TowerWeb Productions
The Alternative Library

The Christopher Allen Reed Interview

Author of "Transparent"

Time allowing and authors willing, JJ and I will continue to publish a new author interview in each issue of the Midnight Times. For the Winter 2005 interview we met online with C. Allen Reed, author of "Transparent". I arrived late because I stupidly forgot about the time difference; fortunately, Assistant Editor JJ Collins had been assigned the task of leading the interview and already had things well in hand. We discussed a number of very interesting topics including how to fit writing into a 60 hour work week while still finding time to take care of a family, as well as providing the technical reason why invisible people would also have to be blind. From the influence of superheros and comic books on his writing to meeting the Seinfeld Soup Nazi in person, you'll find it here in The Christopher Allen Reed Interview. Enjoy! -- Jay Manning, MT Editor

THE INTERVIEW

JJ Collins: ARG! I was sitting in my living room, sipping coffee thinking to myself, "You know what I forgot to ask? Which time zone he's in."

Christopher Allen Reed: Sorry to hear about your roof caving in. I hope you were able to salvage some of your stuff.

JJ: Ever since the mess with the roof, every thing I've touched has been awkward. Let me see if I can find Jay.

Chris: No biggie. I'm done with work for the day so I've got plenty of time. This is my first time instant messaging. Sorry if I'm a little slow.

JJ: Oh, it's okay. How was your week? (Making small talk while I dig up Jay's number.)

Chris: Hectic. I work about sixty hours at my job. Then I come home and help out with my daughter and try to squeeze writing in whenever I get a spare moment.

JJ: Geeze Louise. What do you do?

Chris: I know. I feel like I live at work sometimes. I'm a merchandiser for Dr. Pepper-7·up, which means I go around to area grocery stores and put pop on the shelves. Real glamorous, huh? Do you guys say pop or soda where you live?

JJ: Well, Jay is in Missouri, so I'm not sure about there. Here I've noticed a lot of people say "cold drink." When you go to a friend's on the weekend that is what you are offered. And it means Coke, usually.

Chris: Where do you reside?

JJ: I'm in New Orleans. In Mississippi on the coast people say "soda."

Chris: I like the term "hot beverage" myself.

JJ: Okay. I am having trouble getting Jay. We can get started and he'll be on about mid-way through. I just want to apologize one more time. I am usually not this scatter brained.

Chris: No problem.

JJ: First, what do you prefer to be called? I notice your e-mails say "C. Allen."

Chris: I prefer to go by C. Allen when writing. My full name is Christopher Reed, which is a little too close to Christopher Reeve. Ever since I was a kid, I've had to endure the torture of people calling me Superman. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've said, "It's Reed, not Reeve!"

JJ: LOL! For this interview, how would you like to be addressed?

Chris: You can call me Chris.

JJ: Okay. Got it, Chris. You mention that your job has some very long hours. What I'm curious to know is how much time does that afford you to write? I don't work nearly that long, but I do have a full-time job and even before school, it was a serious chore just to squeeze in writing time. You even have a family in addition to the long hours. Do you have a regular writing regimen or is it pretty much whenever you find a free moment?

Chris: Not much. I grab snatches of time whenever I can. When my daughter is napping, on breaks at work, whenever. Fortunately for me, my muse is usually available when I need him. That's the thing about the writing lifestyle, it keeps you busy. Even when I have time to relax, my brain won't let me. I feel like I always have to be working on something. It's whenever. Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night just to jot down some notes.

JJ: Ahh! A smart thing to do; it's so easy to wake up with a great idea, hesitate with it, and then kick yourself later for having lost it. I know I've done that. Despite having a great idea occasionally when I wake up, I usually don't have the coherence to get a pad or turn on my PC.

Chris: I've done that a million times, but that bed can be soooo cooozy!

JJ: Totally. So tell me about what made you start writing? Based on the quality of your writing, this doesn't strike me as something you just recently picked up.

