Jonathan Janz's Blog, page 35

FEARnet loves THE SORROWS (and I await my fate…)

Last week I got the exciting, elating, add-any-adjective-that-begins-with-an-e-unless-it’s-exasperating-or-erratic news that FEARnet (an awesome cable network and horror website) went wild for my debut novel The Sorrows.

The review (by Blu Gilliand) is right here. And here. And here. It’s the same link, but I enjoyed the review so much that I wanted you to have multiple opportunities to click it.

A couple of highlights:

“Jonathan Janz makes an impressive debut with The Sorrows, a gruesome confection that blends beloved elements of B-movies and pulp novels in a wickedly fun read. Reviews of the book, which came out in December of 2011 from Samhain Publishing, have drawn comparisons to Richard Laymon, comparisons which proved to be dead-on.”

And…

“The Sorrows is what paperback (or, these days, eBook) horror novels are all about – an engaging premise, a spooky location, lots of blood, a terrifying creature, and, ultimately, a satisfying read. Janz has set the bar high with his debut, but I have a feeling he’s got a lot more tricks up his sleeve.”

So there you go.

And as happy as that review made me, I’m plagued with an ominous feeling tonight. You see, a family we’re friends with got violently sick a few days ago, and members of my family happened to be around them the day after, and…

My family just before last night's explosion...

Yeah. My son got incredibly ill last night (I sound like a Facebook post, don’t I? I SWORE I’d never talk about my vomiting children. BAD daddy! BAD DADDY!). One of my daughters then did her best Linda Blair impression (about seventeen times, the final eruption occurring just after four a.m.—Did I mention I’m the designated nausea nurse and regurgitated-mess-cleaner-upper in our house?). My youngest (fifteen-months-old) seems to be okay thus far, but my wife took her turn feeling like sweating death earlier this evening.

Which leaves me.

So here I sit, blithely typing a blog post, but deep down knowing that my time very well might be coming.

Wish me well. I’m going to read some Jack Ketchum. Let’s hope that’s as disturbing as my night gets.

*takes deep breath, hits Publish, and steps tremblingly away from keyboard*

HorrorHound Weekend (or How Angry My Nineteen-Year-Old Self Would Be at Me for Not Meeting Sherilyn Fenn)

I got back from HorrorHound Weekend (Columbus, OH) the same day I left. I couldn't bear being away from my family longer than about eighteen hours (yeah, I'm a loser), so I only took in the Saturday portion of the convention.

But boy, what a Saturday it was.

I've been thinking all week—when I've had time to think, that is—about how to summarize my day at HorrorHound, but I've failed to come up with any kind of unifying theme. So you'll have to go without.

What I will share is a list of observations. Starting with…

If I wasn't already excited about being a part of the Samhain Horror stable of authors—and believe me, I was—I felt even more grateful after Saturday. Not only did Samhain sponsor the HorrorHound Weekend event, they set up a nifty booth with hourly raffles, free prizes, awesome-looking posters, and a book-signing studio for yours truly. I could go on at length about how wonderful Mackenzie and Amanda were and how incredible Dawn and the other Amanda were, but to save time, I'll just say this:

If you've ever written a novel, you know what a solitary, thankless endeavor that can sometimes be. People respond to your declaration of novel-writing with a mixture of apathy, pity, or barely-concealed derision.

This was the opposite of that. The Samhain crew made me feel special, wanted, and important, even if I'm none of those things (okay, I am pretty special, but that's beside the point). So before I go any further…THANK YOU TO SAMHAIN!

See the dude up there? Yep, Norman Reedus. I guess he's on some show called The Walking Dead. I wouldn't know because the guy was too busy fleeing a slavering armada of female fans that was twice as frightening as any group of zombies could hope to be. I'm betting he brings his crossbow to the next convention.

Formative Gaze

Those of you familiar with Sherlilyn Fenn (smoldering at you from above) won't be surprised to learn that I had a fairly sizable crush on her in my teens and early twenties. She was at HorrorHound, but I didn't see her. Maybe she was fleeing, too (no, not from me!).

But I did meet…

Lynn Lowry Reacts to the Basement Scene in The Sorrows

The above actress looked very familiar to me (her booth was stationed across from mine). When I finally got the time to go over to her, I was delighted to learn her name was Lynn Lowry and that I'd seen her in such cool films as The Crazies and Cat People (from which the screen cap above is taken). She was kind, gracious, and even more importantly, she got a copy of my debut novel. No word yet on whether or not The Sorrows has given her nightmares…

I saw Pam Grier at the convention (pointing a gun at you below)…

…but I didn't see Tippi Hedren.

