Michael McCarty's Blog, page 2
June 15, 2016
Terrie Leigh Relf Interviews Michael McCarty
Terrie Leigh Relf Interviews Michael McCarty
Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers
The very talented poet and novelist Terrie Leigh Relf did this awesome interview with me for her blog. Enjoy….
https://tlrelf.wordpress.com/a-day-in...
Monster Behind the Wheel
Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers
The very talented poet and novelist Terrie Leigh Relf did this awesome interview with me for her blog. Enjoy….
https://tlrelf.wordpress.com/a-day-in...
Monster Behind the Wheel
Bloodless Interview: Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca
The BLOODLESS series authors Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca are interviewed by David Alan Binder t
They talk about the vampire series, collaborations, ebooks and plenty of writing advice for writers.
https://sites.google.com/site/dalanbi...Bloodless
Bloodlust
Bloodless
Bloodline
They talk about the vampire series, collaborations, ebooks and plenty of writing advice for writers.
https://sites.google.com/site/dalanbi...Bloodless
Bloodlust
Bloodless
Bloodline
May 3, 2016
Interview with Dan Simmons
CARRION COMFORT:
An Interview With Dan Simmons
by Michael McCarty
This is the 13th anniversary for my book GIANTS OF THE GENRE, published by Wildside Press, May 2003. I'm reprinting my interview with Dan Simmons here.
If you like the book, pick up a copy of the book GIANTS OF THE GENRE. Or my new book of interviews MODERN MYTHMAKERS (the link for that is at the bottom of this page....
Dan Simmons is one of the most versatile writers around. He jumps from genre to genre and is successful in each new venture. He published his first short story in 1982, his first novel in 1985, and has been a full-time writer since 1987. This prolific author has expanded the parameters of several genres – science-fiction, horror, mystery and espionage with such novels as SONG OF KALI, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, CARRION COMFORT, THE HOLLOW MAN, THE CROOK FACTORY, DARWIN'S BLADE and many more.
Simmons has also won the Hugo Award, two World Fantasy Awards, two Bram Stoker Awards, the August Derleth Fantasy Award, and others.
At the 2000 World Horror Convention in Denver – not far from his home in the Rockies – Dan gave a speech during the opening ceremonies dressed as Hannibal Lechter. A great writer and a snappy dresser, too! Between film and book projects, Dan Simmons had this to say ...
MICHAEL McCARTY: Your book CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT is going into production. This must be an exciting time for you. What can you tell us about the movie?
DAN SIMMONS: The adaptation of my Romanian orphan/vampire/medical-thriller novel CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT to film is still an open question. Principal photography was scheduled to begin this spring, but the German production company still hasn't got all of its ducks in a row, so I'm waiting to see what happens there.
I've had some involvement in this project, on and off, for the past three years and have written all the drafts of the screenplay. It's been an education ... and quite enjoyable as well. I like the discipline and challenge of working in the screenplay form. And the director for CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, German director Robert Sigl, has become a good friend. I hope the film gets made but the script is high quality and the contact with Robert has been worth the time and effort.
McCARTY: Are there any other movie projects from the Simmons' library?
SIMMONS: There always seem to be several options and projects in some stage of activity. Currently my most recent novels, THE CROOK FACTORY and DARWIN'S BLADE are under consideration: THE CROOK FACTORY has been optioned and DARWIN'S BLADE is being looked at as a possible TV series. Other books are also under option, include SONG OF KALI, but until I'm eating popcorn in the theater watching the actual film, I'll keep quiet about it all. Many are optioned, few are chosen.
A quite different film project that I'm contracted to be involved in doesn't involve one of my novels. European filmmaker Andrei Ujica has invited me to do the screenplay for a film tentatively called THE END OF GRAVITY, to be shot, in part, aboard the International Space Station. When the producer first contacted me I was dubious, but Ujica has already shot one film in space – 1992 OUT OF THE PRESENT, shot aboard Mir. One of Ujica's cosmonaut friends who shot that earlier film – Sergei Krikalev – is up on the ISS. Ujica wants THE END OF GRAVITY to be part-fiction, part-documentary, and all of it to comprise an homage to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and to the Russian classic science-fiction film SOLARIS.
McCARTY: Talking about movies, what was your reaction when you found out the movie THE HOLLOW MAN had the same name as your book? Did the studio ask you for permission? Any thoughts on the Kevin Bacon film?
SIMMONS: I could hardly cry foul about the use of "my" title of THE HOLLOW MAN since I borrowed it from T.S. Eliot as, presumably, did the movie-makers. I just wish it had been a better movie. I've always enjoyed invisible-man films, but that was just plain mean-spirited.
I was visiting a certain unnamed science-fiction writer once when he (or she) was working on an invisible man story. This writer had the person becoming invisible by being transparent to light. When I pointed out that the invisible man would also be blind – that the eye needs darkness for the retina to work, just as a camera does – the science-fiction writer became quite irritated (too bad – this is basic science). I mention this because the one redeeming element the film THE HOLLOW MAN showed was a new idea for creating invisibility – shifting the quantum state of all the atoms in the body ever so slightly. That might do it. The person would be slightly out of phase with the rest of this universe, but still present in a physical sense. Interesting. Too bad they wasted it in that film ... and wasted any chance of my THE
HOLLOW MAN selling to the movies under its own title.
McCARTY: THE CROOK FACTORY is a detailed and historically accurate novel of espionage and suspense. How much research went into that book? Did you get any flack from the Hemingway estate or from Cuba because of the book?
SIMMONS: It took me about seven years to research the six months of Hemingway's life in Cuba from April to September 1942 in which the action of THE CROOK FACTORY took place. It was fun to do that particular research since that weird era in Hemingway's life – he was chasing German U-boats and running a spy group in Cuba – is left mostly blank by biographers.
No, no problems from the Hemingway estate. But I did receive quite a few positive and interesting letters from people who knew some of the real people in the story – including one Hemingway scholar who was a close friend of Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's third wife and a character in the book. Also, the curator of the Hemingway Collection at the J.F.K. Library got in touch, requesting that I donate my research since there is so little data available from that period. At least one scholar began researching that period because of my novel – an Air Force Academy cadet who received a grant from the J.F.K. Library.
McCARTY: Was HYPERION inspired by Chaucer's THE CANTERBURY TALES?
SIMMONS: No, the themes in the Hyperion Cantos resonated to the themes in John Keat's poetry. The nod toward Chaucer was because of the various tales being told in HYPERION as the pilgrims grew closer and closer to the Shrike and their destiny.
McCARTY: What is your favorite story or novel from your own work?
SIMMONS: I tend to like bits and pieces from different projects. No novel, with the possible exception of MADAME BOVARY, has been a total success on all levels, but the author of multiple books tends to have favorite chapters, favorite characters, favorite scenes. Some of my short fiction – the novella "Entropy's Bed At Midnight" and "Looking For Kelly Dahl" and "The Ninth Of Av" – please me. I must like some of my characters, since they reappear across the decades of subjective time and in many of my books. The eleven-year-old characters from SUMMER OF NIGHT, for instance – Dale Stewart and Duane McBride – reappear forty years later in the novel I just finished, THE HOUNDS OF WINTER. Of course, poor Duane was murdered forty years ago, but that doesn't keep him from appearing in this novel set in present-day Illinois.
McCARTY: You jump from genre to genre – science-fiction, horror, espionage, etc. Does this give your publishers nightmares because you're not sticking with just one?
