5 Questions, 5 Authors: Gerard Houarner

Gerard Houarner works at a psychiatric facility by day and writes about the dark at night. He’s had over 200 stories and 4 novels published, and serves as Fiction Editor for the venerable small-press genre magazine Space and Time.


1. What drives you to write?

To get things I see, imagine and feel out of me, to create something that has an effect on others, and ultimately,to connect with others who perceive and imagine in ways I might understand and appreciate.


2. What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment?

In terms of writing,there are a few answers: the latest thing I’ve written that I’m happy with; the Max books, which as an arc used a monster to say a lot of things I wanted to say about humanity and becoming human; the Dead Cat material, which puts life in perspective for me. In terms of life, finding a path that’s let me help people (day job) while still letting me connect (through the night work) with the people who perceive and imagine from the first question.


3. Outside of writing, what are your other passions/interests?

Anything to do with the fantastic — reading, of course, and movies, jazz and all kinds of rhythmic music, anything that takes me emotionally on a journey beyond everyday consensus reality. I also love photography.


4. What is your advice to young writers/first time authors?

Read, for story and for language, to see what’s been done, what you feel compelled to write about, and for some ideas about how it’s done. Then write, often, and with abandon. Let it all hang out, send your stories out or workshop them, and listen to the reactions. The feedback isn’t necessarily going to be pretty, but it will teach you what works and what doesn’t. Be willing to learn. Watching movies alone isn’t enough to teach you how to write. Neither is writing every now and then, when you’re “inspired.” Like anything worth doing, writing takes work and time and sacrifice. Whether or not the sacrifice is worth the result is up to the writer.


5. What do you want the world to remember you for the most?

That I was part of a community of creators and contributed something to it worthy of, perhaps, a footnote.


More information about Gerard Houarner can be found on MySpace at www.myspace.com/gerardhouarner or on his personal website at http://www.cith.org/gerard/index.html.

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