It’s been a
while since the original Kickin’ The Willy Bobo Interview with Joel so I thought it about time we caught up with what he’s all about and what he’s doing 15 MONTHS LATER..
Derrick Ferguson: Have there been
any major changes in your life since we last talked?
Joel
Jenkins: Most of the major changes are family oriented. I've got one twin daughter
going to the University of Washington now, and another heading out for an 18
month mission in San Antonio with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. And I've got a son who is now driving not just my car but the cost of
my auto insurance to astronomical levels.
DF: Tell us about SKULL CRUSHER
JJ: Skull
Crusher is a continuation of a short story I wrote a couple of decades ago, and
which was published in Pulp and Dagger.
This short fantasy story featured Prince Strommand Greattrix, a great warrior
who is seduced, drugged, and captured so that he cannot bring his great sky
ship, The Skull Crusher, into play to defend against the surprise attack
against his city and family.
The short
story ended with Greattrix plunging off the side of the enemy's sky ship. The
novel includes this short story and follows Greattrix as he swears an oath of
sobriety and celibacy until he can gain vengeance and retake his realm.
Strommand
is a very powerful warrior, but he also has a high estimation of himself and a
weakness for women. Besides all the sword fights and bloodshed, writing the
story was an interesting journey. I was curious to see if Strommand could keep
his baser instincts in check or if he would again succumb to the folly that had
caused the downfall of his kingdom and the death of his clan.
DF: How do you feel your writing has
developed since we last talked?
JJ: I think
I've been letting the stories go to some darker and grittier places than I have
in the past. I'm tackling protagonists with greater flaws and letting them
suffer the consequences of their poor decisions.
DF: Do you think that you have found
an audience? Or has your audience found you?
JJ: It's
more like a cult following than an audience. Maybe I'll hit critical mass after
I write another 18 books, or so, and I'll gain enough readers to call them an
audience.
DF: Have any of your attitudes about
your work or your style of writing changed complete or modified in any way?
JJ: Yes,
I've been able to nearly double my productivity by keeping a tighter focus, and
having a brief outline to guide me through the day's writing (and by day, I
mean 2 hours each morning before my work day begins). As a consequence, I've
got two Barclay Salvage space opera novels written for release in 2015. I've
also finished 72,000 words of Sly Gantlet/Dillon team up stories for release in
2015 with Derrick Ferguson's much anticipated “Dead Beat in Khusra”.
DF: Hollywood calls and says that
they’re going to give you 500 million dollars and the director of your choice
to adapt one of your books into a movie. What book do you choose and what
director?
JJ: I would
see if it can be done on a lesser budget. The expectations of a big budget
movie are so outrageous that they're almost impossible to fulfill. Maybe I
could get John Woo to film a Monica Killingsworth film. That would be cool.
DF: Recommend a movie, a book and a
TV show.
JJ: I
happen to be of the opinion that the PulpWork Press stable of authors include
some of the best in the world. I'd recommend trying The Vril Agenda by Josh Reynolds and Derrick Ferguson or Dragon Kings of the Orient by Percival
Constantine.
The last
movie I saw was The Expendables 3 and
you couldn't wipe the grin off my face. It was everything I loved about 80's
movies, just with a few more lines and creases in the faces.
As far as
TV, any recommendations I might proffer would be 3 to 5 years out of date,
since I don't even have an active TV feed coming into my house. I enjoy
watching a handful of series, but since I detest wasting time on commercials I
wait until they are on DVD, pick them up and watch them at my own leisure.
DF: What are you working on now?
JJ: I just
started a Damage Inc. story called “The
Madagascar Hole”. With this and the previously published novellas “On
Wings of Darkness”, and the infamous “Sun Stealer”, I should
have enough to publish a Damage Inc. collection
next year.
For those
not familiar with Max Damage he is my take on Doc Savage...if Doc Savage had a
flaw for every magnificent ability. Max Damage is incredibly strong and heals
quickly, but his metabolism is so fast he has to eat like a horse. He has amazing
eyesight, but bright light blinds him, so he must wear sunglasses any time he
is in the daylight. He has a photographic memory, but he is dyslexic. With his
cohorts, the genetically engineered Minnie Zhinov, and the diminutive accountant
Seth Armstrong, they encounter all kinds of strange doings--mostly on account
of Max's dead father and his vast and shady business dealings.
Derrick Ferguson: Anything else we
should know?
Joel
Jenkins: Check Amazon later this month (October 2014) for The Coming of Crow, which features the Native American supernatural
investigator and gunfighter Lone Crow. Anyone who thinks that a mélange of
Western and Horror sounds interesting, might enjoy this collection of stories.
