Interview with Jeffrey Cummins, Author of 13 Stone Corners and Other Stories

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write 13: Stone Corners and Other Stories?

I started writing ghost stories when I got serious about writing fiction. I found my voice with ghost stories. Thirteen is my favorite number, so these thirteen stories are “shudder tales” of the old variety of ghostly encounters.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of 13: Stone Corners and Other Stories, what would they be?

A soundtrack to these tales would be Blue Öyster Cult’s “I Love the Night,” “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” “Lips in the Hills”; The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm,” “The Changeling,” “Break On Through”; Nick Cave’s “Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry,” “When I First Came to Town,” “I Had a Dream, Joe”; and The Cars’ “Let the Good Times Roll.”

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I like ghost stories, Stephen King–style horror and fantasy, epic fantasy, Philip K. Dick–style science fiction, postmodernism, and the classics by Poe, Verne, Melville, etc. What I read does influence me.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Both Fahrenheit 451 (a re-read) and Dear Fahrenheit 451.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Hard to tell, but I did enjoy writing about Shakespeare being scared by a paranormal encounter.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I sit at a large dining table with plenty of natural light. I drink coffee and then water. I do not snack while I write; it’s too distracting. I listen to classic rock, hard rock, and progressive rock while I write, so I make “soundtracks” for each project.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I write to discover. Discover what? Discover the story: the theme, the ending, and the meaning. It’s just a metaphor for how to live my life.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

How did it make you feel? What did you learn about the universe?

Jeffrey Cummins is the author of the new book 13: Stone Corners and Other Stories

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