Review Fix chats with author Brett Weiss, who discusses his new collection of fiction tales, “The Arcade and Other Strange Tales.” A video game and pop culture writer for over 20 years, this anthology is a special one for him.
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Review Fix: What inspired this book?
Brett Weiss: During the mid-to-late 1990s, I wrote a bunch of short stories when I finally decided to take writing seriously. One of the stories was a quarterfinalist in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest, and most were published in small press magazines. My first paid sale was in 1997, a dystopian future story called “What do they do while we sleep?†With the ease of self-publishing these days, I decided to collect the stories in one volume. My inspiration while writing the stories were the works of some of my favorite authors, such as Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Rod Serling, and George Orwell. I’ve always been a big reader.
Review Fix: Why is this book special to you?
Weiss: I’ve had more than 1,500 non-fiction articles published, but “The Arcade and Other Strange Tales†is mostly comprised of short fiction, so it’s much different than my usual work. I started out writing fiction, and those early stories are still special to me—it was very exciting getting published for the first time. I plan on writing more fiction as soon as I finished my SNES Omnibus two-volume set covering the Super Nintendo.
Review Fix: Any thoughts on continuing in this style?
Weiss: I’m a different person now than I was 20 years ago, so I’m sure the fiction I write moving forward will be a little different in tone and style. But those early stories still hold up, or so I’ve been told. I polished them up for the collection and added an introduction for each one. Publishing this book has sparked my interest in returning to writing fiction.
Review Fix: Will fans of your other work dig this?
Weiss: I think so. Readers of my video game books will especially enjoy the title story, which takes place during the glory days of coin-op gaming. It’s the longest story in the book. Another story, “Wormboy,†I think is one of the best things I’ve ever written. When I submitted it to The New Yorker, they sent me a handwritten note telling me they liked it and to send more. This is rare for them as they get thousands of submissions. I was recently told by a reader that “There was a lot of feeling to that story.â€
The stories in The Arcade and Other Strange Tales†are an eclectic mix of horror and science fiction. There’s something here for everyone. In addition, there’re some non-fiction pieces in the back of the book, including an essay on the retro gaming craze and an article in which I discover the mystery behind the publication of Stephen King’s first story—even he got it wrong in his own book called “On Writing.†Though I would caution parents that some of the stories are pretty edgy.
Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy this the most?
Weiss: Twilight Zone fans. People wanting to read something a little different, a little weird. People interested in being challenged by what they read. My cousin told me that “Strange Children†gave her nightmares. That’s a huge compliment.
Review Fix: Bottom line, why must someone read it?
Weiss: To get away from real-world problems for a while. To spend a little time with some interesting characters who find themselves in odd situations. To have fun, but also to think a little bit. There’s some social commentary here, but it’s woven into the stories—nothing preachy. Some readers will interpret stories different than others. It’s a fun book, but there’s some meat on the bones.
Review Fix: Any story you wanted to tell not make the cut?
Weiss: When culling through and polishing up the stories, I left a few out. A couple simply weren’t good enough to make the cut, but there’s one in particular that was just too perverse to include. It’s about a guy named Philip McNutt who collects and obsesses over Barbie dolls. I’ll just leave it at that.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Weiss: I will probably start on a novel within the next year. I’ve been tinkering with one for a few years, but I spend most of my time writing non-fiction because it pays the bills. But I’d like to spend an hour or two each day on fiction—it’s a nice change of pace from what I usually write, and it’s a lot of fun stretching my imagination and trying to surprise and get under readers’ skin.
Review Fix: Anything you’d like to add?
Weiss: If you don’t consider yourself much of a fiction reader and only know me through my non-fiction (or, more likely, don’t know me from Adam), give “The Arcade and Other Strange Tales†a chance. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it. I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback on the book so far.
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