Interviewing Creative Creators: Larry  Litle:

• Where did you grow up, and how did it influence your life and creativity?- “I grew up outside of a small town, Lockwood, MO.  It had fewer than a thousand people. For boys, there was a lot of focus on playing sports.  I was not very athletic, but I did try and enjoyed playing basketball.  Being a geek/nerd was very looked down upon.  I did get bullied a lot growing up, but in early high school, I learned to stand up to my bullies and stop caring what others thought. I wanted to be me and like what I liked. It wasn’t popular, but it was authentic me.  I also became a protector of others who were bullied.  I still hate bullies of any kind.”

• Tell us about your wonderful families.
  “I grew up with my parents and my two younger sisters.  My mom had 7 sisters and 1 brother, so I had a ton of cousins.  Most around my age were jocks and starters for their sports teams. I was just a benchwarmer and not really accepted by them when I was younger.  My parents fought a lot when I was growing up.  My mom was very caring and loving.  My father had a bad temper and got angry quickly.  He did get me into comic books, but beyond that, he wasn’t geeky but was into sports. 
  I have been married to my wife, Michelle, for almost 34 years.  She puts up with my geeky/ nerdy interests, but she isn’t into it. I have a 24-year-old daughter and 16 year 16-year-old son. My daughter used to be into Star Wars, comics, and D&D, but then became a cheerleader and is now watching Star Wars again.  My son is also into Star Wars too, but unwilling to try any other geeky things.”

• What labels you as a ‘nerd?’  What were the five nerdy medias or interests that defined you?
  “I think my very existence labels me as a geek (preferred over nerd).  I love comic books, especially 70s-90s comics like Spider-Man and Golden Age heroes.  Star Wars dominated my childhood, and I love the movies, TV shows, and books.  The Lord of the Rings books and movies are a geeky passion of mine.  I love a good monster movie or story, especially Godzilla, vampires, and mummies.  In general, science fiction, Fantasy, and supernatural TV shows and movies like Doctor Who, BSG, Firefly, Highlander, Willow, Buffy, Xena, Supernatural, and ect.”
  

• How did writing find you in life?  What was the first piece you recollect (doesn’t have to be published)
  “I took a creative writing class in my Junior year of High School. It was a class that made me feel special and revealed some of my hidden talents I never knew I had.  This started me on a process of writing poetry and short stories.  I loved it so much that I knew that I wanted to write all the time. Magazine articles from Omni, Comic Scene,  Starlog, and Wizard made me want to write articles like I do for Geeky KOOL.  I was also inspired by Dave Barry and other humorist columnists in newspapers. 
  I started writing a lot of love poetry, which I gave to girlfriends at the time.  I also wrote a lot of Christian poetry.  I had several of my poems published in a county Baptist monthly newsletter because it was run by one of my friends’ mothers.”

• How did you come up with GeekyKool?
  “I started writing a blog in the early 2000s.  It was a great way to talk about anything.  After talking about anything on my mind, I found I loved talking about geek and nerd stuff. At the same time, my daughter was 12 or so.  She was into geek culture and wanted to read some articles online, but most of the sites had links to places that were not safe for work, nevertheless, a pre-teen young lady.  I loved the idea of creating something like a magazine where it would be a collaborative effort with multiple writers.  That is how the concept came about. 
  I had a friend who was trying his hand a website design, so he created the framework for Geeky KOOL. 
  The name is a different story. I had looked at numerous possible names, but most of them were already registered. I wanted something different that said what we are doing.  Geeky KOOL came to me when I heard a KOOL and the Gang song on the radio.  It fit so well. I was excited when no one had registered it.”

