I read everything from Enid Blyton, the Hardy Boys and Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Detectives to Alistair MacLean and Wilbur Smith. I devoured books. I could not get enough to read, ever.
Would you say your childhood and teenage reading has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?
I started reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz when I was a teenager, and it certainly had a great influence on my writing and genre choice. I moved from writing straight-out horror to more realist horror when I studied Professional Writing and Editing at TAFE last year. Now, I find myself writing stories of addiction, desperation and obsession; the real horror of this world.
Pick one of your favourites among your fiction stories or a story which is an interesting example from your fiction. What makes this story one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?
Autumn as Metaphor is due for publication next year in Horror For Good, an American charity anthology featuring the likes of Jack Ketchum and Ramsey Campbell. This is a piece of flash fiction that looks at murder and love, hope and redemption. I first wrote it in class at TAFE, using the word ‘Autumn’ as a focus. I love how this short takes an extraordinary situation (the murder of a child) and puts it purely in the mind of the reader. Nothing is said of the murder, but it is obvious and overt exactly what has happened.
Who is another author whose fiction writing you admire and why?
I very much admire the work of American writer Jack Ketchum, for his ability to write stories of realist horror that are both poignantly redolent of the state of being human, yet are bone-chilling at the same time. He takes true-crime cases and makes a fictional horror more terrifying due to its basis in real life. He is a master of his craft.
How would you summarise one of your short stories in one paragraph?
Brand New Day is a longer piece that is shortlisted for the next edition of Midnight Echo, the magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association. It is a tale of addiction and family, of two brothers and the cost of living in the modern world where we value things other than family. It hits home to me for two reason: firstly, I have no brothers or sisters, and second because I have suffered the pain of addiction myself, and I know the lengths addicts will go to for their next fix.
How would you describe the appeal of this short story to readers?
Brand New Day drives home the things we give up every day for the sake of consumerism and physical comfort. It was written to drive home the lack of judgement modern society has in regard to what is truly important in life.
How would you summarise a scene or sub-section from this short story in one paragraph?
Without giving too much away, Brand New Day tells of a heroin addict searching for a fix. He goes and scores after stealing from his sleeping brother, dealing with an Asian drug-dealer and a lost little girl shooting up behind a shed in Richmond, Melbourne.
How would you describe the contribution this scene or sub-section makes to the short story?
This scene places the protagonist squarely in the reality of his day-to-day existence, where nothing matters but the drug, not even family.
Do you aspire to primarily write novels in the future, or are you more interested in writing short stories, and why?
I am working on a realist novel right now. It deals with the criminal subculture as viewed through the eyes of a war-hero returning home to a gang-war involving his family in Melbourne. I feel that the art of writing novels is very different from short story creation. The story arc, the character development; everything is very different. It’s a challenge I want to face. I am also currently in the final edits of a memoir that is to be released early next year by a Melbourne publisher.
Do you read many short story anthologies, and why?
I read as many anthologies as I can. I do so to find new and exciting writers in the field (Nam Le is my latest love), as well as finding new ways to structure and write my own stuff.
What lengths of short stories do you usually write, and why?
I write everything from flash fiction to long shorts and novelettes and novellas. I find that each story has a specific length in itself, and to limit it either way is to lose some of the power of the tale within.
Do you submit for many short story competitions, anthologies and magazines, and what are your main motivations for this?
I submit as often as I have something I feel is ready to be sent out. My aim in writing is to have people read my work. I enjoy the creation, but I also love to have people read what I have written. I know many people who write purely for the sake of the writing, but I feel a need to get my own work out there for others to (hopefully) enjoy.
Author website: http://gnbraun.blogspot.com
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