It's been more than a year since The Commons first published an interview with writer Alexander R. Knight, author of the horror/science fiction short story volume Victoria's Place. Now Knight is back with a promising new “novelette” entitled After the Sun, a chilling horror story about a small group of people who end up trapped on the shoals of a lake after an apocalyptic event.
The story, which Knight wrote back in 1998, had a promising start but a very long journey toward publication ahead of it.
“I was living in Portsmouth N.H., and was a stringer for the [Portsmouth] Herald, selling some of my first short stories when I was still in my 20s. I was talking to a buddy of mine and I had the idea for a horror story in the back of my mind. The kind of story that is what I was thinking of writing.
“He said, 'We've got some tickets for a fishing cruise out to Isles of Shoals [a popular fishing ground.]' I didn't have the money, but I couldn't go. I was really bummed. I was still thinking of the story and I thought 'Wouldn't it be cool to think about someone [stranded] out on one of those islands?' Then I had to think of what caused the overall event anyway - what could I think of as sort of a catalyst for this apocalyptic event?
“And then I thought 'My God, that's it!' I sat down [to write] and kept going like a house on fire.
“Anke Kriske, my writing instructor from Longridge Writers' Group, loved [the story.] She sent it back and said it had to get published. That was kind of a boost. Eventually I got tired of sending it out and getting it kicked back to me.”
Knight also says that he never gave a thought to how long or short the story was going to be, since a common reason for rejection of the story was its length. He says sometimes it was called too long or too short.
“A short story is up to 7, 499 words. A novelette is 7,500 to 17,499. So, at about 7,800 words, 'After the Sun' qualifies officially as a novelette. I said, 'to heck with the traditional writing guidelines.' I write what pleases me, and I find that's what pleases people who read it.”
Knight also doesn't like to polish his past stories, like some authors do.
“In terms of not 'polishing' my stories years after the fact, it seems to me that a writer of any competence in the first place should stand behind his or her work, regardless of when it was published and where that writer was at back then.
“I like to show my own progression,” he continued. “I like to show you where I was then so you can contrast it against the here and now. If I find an essentially good story with one or two grave structural flaws, I'm not against a minor revision in that vein - but to go through the whole thing with a fine-toothed disapproval of the past? No. Not for me.”
Knight contributed After the Sun to a collection by his friend and writing colleague Dustin Warburton, who was compiling a book called Mortician's Food.
“Dustin and I met three years ago in Union Institute and University, and we've been friends and collaborators ever since. Dustin said he didn't have enough material for his next volume, which was originally under contract with the same publisher of Victoria's Place. Right around the time I sent the contract back, the publishing company sent 'Sun' back after accepting it and said they were out of print. I was never really able to find a home for it, so I said “This would be perfect for a book called Mortician's Food!'”
Without giving away too much of the plot of “Sun,” Knight describes it as “a blending of horror and science fiction. It's a fast-paced thriller that hopefully keeps you interested. It kind of touched upon a lot of details of things that were running through my head at the time. It has a beautiful setting, but is pretty creepy.”
In addition to his fiction writing, Knight is currently a news analyst for the Center for a Stateless Society, which “brings free market anarchist thinking and humorous libertarian writing to the media. I still contribute [freelance work] to Strike the Root, but I'm on a time schedule with the Center to produce news analysis on a monthly and weekly (for a commentary column) basis.”
He is still working on a novel that he mentioned last year, called The Morris Room, and hopes to be done with it by the end of August this year.
“I'm finishing up my bachelor's degree in December, but by then I should have a polished manuscript. I really want to try to use that to break into a New York publisher, like Simon and Schuster. Morris Room is an egg I'm taking out of the basket and using to go off in a different direction.”
Knight, who has been a fan of Stephen King for many years, was fortunate enough to have a chance to give him a personal copy of Victoria's Place at one of King's book-signing for his book Under the Dome.
King not only read it, but liked it.
“Last December, Victoria's Place got right into the hands of Stephen King. Reputedly, he likes it. I got a signed copy of Under the Dome at Manchester Middle School and High School. Chris Morrow, (owner of the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center) was coming out of a side door of the gym. They were bringing out hardcover copies after he had signed them, in a separate room just signing books.
“People [seated next to me] said, 'You'd better go and do what you're planning on doing now.' Introduced myself, gave Chris a copy of VP to give to King. He opened up to the first story, said 'It starts off well enough,' read a little more and then he looked up again and said 'This is pretty good!'”
High praise indeed. Knight said he e-mailed Morrow and “thanked him for making a dream come true.”
“I think we'll [King and I] cross paths again before all's said and done,” said Knight.