sold a story to Shock Totem.
I do have more than my share of trunk short stories, novels, and such. I am constantly working on something new, or many new things, as the case often is. Heck, I’m almost obsessive about it.
3.) You are an artist professionally. How has that impacted your writing?
To state the obvious first, working as an artist gives me an acute awareness for how a scene is arranged visually, and for what details to paint across the written page that might stick in the mind in the reader.
More importantly, being an artist professionally first means I approach writing with a ‘practice, practice, practice’ mentality. People aren’t born with the skills to be a professional artist, especially in a field like mine (video game environment art), which is highly technical. I’ve had to earn whatever skills I have by starting from the suckiness of square one, and there’s no shame in that. My attitude towards writing is the same way; I practice a lot!
4.) Which would you rather work on, visual art or writing? Why?
I use one as an escape from the other, so, my answer is probably: whichever one I’m not doing now! Additionally, what I want to work on depends on whether I’m mostly reading, gaming, watching movies, reading comics, or looking at art at the time. I’m a vessel for distraction, and there’s nothing that will make me want to contribute more to the oceans of a medium than diving in and going for a swim. If I know I have something I NEED to complete, I often have to ban myself from OTHER formats of entertainment, as they’d only pull my heart out of what I’m working on.
All that said, the lines between art and writing are not as distinct to me as they seem to be for others. Art, writing, technology: they’re all means to convey a concept, and I’m happy, thrilled even, to explore where those lines blur. That makes an industry like video game development one I’m well suited to, I suppose.
5.) Good guys or bad guys, which do you prefer?
Bad guys are way easier to write!
6.) What is your favorite cheese?
Havarti, though only in moderation. A world full of havarti, while resolving all global cheese shortages, might just be one of the end signs foretold in Revelations.
7.) What is your favorite word? Why?
No, but that’s a pretty good one: versatile...useful as a question...or an exclamation...or a death-cry ... but no, I can’t say that’s my favorite.
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| artwork by Joe Mirabello |
1 comment:
I wish I could combine art talents with my writing, but alas no such abilities.
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