SIMMONS: I don't worry about my publishers nightmares; I'm too busy analyzing my own. Besides, there are always other publishers when I wander too far afield across genres. Today, I finished proofing my next book – HARDCASE – a hardboiled mystery noir thriller in the Donald-Westlake-writing-as-Richard-Stark-Parker-the-thief mode. I had to find a new publisher who would risk publishing that one.
I'm bored by people who read only one type of book, or one type of fiction. I read widely. Why should I write narrowly? I just finished my first novel in ten years, I look forward to writing more science-fiction this year in my two-book epic ILIUM and OLYMPOS, but who knows what I'll write after that?
McCARTY: Any advice for writers?
SIMMONS: Dr. Johnson gave the best advice for writers (and readers) more than two centuries ago: "Clear your mind of cant." Cant consists of pious platitudes (or their cynical counterparts), the technical jargon of a group, the insider prattle of a cult, and the consensus-babble of any age. Cant is political correctness and formulaic crap churned out by Hollywood and bestsellers. Cant is Christian fiction and feminist fiction and Toni Morrison fiction and Marxist fiction and any other "ist" fiction. 99% of everything we read and hear is cant and so is most of the junk turned out by beginning writers. Clear your mind of cant.
MODERN MYTHMAKERS:
(Michael McCarty and Modern Mythmakers)
(Kindle & Trade paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
(Trade paperback) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
An Interview With Dan Simmons
by Michael McCarty
This is the 13th anniversary for my book GIANTS OF THE GENRE, published by Wildside Press, May 2003. I'm reprinting my interview with Dan Simmons here.
If you like the book, pick up a copy of the book GIANTS OF THE GENRE. Or my new book of interviews MODERN MYTHMAKERS (the link for that is at the bottom of this page....
Dan Simmons is one of the most versatile writers around. He jumps from genre to genre and is successful in each new venture. He published his first short story in 1982, his first novel in 1985, and has been a full-time writer since 1987. This prolific author has expanded the parameters of several genres – science-fiction, horror, mystery and espionage with such novels as SONG OF KALI, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, CARRION COMFORT, THE HOLLOW MAN, THE CROOK FACTORY, DARWIN'S BLADE and many more.
Simmons has also won the Hugo Award, two World Fantasy Awards, two Bram Stoker Awards, the August Derleth Fantasy Award, and others.
At the 2000 World Horror Convention in Denver – not far from his home in the Rockies – Dan gave a speech during the opening ceremonies dressed as Hannibal Lechter. A great writer and a snappy dresser, too! Between film and book projects, Dan Simmons had this to say ...
MICHAEL McCARTY: Your book CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT is going into production. This must be an exciting time for you. What can you tell us about the movie?
DAN SIMMONS: The adaptation of my Romanian orphan/vampire/medical-thriller novel CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT to film is still an open question. Principal photography was scheduled to begin this spring, but the German production company still hasn't got all of its ducks in a row, so I'm waiting to see what happens there.
I've had some involvement in this project, on and off, for the past three years and have written all the drafts of the screenplay. It's been an education ... and quite enjoyable as well. I like the discipline and challenge of working in the screenplay form. And the director for CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT, German director Robert Sigl, has become a good friend. I hope the film gets made but the script is high quality and the contact with Robert has been worth the time and effort.
McCARTY: Are there any other movie projects from the Simmons' library?
SIMMONS: There always seem to be several options and projects in some stage of activity. Currently my most recent novels, THE CROOK FACTORY and DARWIN'S BLADE are under consideration: THE CROOK FACTORY has been optioned and DARWIN'S BLADE is being looked at as a possible TV series. Other books are also under option, include SONG OF KALI, but until I'm eating popcorn in the theater watching the actual film, I'll keep quiet about it all. Many are optioned, few are chosen.
A quite different film project that I'm contracted to be involved in doesn't involve one of my novels. European filmmaker Andrei Ujica has invited me to do the screenplay for a film tentatively called THE END OF GRAVITY, to be shot, in part, aboard the International Space Station. When the producer first contacted me I was dubious, but Ujica has already shot one film in space – 1992 OUT OF THE PRESENT, shot aboard Mir. One of Ujica's cosmonaut friends who shot that earlier film – Sergei Krikalev – is up on the ISS. Ujica wants THE END OF GRAVITY to be part-fiction, part-documentary, and all of it to comprise an homage to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and to the Russian classic science-fiction film SOLARIS.
McCARTY: Talking about movies, what was your reaction when you found out the movie THE HOLLOW MAN had the same name as your book? Did the studio ask you for permission? Any thoughts on the Kevin Bacon film?
SIMMONS: I could hardly cry foul about the use of "my" title of THE HOLLOW MAN since I borrowed it from T.S. Eliot as, presumably, did the movie-makers. I just wish it had been a better movie. I've always enjoyed invisible-man films, but that was just plain mean-spirited.
I was visiting a certain unnamed science-fiction writer once when he (or she) was working on an invisible man story. This writer had the person becoming invisible by being transparent to light. When I pointed out that the invisible man would also be blind – that the eye needs darkness for the retina to work, just as a camera does – the science-fiction writer became quite irritated (too bad – this is basic science). I mention this because the one redeeming element the film THE HOLLOW MAN showed was a new idea for creating invisibility – shifting the quantum state of all the atoms in the body ever so slightly. That might do it. The person would be slightly out of phase with the rest of this universe, but still present in a physical sense. Interesting. Too bad they wasted it in that film ... and wasted any chance of my THE
HOLLOW MAN selling to the movies under its own title.
McCARTY: THE CROOK FACTORY is a detailed and historically accurate novel of espionage and suspense. How much research went into that book? Did you get any flack from the Hemingway estate or from Cuba because of the book?
SIMMONS: It took me about seven years to research the six months of Hemingway's life in Cuba from April to September 1942 in which the action of THE CROOK FACTORY took place. It was fun to do that particular research since that weird era in Hemingway's life – he was chasing German U-boats and running a spy group in Cuba – is left mostly blank by biographers.
No, no problems from the Hemingway estate. But I did receive quite a few positive and interesting letters from people who knew some of the real people in the story – including one Hemingway scholar who was a close friend of Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's third wife and a character in the book. Also, the curator of the Hemingway Collection at the J.F.K. Library got in touch, requesting that I donate my research since there is so little data available from that period. At least one scholar began researching that period because of my novel – an Air Force Academy cadet who received a grant from the J.F.K. Library.
McCARTY: Was HYPERION inspired by Chaucer's THE CANTERBURY TALES?
SIMMONS: No, the themes in the Hyperion Cantos resonated to the themes in John Keat's poetry. The nod toward Chaucer was because of the various tales being told in HYPERION as the pilgrims grew closer and closer to the Shrike and their destiny.
McCARTY: What is your favorite story or novel from your own work?
SIMMONS: I tend to like bits and pieces from different projects. No novel, with the possible exception of MADAME BOVARY, has been a total success on all levels, but the author of multiple books tends to have favorite chapters, favorite characters, favorite scenes. Some of my short fiction – the novella "Entropy's Bed At Midnight" and "Looking For Kelly Dahl" and "The Ninth Of Av" – please me. I must like some of my characters, since they reappear across the decades of subjective time and in many of my books. The eleven-year-old characters from SUMMER OF NIGHT, for instance – Dale Stewart and Duane McBride – reappear forty years later in the novel I just finished, THE HOUNDS OF WINTER. Of course, poor Duane was murdered forty years ago, but that doesn't keep him from appearing in this novel set in present-day Illinois.
McCARTY: You jump from genre to genre – science-fiction, horror, espionage, etc. Does this give your publishers nightmares because you're not sticking with just one?
