SmokeLong Quarterly

“The Window” is fascinating, partly because you describe dramatic and potentially horrifying events in a matter-of-fact tone. I think that tone is crucial to the effect of the piece. Can you talk about why you chose it?

Life is matter-of-fact. That’s what makes it so horrifying.

Another interesting juxtaposition with the seriousness of the situation is the use of humor (e.g., the protagonist is in a full-body cast but refers to the bags under a man’s eyes as “suitcases”). What’s the role of humor here and in your writing more generally?

Well, I’m inclined to think of myself these days as a humorist. I’m a moody guy, which makes me a moody humorist. I’m writing a new book of stories all in the same moody-humor vein as “The Window,” though humor isn’t respectable and short fiction doesn’t sell. I call it Young Adult Trilogy.

The character invokes God in the first section of the story, and then we meet a Jehovah’s Witness but never hear about God. In the final section, there’s only the window. Has the character changed?

I hadn’t thought of it. Possibly. Probably. I hypnotize myself. Usually I stare at a candle. The writing is very direct—or indirect—and means a lot more than I realize, I’m guessing.

You’re also a cartoonist, and quite a few of your cartoons are of gravestones, with inscriptions like “I Am Currently Working on a Novel” and “No, YOU Hang Up.” What do you want written on your gravestone?

“Publicity Stunt.”