Awkward Two, a collection of 33 micro-short stories by 25 incredible writers, will be released to the public on September 27, 2010. (You can pre-order it right here.) Who are these incredible writers? Let’s meet ‘em! We sent the same 9 questions to all the writers. Here are their answers.

James Veitch

We only had one rule for Awkward Two: each submission had to be under 1,500 words. James Veitch, a playwright by trade, rose to the challenge and gave us a play that fit the criteria. His piece, The Romantics, is clever and engaging and certain to secure the first-ever Tony Award nomination for best play that only exists in an anthology of short stories. I have, sadly, never met Mr. Veitch in person, but by all accounts he’s beloved and admired by people on every side of the pond. Just look at that face! If anything says “admirable and belovable,” it is that face. If you’d like to learn more about Mr. Veitch and his admirable, belovable face, please visit www.james-veitch.com.

The Interview Portion

1) Who are you and why are you here?
I haven’t figured that out yet.

2) Why do you write?
To impress girls.

3) What’s the best thing you’ve ever written?
A poem for my friend Carla.

4) What do you do when you aren’t writing?
I direct theatre. I write music. I play guitar. I listen to Beatles demos and outtakes over and over. I perform stand-up comedy. I write short, silly songs for my friends, suffer from proleptic nostalgia and eat poorly. I fall in love with beautiful girls. I turn thirty. I fret.

5) Name two books that have blown your mind.
The Real Life of Sebastian Knight by Vladimir Nabokov, Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

6) What do you like to write about?
Odds and ends. Bits and bobs.

7) Complete this sentence: If the world could know one thing about me, it’s that I …
want the world to know about me.

8) Are we doomed?
Vladimir Nabokov says that the spiral is a “spritualized circle” and that “twirl follows twirl, and every synthesis is the thesis of the next series.” So, no.

9) Anything else?
Yes, goddammit.