More From This Author

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Books & Stories
Odd Birds (Collection)
Return to Deathlehem (Anthology)
Of Quills and Kings (Book I)
Walpole Unbound (Book II)
Dreams, Schemes, and Spiny Machines (Book III)
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Story Art Sneak Peek

Amazing Artwork By Daniela Rivera

“The Greatest Show on Earth”

Anthology: Uncanny & Unearthly Tales
Release Date: Oct 27th, 2023
Preorders: Paperback | Kindle
About the Author:ÂJoel lives in Northwest Lower Michigan with his family where he enjoys teaching, reading stories aloud with his family, Doctor Who, Oldies music, and fantasy role playing games . His stories have appeared in several anthologies, including Tales of the Unanticipated, Return to Deathlehem and Wild Musette. Scantic Press recently released, Odd Birds, his collection of twisted tales and tales with twists.
Q & A
How does it feel to have this story published for the first time?
It’s hard to compare the excitement of having a story published to anything else, but that excitement never goes away. It doesn’t matter how old an author gets, or if it’s your first story or your tenth, the thrill is still there.
What inspired the idea for your story?
I was standing in-line at the county fair in my hometown waiting to get on the Tilt-A-Whirl, when I saw a cart with two children disappear into the open mouth of a leering clown painted on the wall of the Haunted House ride. A moment later I heard them scream and that gave me the idea for this story.
We know that writing can be a tumultuous journey with a lot of obstacles, what is your kryptonite as a writer?
Time.
Tell us about your favorite author. What about their book(s) call to you and how do they inspire your own writing?
I fell in love with Ray Bradbury’s writing back in high school when I read his time travel story, “A Sound of Thunder,” in one of the big literature textbooks. From there it was off to the library, where I soon discovered THE OCTOBER COUNTRY and THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. I loved the utter strangeness and dark tone of both of these collections and I knew that I wanted to write stories like those.
Clearly, you’ve succeeded at writing a captivating story for GrendelPress, but we all start somewhere. What advice would you give yourself as a young writer?
Don’t be surprised or disappointed if your stories are terrible at first. Maybe for quite a while. But, if you keep at it, keep writing, one day you’re going to write a tale that other people will read and enjoy.
We’d like to argue that every good story makes both the author and the readers feel something. What perspectives or beliefs have you challenged with your story?
Monsters are all around us in places we least expect, and the worst kind are the ones we always seem to overlook until the police show up at our door one day asking questions.
What do you love most about your story’s genre?
The speculative genre allows so much freedom. The old Twilight Zone stories are still amongst my very favorite. I’ ve always loved that sense of dark irony and twist at the end: The last man alive, a bookworm, finds the library in the wreckage of a nuclear disaster, has all the time in the world now to read…and then proceeds to break his glasses.
What are some other genres you’d like to break into and why?
I would like to write an epic fantasy. I have never forgotten the excitement of reading THE HOBBIT for the first time, and then discovering there was another whole trilogy involving hobbits still ahead of me. I really think the challenge would be thrilling.
If you had to pick another story of yours to share with your readers, what would it be?
“The Runaway” – A boy runs away from the circus to find a family, and crosses paths with a mysterious stranger, who make him an offer he cannot refuse.