Interview with Corey Mesler

Author of Memphis Movie

 

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I was born in Niagara Falls, NY, but moved to Memphis when I was five. It is here that I will take my final breath.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

My father worked for DuPont and was transferred to Memphis in 1960. Coming from the north we were told we were moving to an area that was somewhat like the jungle in the Tarzan movies.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

Reading. I started reading late in life–at 18–and my first authors were Camus, Kafka, Poe and Vonnegut. I started working in a bookstore a year late and found my calling and my home. At the time I said I wanted just one ISBN to call my own.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

Literary fiction, full of imaginative lies and transgressive actions, populated with characters looking for answers, looking for a way to make the reader laugh.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Readers of Vonnegut, Nabokov, Flann O’Brien, Henry Miller, Flannery O’ Connor and Dr. Seuss. Or folks who enjoy the films of Ingmar Bergman, Woody Allen, Robert Altman and Jean-Luc Godard.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

That I could do it. I never expected to have the kind of stamina and long-lasting confidence to finish a novel.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Enjoy every sandwich.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

A gazillion.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Writing and submitting your work is a roller coaster ride. One day you’re up, next day you’re down. But the only antidote to flagging confidence is to keep writing. The work itself is the cure.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

I write pretty good dialogue and I am funny. I know nothing about publishing or marketing.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

See above.

When do you think you will write your next book?

Always working on the next one.

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

All my books come from traditional small-press publishers. I’ve never self-published.