Frequently Asked Questions

Jubal County Questions

• How did you come up with Howard Marsh?

  • I get asked this a LOT. It would be the biggest F in FAQ. You can find multiple podcasts where I answer this more in depth. But in short, a number of elements all came together over the span of a few years or so, including:

    • Getting to know an eccentric artist (and addict) in the backwoods of Alabama who I thought 'man, if anyone was a wizard it would be this guy.'

    • I was writing a bunch of short stories that were very Southern Gothic in flavor, based on my life in South Alabama. They all took place in Jubal County, though I didn't realise it then.

    • I gave a ghost tour to a rural cemetery one night, and during that found a Spell Jar. A real one. That led to me investigating southern hoodoo.

    • The punk rock social club I was a part of at the time started renting a storage shed to act as a clubhouse. We had one member who all but moved in. That's what got me thinking 'man, I guess you could live in one of these if you had to.'

• Why meth? Why an addict?

  • I have known a number of people over my years who are not going to have a happy ending because of meth/heroin/crack/etc. I wanted to write a series where by the end, my main character would have such a happy ending. A multi-book series written in honor of those who won't, and the people who loved them. 

• Where do you get your story ideas from?

  • I live in the deep south. It gets weird here.

Bob Specific Questions

• What the fuck is wrong with you?

  • There was a window in time between when my parents divorced and my dad remarried, back when I was a toddler. During that gap I once fouled a diaper so badly that my dad took me outside in the middle of February and hosed me off. I think that's when it all started. 

• Will you blurb my book for me?

  • I've been in your shoes, reaching out and asking for folks to blurb. It's hard, I totally get it. That said...maybe. I am super busy. You will have a decent chance if I know you, and we have some sort of established connection. If you are a random author reaching out, it's less likely. Either way, understand that if I do agree to blurb, I will probably not have time to read the entire book. I will read enough that I can give an honest blurb, but beyond that I make no promises.

• When is the next book coming out?

  • My goal each year is to have two books come out. But every year since I have been doing this I have had at least one come out. So six months to a year is generally a safe bet.

• Coke or Pepsi?

  • There is no god but Coke, hallowed be its name. 

• What got you started on your Transparency stuff?

  • When I was starting out, I had no one to talk to about all this stuff. I didn't have any author friends. I had no point of reference on if what I was doing was good/bad/somewhere in between. Around this time I started a goal I called 365to1k, which was a goal I had to be making at least 1,000 bucks a month doing all this. I decided to be very transparent with that (spoiler: it took longer than a year to get there). 

• Can I tell you a joke?

  • I'm offended you are taking the time to ask, instead of just telling me the joke.

Game/Podcast/Other Project Questions

• Can I be on your podcast?

  • Maybe? Go to talesbybpod.com and reach out. There is a potential guest form on there. 

• How the hell do you do all this stuff?

  • It looks like a lot. I mean, it is a lot. But let's be clear: I did not start out one day doing all these things. I have been building my brand for over a decade now. Also, I don't do all things at all times.