I wanna introduce my next guest just a lil bit different. Walk with me on this. The October Sessions, this series is about vibe. Energy given, taken, given back, and somehow transformed along the way. It's about handing over a question to my guests and just letting them run with it. I wanna cultivate that feeling where you, the reader, are chilled off in the cut but all up in the mix, y'know? Vibe. My next guest is the brilliant Bryanna Gary. You read her tweets, her blog, her Instagram posts. That's what you get.
"C'mere and check this out. Cool, right?" And that, my friends, could be a pair of earrings she's sporting, or her latest blog entry.
Shall we? Let's.
KD: Okay so, my usual lead-in question. That overall picture of you. Give us a scope of what makes you...Bryanna.
Bryanna Gary: I’m a little baby in publishing who loves books, video games, and collecting things. Namely lesbian earrings, cute little statues, potions, bookmarks, and, of course, books.
KD: But of course. Relaxation...how do you do you?
Bryanna Gary: Read, take fun book pictures for bookstagram, write posts for The Angry Noodle, and watch a lot of CalebCity, Drew Gooden, Jarvis Johnson, Viva La Dirt League, Dead Meat, Jenny Nicholson, Ice Cream Sandwich, Chad Chad, Key & Peele, and Dr. Bob.
(Yes, I had to Google a few of those names. Yes, they are now on my "things to check out" list.)
KD: Let's give a shout-out to your neck of the woods.
Bryanna Gary: I’m currently in Georgia. Gorgeous city, nice weather, a lot more diverse than
some of the other places I’ve lived.
KD: I love Georgia. Been there a few times! Mind you, I've only seen the Atlanta area. But wow, so much to do, places to see! Peachtree Street, Underground Atlanta, Peachtree Road, Fox Theater, Peachtree Westin. Don't remember seeing an actual peach tree. Savanna, though? Now that's on my bucket list. Okay, so thoughts on the month of October?
Bryanna Gary: I love the energy this month. My family never celebrated Halloween, but I’ve come to love it if only for the spoopy vibes the entire month.
(For a sec I about to change spoopy to spooky, but knowing Bryanna...)
KD: So this one is a three-parter. What genre of music/movies & shows/reading do you listen
to/watch/read more than others?
Bryanna Gary: For music, I love lofi and chillhop. I’ve also gotten into electroswing; it’s a wild ride. For movies, I love Daybreakers, just for the awesome vampire worldbuilding. I’m not a big movie person, so I can’t think of many others that stuck with me much. For books, I love anthologies. They’re my obsession. Horror anthologies especially, and bonus points if it’s a really, really weird theme (like one anthology I got recently is called Antifa Splatterpunk, and it’s exactly what it sounds like).
KD: I love Daybreakers! That ending, right? And why haven't automakers put in front-view cameras like in the movie? I mean, that's could be a game-changer right there. Especially for the modern day vamp-...sigh, anyway. The writing industry and your journey to get where you are within it. How did it begin?
Bryanna Gary: I was in my last year of college and interning at Simon & Schuster. To be candid, I’d also started taking my antidepressants and found it reduced my anxiety so much that I eventually got the courage to start a website and a Twitter account. My anxiety used to be so bad that the very idea of being *perceived* was an absolute nightmare. But I started meeting cool people on Twitter and working on my website a bit, slowly building up to be more open both in person and on my socials. Now I’ve graduated, work in publishing full-time, started a bookstagram, and The Angry Noodle is still going strong!
KD: Candid is good here. And The Angry Noodle, how kewl is that for a name? Okay, the most important question I ask all of my guests. Coffee, tea, or...?
Bryanna Gary: Tea is growing on me, but I think I’d still say coffee.
KD: I wanna circle back to The Angry Noodle. Of all the emotions, why “angry”? I mean, I’ve peeped your site. I see nothing that would irritate a piece of pasta.
Bryanna Gary: My website actually started as Satyr Central. But on Twitter I kept making jokes about being an “angry noodle” because of some of the tweets I wrote, usually political and very salty. I started going by Noodle or Noods, and eventually people recognized me more by that than my actual website, so I did a rebrand!
(Without running to Google, how many of you out there have heard of "The Noodle Incident"?)
KD: Rebranding is kewl. My blog started out as being about comics and sci-fi and animation and stuff, but kinda evolved into doing interview series. So how would you describe yourself as far as personality and character?
Bryanna Gary: Sensitive and ditzy, but also creative and ambitious.
KD: That is quite the combo. And how do you think your friends would describe you?
