The Jayne Mansfield Nuclear Project (Jayne Mansfield)

My short story collection, Candescent Blooms,  was published by Salt Publishing recently. I've previously posted here with regards to the background to the collection, and the fact that twelve Hollywood actors whose lives ended prematurely are the main characters in each of the twelve stories. As stated in that post, the intention in the run-up to publication is to focus on each actor with some snippets of information (both about them and the writing of their stories). These posts will follow the same format for each. Our eleventh character is Jayne Mansfield.

1: the reason for the title of the story

This was the second story I wrote after my Marilyn Monroe story. Before this, I hadn't realised I was working on a collection. One day I was listening to the song, "Confessions of a Psycho Cat", by The Cramps which contains the lines:

I'm the feathered serpent of the Aztecs

I've weathered the invasion of the insects

I invented the Jayne Mansfield Nuclear project

The Pope genuflects to gain my respect

Oh these are the confessions of a psycho cat...

Naturally, the Jayne Mansfield lyric stood out. I decided to write a Jayne Mansfield story. There could therefore only be one title.

2: why I chose that actor

As per the above. It was only after I wrote this story that I decided to write more of the same ilk, so until this was written I didn't know I had a potential collection on my hands.

3: one 'gift' that enhanced the story

Generally Mansfield's over-the-top persona fuelled this story: her wardrobe malfunctions, her pink palace, her zest for life. I'm glad it was only her wig that was in the footwell (she was not decapitated in that car crash as some reports suggested).

4: one thing I never knew about them

Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, named Jayne the High Priestess of San Francisco’s Church of Satan

5: an extract from the story

She shielded her eyes to the glare. An orange glow bled through her closed eyelids. Sometimes she wanted to be invisible but she had read that being invisible included your eyelids and you’d have no protection from the light. Yet, somedays she knew she was the most famous invisible woman and there weren’t nothing to shield her from flashbulbs and publicity and piercing public stares. Sometimes even clothed was to be naked.

6: what music I listened to whilst I wrote it.

You might think I wrote this story to that Cramps song on repeat, but actually I choose the moody b-movie music of The Raveonettes, in this instance their mini-album Whip It On. Still, I can't help but post Confessions of A Psycho Cat below:

Buy Candescent Blooms here.

The Girl With The Horizontal Walk (Marilyn Monroe)

My short story collection, Candescent Blooms,  was published by Salt Publishing recently. I've previously posted here with regards to the background to the collection, and the fact that twelve Hollywood actors whose lives ended prematurely are the main characters in each of the twelve stories. As stated in that post, the intention around publication is to focus on each actor with some snippets of information (both about them and the writing of their stories). These posts will follow the same format for each. Our tenth character is Marilyn Monroe.

1: the reason for the title of the story

One of the nicknames attributed to Marilyn Monroe was The Girl With The Horizontal Walk presumably due to a certain swinging movement of her hips. I thought it worked ideally as a title.

2: why I chose that actor

I couldn't not choose Marilyn Monroe. I wrote this story before I had any plans to write any of the others. This story was originally published as a standalone chapbook by Salò Press. There may be a handful of copies left in their store. When that was published, I posted extensively about why I wrote that story here.

3: one 'gift' that enhanced the story

I used the plot from the abandoned Monroe vehicle Something's Gotta Give as the basis of the plot for this story, with multiple identities interlinking. As Priya Sharma said in the introduction to that original chapbook, The more times I read it, the more I see. The more I think about it, the more Marilyn Monroe converges.

4: one thing I never knew about them

Marilyn was a great reader. She had four hundred and thirty books in her library.

5: an extract from the story

I play a photographer, Marilyn Monroe. I get to go platinum. Preferably a wig. Marilyn doesn't take great pictures, but she's always in the right place at the right time. Plus she's pretty - we know how many doors that opens, front and back. She carves out a career for herself, Life, Movieland, Modern Screen, all those covers. She gets invited to all the right parties, then some of the wrong ones. So there's then a photo of the president; in flagrante. Before you know it, she's killed.

