The Lowdown with... Maurice Broaddus

Maurice Broaddus’ fiction has been published in numerous venues, including Asimov's Science Fiction, Cemetery Dance, Apex Magazine, and Weird Tales Magazine. He co-edited Streets of Shadows (Alliteration Ink) and the Dark Faith anthology series (Apex Books) and was the author of the urban fantasy trilogy, Knights of Breton Court (Angry Robot Books).

1. Tell us three things about yourself.
a. I have dual citizenship, as a U.S. and British citizen. So I can flee the country on short notice.
b. I am the husband of one, father of two, and was recently talked into letting my youngest adopt a kitten. Which we named Ferb.
c. If I had my career to do over again, I probably would have pursued tap dancing.
 

2. What was the first thing you had published?
Well, the FIRST thing I had published was a letter in the back of the Starman comic written by James Robinson. The first story I had published was my story “Soul Food” in the inaugural issue of Hoodz Magazine.
 

3. Which piece of writing are you proudest of?

Maybe my story “Cerulean Memories” from the Book of the Dead anthology or “Under a Concrete Hill,” an unpublished piece. Or the second book of my Knights of Breton Court series, King’s Justice. It depends on which day you ask me.

4. …and which makes you cringe?
Probably any piece I published early in 4theluv markets. Granted, it was only a half a dozen or so stories which went that way before I decided to pursue pro-paying markets only. Needless to say, they will never make it into any collection of mine and I refer to them collectively as my “porn past”.
 

 5. What’s a normal writing day like?
Ideally, I write on my breaks at work (once in the morning, lunch, and once in the afternoon). I also take extended bathroom breaks so that I can get my reading in (so much so that I’m pretty sure my manager thinks I have some sort of stomach disorder). That evening, I plan out what I plan to write the next day so I can just jump to it.
 

6. Which piece of writing should someone who’s never read you before pick up first?
I typically recommend King’s Justice (Angry Robot Books) or the novella, I Can Transform You (Apex Books), since it also has my story “Pimp My Airship” in it.
 

7. What are you working on now?
A horror novel collaboration with Wrath James White. A sf/crime novel collaboration with Jason Sizemore. A steampunk novel (the novelization of “Pimp My Airship”). And mixing in a couple short stories to keep me sane. I should have a short story collection coming out next year.