Improbable Press asked their own and other writers to tell us what strange stuff they're writing, want to write, or have written. Here are their fantastic replies.
Now that’s a hard question to answer, I’ve written many weird things over the last two years. Whether it be fucking aliens in Area 51, a nudist romance, werewolf piss kink, or some frankly ridiculous renditions of straight porn (you know the kind). All of this has led to some strange googling and I hope no one ever sees my search history. But I think the weirdest of them all gets the title due to nostalgia even thought it pales in comparison to my others, Atlin will know which one this is for it involves a zucchini being somewhere it shouldn’t. — Bo Starsky, author of IP's upcoming 'In Full Uniform'
(Atlin adds: The opening sentence to Daidí na Nollag still rates as one of my favourite first lines of all time. All. Of. Time.)
Is anything really weird to write about? Certainly I've had niche ideas - pizza as a metaphor for falling in love, epic quests undertaken in 1980's Winnebagos, love stories told from the outside perspective of plants - but how does anyone decide what's weird? Is it weird if it speaks to you? Is it weird if it says something true? Is it weird if it wants to be weird? Maybe all writing is a little bit weird - putting words to our own thoughts, inviting people into them, fabricating whole worlds out of thin air or examining humanity under the microscope of small moments - maybe that's the point. — Darcy Lindbergh, author of IP's soon-to-be-published 'Watches of the Night'
The weirdest thing I’ve written about so far is ‘accidentally stolen mystically animated body parts’. But I’m currently developing a story about an ancient war god who falls in love with a young man drafted into an intergalactic war after they meet in a ruined medieval castle, So there’s always room for more weird. — G.V. Pearce, author of IP's just-released Ghost Story
My first murder. Thinking of sneaky ways to kill, without being caught, was a weird experience for a television news and sports producer. During my career, I encountered a few candidates for justifiable homicide—TV executives, politicians, businessmen—but no thoughts beyond that. — Stephen Johnson, author of Clan Destine Press' Tugga's Mob