Awhile back I asked Molly if she would be interested in doing an interview for the blog, and what followed was quite a nice little chat.
JS:
First off, I'd like to thank you for the interview. Your book was a
blast!
MT: No,
thank you!
JS:
So I guess my first question has to be, what is the major inspiration
behind what I am now dubbing as "The Calipash Cycle"?
MT: Major
inspiration … well, in other interviews I’ve cited the moment in
time when I was watching Barry Lyndon
and resolved to write a picaresque about incestuous twin necromancers
(and thus “The Infernal History of the Ivybridge Twins”) but
that’s just the one story. Basically after it became apparent
people enjoyed the Twins, I thought to myself “Hey, wouldn’t it
be cool if this was like, a Blackadder
kind of thing?” So when the gentleman who became my editor at Lazy
Fascist contacted me about maybe writing more about the Calipash
family I pitched that and he said he thought it was a cool idea.
But
more specifically, the major inspiration behind the Calipash stories
is my love of English literature. My Master’s was largely focused
on 18th
century English novels, specifically women’s novels that contained
a Transatlantic element, but I also read quite a bit of Victorian lit
and 17th
century stuff during my time in academia. So I had that core of
research to help me with the middle three pieces.
JS:
Your stories contain a lot of humor mixed with the macabre. Do you
ever find this blending difficult to achieve?
MT: It’s
always felt natural to me, but I grew up watching Tim Burton movies,
reading books written and/or illustrated by Edward Gorey, and
worshiping Christina Ricci as Wednesday Adams in the Adams Family
movies. So yeah, that sort of dreary, macabre mix of humor and horror
is what I find myself enjoying—for example, Lemony Snicket’s
latest is queued up on my Kindle right now—and I always try to
write things that I would want to read!
JS:
Something I ask all weird fiction writers: Since Lovecraft's
influence is apparent, are there any stories by Lovecraft (or his
contemporaries) that are favorites of yours?
MT: Sure.
Anyone who knows me knows I have what might be called “a thing”
for “Herbert West - Reanimator.” Other stories at the top of my
Lovecraft list are “The Temple,” “Nyarlathotep,” and “From
Beyond.” I also really love “At the Mountains of Madness.”
Tekeli-li!
JS:
Besides the humor another aspect of your fiction is the rampant, no
holds-barred sexuality, which you write so well. Although it mostly
seems tongue-in-cheek and intertwined with humor when it is
delivered, do you ever find it awkward to write these scenes?
MT: If
I say not really, does that make me a creep?
Seriously
though, I am interested in the history of human sexuality and the
taboos individuals and groups have created (and still create) around
sex, for good or for ill. I’ve always enjoyed seeing how writers
treat this very basic part of being human, as well as how the era in
which said writers are writing makes that more or less difficult.
Honestly I don’t think there’s anything that much more risqué in
A Pretty Mouth
(the novella) than one would find in the poetry of John Wilmot or
Abraham Cowley. And “The Hour of the Tortoise” is definitely
pretty raunchy, but compared to the actual pornography Chelone
Burchell would have read and written it’s extremely tame. Like,
everyone in that is … let’s say of
age and leave it at that.
The
only thing I find awkward is when people assume that because I write
frequently about sex it means I’m interested in discussing my
personal taste in such matters. This is not true! Honestly, there are
few topics I enjoy discussing less in groups of people. (Not that
this question was doing that—it just happens.)
JS:
Interesting and sometimes antiquated cocktails sometimes make
appearances in your work (such as the Corpse Reviver #2) and you
recently hosted a cocktail contest on your blog in honor of fellow
author Jesse Bullington's latest book, The
Folly of the World. What can
you tell readers about your love and knowledge of cocktails, and are
there any favorites that you think everyone should try?
MT: I
got into “mixology” after going to a bar called Peché
[http://www.pecheaustin.com] in Austin, TX, the
last night of World Horror 2010. They mix exquisite pre-Prohibition
style cocktails there, and I was lucky enough to be there with my
friend (and author) Andy Romine, who has a vast and impressive
knowledge of cocktail ingredients and history. I believe it was he
who suggested I order the Corpse Reviver #2, actually. Anyways, I was
quite taken with the various cocktails I tried that night, and
decided that I was going to explore mixing them on my own.
I
think the best advice I can give those interested in beginning to mix
cocktails is this: If you’re truly interested in the art, get a
good book on drink mixing. Don’t just try things off the internet
willy-nilly. The internet can be a great resource, yes, but as with
anything else on the internet, any old asshole can put up some
garbage, claiming to be an authority, and then you’ve wasted your
time and someone’s—maybe your—good booze.
The
best overall print guide I’ve found is The
Gentleman’s Companion by Charles
H. Baker, Jr., more specifically the second volume (Being
an Exotic Drinking Book). If you can
find it for a decent price, it’s worth picking up … just be aware
that most of the recipes are complex in terms of method and
ingredient list. You have to have a well-stocked bar, basically. It’s
also so old that it has a paean to “Mr. Waring’s Blender” at
the beginning, and waxes prosy on what The Blender might do for the
future of cocktail mixing. Indeed! More modern, and in some ways just
as good is Imbibe!
by David Wondrich. It’s more reasonable in terms of the scope of
what you need for one drink, and the recipes are great, including the
best recipe for a mint julep I’ve tried (which is actually the
original, the Prescription Julep).
So,
for those who imbibe and are looking to branch out, some of my
favorites are the Sazerac (with real absinthe, please—you can get
the real stuff now so there’s no reason to buy Herbsaint, or any of
the stuff with artificial dyes), the previously mentioned Corpse
Reviver #2, the French 75, and the Dark n’Stormy. (I recommend for
that last one a very specific combination: Kraken rum, Cock and Bull
ginger beer, lime, and also 1 tsp fresh grated ginger on top.) I also
have some free recipes of my own design on my website
[http://mollytanzer.com], the best of which, in my opinion, are The
Heavenly Twins.
JS:
As for YOUR contemporaries, what current writers of horror and the
weird do you think are really giving the genre a run for it's money?
MT: You
mentioned my friend Jesse Bullington above, and he’s great. I’m
also a big fan of S. P. Miskowski, her book Knock
Knock is seriously good. Then of
course there’s Nick Mamatas, Caitlin R. Kiernan, John Langan,
Nathan Ballingrud. Alan M. Clark’s novels through my publisher are
superb. Oh, and re: other bizarro authors, there’s Carlton Mellick
III. His The Kobold Wizard’s Dildo
of Enlightenment +2 (an adventure for 3-6 players, levels 2-5) is
amazing, and likely anyone who laughs at the title will like the
book.
JS:
2012 was the year you have officially established yourself as a
modern master of the weird. So tell readers, what is in store for
Molly Tanzer in the year 2013, and the question that must be asked,
have we seen the last of the Calipash family?
MT: While
I contest that 2012 established me as any such thing, I was very
fortunate to have my first book and several short stories I’m proud
of published last year! As for this year, I’ve got some more short
fiction coming out, and there are some larger projects I’m working
on, as well. As for future installments of the Calipash family, I’m
definitely open to writing more, but I have no current plans to do
so.
JS: Once again,
I'd like to thank you for chatting with me!
MT: My pleasure!
Thank you for having me!
More about Molly Tanzer on her website: http://mollytanzer.com/.
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