SIMMONS: I don't worry about my publishers nightmares; I'm too busy analyzing my own. Besides, there are always other publishers when I wander too far afield across genres. Today, I finished proofing my next book – HARDCASE – a hardboiled mystery noir thriller in the Donald-Westlake-writing-as-Richard-Stark-Parker-the-thief mode. I had to find a new publisher who would risk publishing that one.
I'm bored by people who read only one type of book, or one type of fiction. I read widely. Why should I write narrowly? I just finished my first novel in ten years, I look forward to writing more science-fiction this year in my two-book epic ILIUM and OLYMPOS, but who knows what I'll write after that?
McCARTY: Any advice for writers?
SIMMONS: Dr. Johnson gave the best advice for writers (and readers) more than two centuries ago: "Clear your mind of cant." Cant consists of pious platitudes (or their cynical counterparts), the technical jargon of a group, the insider prattle of a cult, and the consensus-babble of any age. Cant is political correctness and formulaic crap churned out by Hollywood and bestsellers. Cant is Christian fiction and feminist fiction and Toni Morrison fiction and Marxist fiction and any other "ist" fiction. 99% of everything we read and hear is cant and so is most of the junk turned out by beginning writers. Clear your mind of cant.
MODERN MYTHMAKERS:
(Michael McCarty and Modern Mythmakers)
(Kindle & Trade paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
(Trade paperback) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
April 16, 2016
Michael McCarty Books 1-40
A fan requested that I list all my books in chronological order. I’m sure librarians or book scholars can do a better job. Here is my best shot….
1. GIANTS OF THE GENRE by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Wildside Press 2003 (April), Trade Paperback
2. MORE GIANTS OF THE GENRE by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Wildside Press 2005 (April) Trade Paperback
3. DARK DUETS by Michael McCarty (Short Story collection) Wildside Press 2005 (May) Trade Paperback
4. LITTLE CREATURES by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Sam’s Dot Publishing 2008 (April) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
5. MODERN MYTHMAKERS: Interviews with Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and Filmmakers by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) McFarland & Company 2008 (May) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
6. GHOSTLY TALES OF ROUTE 66 by Michael McCarty & Connie Corcoran Wilson (Nonfiction) Quixote Press 2008 (June) Trade Paperback
7. MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Horror Novel) Corrosion Press 2008 (October) Hardcover (Limited, signed edition, sold out all 150 copies)
8. ATTACK OF THE TWO-HEADED THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER by Mark McLaughlin & Michael McCarty (Poetry Collection) Skullvine Press 2008 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
9. OUT OF TIME by Michael McCarty & Connie Corcoran Wilson (Science Fiction Novel) Lachesis Publishing November 2008 Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
10. LIQUID DIET: A VAMPIRE SATIRE by Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Black Death Books April 2009 (Out of Print)
11. ESOTERIA-LAND by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) BearManor Media 2009 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
12. A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Sam’s Dot Publishing 2009 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
13. A HELL OF A JOB by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Damnation Books / Caliburn Press 2010 (June) Trade Paperback and kindle
14. RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURE by Sherry Decker and Michael McCarty (Science fiction book for kids) Sam’s Dot Publishing 2010 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
15. MASTERS OF IMAGINATION by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) BearManor Media December 2010 Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
16. PARTNERS IN SLIME by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Short Story Collection) Damnation Books / Caliburn Press 2011 (March) Trade Paperback
17. DARK DUETS by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Wildside Press Kindle edition 2011 (April)
18. MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 33 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR, SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) BearManor Media 2011 (September) Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
19. LIQUID DIET & MIDNIGHT SNACK: TWO VAMPIRE SATIRES by Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Whiskey Creek Press / Start Publishing 2011 (September) Kindle
20. MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Horror Novel) Medallion Press 2011 (October) Kindle Edition
21. THE HAUNTED HORROR COLLECTION by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL), Gregory Lamberson (PERSONAL DEMONS) and Ronald Malfi (FLOATING STAIRCASE) Medallion Press Kindle edition 2011 (November) Kindle
22. BLOODLESS by Michael McCarty and Jody LaGreca (Horror Novel) Whiskey Creek Press / Star Publishing 2012 (February) Kindle
23. NIGHT OF THE SCREAM QUEEN by Michael McCarty & Linnea Quigley (Horror / Science Fiction Novel) Dark Moon Books 2012 (May) Trade paperback and Kindle
24. I KISSED A GHOUL by Michael McCarty (YA Horror Book) Noble Young Adult 2012 (March) Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
25. LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE by Joe McKinney & Michael McCarty (Novella) Bad Moon Books 2012 (June) Trade Paperback and Kindle
26. LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE by Joe McKinney & Michael McCarty (Novella) Bad Moon Books 2012 (June) Limited Edition Hardcover, all 30 copies sold out (Out of Print)
27. CONVERSATIONS WITH KRESKIN by The Amazing Kreskin & Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Team Kreskin Books 2012 (October) Hardcover and kindle
28. BLOODLUST by Jody LaGreca & Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Whiskey Creek Press / Start Publishing 2012 (May) Kindle
29. RETURN OF THE SCREAM QUEEN by Michael McCarty, Linnea Quigley & Stan Swanson (Horror Novel) Dark Moon Books 2013 (February) Trade Paperback and kindle
30. RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURE by Sherry Decker & Michael McCarty (Science fiction book for kids) Pie Plate Publishing 2013 (June)
31. REVENGE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER By Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Poetry Collection) November 2012 Trade Paperback
32. A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Wildside Press 2014 (January) Trade paperback and kindle
33. BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER by Mark McLaughlin & Michael McCarty (Poetry Collection) Wilder Publications 2014 (March) Trade Paperback
34. LAUGHING IN THE DARK by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Damnation Books / Caliburn Press 2014 (June) Trade Paperback and kindle
35. BLOODLESS by Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca (Horror Novel) Create Space 2014 (June) Trade Paperback
36. RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURE by Sherry Decker & Michael McCarty (Science fiction book for kids) Pie Plate Publishing 2014 (September) Kindle
(Out of Print)
37. MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 35 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Crystal Lake Publishing 2015 (February) Trade paperback & Kindle
38. I KISSED A GHOUL by Michael McCarty (YA Horror) 2015 (February) Curiosity Quills Press Trade Paperback and Kindle
39. FEAR & DESIRE by S.A. Gambino & Michael McCarty (Poetry Collection) Wilder Publications 2015 (May) Trade Paperback & kindle
40. BLOODLUST by Jody LaGreca & Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Create Space 2016 (January) Trade Paperback
Michael McCarty books are available Amazon, Barnes & Noble or ordered through your favorite bookstore .... or ask your library to order them.
