Guest Post from Kim Mainord: Mileage May Vary

CAT RAMBO: One aspect of the great appeal of the Hap and Leonard books is their enduring friendship, including its ups, downs, and petty annoyances like one of them eating all the animal crackers every once in a while. Presumably you didn’t set out to write one of the great friendships of literature, but how do you think it developed? What do you think you learned about friendship from writing theirs?

JOE R. LANSDALE: I never set out to write a series, let alone one that has endured as well as this one. They have become beloved by their fans. I added in all the better aspects of friends I have and have had, but unlike the friendship between these guys, not all of mine have endured, and some that did, well, those friends have passed. There’s also wishful thinking involved. The  kind of friendship you would like to have. I learned a lot from their friendship, as it made me explore myself to find their similarities and their differences. My brother Andrew Vachss and I were very close, and he had a lot of Leonard’s aspects, but the overall personality of Leonard is, like Hap, a combined one. Hap, however, is very much like me, if not exactly like me. I learned to try and be a better person through their exploration, which is not to say I started out a bad one. In fact, in many ways I’m better than both of them. I haven’t killed anyone and have no plans to do so. You could call that, for them, a flaw.

In the introduction to the book, you talk about Hap and Leonard existing in a special kind of time since you’ve been writing them so long, aging at a different rate than you or I. Has that ever created problems for you with writing, moments when you regret establishing a particular fact because it conflicts with something you want to do?

Yes, sometimes it does, and sometimes I contradict something because I don’t reread the books. I might check a thing here and there, but once finished, I move on.

You have written so widely across genres and forms – comics, fiction, screenplays – that Nightmare Magazine described you as having become your own genre. What do you makes something enough of a Joe R. Lansdale story that you want to write it?

I’m excited about it. Sometimes that means it will turn out great, and sometimes I feel it will, and it doesn’t come out as great as I hoped. I always do my best, however, so I never feel like I threw one over the fence. One thing nice about Hap and Leonard is I’ve explored different kinds of crime and adventure stories with them. I like writing a variety of things, but Hap and Leonard come as close to it gets to me considering writing nothing else. I love those guys.

You’ve also talked about the novella being your favorite form to write in. Is it because of the wideness of possible word count there, or are there other considerations? People have told me we’re in the middle of a renaissance for novellas – do you think that’s true?

I think it just might be. I’ve written them for a long time, and in fact, some of my novels might be called novellas if anyone wanted to quibble.  I think novel or novella is more about how something is published. If it’s between hard covers it tends to be considered a novel, or soft covers. If it’s part of a collection, it’s considered a novella. That’s not a dyed in the wool fact, just a common consideration.

You began your writing career with nonfiction, farm articles to be precise. Has anything from that time ever snuck into a story?

Frequently, as in Mucho Mojo, though I got some of my rose farming facts confused. My old boss was quick to point that out. But it’s in several books and stories.

When you want to read short stories, what authors do you go to? Is there anyone you’d suggest people search out?

I reread a lot of older fiction. I read new stuff all the time, but it takes time for me to feel the need to reread, and then I get on a kick. I like writers that have impacted me, like Ray Bradbury, Raymond Chandler, James Cain, Ernest Hemingway, Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck. Flannery O’Connor, Carson McCullers, Mark Twain, Henry Kuttner, Cyril Kornbluth, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, Jack Finney, and this list could go on.

Among your comic work is one of my favorites, Jonah Hex. Any plans to do more writing with him? Are there any comic book figures that you’d love to write but have never gotten the chance to?

Well, I haven’t been asked since Tim Truman and I did our three series run. I love comics, but I’ve satisfied a lot of my itch there, but now and again I get a bit of comic hives and I want to scratch. I would and probably will do more comic work. I no longer have any characters I’m dying to do, as I’ve done many, but who knows. A Batman comic would be fun. I’ve only written about him in animation and in  a couple of stories, a novel, and a children’s book, but no actual comics with him.

BIO: Joe R. Lansdale is the internationally-bestselling author of over fifty novels, including the popular, long-running Hap and Leonard series. Many of his cult classics have been adapted for television and film, most famously the films Bubba Ho-Tep and Cold in July, and the Hap and Leonard series on Sundance TV and Netflix. Lansdale has written numerous screenplays and teleplays, including the iconic Batman the Animated Series. He has won an Edgar Award for The Bottoms, ten Stoker Awards, and has been designated a World Horror Grandmaster. Lansdale, like many of his characters, lives in East Texas.

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Reading makes you smarter. Let’s go ahead and assert that as fact. Research actually indicates that there is a direct correlation between reading and intelligence. For that reason alone, you should be reading fantasy.

Beyond that however, what’s so special about reading fantasy, specifically? And how does it make you smarter?

By experiencing different worlds and living life through the eyes of another, it makes us more imaginative and aware. It brings inspiration and shapes our realities. Think of the intelligence you would gain if you could literally live other people’s lives – the experiences of hundreds of others, accessible for you to see and learn from. Reading fantasy actually affords you that ability. And the mythical and magical elements involved make it that much more fun along the way.

So, here they are. 4 reasons why reading fantasy makes you smarter:

Reading fantasy”¦

1. Cultivates imagination

Perhaps the biggest thing to be had from reading fantasy is the cultivating of the imagination. The power of the imagination cannot be understated. It opens the door to creativity and passion, as well as innovation and invention. These outcomes result in a world far more interesting than simple black and whites, yes and no’s. They are the keys to unlocking an infinity of as-of-yet undiscovered combinations and results. There is plenty of scientific evidence on why imagination makes you smarter, but try it for yourself! Who knows what you might come up with?

2. Makes you more aware

Those who cannot imagine consequences are doomed to discover them. Reading fantasy allows you to gain an extra perspective on life, which leads to increases in awareness, and greater awareness only leads to intelligence. When you read fantasy, you observe natural cause and effect relationships, even within stories of a fantastic nature. Seeing this cause and effect relationships allows you to become more adept at living with such consequences in mind, and overall, make you a smarter person.

3. Leads to inspiration

Inspiration can come from anywhere, but it often comes a lot quicker when you immerse yourself in that area of interest you find yourself pursuing. If you want to be a writer, you need to read a lot and write a lot. If you’re a musician, you need to practice. It is only first through the rigidity of discipline that the fluidity of genius finds its roots. Fix that discipline of reading fantasy to find your genius in inspiration. In his book, On Writing, Stephen King writes, “Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you’re going to be every day from nine ’til noon. Or seven ’til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he’ll start showing up.” The fluidity of genius finds its roots.

4. Shapes your reality

Let’s face it: At times, reality can be dull. This is especially true when you have a set routine throughout your week. Fantasy allows you to jump out of that routine and into a completely different world. Who wouldn’t take advantage of this varied range of experiences to be had?

A word of warning here: You don’t want to live completely in a fantasy world either though. Like everything, there’s a balance. Make sure that you stay grounded. Fantasy is fun, interesting, exciting, and many more things, but it’s still fantasy. As long as you keep that in mind, you’ll be all right.

So there it is. Reading fantasy not only makes you smarter, but it makes you a better person overall. So get out there, find a book, and take advantage!

Find J.T. Gill at his website or on Twitter as @jt3_gill.

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