Gerald Dean Rice's Blog, page 91
August 30, 2011
Hellooooooooooo Germany!
Just checked the traffic to my site and saw ye olde Deutschland is representin'.
August 29, 2011
Interview with Al Sarrantonio
It was about a year in the making, but the stars finally aligned and I stumbled into an interview with Al Sarrantonio. He edited an anthology, Portents, which was released earlier this year from Flying Fox Publishers. Read on:
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GT: What started your interest in horror?
AS: I actually started out as a science fiction buff. But after I was booted out of engineering school (my Dad actually helped design the Space Shuttle) I discovered that my writing talent was more easily geared to the horror field – specifically the so-called "quiet" horror that Charles L. Grant and others were promoting in the 1980s.
GT: That's interesting—I dropped out of GMI Engineering & Management Institute after two semesters. How many rejections did you have before your first sale?
AS: I could have wallpapered a room with them. That's part of what keeps you going – if you believe, you don't give up. Ambition and talent are the twin engines that drive any writer to success. If you don't have both, forget about being a professional writer.
GT: Did you keep them and if so, what did you do with them?
AS: Good question! I probably still have some, socked away in a box somewhere. Some were interesting. The form letters I tossed out. The one I remember vividly (and that kept me going) was from Bob Silverberg, who was editing a series of original sf anthologies called NEW DIMENSIONS at the time. He took the time to give me some advice.
GT: What was the first story you submitted and has it ever been published?
AS: Actually one of the very first I submitted was eventually published. I wrote the first draft of it at the Clarion SF Writers Workshop at Michigan State University in 1974.It was an sf/horror story titled "The Artist in the Room Above." It was published in a volume of the Chrysalis series and was reprinted in my collection HALLOWEEN AND OTHER SEASONS.
GT: I read Skeletons probably when I was about 14.That novel blew my mind! I'd never read or seen zombies like that (and I'd never read anything told in first-person before).What was the inspiration?
AS: As bizarre as this sounds (I don't think it does) the inspiration for that book was Thomas Pynchon – specifically, GRAVITY'S RAINBOW. It took me many tries to get through that book, but it blew me away. And I thought to myself, why can't I do something like this in the horror field? Meaning snatches of song lyrics, gonzo situations, etc. It was probably the most fun I ever had writing a novel. There's a follow-up novel to it that's never been published, my only unpublished novel (Bantam was set to do it in the early 90s when they got rid of their entire horror line); it's called UNDERGROUND and has characters with names like Malice in Wonderland. Someday…
GT: I grew up on late 70s and 80s horror. The Howling, John Carpenters The Thing, Return of the Living Dead, Creepshow and then my mother got me hooked on King and Koontz. What did you have as a child?
AS: Another great question. I had the Alfred Hitchcock Y.A. anthologies that were published by Random House, which had all kinds of crazy stuff in them – sf, horror, mysteries, you name it. They were brilliantly edited. I received one every Christmas from my godparents when I was perhaps 10-13 years old. They changed my life. And I got to know (!) some of the writers who were in there, such as Manly Wade Wellman, later in life.
GT: When would you say you 'made it' as a writer?
AS: That's all in your mind. My epiphany was the first time I wrote a story and I knew – I knew– that I nailed it. After that it didn't become easier, but I knew what I was doing.
GT: Do you see a point when you'd stop writing or is it something you'll do until you physically can't?
AS: The old line: they'll have to pry the keyboard (used to be typewriter) from my cold, dead hands. It's a compulsion as well as a business.
GT: Have you ever had an idea and someone beat you to the punch in their own novel? Did you abandon the idea or revamp it?
AS: Not really. The only time that happened was when another horror writer came out with a novel titled OKTOBER a couple months before my OCTOBER came out. It didn't make a difference.
GT: Was there a 'sophomore slump' when it came to getting your 2nd novel published? If so, how'd you get past it?
AS: Honestly, I didn't have a sophomore slump. Once I knew what I was doing, I just kept going. That was almost thirty years ago. I did go through periods when I needed to recharge the batteries, but that's only natural. My third novel actually had a character in it who got jettisoned, and it became my fourth novel.
GT: You're very prolific—have you ever had a significant writer's block?
AS: What gets you out of writer's block is when you need a paycheck. I've always found that when I needed to write, I could write. When I don't I get lazy. I'm not saying I don't believe in writer's block. But I think it can be overcome by need. Need to eat, need to put kids through college. And then of course there is the need to write, which, like I said, is a compulsion sometimes.
GT: What's it going to take to get you to do a signing in Metro Detroit?
