Meet Jason V. Brock

Who is your favorite author?

That’s a hard question. Some of my favorites are Richard Selzer, Ray Bradbury, Franz Kafka, J. G. Ballard, Borges, William S. Burroughs, Rod Serling… I also really like Charles Beaumont (in fact, I did a documentary about him: Charles Beaumont: The Twilight Zone’s Magic Man). I also like Richard Matheson, Greg Bear, John Shirley…

What inspired you to write? What inspired you to get published?

I was inspired to write because of my father, James Brock. He was a professional magazine editor, artist and writer. Brilliant man. He passed away about ten years ago, and I still think of him daily. He was one of the first people to publish me, when I was about twelve! I had a regular column in a regional magazine that he worked on. Later, I wanted to be published because I felt I had something to say, to contribute to the world. A unique perspective.

What is your favorite moment from working with an editor? An agent?

Working with editors is interesting. Sadly, I feel that most of them aren’t tough enough. I think that they do too much “compiling” and not enough “editing.” Writers, though they’re sensitive, still need a firm hand, guidance. I try to provide that as an editor (I’ve edited several books and been a Managing Editor on multiple magazines).

With regard to agents: I think they can be your greatest champion. A writer needs that “level of remove.” If the author is too “available” it sometimes works against them. I mean, this is a business, and sometimes it has to be conducted in business-like terms: Friendly, but with the end goal in mind (selling the work), not an emotional attachment.

What is your favorite cover designed for one of your books?

Hmmmm… I do a lot of design work, so that’s difficult to say. I think that the covers to our last two Cycatrix Press anthologies are very good (The Bleeding Edge: Dark Barriers, Dark Frontiers and The Devil’s Coattails: More Dispatches from the Dark Frontier). There are others, but those are quite good, I feel.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers wanting to get published?

Patience. Self-publishing is dangerous. The rise of POD (Print-On-Demand) is a boon and a curse. Now, literally anyone can put their book out, and place it on Amazon. Doesn’t mean it’s good, though. I don’t discourage it, but be sure you’re as good as you think you are. I’d say get multiple outside (not friends or family, and preferably professional writers) critiques that are as unvarnished as possible, and take the criticisms to heart.

Also, read a lot: and not just fiction that appeals to you. Read the Classics, poetry, philosophy. Comics, history, interviews, magazines. Get out of your comfort zone. Read books on the craft of writing and editing. Join a writer’s group for feedback, and try to get into professional organizations, like the Horror Writers Association (HWA) and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Keep an open mind, and learn that rejection is a part of the growth process.

I mean, even Ray Bradbury still gets rejected!

What are you currently working on?

HAHAHAH! Good one… I am working on a lot of projects…

Bluewater Comics is supposed to drop a horror graphic novel (Tales from William F. Nolan’s Dark Universe) that I worked on with Bill (Nolan) sometime this spring (they released one before that we worked on together – Logan’s Run: Last Day). I am slated to have my novelette Milton’s Children come out this May or so from Bad Moon Books, and I am gathering material for a new anthology called “A Dark Phantastic”: Encounters with the Weird, the Uncanny, and Other Magical Realities, as well as several projects in conjunction with critic S. T. Joshi, publisher Centipede Press, and a new venture entitled [NameL3ss], which is a twice-yearly digest of fiction, art, poetry and non-fiction.

We are also about to release our documentary on Forrest J Ackerman, The AckerMonster Chronicles!, and are gearing up for a documentary about art called Image, Reflection, Shadow: Artists of the Fantastic. There’s more, like my novels and collections, but that’s a good start…

Would you consider writing to be a career or a lifestyle? Or something else entirely?

Certainly, at this point, a career.

What would you change about the process of writing and publishing your most recent work if you could?

Nothing, really. I enjoy the act of creation/writing, and I like the process of revision. Computers have made it a lot easier. I’ll say this: Folks need to read more! And not just trashy infotainment bios!

What challenges did you face before and during publishing your first work?

The main problem was getting the attention of folks who “got” what I was doing. Everybody’s a critic, but few have any insight. Part of that is finding and building your fan base and your audience… It just takes time.

How do you deal with negative reviews?

Sometimes it’s difficult, and sometimes people make it personal. I think there are times when perceived rivalry and/or jealousy influence someone, even if you do your best to reach out and be a big person about things. I’ve had a couple “hatchet jobs” done on me, but you just have to roll with it, even if it hurts, and realize it’s more about their hang-ups than the merits/demerits of your work.

And, as I mentioned, some people just don’t “get” you. That’s OK: Try to claim the good, be professional, and do even better work in the future. Do what’s right, and what’s in your heart. The rest will flow from that.