At the Bodega Bay Aviary

I got to meet an extremely cool (and even more talented) writer named Sheri Holman. If you don't know that name yet, you soon will. Just check out this New York Times Editors' Choice review of her fantastic fourth novel. The wackiest part was, she signed and gifted me a copy of her book and bought a signed copy of mine! This despite the fact that an unsigned copy of The Sorrows is worth a fortune (thanks to Hugh Grant and the screenwriters of Notting Hill for that joke).

She Got Game

My booth was caddy-cornered from Doug Bradley, who is better known as Hellraiser's Pinhead. I didn't talk to him. Didn't make eye contact either.

Reliving my fourteen-year-old nightmares

On that unsettling note, I'll say this: HorrorHound rocked. The atmosphere was genial, the people good-natured. I found the staff to be polite and organized. I found the fans to be outstanding and quite wise in their choice of reading material. I sold and signed books steadily through the day, and I even got my first fan picture taken.

So this blog post is dedicated to Adam and his very cool wife. You two and all the rest made my first convention as a "guest" a memorable one.

 

 

 

“A Splendid, Creepy Read”

Is there anything more exciting than waking up to a great review?

Wait a minute—please don’t answer that. Jeesh, people!

Now that you’ve gotten your minds off of Angelina Jolie and Ryan Gosling, I’d like to share a brand-spankin’ new review of my debut novel THE SORROWS. Literal Remains had this to say…

“This is top quality midnight movie stuff.”

And…

“The Sorrows is a splendid, creepy read, and a good start to what I hope is a long and fruitful career for Mr. Janz.”

The full review: http://www.literalremains.com/the-sorrows/

Folks, I’ll take that over napalm in the morning, a hot cup of java, or a leather-clad Lara Croft every day of the week. Although I do enjoy my coffee…

So have you read The Sorrows yet? If not, you can get it right here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sorrows-ebook/dp/B00699SD5A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330993416&sr=1-1

Now turn off that old VHS copy of Tomb Raider and discover the world of Castle Blackwood!

Don't go in the basement...

"A Splendid, Creepy Read"

Is there anything more exciting than waking up to a great review?

Wait a minute—please don't answer that. Jeesh, people!

Now that you've gotten your minds off of Angelina Jolie and Ryan Gosling, I'd like to share a brand-spankin' new review of my debut novel THE SORROWS. Literal Remains had this to say…

"This is top quality midnight movie stuff."

And…

"The Sorrows is a splendid, creepy read, and a good start to what I hope is a long and fruitful career for Mr. Janz."

The full review: http://www.literalremains.com/the-sorrows/

Folks, I'll take that over napalm in the morning, a hot cup of java, or a leather-clad Lara Croft every day of the week. Although I do enjoy my coffee…

So have you read The Sorrows yet? If not, you can get it right here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sorrows-ebook/dp/B00699SD5A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330993416&sr=1-1

Now turn off that old VHS copy of Tomb Raider and discover the world of Castle Blackwood!

Don't go in the basement...

THE SORROWS releases in trade paperback!

First of all, let's get the obvious thing out of the way: it's been awhile since I last posted (February 20th, to be exact). That marks the longest hiatus I've had since I started posting regularly in the fall, and while I feel a little bad about that, the simple fact is that you're not very important to me anymore.

KIDDING!

My lawn on a May morning

I love you, faceless blog readers. I love you like I love the first dewdrops of a summer morning. Which is a lot, incidentally. I'm a huge dewdrop fan. In the dawn's first ghostly light, when no one's looking, I often kneel on the ground to lap at the grass-blade tips. I then make dewdrop angels on the bed of moist lawn and sing cantatas of joy and rapture.

That's normal, right?

So anyway, THE SORROWS (all caps makes it cooler) came out in trade paperback format a week early! You gotter, folks. That good-lookin' pair of glowing eyes can now be yours for under ten bucks. Just imagine that evil gaze peering at you from your favorite bookshelf. Or leering at you from atop Aunt Elva's ash-filled urn. Or keeping you company as you wait in line at the DMV.

Portable creepy eyes (with bonus haunted castle!)

The possibilities are endless.

So buy it here. Or here. Or here or here or here (who knew Target sold paperbacks?).

And if you're into the whole digital thing, the ebook is still kicking much bootie right here.

