AP: Barry, you’re heading up a writer’s classroom about balancing ‘real life’ with your writing? Can you explain exactly what you mean by that?

BR: Sure – I hear from potential writers all the time that they don’t have the time to focus on writing and they don’t see how I manage to be so prolific while having a fulltime job, a marriage and a four-year old. So I’ll basically be outlining various methods of blocking out your schedule and making the time for writing – and how to take the strains of daily life and use it to actually enrich the process!

AP: Is it easier to “balance real life” with writing pulp than with other genres?

BR: Hmm. Well, pulp by its nature isn’t as in-depth as some other genres so you might be able to get by with less research at times – but I don’t think so. Most of want to go the extra mile and get the details right. Pulp is as legitimate an art form as any other so I don’t think it’s “easier” by any means.

AP: What sort of skills and techniques will you be using and teaching those in your class about balancing?

BR: Time management, positive attitudes, etc. are all aspects I’ll focus on. I’ll leave the specifics for the class, though!

AP: You’re also going to do a panel on creating new pulp heroes at Pulp Ark. First, why do we need to create NEW pulp heroes?

BR: There’s always a need for new heroes. There are aspects of our culture that didn’t exist in the golden age of pulps, or at the very least weren’t talked about commonly. New heroes can help illuminate those areas and also help grow the field. I think we’re more likely to have a “breakout” in the mainstream with a new hero than with the umpteenth revival of Doc Savage, too.

AP: What is different about pulp heroes created today compared to those from the golden age of Pulp?

BR: Well, we’re able to incorporate a lot of things that wouldn’t have been allowed back then: shades of gray in the heroes’ morality, gender identity, and so forth. There were few heroes who weren’t straight white males back in the day and we all know that heroism isn’t dependent on any of those characteristics.

AP: Is there a technique in creating a new pulp hero? What are the ingredients you need?

BR: There’s no step-by-step way of doing it. Some characters jump full-blown into your consciousness. Others are “built.” The number one ingredient is that it must excite YOU as the author. If you don’t believe in this character and want to see them live, why would anybody else?

From Tommy Hancock, Pro Se Productions/Pulp Ark-

PULP ARK, the creator’s conference/convention hosted by Pro Se Productions, will indeed occur May 13-15, 2011 in Batesville, Arkansas.  There are many events associated with this first ever event of its type in the state, but there’s one in particular that stands out.  That is THE CASE OF THE BLOODY PULP.

Envisioned as a play, BLOODY PULP is like no stage production you’ve ever seen.  Broken into six scenes, approximately fifteen minutes apart (Although this will be flexible), this drama will take place in the midst of Pulp Ark.  And I don’t mean in one location on a predesignated stage with props and sets.  I mean while fans are mingling with vendors and guests, while books are being signed and discussions being had, this play will explode to life in the midst of all the action.   Termed ‘guerilla theater’, this style of production assumes that the action of the play is occurring in real time in real life and will be done as such.   So, don’t be surprised to see plucky newsboys, brainwashed Nazis, strong willed females in fedoras, and maniacal madpeople walking up or busting in while you’re reading pulp or drinking coffee.  It’ll happen.

THE CASE OF THE BLOODY PULP centers around a mysterious story written by a Pulp author almost eighty years ago.  Only one known printing of the story, entitled the same as the play, is known to exist and the author vanished within one month of the story being printed.  Legend around this story says it contains instructions, directions, and incantations to untold power and since then the forces of good and evil have been in a race to procure it.   This almost mythical work is scheduled to appear at Pulp Ark on display, according to the script, and from there pulpy goodness will ensue.

Originally, I planned to co write the actual story the play centered around with fellow author Bobby Nash, but I’ve changed that plan in order to add to the mystery.  As much as this show will be about action and fisticuffs, it’s also about exactly what might be in this mysterious story…and the audience may have much to do with determining that as the writer.

THE CASE OF THE BLOODY PULP is fully cast and rehearsals begin late January.  For anyone with news connections or their own sites or blogs, the cast of the show is available for interview upon request.  Simply contact me at proseproductions@earthlink.net for more details!  Bring your thirst for adventure and your need to action with you when you come to Pulp Ark in May and be ready to be a part of THE CASE OF THE BLOODY PULP!

AP: Bobby, you’re a guest at Pulp Ark. Tell us about your work in pulp that brings you to this convention.

BN: I am a writer of novels, comic books, novellas, short stories, graphic novels, and even dabble in the occasional screenplay. Much of my work has a pulp feel to it, such as my work on Lance Star: Sky Ranger Vol. 1 and 2 plus the upcoming vol. 3, Startling Stories Magazine, Full Throttle Space Tales Vol. 2: Space Sirens, Sentinels: Alternate Visions, Domino Lady: Sex As A Weapon, A Fistful of Legends, Ravenwood: Stepson of Mystery, Secret Agent X, and more.

I will be at Pulp Ark to meet fellow pulp creators and fans, introduce new readers to my work, and maybe even sell a book or twenty.

AP: Now you’re known for being a convention presence around the country. Why do you work them so hard and why are conventions important to pulp specifically, but to any form of literature in general as well?

BN: I have a great time at the conventions. Not only do you meet interesting people with the same interests as I do, but it also allows me the opportunity to introduce my work to potential readers that may not be familiar with it.

Plus, on a purely creative note, I find the conventions to be a nice creative boost. I always come home from them exhausted, but eager to get back to work.

AP: PULP ARK is billed as a convention/conference. This is a little different than most conventions. Do you think this is a good thing? Is there a need for such events?

