ποΈ H.C. Ricci β An interview with the author of NO SOLICITORS
Do you have any desire to live out in the middle of nowhere?
I think itβs no secret that the idea of solitude in nature possesses a strong romantic appeal. Thereβs a reason that the Wanderer above the Sea of Fog has been used as a bookcover for some of the most seminal works of the nineteenth century, including both Frankenstein and Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Wilderness and desolation provide scope for the uncanny and otherwise unimaginable to occur. They also serve as romantic backdrops for adventure stories and useful literary devices for exploring the depths of a characterβs psyche. From Heart of Darkness to The Mountains of Madness, and from The Shining to The Lighthouse, remote wildernesses allow us to ponder our place in the broader universe while also examining the human condition.
I myself have spent many glorious afternoons wandering through lonely hillsides or exploring empty coastline, and many weekends driving down desert roads into the remote badlands of Baja. And like a lot of people, the idea of becoming a hermit and disappearing into a far away wilderness serves as a sort of escapist fantasy, a psychological safe place whenever I feel overwhelmed with responsibility or bored by the drudgery of daily life.
What is it exactly the King in Yellow is trying to achieve?
Itβs an essentially unknowable mystery, because to learn who the King in Yellow is and what he wants involves loosening your grip on sanity so much that you lose yourself entirely. To understand the cosmos through his perspective, you have to first let go of everything you think you know, casting away all pretensions of personhood. In the words of Rust Cohle from Nic Pizzolattoβs True Detective, βAll you love, all you hate, all your memories, all your pain, it was all the same thing. It was all the same dream.β
The true horror of the King in Yellow is the possibility of dogma-shattering revelations rendering our entire understanding of the universe completely meaningless, leaving us face to face with naked nihilism. He embodies a sort of existential dread that humanity has been wrestling with for centuries.
One of the great terrors of weird fiction is the possibility of confronting an intelligence so much greater than our own that their motives are unknowable. It would be like an amoeba trying to guess at our desires and motivations.
How many times has this story been rejected by other markets?
Just once actually.
Whatβs a great short story youβve read recently?
I recently came across a lit RPG short story on Dream Theory Media that I really liked by Michael M. Jones. Itβs called βTraining Day in the Blackdeep Dungeonβ and you should definitely check it out.
What book are you reading right now?
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett. Itβs my first introduction to the Discworld series, and while it took me a second to find my footing, I absolutely adore Pratchettβs sense of humor and the logical insanity that governs his world.
Do you have anything else youβd like to share?
My story βFurthest Ilionβ is now available in the Harvey Duckman anthology Knot On Tree, Fire On Stone: Curse On Axe and Bloody Thrones. A fun spin on the Homeric question, itβs about hope in a dark age.
Iβm also excited to share that my story βThe Wrath of Florida Man & the Quest for Interdimensional Hot Sauceβ will appear in foofarawβs printed anthology in the fall. I feel like every story I write feels like the best story Iβve written while Iβm at work creating. Itβs only after some time passesβafter you set it down and start something newβthat you can actually look at it at a distance and assess the merit of your own writing. Iβve written several stories since then and still rank it as one of my best, so Iβm unbelievably excited to finally see it in print.
Also, on a completely different note, I started a Substack for work that deals with all things culinary which you should also check out: https://chefworks.substack.com/