A couple of new Goodreads reviews have popped up, too. Here's what they're saying…

From Carol: "Books don't normally "spook" me, but this one was that exception. I don't remember reading a book that affected me this way since I read Stephen King as a kid. If you like horror and want a good story this is a book I'd suggest."

And Gail: "Make sure you have plenty of time to read before you pick this one up!! It is one you won't want to put down!! Janz draws you into the story and displays amazing descriptive abilities. The story holds a little something for everyone, but for horror fans – this story is absolutely chilling. I can't wait to pick up more from this author!!"

Okay, friends. I'll talk to you again soon. I've been hard at work doing the final edits on my third novel and I've been almost as hard at work finishing my fourth novel. Soon it'll be time to begin writing my fifth book, and folks, I can't tell you how pumped I am for that one.

Until next time, fellow dewdrop aficionados.

Praise for THE SORROWS

Afternoon! I just put together an incomplete collection of some of the raves THE SORROWS has gathered over the past month or so. I'll add more soon, and along with that I'll share some nice things people have said about my novellas and my new novel HOUSE OF SKIN. But this'll do for now.

Without further ado, the reviews page (known by the earth-shatteringly original title REVIEWS)…

Drive

My first thought upon watching Drive last night—and I mean within the first five minutes of this incredible film—was "You're telling me there were nine movies better than this in 2011?"

"There's no good sharks?"

Nine, of course, is the number of films nominated for Best Picture this year, and I'll bet you anything that after watching  all nine of them I'll be able to name several that don't measure up to this tightly-wound bundle of celluloid tension. I've seen Midnight in Paris (loved it) and Moneyball (loved it, too), and of these three films I'd be loathe to tell you which one I enjoyed most. So I won't try.

What I will do is tell you the three main reasons this film knocked it out of the park for me (wrong movie analogy, I know). And sadly, for the sake of brevity, one of those reasons won't be the awesome score/soundtrack, which reminded me fondly of the very best eighties cool-vibe music.

Reason #1: The Driver

Never leave home without your claw hammer

Ryan Gosling is scary good. If you've seen a lot of movies, you've seen a lot of actors try to pull off the slow burn, the strong-but-silent, the still-waters-run-deep, the pick-your-cliche. And you've seen most of those actors fail. The problem with trying to nail this type is that being understated isn't the same as being wooden, and most actors end up looking like Tecumseh from Cheers.

Not so with Gosling. This guy's got chops, and he imbues every frame he's in with intensity. Oh, there's a range in his performance, but you've gotta watch for it. For evidence of what I'm talking about, take a look at the sick terror in his eyes during the daylight pawnshop hold-up scene. Gosling owns this film.

Reason #2: The Supporting Players

Who you callin' a clownfish?

Albert Brooks is the one that most will think of, and that's a good thing. He, like the film, was robbed of a nomination. I don't believe that there were five better supporting performances this year, so don't try to convince me.

What many people might overlook, though, is that the other players essayed their roles with equal precision. Though you might not pay much attention to Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, and (especially) Bryan Cranston, you need to. Watch how they inhabit their characters and exude just the right mixtures of dubious hopefulness (Mulligan), insecure bravado (Isaac), and greedy decency (Cranston). They help make a good movie into a great movie.

Reason #3: Nicolas Winding Refn

Every frame counts

You ever heard of this guy? Nope, me neither. In fact, I had to check with my old friend, the Internet Movie Database, just to make sure I spelled this director's name right. And even after double and triple-checking, I'm still doubtful I got it. The name looks like a bunch of font types strung together.

But that aside, Refn's a name I'll remember from now on. Neil Marshall (of Dog Soldiers and The Descent fame) was slated to helm this picture, but when that fell through, Gosling hand-picked Refn to take the wheel (ha!). I could bore you with why this movie signals the ascent of a new directorial star (like the amazing sustained tracking shots and the—hey, wake up!), but all you need to do is look at the five pictures featured in this post to see how skillful Refn (and his cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel—apparently the studio stipulated that the entire crew consist of three-named men) is at framing his shots.

So go watch Drive. If you don't, The Driver will pay you a visit. And he'll be wearing this mask…

Um, was that my bladder or yours?

Goodreads Giveaway and Two New Reviews!

Hey, folks. Whether you've got your faces painted for the Super Bowl or you actively dislike sports, it's nice of you to drop by. My face isn't painted, but I did paint my daughter's toenails this morning. So I figure I'm hedging my bets.

