Welcome to my new site!
Read No-Injury Policy
C.M. HUMPHRIES
  • Home
  • Less Taken Pod
    • Less Taken Blog
    • Store
  • Library
    • No-Injury Policy >
      • All Things Beautiful Excerpt
      • Facade
  • Delusions (Blog)
  • Connect
  • Home
  • Less Taken Pod
    • Less Taken Blog
    • Store
  • Library
    • No-Injury Policy >
      • All Things Beautiful Excerpt
      • Facade
  • Delusions (Blog)
  • Connect

Forbidden Blog

Fear, focus, and the future. Here, C.M. Humphries writes about whatever. ​

2/10/2013

0 Comments

The Next Big Thing

 
Kelsey Timmerman, author of Where Am I Wearing?, Where Am I Eating?, former mentor, and the only writer I know who can catch a glimpse of someone's undies and recognize their origins, tagged me in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.

Check out Kelsey's answers on his work in progress.

Now take a breath and prepare yourself for my journey. 


What is your working title of your book (or story)?
I do have a few other books in the works, but the one I'll focus on here is No-Injury Policy.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Near the end of my senior year at Ball State University I must've produced at least fifty new short stories. Some of them were thrown in the trunk, others appeared in various online & print journals. 

However, I tucked away a few stories for something bigger. All these stories were transgressive in nature, which isn't too popular of a genre, but I thought they were relevant short stories focusing on social stigmas & pressures. Those pressures put many characters to the test, leading some to extreme reactions. Of course, stories in the collection like "No-Injury Policy" stemmed from my guilty pleasure of a good horror story. 

What genre does your book fall under?

Since Excluded, I've been tagged as a horror writer. Honestly, it is one of my favorite genres  but I think my work generally falls somewhere outside of the category - it barely touches the edge. And while No-Injury Policy does feature a couple horror stories, it's by large transgressive fiction. Transgressive fiction focuses on social pressures & their "victims". Those little angry thoughts that dash across your mind when you've really heated . . . the characters in these stories act out those extreme events. 


Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

You know, this is the first time I've truly considered that. Maybe it would be kind of cool if Gerard Butler played Nicholas Tanner from "No-Injury Policy".

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When expectations are high, money is tight, love is tainted and stress ubiquitous, the citizens of Chase County will do anything to make sure they survive. 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

While I thought after Excluded (Wild Child Publishing), I would never turn to self-publishing, I ended up doing so. In turn, though, I have had almost entire control of my book, which has allowed contests, giveaways, discounts, freebies, and hand-bound copies to exist. 

Long story short: No-Injury Policy is self-published & the process has been serendipitous thus far.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I don't think I spend too long writing the initial drafts of most manuscripts. However, I'm quite the planner. If a book only took me a month to produce the first draft, just assume I spent the last six months outlining, time-lining, etc. 

But for the sake of a number, it took about a year to write and select all of the stories, but a month to create the first draft. 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

For most of the stories, I would compare them to the works of Amy Hempl, Bret Easton Ellis, and a dash of Chuck Palahniuk. For the horror tales, I would compare them - maybe - to Richard Laymon or John Saul. 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Quite honestly, I might've simply been extremely stressed around the time I started composing the first few stories for the collection. The thing is, I'm pretty sure most people around me were facing very similar stressors. So I wrote a short story collection focusing on social paradoxes and how some people reacted them. I wrote about horror. I wrote a happy ending for once. I wrote about thought crimes. I wrote about feeling down on your luck or feeling stigmatized. I wrote about redemption.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

First, you could check out an excerpt of "All Things Beautiful" and see if No-Injury Policy is for you. 

Second, some of my stories tie into each other, which I think is neat. The Douglas in "No-Injury Policy" is the grandfather of Liddell Douglas from Excluded. 

Keep an eye out, because sometimes characters from different stories bump into each in Chase County. For instance, the mayor in "Sleep" was reelected during a tough run against Bruce Hartman & Nathan Daniels. Bruce Hartman is the late husband of Angela Hartman in my upcoming tale Forever Endeavor. Nathan Daniels is the "bridge killer" of Lakeside, Chase County & the father of Cameron Daniels in my latest project His Daughter. Cameron Daniels bumps into characters like Drake O'Conner from Drake. And so on.

All right, I'm ready to pass the torch now. I choose Meira Bienstock, 
Carolyn Arnold, Ellen Hopkins & Lynn Alexander!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About

    Fear, focus, and the future. C.M. Humphries talks about writing, horror, and whatever. 

    Archives

    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009

    Subscribe.
    ​We'll keep in touch.

