Blasphemies And Bloviation
Earl Carlson
ISBN: 9781419689765
Book Surge Publishing
Reviewed By Regina Kingston
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
"As
for me, I make no distinction between the great religions of the world
and the lesser known…so if I happen to offend some tenet that you hold
sacred, I plead not guilty to your charge of religious bigotry. I
blaspheme with equal facility in all faiths." Earl Carlson
And so the reader is bluntly introduced to Blasphemies And Bloviation,
an intriguing collection of short stories by Earl Carlson. Tackling
everything from unrequited love to time travel to religious vs. actual
history, Carlson's opus is an eye-opening treatise on the hidden
inclinations of nature that we all possess.
Consider, for
example, the tale of a sharp young professor who's approached by a
groupie of his – only she's from the distant future. Or a man who has a
deep conversation about life with God Himself – while both of them
enjoy a good smoke. Or a man who waits years to find his perfect woman
– then is quickly rejected by her when she tells him she's holding out
for her perfect man. And even a man who struggles with the concept of
eternity all his life – and one day is suddenly brought face-to-face
with the prospect of it. From beginning to end, Carlson's
thought-provoking stories bring the reader head-on with the everyday
preconceived notions to which we've all become accustomed – only in a
not-so-subtle plea to question precisely why we take such "truths" for
granted.
Perhaps the most salient aspect of Blasphemies And Bloviation
is Carlson's unabashed approach to the virtual reality of lives lived
in willful deceit. By confronting the accepted, mainstream paradigm of
human existence – over and over again – he manages to strip away the
thin outer layer of glib comfort, exposing its not-so-pleasant
underbelly of hard, jagged – but much-needed – truth. In doing so,
Carlson succeeds in invoking original thought in the reader in a way
that would not otherwise be possible via less straightforward means.
Unique, comical, and a bit askew – but ultimately effective – Blasphemies And Bloviation
accomplishes just what the author sets out to achieve: no matter your
background or faith, you will surely be equally offended and
enlightened by this unapologetic collection.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Earl Carlson (Blasphemies And Bloviation)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Earl. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
The stories in the collection are - to say the least - unique. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Earl Carlson: Usually, I don't know, myself, what the story will be about until I am well into it. Those involving the nature of time are exceptions, though. As I explained in the Afterward, the subject has intrigued me since early childhood, but I was in my forties when one night I woke from a sound sleep with the theory I offer in the book almost fully formed. On the other hand, when I first sat down to write Three Days Hence, I had nothing in mind but the name of the character, Ezekiel Qweeze. I find that often, once I get to know the characters, I can just turn them loose and follow wherever they lead.
AR: Were the stories all written concurrently, or have you composed them over time?
EC: Despite my answer to the last question, the stories don't come easily. I may write the rough draft over a period of a few days, but I rework them continually over several months – in some cases, years. So, though I may work exclusively on one rough draft, I may be rewriting several different stories at any given time.
AR: In the Forward of the book, you make it very clear that you don't seek to offend any single faith or belief system - but all faiths. What kinds of reactions have you gotten to the book from readers from all walks of life?
EC: Actually, I don't seek to offend anyone; it's just that I've found you can't say anything worth saying without offending someone. Often, the more people who are offended, and the more highly indignant they become, the more what offends them needs to be said.
It has come as almost a shock to me that no one has reacted, either adversely to or in support of any of my blasphemies. Of course, most of the feedback I have received either in person or from people I know personally. I suspect that many may have been offended to some degree, but declined to voice their objections. In fact, I believe my daughter was somewhat irked by certain passages, but, being a true Minnesotan, she has said nothing.
AR: Without giving too much away, where did you get the idea for the true origin of the Ten Commandments?
EC: This is one of those cases I mentioned, in which the characters lead the way and I just follow along. It is almost as though I had been a spectator listening in on a private conversation.
AR: Does the story of the young lover in "Waiting For Ms. Right" happen to be autobiographical?
EC: My initial reaction to this question was a definite "No!" This story came to me fully formed, and I sat down and wrote it in a few minutes. I really hadn't given it a great deal of thought. But, upon further reflection, I must admit that at least some of the women, with whom I have been involved over the years, might see in the protagonist a resemblance to me.
AR: Who have been some of your chief writing influences?
EC: That is not an easy question to answer. I can tell you who I was reading in my early, formative, years, and I can list for you some of my favorite authors. I can also tell you some, but by no means all, of the authors who have influenced me.
Of course, Mark Twain was my first favorite author, as I am sure he was to most American boys. But there was also Thorne Smith; I was absolutely fascinated with the fertility of his imagination. And I remember reading H. G. Wells' Outline Of History, Part I in practically a single sitting – breaking only for food and sleep – one summer when I was thirteen or fourteen.
Later I devoured the Russian writers. (They used to be called The Russian Classics, though I haven't heard that phrase in several years.) I preferred Dostoyeski, Gogol and Gorky to Tolstoy, Lermontov, Turgenev and Checkov, but I read whatever I could find. Also Andreev, Olesha, and a number of others whose names I no longer recall. Also among my favorites I remember Fitzgerald, Steinbeck and Saroyan, and the pithy wit of Dorothy Parker. Of course I enjoyed G. B. Shaw and Oscar Wilde; and I can't forget George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Somerset Maugham. The books, The True Believer, by Eric Hoffer and The Vintage Mencken influenced my thinking, though I should add, they reinforced – rather than gave birth to – my opinions. Stylistically, I believe Steinbeck was my most dominant influence, although I am sure there were many others. Lafcadio Hearne and Henry James come to mind. And I probably should admit that it was just after finishing a book of short stories by Saki, that I felt inspired to sit down and write Three Days Hence.
AR: Please share more with us about your experience with BookSurge Publishing.
EC: BookSurge is a digital publisher, which allows far greater flexibility since there is no typesetting involved. Within a couple of weeks from the time I sent them my manuscript, the book was available at Amazon.com. They also allowed me the final say in the design of the cover. When I am in a book store, if I can't clearly read the title and author of a book while it's on the shelf, the chances are I won't be tempted to pick it up. I wanted to make sure the title was clearly legible, both on the front cover and on the spine.
AR: What's next for you?
EC: I hope to have another book of short stories ready this fall, but the tone of the new stories will be quite different from those in this book. Many years ago, I wrote and edited a very frivolous newsletter for an organization we called The Society of Dirty Old Men, which we hoped would make us all rich, selling tee-shirts and souvenirs to college students. The organization is long gone, but, in some of the new stories, I have resurrected the setting and most of the characters that animated the newsletter.
AR: Where can people learn more about your writings and other efforts? Also, how can our readers contact you directly?
EC: My web site is www.earlcarlson.com. You may leave questions and messages there. I do operate another web site under a pseudonym, www.tc-lights.com, but I would recommend the former to anyone wishing to contact me.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
EC: I recently discovered a book, American Energies: Essays on Fiction by Sven Birkertz, that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone interested in writing, or to anyone who enjoys reading. The English language has no better advocate than Sven Birkertz.
AR: Thanks again, Earl, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
EC: The pleasure has been mine. I appreciate the opportunity to talk about myself.