Please introduce yourself and tell us about your background as a writer.
My name is Michael C. Tuggle, and I write speculative and mystery fiction under the name M. C. Tuggle. Born and raised in rural North Carolina, I grew up in an environment that stoked my imagination. I heard tales of the War Between the States and of former Indian settlements nearby. Within hiking distance of my home were the castle-like ruins of a gold smelting mill from the early 1800s, as well as the site where units of the Army of Northern Virginia were mustered out. Growing up on a tobacco farm, we spent our spare time finding Indian artifacts in plowed fields. Ancient lore has always fascinated and inspired me.

What are the most prominent influences on your writing? How do you incorporate those influences without being derivative?
In my teens, my favorite authors were Edgar Rice Burroughs and Jack London, whose works filled me with a love for the heroic and fantastic. Eventually, I devoured everything by Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, and Robert E. Howard. Both Spillane and Chandler were masters of the first person point of view, which is still my go-to perspective when I outline a story. The raw energy of Robert E. Howard's prose inspires many of the action scenes I write. Making a piece your own while consciously following in the stylistic and aesthetic standards of admired writers is both challenging and rewarding. The challenge is to compose in their spirit without using their words.

Philosophical influences on my writing include Richard Weaver, E. O. Wilson, and Wendell Berry. A yearning for the authentic drives my character and plot arcs. I view the quest for wholeness and integrity as grounded in the physical, nurtured by self-discipline, and realized through one's integration into society. Weaver and Mel Bradford explored the ideal of social bond individualism, which unites individual and societal well-being through shared duties and values. Modern life ignores our inborn nature as social beings, which I believe has left so many people bitter, isolated, and unfulfilled. The search for unity animates many of my stories.

I strive to make my writing reflect those goals through evocative and concrete word choices.

Many authors say marketing is one of their biggest challenges. What tactics have you found to be most effective for getting your name out there?
First, a writer's blog enables your readers to learn more about you. Second, promoting the work of writers you admire is a good way to make contacts. One of the regular features of my early blogging days was Best Fiction and Writing Blogs, which included links to stories and articles on writing I'd read and wanted to share. Finally, commenting on other folks' blogs is another way to get your name out.

How much do your audience’s expectations factor in to what you write? Does this ever cause you to hold back from experimenting?
Readers like and expect a consistent voice and worldview when they follow a writer. Staying true to my vision is, in my opinion, the best way to stay true to my readers.

Have you had any new stories published recently?
My story "Social Network" in Flash Fiction Magazine imagines social media as a Lovecraftian monster. "An Alignment of Wood and Water," published by The Quarterly Journal, is a fantasy tale about a carpenter and his dissatisfied client, an idealistic but meddling witch. In my sci-fi story "A Tree Amid the Wood," just released by Little Blue Marble, the protagonist subverts his caretaker's efforts to recover the secret of a living house that can solve both the environmental and housing crisis.

Are you currently working on any?
I have two horror tales looking for love in the slush piles, and am working on a retro sci-fi story that celebrates and mourns the lost art of shortwave monitoring.

Name one newer and one older book you have read and enjoyed recently. (“Newer” meaning from the past year or so, and “older” meaning written before 1980.)
S. T. Josti's The Recognition of H. P. Lovecraft was a true literary adventure. I am currently reading (and thoroughly enjoying) H. L. Menken's The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Any final words?
I appreciate the work you do at DMR, and want to thank you for contacting me for this interview. Also, I hope your readers will check out my writing blog at mctuggle.com.