In this podcast Benjamin Percy talks about his new novel The Dark Net, his non-fiction book Thrill Me, writing comic books, and much more.
About Benjamin Percy
Benjamin Percy is the author of four novels, the most recent among them The Dark Net (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017). He is also the author of The Dead Lands (Grand Central/Hachette, 2015), Red Moon (Grand Central/Hachette, 2013) and The Wilding (Graywolf Press, 2010), as well as two books of short stories, Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf Press, 2007) and The Language of Elk (Grand Central/Hachette, 2012; Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2006). His craft book—Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction—was published by Graywolf Press in 2016 and is now widely taught in creative writing classrooms.
Show notes
- [04:30] Interview start/earliest memories growing up
- [08:40] Life lessons from off-the-grid living
- [13:25] Place as character
- [19:45] First encounter with Leatherface in Texas Chain Saw Massacre
- [23:10] Violence in fiction
- [32:10] Thomas Joyce, via Patreon, asks about the origin of The Dark Net
- [43:10] Robots and artificial intelligence
- [48:25] Thomas Joyce, via Patreon, asks about recommended writers’ craft resources
- [57:40] Inspiration for Thrill Me
- [01:01:00] Jake Marley, via Patreon, asks about approach to comic writing
- [01:03:50] Green Arrow
- [01:07:45] Time and project management
- [01:10:05] Boxwino, via Patreon, asks about elements from fantasy novels left on editing room floor in The Dead Lands
- [01:12:40] Top novels and graphic novels
- [01:18:40] Connect with Benjamin Percy
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Resources
- Benjamin Percy fiction
- ‘Time and Distance Overcome’ by Eula Biss
- On Writing by Stephen King
- The Art of Subtext by Charles Baxter
- Screenplay by Syd Field
- Story by Robert McKee
- It by Stephen King
- The Gunslinger by Stephen King
- The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood