By: Sheena C. Howard, 8-28-2020
1. Can you tell us about your new illustrated project?
Sure, STASH QUARTER STORIES 2 is part two of 4 of the Stash Quarter stories series. I like to call it a literary mixtape, or a pulp fiction magazine. It is 9 short unabridged pulp stories that all correlate into a general theme. Almost a literary freestyle for lack of a better comparison. The reason I call them quarter stories. They are concurrent the same way a Sunday newspaper comic would be. The other reason is because initially the Stash series was planned to be 4 magazines. The theme that all the stories have in common. It is based on this corporation or conglomerate called ALKILINE WATER corporation, not to be confused with alkaline water. ALKILINE corporation is a representation of the powers that be in the fictional world of Stash.
2. It sounds a bit different than a picture book, comic or novel. How would you best describe this project?
That is a good question. To the consumer I’m sure it can appear to be a comic seeing the comic panels. Or graphic novel because it is illustrated and is around 85 pages. But to the comic book world it is neither or even close. For various reasons from trim sizes to formatting. Going back to what I stated earlier I see it as a literary mixtape. It is not something that exists in the style and the story telling approach and the formatting and aesthetics of it as a whole. Stash is a pulp fiction magazine to me because to be honest that is the most literal term that I could describe it to people in, that had some word recognition. Also aesthetically Stash is mocking while also paying homage to pulp fiction magazines and action pulp fiction magazines and books from the 1940’s-1970’s. I always thought those magazines looked ill. However, there were not any people of color in any alpha roles or at all. So I always wanted to do a Black version where the anti-hero’s and heroines were of color, like me.
3. What’s the inspiration behind the stories in this series?
The inspiration is a lot of things. I guess I would say I was inspired by the books and films that I was entertained by. I like to read a lot of novels and watch well made cerebral films. However, I always enjoyed the junk food too. The pulp action. The exploitation era and the grind house stuff. You know? The gratuitous pure action entertainment. I enjoy writing that material. I write a little bit of everything. But the pulp is just so ridiculous you can be creative and have fun with it. Even though the plots and theme can be very cliche. This style of writing keeps me writing and working and wanting to create, it is like making TV shows and films on the pages. Taking all these influences and interpreting them differently, making a genre that didn’t exist.
4. Who has been an inspiration or influence for this project?
No one person in particular. I don’t read comic books as many people who don’t know me assume because of some of my work.
I have never been into super heroes but I did like the underground comix stuff. Besides the pulp magazines, movies and books. Donald Goines’s Daddy Cool was made into a graphic novel in 1984. Visually it just looks cold. I liked the way it was put together rough around the edges. Realistic style fiction stuff that could happen in real life. Content wise it was material I had written myself. But seeing that graphic novel made it appealing to create my own.
5. Where can people find out more about the development and release of this book?
I only really advertise on my Instagram page, and mainly in my Instagram stories right now. So on Instagram check me out, @timstorrs and also you can look me up on my Amazon authors page or Tim Storrs on Goodreads or just google my name, something should pop up that will link you.
