Ray Hecht

Long story short, raised in America from the Midwest to the West Coast on a starchy diet of movies and comics and science fiction paperbacks. There's a Mid-East connection in there too. I like to write about such states as California and Ohio, and such provinces as Guangdong. Japan being an interesting topic as well.

Lived in Shenzhen, China since 2008 (has it really been that long?), a lovely Special Economic Zone Hong Kong-bordering chaotic city that has given me so much. I occasionally do some freelance journalism for various local publications. If you're actually interested, just google "Ray Hecht Shenzhen" for more...

A few inspirations, if I may: Irvine Welsh, William S. Burroughs, James Joyce, Grant Morrison, Daniel Clowes, Haruki Murakami, Bret Easton Ellis, Neal Stephenson, Philip K. Dick

Read more of this interview.

Website: http://rayhecht.com
Twitter: @RayofChinarabia
Facebook: Facebook profile

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• Smashwords Style Guide on Aug. 23, 2013
  
  Not only is this an incredibly helpful guide to getting started on Smashwords, invaluable in the process. but its also a great tutorial on Microsoft Word. We've all probably been using Word for years and didn't realize how all those options work. I'm grateful for all I've learned. And, of course, the price is right. I am officially on the road to online self-publishing, now that the formatting part is done let's see if the writing is actually good and I can have some success... In any case, thanks Mark!
  
• A Week And A Day In The Lives Of Two Angry Young Men on Dec. 29, 2013
  
  That cover is particularly disturbing if you make it to the end. Be careful with spoons! In the esteemed tradition of the epistolary format, these diary entries tell it all... Don't trifle with the Kind of the Leprechauns indeed.
  
• The Towering Inferno Versus The Mighty Quinn on Dec. 30, 2013
  
  Now that was a fun read. Stripper versus a horny fire demon, and all the action that can ensue. The premise itself is very funny and imaginative, and execution is well-written. Some of the best lines are simply the fire demon YELLINGGGG! My favorite part is the end, when we discover the specifics of the anatomy and the story concludes well with a great payoff, both for me and for Mandy. I'll have to pay more attention to this writer...
  
• Claude The Unhappy Caterpillar/Popo The Cheeky Monkey/Sselmorg The Fire Breathing Dragon on Jan. 02, 2014
  
  This short story with the very long-title is an amazingly irreverent. Its postmodern, metafictional, it breaks the 4th wall and its guaranteed to be funnier than your favorite high-brow experimental theatre piece. There is a treatise on the nature of storytelling, how characters get away from you. Dig deeper and let us question the nature of identity; what makes all these reboots the "same" character just because the narrator says so? Speaking of the narrator, one could get quite theological... With some commentary on sexism in high-fantasy epics to boot. Incidentally, I like Popo the Cheeky Monkey as the best incarnation. Sselmorg vs. Kylie was fun too. And I love how there's a new Smashwords licensing note everytime the story starts over, Smashwords is mentioned in it as well, I mean really how's that for self-referential brilliance?! A bit anticlimactic at the end, but that's kind of the point.
  
• It's The End Of The Universe As We Know It [And I Feel Scared] on Feb. 16, 2014
  
  Great comedic science fiction - a subgenre we don't see nearly enough of - in the tradition of Douglas Adams. It was too short, I wanted more, which is what good flash fiction should do. The mirror image spaceship, the one-liners, and the shock! ending. Enough has been said about the bizarre concepts, read it yourself. What, you want a detailed review that's almost as long as the whole piece? However, I don't think the explanation at the end of where the author got his story ideas is necessary. It's all well and good that a writing assignment had such requirements, but I'd kinda rather not know that and just let myself assume it was all from one crazy imagination. We all take inspiration where we can get it, but unless you want to credit the writing teacher there's no need to detail that...
  
• Oblivious on Feb. 19, 2014
  
  Full of very well-written descriptions, the writer is a talent. The reader really feels the woods, the textures, the emotions, the animals and this cruel man. Every little detail concerning the natural setting and many lifeforms therein, it sets the mood perfectly. I look forward to one day reading something more long-form from Mr. Carter. Also, karma's a bitch!
  
• Let the Reader Beware on April 04, 2015
  
  What an interesting thought experiment by Jonathan Strickland. Can't say I've ever come across this type of prose before. It's definitely NOT a choose-your-own-adventure kind of thing. The premise (hopefully hypothetical...) concerns the possibility of genocide and how to react to that based upon certain possible reactions. A superior life form - though one that seems a bit full of itself - presents a choice. What would you do? In the end, you'll never guess what saves the day! Do read to the end, and read carefully as you go. Stay absurd.
  
• Outskirts of Vision: first chapter on April 06, 2015
  
  Outskirts by Nir Levie is a beautiful work of art. The sketchy stylings with a monocolor of red create a surreal atmosphere that perfectly suits the narrative. Nature is weird, something off, as we are meant to question this setting... The story introduces Ben, an everyman architect, and then juxtaposes him against a contrasting 'duplicator' - one punk rocker. The mysteries of the city are expounded upon, the *zone*, and the two wax philosophical about just what is going on in this place. “No mental phenomenon is more characteristic of the big city than indifference," is said, and then that bounces off to a host of counterpoints. Examples abound. Point is, one thinks, question the cityscape. I know not if all the mysteries are to be resolved, if there's something not to be gotten, but I think there is much within this piece that does not directly need be said. It is to be read, and reread again, filling in the blanks with our own perspective, I very much look forward to reading and observing more art more from Mr. Levie.