1. GIANTS OF THE GENRE by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Wildside Press 2003 (April), Trade Paperback
2. MORE GIANTS OF THE GENRE by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Wildside Press 2005 (April) Trade Paperback
3. DARK DUETS by Michael McCarty (Short Story collection) Wildside Press 2005 (May) Trade Paperback
4. LITTLE CREATURES by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Sam’s Dot Publishing 2008 (April) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
5. MODERN MYTHMAKERS: Interviews with Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and Filmmakers by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) McFarland & Company 2008 (May) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
6. GHOSTLY TALES OF ROUTE 66 by Michael McCarty & Connie Corcoran Wilson (Nonfiction) Quixote Press 2008 (June) Trade Paperback
7. MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Horror Novel) Corrosion Press 2008 (October) Hardcover (Limited, signed edition, sold out all 150 copies)
8. ATTACK OF THE TWO-HEADED THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER by Mark McLaughlin & Michael McCarty (Poetry Collection) Skullvine Press 2008 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
9. OUT OF TIME by Michael McCarty & Connie Corcoran Wilson (Science Fiction Novel) Lachesis Publishing November 2008 Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
10. LIQUID DIET: A VAMPIRE SATIRE by Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Black Death Books April 2009 (Out of Print)
11. ESOTERIA-LAND by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) BearManor Media 2009 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
12. A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Sam’s Dot Publishing 2009 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
13. A HELL OF A JOB by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Damnation Books / Caliburn Press 2010 (June) Trade Paperback and kindle
14. RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURE by Sherry Decker and Michael McCarty (Science fiction book for kids) Sam’s Dot Publishing 2010 (October) Trade Paperback (Out of Print)
15. MASTERS OF IMAGINATION by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) BearManor Media December 2010 Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
16. PARTNERS IN SLIME by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Short Story Collection) Damnation Books / Caliburn Press 2011 (March) Trade Paperback
17. DARK DUETS by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Wildside Press Kindle edition 2011 (April)
18. MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 33 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR, SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) BearManor Media 2011 (September) Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
19. LIQUID DIET & MIDNIGHT SNACK: TWO VAMPIRE SATIRES by Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Whiskey Creek Press / Start Publishing 2011 (September) Kindle
20. MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Horror Novel) Medallion Press 2011 (October) Kindle Edition
21. THE HAUNTED HORROR COLLECTION by Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (MONSTER BEHIND THE WHEEL), Gregory Lamberson (PERSONAL DEMONS) and Ronald Malfi (FLOATING STAIRCASE) Medallion Press Kindle edition 2011 (November) Kindle
22. BLOODLESS by Michael McCarty and Jody LaGreca (Horror Novel) Whiskey Creek Press / Star Publishing 2012 (February) Kindle
23. NIGHT OF THE SCREAM QUEEN by Michael McCarty & Linnea Quigley (Horror / Science Fiction Novel) Dark Moon Books 2012 (May) Trade paperback and Kindle
24. I KISSED A GHOUL by Michael McCarty (YA Horror Book) Noble Young Adult 2012 (March) Trade Paperback and Kindle (Out of Print)
25. LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE by Joe McKinney & Michael McCarty (Novella) Bad Moon Books 2012 (June) Trade Paperback and Kindle
26. LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE by Joe McKinney & Michael McCarty (Novella) Bad Moon Books 2012 (June) Limited Edition Hardcover, all 30 copies sold out (Out of Print)
27. CONVERSATIONS WITH KRESKIN by The Amazing Kreskin & Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Team Kreskin Books 2012 (October) Hardcover and kindle
28. BLOODLUST by Jody LaGreca & Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Whiskey Creek Press / Start Publishing 2012 (May) Kindle
29. RETURN OF THE SCREAM QUEEN by Michael McCarty, Linnea Quigley & Stan Swanson (Horror Novel) Dark Moon Books 2013 (February) Trade Paperback and kindle
30. RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURE by Sherry Decker & Michael McCarty (Science fiction book for kids) Pie Plate Publishing 2013 (June)
31. REVENGE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER By Michael McCarty & Mark McLaughlin (Poetry Collection) November 2012 Trade Paperback
32. A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Wildside Press 2014 (January) Trade paperback and kindle
33. BRIDE OF THE TWO-HEADED POETRY MONSTER by Mark McLaughlin & Michael McCarty (Poetry Collection) Wilder Publications 2014 (March) Trade Paperback
34. LAUGHING IN THE DARK by Michael McCarty (Short Story Collection) Damnation Books / Caliburn Press 2014 (June) Trade Paperback and kindle
35. BLOODLESS by Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca (Horror Novel) Create Space 2014 (June) Trade Paperback
36. RUSTY THE ROBOT’S HOLIDAY ADVENTURE by Sherry Decker & Michael McCarty (Science fiction book for kids) Pie Plate Publishing 2014 (September) Kindle
(Out of Print)
37. MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 35 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS by Michael McCarty (Nonfiction) Crystal Lake Publishing 2015 (February) Trade paperback & Kindle
38. I KISSED A GHOUL by Michael McCarty (YA Horror) 2015 (February) Curiosity Quills Press Trade Paperback and Kindle
39. FEAR & DESIRE by S.A. Gambino & Michael McCarty (Poetry Collection) Wilder Publications 2015 (May) Trade Paperback & kindle
40. BLOODLUST by Jody LaGreca & Michael McCarty (Horror Novel) Create Space 2016 (January) Trade Paperback
Michael McCarty books are available Amazon, Barnes & Noble or ordered through your favorite bookstore .... or ask your library to order them.
January 23, 2016
How I Survived 2015
How I Survived The Year
By Michael McCarty
2015 was a tough year, it was like stepping into the boxing ring with Floyd Mayweather and coming out all beat up and bloody.
January started out promising. I was given new hours job at APAC / EGS (Express Scripts – Prior Authorizations). I was working from 8 am -4:30 pm, but new hours were 7 am – 3:30 pm, which avoid a lot of the traffic before and after work.
February, my mega book of interviews MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 35 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS was published by Crystal Lake Publishing. I owe a huge thanks to Joe Mynhardt, Alan Dean Foster, Mark McLaughlin, The Amazing Kreskin, Ben Baldwin, Amy Grech, Cristopher DeRose and Holly Zaldivar.
March came in like a lamb and left like a lion with seeing the movie HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 (it was okay, not nearly as funny as the original) and the publication of my YA book I KISSED A GHOUL by Curiosity Quills Press. Kudos to the GHOUL crew: Andrew Buckley, Erika Galpin, Mark McLaughlin, P.D. Cacek and Mary Harris.
April while my wife and I were walking, I decided to take a short cut, by jumping over a 10 foot fence. Fell on my foot, ended up with a sprained heel for about 3 weeks.
May I saw the remake of POLTERGEIST (almost as good as the original, some good chills). Also, I was switched to another team for about three weeks, losing my $2.00 an hour bonus and switched back by the end of the month. On the plus side, my 4th poetry book FEAR & DESIRE co-written with Sheri Gambino was published by Wilder Publications. Many thanks to Sheri, Warren and Raymond Congrove. I also watched Mel Piff judging the Quad Cities Roller Derby game.
June, I was still upset about losing my $2.00 bonus at APAC/EGS and applied for a job with Terminix and I was hired as a Sales Person by the end of the month. Cindy and I also went to see the musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN which was awesome.
July I saw SHARKNADO 3 (a lot of fun) when I was in St. Louis doing a week training for Terminix. Also, I attended the QC Planet Comic & Arts Convention was I did a lecture and signing (even appeared on a news segment for Midnight Mausoleum).
August saw FEAR OF THE WALKING DEAD, still prefer just THE WALKING DEAD. Also saw the remake of VACATION (had a few good laughs, but not as good as the Chevy Chase films). Also saw the paperback publication of BLOODLESS by Jody LaGreca and Michael McCarty.
September Mark McLaughlin and I finish editing a science fiction novel and start shopping it around. (It was accepted for publication in November).
October was Cindy and my 6th wedding anniversary. We also went to see the band Urge Overkill Urge Overkill.
November I fell on my face, literally. My face had a fight with the cement sidewalk and lost. I broke my nose and cut up my lip. I also saw the James Bond film SPECTRE was pretty good. Not as good as SKYFALL or CASINO ROYALE, but better than a lot of other James Bond flicks.
