The Ten Spot: AR Neal

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Tell us about your most recent release.

After was one of the most linear manuscripts I’ve ever written. Typically I get an idea and as I start to write, I get snippets of new characters, parts of the story line that seems to fit way ahead (like a great chapter in the middle when I’ve only gotten the first bit of the first chapter down), or the last line. While I have a few other self-published items out there on the market (a novella called Adventures in Cargo City with sketches by my husband and a short story collection called From Reality’s Edge, Volume One) this is my first work through a publisher. I took the time to do the things you should do, like send the manuscript through beta read after self-editing a zillion times and such. I am quite proud of it.

Even though After is spiritually based, it is for all readers. If you like apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic fantasy, you’ll like this. There’s humor, violence, and hints of impropriety (wiggles eyebrows), but nothing lewd that would prevent you from allowing your young adult to read it.

I would like to think there’s a piece of me in many of the stories I write, so technically I’ve probably written it many times over.

The names of my characters are VERY important. I want them to read like your neighbors, that creepy guy that hangs out in front of the market, your local car salesman, and your best friend. In my non-writer life I am an academic so I have spent a good bit of time researching diversity related issues, so I want my characters to come from all walks of life.

Yes – the titles of my books and stories is very important as well. However, I must admit that I would rather have a story with no title if nothing seems to fit. In From Reality’s Edge, Volume One for example, I have at least two stories that have no name. It’s got to sound, taste, and feel right in my head, in my mouth, and coming out my fingers before I commit to it.

There are many: poverty, carpal tunnel, stiff neck syndrome, loss of family and friends, accusations of nerdism, midsection spread, and eye strain. I’m sure there are more but those are the ones that come to mind immediately and that may or may not have happened to me …

Yes. I am a Christ-follower. My personal journey has been filled with many up’s and down’s (Down: my dad was killed in a car accident when I was pregnant with my son, who was born prematurely and whose father – my first husband – died just prior to his fourth birthday. Up: after a year and a half or so of being unemployed, I got a job working from home and doing things I love; also in that time I was able to write After and a few other pieces) that continue to increase my faith daily.

I don’t think I know a single sane writer. I mean, you have to be a bit off to come up with all sorts of strange ideas, new worlds or unusual attributes about the existing ones, and people. C’mon – show of hands for those writers who refer to their characters as people. See? That’s what I’m talking about.

Oh yes! I use Scrivener and typically have multiple panels open when I write so I can either refer to something I pulled up earlier (websites, articles, factoids) or where I can post something for future consideration. For After in particular, I consulted multiple Bible translations, commentaries, and websites as well as a study by one of my fellow church members and my pastor’s sermon on the Book of Revelation. Some of my other stories/potential novels are space epics (when I get a huge science fiction related idea, it’s automatically characterized as a space epic, even if it turns out to be a piece of flash fiction) so I am always researching various galaxies, AU distances, and other “what if’s” about the universe.

I started writing when I was in elementary school (I won honorable mention for a short story contest sponsored by our local electric company – my story was something about a space toaster. I was in second or third grade. My story was published in the newsletter and I got some cool giveaways from the bank that was a co-sponsor. I was hooked on writing from that point on) but more importantly the media influences of my life from that period are still an influence. I have always been a huge Rod Serling (“Twilight Zone,” “Night Gallery”), science fiction (Ray Bradbury and too many other authors to list) and B-movie/TV show (“The Car,” “Monster Club,” the two Dr. Phibes films, “Project UFO”) fan. Each of those books, television shows, and movies are inspiration for what I write today.