• What do you like about each of your writers?
  “We have an amazing, diverse staff.  They are all amazing people who are geeky in their own ways.  They are talented and geeky creators. I am so blessed to have our staff.  Each brings some awesome to the site and adds their personality and fandoms.  I love each as a member of the family and think the world of them.  I was saying a few words specific about each one, but now I could gush about how wonderful they are all as people.
  AJ: “ACE”– I love how she helped create our podcasts. We share a Doctor Who and Spider-Man. She is an amazing writer who is now the editor of several newspapers.
  Morgan: I love how she is our teacher and a published novelist. She brings an amazing love and knowledge of anime and manga that we wouldn’t have without her. Her bright smile is infectious.
  Jon: I have known Jon for a long time. He is a huge fan of Star Trek fan films and has connections.  I love how he is a go-getter at conventions and gets interviews.
  Ashley: Our dark horror novelist.  She brings the goth girl and the creepy to Geeky KOOL.
  Mandy: She is so sweet and the caretaker of our Geeky KOOL family. She has so much to say.  I cannot wait to read more from her.
  Eli: It is so awesome that a 16-year-old writes for us.  He has such a wide range of fandoms and excitement. I love what he brings to us.
  Shpoo:  He brings a love for horror movies to our group. He has such great experience with videos.  I cannot wait for him to start some of that backup.
  Bryan: He is one of my best friends. Bryan helped start Geeky KOOL with me. He is our DC Comic Book expert. 
  Joe: He is our newest contributor with Geeky KOOL. Joe is one of the hosts of the new video podcast: Geeky Cinephiles.”
  

• How do you relax?
  “You mean besides finding geeky and KOOL things to write about and to post?  I play and game master TTRPGs like D&D. I love Trivia games.  I love the theatre and watching live performances. I go to rock concerts.”

• How do you be creative, other than writing?
  “Game mastering is one way. I write poetry and short stories.  I need to work on the novel that has been in my head for years.  At other work, I find ways to creatively solve issues.”

• Promote your webshow! What do you guys do, and when is it?
  “Geeky KOOL Presents is a line of different web series. Ace and I did our show, Professor and Ace, for about 100 episodes.  We are on hiatus right now. Currently, we have Geeky KOOL Presents: Geeky Cinephiles.  It stars Joe and me as we talk about movies. We review movies and give top 10 lists.  It is on Monday nights from 6:30 to 7:00 pm on a live stream on my Facebook and the Geeky KOOL YouTube channel.”

• Pump up OZ CON!
  “Oz-Con is an amazing convention. They honor Geeky KOOL by inviting us every year.  They treat us like family. I love that they are a non-profit and give away their proceeds to the charity, Always a Future for Kids.”

• What three fictional pets do you wish you owned?
  “I want a dragon and a unicorn both for me to ride.  I would request a Mogwai, but I am not responsible enough for one.  Scobby Doo would be fun so we can all go hunting for a mystery.”

• Take your favorite character from a show/cartoon from the 80s, 90s, 00s, and 10s.  The five of you are going to the mall! What is happening?!  (Think of the mall montage from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure!”)
  “This one was the hardest question for me, but I love it.  Picking favorites is so hard.”
  Murdock from the A-Team
  Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
  Ron Stoppable from Kim Possible
  Dean from Supernatural
  “Murdock is being his usual loud and crazy self.  A group of bullies approaches us, and Murdock destroys them verbally with his quick wit.  They follow up in the record store where Dean and I are looking at albums.  The bullies start bad-mouthing the ’80s rock that we are examining.  Dean quickly destroys them with words and tells them to shut their pie hole.  Ron treats us to lunch at Bueno Nacho, but spills on his clothes, so we go into a clothing store.  Ron goes up the escalator and gets his pants stuck in it and torn off, but buys new clothes that look the same.  Buffy is trying on the latest fashion when the bullies come back.  It is revealed that they are vampires, so Buffy and Dean kill them all.  After vampire hunting, we are hungry again, so we get burgers.  Murdock talks crazy fun the whole time and tells great stories of when he was on the run from the military. We ended the day at the mall seeing a triple threat mall concert of Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, and Jem & the Holograms.”

