Q: What is Arlington?
A: A city in Michigan. Actually it’s more than a city, it’s a country where strange and often horrific things happen. Few people visit. Fewer still, ever manage to relocate. For some, this makes it the ultimate place to settle down and raise a dysfunctional family. Others might consider it the ultimate hell.
Q: Who are the main characters in the mythology?
A: Well, it all starts with the Despaire family. Years ago I discovered this Faulknerian history of Arlington which you can find [here] if you’re interested; maybe you can glean some meaning from it. There’s Melissa Despaire (the heroine of Arlington), Trenorial, Harry Plummel, Xavier, the male prostitute, and a bunch of others, who show up in a number of stories and occasionally do frustrating things like making wagers with demons and opening doors they really shouldn’t.
Q: Are you making this up as you go along?
A: Some of it. But the overall story of Arlington’s beginning and end are already mapped out. Besides, it wouldn’t be any fun if I didn’t make up the “middle bits.”
Q: If I buy the book will I get my money’s worth? I mean, this is a tough economy we’re living in.
A: Well, that last part wasn’t a question, but yes, I think Stories from Arlington gives you lots of bang for your buck: poems, a couple of novelettes, two comics, and a standalone zombie story by Abel Ramirez, which you can find on this site for free. See? Lots of free stuff. Think of Stories from Arlington as a very filling, very deep fried kind of appetizer with complimentary dipping sauces. You know you shouldn’t have had it before dinner, and it might spoil your appetite, but overall, it’s still worth it.
Q: Is every story bleak and horrific?
A: Not at all. There are some darkly humorous stories. Even others that could be considered fantasy and not horror. “Meat Left Out on a Kitchen Tabletop” is one of my happiest endings ever. The protagonist gets everything that he wants. Despite the obstacles, he triumphs through science.
Q: Why Arlington? Why not Castle Rock? Yoknapatawpha? Winesburg? Narnia? Middle-Earth? Wisteria Lane?
A: Those were taken (and no, I’m not a closet Desperate Housewives fan). I liked the sound Arlington made next to the word “Michigan.” When I began writing fragments and calling the town Arlington, I wasn’t aware of Arlington, Va. It just seemed the right choice.
Q: Is Cornelius Fortune a pen name?
A: No. Of course not. I make things up. The name’s the only thing about me that bears any resemblance to reality.
