Carl Alves's Blog, page 50
December 7, 2013
Creative Spirit by Scott Nicholson
In Creative Spirit, a group of artists from a variety of fields are brought to a remote Appalachian retreat where they are staying at the Korban Manor. The manor is a place that has trapped numerous spirits over the years, all under the power of former master of the estate Ephram Korban, who has transcended his human body and stays alive inside of the manor. Now he wants to be made flesh once again and needs the help of the guests from the retreat. Parapsychologist Anna Galloway is dying of cancer and is led to the manor because she has dreams where she sees her own ghost at the manor. Meanwhile, Mason Jackson, a sculptor is using this retreat as a go-for-broke attempt to realize his dreams. Unbeknownst to him, Ephram Korban has more devious plans for him in an attempt to sculpt him back to life, while he plans on using Anna’s psychic power to accomplish his nefarious goals.
One of the things that I enjoy about Nicholson’s novels is how he makes use of setting. In this case, the remote part of the Appalachian Mountains in which the story takes place is a perfect setting. It delivers the right mood and atmosphere for what is to follow. The story is a bit complex and not always easy to follow, but things come together by the end of the novel, where the individual storylines are woven together in a fiery finale. This is an enjoyable novel that I would recommend.
One of the things that I enjoy about Nicholson’s novels is how he makes use of setting. In this case, the remote part of the Appalachian Mountains in which the story takes place is a perfect setting. It delivers the right mood and atmosphere for what is to follow. The story is a bit complex and not always easy to follow, but things come together by the end of the novel, where the individual storylines are woven together in a fiery finale. This is an enjoyable novel that I would recommend.
December 1, 2013
Movie Review: Thor Dark World
Thor: Dark World takes place two years after the first movie. Thor has been away from Midgard during that time with the exception of his brief sojourn as a member of The Avengers when he was fending off aliens and Loki as they invaded New York. Now, Loki is imprisoned, and Thor has been repairing the damage he created in the nine realms. A new danger lurks as Dr. Jane Porter, played by Natalie Portman, comes into contact with a powerful weapon, the Aether, that has been dormant for thousands of years when the Dark Elves, led by the freaky looking Malekith had used the Aether in a failed attempt to take over the nine realms. Thor, along with his friends in Midgard, join forces with Loki in an unlikely pairing to stop the dark elves.
The Good: The movie was generally entertaining with great effects and visuals. I also enjoyed the interaction between Loki and Thor, which crated some of the more entertaining moments in the movie. The Bad: I was annoyed at how much the first movie discarded Norse mythology, and this movie once more did that. The dark elves as well as the Asgardians possessed all sorts of space ships and advanced technology. These mythos were created by the Vikings over a thousand years ago. They are based on magic, not technology. None of these things remotely fit. The movie was often times confusing, especially toward the end where there is this convergence of the different realms. There is a constant bouncing back and forth by the characters between realms and it was often hard to follow. There were also a lot of things that didn’t get explained, and the viewer was just assumed to figure it out. Although this movie had some entertainment value, it could have been much better.
The Good: The movie was generally entertaining with great effects and visuals. I also enjoyed the interaction between Loki and Thor, which crated some of the more entertaining moments in the movie. The Bad: I was annoyed at how much the first movie discarded Norse mythology, and this movie once more did that. The dark elves as well as the Asgardians possessed all sorts of space ships and advanced technology. These mythos were created by the Vikings over a thousand years ago. They are based on magic, not technology. None of these things remotely fit. The movie was often times confusing, especially toward the end where there is this convergence of the different realms. There is a constant bouncing back and forth by the characters between realms and it was often hard to follow. There were also a lot of things that didn’t get explained, and the viewer was just assumed to figure it out. Although this movie had some entertainment value, it could have been much better.
