Featured Author of the Week: Greg Welch

Background

Greg Welch

I’ve been writing seriously for about 4 years now. It started out in response to my quarter life crisis I guess, but the truth is, I’ve always been working on stories, even before I knew what they were.

I like to think of myself as a horror writer, but mostly I evoke disturbance, trouble, and tragedy. I like the darker stuff. I don’t think I went through anything as a child that screwed me up, but then again maybe it’s just a repressed memory?

Currently I’m in college working on an English major, bettering my craft, and settling into my identity, role, and responsibility as a writer. I’m finally coming into my own and finding my place. I’m feeling more sure of myself and all around happier with who I am as a writer and what I have to offer.

Current Project

The title of my novel is Deadman’s Watch, and I’m not sure why or what that means exactly yet, but I hope to find out this time around. I’ve written and rewritten this piece many times. I’ve never been happy with it, so JuNoWriMo is perfect timing. I had just decided to start my novel from scratch when I heard about JuNoWriMo.

There are a few books similar to Deadman’s Watch: Dante’s Inferno, Some parts of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, Richard Matheson’s What Dreams May Come, things of that sort. The movie Highway to Hell was a source of inspiration for it, too.
The genre is a tossup. It’s one part Horror, one part Disturbing, a dash or two of Fantasy, Myth, perhaps even Speculation. I’d say the best description is Horror, or Dark Fiction in general though.

Synopsis

A man fights for his soul as death comes to take him to meet his judgement. More than his soul alone, the man has unfinished business and must overcome death’s enduring grip. And should the man get free from death, more than his eternity may be at risk, the eternity of his loved ones may well be on the line too.

Story Inspiration

When I first started this novel, about the same time I began to write seriously, the idea just came. It fell together as some stories do. I can’t remember any one thing making it happen, just several things boiling to the surface and not letting me go. The imagery is strong in my mind, and has evolved several times through rewritings. The characters interest me, one in particular more than the others so far. Lucius Hamilton, that fella and his 1930’s style stick out to me like I met the man once, had a few beers down at the speakeasy.

It’s my ghost, this story, it haunts me frequently and I think the old bones are rattling about seeking their rest in peace this time. It’s time to do them the honor to see what the story is really all about and give it life. I think I’m finally in a place as a writer to do it, only fear can hold me back. But fear can also drive me forward!

I’ve begun working on the set up for it, but nothing concrete–just sleepless nights, some mixed drinks, a lap or two of pacing, and the heavy fumes of my dry erase board being marked on, erased, and marked up again. I have two. I’d be lost without them.
My goal is to reach the halfway point by the end of June, which for me will be 50k. I’m shooting for 100k total and then I’ll edit my way down to 90k by the finished draft.

Find Greg on Twitter at @hauntedaxiom or check out his blog: http://HauntedAxiom.wordpress.com.

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