An interview about Monster Gallery, a flash fiction collection I edited all about monsters
Monster Gallery is an anthology of flash fiction stories about monsters. The contributors worked with this broad theme and created some horrifying creatures. Most of the stories as full throttle horror, while some of the writers also took the opportunity to provide some black comedy.
Jeffrey Thomas, author of the Punktown series and many other novels and stories, provided a wonderful introduction.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Monster Gallery?
George Wilhite: I have been editing themed anthologies for a while at Static Movement. I wanted to start one that was flash fiction, and monsters seemed a nice open theme that could easily be explored with that story length.
I grew up watching monster movies from the 1950s and 1960s on an old black and white TV and as a teenager watched endless new releases at drive-ins. It has always fascinated me to see how many variations on monsters can be found in horror fiction and cinema.
JP: What sets Monster Gallery apart from other books in the same genre?
GW: First of all, there aren’t a lot of book length flash anthologies out there.
Also, most themed anthologies about monsters center on one type (vampires, zombies), I left this one as a free for all and am glad I did, because I personally would not be interested in 90+ stories about one type of creature.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Monster Gallery getting out to the public?
GW: My own writing, and the Static Movement anthologies, are still at a “grass root” stage. Getting word out about new fiction is difficult, but I use Smashwords, Facebook, and Authors Den. It is important to create new posts since this will create more hits if someone “googles you.”
Also, take advantage of any opportunity offered for a review of your work or an interview (like this one) so you can get maximum exposure.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Monster Gallery?
GW: This book was an open submission call, so the time frame was determined by the number of contributors. At SM, we like to have at least 80,000 words to go to print. I edited as I went along and sent Jeffrey the complete manuscript for his intoduction. It took about a year.
But in terms of my own writing, I rarely use an outline. No matter what length story I am telling, I only set out with a central idea and a few main characters. As I write, other characters, settings, plot twists develop naturally. The only time I use an outline is when writing a screenplay.
JP: What’s next for George Wilhite?
GW: I am working on my first novel. It is untitled, but is the first in a planned series, Intrepid City. It is an urban fantasy set in an alternate future, where demons and other denizens of The Underworld, and Halflings created by their unions with humans, coexist with humans.
The main chacater, Rex Gabin, is a demon who has chosen to assist humans while still maintaining some distance. He takes on cases that require supernatural abilities to solve or rectify.
What if you were named as heir to a Will that you knew nothing about and members of your family were being kidnapped and tortured for information they didn't have? What if you went to the police only to find out the Russian Mafia and your own govern
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