AS: Yow! Been in the airport there on the way to see my eldest son in Chicago. I don't know. It could happen. I haven't done many signings or gone to many conventions the last couple years. Hunkered down with the work.
GT: I wanted to ask if you still work in multiple genres, but I see the anthology Stories: All-New Tales, which was published back in June, has stories across a myriad of genres. Do you still think diversification is the best policy for any writer?
AS: My good friend Joe Lansdale and I have talked about this over the years. When the horror boom of the 1980s collapsed in the 1990s we both saw the writing on the wall. He was quicker than me, broadening out into comics and just about everything else, but I, out of boredom with any one genre, and out of necessity to make a living at writing, starting going every which way, too. Also, people were asking me to. I wrote my first western (WEST TEXAS) because an editor at a hardcover house asked me to.
GT: I see your new anthology, Halloween, is coming out next month- what's your story about?
AS: The reprint antho HALLOWEEN is edited by Paula Guran, and contains my novella "Hornets," which was the very first Orangefield tale. It also appears in HORNETS AND OTHERS, a short story collection of mine that will be available as an e-book soon.
GT: Looking through your titles on Amazon I see a lot of your titles have been re-released on Kindle. How do you feel about the rise of the e-book considering the bulk of your career has been in print?
AS: Almost all of the books that are coming back on Kindle were dead in the water, out of print, and unavailable to my fans. Because of this, it's almost impossible for me to put down e-books. I bought a Kindle this past January, and am beginning to see what it's good for. It will not replace physical books. It will augment them. Nobody in the publishing industry –publishers, agents, editors, some writers and readers -- seems to be able to wrap their heads around this yet. It's not a replacement system – it's an augmentation system.
GT: Is there anything you have upcoming you'd like to tell us about?
AS: I'm working on a long story for an original monster anthology, which looks like it'll take place in Orangefield. The original horror anthology I edited and published, PORTENTS, is still available through my website, Alsarrantonio.com. And a bunch more titled will be available as e-books, including my sf/horror trilogy FIVE WORLDS, which was another experiment for me. I tried to yoke space opera to the horror genre (There's a character named the Machine Master of Mars, whose own brother snipped his lips off, leaving him looking like the Phantom of the Opera.)I think some of the best novel writing I ever did was in those books.
GT: Well, I'm a fan of yours. My collection of Al Sarrantonio books rest proudly amongst my other favorites—Ethan Black, F. Paul Wilson, Thomas Harris, Thomas Disch—I'd say all of you had an impact on the writer I became. Do you attend any of the horror-cons on a regular basis? I'd love to bump into you someday. Thank you for your time.
AS: Like I said, haven't hit the cons in some time. Maybe in the next couple years. And funny you should mention Tom Disch – he was one of my mentors, and I was able to publish a bunch of his stories in the original anthologies I edited.
Would You Like to Win a $25 Gift Card?
Would you like to win one of these?
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Starting September 1st, any review posted for my novella, Fleshbags, on Amazon that is an "Amazon Verified Purchase" will be eligible to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Now the review does not have to be favorable (though appreciated), but it does have to be an actual review of the book. So any verified purchases that have reviews that have nothing to do with the actual book will be disqualified. To be on the safe side, make your review at least one (even if small) paragraph. Once you have posted your review and it appears on Amazon's site, go to www.feelmyghost.webs.com and click the 'Contact Me' button. Post a link of your review and your email address so I can put you in the drawing. The contest ends October 1st , so be sure you have your review and email addy to me by midnight, October 1st! The winner will be chosen through www.random.org and announced on my website October 3rd.
Oh, and by the way, if the contest proves popular enough, I will extend it another month and add another $25 gift card. Prior contestants will automatically be entered for the drawing (save for the winner). Details on that if it happens, but in the meantime, happy contesting!
I reserve the right to disqualify any entries deemed unfit. By sending me your email address you agree to be signed up for my newsletter and may opt-out by email or 'Contact Me' message through my website. I will not share your email address.
August 28, 2011
Interview with Al Sarrantonio
Log on tomorrow at noon to read my interview with Al Sarrantonio.
August 26, 2011
Dead Right, ep VI
Nibor went to the side of the desk and walked over to a door that occupied an entire wall. It had to be ten feet by fifteen. He punched in a code and slid his hand into a port. The door beeped and a green light came on just above his head. Things inside clicked and whirred and then the door began to slowly swing open.
Nibor turned and spoke to the group. "We currently have three tanks in operation, with a fourth to come online sometime next month." He looked at Dell specifically. "I believe you wanted Tank three, correct?"