SUBSCRIBE
Picture
© 2009-2022 C.M. Humphries. Any unauthorized use and/or duplication of the content without expressed and written permission from the site and content author/owner is prohibited by law. ​ Not intended for audiences under the age of 13 years old.
Photos used under Creative Commons from moedermens, hans s, gidovd, Federico Limonta, Marcin Wichary, heather aitken, Caren Mack Photography, Guilherme Yagui, Latente 囧 www.latente.it, miss_rogue, quinn.anya, Javier Kohen, sampitech, Gerald Gabernig, the_black_room, Bernt Sønvisen, jamalfanaian, andrewrennie, Elizabeth/Table4Five, quirin.thalhammer, swruler9284, Kryziz Bonny, Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho, chuck4x5, Mountain/\Ash, Jonathan Kos-Read, Niels_Olson, h.koppdelaney, Matthew Paul Argall, DidWee, Sweet One, osseous, Tony Webster, maf04, Gustavo Minas, poptech, r.nial.bradshaw, marcoverch, emilianohorcada, porschelinn, markbyzewski, dannywebs, amanessinger, declanandrews, Artotem, M. Martin Vicente, davescaglione, Gamma Man, ell brown, glasseyes view, LukeDetwiler, ephotography, Luiz Fernando / Sonia Maria, Filter Collective, cdedbdme, mhx, Enokson, gagilas, Max Wolfe, Ted Van Pelt, Sigfrid Lundberg, Sean Loyless, Mr. T in DC, Key Foster, marimbajlamesa, Fitsum Belay/iLLIMETER, Vectorportal, Alberto_Montoya, carianoff, luc.viatour, >>> Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids <<<, electricnerve, Nanagyei, crimfants, Editor B, gordontarpley, eleanor ryan, eviltomthai, shanon wise, dutchlad, Rick Moerloos, Poetprince, david_shankbone, Kurt and Sybilla, Abode of Chaos, grilled cheese, quinn.anya, Xoan Baltar, Marko Milošević, little blue hen, uzi978, SweetOnVeg, procsilas, Robin Hutton, Thruhike98, zaneology, Cameron Nordholm, CarbonNYC, Enderst07, dollen, LunaMoth116, swanksalot, aturkus, ElvertBarnes, Paul Jerry, Pip R. Lagenta, Joshua Kaufman, currybet, Oh-Barcelona.com, Joe Shlabotnik, Will Folsom, Helena Liu, David.R.Carroll, Robert Bejil Photography, Patrick Doheny, Hachi Gatsu, Justin Marty, Julie Lyn, Scott LePage, Daquella manera, Markusram, ginnerobot, Zach Linder, StevenW., denn, h.koppdelaney, TheeErin, aaron.michels, davidflanders, Dustin and Jenae, Mike "Dakinewavamon" Kline, mr_t_77, gordontarpley, brewbooks, coconut wireless, Håkan Dahlström, Mr. T in DC, urbanshoregirl, cathyse97, The Cleveland Kid, iamliam, andy jou, 666isMONEY ☮ ♥ & ☠, julesxt, MonkeySimon, Carlos Aguilera Espinosa, twentymindsomething, Xanetia, ♣♦♥♠, vonguard, sillygwailo, Geraint Warlow, Alyssa L. Miller, chadmagiera, how will i ever, Parker Knight, Unhindered by Talent, wwarby, teresawer, Lo & Behold >> Shrie L. Spangler, Larry Tomlinson, magnetbox, Very Quiet, prendio2, j_anet, timhettler, David Boyle, hang_in_there, krossbow, robertrice, Schmirn, Fitsum Belay/iLLIMETER, an iconoclast, samlavi, Ron Bennetts, Jagz Mario, eugeneflores, LetTheCardsFall, Rochelle, just rochelle, JaseCurtis, Ivan Marianelli, Dave Catchpole, mike 23, ANSESGOB, Catalin Vrinceanu, kio, kevin dooley, Amanda M Hatfield, Smath., rick, Grace Hebert, auntjojo, Kryziz Bonny, jwillier2, Al Pavangkanan, anokarina, my camera and me, IntangibleArts, Pink Sherbet Photography, hodgers, arohasilhouettes, Neal., greenfaerietree, sidewalk flying, Miles B., Luxxian Flair, amelungc, romana klee, dcJohn, Mitchypop, simonsmith001, Bruna Schenkel, zayzayem, KJGarbutt, simonlesleyphoto, torbakhopper, Glutnix, Panegyrics of Granovetter, Karamellzucker, h.koppdelaney, Photos by Mavis, perpetualplum, FutUndBeidl, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, b0jangles, suburbandollar, UnnarYmir, ohdarling, amulonphotography, Zach Dischner, _Fidelio_, OakleyOriginals, andertoons, little blue hen, rococohobo, FutUndBeidl, Pop Culture Geek, ben.chaney, theilr, genvessel, mariachily, Seth Mazow, Looking Glass, jslee_, lindsayloveshermac, Brett Jordan, AndYaDontStop, danperry.com, functoruser, gcfairch, Mikamatto, Thomas Claveirole, goodnight_photography, cometstarmoon, Ack Ook, Don Hankins, celesteh, Pip R. Lagenta, Cpt<HUN>, stvcr, Andreas.