Right here at Goodreads is a brand new giveaway of TEN copies of The Sorrows. There are nine days left, a fact I probably shouldn't share, right? That sort of detracts from the urgency of the situation. So forget I said anything. How about this? TIME IS RUNNING OUT! If you don't act now, you might never—

Ah, the heck with it.

DEVILS!!!

In addition to the aforementioned giveaway, two more reviews of my debut novel have been published courtesy of Horrorworld and Innsmouth Free Press. Both are positive, though both do contain criticisms. I liked both reviews, however, because I found them to be thoughtful and interesting.

A highlight from the Horrorworld review: "Jonathan Janz is a skilled Writer, his characters are well-crafted and believable, and for a first novel, The Sorrows is pretty damned impressive."

And one from Innsmouth: "'Sorrows' also describes the states of mind and the fates of Janz's characters – although "Terrors" would be an apter description."

Lastly, I'd like to take use this moment for an obligatory Seinfeld clip. For all you face painters out there…

New Interview with Me! (Courtesy of the Awesome Brian Moreland)

Link to Interview!

Yo, Peeps. If you haven't left my blog after that cheesy salutation, thank you. And if you haven't forsaken me because of my nine-day silence, well, thanks for that too. I'll explain why I've been gone soon, but for now I'll just say it has nothing to do with the Republican primaries, the Super Bowl, or that unfortunate incident at the grocery store and that crabby old woman who claims the "One Sushi Sample to a Customer" rule is some immutable law worth getting into fisticuffs over.

Wait a minute…you didn't hear about that?

Moving on…

Brian Moreland, author of the fabulous Dead of Winter, was kind enough to interview me right here on his blog. Click on the link if you'd like to hear my thoughts on the mistreatment of women, the landscape of California, the writing abilities of guys like Stephen King, Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, and Richard Laymon, as well as a whole lotta thoughts about The Sorrows (You've bought the ebook or pre-ordered the paperback, right? If not, you can do either right here!) and the upcoming House of Skin.

Oh, and I didn't mention anything in the interview about that old bag at the supermarket.

Heh…did I say old bag? I meant brown bag. You know, the non-biodegradable ones that hurt the environment? Yep, those. I didn't say anything about an old woman. Or sushi. Or the possible consequences of a toothpick in the neck.

I said ONE California roll, you whipper snapper!

Have a good night, all. I've gotta go find some Neosporin…

Interview with Brian Moreland, Author of DEAD OF WINTER

When you begin to brainstorm how many diverse tendrils this beastly plant we call "horror" has spread into the soils of literature (or how many strained metaphors), historical horror might not be the first sub genre that comes to mind. But if you look hard, you'll find many fantastic examples by some of the best writers in the field (Dan Simmons and Robert Bloch among them). And when done well, a dark period piece can be an incredibly rewarding experience for the reader.

I'm also a sucker for terror in the cold. As evidenced by Ron Malfi's Snow and Tim Lebbon's "White," brutal winter settings can help create a unique and suffocating dread, one that enshrouds the reader in its freezing embrace.

If either of the above paragraphs sounds enticing, have I got a book for you…

Dead of Winter (available in paperback or ebook) is Brian Moreland's new, gripping entry into the field of historical horror, and if that doesn't intrigue you, have I also mentioned that this novel is taut, suspenseful, bloody, and full of surprises?

Still not sold?

Well, read this interview. I think you'll be making plans to journey back to 1870 very soon…

1. One of the things that makes Dead of Winter so special is how authentic it feels. What did you spend more time doing—researching the book or writing it? What kind of research did you do? 

I'd say I spent most of my time writing and rewriting to capture the atmosphere and tension I was going for. I did spend countless hours reading history books about the Canadian fur trade and did a lot of research on the web. I also interviewed a descendent of the Ojibwa tribe to better understand the Native Canadian (First Nation) culture and customs, and she led me to a great book about the Ojibwa people. Lastly, to make my Jesuit priest Father Xavier as authentic as possible, I boned up on how to perform an exorcism through reading case studies on some contemporary exorcisms performed by priests in the present day. If you know someone who is possessed by a demon, I now know how to exorcise one. I believe what makes a book feel authentic is the details an author adds to the storytelling. And true history is full of fascinating details.

2. Not only does Dead of Winter feel like a slice of 1870 life in the Canadian wilderness, it's also a rousing adventure/suspense thriller. What horror and/or suspense writers have influenced your style? 