November 19, 2013
10 Questions with Ronald Malfi
1. In Floating Staircase, the protagonist is a writer of dark fiction. Is he based on anybody that you know?
I assume that question is asked somewhat facetiously? As with all my characters, Travis Glasgow may exhibit certain traits that I have cobbled together from people I know or even myself, but I think that for the most part he is his own unique character. I never use any real person, myself included, for the basis of any fictional character. Very often the character comes into my head before I even have the full storyline, so they’re coming at me through the ether as fully formed human beings. An interesting side note, though—in an early draft of Floating Staircase, I wrote myself in as a character Travis meets at the end of the book at a writers’ convention. Since the book was already an exercise in metafiction, I thought such a nod was sort of cool, but my editor nixed it unceremoniously. Probably a wise decision on her part.
2. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
As a writer, I think they’ve helped with exposure, and for the past year or so, ebooks have comprised about fifty percent of my overall sales. I suspect that number will rise in the future. They’re easily accessible and, for the most part, cheaper than physical books, though with some exceptions. I occasionally speak at conventions or to groups of writers, and ebooks allow for me to give them unlimited free downloads of a particular work we might discuss, whereas prior to ebooks this would have required my publisher to ship out hundreds of free books to these events: a costly enterprise.
As a reader, however, I haven’t embraced the technology. I’m not tech-savvy at all, and am put off by things like e-readers and iPads and the like. This means that if an author I enjoy chooses to release their work solely in ebook form, then I miss out. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the truth of it. I can’t fathom any enjoyment coming from reading off some electronic gadget. Gadgetry takes me out of the storyteller’s world, thus gadgetizing the book. There is nothing warm or cozy about an illuminated electronic tablet to me. In fact, there’s something wholly ironic about it. Also, it’s bad enough I have to stare at a computer screen while I work.
3. What is your favorite ghost short story and/or novel?
This is an impossible question, as there are so many. Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw is probably the best example of ghosts in literature. You will learn everything necessary to write a wonderful ghost story just by studying that tale. Its power is in its understatement, which I believe is the hallmark of a successful ghost story. And by “successful,” I mean frightening. Although not necessary a ghost story per se, Peter Straub’s The Throat contains some excellent passages about a ghost that are really quite chilling. His novels Julia and the aptly named Ghost Story also jump to mind. Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is, of course, another standard and a great example of the subgenre. A wonderful short piece is “The Two Sams,” by Glen Hirshberg. I’m sure I could think of a hundred more if I sat here long enough.
4. Tell us more about Little Girls due out in 2015 from Kensington.
It’s about a woman who returns to her childhood home to settle her father’s estate after his death. She brings her husband and young daughter along with her, and the daughter befriends another young girl who lives next door. Secrets both old and new are uncovered, which surround the father’s death as well as the girl next door. It’s got a very modern gothic feel, I think. I’m also very pleased with the understated nature of the whole story—how much of what I’m saying as an author is in what I choose to leave unsaid. I’ve also stretched the idea of what a ghost story—or a ghost in general—really can be, so this is unique in that regard. I think the novel could fit just as neatly in the thriller/suspense genre as it could in the horror genre, and I’m curious to see how the book will be received. I’m very excited to be working with Kensington on this novel, too.
5. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
You must write and you must read. Every day. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are your tools, so learn how to use them and don’t assume some editor with clean up your sloppiness. They won’t.
6. How did you come up with the concept for Floating Staircase?
How does one come up with any concept? I don’t know. I wrote a very early draft, at the time titled Rooms of Glass, back when I was in college. It was a bloated monster with a million different subplots, many of which did not intersect. So the manuscript sat untouched for many years before I revisited it and began the slow and excruciating process of rewriting it. I hadn’t intended on rewriting that novel—it was one of my early ones, something I just assumed was an exercise in simply completing the task of writing to better hone my craft, and never expected to revisit it one day—but then I had an inspiration about the story something like a decade later. I can’t recall now what it was, though I know the title and the image of the wooden staircase rising out of a lake were two strong influences in rethinking it. I also knew I wanted to experiment with one of my favorite tropes, the unreliable narrator. This plays into why I had the protagonist be a writer—is there anyone less reliable than a writer of fiction? Even to ourselves? Also, one of the original unanchored subplots was similarly revisited and rewritten as my latest novel, Cradle Lake. I must have been firmly seated above a fountainhead of inspiration back then.