In December, I find out that MODERN MYTHMAKERS is number 3 bestseller on Crystal Lake Publishing list (thank you everybody) and went to see STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (which I’d rank up there with the original STAR WARS, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI).
Links:
I Kissed a GhoulModern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and FilmmakersFear & DesireBloodless
I KISSED A GHOUL by Michael McCarty
(Paperback) http://www.amazon.com/I-Kissed-Ghoul-...
(Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/I-Kissed-Ghoul-...
MODERN MYTHMAKERS by Michael McCarty
(Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
(Paperback) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
FEAR & DESIRE by Michael McCarty & Sheri Gambino
(Paperback & Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Desire-Mic...
(Paperback & Nook) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fear-...
BLOODLESS by Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca
(Paperback & Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/Bloodless-1-Mic...
(Paperback & Nook) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood...
By Michael McCarty
2015 was a tough year, it was like stepping into the boxing ring with Floyd Mayweather and coming out all beat up and bloody.
January started out promising. I was given new hours job at APAC / EGS (Express Scripts – Prior Authorizations). I was working from 8 am -4:30 pm, but new hours were 7 am – 3:30 pm, which avoid a lot of the traffic before and after work.
February, my mega book of interviews MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 35 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS was published by Crystal Lake Publishing. I owe a huge thanks to Joe Mynhardt, Alan Dean Foster, Mark McLaughlin, The Amazing Kreskin, Ben Baldwin, Amy Grech, Cristopher DeRose and Holly Zaldivar.
March came in like a lamb and left like a lion with seeing the movie HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 (it was okay, not nearly as funny as the original) and the publication of my YA book I KISSED A GHOUL by Curiosity Quills Press. Kudos to the GHOUL crew: Andrew Buckley, Erika Galpin, Mark McLaughlin, P.D. Cacek and Mary Harris.
April while my wife and I were walking, I decided to take a short cut, by jumping over a 10 foot fence. Fell on my foot, ended up with a sprained heel for about 3 weeks.
May I saw the remake of POLTERGEIST (almost as good as the original, some good chills). Also, I was switched to another team for about three weeks, losing my $2.00 an hour bonus and switched back by the end of the month. On the plus side, my 4th poetry book FEAR & DESIRE co-written with Sheri Gambino was published by Wilder Publications. Many thanks to Sheri, Warren and Raymond Congrove. I also watched Mel Piff judging the Quad Cities Roller Derby game.
June, I was still upset about losing my $2.00 bonus at APAC/EGS and applied for a job with Terminix and I was hired as a Sales Person by the end of the month. Cindy and I also went to see the musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN which was awesome.
July I saw SHARKNADO 3 (a lot of fun) when I was in St. Louis doing a week training for Terminix. Also, I attended the QC Planet Comic & Arts Convention was I did a lecture and signing (even appeared on a news segment for Midnight Mausoleum).
August saw FEAR OF THE WALKING DEAD, still prefer just THE WALKING DEAD. Also saw the remake of VACATION (had a few good laughs, but not as good as the Chevy Chase films). Also saw the paperback publication of BLOODLESS by Jody LaGreca and Michael McCarty.
September Mark McLaughlin and I finish editing a science fiction novel and start shopping it around. (It was accepted for publication in November).
October was Cindy and my 6th wedding anniversary. We also went to see the band Urge Overkill Urge Overkill.
November I fell on my face, literally. My face had a fight with the cement sidewalk and lost. I broke my nose and cut up my lip. I also saw the James Bond film SPECTRE was pretty good. Not as good as SKYFALL or CASINO ROYALE, but better than a lot of other James Bond flicks.
In December, I find out that MODERN MYTHMAKERS is number 3 bestseller on Crystal Lake Publishing list (thank you everybody) and went to see STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (which I’d rank up there with the original STAR WARS, EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI).
Links:
I Kissed a GhoulModern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and FilmmakersFear & DesireBloodless
I KISSED A GHOUL by Michael McCarty
(Paperback) http://www.amazon.com/I-Kissed-Ghoul-...
(Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/I-Kissed-Ghoul-...
MODERN MYTHMAKERS by Michael McCarty
(Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
(Paperback) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
FEAR & DESIRE by Michael McCarty & Sheri Gambino
(Paperback & Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/Fear-Desire-Mic...
(Paperback & Nook) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fear-...
BLOODLESS by Michael McCarty & Jody LaGreca
(Paperback & Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/Bloodless-1-Mic...
(Paperback & Nook) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood...
December 7, 2015
It Came from Outer Space: How to Write Science-Fiction, Horror & Fantasy
It Came from Outer Space: How to Write Science-Fiction, Horror & Fantasy
By Michael McCarty
(Reprinted from Byline Magazine)
When I was a kid, I thought science-fiction writers actually lived on other planets and sent their stories to Earth via spaceships. Now that I’m a little older and wiser, I know for a fact you don’t have to leave this planet to get published in the science-fiction, horror or fantasy genres.
Although these stories deal with the fantastic and the far-out, the techniques for successful fiction are down to earth. Here are some guidelines that work in more than seven solar systems.
Expanded Universe
Almost no rules exist for writing science-fiction, horror, and fantasy. The subject matter is as expansive as your imagination. However, some topics have become outdated.
Legendary Frederik Pohl once told me, “There are several kinds of science-fiction you can’t write anymore. You can’t write about the first intelligent robot, the first trip to the moon or the first nuclear war, because they’ve all happened.”
Beginning writers tend to rehash several clichéd ideas: Adam-and-Eve type stories, the last-man-on-Earth against renegade mutations, and Twilight Zone-type tales (I love the series, but too many writers have penned poor imitations).
Some of the hot trends in science-fiction right now are alternate histories, social science-fiction, humorous science-fiction, cyberpunk (computer networks and human/computer combinations), and steampunk (a sub-genre of alternate-history science-fiction in which Victorian characters have access to modern technology). If you keep your stories fresh and original, you can travel far.
Family Plots
Too many novice writers get buried in plot. Sure, plot is important, but so are characters, setting and atmosphere – the overall effect is most important in horror. The best way to think about plots is this: Imagine your story as a fresh corpse (if you write horror, that shouldn’t be too difficult!). When you put it in its plot, you don’t want to bury it too shallow or too deep.
Readers require skill in the telling. The most fascinating plots or story devices crumble if the story is not related with skill, with a craft subtle enough and sophisticated enough to make us care about the characters, to make us feel what they feel and transport us to their world.
These genres require a high level of craft and care, because they so often deal in matters beyond the ordinary, concepts at the very edge of credibility.
Aliens and Other Monsters
With horror, fantasy and science-fiction, you can literally create your own monster. Be it a reanimated corpse with twelve brains, a talking tree, a three-centuries-old vampire, a mischievous troll, an alien from a distant galaxy – the possibilities are infinite.
The key is to imagine a monster that readers will believe is real. Use dimension and depth in the characterization of the creature. Build the groundwork for fear by revealing bits and pieces of the beast. Create suspense step-by-step, without overloading the audience with too many details.
Your own life, especially your childhood, is fertile ground for material and inspiration. Margi Washburn, the editor of the late, great Plots Magazine, noted, “Horror writers need look no further than their own backyard to find subject matter: the misery of the ghetto-child, the degradation of women, the shame of the homeless, the unspeakable isolation of a nursing home.
“There’s real horror in loneliness and rage, in twisted love and jealousy, in the rampant greed that threatens to rot us from within. Much of today’s horror is about these dark stains on our souls, the cancers of our minds.”
Do You Believe in Magic?
Magic is one of the key elements of fantasy – but even magical powers must have their limitations.
