An Interview With Author Buffalo
On Saturday, March 18th, Nantucket E-Books will be publishing its first commercial work of fiction. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had reading a book in a long, long time, and I’m proud to be involved in its publication. The book is Tales of a Metal Fisherman, by Colorado author Buffalo. The book follows the adventures of a hard-living repo man as he hunts his prey: Cougars, Broncos, Cobras, Bugs, and Barracudas. Deadbeat drivers beware: fall behind on your payments, and the Captain will get you, and yer fish!
Buffalo runs the store Buffalo’s Last Stand in Cope, Colorado, with an impressive collection of bison memorabilia, and an eye-popping selection of books from the all-time greats in horror and science fiction.
I emailed some questions to Buffalo so he could introduce himself. Our interview is printed below:
NJB When did you first get interested in writing?
BUFFALO I was read to at an early age, and thus became interested in communicating with the written word.
NJB What are some of your favorite books, and why are they your favorites?
BUFFALO Too many to list, but an attempt:
Speculative fiction: Ellison. Science fiction: H.G. Wells. Novels and storytellers: Bloch, Steinbeck, Faulkner, London, Clavell, Gorey. Frivolous: Gorey, Bloch. Legends, history, humor – most everything.
NJB When did you move to Cope, and what made you decide to move there?
BUFFALO I moved here in 2019 – looking at Scottsbluff on Craigslist and saw this offered. Stayed at cousin’s in Colorado Springs, came out to Cope to see the offering and the wall of the building said to me, “Here I am.”
NJB What kinds of books do you sell at Buffalo’s Last Stand?
BUFFALO Arcane, eclectic, outre, esoteric, rare, signed, unheard-of. Used, but well worth it to bibliophiles.
NJB What author have you been most proud to meet personally, and what author would you like to meet, if you could?
BUFFALO I’ve met and had books signed by C. Wilson, Ellison; wished to have met Bloch and Clavell.
NJB You’ve mentioned that the Captain in Metal Fisherman is based on a repo man you knew personally. How did you come to know them, and what inspired you to turn those experiences into this book?
BUFFALO I met Squirrel (repo man) in ’71. If I had known was under 18 at the time I probably would not have associated with him.
He started repoing in the ’80’s and stopped because of an injury (off-work) in the 2000’s.
NJB Car repossession is not exactly a popular profession, but in your book, it’s the drivers of the cars who come across as slick and underhanded. Were you hoping readers would come away with a fresh understanding of repo men?
BUFFALO I hope they come away with a smile or a chuckle. They are lies.
NJB Buffalo’s Last Stand is the only book store I’ve ever been to that had a substantial number of Harlan Ellison books. Your collection inspired me to start the Ellison Directory, an indexed list of his stories, with plot summaries. What do you enjoy about Ellison?
BUFFALO Ellison had an inner anger that he turned into “speculative fiction” and humor.
NJB Tales of a Metal Fisherman was influenced by Robert Bloch’s Lefty Feep stories: fast-paced adventure with lots of wordplay and quick thinking. Where did you first encounter Lefty Feep?
BUFFALO Bloch wrote the classic Psycho, and I was off to the races finding Bloch written works.
NJB You also write about pinball, and own a pinball machine. Tell me a little bit about the pinball machine at Buffalo’s Last Stand.
BUFFALO It keeps the nostalgia alive, and lets the unexperienced learn/try it.
NJB Your store is located along US 36, which runs from Colorado to Ohio. You get visitors from all over the country, and I was wondering if you could describe some of the more interesting people to have come through your door.
BUFFALO That is another story to be written.
Order your copy of Tales of a Metal Fisherman at nantucketebooks.com/metalfisherman-order
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