7. What made you start writing?
My drive to create. I was always creative as a child—always drawing pictures, writing stories, playing music. When I was about ten or eleven I began to commit a couple hours every day to writing stories, which was just another outlet for me at the time. But over the years, I became more and more serious about it, and that drive has never left me.
8. Do you believe in ghosts?
No.
9. If you could choose an actor to play Travis Glasgow in a movie adaptation of Floating Staircase, who would you choose?
I’m awful at answering these types of questions. I see Travis as a sort of Everyman, albeit a somewhat delusional, self-involved, and furtive Everyman. I guess it’s hard to come up with an actor because I’ve already created this guy into a real-life creature, and to ascribe an actor to him, I think, would rob him of who he is in my head. I know some authors do that a lot—they always “cast” their characters as they write their books—but this is something I never do. It never occurs to me.
10. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
I wouldn’t wish my obsessive compulsive nature on anyone, living or dead! I don’t think I could ever truly collaborate with someone; I’m too possessive of my work, too patriarchal about it. In fact, I’m always surprised when I see my friends co-authoring books—that sort of relationship is a bit beyond my comprehension when it comes to writing. It’s like letting someone else raise your kids. I almost envy the lightheartedness of it—and is that even a good word for it?—but I don’t think I could do it. Yet if I were forced to, I would probably have to choose someone who wrote in a completely different style and genre than I do, just to see what sort of concoction we could come up with. Maybe team up with Nora Roberts and write a western. How’s that sound?
I assume that question is asked somewhat facetiously? As with all my characters, Travis Glasgow may exhibit certain traits that I have cobbled together from people I know or even myself, but I think that for the most part he is his own unique character. I never use any real person, myself included, for the basis of any fictional character. Very often the character comes into my head before I even have the full storyline, so they’re coming at me through the ether as fully formed human beings. An interesting side note, though—in an early draft of Floating Staircase, I wrote myself in as a character Travis meets at the end of the book at a writers’ convention. Since the book was already an exercise in metafiction, I thought such a nod was sort of cool, but my editor nixed it unceremoniously. Probably a wise decision on her part.
2. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
As a writer, I think they’ve helped with exposure, and for the past year or so, ebooks have comprised about fifty percent of my overall sales. I suspect that number will rise in the future. They’re easily accessible and, for the most part, cheaper than physical books, though with some exceptions. I occasionally speak at conventions or to groups of writers, and ebooks allow for me to give them unlimited free downloads of a particular work we might discuss, whereas prior to ebooks this would have required my publisher to ship out hundreds of free books to these events: a costly enterprise.
As a reader, however, I haven’t embraced the technology. I’m not tech-savvy at all, and am put off by things like e-readers and iPads and the like. This means that if an author I enjoy chooses to release their work solely in ebook form, then I miss out. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the truth of it. I can’t fathom any enjoyment coming from reading off some electronic gadget. Gadgetry takes me out of the storyteller’s world, thus gadgetizing the book. There is nothing warm or cozy about an illuminated electronic tablet to me. In fact, there’s something wholly ironic about it. Also, it’s bad enough I have to stare at a computer screen while I work.
3. What is your favorite ghost short story and/or novel?
This is an impossible question, as there are so many. Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw is probably the best example of ghosts in literature. You will learn everything necessary to write a wonderful ghost story just by studying that tale. Its power is in its understatement, which I believe is the hallmark of a successful ghost story. And by “successful,” I mean frightening. Although not necessary a ghost story per se, Peter Straub’s The Throat contains some excellent passages about a ghost that are really quite chilling. His novels Julia and the aptly named Ghost Story also jump to mind. Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House is, of course, another standard and a great example of the subgenre. A wonderful short piece is “The Two Sams,” by Glen Hirshberg. I’m sure I could think of a hundred more if I sat here long enough.