• What quote from a book, show, or movie would you want to see every day to help, inspire, or make you smile?- “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ― Ferris Bueller

• Plan three meals that are based on your personalities (make sure they are things you would eat, ha!) Why did you choose these foods to represent you?
  “A) Biscuits and Gravy- I can be flaky like a biscuit and comforting in breakfast sausage gravy.
  B) Tacos- Sometimes I have a hard outer shell, and sometimes it is soft. But I am always spicy.
  C) Italian Lasagna- I have layers, but not like an onion.”

• What is your experience with tabletop gaming (D and D, Pathfinder, etc)  If you could take all the GeekyKool writers and put us in a campaign, what race and class would you make us, and what adventure should we go on?
  
  “I have played and game master games for nearly 40 years.  I have played and GMed numerous different TTRPGs over the years, including Heroes Unlimited, Top Secret, Car Wars, GURPS, Rifts, and D&D. 
  
  We are going on a long-term campaign from 1-20 to fight the evil twins of geek hate: Wedgie and Swirlie. They look like Jocks from High School.
  
  AJ: Fairy Druid- Circle of Stars
  Morgan: Hafling Bard- College of Creation
  Jon: Dwarf Barbarian Berserker
  Ashley: Drow Warlock- The Great Old One
  Mandy: Gnome Cleric- Light Domain
  Eli: Autognome Wizard – School of Transmutation
  Shpoo:  Changeling Rogue- Arcane Trickster
  Bryan: Aasimar Artificer -Armorer
  Joe: Human Fighter-Cavalier.”
  
• I know you both read/listened to one of my books/series. First and foremost, bless you! ^_^ It makes my heart so glad.  Second, can you tell our readers what you liked about the book you read and my writing style (if you do, ha!)
  
  “I do really enjoy your writing style. Your characters are vibrant and flawed. There is a lot of humor in the books that doesn’t distract from the story but rather enhances it.  I would compare the writing style to Alan Dean Foster.”

• What advice do you have for the next generation of nerds?
  “Being a geek/nerd is acceptable and celebrated right now.  That can change. Don’t take it for granted that others will support your passions. Rather be you to be you and like what you like. Don’t worry about what is popular.  Also, explore other areas that you aren’t into at the moment.  You might find that you love multiple fandoms, genres, and geekdoms. 
  One last thing, if you want to try your hand at writing about your geek/ nerdy passions, talk to me about writing for Geeky KOOL.”

• You are such fantastic people, inside and out.  I adore and look up to you immensely.  I am so blessed to know you and the support and opportunities you gift me.  🙂  I hope you feel the same way about our work and friendship.
  
  “Morgan, I think you are amazing and wonderful. You are extremely thoughtful.  I love being your friend, and I love you being a part of Geeky KOOL. We adore you and your cuteness, too.”

BIO:

I have been a geek as long as I can remember. I have been into comics, sci fi, and fantasy stories since I was a kid. I am still as big of a geek as ever.

I am a second-generation comic book geek. My father read comics regularly. He had a monthly subscription that came in the mail when I was a kid. He collected the Justice League and Legion of Super-Heroes. He was and still is a big DC Comics guy. I always enjoyed the comics he read, but I am more of a Marvel guy. Spider-Man/Peter Parker is my all-time favorite character. Peter is a relatable character whom you can cheer for. He is the everyman and not some rich guy who can buy anything he wants.

I have a passion for Science Fiction movies, television, and books. Star Wars revolutionized my childhood and my imagination. I started watching Star Trek in reruns and loved it. Alien/Aliens was a great intro to the horror side of science fiction. I love great sci-fi and most of the hokey and lame sci-fi. I love to write about geeky things.

Writing is a passion of mine. I have written numerous poems and stories. I have written numerous articles politics and sports (including fantasy sports) in the past.

Mostly, I love writing about the geeky stuff that I find KOOL. I have a novel underway in fact, the first two chapters are on GeekyKOOL.

I dig kool technology. I have worked in the technology field. I love the latest tech gadgets, with phones and tablets. In high school, I was a geek but fairly cool anyway.

I considered myself a Kool Geek.

*And he has a heavy passion for his era, the 80s.  😉