Featured Interview With James T. Morrow
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area and make my living as an artist/ illustrator. But my other great passion is writing. My first two novels “Prophet: Starkiller” and “Prophet: Dragon Chaser” were detective novels written for a Canadian publisher. Since then I’ve written “The Sun Has Wings” a novel about a young scientist who discovers an unknown species of intelligent apes and how she brings one of them, a male named Yewbie, to America for study and how it changes the world. My new novel, “Crazy Town” is a comic story about individual freedom and a make-shift family—oh, and a dog which may or may not be inhabited by a creature from outer space.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always enjoyed reading but it kicked into high-gear during high school. At the end of college I dabbled with writing but really got hooked in my thirties. Now it’s almost like an addiction. I can’t imagine ever giving up writing. Creating stories is like a self-induced trance or journey into a world of your own making.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” is my favorite novel. I love the way she brings out the humor and the kid’s sense of wonder in her story. I’m also a big fan of Raymond Chandler. His use of metaphors and similes may be the best in American literature. Plus he never tells a boring story. Kurt Vonnegut’s work has also been a major influence. I enjoy the way the characters in his stories begin in the normal universe but the sci-fi elements throw them off course.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
While driving through Nevada, Ginger and her son, Rusty, give a ride to an old cowboy named Timothy Quigley and his dog. Things get a little crazy after that.
First, Quigley claims his dog, Bumper, is inhabited by a creature from outer space. Then Quigley’s nephew, Billy Joe—who believes his uncle is loony—catches up to Quigley, intent on taking him back to Texas. As a result, a scuffle ensues and they wind up in jail, including Ginger.
Once Rusty’s grandmother, the wealthy Abigail Hardwick, learns Ginger has been arrested, she swoops in, determined to gain legal custody of Rusty. Later that night, however, Rusty breaks Ginger and Quigley out of jail with the help of Bumper—yes, that’s right, the dog.
Their escape is followed by a hilarious chase across three states, involving a very determined Sheriff, an angry Billy Joe and a very nasty private detective. The chase ends in San Francisco as Ginger and Quigley struggle to evade the growing number of people chasing them—determined to keep Rusty away from the clutches of Abigail Hardwick.
Along the way, as odd things keep happening, we wonder if Quigley’s crazy stories of an alien inside Bumper are really true or just nonsense. The truth is finally revealed as everyone converges on a stage during an experimental play in a wild and hilarious showdown.
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