Excalibur Author Interview – Bruce Golden: “A World where Movie Monsters are Real People”

Today Excalibur books features an interview with Bruce Golden, author of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and contributor to “The Phantom Games”.

Please tell us something about your background.

I’ve been a professional writer for more than 40 years. I spent the majority of the first 20 making a living in journalism as a magazine editor, freelance writer, entertainment reporter, and TV news producer before giving it all up to become a “starving artist” and write fiction.

Tell us about “Monster Town.”

My novella Monster Town was the culmination of an idea I wrote into a short story about a world where movie monsters are real people. The concept of combining that with a satire of hard-boiled detective fiction led to Monster Town. The idea was to fill the tale with quirky characters and odd situations, but keep the plot serious. It never occurred to me that one day it might be in development for a TV series (delayed for some time now because of the COVID).

Erikson-Lees cov copy

What was the inspiration for “Running”, your story in the “Phantom Games” collection?

The idea for a futuristic sport I called “The Gauntlet” goes way back to a book I tried to write in college. The sport itself was inspired by a trial used by Native American tribes. The college-era book was never completed, but years later when I wrote my first novel, Mortals All, I incorporated that sport as an integral part of the tale . . . and Jon 155 as one of its main characters.

What are you working on now? Do you have any future projects you’d like to talk about? 

I’m close to finishing a science fiction novel with a premise never before tackled in the genre–which, based on the extensive history of speculative fiction, is not easy to come up with.  I don’t want to give it away, because the shocker comes at the end of the first chapter, and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone. Let’s just say that artificial intelligence and aliens play a big part in the book, which is tentatively titled The Omega Legacy.

What does your research process look like? 

I don’t know if it’s a specific process, but I do heavily research all the science in my books and short stories. Often I’ll contact experts in whatever field I’m writing about, to confirm I’ve got the science right. That was especially true in my novel Evergreen, which speculates on the possibility of intelligent plant life.

Which book or books are you reading at the moment?

I just finished John Scalzi’s Red Shirts–which I found an odd book–and I plan on tackling Greg Bear’s Songs of Earth and Power soon.

What book would you like to see turned into a movie, and who should play the leading roles? 

I’d love to see David Brin’s Uplift books made into a good movie, but it would take at least a trilogy to do them right…and the leading roles would likely be CGI.

When you aren’t writing, what can you typically be found doing?

Watching baseball or movies.

Tell us about something in your life that brings you happiness. What is it, and why?

Watching my grandchildren grow into individuals.

What are the COVID-19 restrictions like where you are?

All restrictions were lifted a while back, but with the rise of the variants, some restrictions could be coming back.

 When the travel restrictions are lifted, where is the first place you would like to go?

I’ve already got a trip booked to fly across the country to visit my grandkids, who I haven’t seen in person now for more than two years.

What tasty dish have you cooked recently?

I made some shredded beef tacos the other night.

Tell us a strange, random fact. 

San Diego Padres great Tony Gwynn won eight batting titles in his career, but also finished second three times to three different Colorado Rockies players who got to play half their games in a place where batting averages are inflated. So he easily could have had eleven batting titles.

How can readers find out more about you and your work?

You can find all of my books listed on this Amazon page here …

or you can go to my own website!

Excalibur Books would like to express its thanks to Bruce Golden for the interview, and you can find his short story “Running” in “The Phantom Games” – here.

EXCALIBUR BOOKS – THE CUTTING EDGE OF SPECULATIVE FICTION!