4. Tell us more about Little Girls due out in 2015 from Kensington.
It’s about a woman who returns to her childhood home to settle her father’s estate after his death. She brings her husband and young daughter along with her, and the daughter befriends another young girl who lives next door. Secrets both old and new are uncovered, which surround the father’s death as well as the girl next door. It’s got a very modern gothic feel, I think. I’m also very pleased with the understated nature of the whole story—how much of what I’m saying as an author is in what I choose to leave unsaid. I’ve also stretched the idea of what a ghost story—or a ghost in general—really can be, so this is unique in that regard. I think the novel could fit just as neatly in the thriller/suspense genre as it could in the horror genre, and I’m curious to see how the book will be received. I’m very excited to be working with Kensington on this novel, too.
5. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
You must write and you must read. Every day. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are your tools, so learn how to use them and don’t assume some editor with clean up your sloppiness. They won’t.
6. How did you come up with the concept for Floating Staircase?
How does one come up with any concept? I don’t know. I wrote a very early draft, at the time titled Rooms of Glass, back when I was in college. It was a bloated monster with a million different subplots, many of which did not intersect. So the manuscript sat untouched for many years before I revisited it and began the slow and excruciating process of rewriting it. I hadn’t intended on rewriting that novel—it was one of my early ones, something I just assumed was an exercise in simply completing the task of writing to better hone my craft, and never expected to revisit it one day—but then I had an inspiration about the story something like a decade later. I can’t recall now what it was, though I know the title and the image of the wooden staircase rising out of a lake were two strong influences in rethinking it. I also knew I wanted to experiment with one of my favorite tropes, the unreliable narrator. This plays into why I had the protagonist be a writer—is there anyone less reliable than a writer of fiction? Even to ourselves? Also, one of the original unanchored subplots was similarly revisited and rewritten as my latest novel, Cradle Lake. I must have been firmly seated above a fountainhead of inspiration back then.
7. What made you start writing?
My drive to create. I was always creative as a child—always drawing pictures, writing stories, playing music. When I was about ten or eleven I began to commit a couple hours every day to writing stories, which was just another outlet for me at the time. But over the years, I became more and more serious about it, and that drive has never left me.
8. Do you believe in ghosts?
No.
9. If you could choose an actor to play Travis Glasgow in a movie adaptation of Floating Staircase, who would you choose?
I’m awful at answering these types of questions. I see Travis as a sort of Everyman, albeit a somewhat delusional, self-involved, and furtive Everyman. I guess it’s hard to come up with an actor because I’ve already created this guy into a real-life creature, and to ascribe an actor to him, I think, would rob him of who he is in my head. I know some authors do that a lot—they always “cast” their characters as they write their books—but this is something I never do. It never occurs to me.
10. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
I wouldn’t wish my obsessive compulsive nature on anyone, living or dead! I don’t think I could ever truly collaborate with someone; I’m too possessive of my work, too patriarchal about it. In fact, I’m always surprised when I see my friends co-authoring books—that sort of relationship is a bit beyond my comprehension when it comes to writing. It’s like letting someone else raise your kids. I almost envy the lightheartedness of it—and is that even a good word for it?—but I don’t think I could do it. Yet if I were forced to, I would probably have to choose someone who wrote in a completely different style and genre than I do, just to see what sort of concoction we could come up with. Maybe team up with Nora Roberts and write a western. How’s that sound?
November 15, 2013
Floating Staircase by Ronald Malfi
Haunted by the memories of his brother, who died young in a drowning accident that he holds himself responsible for, Travis Glasgow and his wife move into a house in which a boy drowned in a lake in an eerily similar way to his brother. Travis has never gotten over his brother’s death and now he is consumed with Elijah’s death. When Elijah’s ghost begins to appear to Travis, he becomes obsessed with unraveling the mystery of his death. In the process he butts head with his older brother, who was an investigating officer in Elijah’s death. All signs point to the boy’s uncle as the killer, and Travis recklessly endangers himself to finally bring Elijah some peace.
I am generally not a big fan of ghost stories, but Ronald Malfi has spun together a mesmerizing tale. Malfi is such a talented writer than he could make instructions on how to plant a flower a compelling read. In the end, the tale is more of a mystery than a ghost novel. The novel is well constructed and well plotted with clues along the way that fit the story well without giving the mystery away. The characters are strong and complex. There are no weak points to this novel. Its engrossing and enjoyable to read. Go out and get yourself a copy of Floating Staircase. You won’t be disappointed.
