More Talk, Less Hock #3: S.G. Browne

The first time I met S.G. "Scott" Browne, at the ZomBcon wingding in Seattle last year, he told me my little pet theories about the popularity of zombies were wrong wrong wrong. Usually, of course, I wouldn't let myself be schooled on the walking dead...or anything else. Y'all know what a pugnacious hothead I am! [Irony alert for new visitors: I am, in fact, a big wimp.] Yet I had to figure this cat knew what he was talking about. Sure, I've dabbled in matters necrotic, but Scott had a genuine classic under his belt -- Breathers, which put a refreshingly zombie-positive spin on the whole flesh-craving ghouls thing. Plus, to be honest, I'd been beginning to doubt my own thinking. Maybe Generation X's half-buried memories of certain psyche-warping marketing campaigns had nothing to do with their soft spot for the undead. So I let Scott live.  

Many months later, Scott asked if he could interview me for his blog. How could I say no? I'd started giving fellow writers the Q&A third-degree myself. So back and forth we went -- and the results can be found here. It's good stuff. So good, in fact, that I expect Ron Howard to turn it into a movie any day now. 

And what does every good (or bad) movie deserve? Why, a sequel, of course! Which is why from Browne/Hockensmith we now turn to Hockensmith/Browne: This Time It's Personal. My questions are every bit as hard-hitting as Scott's. Exactly as hard-hitting, in fact. Let's see if he can take it as well as he dishes it out.

But first -- BIO!!!

S.G. Browne is the author of Breathers: A Zombie's Lament and Fated -- dark comedies and social satires with a supernatural edge. His writing has been inspired by Stephen King, Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut and the films of Charlie Kaufman and Wes Anderson, among others. When he's not making fun of humans, he enjoys taking long walks on the beach, drinking piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. He also occasionally blogs about books and movies and other random things.

Me: Where do you get your ideas?

S.G.: From the Idea Bin at my local Walgreens. Sometimes you can even get two-for-one deals. Really, I get my ideas everywhere. The Household Items aisle at Walgreens is as likely a place as any.

Me: What's your daily writing ritual?

S.G.: In an ideal world I'd wake up around 6:30 a.m., feed my cats, eat a light breakfast while watching an episode of South Park, Family Guy or Californication, meditate for 30 minutes, then write for three hours, break for some exercise and lunch, spend a couple of hours answering e-mails and posting to Facebook and Twitter, then write for another two to three hours until around 5 or 6 p.m. The rest of my night would be used for reading, watching a movie or enjoying the company of friends. In reality, I don't have a ritual. I'm all over the place. Right now I'm answering this interview when I'm supposed to be writing. I have no discipline. It amazes me that I've managed to write three novels.

Me: What's the first story you ever had published?

S.G.: I think I may have had something published in a junior high school journal, but the one I remember is "Wish You Were Here," which appeared in Redcat magazine in the Spring 2004 issue. The story was about a guy on a passenger flight who is doomed to repeat the crash of the airplane over and over. The title is both a reference to the Pink Floyd album he's listening to at the time and an ironic twist on the cliché message people send on postcards while on vacation: "Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here." The story had been rejected previously by Deathrealm for being too sophomoric. They might have been right.

Me: What started you off on the path of being a writer?

S.G.: During my sophomore year in college I was reading The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. While not my favorite work by either author, and not among my favorite books of all time, I became so caught up in the adventure unfolding within the pages that the world outside of the novel ceased to exist. And I thought: "I want to make other people feel this way."

Me: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

S.G.: I'm a pantser, definitely. I write the same way Indiana Jones deals with Nazis and stolen artifacts: I make it up as I go. While I may have a general idea of where I'm going, usually I just start with an idea or a concept and I start writing. Sometimes I might know where I want the story to end but I have no idea how I'm going to get there. It makes discovering the story that much more fun.

Me: What's your favorite word?

S.G.: Dude. It's the only word in the English language that you can say with 10 different inflections and mean 10 different things. And just for the record, it was my favorite word before it was popularized in all of the Bud Light commercials. Some people think the word "fudge" has the same inflective diversity but it's not even close. Plus "dude" won't offend anyone. Except maybe the father of the woman you're dating. [Full disclosure: Scott did not say "fudge." As has been noted here recently, this website tries to keep its act Cosby-clean.]

Me: What's your biggest fear?

S.G.: That I'll go to Walgreens some day and the Idea Bin will be empty.

Me: Who's your favorite author?

S.G.: While Chuck Palahniuk's earlier novels have been of great inspiration to me, I'd have to say that Stephen King would probably still have to rank as my favorite author. He's the reason I wanted to become a writer, and his books were instrumental in pointing me down this path.

Me: What music inspires you?

S.G.: While I don't tend to listen to music while I'm writing, the bands and artists who inspire my writing with their music and lyrics include Green Day, Sublime, the Pixies, The Doors, and The Beatles. On those occasions when I do need to block out distractions, like on an airplane in front of two guys who are on their third Jack and Coke and who keep saying "dude," I'll listen to a mix of instrumental jazz, soul, R&B, rock and surf music by bands like Morphine, Pink Floyd, The Mighty Imperials, Sugarman Three, The Red Elvises and Booker T. & the MG's.

Me: If you were a comic book superhero, what would be your superpower?

S.G.: I would be Cell Phone Eradication Man and I would remove and destroy all cell phones being used by people in movie theaters. That includes people who are texting, checking e-mail or updating their status on Facebook. If you can't disconnect for two hours, then you should have stayed home and watched something on Netflix streaming.

Author S.G. Browne's website can be found here. His novel Breathers has an official web presence here. You can friend him on Facebook by going here. You can start following him on Twitter by going here. You can hear him call a series of exciting pig races here. His Social Security number is 987-65-4320. His primary bank accounts are with Wells Fargo. His usual ATM pin code and login password is OU812.