6: what music I listened to whilst I wrote it.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I wrote this story listening to a Marilyn Monroe song compilation on repeat. Every baby needs a Da-da-daddy...

Buy Candescent Blooms here.

Oh, Superman (George Reeves)

My short story collection, Candescent Blooms,  was published by Salt Publishing recently. I've previously posted here with regards to the background to the collection, and the fact that twelve Hollywood actors whose lives ended prematurely are the main characters in each of the twelve stories. As stated in that post, the intention in the run-up to publication was to focus on each actor with some snippets of information (both about them and the writing of their stories), and this is also continuing after publication. These posts will follow the same format for each. Our ninth character is George Reeves.

1: the reason for the title of the story

Considering George Reeves was typecast as Superman and that I listen to music when writing fiction, then my musical choice had to be O Superman by Laurie Anderson, and therefore the story had to be titled Oh, Superman. Sometimes these things write themselves.

2: why I chose that actor

This man of steel died from a gunshot wound at the age of 45. Presumed suicide.

3: one 'gift' that enhanced the story

The double life of Superman/Clark Kent placed interesting parallels on this story which - similar to Carl Switzer's tale - also revolved around trying to shake off a character in their past.

4: one thing I never knew about them

I didn't know much about George before I read up on him, but as a consequence one thing I discovered was that telephone booths were once called silence cabinets.

5: an extract from the story

Young George runs through the streets of Galesburg, Illinois, over the Underground Railroad. He passes the Gaity Theatre where – in his birth year - the Marx Brothers received their nicknames. He has his own O, a hoop with a stick. It bounces over uneven ground and is eventually discarded, describing a parabola as it loops towards the hump yard.

6: what music I listened to whilst I wrote it.

As above, it had to be O Superman by Laurie Anderson on repeat. It took me twenty-four hours to write this story. That's a lot of listens. This year - driving to Ross on Wye on holiday - O Superman came up on the shuffle. I sang the "hah hah hah" bit word perfect non-stop for the next eight minutes twenty-two seconds. I am Superman.

Buy Candescent Blooms here.

Alfalfa (Carl Switzer)

My short story collection, Candescent Blooms,  was published by Salt Publishing recently. I've previously posted here with regards to the background to the collection, and the fact that twelve Hollywood actors whose lives ended prematurely are the main characters in each of the twelve stories. As stated in that post, the intention in the run-up to publication is to focus on each actor with some snippets of information (both about them and the writing of their stories). These posts will follow the same format for each. Our eighth character is Carl Switzer.

1: the reason for the title of the story

Quite simply, Alfalfa was the name of Carl's character in the Our Gang series of short films in which he made his name as a child actor (from the ages of 6 to 12). The nickname stuck, but shaking it off became crucial for future roles. Of course, even if he was always identified as Alfalfa, you can't be typecast as a child, so once you've grown there's nowhere else to go...

2: why I chose that actor

I was aware of - but had only occasionally seen - the Our Gang series. However when I put out a call for suggestions of male actors who had died untimely deaths, one of my Facebook friends (the writer, Peggy Wheeler), drew him to my attention. Carl was shot in an altercation over money when he was 31 years old. Another candescent bloom.

3: one 'gift' that enhanced the story

The fact that he had been a child actor. Layering that over his adult persona mirrored a role that he couldn't shake off. I was able to use that to my advantage.

4: one thing I never knew about them

As I was previously unaware of him, there was much I'd never known about him. However, I would add that I discovered alfalfa sprouts can induce systemic lupus erythematosus in monkeys but that alfalfa is good for high cholesterol, asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, upset stomach, and a bleeding disorder called thrombocytopenic purpura.

5: an extract from the story

A sequence of events is more complicated than a string of anecdotes, yet - just as when I urinated on the arc lights - it's only when everything hots up that the stench becomes noticeable.

6: what music I listened to whilst I wrote it.

I wrote the entirety of this story whilst listening to the album, "Buzzkunst", on repeat by ShelleyDevoto (being a Pete Shelley, Howard Devoto collaboration). It's a mix of experimentation and raw pop, suitable as a mood creator for this story.

Buy Candescent Blooms here.