Chris: I think it goes back to when I was a kid. I loved comicbooks, I still do. I think by reading those, I developed an appetite for the fantastic. I used to fold notebook paper in half and make my own comics. To this day I still make one every now and then. I have a close friend who lives in Ohio who I grew up with and we would make these comic books and trade them. Even now, sometimes I'll get one in the mail from him, it's really cool. What can I say, we're a couple of geeks. But yeah, I think that's where it all started, then progressed to short fiction. The first piece I ever wrote was called "The Super Heroes vs. The Movie stars". It featured such classic bouts as The Hulk vs. Carol Burnette and Spider-man vs. Burt Reynolds. God, I wish I still had that. I wrote it when I was about nine or ten, and I don't really remember all that much about it except that the movie stars didn't fare too well.

JJ: That sounds interesting. I think we are of the same generation.

Chris: I'm an eighties guy, always will be.

JJ: I had been waiting for that X-men movie for about 15 years by the time it came out. The Hulk vs. Carol Burnette. LOL! I want to read that!

Chris: Me, too! I wish I could find it, but it's long gone.

JJ: Have you seen "The Incredibles" yet?

Chris: No. I don't get to the movies very often. I usually rent.

JJ: If you get a chance you might really enjoy that. It's family themed and has a lot more substance than you can see from the previews.

Chris: I'll keep that in mind.

JJ: So tell me, who are some of your favorite authors and writers? Who do you like to sit down and read?

Chris: I'm a big fan of Joe R. Lansdale. The first thing I ever read by him was "Dog Cat And Baby" from the Dark Masques anthology, and I was instantly hooked. Also, I'm a huge fan of S. E. Hinton's work. I love everything she's written, especially Rumble Fish. Every time I read that book, it blows me away. The characters in her writing are so raw and so full of emotion that I feel like I want to know them and hang out with them. And I can't finish this answer without mentioning Stephen King.

JJ: But of course.

Chris: The first novel I ever read was The Stand. I think that's what made me want to write horror.

JJ: Let's talk about "Transparent." I reread it again and was just as entranced the second time.

Chris: At the time I wrote "Transparent" I was a new dad.

JJ: Ahhh!

Chris: Just about everything I cranked out around that time was somehow baby-related--hence the ending. The whole x-ray vision thing was the product of a conversation with my wife. I don't recall why, but we were discussing super powers and which ones would be the coolest to have. Initially, I chose invisibility, but my wife, being the braniac that she is, informed me that if I were invisible, then my retinas would also be transparent, and unable to reflect light, thus leaving me blind. So my second choice was x-ray vision. I thought it would be cool to see through things like walls and clothes. But then I thought, what if you saw something you didn't want to see? That's where the character of Frank Baker came in.

JJ: I still have more questions about "Transparent," but Jay has arrived. Hold your train of thought. Jay? Chris? You both in?

Jay Manning: I'm here.

Chris: I'm here.

Jay: Chris, sorry I'm late! I can't believe I forgot about the time difference.

JJ: Jay, I was just asking Chris to tell us about the motivation for "Transparent."

Jay: It looks like the interview has been going well so far, so I'll just sit back.

JJ: Chris, on the subject of "Transparent," The vibe was pretty unsettling, which I totally enjoyed.

Chris: Thanks!

JJ: I had a bit of a morbid wish. Once it got toward the end, I (secretly) hoped that she was going to have something morbid happen. I didn't want it to be cancer, since that happened to the other character. But when she found out she was having a little girl, my heart sank a little.

Chris: That's human nature, I believe. I think we all secretly wish for catastrophe. It gives us something to talk about.

JJ: Most definitely.

Jay: I liked the ending. I guessed it that she was pregnant.

JJ: Was it because of your own daughter that made you want the positive ending? Did you as the author even consider going in a darker direction?

Chris: Not really. When I'm writing, I kind of just go where the story takes me. It really tells itself, not to sound cliché.

JJ: For you, what is the most difficult part of writing a short story: beginning, middle or end? (Aside from finding time to do it at all!)

Chris: It depends. Sometimes when I get an idea the whole story comes to me, and I know exactly how it's going to turn out.

