Welcome, Brian!

Brian Townsley is an award-winning writer, as well as a podcaster, and the Executive Editor for Starlite Pulp. He is the author of the crime fiction books A Trunk Full of Zeroes and Outlaw Ballads, as well as three books of poetry.  His short fiction has appeared in various publications, including Mystery Tribune, Black Mask, Quarterly West, Frontier Tales, Connecticut Review, and many others, and had a story make the distinguished list in Best American Mystery Stories, 2019.  He is a graduate of the Professional Writing Program at USC and is also an alum of the mighty California Golden Bears.  He and his wife share their time between the mountains and deserts of Southern California. 

About ‘Days of Bone, Nights of Ash’

The novella ‘Days of Bone, Nights of Ash (part 1)’ in American Muse: Starlite Pulp Novellas, Vol. 1 traces the fractal path of a group of three castoffs as they make their way towards California in 1870, and all of the ensuing madness therein. Of the work, author John McNally wrote: “the soaring prose of Brian Townsley’s ‘Days of Bones, Nights of Ash’ contains passages that read like a virtuoso guitar solo.”

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Interview with Brian Townsley

Tell us about yourself – what is something readers would be surprised to find out? 

Probably that I started out as a poet. I had three books of poetry published before I turned to fiction, and I think that I lean on that experience at times in my prose, especially the westerns. There is something about the economy of words with noir where, as a writer, you need to be efficient and spare with the language, whereas those shackles are nowhere to be found with writing about the West. I just let it eat. The ability to describe open spaces and the nothingness folks would go through for extended times on the frontier lends itself to that, I think. 

What is it about the Weird West genre that draws you to it? What are your favorite aspects or examples of this often-underappreciated genre?

Honestly, I think the West WAS weird.  You had castoffs, Civil War soldiers with PTSD, large expanses with little to no law, every accent imaginable, massive diversity (Europeans, Native Americans, blacks—both former slaves and not, Mexicans, Chinese, etc.), the vast majority of citizens had and/or carried firearms, and, let’s be honest, the frontier was a lonely place.  The hardships and losses that many of those men and women went through would shatter most of us in our lives of comfort now.  Lots of people ‘broke’ in some way, whether it was evident or not on the outside, and they lived lives and sought desires that many would consider far outside today’s norm.  So, to me, I’m just kind of telling the West as I believe much of it was—which was pretty damn weird. 

What inspired you to write this story?

I grew up with Westerns—I’m from LA, my grandpa was a special effects man (he worked with John Wayne, Mitchum, and many others), my dad a scenic artist, and my uncle was an actor, who mostly acted in Westerns, and they were all in the industry, and I grew up hearing about the sets, the actors, the locations (and the rumors that came from those), and the like.  From a literary standpoint, I’m a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry, and even Louis L’Amour, who, while certainly not a prose stylist like either of those two, was a hell of a storyteller.  So, I took what I enjoyed of some of their work and added my own special sauce, and here you go. 

Are there any other writing projects you’re working on?

I’m working on a follow-up novel to the two Sonny Haynes books, who is a fixer in the early 50’s in the Palm Springs area.  Very noir, and he is a blast to write.  When I’m done with that, I’ll get to Part 2 of ‘Days of Bone, Nights of Ash’, and I write short stories as well, many recently featuring a half Pawnee/half Irish scout for the US Marshals by the name of Rye Lonehand.  The first of his stories was in Frontier Tales (which won Story of the Month at the time), and the second, ‘Lullabye for the Damned’, was featured in Starlite Pulp Review #3. 

What are you reading right now?

Currently, I’m reading The Angel of Indian Lake, by Stephen Graham Jones, which is horror (which I infuse into some of the Western work as well), as well as Dead Man’s Walk, by Larry McMurtry. Add to that the hundreds of stories I have to read as editor for Starlite Pulp Review, and it’s a lot!

Favorite weird west movie/book/comic/etc. and why?

Book would be Blood Meridian, no doubt.  Although I also really enjoyed A Prayer for the Dying by Stuart O’Nan, as well. Deadman’s Crossing, by Joe Lansdale, is a blast as well. From a film perspective, man, I just love Westerns.  Not sure if The Wild Bunch would be considered weird or just not ordinary, but that’s a good one.  Loved Dead Man with Johnny Depp also. 

Anything else you’d like to add about writing or the Weird West (tips, etc.)?

I could talk writing and tips all day long.  I’ve been an MFA student, a writing teacher, an editor, and now I do podcasts for Starlite Pulp where we pretty much just talk writing.  So, if you’re interested in that, check those out.  But for writers wondering if they are ever going to get some literary success (first getting published, then consistent publishing, then awards, then books, then making some actual money from it—and yeah, it kinda goes in that order), it’s honestly just about taking the craft very seriously while not taking yourself too seriously.  It’s a process, and, to be honest, it takes time and can be immensely frustrating.  The publishing business is a crappy one, and, I should know, as someone who has worked on lit mags in college, to publishing books of poetry, to having my first novel published, to not being able to find a publisher for another (very common, by the way), to starting my own indie label, to publishing other writers.  It’s crazy.  And in this position, I get to hear so many stories from amazing authors who have a bestseller in France but can’t get the book published in the US (as a US author, mind you) to a NYT author who gets rave reviews but can’t find a publisher, to leaning on Charles Ardai, who founded Hard Case Crime (we’ve got a podcast with him, fyi), and learning SO much from him. You just have to stay persistent, never stop working to improve, let failure slide right off your back (whenever I used to get rejection notices, I sent two more submissions out that same day), and believe in the work.  Honestly, it’s about persistence—and you hear that in the arts a ton.  It’s not always the most talented artist, director, writer, musician, or actor that makes a career out of it—it’s the one who doesn’t let early- (or mid-) career setbacks take the dream away.  

I’ll be writing crime and Westerns until I kick the bucket. If I lose the label at some point, or can’t find a publisher, what have you, that should never stop the writing process.  If you’ve got a voice, and stories to tell, keep it up. 

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