Dell swallowed. "Yeah." What was going on with him? They followed Nibor inside.
"Y'know, we appreciate you coming down. With the coming legislation, we could be potentially put out of business before we even begin. A significant amount of money has been invested already and we'll need to solicit more funds to go on to the next phase of the project."
"Well, the mayor's office is just trying to get ahead of this whole undead thing," Dell said. "We want to wind up on the right side of the fence. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to… show us your research."
"Research?" Alarm bells started going off in Wenton's head. He hadn't missed the 'undead' thing. Wenton didn't do well around the dead. His grandparents, his uncle—he hadn't been able to physically go to any of their funerals. He was always grateful that his parents had been cremated. But that urn with both their ashes in it… Wenton was glad Dell had taken it. The only funeral he'd been able to attend—and even then just barely—was…
He turned to Dell.
"Who's in Tank three?"
Dell shifted. There was definitely something he hadn't told him.
"It's uhh… y'know, I was just thinking of you. Y'know, you've just been so… y'know how you've been. Not like you, but… C'mon, it's almost been two years!"
Wenton took a step back from his brother.
"Is that my wife in there? Is that Cara?"
Dell dropped his head. He didn't say anything, but Wenton had his answer.
"Gentlemen?" He took his eyes away from Dell, looking over to the man he'd forgotten was in the room. "Is there an issue?"
"No." Dell was back on the clock, his face had none of the guilt from a second ago. "Just having a little chat with my consultant." He turned to Wenton. "You can examine her for yourself. Get those answers you've been wanting."
Wenton stared at his brother several minutes. All the answers he'd been wanting were potentially on the other side of that door. He finally looked over at Nibor.
"Shall we?"
He nodded.
August 25, 2011
Dead Right, ep V
"Good evening, sirs," a lispy man said, greeting them at the door with two guards of his own. A breeze had kicked up, making their clothes lick in the wind. He handed a clipboard to the officer who turned to Dell, who in turn, nodded. He hunched over it with a pen and gave it back. The man took the sheet off the clipboard and handed it to Wenton.
"It's just a non-disclosure thing," Dell hollered over the wind. "No big deal. Trust me, I know a pitbull of a lawyer. If we need to break that, he can make it happen."
Wenton couldn't tell if his brother was telling the truth, but signed. The man took it back, smiled at him with his other hand clapped over the top of his hat to keep from losing it.
"Let's get inside, gentlemen."
The outside of the building had been very non-descript. The only thing that really stood out was the well kept and fenced-in grounds so out of place with the surrounding homes.
Wenton would have guessed Dell was taking him to meet girls, but this was something more. He would have politely turned the one his brother had picked out for him down had that been the case. Wenton still saw his wife's face on just about every other woman he saw. No, the fact his brother had brought him anywhere else showed true growth. It also meant he might not know him as well as he thought. Wenton was proud and disappointed at the same time.
He nudged his arm as they followed the lispy man in the Brookes Brothers suit. "Where are we?"
"In a minute." Dell's voice was distant. He was uncomfortable with something and that made no sense at all. He did know where they were, didn't he?
They came to a security desk and the man spoke in a low voice to the guard sitting behind it. Somehow, the security man was fixing him and Dell in the same stare. It was impressive and intimidating until he blinked and nodded.
The man who'd led them in stood upright and turned around.
"I'm sorry, gentlemen, I've forgotten my manners." He stuck his hand out between Dell and Wenton. "Larry Nibor."
"Oh, Dr. Nibor," Dell stepped in front of the offered hand and took it, gave a few good pumps. "Windel White. This is my brother Wenton."
"Pleased to meet you." Wenton took his hand. It felt squishy, like if he squeezed it Nibor's eyes might bulge out of his head and schloop back in when he let go. He resisted the urge to wipe his hand on his pants.
"I appreciate you giving me the title, but I'm not a doctor." Wenton noticed that the man hadn't stopped smiling since they'd arrived at the front door. "I'm the director, though." He looked at the security guard. "Lenny, we're going to go in now."
"All right, sir."
August 24, 2011
Dead Right, ep IV
Hanson shifted for the first time since he'd come in.
"I'm-I'm sorry, sir?"
"I need you to babysit my nephew while I take my brother someplace important. Someplace little boys don't go. The sooner we go, the sooner we get back, the sooner you can get home and practice that slider with your kid."
"Well, they don't pitch. It's actually t-ball."
"Okay, but if we get done quickly, then you get home quickly. Cool?"
"I suppose."
