Tonya Welcomes VETERAN and Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette BLOGGER GUY HOGAN
Readers love to know more about their
authors. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm a Vietnam War veteran. I got my BA in 2003 and my MFA in 2006,
both in fiction writing and both from the University of Pittsburgh. I'm
obsessed with The Doors. I like my beer and flash fiction is my
genre. I'm a life long bachelor. No children.
Do you have a day job?
No. I took early retirement to become a full-time blogger. I nearly
starved and almost lost my apartment, but now everything is cool beans.
Oh, karaoke is also one of my passions.
Some of us have things we do to get into the
writing frame of mind like music, or drinks. Do you have anything special you
do to get into the writing mood?
Not really. I just like to stay engaged with life. I hang out in
bars, listen to the radio, use my library card and blog. All of those
activities and the usual joys and pains of life give me plenty to write
about. Then I just have to give myself time to write.
Where do you keep story ideas? Where do they
come from?
I do carry around a small pocket notebook with me wherever I go, but
it's mainly to write down bits and pieces that may or may not turn
into a short story or a blog post.
If you’re self-published, can you tell us a
bit about that and how it’s going for you?
Yes, I am self-published. I published in 2005 what turned out to be my
MFA thesis in 2006. I've only sold about 60 copies of the book. It's
124 pages and information about it is on the front page of my blog.
It's available in paperback, e-book and a kindle format. I'm hoping
that the Pittsburgh Flash Fiction Gazette
becomes popular enough that the book will start selling better. The
Gazette is now averaging 355 visits and 1,800 views every day.
Are you a daytime writer, night time writer,
and do you have to be alone to write?
I definitely have to have silence and solitude to write. I'm a daytime
short story writer, but I blog all hours of the day and night.
What advice would you give to new authors?
Talent is not enough. Perseverance is the most important thing mixed
in with a little luck. The most important advice I can give to a new
writer is get a real job to support your writing habit; then just keep
writing and studying your craft the way you would study biology. Lovers
will come and go. Jobs will come and go. Marriages will come and go.
Just keep writing and if you do the odds are in your favor that you
will achieve some level of success as a writer.
Do you write better when you first have an idea
of what your characters look like or do you write, then add character looks?
I
don't grab a hold of my characters by their looks. First I figure out
what the story is about and then the kinds of people my characters are
and I'm ready to write. Once I have my protagonist, everything else
falls nicely into place including what my characters look like.
What attracts you most about men?
If you're talking about sex, I'm heterosexual. If you're not talking
about sex, I like people who are talented in some kind of way, who
achieve some level of success no matter what field or kind of job they
may have. My father was a successful professional boxer; then when he
got out of boxing he was a successful numbers writer for The Mob and
then after my mother got him to give that up he was a very good electric
wielder during World War II. After he retired from the steel mill he
became a very successful jitney driver. Unfortunately, up until I was
around ten years old he was also a wife beater.
We’re dying to hear about your latest book.
What can you tell us without spoiling the storyline?
I'll probably never write another "book" ever again. Now I'm a blogger. My blog is my book and it's a work in progress.
Where can our readers find you and your
books?
http://pittsburghflashfictiongazette.net
No snacks. Only beer breaks. Well, okay, peanuts and barbecue potato
chips because they both go well with...you got that right, sister! They
both go well with beer.
Do you like toppings on your ice cream?
I take my ice cream straight.
What’s your favorite meal - Italian, Mexican,
Thai, etc?
Chinese. Hands down. Chinese food goes great with beer.
***
Bio: Guy Hogan is a Vietnam War veteran.
