Hello everyone!

Today we have IanRCooper the writer of Birthright with us.

Warm regards Ian. Welcome to an official interview from @TheCRYPTIC_ . It's our honor to interact with an inspiring writer like you. We hope that you'll have a great time.

First of all, tell us how you stumbled upon Wattpad and when.

I actually first heard about Wattpad over on one of the writing subreddits. A user was talking about how it was a good site for amateurs to get some exposure and I thought, "Hey, I'm an amateur!" So I decided to give it a shot. I've been expanding some pieces of flash fiction I wrote inspired by /r/WritingPrompts and just kind of decided to stay here. Mostly because I did some digging into the stories published on Wattpad and found that there is a wonderful variety, from amateur to professional and everyone in between working hard to get pro.

Wow! So what do you think about THE CRYPTIC's theme? What are your views regarding dark fiction?

I absolutely love dark fiction. It's so easy to weave into so many other genres that it has kind of become it's own monster, each with their own little subgenres. It can encompass so many things, from splatterpunk to horror fantasy to violent crime noir and on and on. I really admire the flexibility, and the dedication it takes from writers to elevate dark fic from shock value side attractions.

What do you like to read? Do you have a favourite genre or any specific likes?

I'm a HUGE fan of body horror, that icky feeling you might get from seeing something that's supposed to be familiar twisted into the alien and unknown. Think Clive Barker's Hellraiser or Cronenberg's The Fly. I'm also a huge fan of noir, which is really more of a style than a genre, as it can span across multiple genres as well, from classic noir like L.A. Confidential to sci-fi like Dark City. Basically, I like the dark and cinematically stylish. I'm trying to bring more attention to the noir style with an anthology that I've helped put together, Take Away the Saints. It has a lot of authors that dark fic fans will recognize, as well as some I'm sure they'll be thrilled to discover. In fact, I've loved curating it so much, I may do another in the not too distant future...

What compels you to pick up a pen and scribble down your thoughts? Do you have any inspiration or motivation?

I like to do research, so when a specific idea hits me, I'll end up with like 50 tabs of research open while I try and page through them for single lines here and there to piece together the footnotes of an outline. I end up reading so much cool stuff, and then only end up using like 5% of it all. Because to include every single factoid or theory would just bog the story down and ruin the pace, so sometimes you have to sacrifice. But I love the journey from research to typed page.

Being a writer, what's the easiest part of writing and which aspect do you consider the most challenging?

I'm not sure there is an "easiest" part for me... I'm still pretty green, so I guess that I would say the easiest is the parts that I enjoy the most. That being the research and outlining. Seeing the story come together and make sense is just so enjoyable.

Worst part is editing. Hands down. I hate it. If I ever become an author with an editor, they will get the BEST Christmas presents from me. I'm not good at doing it for my own work. It's a kind of "physician, heal thyself" thing that doesn't make sense to me. And I do it way to much. I'm still editing "finished" works right now. And the more I look at them, the more I wish I had a chimney and a fireplace so I could print all of it out and light the ****ers on ****ing ******* fire the little ****s!

What kind of environment do you prefer to write in?

I'm not sure I have a preferences. Sometimes, I think the work dictates the environment. Most of the times I like to go with a set of headphones and a playlist I've handcrafted for the occasion. Sometimes, it's wandering and discovering YouTube playlists. Other times it's binging some second rate show on Netflix as white noise. And occasionally it can be in the still and silent. I think those are the toughest ones, because it's really hard for me and my household to be quiet. With a wife, 3 dogs, and 2 cats it's a bit of an anomaly. Regardless, I'm always surrounded by about 20 sheets of loose leaf paper with half-baked ideas.

What's your first piece of writing, if you can remember? What thoughts does it bring to you when you look back at it?

Oh god, I'm sure it was some song lyrics and they were probably the worst. I was just a teenager trying to write the next Metallica song, but they haven't answered my 10,000,000,000 fan letters.... yet.

Tell us about your growth as an author.

My best experiences are probably from getting constructive criticism, which can often times be kind of harsh. The two things aren't mutually exclusive. And having my work torn apart isn't even that bad to me. What I hate is that as soon as constructive criticism is done, I have to move to the editing phase. Which as we've previously established, was created by the devil.

Do you have a favorite author or book?

Oh man, I'm gonna have to keep this short because I could go on about this topic all day.

I was in love with early Chuck Palahniuk, everything from Fight Club up to Rant. I haven't taken to much of his recent stuff, but that first run of novels/novellas will always hold a special place in my heart.

I think Tom Piccirilli is the underappreciated genius of the last writing generation. He had this mix of noir and thriller and horror and Southern Gothic and occult and mystery. It was everything all at once and it was beautiful. He made you believe in open endings. Tom got praised by authors like Clive Barker and Stephen King, he even won a couple of Bram Stoker Awards. Sadly, he passed away a few years back without ever sniffing a bestseller's list.

Besides writing, do you have any hidden talents?

I'm not sure about these days... most of my stuff is pretty utilitarian. But I was a decent bass guitar player back in the day. I could rip out some Tool, or Pantera, or some Metallica. And not that ballad-y post Black Album stuff. I'm talking straight ...And Justice For All. God, I'm old.

You're sitting in front of a brand new aspiring writer, what do you say?

"Hey kid, do you like Harry Potter? Then jump in my non-descript, windowless van to Hogwarts!" Hehehe, just kidding. C'mon! This is a dark fic profile, right? I'm honestly not too sure what I would say, as I've only been writing fiction for just under a couple of years myself. I guess I'd say the most important thing is to write what you would want to read. And of course, it helps to read more of what you really want to write. You'll gain an understanding of how things like pacing and characterization and dialogue work.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Don't be afraid to tell us something funny, we won't tell.

Watching and making fun of bad movies with my wife. We're big MST3K fans, so we like to get in on the action when possible. We're terrible. We always try and make the other person crack up in the middle of the theater. That's just the best. Especially if I make her laugh so hard she has to pee and miss part of the movie.

Also, I love baseball. Watching it, going to games, hitting up some batting cages. My reading lists on Wattpad are all denoted by baseball terms. Go Astros!

https://youtu.be/YFsYTFV2O1c

Now, the most awaited question of every young reader, do you have any childish habits? Do you like cartoons or chocolates?

You bet. I've got Animaniacs queued up on my Netflix list right now. Also, I have 5 pets. You know I talk baby talk for half the day.

Do you prefer sweet or salty?

Sweet. Even with my savory. I'm always finding a way to cook meats with pineapples, cherries, brown sugar glazes, honey, etc.

It was nice talking to you. Thanks for your precious time. We really appreciate it and hope you'll prosper leaps and bounds.

The Cartwright clan has worked the farm for almost a century. On the surface, they are prosperous pillars of the community. But once a generation, a wicked harvest must be reaped, to ensure that the family never falls. The appointed time for Joshua Cartwright's offspring approaches. He has to remind himself that we all must suffer, so that we do not take our blessings for granted.