Books by Terry Brooks, Neil Gaiman, Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchett and Anne McCaffrey deal with this element skillfully. If the characters have restricted abilities or difficulties with his or her special powers, this creates even more “magic” for the readers.
Nobody wants to read about a perfect world. Perfect is boring. Life is more interesting when things go awry, even with magic.
Big Bangs – Beginnings and Endings
The best way to grab the reader’s interest immediately is to plant the hook and drag them into the story. This is also the best way to rise to the top of any slush pile. Start with a bang of a beginning, something compelling, disturbing or even outrageous.
Likewise, the conclusion should leave a lasting impression on the reader. Endings must pack as much punch as their beginnings.
Look at H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. The prose was pretty over-the-top, but he sure knew how to start and end his breathless tales: with wild cautions at the beginning and horrific, surprising finales.
Expert Advice
Vampire writer Michael Romkey offers this advice: “There’s a big temptation to sit around and drink beers and pretend you’re a writer. But to be a writer, you’ve got to write. My best advice is to make some kind of desperate plunge and write your book. Go hog wild and do it.”
Bram Stoker Award-winner Bentley Little shares this wisdom: “Stay true to yourself. People always say, ‘write what you know.’ But I think it’s more important to write what you love. A good writer is a good writer no matter what genre you write.”
Science-fiction writer Dan Simmons notes: “Dr. Johnson gave the best advice for writers (and readers) more than two centuries ago: ‘Clear your mind of cant.’ Cant consist of pious platitudes (or their cynical counterpoints), the technical jargon of a group, the insider prattle of a cult, and the consensus-babble of any age. Cant is political correctness and formulaic crap churned out by Hollywood and bestsellers. Cant is Christian fiction and feminist fiction and Toni Morrison fiction and Marxist fiction and any other ‘ist’ fiction. 99 percent of everything we read and hear is cant and so is most of the junk turned out by beginning writers. Clear your mind of cant.”
Genre giant Dean Koontz has this to say: “I tell every young writer to find the material about which he or she can become passionate, work hard at using the language as well as he/she can use it – and to persevere. Throughout my career, until recently I was continually told that my books would never hit big, that I couldn’t mix genres the way I did, that my stories were too eccentric, that my vocabulary was too large and therefore limited the potential size of my audience, that even the very subtle spiritual elements in my work were too prominent and would bore or flat-out offend modern readers, that readers didn’t want stories with as much thematic freight as mine carried…blah, blah, blah. I was even told these things, relentlessly – after I’d seen my books rise to the No. 1 slot on bestseller lists. What every young writer has to realize is that if he or she is doing something truly fresh, it will not immediately be supported, will not win big ad budgets, will not be understood. You must keep an open mind to criticism if it’s about technical matters – that is, about grammar and syntax, about logic holes and clear story problems – but must diplomatically reject all criticism that relates to style, intent, theme. If you have clear and passionate purpose in your writing, something to say and a determination to say it in a way unique to you, if you can explain to yourself exactly why you are doing what you’re doing in the way you are doing it – then you have to stand fast and politely resist all attempts to change you. At the end of the day, if you write with conviction and passion, then the world will come around to your stories. If you bend too much to the will of others, you’ll be reduced to blandness, to vanilla fiction, and no one will care. It also helps to sell your soul to Lucifer.”
Last Words
To reach for the stars, you don’t have to go any further than your word processor. But when you get there, bring a thorough knowledge of your field and be prepared for the hard work required to make your journey a success.
Dean Koontz, Frederik Pohl and Bentley Little along with 32 other writers and filmmakers are interviewed in MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 35 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS
The links for MODERN MYTHMAKERS:
Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
Trade paperback only
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
By Michael McCarty
(Reprinted from Byline Magazine)
When I was a kid, I thought science-fiction writers actually lived on other planets and sent their stories to Earth via spaceships. Now that I’m a little older and wiser, I know for a fact you don’t have to leave this planet to get published in the science-fiction, horror or fantasy genres.
Although these stories deal with the fantastic and the far-out, the techniques for successful fiction are down to earth. Here are some guidelines that work in more than seven solar systems.
Expanded Universe
Almost no rules exist for writing science-fiction, horror, and fantasy. The subject matter is as expansive as your imagination. However, some topics have become outdated.
Legendary Frederik Pohl once told me, “There are several kinds of science-fiction you can’t write anymore. You can’t write about the first intelligent robot, the first trip to the moon or the first nuclear war, because they’ve all happened.”
Beginning writers tend to rehash several clichéd ideas: Adam-and-Eve type stories, the last-man-on-Earth against renegade mutations, and Twilight Zone-type tales (I love the series, but too many writers have penned poor imitations).
Some of the hot trends in science-fiction right now are alternate histories, social science-fiction, humorous science-fiction, cyberpunk (computer networks and human/computer combinations), and steampunk (a sub-genre of alternate-history science-fiction in which Victorian characters have access to modern technology). If you keep your stories fresh and original, you can travel far.
Family Plots
Too many novice writers get buried in plot. Sure, plot is important, but so are characters, setting and atmosphere – the overall effect is most important in horror. The best way to think about plots is this: Imagine your story as a fresh corpse (if you write horror, that shouldn’t be too difficult!). When you put it in its plot, you don’t want to bury it too shallow or too deep.
Readers require skill in the telling. The most fascinating plots or story devices crumble if the story is not related with skill, with a craft subtle enough and sophisticated enough to make us care about the characters, to make us feel what they feel and transport us to their world.
These genres require a high level of craft and care, because they so often deal in matters beyond the ordinary, concepts at the very edge of credibility.
Aliens and Other Monsters
With horror, fantasy and science-fiction, you can literally create your own monster. Be it a reanimated corpse with twelve brains, a talking tree, a three-centuries-old vampire, a mischievous troll, an alien from a distant galaxy – the possibilities are infinite.
The key is to imagine a monster that readers will believe is real. Use dimension and depth in the characterization of the creature. Build the groundwork for fear by revealing bits and pieces of the beast. Create suspense step-by-step, without overloading the audience with too many details.
Your own life, especially your childhood, is fertile ground for material and inspiration. Margi Washburn, the editor of the late, great Plots Magazine, noted, “Horror writers need look no further than their own backyard to find subject matter: the misery of the ghetto-child, the degradation of women, the shame of the homeless, the unspeakable isolation of a nursing home.
“There’s real horror in loneliness and rage, in twisted love and jealousy, in the rampant greed that threatens to rot us from within. Much of today’s horror is about these dark stains on our souls, the cancers of our minds.”
Do You Believe in Magic?
Magic is one of the key elements of fantasy – but even magical powers must have their limitations.
Books by Terry Brooks, Neil Gaiman, Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchett and Anne McCaffrey deal with this element skillfully. If the characters have restricted abilities or difficulties with his or her special powers, this creates even more “magic” for the readers.
Nobody wants to read about a perfect world. Perfect is boring. Life is more interesting when things go awry, even with magic.
Big Bangs – Beginnings and Endings
The best way to grab the reader’s interest immediately is to plant the hook and drag them into the story. This is also the best way to rise to the top of any slush pile. Start with a bang of a beginning, something compelling, disturbing or even outrageous.
Likewise, the conclusion should leave a lasting impression on the reader. Endings must pack as much punch as their beginnings.
Look at H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. The prose was pretty over-the-top, but he sure knew how to start and end his breathless tales: with wild cautions at the beginning and horrific, surprising finales.
