The Fabulous Glenn Walker

                                                                      
I am honored to have Glenn Walker as a guest on my blog today. Besides being my friend, mentor and a fellow member of the South Jersey Writer's Group, Glenn is an expert in Pop Culture and writes about movies, music, comics, Television and so much more...but why don't I let him tell you himself.


Glenn, tell my readers a little about yourself?

There's really not much to tell. I'm older than dirt. I have a wonderful tolerant wife who after knowing me forever still loves me, and I still call her my bride. I live with her and two neurotic cats, and I write online. I know more about movies, television, music, and especially comic books and French fries than any normal person does, or should. That's about it.

 What got you interested in writing and when did you start and what have you done?

Well, this is probably a bit embarrassing. It goes waaay back to when I was a widdle kid, maybe around four or five. I would play make-believe, pretend to continue the adventures I had seen in television, movies, and comics, but during playtime. Eventually I began to write this stuff down, then make up my own stuff. I had been writing for some time before it actually occurred to me that, number one, people write for a living, and number two, I could probably do it better than the folks who were already doing it. I sound like I was an arrogant little brat, don't I? I hope it didn't, and it doesn't seem like that. But let's face it, confidence is a big part of the job. Anyway, by the time I was in about fourth grade, I had determined I was going to be a writer. I have been writing in some form or another since then. Currently, I write about pop culture, and whatever else pops into my head at my blog Welcome to Hell, about French fries at French Fry Diary, and about videogames at The Non-Gamer's Gamer's Blog.

                                                                   
  I also write about comics at the All Things Fun! Blog, and do a weekly online video broadcast from the All Things Fun! comics, gaming, and toy store in West Berlin NJ, called The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast, where I discuss the new comics on the shelves each week with co-hosts Allison Eckel and Ed Evans. Finally, I am the associate editor and a frequent contributor at the Biff Bam Pop! website, and regularly appear in their bi-weekly Biff Bam Popcast!. My articles for the site can be found here.

 Tell us more about your journey with Biff Bam Pop!.

  I have known Andy Burns, the editor-in-chief and mastermind behind Biff Bam Pop!, for more than a few years through social media. We had chatted from time to time, and one day he asked me to contribute an article to the site about the then-current Marvel Comics crossover event called "Fear Itself". After that, he asked me to write about V, and then Metropolis. I guess I must have passed the audition, because from there I became a regular contributor. Andy and I have become great friends, and maintain a terrific business relationship. Biff Bam Pop! is an amazing website that I would praise, even if I wasn't affiliated with them. Everyone should check it out.

                                                                                                                                                                    

 Tell us about your story that’s in Biff Bam Pop!’s anthology and why you picked this story?

                                                                                                   

  It is a pleasure and a great opportunity to appear in Strange World: A Biff Bam Pop Short Story Anthology. Besides including the work and talent of writers like Jason Shayer, Lucas Mangum, Ian Rogers, David S. Ward, Anne Michaud, and the aforementioned Andy Burns, among others, it also includes an introduction by award-winning bestselling novelist Jonathan Maberry. Honestly I had not attempted a short story in quite some time, and had not finished one in about two decades. So when I was offered the chance to appear in the anthology, I got to work, and finished an idea that had been in my head for quite a while just simmering. In a whirlwind of creativity, I finished "Live to Write, Write to Live" quite quickly, and there you go. It was ready - that's why it was picked for the anthology. The story itself begins with a novice writer tapping out a story on her iPhone while sitting on the toilet. As that's a bad habit I've gotten into since getting my iPhone, that was where the idea for the story began to percolate. The rest comes from the world of the local writing community. Anyone who recognizes themselves in the story… well, let's just say there's no denying it, but I'm not going to admit it. Bottom line, it's based on the old advice that goes 'write what you know,' and how sometimes that can go too far. The story is also my first attempt at a black comedy. I hope it comes across that way. Enjoy it, or don't. Either way, there are a dozen other terrific stories in Strange World that you will enjoy even if you don't care for my contribution. Strange World can be purchased here, for only a dollar. Such a deal!

What inspires you to do what you do so well?

I don't know that I do it well at all, first off. What inspires me? Everything. A writer writes. Period. That's what it's all about. If you're not writing, you're not a writer.

What would you like to write about if you had enough time?

  I'm doing it. When I have time, that is, nothing keeps me from writing about whatever I want to write about - not even common sense or an innate survival instinct. I'm dumb enough to write about just about anything.

What advice would you give to those who are trying to make a name for themselves by writing the best that they can?

  Read everything. Read everything both in your genre and outside of it. And read all the writing newsletters and magazines both in print and online. Know your market, know what is selling, know what folks are reading, and buying, and talking about (those last three are not always the same thing). To make a name for yourself, you have to get your name and your work out there - as in social media. In the slush pile situation, you have a better chance if the person going through submissions recognizes your name versus non-recognition. A platform matters because publishers don't do book promotion any more, that is your job. If you have an existing platform (i.e. blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), you are better equipped to do that sort of thing than someone who is not. That counts.

You’ve been named the Patron Saint of Blogging by our writer’s group. Don’t blush, it’s true. Why is it so important to be part of the social media with blogs, Twitter and Facebook?

                                                                       
Just because I do a lot of blogging, and talk far too much, it doesn't make me all that and a bag of chips. I'm just helpful, that's all. I'm the first to admit that there is a lot I don't know. As far as social media being important, I think I answered some of that with the last question. Facebook, Twitter, and all the others - when used correctly - are also very helpful in networking, making contacts, knowing who's who, and how to get what and where you want. Many writers get a publishing gig by who they know. How do they know? Through social media, that's how. Learn it, live it.

 I hope, dear followers, that you enjoyed this interview as much as I did, and I want to thank Glenn for joining us today.

I'm sending out good vibes to all! Have a Happy, Safe, Healthy and Productive, New Year!