JJ: (muse on full blast)

Chris: Then there are other times when I'll have a beginning and a middle, and I know there's an ending somewhere in the far reaches of my brain, but I just can't find it yet. That's when I kind of set it aside and let it fester and get busy on something else. I try not to be idle. Right now I have about five stories without endings that I pull out and tinker with when I have nothing else going on.

JJ: You are able to work on more than one story at the same time?

Chris: I'm pretty good at juggling. I can usually put a story down and pick it up weeks later without missing a beat.

JJ: I'm jealous.

Jay: I have to be able to do that or I'd never get a story finished.

Chris: I'm very grateful for that ability, although if I had my way, I'd prefer to write something straight through once I start it.

JJ: You mentioned the strong superhero/superpower elements that have influenced you in the past. Have you tried your hand at any stories that do not contain supernatural elements? And if so, how did those stories turn out?

Chris: Yeah. I've tried. I'll start a story with every intention of making it a straight fiction piece, but somewhere along the line, it always turns down that dark path. Actually, I have written several young adult pieces (some of them actually have happy endings!) One of them is titled "Whoever Heard of a Blue Pumpkin." And I'm thinking about self-publishing it in time for next Halloween. But right now I'm mainly concentrating on my short horror fiction.

JJ: It's obvious you have a handle on the short story. Have you attempted or completed any novels thus far?

Chris: I began a novel back in '98 called The Virginia Fleet, about a group of people who disappear in the mountains of Virginia, and another group of people who search for them. I finished it just last year, but it needs so much work that it's just impossible to devote that kind of time to it right now. Plus I have such a short attention span. Right now I prefer to stick to the short story. I'm always so busy that I need to write things that I can finish in a matter of a few days.

Jay: That makes complete sense.

JJ: Remind us of where you live again and tell us how much of an impact your location has on your story settings.

Jay: He's in Michigan, outside of Detroit, where apparently there is a hotbed of writers.

Chris: I live in the small town of Davison, Michigan about sixty miles northwest of Detroit.

Jay: There is another writer in the current issue of MT from the Detroit area.

Chris: You know, the funny thing is, I've met only one writer around here in the last five years, but then again, I don't get out much.

Jay: Ha! I hear you.

JJ: So do elements of Davison filter into your stories?

Chris: My area hasn't had much effect on my writing. It's about as bland and generic as any place can be--Rite Aid and a Walgreens on every damn corner.

JJ: Forces you to exercise your imagination.

Chris: Exactly.

JJ: Tell us about some of your interests and hobbies outside of writing.

Chris: As I mentioned earlier, I also enjoy drawing--mainly comicbook art. I have a comic I've been working on for awhile called Building Head. It's about a guy who becomes possessed by the spirit of a vengeful landlord and winds up with a twenty-story building for a head. Pretty weird, huh?

Jay: I'm trying to picture that.

JJ: That is weird. I would really like to see some of your drawings. Do you have anything online or scanned that we could maybe shrink and include with the interview?

Chris: I'll scan some of them for you. Also, I'm a big Red Wings fan, but unfortunately there is no hockey anymore.

Jay: I've been totally in hockey withdrawal.

JJ: Jay is hockey master.

Chris: I love the fights!

Jay: Ditto.

JJ: Have you tried to publish any of your comic books?

Chris: Naw. I've never really gotten into it that seriously. Although my wife, Sarah, and I are planning on a trip to next year's Motor City Comiccon, where we're going to rent a table and try to hawk some of my photo-copied stuff.

Jay: That sounds like a lot of fun.

JJ: That should be nice.

Chris: The last Comiccon was a blast. We met the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld.

JJ: "No soup for you!" Did you make him say it? I'd have requested that he say it and pose for a photo with him yanking a bowl away from me.

Jay: hahaha

Chris: Wanna see a picture we took with him?

JJ: Most definitely!

Jay: Sure!

Chris: One moment, please...

Chris: There you go. It's a hoot. (Click here for the picture.)

JJ: Were there any other famous people at the convention? People the average person might know.

Chris: Not famous enough for me to recognize. Oh, wait. June Lockhart was there. Eric Larsen as well.

JJ: (JJ scratches his head.)