I am generally not a big fan of ghost stories, but Ronald Malfi has spun together a mesmerizing tale. Malfi is such a talented writer than he could make instructions on how to plant a flower a compelling read. In the end, the tale is more of a mystery than a ghost novel. The novel is well constructed and well plotted with clues along the way that fit the story well without giving the mystery away. The characters are strong and complex. There are no weak points to this novel. Its engrossing and enjoyable to read. Go out and get yourself a copy of Floating Staircase. You won’t be disappointed.
November 13, 2013
1356 by Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell is the best historical fiction writer I’ve ever read, and 1356 tops all of the previous novels of his that I have read. Set in the Hundred Years War between England and France, the main character is Thomas of Hookton. While doing mercenary work with his unruly band of men, his lord instructs him to retrieve the sword of St. Peter, which is supposed to have magical powers. The sword is also being sought by Cardinal Besiers. To complicate matters, Thomas’s wife and child are abducted and he has to free them. This culminates in a bloody battle between the British and the French.
I enjoyed everything about this novel. Not only is Thomas of Hookton a great character, but the novel is chocked full of great characters. Cornwell does a great job of coming up with believable characters with motivations that are easy to relate to. The action is well done. The novel moves at a quick pace. The prose is top notch. There is adventure, intrigue, and suspense in abundance. I would love to find something to criticize but I can’t. This is an excellent novel that I highly recommend.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
I enjoyed everything about this novel. Not only is Thomas of Hookton a great character, but the novel is chocked full of great characters. Cornwell does a great job of coming up with believable characters with motivations that are easy to relate to. The action is well done. The novel moves at a quick pace. The prose is top notch. There is adventure, intrigue, and suspense in abundance. I would love to find something to criticize but I can’t. This is an excellent novel that I highly recommend.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
November 10, 2013
My Favorite Blood Street Character
In my novel Blood Street, most of the main characters are either vampires or members of the Philadelphia Mafia. This gave me many opportunities to create colorful and memorable characters. On the vampire side, there is Magnus, the ancient leader of the brood who has lived for so long that he no longer finds pleasure in life; Alexei, an equally ancient vampire who lives life to its fullest and recklessly gets his brood into trouble; Gabriella, the moral compass of the brood who manages to keep them all together.
Among the mobsters there is Enzo Salerno, the highly educated and intelligent leader of the Mafia, who is trying to bring his organization to a new era; Tony “the Wop” Scrambolgni, the dedicated underboss who is the definition of someone you would not want to mess with; Sophie Koch, an intelligent and attractive consigliere, who Enzo leans on for sage advice in a world of thugs and cutthroats.
Out of all of these characters, my favorite is Pat “the Goat” Adesso. The Goat was a fun character to write because he is hot-headed, passionate, fearless, and often times out of control. He can’t seem to stay out of trouble, something that despite his skills and talents, prevents him from rising in Salerno’s syndicate. His relationship with his girlfriend Karen is volatile. He is also the character that changes the most in the story. He matures after the vampire Alexei attacks him, sparking the war between these two factions. As the story evolves, Enzo Salerno gains more trust in him, and the Goat’s entire outlook on life changes. He becomes a “man of honor”, someone that Salerno can rely upon in the most difficult of times. Fighting the vampires for him has nothing to do with vengeance and profit, his normal motives, but his motivation becomes more moralistic and religious in nature
Among the mobsters there is Enzo Salerno, the highly educated and intelligent leader of the Mafia, who is trying to bring his organization to a new era; Tony “the Wop” Scrambolgni, the dedicated underboss who is the definition of someone you would not want to mess with; Sophie Koch, an intelligent and attractive consigliere, who Enzo leans on for sage advice in a world of thugs and cutthroats.
