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On Friday, August 3 we hosted a Twitterview with author J.W. Schnarr, author of Things Falling Apart.

A Twitterview is an interview that takes place on Twitter in 140 character or less bursts. Five Rivers’ Twitterviews always take place under the hashtag #5RTwitterview, and if you set your Twitter search for that hashtag, it’s easy to follow the discussion.

What follows is a transcript of our Twitterview with Schnarr.

@5rivers Welcome to the#5RTwitterview with@jwschnarr, author of ‘Things Falling Apart’ 5rivers.org/contents/en-ca…

@5rivers Tell us about yourself.#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterview I’m an award-winning journalist from Claresholm, AB who also writes horror, and horror-related products. 

@5rivers And tell us about your collection of short stories, ‘Things Falling Apart’#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewThings Falling Apart is a collection of new & prev. pub stories spanning 8-10 years or so. A bit of everything.

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterview I put it out as an eBook last year, and this year it was scooped up by @5rivers, and came out in print and ebook.

@5rivers Why write horror? #5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr: I write horror because I love it. & because under the makeup & gore are real issues for people to work through#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterview I also think people are naturally attracted to the dark and uncomfortable parts of the world. I know I am, muahaha

@5rivers What causes the inspiration for a story?#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewWriters will tell you stories come from everywhere, and it’s true for me too. There’s nothing specific…

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview Just the world & everything in it. Everything I read/see/think has these threads sprouting off them constantly

@5rivers: You use some pretty graphic material in your work. Can you explain why?#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterview I blame Poppy Z. Brite and Clive Barker mostly, lol. My primary influences have been writers who push boundaries…

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewBut I think just being detailed is sometimes seen as being gruesome, and I’m always trying to capture the real world

@5rivers #5RTwitterviewAnd good horror should shock you a little, or make you squirm. it’s HORROR, lol. Get your hands sticky and love it.

@5rivers Is there ever a message or moral you’re trying to deliver, or are you simply entertaining?#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview Message yes, moral no. It’s therapy to write them…

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewBut for morals, Almost never. I’m not interested in telling you how to think, I want to share what Im thinking.

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview … & I like to think it helps make connections w/ readers, which is a big goal.

@5rivers I understand you’re also a journalist with the Claresholm Free Press. Does being a journalist impact on your writing style? #5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview Local Press: the last year of doing it has fundamentally changed my writing.

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview I think people will really see the difference …

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview between stuff I write now and what I was doing a couple years ago.

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview It’s made me a better writer, like my work has been skinned.

@5rivers You’ve also written other work. Tell us about that.#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewThe biggest is Alice & Dorothy, and came out last year. Alice in Wonderland v. Wizard of Oz v Thelma and Louise…

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewIt’s a rock’n’Roll love story dealing with sex, drugs, and murder, and I’m very happy with how it turned out…

@jwschnarr:#5RTwitterview As my first book it was really a learning experience…and 5 rewrites later I had learned quite a lot, lol.

@YouDoPR #5RTwitterview Curious about advice you have for authors on book marketing. What is your experience? Thanks!#YouDoPR

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterview I like a mix of in person (cons, libraries, etc) and online. Reviews are great b/c they work for both.

@EvelynWreckage #5RTwitterview@jwschnarr Does the journalism cut in to your fiction-writing time, or energy?

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterview It definitely does. In fact, I shut down my publishing company in part because of time commitments to work.

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterview It’s all about making time, these days. and being selective about what I take on.

@doodlesally #5RTwitterview Do your ideas come from real life?

@doodlesally#5RTwitterview Sorry I missed this! They definitely do, but also from books, movies, TV, the internet…random thought.

@5rivers #5RTwitterview Understand you’ll be at When Words Collide in Calgarywhenwordscollide.org

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewYeah I will! I was there last year and LOVED it. I’m back this year to pimp TFA and meet up with more awesome people

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewAnyone who would like to get in touch with the world of Canadian fic. should go. It’s good for the community.

@5rivers #5RTwitterview And the launch of ‘Things Falling Apart’ will be When Words Collide.

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewDefinitely. I’ll be shaking hands, pinching cheeks, and kissing babies. Might sign a few books while I’m there.

@5rivers ‘Things Falling Apart’ can be found @koboAmazon, Indigo, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords & other online retailers.#5RTwitterview

@jwschnarr @kobo#5RTwitterview and the paperback is huge! Seriously, come to WWC, get it signed, and bring help to get it to your car.
@5rivers #5RTwitterview with@jwschnarr. Thanks for being with us. Good luck with the launch! Expect reports when you return.

@jwschnarr #5RTwitterviewThanks guys! See you all at@WWC_Calgary !