The 10D10 Interview Challenge

#2 – James T. Wilson, author

James (yes, I went with two people named James to start this off) is an old friend from back when Adrian’s Undead Diary was written in real-time on my website. He wound up writing a short story for the AUD anthology Unhappy Endings, and wrote a second story for the second antho, Only the Light We Make. Right now he’s a full-time dispatcher in Arkansas, and his first novel Zombie Bytes is out. Check it out.

James’ rolls for the interview were: 7, 8, 9, 2, 9, 8, 1, 8, 1, 10

Here we go;

1. To booze, or not to booze? (this twice in a row, neat!)

I’m not a “drinker” per se, but I’ve been known to have a.few here and there, especially at a convention or three. Not so much as I forget where I’m at.  So I’ll go with “to booze” but in moderation.

Moderation? I don’t understand. I’ll have to send you a second series of questions so we can go over this ‘moderation’ concept.

2. How many front line characters have you killed off while writing, and how much joy did that bring you?

Well, that’s a whole new thing for me as I have yet to kill off a front line character. Secondary characters, however, are a completely different ball game! They can drop like drunken flies in an open distillery.  But in all honesty, killing a front line character would bring me little joy. I’m not a completely heartless person. Most times.

Rookie! Kill your darlings! KILL THEM ALL. I mean, yeah, do whatever serves the story best. That line about the distillery is tight too, kudos.

3. Who’s your favorite actor and actress, and what are the best examples of their work? Bonus points if your answer isn’t Ben Affleck in Phantoms, despite him being the bomb, yo.

Nothing wrong with Ben Affleck. Except for that horrible, dumpster fire movie Gigli or whatever it was called. But I’ll go with Tom Hanks. I mean come on, Saving Private Ryan? Forrest Gump? I could go on…. WILLLLLSON!!!

You can’t go wrong with The Hanks. I don’t think he makes bad movies. Like, whatever movie he’s in, is just good because he was in it. I bet you $5 if he was in Gigli, we’d be like, “Dude.. you see him in Gigli? God, he can act!”

4. You see yourself on Tinder or Grindr. Do you swipe left, or right, and why.

I would literally delete my browsing history, take the battery out, and throw the phone to into the nearest body of water.  Then take a cold shower.

Strong response, and having met you in person, I can see why you would do that. I mean.. next time though, have a heart. You have a great personality, and you’re super talented. 

5. You’re renting a car, and the one you want is gone. The rental agency offers you a choice: sports car, or SUV. Which do you take and why?

While I like a good sports car, I would go with the SUV. Advantages are it sits high, so if there’s a zombie apocalypse, you’re chances of high centering on the bodies are slim.

Smart, I like it. I once got a free SUV upgrade in the Dallas airport, and thought I was the luckiest guy ever. This is back when rear-facing cameras were a new thing, and I drove the whole week thinking I was the captain of a starship.

6. You’re offered a walk-on role in a favorite TV show. What character would you want to portray?

It’s a hard choice between Dr Who or Game of Thrones. On one hand, I could be a traveling comparison to the doctor. Or…. killed off in the first show of GoT.  Decisions, decisions.

I’ll ask this again after all the Disney Star Wars shows are out. I KNOW you’re into that stuff. I can totally see you being a one-episode companion though.

7. Are hobbies important for a person to have? If no, why don’t you have a soul?

I have so many hobbies, it’s not even funny. So yes… hobbies keep you entertained, mentally sharp and less likely to be alone and miserable.

My man. Smart answer again. I too have far, far too many hobbies. Yet I’m a writer, so I still often feel alone. Cue sad trombone.

8. What character’s death ripped your heart out and shat on it like a frat boy in a Porta-Potty at a Phish concert after some alley tacos and dollar beers?

I’m still traumatized by the death of Bambi’s mom. Let’s move on to the next question please….

I’ve never seen Bambi. Go figure. But, I hear Bambi’s mom dying led her to a career as a stripper, and that’s a whole other kind of sad story.

9. Why are we so frigging obsessed with robots? Like, why are robot vacuum cleaners a thing?

Robots are our future. So we need to get with the program. Fully functional robots that won’t kill us.

Plus how cool would it be if I had a robot girlfriend?

I mean like… what kind of robot parts would your girlfriend have?

Asking for a friend.

10. What’s something (a trope, let’s say) that comes up over and over again in your genre that drives you frigging mental that you wish you could change?

Okay… I’ve only dipped my toes in the proverbial waters of the zombie genre. And I honestly cannot think of one thing that really stinks out to me as an irritating trope. I may have to get back with you on this later.

It’s date. Until then… keep swiping right on yourself.

Thank you Chris. I wholeheartedly enjoyed this interview!

 

You’re welcome, brother. Thanks for doing it.

Up next week: Stacey Longo!

 

-Chris

 

Born in central Arkansas, James “Tracy” Wilson’s passion to write didn’t fully bloom until his high school years. And while it took some time to develop his story telling skills, it wasn’t until the opportunity to work with Author Chris Philbrook on Unhappy Endings, where Tracy’s 30,000 feet appears. Now with his stand-alone Zombie story under his belt, Tracy’s life long dream to put his stories out there has come true Born in central Arkansas, James “Tracy” Wilson’s passion to write didn’t fully bloom until his high school years. And while it took some time to develop his story telling skills, it wasn’t until the opportunity to work with Author Chris Philbrook on Unhappy Endings, where Tracy’s 30,000 feet appears. Now with his stand-alone Zombie story under his belt, Tracy’s life long dream to put his stories out there has come true.

Pick up Zombie Bytes here on Amazon!