So, a couple of months ago the idea of creating an anthology of short stories came to me in a dream...I say dream, really it was reading PULP INK, and stealing their idea. One of my top picks to get on board for this project was a certain Ray Banks. I've only just discovered this incredible writer this year, but he has fast become one of my favourite authors. If you haven't read him yet, do so, and you'll find out why! Anyway, as part of a series of interviews leading up to the release of OFF THE RECORD, today we have Banks himself...be prepared, he uses bad language!
Photo Credit: www.iainmclean.com
So Ray, you're one of the multitude of writers involved with OFF THE RECORD, can you tell us what song title you went for and why?
I went for "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys, because I wanted to write something a little less dark and dreary than I normally do and, to my mind, that song is one of the finest, sweetest, most unequivocally sentimental three-minute love songs I've ever heard. Carl Wilson's vocal (not Brian's, trivia fans) is the voice of the recently-saved, and no amount of shitty cover versions can damage that.
What's the story about, and how much was inspired by the song itself?
The story's about a woman who loves her child way more than her husband, and with good reason. I don't have kids, don't see myself ever having kids, but I know that it's one of the most overwhelming emotional moments in your life. So in that sense it fit the song a lot better than a simple romance. Plus there's the main through line of "God only knows what I'd be without you" which is kind of a theme here, too.
What made you want to be involved in OTR (other than the chance to work with me, of course…)?
You told me it was for charity. It is for charity, isn't it? And as I said to you when you asked me, what kind of cunt would I be if I couldn't write 1500 words for charity? Look, if it's a charity anthology or you're paying up front, chances are I'm going to say yes. I'm kind of a whore like that.
Do you think music has much influence on your writing?
It used to, more than it does now. I found myself trying to be too cute in the sentences, turning them into lyrics, or else they'd accidentally rhyme. So I don't listen to so much. At least, I don't listen to the lyrics so much anymore. I find myself listening to a lot of blues, classical, jazz. That sort of thing. Y'know, old people's music. And Aphex Twin sometimes, which I suppose is old people's music now.
This month has witnessed the launch of Blasted Heath, and the release of DEAD MONEY (one of my favourite reads of 2011). How much convincing did it take for you to sign with BH?
One of your favourite reads, eh? I'll hold you to that, you know. As for how they got me signed up, we talked about various benefits and my reticence to publish solely in digital and it went back and forth for a while and there were raised voices and lost tempers, and then Allan Guthrie beckoned me towards him and said, very softly and without emotion, "Who else is going to publish that shit you call your work, eh?"
And I have to admit, he had a point.
Can you tell us a bit more about Dead Money?
It's the old story, boy meets boy, boy gets other boy involved in dodgy poker game, boy accidentally kills third boy, two boys have to dispose of third boy and it all get worse from there. Oh, and there's a dead dog in it. And some girls, in case you think it's some kind of big boy-fest. Not that there's anything wrong with that, you understand. And the word "fuck" may be used. Though funnily enough not as many times as it was in The Big Blind.
Dead Money is a page one rewrite of an earlier release of yours…is this not cheating, you big Cheater McCheaterson, and how do the two compare now?
If you'd read The Big Blind, you'd know it needed a lot of work. It was alright for its time, but I couldn't in good conscience release it upon a paying public again. So, yes, I rewrote the whole thing. It's almost a completely new book. Comparing the two, you'll see that there are some significant differences, not least the marriage status of the leading man, which my wife finds ... interesting.
But yeah, it is kind of cheating. I would be dubious about buying something again, but then nobody bought it the first time around, and it's not like people didn't get a good chance of getting the bloody thing for nothing. I promise you, next year, the Innes books'll be coming out, along with Wolf Tickets, which is relatively new, and I'll have a brand spanking new novel out by the end of next year hopefully with plenty more to come. If people buy 'em. If they don't, fuck them, they get nothing new. I'll take a lengthy break from writing. I'll go and farm salmon or take up the blues guitar or something.
BH are an Ebook publisher, and have already gained a great response to the professional way they have set themselves up. Do you think the future of publishing is in Ebooks?
I think my future in publishing is in ebooks, yes. It's the new pulp. Cheap, disposable and quick to publish. Yes, the book-sniffing part of me would like print copies, but then I still have the print rights to any of the new stuff, so you never know. Digital is priority for me now, though. I can't speak for anyone else.
If you could recommend one recent book to read this week, what would it be?
All The Young Warriors by Anthony Neil Smith, of course. If you've already read that, then the other Blasted Heath launch titles. Read them, then Choke Hold by Christa Faust. Read that, then One Dead Hen by Charlie Williams or Dove Season by Johnny Shaw or Dead Sharp by Len Wanner or whatever Swierczynski's released this week. Failing all that, or indeed instead of all that, read something less recent but good. Anything by Yates, Selby or Willeford should do it.
What does the near future hold in terms of writing?
