Roaring ’20s gets new spin in Broken Time Blues
By Adria Laycraft
Broken Time Blues is a fantastic collection of strange tales set in the 1920s. Known by various names such as the Jazz Age, the Golden ’20s, and of course the Roaring ’20s, this time period reflected the changing realities during World War 1, massive immigration, innovation, and cultural change.
Short and sordid, full of glam and glitz, the ’20s offers rich fodder for speculative stories.
Broken Time Blues captures the raging spirit of the times, both light and dark, and adds a twist of fantasy and science fiction. Edited by Jaym Gates and Calgarian Erika Holt, this collection includes stories from twelve accomplished authors, and art from Galen Dara and Evan Jensen. Published by Calgary’s Absolute XPress, the collection was released as a print book in September and now available on Kindle.
In these stories you will find flappers and jazz stars; ugly racial inequalities; veterans in hidden gin joints drowning their sorrows with cheap alcohol brought from the mountains by men with fast cars and faster tongues.
Ryan McFadden, author of the story Fight Night, discusses his story in Broken Time Blues about a boxer having a nervous breakdown during a fight.
1. What captures your interest about boxing in the roaring twenties?
The ’20s were an interesting time for boxing because the sport was transitioning from back-alley brawling to mainstream sport with regulations and sanctioning bodies though that didn’t stop fighters from attempting to outright cheat (a railroad spike in a glove).
2. Is there an underlying message in this story that you want readers to grasp?
I don’t usually like to discuss meanings within my stories. I often like to play around with the concepts of reality, and this story is no different.
3. How did you get hooked on writing?
I don’t know how I got hooked on writing. I’ve been writing since I was five years old. My first story was an illustrated space battle with lots of dismembered bodies, severed heads, and buckets of blood. My mother told me that I shouldn’t be drawing such things…so I made sure the next time to hide those pictures under my mattress. The next phase was when I was 11-years-old and discovered the Lord of the Rings, and for the next five years I wrote what was essentially fan fiction. In fact, I think for the next ten years all I did was rip other people off.
Essentially, writing is just something I have always done, and will always do.
4. What was your first publication?
My first publication was a story called The Last Rites through Alienskin Mag. I made $5 though I never cashed the cheque. I had intended to frame it or some such nonsense, but instead just lost it. Moral of the story: cash your cheques, no matter how small. Writing is supposed to be a business. After all, if we don’t want to make money, then why do we attempt to publish? Why not just write your novel then stick it in a drawer?
5. What are you working on now?
My latest project is called The 10th Circle Project — a collaborative, shared-world concept. It features myself, Billie Milholland, Randy McCharles, and Eileen Bell (Eileen and I co-created the project). This project keeps us writing — all the time. There will be ten volumes, with each of us contributing to each one. Some of the submissions will be novellas, and some will be short stories or even flash fiction. In The First Circle (http://www.the10thcircleproject.com) my contribution was called One Small Job and weighed in at 42,000 words (about half a novel).
6. Do you have any advice for beginning writers?
Advice for beginning writers: 1) write 2) read. When complete, do 1 and 2 again…about ten thousand times. There are overnight successes, but they’re the lottery winners — not the norm. Remember the 10,000 hour rule…and while I’m beginning to have success now, tracing back my hours, I have written approximately 1,000,000 not-so-good words to reach this point.
Category: Arts
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