An Interview with Vivian Herkes

I have been a literary critic for several newspapers and magazines such as Times Today: Radio Magazine for the duration of my twenty-year career. Over this time, I have read, analysed, and given my opinions on a wide variety of poets and authors. One in particular always stood out as having potential to me: Charlie Braeburn, or as he is more famously known, Mr. Preston.

Despite his writing having little to no sense to it and his words being no more than sentimental hogwash, I will say that the air of mystery in his writings does leave a sense of unfulfillment, and therefore a desire for more. I do believe that he had the potential to become a successful writer. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

To learn more about this mysterious man and his life, you’ll just have to read this book and the compilation of his writings.

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Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I’ve written two books with Atmosphere Press, The first, Disconnect, came easily as a title. It was a collection, where the stories didn’t connect and the characters didn’t connect, hence the title. Easy. The second, Heads & Tales, took longer. I went back and forth with various titles but something about the phrasing stuck with me. I still can’t explain why.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

It was amazing to see my first book cover, a dream manifesting itself in reality. My heart skipped a beat.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

Not entirely sure why I wrote. It was a compulsion, I think. I had so many ideas floating in my head of hypothetical situations and phrases to describe them. I just had to write. I was born to write.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I like to act. When I was younger, I went to drama school, wanting to be a famous actor. Trouble is, I always had my own ideas for scripts and would change lines into my own wording. I have since had a job as a scare actor, where I could improvise lines and create my own spooky personas. It’s really good fun!

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Seeing the cover. When I first saw the cover design, it was as if I had walked into my own fantasy world where I was a successful author. I’d dreamt about it quite a lot but never actually expected it to be real. When I saw the cover, it blew my mind. All I could think was, “This is it, I’m living the dream!”

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

All of John Lennon’s Imagine album. It’s one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s deeply personal, very moving, and sounds like poetry. In addition to this, maybe some early Dylan songs like “Mr. Tamborine Man.” I really like Dylan’s knack for storytelling songwriting.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

Take another look at the world from an outside perspective. Question everything, see the beauty of the world and the tragedy.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on my next book. It’s a collection of poems and short stories, not too dissimilar to my other work but in the experimental format of a fake newspaper.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

I’ve really enjoyed working with Atmosphere. They’re a great team of people who genuinely care deeply about the authors they work with and helping them producing the best book they can.

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.