Expert Advice
Vampire writer Michael Romkey offers this advice: “There’s a big temptation to sit around and drink beers and pretend you’re a writer. But to be a writer, you’ve got to write. My best advice is to make some kind of desperate plunge and write your book. Go hog wild and do it.”
Bram Stoker Award-winner Bentley Little shares this wisdom: “Stay true to yourself. People always say, ‘write what you know.’ But I think it’s more important to write what you love. A good writer is a good writer no matter what genre you write.”
Science-fiction writer Dan Simmons notes: “Dr. Johnson gave the best advice for writers (and readers) more than two centuries ago: ‘Clear your mind of cant.’ Cant consist of pious platitudes (or their cynical counterpoints), the technical jargon of a group, the insider prattle of a cult, and the consensus-babble of any age. Cant is political correctness and formulaic crap churned out by Hollywood and bestsellers. Cant is Christian fiction and feminist fiction and Toni Morrison fiction and Marxist fiction and any other ‘ist’ fiction. 99 percent of everything we read and hear is cant and so is most of the junk turned out by beginning writers. Clear your mind of cant.”
Genre giant Dean Koontz has this to say: “I tell every young writer to find the material about which he or she can become passionate, work hard at using the language as well as he/she can use it – and to persevere. Throughout my career, until recently I was continually told that my books would never hit big, that I couldn’t mix genres the way I did, that my stories were too eccentric, that my vocabulary was too large and therefore limited the potential size of my audience, that even the very subtle spiritual elements in my work were too prominent and would bore or flat-out offend modern readers, that readers didn’t want stories with as much thematic freight as mine carried…blah, blah, blah. I was even told these things, relentlessly – after I’d seen my books rise to the No. 1 slot on bestseller lists. What every young writer has to realize is that if he or she is doing something truly fresh, it will not immediately be supported, will not win big ad budgets, will not be understood. You must keep an open mind to criticism if it’s about technical matters – that is, about grammar and syntax, about logic holes and clear story problems – but must diplomatically reject all criticism that relates to style, intent, theme. If you have clear and passionate purpose in your writing, something to say and a determination to say it in a way unique to you, if you can explain to yourself exactly why you are doing what you’re doing in the way you are doing it – then you have to stand fast and politely resist all attempts to change you. At the end of the day, if you write with conviction and passion, then the world will come around to your stories. If you bend too much to the will of others, you’ll be reduced to blandness, to vanilla fiction, and no one will care. It also helps to sell your soul to Lucifer.”
Last Words
To reach for the stars, you don’t have to go any further than your word processor. But when you get there, bring a thorough knowledge of your field and be prepared for the hard work required to make your journey a success.
Dean Koontz, Frederik Pohl and Bentley Little along with 32 other writers and filmmakers are interviewed in MODERN MYTHMAKERS: 35 INTERVIEWS WITH HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS
The links for MODERN MYTHMAKERS:
Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
Trade paperback only
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
November 18, 2015
Die Laughing: The Inside Story of Laughing In The Dark
Once upon a time, I use to do stand-up comedy. I would get up a stage, in front of a room of strangers, with a bright spotlight shining on me, as I’d tell jokes for money. I know, it was a strange way to make money. I performed in the Quad Cities, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Chicago and St. Louis. I did this for five years and had a lot of fun doing it. It is kinda hard to describe my performance. It was a little bit of everything. I did prop jokes. I’d put a pot on my head and say, “I’m a pothead.”
I performed a song I wrote called “Joan You Make Me Moan,” which was broadcast about a dozen times on the Dwyer & Michaels show on 97X.
I guess you had to be there, to appreciate.
Eventually, I gave up stand-up comedy to write books.
I hope, you the reader will think I made the right decision.
The reviews for LAUGHING IN THE DARK rolling in and the laughter keeps ’em rolling in the aisles:
(Critical Mass)
Review by Don D’Ammassa
“The marriage of horror and humor has usually proven to be an uneasy one, but sometimes a combination of thrills and chuckles works. Author Michael McCarty demonstrates his talent for arranging successful combinations in the majority of these stories, a blend of new and reprint, mostly quite short. There are two dozen stories here in about 150 pages. Some of the titles hint at the jokes – “The Pet Exorcist Files,” “Stephen King and the Pit Bull from Hell,” and “Wile E. Wanker and the Death by Chocolate Manufacturing Plant.: Roald Dahl, Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, W.W. Jacobs, and Mary Shelley are a few of the writers who provide inspiration for these tales. They’ll tickle your funny bone rather than rip it out of your flesh, metaphorically speaking. 9/29/14”
(Hellnotes)
Reviewed by Sandra Scholes
“Many of us have read horror anthologies from authors who are already established or those who are new to the genre. So for me at least it is very rare to read a series of short horror stories written by a former stand-up comedian.
The front cover does a lot to introduce Michael McCarty and his stories of humour, horror and the very voodoo inspired Professor LaGungo. As the picture, is a comedian doing his usual stand-up routine in front of an audience, he doesn’t look like an ordinary comedian – he is a skeleton smiling in front of an uneasy audience.
Damnation Books publish many anthologies including Mark McCarty’s A Hell of a Job and Partners in Slime which he co-wrote with Mark McLaughlin. In Laughing in the Dark, Michael McCarty co-writes some of the stories with various comic collaborators; his wife Cindy, Jody R. LaGreca, Sandy DeLuca and Mark McLaughlin. As Laughing in the Dark is the first anthology by Damnation Books that I have read, I have no other comparison book to base this one on, but the stories are bite-sized and are about themes that run through the horror genre, vampires, zombies, possessed pets, killer kittens, gator guys and even seven foot dancing cockroaches.
In Stephen King and The Pit Bull from Hell this story has a wannabe writer trying to emulate Stephen King’s life, thinking he can be as successful as him if he does. This is one example of how McCarty can take an idea and turn it into a funny story; the protagonist goes through hell trying to live up to King’s pedigree as a writer with disastrous consequences. McCarty takes standard horror ideas and adds his own flair to the characters and situations he puts them in. when a character interviews some of the best names in horror history, writers, devil worshippers, even Satan himself, it’s intended to end with a shocking, but humorous ending.”
Kindle & Trade paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Laughing-Dark-M...
(Trade Paperback)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/laugh...
November 12, 2015
Interview with the late, great Robert Jordan
Link to the Robert Jordan interview
https://monstermikeyaauthor.wordpress...
Also check out
Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers
https://monstermikeyaauthor.wordpress...
Also check out
Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers
September 2, 2015
WRITING: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES
For me, writing has always been like dreaming, except you do it when you’re awake. Instead of being asleep – you put these dreams down on paper so other people can dream, too. Soon those dreams are felt all over the world.
I have been writing for forty years now. I wrote for ten years before I even received a payment and that was so special – to get paid for my dreams. I became a professional dreamer. I wrote my first professional newspaper article in 1983, my first magazine article in 1993 and my first book in 2003. And in 2015, three books – it is my year of dreams.
I am constantly asked, “Why would you want to interview horror science fiction writers?”
When newspaper reporters ask me this question, I feel as though I have been consigned to the literary ghetto: horror, science fiction, fantasy. Those are the bad places. Why would you want to go there?
I have no simple answer, no sound bite I can give. My answer is that this is who I am. When I was a kid, I thought science fiction writers actually lived on other planets and sent their stories to Earth via rocket ships.
It wasn’t until college that I even met a real writer. This first professional writer I met was David Morrell, the author of FIRST BLOOD and literary father of RAMBO, whom I met at a party at the University of Iowa. I told him how I loved his book, and I wanted to be a writer, too. He smiled, gave me some great advice that I still keep close to my heart: “This is a tough profession. Not for the faint of heart. Keep up the good fight.” Then he asked me when was the last time I had written anything and I told him “Fifteen minutes before coming to this party.” I told him I write every day, and I still do.
