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Duane Simolke wrote The Acorn Stories, Degranon, Holding Me Together, Selected Poems, Sons of Taldra, and New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio. He also co-wrote The Return of Innocence and The Acorn Gathering: Writers Uniting Against Cancer. Three of his books received StoneWall Society Pride in the Arts Awards, and one received an AllBooks Reviewers Choice Award. His writing appeared in nightFire, Mesquite, Caprock Sun, Midwest Poetry Review, International Journal on World Peace, and many other publications. He lives in Lubbock, Texas.
As soon as I picked up your book, The Acorn Stories, I knew I was holding a gem. At what point in the writing process did you feel you were onto something special with these short stories?
When I started to realize that some of the stories connected back to others, and that they felt like everyday situations that my readers would find relatable. I always liked the humor, too, which seemed to bubble up naturally.
Many books of short stories contain a collection of unrelated stories. I love that the small town of Acorn, Texas connected all your characters and stories. What made you approach the book in this way?
I kept falling in love with the characters and settings, wanting to explore them more in other stories. Since I was using a fictional small town, it made sense that these people would know each other and interact. I soon caught myself using previous characters to introduce new characters and stories. Around the same time, I read Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio in a class at Texas Tech University; Anderson approached his short story collection in similar ways, and that book became an inspiration for The Acorn Stories.
Which character’s perspective was the easiest one for you to write and why?
Becky Blake. I love her creativity and the way she’s misunderstood. Only her husband seems to really see her, but that changes over time. Like me, she’s a Louisiana transplant who winds up in West Texas. Making her a woman instead of a man, a painter instead of a writer, and many other differences between us didn’t limit our connection.
One of my favorite stories was “Morgan Le Fay.” I loved Ms. Yolanda’s character and the predicament she finds herself in with this cat! What story stands out as one of your favorites?
“Come With Me,” though Ms. Yolanda’s story was a lot of fun to write. Exploring her dialect and personality made the story unfold quickly.
Who is your least favorite character and why?
Tyler Willard. He’s just repugnant. He isn’t the only villain in the book, but he takes joy in hurting and belittling people. I like letting him make him a fool of himself, though. My original name for him was Tyler Roadside, which seemed to fit but didn’t seem real.
I was shocked at how quickly I seemed to understand your characters—their hopes, their fears, their personalities, and even what motivated them. You conveyed that in a matter of just a few pages. What is it about your writing that can take all of that and condense it down into a digestible amount that allows your reader to connect with these people?
I keyed in on particular moments in their lives that would reveal a lot about them, or just showed how they responded to comments and situations. I wondered how those scenes would make me feel in real life, and I often became emotionally involved.
I actually prefer scifi as a reader and writer, but my ideas and interests never seem to confine themselves to scifi. I’m always writing about people and how they respond to the world around them, even if the world is in another dimension. The initial ideas just hit me out of nowhere. As I write or think about what I’ve written, more ideas keep coming. Despite my preference of scifi, I still suggest The Acorn Stories as a starting point for my books; I think most readers will relate to at least some of the characters and situations.
What can readers expect to see from you in the future?
My current project might take several years. It involves Argen, a character from my novels Degranon and Sons of Taldra. His mother and his twin brother often saved the day in those books, but I’m finally giving him more room to shine. I love revisiting characters and seeing what happened to them.
You have extensive experience as an indie author. What advice do you have for other indie authors?
Never release a book that contains multiple errors in spelling, grammar, or consistency; writing workshops and editors exist for good reason. Don’t believe the constant spam you’ll get that sending money to self-titled “influencers” or “marketing experts” will turn your book into a bestseller, no matter how many mirror accounts and indie author followers they can list. A quick Google search will find you plenty of free or low-priced book marketing options. Give your attention to book bloggers and other book reviewers; most of them are in it for the love of books, just like their readers. Carefully read the reviewers’ guidelines, and take the time to read their posts. Also, interact with the people who follow you back on social media by reposting them and replying to their posts, instead of just spamming them with constant ads for your book. Never spam anyone’s email or direct messages with book ads; that approach makes people not want to hear about you or your book. Keep writing for the love of writing.
What is the one question I didn’t ask that you wish I had?
I covered everything else I wanted to discuss in in my guest blog post, but I want to thank you for creating your blog and including me in it, as well as taking the time to read and review my book. Without the attention of dedicated book lovers like yourself, The Acorn Stories wouldn’t reach a large audience.
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