Publication, as I've mentioned, is Wolf Tickets, the Innes novels, my Five Leaves novella California in digital. All of that should be out in 2012. As for writing, I'm bearing down on another draft of the casino robbery novel, a bunch of short stories, some non-fic stuff, blog posts, and then I've got a matador novel I've been wanting to do ... Oh, and if Wolf Tickets sells alright, then I'll write a sequel to it.
And the one question that still needs answering…How did you meet Lucy?
Your mam introduced us, you cunt.
It used to, more than it does now. I found myself trying to be too cute in the sentences, turning them into lyrics, or else they'd accidentally rhyme. So I don't listen to so much. At least, I don't listen to the lyrics so much anymore. I find myself listening to a lot of blues, classical, jazz. That sort of thing. Y'know, old people's music. And Aphex Twin sometimes, which I suppose is old people's music now.
This month has witnessed the launch of Blasted Heath, and the release of DEAD MONEY (one of my favourite reads of 2011). How much convincing did it take for you to sign with BH?
One of your favourite reads, eh? I'll hold you to that, you know. As for how they got me signed up, we talked about various benefits and my reticence to publish solely in digital and it went back and forth for a while and there were raised voices and lost tempers, and then Allan Guthrie beckoned me towards him and said, very softly and without emotion, "Who else is going to publish that shit you call your work, eh?"
And I have to admit, he had a point.
Can you tell us a bit more about Dead Money?
It's the old story, boy meets boy, boy gets other boy involved in dodgy poker game, boy accidentally kills third boy, two boys have to dispose of third boy and it all get worse from there. Oh, and there's a dead dog in it. And some girls, in case you think it's some kind of big boy-fest. Not that there's anything wrong with that, you understand. And the word "fuck" may be used. Though funnily enough not as many times as it was in The Big Blind.
Dead Money is a page one rewrite of an earlier release of yours…is this not cheating, you big Cheater McCheaterson, and how do the two compare now?
If you'd read The Big Blind, you'd know it needed a lot of work. It was alright for its time, but I couldn't in good conscience release it upon a paying public again. So, yes, I rewrote the whole thing. It's almost a completely new book. Comparing the two, you'll see that there are some significant differences, not least the marriage status of the leading man, which my wife finds ... interesting.
But yeah, it is kind of cheating. I would be dubious about buying something again, but then nobody bought it the first time around, and it's not like people didn't get a good chance of getting the bloody thing for nothing. I promise you, next year, the Innes books'll be coming out, along with Wolf Tickets, which is relatively new, and I'll have a brand spanking new novel out by the end of next year hopefully with plenty more to come. If people buy 'em. If they don't, fuck them, they get nothing new. I'll take a lengthy break from writing. I'll go and farm salmon or take up the blues guitar or something.
BH are an Ebook publisher, and have already gained a great response to the professional way they have set themselves up. Do you think the future of publishing is in Ebooks?
I think my future in publishing is in ebooks, yes. It's the new pulp. Cheap, disposable and quick to publish. Yes, the book-sniffing part of me would like print copies, but then I still have the print rights to any of the new stuff, so you never know. Digital is priority for me now, though. I can't speak for anyone else.
If you could recommend one recent book to read this week, what would it be?
All The Young Warriors by Anthony Neil Smith, of course. If you've already read that, then the other Blasted Heath launch titles. Read them, then Choke Hold by Christa Faust. Read that, then One Dead Hen by Charlie Williams or Dove Season by Johnny Shaw or Dead Sharp by Len Wanner or whatever Swierczynski's released this week. Failing all that, or indeed instead of all that, read something less recent but good. Anything by Yates, Selby or Willeford should do it.
What does the near future hold in terms of writing?
Publication, as I've mentioned, is Wolf Tickets, the Innes novels, my Five Leaves novella California in digital. All of that should be out in 2012. As for writing, I'm bearing down on another draft of the casino robbery novel, a bunch of short stories, some non-fic stuff, blog posts, and then I've got a matador novel I've been wanting to do ... Oh, and if Wolf Tickets sells alright, then I'll write a sequel to it.
And the one question that still needs answering…How did you meet Lucy?
Your mam introduced us, you cunt.
Dead Money is available now for an incredible price of just 99p/99c for a limited time. Links Below.Ray Banks can be found at his website here and on twitter @thesaturdayboy
More information about Blasted Heath, the excellent new E-Publisher, is available at www.blastedheath.com
Dead Money at Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Money-ebook/dp/B005ZN2ZGO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321569501&sr=8-1
Dead Money at Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Money-ebook/dp/B005ZN2ZGO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321569501&sr=8-1
Amazon US - http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Money-ebook/dp/B005ZN2ZGO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321570081&sr=8-1
Blasted Heath - http://www.blastedheath.com/?p=1243
Now go and buy his books, you won't be disappointed!
Great to see that Pulp Ink inspired you so much - Chris and I are truly honoured. Off The Record's going to be off the scale. x
ReplyDeleteCharlie, now that was an entertaining interview. Loved the closing line ;) Get cracking on the Casino Robbery novel. I'll be you first customer, for sure!
ReplyDelete