Below is an interview with New Pulp Tales author and editor, E.C. Skowronski! What inspired your recent story, The Doomed Voyage? The Doomed Voyage started—as many pulp stories have—with one simple idea: “Uh,
Below is an interview with New Pulp Tales author and editor, E.C. Skowronski!
What inspired your recent story, The Doomed Voyage?
The Doomed Voyage started—as many pulp stories have—with one simple idea: “Uh, when’s my deadline?”
But seriously, I had wanted to write another sci-fi story after the fun I had with Beyond the Black back in 2022 and was just looking for the right hook to reel me in. The moment of inspiration hit during a conversation with some friends where someone (I honestly can’t remember who, though it might have been me) brought up some comparisons between the heroes and demigods of Greek mythology and modern-day superheroes. And that got me thinking about how many of those same tropes were classics of pulp fiction as well—the larger-than-life hero setting out against unwinnable odds and returning victorious anyway. And so, I set out to write a (short) sci-fi retelling of The Odyssey (though with enough little changes to make the story my own), which became The Doomed Voyage.
How did the Chronicles of Westport come about?
The Chronicles of Westpost started (around twenty years ago now) as a homemade tabletop roleplaying game my family played, shamelessly stealing elements from Dungeons and Dragons, Lord of the Rings, and a handful of other intellectual properties. We played those games (almost exclusively with the same characters) for years while I was growing up. While I was at college studying—among other things—creative writing, my dad (and co-writer, Rick Skowronski) got it into his head to craft a novel out of those stories we’d played through years before. That became the first draft of Syren’s Call (which he published through a small self-publishing group at the time, with minimal success). Later, (after my time studying popular fiction at Seton Hill University with most of the fine fellows you’ll find on this site) Dad and I sat down with his draft and talked about what worked, what didn’t and what needed to happen next. Together, we came up with the ideas that eventually turned the one book into a full-fledged trilogy.
Who are some Pulp Writers you enjoy?
In no particular order: SJ Langland, Shawn Ewing, David Henry, MJTR, and Jeremiah Dylan Cook, those guys are great.
Of the more classic Pulp writers, I have a particular fondness for Robert E Howard, Raymond Chandler, and H. P. Lovecraft Their styles (both in similarities and differences) have really helped shape the way I think about pulp writing. Along, of course, with other greats like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dashiell Hammett, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K Dick.
Is there any guidance you’d give to someone looking to write Pulp?
Start writing. Style, consistency, even plot and characters can all be reworked, touched up, or rewritten, if necessary, but until you have words on a page it’s all just a fantasy. Pulp is a great place to start, because (in general) it is a very forgiving style. So, get into it, write something—even something bad—and see what worlds of the unknown you can discover.
Do you have a recent work you’d like to spotlight?
Obviously (as of this interview) The Doomed Voyage is my most recent work, and if you haven’t read it yet, well what are you doing here? Go check it out! Besides that (and the other wonderful tales that can be found across this site), you can look for Syren’s Call the first book of the Chronicles of Westpost—along with the rest of the trilogy, which is all out now. I have some more fantasy novels in the works, but unfortunately nothing close enough to ready to announce yet.
But stick around here, because next week we will be back with…well, I’m not sure yet, but it’s going to be great!
Managing Editor Jeremiah Dylan Cook here, it’s going to be a review related to the pulp hero known as The Shadow. Tune in next week for that.
You can learn more about E.C. Skowronski on his website, ECSkowrnski.com, and follow him on X at @ECSkowronski.