Welcome, Jean-Paul!

Jean-Paul L. Garnier is the owner of Space Cowboy Books bookstore and publishing house, producer of Simultaneous Times Podcast (2023 Laureate Award Winner, BSFA, Ignyte, and British Fantasy Award Finalist), and editor of the SFPA’s Star*Line magazine. He is also the deputy editor-in-chief of Worlds of IF & Galaxy magazines. In 2024 he won the Laureate Award for Best Editor. He has written many books of poetry and science fiction.

About ‘Black Line Trail’ in American Muse

The novella ‘Black Line Trail’ in American Muse: Starlite Pulp Novellas, Vol. 1 is about the strength of nature and the smallness of humankind. It follows a trapper’s journey while stuck high up in the mountains after suffering an animal bite, in a race against time, life or death struggle to survive. It is also an allegory for the destruction of small towns all across America, caused by greed and the unstoppable privations brought on by rampant development. 

Interview with Jean-Paul L. Garnier

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

I’m a bookstore owner, publisher, writer, audio fiction podcaster, and editor. So, my life completely revolves around books and literature, which is exactly as I like it. But my life didn’t always look like this. While I’ve always been an avid reader, my previous list of occupations is as long as it is varied. I’ve been: a construction worker, a bellhop, a night club owner, an art gallery curator, a muralist, and many other things. I don’t define myself by the work I do, or have done, but I do like to have a wide variety of experience as it is great fodder for spinning yarns and also comes in handy when editing the work of others. 

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?

I grew up listening to old radio dramas from the 30s-60s. I always loved the horror, western, and science fiction shows, and even the Yukon adventures and mysteries. These radio programs really instilled a love of genre fiction in me, and I really dig that weird west can combine all of the genres. Ultimately, genre is just one device for fiction, so it’s really fun to take the best aspects of each genre and use them in chorus to tell the stories we want to write, or read.

What inspired you to write this story?

I live in a small town in the Mojave Desert, one which has been traditionally impoverished, but has recently been overrun by the rich. The change has displaced many people and drastically altered the culture, for the worse in most cases. But one thing that doesn’t change much is the surrounding mountains. Looking at those mountains every morning on my porch while having my coffee started to get me thinking about what living at those peaks would be like. I combined that inspiration with an animal bite that hospitalized me some decades back, and Black Line Trail was born.

If you were living in the Weird West, what kind of character would you be?

I have often dreamed of being a lone mountain man. And wondered if I could actually survive in the wilderness on my own, without many resources except for the ones that nature provides. While this lifestyle is truly far away from my experience, and I probably don’t have the skills to survive, I like the idea of such an extreme challenge and ponder whether or not I could develop the necessary skills with death as the great pressure, and failure not being an option.

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

Yes! I’m currently wrapping up a book of scifaiku. And I’m busy editing and rewriting my first horror novella. I’m also deep into the first draft of a sci-fi/crime/erotica novella that I was commissioned to write. For the last few years, I’ve been writing less science fiction and delving into a variety of genre styles. I’ve been having a lot of fun getting outside of my comfort zone.

What are you reading right now?

Currently I’m reading a lot of non-fiction and crime fiction. I typically read lots of non-fiction for inspiration, but I’ve been branching out into different genres to broaden my pallet. Jim Thompson has been on the top of my list for crime fiction, and right now I’m reading a really excellent book by Walter Mosley called 47.

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

There are a few movies that I like, all for very different reasons. There’s a Mexican film called “La Nave de los Monstruos” (Ship of Monsters), that’s really fun and completely bananas, almost impossible to explain. And another old film called “The Beast of Hollow Mountain,” which is a proper western, but with dinosaurs, what’s not to love about that! A still old, but much more recent, I thought that “Dead Man” was a great depiction of how strange the old west could actually be.

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

If you’re planning on writing westerns, or anything for that matter, go out and experience that environment. Walk the trails, shoot a gun, ride a horse, climb that mountain, taste the juniper berries… These sensual details will not only inspire you but will also provide direction for the story. These are also the types of details that if done incorrectly will turn off any reader that is familiar with the subjects. It isn’t enough to have experienced your subject matter through books, or worse so, movies. Get out there and feel the desert sand beneath your boots, feel the brutal sun, listen to the sounds of nature, etc. All of these details will not only enhance your reader’s experience, but they are also worth experiencing on their own. Life, after all, is what we are emulating in fiction, so don’t forget to live.

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