It makes no difference who I am. I think anything that influences how a reader approaches a story is a bad thing.

Lance Manion – 26 June 2013

The Back Flap

With this newest collection of irreverent short stories Manion once again asks the reader to get off the bench and into the game as he dishes out laughs, offense and even a few poignant moments. There is no point to be made here. Only the hope that somewhere amidst all the run-on sentences, unnecessary profanity and poor grammar, readers will come away with some unique thoughts of their own. Perfect reading for artists, commuters and people who spend an inordinate amount of time on the toilet.

About the book

What is the book about?

It is a collection of short stories I’ve written that either appeared on my website or other flash fiction sites.

When did you start writing the book?

October of 2012.

How long did it take you to write it?

About 5 months.

Where do you get the ideas from?

The nice thing about short stories is you can be holistic about what you write about. All you have to do is expose yourself to new stimuli and then sit back and wait to see what your brain does with it. Recently I’ve been a big believer in negative energy; going somewhere you wouldn’t normally go or listening to music you don’t enjoy can force your head to go elsewhere for entertainment.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

There is always the issue of figuring out what is good and what is crap. Choosing which stories to publish and which to bury is annoying. Not so much because they are all like your children and you hate to say which you like best as much as they are all like your children, you are ashamed of them all, and wish they had made more of themselves.

What came easily?

Writing comes easy. It’s fun and as long as I’m having fun writing I keep writing. The moment it stops being easy I call it a day and do something else.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

I think every character is a mixture of both whether you’re aware of it or not. I never revise a story so often times either a real memory or a fictitious trait will creep into a character that I hadn’t intended to be there. Often that will make the story go in an entirely different direction which, although unintended, ends up healthy for the end result.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

The ‘authors’ who originally inspired me to start writing were comedians like George Carlin who weren’t considered writers but wrote books anyway. I had my favorite authors like Douglas Adams but if anything their writing made me less enthusiastic about trying to compete with them. It was only when I saw someone like Tucker Max selling a lot of books that it occurred to me that anyone can write. It wasn’t just the guys in turtlenecks that smoked pipes and used big words.

Do you have a target reader?

At first I did. I had in my head the reader I wanted; young, intelligent, hip. It took awhile to realize that this said a lot more about me personally than about my writing. Cool people have a lot better things to do than read my dumb stories. I think this is a common problem when nerds try to gain favor from the very people that ostracized them in the first place.  Paul Westerberg wrote “The ones that love us least are the ones we’ll die to please.”

Now my target reader is anyone who is willing to read my book.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

Obviously it helps to have a general idea of a story but after that I just start writing. It’s almost a habit to end up with a story between 600-1200 words and when I’m done I sit back and evaluate whether I like how it turned out. If I like it I hit ‘save’ and if it falls short somehow I hit ‘delete.’

A pretty simple process.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

No.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

When I’m done I will look to see if anything is misspelled or if I left out a word anywhere but other than that I try to leave it alone. If I like the story I’ll post it on my webpage. That’s usually the first time I read it objectively.

Did you hire a professional editor?

My first two books, Merciful Flush and Result May Vary, I printed them as they were. Lots of grammatical errors and such but I wanted a ‘garage band’ feel to them. For The Ball Washer I hired an editor and the latest book Homo sayswhaticus I had a friend do it for me.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Not usually. I’m too easily distracted. Occasionally I will find a song that sets the mood for the story so I will play it over and over again as I write.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I did for the first couple books but all the feedback I got was “You need to get famous doing something else before you try and write a book.” Agents seem too preoccupied with trying to get Honey Boo Boo to write an autobiography than to actually put any effort into getting an unknown writer a book deal.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I’d like to say it was a difficult decision but the truth is nobody else out there is going to publish a collection of weird short stories until I’ve built the brand a little.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

Professionally done.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

My plan appears to the casual observer as winging it but I prefer to consider it a more ‘organic’ approach to building an audience.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Don’t expect to make any money but do it anyway. To add your voice to the fray is a great experience. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else and just revel in each little victory.

About You

Where do you live now?

Outside Philadelphia.

What would you like readers to know about you?

As little as possible. It makes no difference who I am. I think anything that influences how a reader approaches a story is a bad thing.

What are you working on now?

The last three stories of Results May Vary are focused on a character called Nap Lapkin. He’s a secret agent type and I’ve started a longer genre-bending story that mimics/parodies the Dan Brown-type books that are so popular these days. Not sure if it will be a full length novel or just a quick novella but I’m having fun writing it.

End of Interview:

For more from Lance, visit his website, follow him on twitter or Linkedin, or like his facebook page.

Get your copy of Homo sayswhaticus from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.