Wenton grabbed his brother by the arm. "The hell you think you're doing? I don't know him. Look, I'm sorry Mr.—Officer Henson—
"Hanson, sir."
"—Hanson, but I don't know you. And I'm sure that if you were in my position you wouldn't be eager to let some stranger spend time alone with any one of your children."
"Well, if I may sir," Hanson cut in before Wenton could continue. "I am already a police officer which requires background checks. But any officer who is assigned to a detail with a person associated with the mayor's office is subject to an extensive history search on par with agents in the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Wenton hadn't known that. It was impressive.
"Good enough for the mayor," Dell chimed in, "good enough for us."
"It's that important to you?" Wenton said to his brother who nodded. He had no doubt Dell loved Todd and the fact he would vouch for this police officer carried a great deal of weight. He turned back to Hanson. "Take off those sunglasses." Hanson put them in his jacket pocket. He had clear eyes. Good. Hopefully, he wasn't a drinker. "Take off that jacket too. He removed it and Wenton saw the gun in the holster.
"Uh-uh."
"Sir, I'm a police officer. I have to carry my weapon when I'm on duty."
"Then no dice."
"Hold it-hold it-hold it." Dell put his hands up again. "How about you take the gun off and put it up on top of the cabinet?" Wenton looked at the cop. He nodded.
They'd gone into the bedroom so Wenton could tuck his son in, but found him under the covers, snoring soundly and smelling like perfume.
"I was going to give it to a lady friend," Dell said when he looked at him.
They'd left soon after and now here he was, still unsure what was going on and feeling tipsier by the moment. The driver/officer was even bigger than Hanson was, probably as wide as he and Dell if they'd stood shoulder-to-shoulder, blocking their view of the entrance as they walked behind him.
August 23, 2011
Dead Right, ep III
Wenton had dried his hands on his pants and looked at his brother. "So what exactly do you want?" He let his frustration at being underminded bleed into his tone.
"Uh, nothing much. I just want you to come with me. Take an hour of your time, max."
"And where is it we're going?"
"Ask me again when we get in the limo."
"Uncle Dell, can I come too?"
"No, Toddy," Wenton had answered for his brother. "You can't come because it's not an appropriate place for little boys, is it, Uncle Dell?"
"No," Dell said, but his face brightened when he reached into his suit jacket and produced a rectangular box, stooped and held it out for Todd to take.
"What is it, Uncle Dell?"
"For the life of me, I don't know!" Dell threw his hands up. "Why don't you take it to your room and open it?" Todd took it and sauntered to his room.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," Wenton had said.
"What?"
"Give him stuff every time he sees you. He's gonna start expecting that."
"Well, I'm the onliest uncle he has. I gotta make up for all the gifts he's never gonna get from the family we don't have."
"Yeah, but I'm trying to do something here. I'm going for a value system here. You undermind that when you do that."
"All right, all right." Dell held his hands up. "Sorry. Next time I'll just give him a kick in the nuts."
"You know I can't go with you," Wenton had said. "It's a Sunday night and I don't even know any sitters."
"Got that covered. I've got a sitter."
"Who?"
"Hanson."
"Hanson who?"
"I get an executive protection officer. Two of them. Hanson can watch him while we're away."
"No way. I'm not letting some guy watch my kid."
"He's not just some guy."
Dell stormed to the front of the house, opened the door and ushered a big, baldheaded white guy inside and led him over to the kitchen.
"Officer Hanson, this is my brother, Wenton."
"Evening, sir."
"Hey."
"See the wedding ring? Hanson's married. How long you been married, Officer Hanson?"
"Twelve years."
"Got pictures of your kids?"
"Yes sir." Hanson proceeded to dig out his wallet and flipped it open, producing a series of pictures.
"Wow. Officer Hanson," Dell began a little too loudly. "You've got, what is that, four children?"
"Five, sir."
"Five. Your youngest there looks about the same age as my nephew. You play catch with him?"
"I coach his little league team." Dell had nodded, pulling a face like he was more impressed than he was. But Wenton knew the truth; other than Todd, his brother despised children.
"I need you to do us a favor, Officer Hanson."
"How may I assist?"
"I need you to babysit my nephew. Just for an hour."
August 22, 2011
Fleshbags
Out now! Go get yours immediately!
August 18, 2011
We Need to Talk About Kevin
I was tooling around in IMDB.com when I saw a poster for this and I have to say... it looks familiar. Very familiar. I don't know when this poster was created, but I, Keveny was published several months ago. Judge for yourself:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1957673984/tt1242460
I think I need to contact my attorneys...
