![\"jeff_musillo_cover\"](\"https:\/\/www.matthewcoxbooks.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/jeff_musillo_cover.jpg\")
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Greetings \ud83d\ude42 Today I have the pleasure of interviewing author \/ artist \/ actor Jeff Musillo. His latest novel, The Eternal Echo, released a few months ago (Feb 10).<\/p>\n
Blurb<\/strong><\/p>\n The Eternal Echo is a terrifying story, equal parts literary and horror. Doctor David Ravensdale is a madman who conducts an experiment by adopting a baby and raising him from infancy to adulthood, strictly by use of technology. The Good Doctor believes he is attempting to discover the key to the human psyche, and conducting one of the most significant experiments known to man. In actuality, he\u2019s raising a murderous monster. The Eternal Echo is a millennial mix of Frankenstein and American Psycho. You will never look at your computer the same way again.<\/p>\n Thanks for having me! My name is Jeff Musillo. I\u2019m currently living in Brooklyn. I\u2019m the author of The Ease of Access, Can You See That Sound (poetry), Snapshot Americana (non-fiction), and my latest novel is The Eternal Echo. I also paint and have had the chance to show my artwork at various shows in NY. I sometimes act. The next project I\u2019m in is a pilot for HULU called, Shelter. They\u2019re doing the final edits for that pilot now. I\u2019m excited to see how it all comes out.<\/p>\n With this book, at first, I wanted to make a story that was a bit more lighthearted. But that didn\u2019t happen. The more the protagonist developed the more he took control and guided the story to where it was supposed to go, which is into darkness and horror. The protagonist – Doctor David Ravensdale – is a madman who conducts an unusual experiment. He adopts a baby boy and raises the child from infancy to adulthood, strictly by use of technology.<\/p>\n Ravensdale believes he is attempting to discover the key to the human psyche, and conducting one of the most significant experiments known to man. In actuality, he\u2019s raising a murderous, psychotic monster.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t really have a most comfortable or favorite genre. I like playing around with different ideas and feelings. I try to not overthink what I should do or even what I want to do. If a story feels authentic I pursue it, no matter the genre. I suppose it\u2019s all about what clicks at a certain time.<\/p>\n I recently finished reading a memoir where the author wrote about how her emotions and viewpoints are similar to an old school radio, the type with a dial, and how she just keeps turning the dial until something clear comes through. I think writing is sometimes like that.<\/p>\n There have been a number of writers who have influenced me a great deal. Hunter S. Thompson. Charles Bukowski. Kurt Vonnegut. John and Dan Fante. Chuck Palahniuk. Bret Easton Ellis. Hubert Selby Jr. Marquis De Sade. To name a few. But I also think of my home state as a major influence. I grew up in New Jersey. A friend of mine who is not from Jersey once looked me over and said of my outfit, \u201cYou Jersey guys are weird. You never know if you\u2019re going to a club or a dive bar or are going to build a house or teach some class.\u201d He said this because I was probably wearing something like work boots with jeans with a light sweater under a blazer and some gelled up hair. But I think there\u2019s something to that. There are a bunch of individuals from New Jersey with the ability to exhibit a whole range of different personalities. And that has definitely influenced my writing.<\/p>\n I like that! Like a treasure hunt. Now I\u2019m going to be looking for that in everybody\u2019s books. The only habit I have is that I go outside to smoke a cigarette after I complete a page. So these damn words are killing me. But, in actuality, I do find that taking a step away every now and then helps me a lot. It sometimes helps me see an angle in the story that I wasn\u2019t noticing before.<\/p>\n Is it labeled as counseling somewhere? That\u2019s pretty funny. I hope no one finds a counseling vibe in it, at least not in the sense of obtaining advice. The story is about an apathetic male prostitute who is hired to service reality TV stars. It\u2019s dirty and peculiar but I think it does have some philosophy in it as well. It was published a couple years back by an independent financier, but people have said there\u2019s some similarity between one of the characters in the novel and someone who is currently running for President.<\/p>\n I hardly ever outline. It might be because I can occasionally be a bit impatient. The thing is though, I love letting the story take itself where it wants to go. When I overthink things the writing stops being fun for me. And that\u2019s really the main reason I\u2019ve been writing for as long as I have \u2013 because I find it really fun.<\/p>\n Each project was a lot of fun simply because I had the desire to do it and wasn\u2019t being pushed into it. But there have been moments or sections in certain projects that I didn\u2019t necessarily enjoy working on. There\u2019s a scene in The Eternal Echo that involves sexual abuse and I found it really difficult to write. It made me incredibly sad.<\/p>\n Oh I don\u2019t know that phrase. What\u2019s that mean?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve had a lot of funny conversations in connection with The Ease of Access. Due to the content in that book, a good number of people have informed me about some of the unusual sexual scenarios they\u2019ve had. Their stories were sometimes humorous. They were also sometimes pretty damn uncomfortable.<\/p>\n The most surprising thing I found is how each book after the first one is still difficult to get published. I was na\u00efve. I thought it would be smooth sailing after publishing my first novel. Don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s become slightly easier, but it\u2019s still hard work to get the stories out there. But that\u2019s good. I believe the struggle keeps me hungry and pushes me to write better. It makes me learn more. I think discomfort goes a long way. It keeps people on their toes. Possessing total convenience is a good way to become indolent.<\/p>\n I\u2019m currently writing a story about the return of Jesus, but in this story no one knows he\u2019s actually Jesus, so he\u2019s treated almost as if he\u2019s homeless as opposed to supernatural. It\u2019s a strange one so far.<\/p>\n Hell no! My characters are creepy and dejected and often alarming. I think they\u2019re fascinating from a distance, but I wouldn\u2019t even want to be in a room with them.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a tough. There are so many great novels. But if I could read only one book for the rest of my life I think I\u2019d have to say Ham on Rye by Bukowski. It\u2019s got everything. Humor. Sadness. Relatability. Perseverance. Although Bukowski probably wouldn\u2019t use that word \u2013 Perseverance. I think he would just call it living.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve actually been speaking with a Finnish Director about a possible adaptation. He made a really interesting horror\/comedy film called Bunny the Killer Thing. He\u2019s a cool guy, so it would be amazing if that all came together. But if that doesn\u2019t work, I was thinking about stalking out and begging Darren Aronofsky. That shouldn\u2019t be a problem, right?<\/p>\n Links<\/strong><\/p>\n Website: http:\/\/jmusillo.wix.com\/jeffmusilloart<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jeff.musillo<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greetings \ud83d\ude42 Today I have the pleasure of interviewing author \/ artist \/ actor Jeff Musillo. His latest novel, The Eternal Echo, released a few months ago (Feb 10). Blurb The Eternal Echo is a terrifying story, equal parts literary … Continue reading
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