Introduction

The only important thing these days is rhythm and melody
Rhythm
And melody
—“Rush,” Mick Jones

Big Audio Dynamite isn’t wrong, but there’s more. Particularly when you’re talking about books and writing books.

What’s a post-punk rock band have to do with books? And, in particular, the books coming from InterroBang Tales? More than may be obvious at first. After all, ‘way back in the 1870s, aesthete Walter Pater stated in The Renaissance, “All art constantly aspires towards the condition of music.” What’s that mean? Every time music is performed, it’s experienced as immediate and fluid. That’s what contemporary writers are after, especially suspense and thriller and action-and-adventure writers: They want their books to sweep up their readers in the rush of events as if they are happening at the same moment of reading, careening with their characters toward the climaxes of their stories.

Fine, that makes sense. But “rhythm and melody” clearly refer to music. What’s the connection to storytelling?

Another dead English author, E.M. Forster, who brought fame and fortune to Merchant-Ivory in the 1980s, wrote that a novel has seven aspects the writer must address: the story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. See? “Rhythm.” These seven aspects work together to create a novel’s melody: its narrative.

Plot’s important: it’s the path our heroes and villains run from Page 1 to The End. You’ll find plot in InterroBang Tales. You’ll find some interesting characters and intriguing incidents, all composed to entertain you. InterroBang Tales is here to make you shiver, smile, wonder, and enjoy your ride to the climax. (If you want to whistle or sing while you read, that’s fine. After all, it’s all about rhythm and melody.)