Chris: And a bunch of scantily-clad bimbos from the pin-up model industry. June Lockhart was Timmie's mom in Lassie.

JJ: Ahh. Okay. What was she doing there? Something comic book related?

Chris: She was also in Lost in Space. I guess that's why she was there.

JJ: That makes sense.

Chris: Her table was empty, though. I think I heard a cricket when I walked by.

JJ: hahaha

JJ: Did you stop out of pity?

Chris: No time for love, Doctor Jones.

JJ: We see you're a comic enthusiast. Are there any other projects you're working on?

Chris: My daughter is up from her nap so I may get a little distracted. Nothing comic related.

Chris: I have a chapbook that I'm trying to get out by June of next year. It's titled Soul Sandals, and it's a collection of my favorite short works. Any new information regarding this project can be found at my website at www.soulsandals.net.

Jay: That's cool.

Chris: The website isn't quite ready yet, though.

Jay: Do you want it linked--your interview will be in the Winter 2005 issue which will be published January 1.

Chris: Yes. It will definitely be done by then.

JJ: Excellent.

Jay: Okay. We'll make it a link from MT.

Chris: Gracias!

Jay: No problemo!

Chris: Danke shoen!

JJ: Well, since your family duties are sparking up this Saturday morning, we'll throw one last thing at you: do you have any advice or comments for any aspiring writer just starting out? Or any last words you'd like to share with those people who read "Transparent" and are already chomping at the bit for more?

Chris: Yes, to all the aspiring authors out there: TURN OFF THE TELEVISION!

Jay: Amen!

Chris: Writing is agonizing, but idleness is even more agonizing. And it's been said a thousand trillion times, but you have got to write every day. The best decision I ever made was to cancel my cable service.

Jay: But what about hockey?

Chris: If it's a good game, I'll make an exception. Like the Red Wings vs. Avalanche.

Jay: I see you have your Red Wings jersey on in the picture you sent.

JJ: All right. In terms of the interview, I think you've given us a lot of great stuff to work with. Thank you so very much for your time.

Chris: That's a Sean Avery jersey. A week after I bought it, they traded him!

Jay: As a St. Louis Blues fan, I have to admit I have a lot of dislike for the Detroit Red Wings, but begrudging respect as well.

Chris: Thanks for your time, guys!

JJ: I think Jay wants to talk more about hockey, but in terms of questions, we're done. And thank you, Chris.

Jay: I'm waiting on my better half to fix breakfast. Thanks for doing the interview, Chris! Sorry I was so late.

Chris: You're welcome, and it's okay. Things happen.

JJ: How long have you been married, Chris?

Chris: About a year and a half.

JJ: Is it what you expected? God. It's like I went into interview mode and can't stop. LOL! But this is just me asking.

Chris: Everything and more. I married my best friend. She also happens to be a writer.

JJ: I noticed her comments and stuff to you were really on point. What type of writing does she do?

Chris: She freelances children's stuff mostly.

JJ: Is she your "editor"?

Chris: Somewhat. I also wanted to add to the interview that I have upcoming stories in Flash Fantastic and Black Petals magazine.

JJ: Do you want to mention the story titles or when they will appear?

Chris: December 2004 -- "Just Like Peanuts" in Flash Fantastic. April 2005 -- "The Diaper," also in Flash Fantastic. Late 2005 -- "The Next Batch" in Black Petals magazine. I also have a vampire story that I'm working on for submission to Midnight Times.

JJ: I think Jay will like that. He knows everything about vampires. He's doing a compendium.

Jay: I'm still looking for stories for the Spring 2005 Vampire Fiction issue that will be published April 1.

Chris: What's a vampire's favorite fruit?

Jay: ?

Chris: Neck-tarines. har har

Jay: hahaha

JJ: hahaha

Chris: Okay. I got to run. Thanks for everything.

JJ: All right. Thank you again.

Chris: You're welcome.

Jay: Thanks, Chris! Feel free to e-mail us if you think of anything else.

Chris: Will do. And feel free to use any of this chat for the interview.

JJ: Thanks.

Jay: We will!

Chris: Bye

Jay: bye!

JJ: bye