BN: Diversity is a great thing in conventions. If all of the conventions were exactly alike I’d only need to do one of them a year. Having cons that are unique to themselves is great for me and the fans.

AP:You meet someone on the streets of Batesville, Arkansas who thinks pulp is what you find at the bottom of an orange juice bottle. How do you sell them on going inside and checking out PULP ARK?

BN: I would start by asking them what they like to read, what type of movies do they like, or what TV shows do they watch. Whatever the answer, I can probably recommend a pulp book for them. Pulp is more than Doc Savage and the Shadow. Pulp is action, adventure, westerns, sci fi, drama, romance, danger, intrigue. You name it and there’s probably a pulp connection.

RF: Basically we hope to discuss what has been a natural progression for these new writers now doing pulps.  For over fifty years all fans had were reprints of the classic stories to read over and over and over again. Thanks to this new renaissance we are experiencing, publishers are bringing forth “new” pulp stories of classic heroes.  Good, bad or ugly?  That’s what we’re going to hash out.

AP:  You’ve got several people helping you out on that panel.  What do your guests bring to the table for this topic?

RF: Considering the topic, I couldn’t very well recruit non-writers.  No, the fun of hosting this panel was inviting on board a handful of some of the best professional published new writers working in the field today.   Hearing their personal motivations for following in the footsteps of the great pulp writers of the 30s should be highly informative and entertaining.

 AP: Do we need new pulp adventures?  What makes new pulp works viable in the modern era? Is there a market or is this more of a hobby?

RF: Well, tricky question that.  You see pulps have really never left the book market.  They just evolved with the times and became lots more sophisticated in their execution.  Writers like Clive Cussler, Dean Koontz, James Rollins, Lee Child and Douglas Preston are all best-selling modern day pulp writers.  So we already have new pulps being produced every single day.  As for those of us writing tales of the classic pulp heroes, that’s a whole other arm of the pulp world.  And yes, I believe there’s a need for these as well, if only to keep alive the marvelous legacy established by those early publishers.  When you can read new Secret Agent X stories, you walk away with a much better grasp of the literary heritage that produced a James Bond.   Read the Suicide Squad and you understand where TV shows like Mission Impossible and the current Leverage came from.  This may have well started as a hobby, but today it is a viable branch of the pulp world.

AP:  What about the general public?  What might they learn from your panel?

RF: I mentioned that in my last response.  Folks with no understanding of pulps or its history will be surprised at its relevancy to today’s modern thrillers and action adventure movies and TV shows.  The panel will clearly delineate that history of what the pulps gave us and still continue to provide.

RF: Well I started writing pulp material almost twenty years ago when I wrote a Moon Man vs Doctor Satan novella with writer Gordon Linzner.  About six  years ago I started up Airship 27 Productions with artist Rob Davis and ever since we’ve been producing new pulp anthologies and novels featuring some of the finest writers & illustrators in the business today.  Rob and I will both be representing Airship 27 Productions at the show.  I’ll also be there as the Moderator of the well known Pulp Factory Yahoos Group.

AP: PULP ARK is billed as a convention/conference. Do you feel like there’s a need for an event like this, part opportunity to meet fans and part opportunity to work on skills as creators?

RF: That’s one of the major reasons this show has me so excited. That it is going to focus on both the wonderful fandom of pulps at the same time shining a light on how pulps are drawn and written, for both pros and younger talent wishing to enter the field. That can only strengthen the pulp community and keep it going strong.

AP: What about pulp appeals to the modern reader?  What do events like PULP ARK offer to both the hardcore fan and the person who has never read a pulp tale?

RF: Pulps provide pure escapist literature to the weary reader who is tired of complex, convoluted characters and plots that prevail in today’s modern thrillers.  In pulps there is no blur between the hero and the villain and the action is non-stop start to finish.  Gathering such a Pulp Ark provide a base for hard core fans to congregate and share their hobby.  Whereas they also provide a wonderful entry point to those readers curious as to what pulp fandom is all about.  Going to a show like Pulp Ark is the best way to find out.

PULP ARK PUTS OUT CALL FOR PUBLISHER PANELS AND SPONSORSHIPS!

PULP ARK, the Writer’s Conference and Convention being held in Batesville, AR May 13-15 is putting out the call for PUBLISHING COMPANIES, OUTFITS, AND OTHERWISE ORGANIZATIONS THAT PUT OUT PULP BOOKS, MAGAZINES, AND PUBLICATIONS to reserve their spots for Publisher Panels at ALL PULP. These panels will be opportunities for Publishers to talk about their companies, to push upcoming projects, and to spotlight their writers, artists, and future tales and stories. Any Publishers interested should contact Tommy Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net as soon as possible for scheduling purposes!

Also, PULP ARK is seeking sponsorships for the convention/conference. Any writer, artist, creator, publisher, or vendor interested in having their names and logos included in all advertising and correspondence concerning PULP ARK, contact Tommy Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net to discuss financial sponsorships. These opportunities will be extremely reasonable and will add exposure for not only PULP ARK, but for your individual efforts!

Finally, PULP ARK is wanting to put together FAN PACKETS for each customer that comes through the door! If you have freebies of any sort you’d like to have included in these packets, contact Tommy Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net and inform him of what you plan to include. To have your material included, Hancock stated it needs to be in the hands of PULP ARK staff by Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8 PM. Be sure to inform Hancock via email, however, what you intend to add to the packet in advance so he knows what to expect.