From Dean Koontz I learned how to tell a story at a break-neck pace and how to create loveable characters and sinister villains. His dark suspense thrillers also taught me how to mix genres. From Robert McCammon I learned the craft of writing horrific scenes with fast action and nail-biting suspense. Studying the works of H.P. Lovecraft taught me how to create a creepy atmosphere and dread from unseen things lurking in the dark. From Dan Brown, F. Paul Wilson, Dan Simmons, and James Rollins, I learned how to weave true historical events with a high-concept plot. Reading Richard Laymon novels taught me you can push the envelope with sex and violence, while taking the reader on a wild, rollercoaster ride. Clive Barker showed me monsters can have many layers and come from alternate dimensions. Lastly, I owe much of my craft of writing horror that goes for the throat and the heart from Stephen King. I highly recommend his book On Writing.

Brian Moreland

3. Inspector Tom Hatcher is a great protagonist. From what sources/inspirations did you draw when creating him? 

Honestly, Inspector Hatcher evolved over many rewrites. He started out as a modern sheriff in Michigan, trying to solve a series of gruesome cannibal murders in a small town. Occasionally, I flashed back to 1870 to dramatize the mystery's back story. When I decided to set my entire novel in Canada in 1870, I made Tom a British inspector from Montreal. I also gave him a fourteen-year-old son, Christopher, who is trying his best to prove that he's man enough to do detective work. The more I put Tom into scenes that challenged him, the more I discovered his true character. Solving murders brought out his strengths as a detective. His alcoholism and mistakes as a father show his weaknesses. And having two women at the fur trading fort fall for Tom show his conflicts between being a gentleman and his human needs for love, sex, and the kind of nurturing that a man can find only in the arms of a woman. For me, a great protagonist doesn't become three-dimensional right away. It's only after writing them in multiple scenes with characters who either love them or antagonize them that my protagonists come to life. Out of all my novels and short stories, Tom Hatcher is one of my favorites.

4. The Cannery Cannibal is a stunning antagonist. Give us some insight into the creation of this ferocious villain.

Gustave Meraux, aka "the Cannery Cannibal" is a combination of real history and my twisted imagination. The more I read about the issues with cannibalism during the harsh winters of the 19th Century wilderness people, the more I wanted to come up with my own cannibal killer.  Reading about the history of the fur trade led me to discover that a fur trading company, called the Northwest Company, had winter partners from Montreal. They were mostly French and Scottish. Every winter they lived in isolated forts and traded with the native fur trappers, and each spring they returned home to Montreal to sell their precious furs and live a wealthy lifestyle. That provided the backdrop for my fictional fort colony, Fort Pendleton. Another industry during that time was canneries canning soups, meat, and fruit preserves for these fur traders to take with them during the long winters. Canned goods also went on board ships that travel on long voyages. The French and British canneries competed for the lion's share of the business. The more I read history books about cannibalism, the fur trade, and canneries, the more these ideas meshed in my mind for my villain–a cannibal who Inspector Tom Hatcher caught and put behind bars. A serial killer who is considered to be the craziest man in the insane asylum where he's imprisoned at the beginning of the book.

I like to read about history and have my characters be born from what I discover. Reading about the real life Jack the Ripper made me ask the question, what if Montreal had their own version of Jack the Ripper? I could have made Gustave Meraux a serial killer who lives in the shadows of the city, but he became far more interesting to me when I wrote him to be a well-respected gentleman from the upper class–an heir to a family who had amassed a fortune from the canning business. I made him French Canadian in contrast to Inspector Hatcher being British. What makes the Cannery Cannibal different from the Ripper is Gustave abducts prostitutes, butchers them, and stores their meat in tin cans. He also worships an ancient demon, which gives Gustave Meraux a mission far darker than merely killing a few prostitutes.

Dude Got Game

5. On your blog you talk about kayaking, hiking, and travel. This sort of versatility is reflected in your writing, as well (mixing genres to create a rich, three-dimensional world). What are the benefits of reading outside the genre and experiencing life outside one's writing cave?

After hours of working at a computer, I like to get out and reconnect with the real world. I love being out in nature and getting physical. Hiking and kayaking satisfy these needs. I also love to travel around the United States and visit other countries and meeting foreign people who see the world differently than I do. Every new culture I experience expands me as a person, and that can only help my writing be more versatile, as you say. When I've had my fill of the experiencing the real world through my five senses, I return to my writing cave and create fantasy worlds that others can enjoy. It's fun to be able to jump between both worlds.

And, cut! 

Thanks, everybody, for reading, and thank you to Brian for giving such great answers and for giving me nightmares about demonic possession.