H Felix Chau Bradley
I have a writing studio and even a room in which to write in my own apartment, but I always end up at the kitchen table. I have a lot of bookshelves, but all my books also end up on my kitchen table.
What do you feel is your best piece of work?
Anything in my head that I haven’t written down yet. Once I’ve written things down, I immediately find immense fault with the result. I did read a couple of very new pieces at a friend’s book launch this week, which I’d written by hand without much forethought, so that they felt almost new enough to not be embarrassing. But as I read them, I was still tearing them apart in my head.
What music have you been listening to lately?
Lots of summery 70s stuff: Shuggie Otis, Fern Kinney, Millie Jackson, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Marcia Griffiths, plus that beautiful Willie Dunn anthology that came out last year, Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies.
What’s in your fridge right now?
Eggs, green onions, pork dumplings, various sauces, an eggplant, kale, beer.
Who is the last character you related to and why?
He’s not exactly a character, but I read Lou Sullivan’s edited diaries, We Both Laughed in Pleasure, a while back, and related to/was inspired by a lot of it: his precociousness in childhood, romantic proclivities, gender-questioning, general horniness, ongoing reinventing of himself, & his dorky humour.
Have you ever failed at something you care about?
I’ve probably failed at everything I care about! But I keep trying to fail slightly less.
Last gift you received?
This past week, a friend made me a cute ceramic pot with a lid & another friend gave me a clipping of his lovage plant.
Favourite photo you’ve taken?
I’m always trying to take more photos of people I love, because those tend to be my favourite ones.
Best season?
I like the beginning of each season, when I’m not sick of its weather yet. I’m a cardinal sign.
Least favourite household chore?
I like every household chore as long as it’s a procrastination method.
Best outfit?
I went to LA in the spring and came back wearing a lot of colour, in an attempt to shift my moodiness into something more summer-appropriate. And perfume always helps an outfit move from okay to amazing. Lately I’m obsessed with Rouge by Comme des Garçons. It smells like beets and pink pepper and incense.
Do you like to write in the morning or at night?
I have a terrible time keeping to any sort of schedule. I think my writing comes out best in the mid-afternoon, before the doom sets in around 5-6pm.
When did you first receive praise for your writing?
In elementary school, and then not until my thirties.
What do you consider to be your first rejection?
I was a terrified high-achiever all through my childhood and teens, and felt socially rejected all the time because I was awkward and wasn’t allowed to watch tv or listen to the radio (my parents were trying to prevent my corruption–fortunately they failed), so I didn’t know how to talk to other kids or people in general.
Latest book you’ve read or favourite book ever?
I’m reading Mavis Gallant’s A Fairly Good Time, and loving it. She’s so sly and hilarious, I had forgotten that about her–either that, or this is by far the funniest book of hers I’ve ever read.
Anything you’d like to promote?
You can buy my book from bookstores all over (not Amazon!) or from my publisher’s website (https://metonymypress.com/shop/print-books/personal-attention-roleplay/). Or request it/borrow it from a library–did you know that authors get royalties when their books are borrowed from the library? I didn’t know this until I became one.
H Felix Chau Bradley is a writer living in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal). They are the author of Personal Attention Roleplay, a collection of stories. They are the fiction editor at This Magazine, an acquisitions editor for Metonymy Press, and the host of Strange Futures, a speculative fiction book club.