Bryanna Gary: That’s hard to say. This will sound kind of grim, but as someone with mad anxiety, it is hard for me to perceive others viewing me positively.
KD: Mind you, I'm on the outside looking in, but I see a lot of positivity. Aight, let’s talk horror for a sec. Not only because it's October, but because it's a genre you are fond of. What is the scariest movie and/or book you’ve seen and/or read?
Bryanna Gary: The Thing, easily. I’ve never been more paranoid and on edge watching a movie.
KD: I have still yet to see that movie. Sooner or later, though, it'll go on my list. And what horror trope amps up the creep factor for you? Like, for me, it’s the “lost in the woods at night”. No music, just all alone with the feeling that something else is out there. Or the Paranormal Activity found footage stuff.
Bryanna Gary: Mine’s a bit similar! Isolation. The feeling of loneliness really gets to me. Maybe it’s why The Thing stuck with me so much. It’s a group of researchers alone in the middle of the cold nowhere being hunted by this thing that can imitate them perfectly and wants them all dead. Noooooope.
KD: Okay, that movie definitely goes on my list! Where do you land on the introvert - extrovert scale?
Bryanna Gary: Hardcore introvert. Or maybe not?
KD: Wait, what?
Bryanna Gary: I consider myself a very chatty person, and I love talking to people, but I could also legit spend weeks completely alone.
KD: Okay, that makes sense. In fact, I can understand and respect that. How active are you on social media?
Bryanna Gary: So. Active. My gosh. Especially on Twitter and Instagram. I’m pretty sure it’s unhealthy how much I post, but I’m here for a good time, not a long time.
(I still have no idea what to do with my Instagram. Help!)
KD: What, to you, is the greatest aspect of America?
Bryanna Gary: This will sound very pessimistic, but I’d say nothing. I think the decent people living in it who are exploited and abused by it at every turn are the greatest aspect of it, but I don’t count that as a point in favor of America itself. Good people exist in spite of it, not because of it.
KD: Like I said earlier, candid is good here. Okay, now flipping the coin, what do you feel is the greatest issue facing America today?
Bryanna Gary: I think American exceptionalism makes us feel like we’re somehow immune to the horrible things other countries have faced, and done, and our own complacency and overconfidence is bringing us closer to an inevitable end.
(Food for thought.)
KD: Name something you wish you would have known or learned way earlier than you did?
Bryanna Gary: That no one knows what they’re doing and we’re all just kinda stumbling through life together.
KD: Pet peeves?
Bryanna Gary: Offline, chewing. Especially soft foods. Crunchy foods are mostly fine. Online, reply guys.
(Yes, I had to Google "reply guys". Fellas, don't be that guy.)
KD: Can you tell me about a "wow" moment you experienced?
Bryanna Gary: Off hand, the discovery of silly earrings was life changing, and now I can’t stop collecting them. Send help.
KD: I mean, they are some pretty kewl earrings. What was your biggest accomplishment of 2022 thus far? What's a goal you have for 2023?
Bryanna Gary: Putting myself out there more and growing The Angry Noodle. My big goal for 2023 is to reach 1,000 views a day. Maybe someday!
KD: I think you're well on your way. What's an unpopular opinion you stand by?
Bryanna Gary: The meal and dessert should be eaten at the same time.
KD: Wait...what?
Bryanna Gary: For a sweet and savory balance that makes them both taste way better.
KD: Yeah, my son would absolutely love that opinion. He shall be banned from reading this interview. Okay, what are things that you wouldn't mind others knowing about you and your world?
Bryanna Gary: I’m not sure if this counts, but if you’re BIPOC a writer or looking to get into the publishing industry, I’m always open to assisting in any way I can.
KD: Yes, it truly counts. If peeps wanted to reach out and connect, what would be a preferred method?
Bryanna Gary: Pretty much anywhere I’m active! My personal is bryannagary@gmail.com. The Angry Noodle email is editors@theangrynoodle.com (I take post suggestions!). There’s also my Twitter, bry_yvette_gary, and my Instagram, @bryannagary
KD: I put your social media platforms as a link to make it easier. And now, last but not least, a bit of self-promotion.
Bryanna Gary: I write articles for writers and readers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror over at www.theangrynoodle.com. I’m also working with about fifty writers to create MonThology, an urban fantasy anthology set in a shared alternate world.
(MonThology. What a kewl name.)
My thanks to Bryanna Gary for being my second October Sessions guest! As for you, the reader, thank you for engaging with me. I hope you enjoy reading these sessions as much as I have conducting them! Feel free to share your thoughts! I can be found on Twitter @kdwebster4!
Okay, until the next session...
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