{"id":1211,"date":"2020-06-16T00:59:44","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T00:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=1211"},"modified":"2020-06-16T00:59:51","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T00:59:51","slug":"five-questions-with-anthony-black-co-author-of-social-distancing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=1211","title":{"rendered":"Five Questions with Anthony Black, co-author of Social Distancing."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just recently, I shared some of my thoughts<\/a> regarding Social Distancing<\/em>, a collaborative project with Anthony Black. As we make this short story available on Amazon<\/a>, I ask Anthony some questions to gain a little insight in regards to this story. Anthony’s creative approach adds depth and uniqueness to this story. The world Anthony helps craft is not only relevant, but quite possibly right around the corner. In this interview, Anthony talks about the current social climate and how it lends itself to dystopia as well as his approach to writing. There’s also a Conan the Barbarian cameo you dare not miss!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without spoiling anything, what is your favorite thing about Social Distancing<\/em>, the story?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I think about it, it\u2019s the subtle connections and interactions that the main character has with the world. Much of his daily routine is second nature, yet  from the perspective of the reader, it\u2019s somewhat frightening to see what \u2018could be\u2019 in a society that is regulated to social distance as the \u2018new normal\u2019 so to speak, and how a person can accept the loss of free will.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is it about this year (2020) that lends itself so well to dystopian science fiction?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most obvious thing is the pandemic. For many years, you\u2019ve always heard about it as some horrible thing that may happen, and has happened, in the distant past, but it always felt like something out of a story, it didn\u2019t seem real, it wasn\u2019t tangible, and now suddenly, it was. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with all our knowledge and advances in medicine, we still were caught by surprise by the reality of a rapidly spreading virus that we ultimately had no real immediate control over.\u00a0 This revealed something to me. Points of crisis can happen so suddenly and influence a society so quickly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second thing is the reaction to the pandemic. While I feel much of what was done was justified to prevent the spread and to save lives, speaking strictly from an objective perspective, the actions taken to enforce quarantines, to close businesses, to make people wear masks, implies a sort of fragility to our freedoms. If the wrong people are in charge during a real crisis, and want to take advantage of such a situation, they likely will. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third not as obvious thing is the rapid progression of technology and its influence on society.\u00a0 Even without a pandemic, people aren\u2019t as directly sociable when they can text, or use the computer, or another form of technology.\u00a0 Social distancing seems to be a natural progression in tandem with technology.\u00a0 Additionally,\u00a0 technologies such as virtual reality, within the past year, have become more mainstream. That dystopian near-future science fiction you\u2019ve always seen in a Phillip K. Dick story is becoming more real.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many, this is their first time getting to know you – what are your writing strengths? Which genre do you most prefer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think some of my strengths include creativity, analysis, and planning. I like thinking about how the world the characters are in influences them and how they influence the world around them. I also like the idea of approaching a scene or setting from a different perspective and seeing how the story can change and grow based on an unusual choice.<\/em> While I love Fantasy, I tend to prefer Science Fiction a bit more. I find the endless possibilities of our future, for good or ill, very intriguing<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your favorite movie from the 80s, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a tough one. There are so many fantastic movies that I\u2019ve enjoyed growing up in the 1980\u2019s, but my favorite 80\u2019s movie is probably Conan the Barbarian. I love Robert E. Howard stories, and despite the limited acting ability of Arnold, the raw emotion and excellent soundtrack brings the story to life and drives Conan\u2019s quest for revenge to a fulfilling conclusion. I also always liked the idea of a forgotten civilization existing beyond our knowledge of history, where magic might have existed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you think we\u2019ll be revisiting the world introduced to us in Social Distancing<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d like to revisit the world if possible. The idea is strong and there is a lot of history that we (Will and I) can focus on. I think the potential is there for some really great stories and world building. So, we\u2019ll see as it comes to us!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for reading! Social Distancing <\/em>is out now for just 99 cents!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\"\"\n\n\n\n

Visit Anthony’s new Smashwords page here!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just recently, I shared some of my thoughts regarding Social Distancing, a collaborative project with Anthony Black. As we make this short story available on Amazon, I ask Anthony some questions to gain a little insight in regards to this story. Anthony’s creative approach adds … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6aT9B-jx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1237,"url":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=1237","url_meta":{"origin":1211,"position":0},"title":"Social Distancing available free on Amazon","date":"December 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Social Distancing is an experimental short story written in conjunction with my friend, Anthony Black. It is a story written during the early months of the pandemic that becomes more true by the day. SD brings us to a fragmented society where people live in solitary dwellings surrounded by all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1335,"url":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=1335","url_meta":{"origin":1211,"position":1},"title":"Random update","date":"February 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"So what's going on? Early feedback on Social Distancing, a collaborative work with friend and writer Anthony Black, has been great. We released it back in June, and since then the story seems to be fast on its way to becoming reality. We are working on another short story, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1198,"url":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=1198","url_meta":{"origin":1211,"position":2},"title":"New Release - Social Distancing","date":"June 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Social Distancing\" are two words we're all sick and tired of hearing, but when Anthony Black and I started developing our latest project they were just coming onto the scene. We were quick to realize there's a level of shock to our collective cultural conscience that will be felt for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/willbly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Social-Distance.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":310,"url":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=310","url_meta":{"origin":1211,"position":3},"title":"Twisted short stories","date":"April 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ethereal Princess has been submitted. A first draft of a project known as \"Happy Village\", a dystopian short story, has been finished with Anthony Pellegrino. A first draft of a horror story has also been finished with Anthony Pellegrino. The name is seriously too good to share. Well, in our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books, Novellas, and Stories"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1219,"url":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=1219","url_meta":{"origin":1211,"position":4},"title":"\"Social Distancing\" hits Amazon for 99 cents","date":"June 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Plague has ravaged humanity in waves, mutating beyond every vaccine that\u2019s ever been administered. In a fallen society, Travis and Olivia love each other. However, strict social rules prevent them from being together. They must now overcome fears and anxieties left by the losses of their families and friends.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":301,"url":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/?p=301","url_meta":{"origin":1211,"position":5},"title":"Ethereal Princess, a collaborative short story.","date":"March 31, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I may very well have my imperfections, perhaps, but I assure you lechery is certainly not one of them.\" So claims John, the anti-hero of the adventurous, satirical take on the \"damsel in distress\". Co-written with Anthony Pellegrino, Ethereal Princess brings us face-to-face with creepy villains and greasy goblins. Join\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books, Novellas, and Stories"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1211"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1211"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1223,"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1211\/revisions\/1223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/willbly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}