KRR- What was the last thing that literally made you laugh out loud?
AAF- Hard to say, my cousin made an orphan joke that I personally thought
was equally horrifying and hilarious. I feel dirty.
KRR- Yeah, I get that. I remember this one time when my friend made a
horrible joke about someone we knew who died and I was literally
crying with laughter. It's almost like we laugh away the horror
sometimes.
AAF- Sometimes you have to, regrettably it's funny, and the funnier it is,
the worse of a disposition the individual finds themselves. Usually
those growing up with a harsh childhood find more hilarity in horror.
KRR- What kinds of things do you usually find to be funny?
AAF- Honestly, if it's executed well, I'll usually find it funny, but I
find nihilistic humor to be the best kind, such as the aforementioned
orphan joke.
KRR- Right away I'm finding you to be funny. I love the use of
aforementioned in a call-back!
AAF- Thanks, I appreciate it!
KRR- Name a few books that have made you laugh.
AAF- The Demon's King by Cinda Williams Chima was hilarious after a very
slow beginning, but I found Glokta, from the First Law Trilogy,
hilarious. He isn't a funny guy, but his sarcasm is so witty it gets
me every time.
KRR- Yeah, Glokta was really funny. He had sarcastic shit to say about
everyone, not the least of which was himself. Some of his
self-deprecation was witty as hell.
AAF- Honestly, out of all the characters in that trilogy, Glokta is the one I
relate to the most. Which is really horrible when you sit down to
think about it. Nothing is worse than sitting in the mud, in constant
pain, physical, emotional, and psychological, and accepting that this
is it, and nothing gets better. I constantly explore these things with
my own writing, especially as of late as I delve in the grim darkness
of despair.
KRR- How do you incorporate humor into your writing?
AAF- I generally get inspired by Joe Abercrombie's word play as it just
rolls off the tongue. I like to put my characters in non-stressful
environment and roll the humor right there, occasionally, high stress
will get some laughs though.
KRR- Is there anything off limits in comedy?
AAF- For me personally, no. I'll accept anything, but have a tact for your
audience, and read the room. My audience will generally find things to
be on the more darker side of things.
KRR- On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being dead serious, and 10 being
non-stop jokes) what is the level of humor you usually prefer to read?
AAF- Depends. Chima, the hilarity was a solid 8. First Law, technically
would have been a 2 despite it being hilarious, because these are high
tension scenarios.
KRR- It's good to mix it up a bit, right?
AAF- Oh, absolutely, but it really depends on the tone of the work. If you
have a depressing book, nothing ruins it faster than an absurdist
joke. I immediately come to Attack on Titan, Season 3 part 2, you
know, where everything went to hell. So, some jackass thought it would
be a great idea to wreck houses, without any regards to the housing
insurance premiums the former residents were still paying for. The
nerve. Anyway, roofs were flying all over the place. Eren's a Titan,
the Scout's corp is pretty much gone, and Conny makes a joke: How does
it feel to have your roof over your head again? That was beautiful,
and not absurdist at all, and completely natural in an unnatural
situation.
KRR- Yeah. Tone is a tricky thing to get right!
What is the funniest thing you’ve ever seen/heard/read/written?
AAF- "I saw a kid crying in the corner once, so I went over and asked him
where his parents were. Man, I love working in the orphanage."
KRR- Ouch! Now I feel dirty (because I laughed, too).
With that joke in mind...while teetering on the razor’s edge of the all-consuming void,
is humor the best tool we have to fight the existential dread of a
finite and bewildering existence?
AAF- Probably, haha.
KRR- What projects do you have out in the world, and where can we find them?
AAF- I have a high fantasy series that's light hearted, and a new one, more
serious and less fantastical.
The Secrets of Terra Silenti, The Covenant, The Desecration of the
World, and The Holy Grail War.
Available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and some at your local