The day GIANTS OF THE GENRE arrived at my home was the same day that The Amazing Kreskin (who is also in the book) was performing in my hometown at Circa 21. Before intermission, Kreskin talked about GIANTS OF THE GENRE. He introduced me from the stage and had me stand up to take a bow. Kreskin clapped, and everyone in the audience clapped. I felt like I had just won an Oscar. I do interviews. This is my job. No need for applause. Ironically, fast-forward ten years later, I co-wrote CONVERSATIONS WITH KRESKIN, a book about Kreskin’s life. Small world.
I’ve been very blessed in my writing career to have over 35 books published and that is only in ten years. Please let me indulge in a little self-promotion and tell you about two of those books:
The first one is A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS it is a short story collection. If you like zombie stories, people turning invisible tales and zombie yarns, then this is the book for you. And if you like The Beatles ditto. The cover is a takeoff of The Beatles’ SGT. PEPPER artwork (done by the talented Mark McLaughlin …who also co-wrote some of the stories in the collection as well), but instead of the Fab Four, we have the Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, The Wolfman and Bride of Frankenstein posing with me. Plus we have a couple of Beatle-ish horror adventures too.
LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE, co-written with Joe McKinney. The book was a Bram Stoker Finalist for Long Fiction. Lake Livingston: August, 1961. Mark Gaitlin is 15, the son of one of the wealthiest men in Texas, and on the most boring summer vacation of his life. His days are filled with the pomp and circumstance of country club life, while his nights are a parade of one embarrassment after another at the hands of giggling teenage girls. But the piney woods above Lake Livingston are dark at night, and hold many secrets for an impressionable youngster on the cusp of becoming a man. And one night, after skinny-dipping in the lake with a mysterious local girl, Mark Gaitlin’s life takes a crazy turn into the fire and brimstone religion of backwoods snake handlers and abandoned villages haunted by old family secrets. If he can survive the snakes and the ghosts and his own family’s dark history, he just might make it out of the woods alive. And something else…he just might become a man.
Ever wanted to hang out with legends like Ray Bradbury Matheson Matheson, Dean Koontz or Elvira? This is your chance to hear fun anecdotes and career advice from a wide range of Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy authors and filmmakers. MODERN MYTHMAKERS is a collection of 35 interviews from the giants of the genre. I am extremely proud of this book.
Here are the links for the books listed above:
GIANTS OF THE GENRE:
Paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/Giants-Genre-In...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/giant...
CONVERSATIONS WITH KRESKIN
Kindle & Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-K...
Nook & Paperback
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conve...
A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS
Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-My-...
Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-My-...
Nook
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-...
LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE
Kindle & Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Girl-Lake-...
Nook & paperback
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-...
MODERN MYTHMAKERS
Kindle & Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
Paperback
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
I have been writing for forty years now. I wrote for ten years before I even received a payment and that was so special – to get paid for my dreams. I became a professional dreamer. I wrote my first professional newspaper article in 1983, my first magazine article in 1993 and my first book in 2003. And in 2015, three books – it is my year of dreams.
I am constantly asked, “Why would you want to interview horror science fiction writers?”
When newspaper reporters ask me this question, I feel as though I have been consigned to the literary ghetto: horror, science fiction, fantasy. Those are the bad places. Why would you want to go there?
I have no simple answer, no sound bite I can give. My answer is that this is who I am. When I was a kid, I thought science fiction writers actually lived on other planets and sent their stories to Earth via rocket ships.
It wasn’t until college that I even met a real writer. This first professional writer I met was David Morrell, the author of FIRST BLOOD and literary father of RAMBO, whom I met at a party at the University of Iowa. I told him how I loved his book, and I wanted to be a writer, too. He smiled, gave me some great advice that I still keep close to my heart: “This is a tough profession. Not for the faint of heart. Keep up the good fight.” Then he asked me when was the last time I had written anything and I told him “Fifteen minutes before coming to this party.” I told him I write every day, and I still do.
The day GIANTS OF THE GENRE arrived at my home was the same day that The Amazing Kreskin (who is also in the book) was performing in my hometown at Circa 21. Before intermission, Kreskin talked about GIANTS OF THE GENRE. He introduced me from the stage and had me stand up to take a bow. Kreskin clapped, and everyone in the audience clapped. I felt like I had just won an Oscar. I do interviews. This is my job. No need for applause. Ironically, fast-forward ten years later, I co-wrote CONVERSATIONS WITH KRESKIN, a book about Kreskin’s life. Small world.
I’ve been very blessed in my writing career to have over 35 books published and that is only in ten years. Please let me indulge in a little self-promotion and tell you about two of those books:
The first one is A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS it is a short story collection. If you like zombie stories, people turning invisible tales and zombie yarns, then this is the book for you. And if you like The Beatles ditto. The cover is a takeoff of The Beatles’ SGT. PEPPER artwork (done by the talented Mark McLaughlin …who also co-wrote some of the stories in the collection as well), but instead of the Fab Four, we have the Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, The Wolfman and Bride of Frankenstein posing with me. Plus we have a couple of Beatle-ish horror adventures too.
LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE, co-written with Joe McKinney. The book was a Bram Stoker Finalist for Long Fiction. Lake Livingston: August, 1961. Mark Gaitlin is 15, the son of one of the wealthiest men in Texas, and on the most boring summer vacation of his life. His days are filled with the pomp and circumstance of country club life, while his nights are a parade of one embarrassment after another at the hands of giggling teenage girls. But the piney woods above Lake Livingston are dark at night, and hold many secrets for an impressionable youngster on the cusp of becoming a man. And one night, after skinny-dipping in the lake with a mysterious local girl, Mark Gaitlin’s life takes a crazy turn into the fire and brimstone religion of backwoods snake handlers and abandoned villages haunted by old family secrets. If he can survive the snakes and the ghosts and his own family’s dark history, he just might make it out of the woods alive. And something else…he just might become a man.
Ever wanted to hang out with legends like Ray Bradbury Matheson Matheson, Dean Koontz or Elvira? This is your chance to hear fun anecdotes and career advice from a wide range of Horror, Science Fiction, and Fantasy authors and filmmakers. MODERN MYTHMAKERS is a collection of 35 interviews from the giants of the genre. I am extremely proud of this book.
Here are the links for the books listed above:
GIANTS OF THE GENRE:
Paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/Giants-Genre-In...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/giant...
CONVERSATIONS WITH KRESKIN
Kindle & Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-K...
Nook & Paperback
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/conve...
A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FIENDS
Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-My-...
Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Little-Help-My-...
Nook
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/with-...
LOST GIRL OF THE LAKE
Kindle & Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Girl-Lake-...
Nook & paperback
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-...
MODERN MYTHMAKERS
Kindle & Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
Paperback
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...
August 18, 2015
Night of the Living Dead & Modern Mythmakers
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD cast and crew: John Russo, Russ Streiner and Kyra Schon are all interviewed in my mega book MODERN MYTHMAKERS. Also interviewed: John Carpenter - The Master of Horror, Dean Koontz, Dean Andersson, John Saul, Ray Bradbury, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (official) and many more.
(Kindle & paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
(B&N paperback)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers
(Kindle & paperback)
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Mythmake...
(B&N paperback)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/moder...Modern Mythmakers: 35 Interviews with Horror & Science Fiction Writers and Filmmakers
