BookView Review

Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed Stoney Brooks about his writing and recently released book, What Digs Itself Free, a sharp, morally charged work of supernatural horror (Read the review here.).

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Currently sitting on 5 finished drafts, 4 half-finished, and another short story collection that’s nearing the 75% mark. I guess you could say that I probably have a touch of the ADHD when it comes to my writing. There are times where I hyper fixate on a single story and have cranked out seventy thousand words in a single month. Then other times where I jump back and forth between stories, only making the smallest amount of progress on each. 

Do you find writing therapeutic?

I don’t know if therapeutic is the right word, but it’s kind of become almost a compulsion at this point. I feel myself getting very anxious if I spend too much time away from it. It’s something that I need to do as an outlet for everyday stress. When everything goes right, it’s loads of fun. 

What’s the most difficult thing about writing a novel?

For me, the most difficult thing is the muddled middle of a novel. Probably 3 of my 4 unfinished drafts are currently stuck at that stage. I can take off and land the plane pretty easily, but often find myself staring at a blinking cursor when it comes to the middle. When that happens, I know I have some tough work ahead and need to hit the drawing board to flesh things out. 

How many hours a day do you write?

I would like to say every workday, but sometimes reports, deadlines, or life gets in the way, and my writing gets put on pause. I write most workdays from 5AM to 7AM. I’m a morning person, so jamming out a few pages before my office gets in full swing is very natural for me.  

How often you read? 

Most workdays during my lunch breaks. With two small kids at home, it’s hard to find the time to read once I’m in dad mode, so shutting my office door to read a few pages has become something like a mid-day reset for me. 

What is your favorite childhood book?

The Magic Treehouse series. I remember spending hours as a kid reading these. I loved going to the bookstore and finding the next in the series, it was kind of like treasure hunting. My son is also at the age where he’s starting to discover these, it’s been a very emotional full circle moment. 

Who and what ultimately inspired you to become a writer?

I read a bad book. Obviously won’t name any names, but I’m talking zero flow, disjointed chapters, and characters as exciting as wet Wonder Bread. I figured if they could slap together a few hundred pages and get it published, then surely I could do the same. Looking back, my first attempts were pretty bad, but I like to think that I’ve grown leaps and bounds since then. 

How did you decide which genre was right for you?

This is an interesting one. I was always a scared and timid kid, but also very determined. I remember closing my eyes in the movie theater whenever a scary preview played. My older brothers would poke fun at me, which of course got under my skin, so I started challenging myself. First to keep my eyes open, then to watch the films whenever I had the chance. I found that I actually enjoyed them. In a way, I guess you could say it was almost my own version of exposure therapy that helped turn me on to the horror and paranormal genres. 

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do?

Write sooner. Even if it’s messy, and ugly, and never sees the light of day, at least put it down on paper. I only seriously started writing about a year and a half ago, so I’m a fledgling to the craft. Everyone runs their own race, but I feel like I missed out on some good stories by not realizing the true power of writing decades ago.  

What’s next for you?

Book number three is currently in the editing phase and is tentatively scheduled to release in October of this year. Intentionally keeping it on the vague side, but think Scott Smith’s The Ruins meets Jenny Kiefer’s This Wretched Valley.

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