LEE MATTHEW GOLDBERG is the author of ten novels including The Ancestor and The Mentor, as well as the YA series Runaway Train. He’s been a finalist in various scriptwriting contests—Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay—and his books are in various stages of development for film and TV. He is also the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series in New York City.
My current favorite thing to read is: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. I was a huge fan of his first two books, especially A Gentleman in Moscow, and breezed through this one while on the beach. It was the first book in a long time that I was thinking about when I wasn’t reading and eager to get back to and see what happens.
My current favorite thing to watch is: Hacks on HBO. I love a good dark drama, but right now I’m in the mood for something lighter. Hacks is funny and poignant with great performances and sharp dialogue. The leads are hilarious, but the breakout star is the terrible assistant Kayla played by Meg Stalter.
My current favorite thing to listen to is: …I’m working on a 90s TV pilot right now that’s set in the grunge scene, so I’ve been listening to purely grunge music: Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Soul Asylum, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, The Cranberries. It’s taking me back to high school in a good way.
My current state of mind is: IDGAF. I’m trying not to sweat the small stuff. I’m finishing up two big projects, so I’m a little creatively spent. Just need a week or two off before I dive back into something new.
My current chemical romance is: always pot, that’s really my only vice of choice. I’ve been doing a detox for years that involves basically no alcohol, sugar, caffeine, dairy and gluten, so I need at least one vice to stick. It helps me creatively too.
My current words of wisdom are: edit, edit, and then edit some more.
My current mode of transportation involves: my feet. I’m a New Yorker, I walk everywhere. Sometimes the subway or Uber. I don’t drive.
My current favorite fast food item is: …I live on French Fries, can’t get enough of them.
My current workout routine consists of: usually two days on, one day off. Weights and jump rope/push-ups/pull-ups. Also I walk about 10,000 steps a day.
My current regrettable decision involves: not traveling enough recently. During the pandemic, I really didn’t want to get on a plane and go anywhere. I love to travel, so wish I did it more during that time.
My current hopes and dreams are: …well, my energy for the last few months has been turning a book series of mine into a TV pilot, so I really hope it sells. I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into this one. Please send it good energy.
My current projects include: the pilot for my book series, Runaway Train, and I’m finishing the edits on a novel called Join Us that’s set in a cult. The first two books are written, so I’m giving them one last read through this summer to make sure they are ready for submission.
Lee Matthew Goldberg is online at leematthewgoldberg.com.
Brian Alan Ellis runs House of Vlad Press, and is the author of several books, including Sad Laughter (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2018) and Hobbies You Enjoy (serialized daily on Instagram: @hobbiesyouenjoy). His writing has appeared at Juked, Hobart, Fanzine, Monkeybicycle, Electric Literature, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, X-R-A-Y, Heavy Feather Review, and Yes Poetry, among other places. He lives in Florida.
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