Out of all of these characters, my favorite is Pat “the Goat” Adesso. The Goat was a fun character to write because he is hot-headed, passionate, fearless, and often times out of control. He can’t seem to stay out of trouble, something that despite his skills and talents, prevents him from rising in Salerno’s syndicate. His relationship with his girlfriend Karen is volatile. He is also the character that changes the most in the story. He matures after the vampire Alexei attacks him, sparking the war between these two factions. As the story evolves, Enzo Salerno gains more trust in him, and the Goat’s entire outlook on life changes. He becomes a “man of honor”, someone that Salerno can rely upon in the most difficult of times. Fighting the vampires for him has nothing to do with vengeance and profit, his normal motives, but his motivation becomes more moralistic and religious in nature
November 2, 2013
Movie Review: Captain Phillips
As I was watching Captain Phillips, I kept thinking back to what I remembered about the real life incident that happened in 2009, which inspired the movie. As it turns out, not a whole lot. Mostly what I remembered is how the freighter ship repelled the pirates with hoses and how it took a long time to resolve (which was shortened in the movie from 5 days to about 36 hours). Considering that I knew what the outcome was, it was going to take some nifty work on the part of the director and the actors to make this a riveting movie. This movie delivered.
Although the movie could have been shortened (these days longer movies seem to be en vogue), it was still ratcheted with tension. The movie did a good job of putting the viewer into, feeling the fear and trepidation the crew felt. The way the crew tried to fend off the pirates was pretty creative. When the Navy SEALs joined the party to rescue Captain Phillips, this clearly ratcheted up the tension a few notches. Tom Hanks was top notch in his portrayal of Captain Phillips, but that’s what you would expect from one of the great actors of our time. This is a quality movie that I’m sure will rack up some Oscar nominations.
Although the movie could have been shortened (these days longer movies seem to be en vogue), it was still ratcheted with tension. The movie did a good job of putting the viewer into, feeling the fear and trepidation the crew felt. The way the crew tried to fend off the pirates was pretty creative. When the Navy SEALs joined the party to rescue Captain Phillips, this clearly ratcheted up the tension a few notches. Tom Hanks was top notch in his portrayal of Captain Phillips, but that’s what you would expect from one of the great actors of our time. This is a quality movie that I’m sure will rack up some Oscar nominations.
October 24, 2013
10 Questions with Adam Cesare
1. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Everyone’s living in the shadow of King, but I wouldn’t say he’s my biggest influence but I did grow up reading him, so he’s definetly a gateway drug/influence. Probably Richard Matheson, there’s such simplicity in his prose, but still thematically dense. When I was first starting to try writing salable stuff (in college), I was reading a lot of Elmore Leonard and Cormac McCarthy, but I don’t think I can write like them.
2. What inspired you to write a novel about eighties Italian grindhouse movies?
Tribesmen is a real “chicken/egg” situation. John Skipp put out a call for manuscripts that were lean and mean and could be read in the same amount of time as a feature film and I kind of tailored the pitch to that. I have a weird love/hate/repulsed/respect relationship with not only the Italian cannibal genre, but the mondo film genre as a whole. Yeah they are balls-to-the-wall (and most horror fans will leave it at that), but it was also super exploitative. There’s a great interview with Jess Franco where he discusses his dislike of the subgenre, and he made a couple!
3. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
Not to turn this into one of those touchy feely kumbaya answers, but I really don’t think I can give a definitive one. In my short career I’ve already gotten to work with more heroes of mine, people whose work I admire, than I ever thought possible. So every moment is an amazing moment. Case and point: I just wrote a book with Cameron Pierce and Shane McKenzie.
4. What is the best horror movie you have watched and why?
Never going to be just one. We’ll got “best I’ve watched this week” and I’ll say Curse of Chucky. Movie came out of nowhere, it’s straight to video but that seems like the only way to do a movie like this and get it right any more. Although You’re Next was great, too. That just had to wait like three years to get a release.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
We’ll restrict it to living/working and I’ll say Joe Lansdale, Junot Diaz, Stephen Graham Jones and Joyce Carol Oates. We’ll say it’s a fourway tie so I can get away with that as a real answer, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m dodging your questions. I’m a bad interviewee.
6. If you had to choose between being a New York Times bestseller or a successful Hollywood screen writer, which would you choose?
7. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
It’s a crutch, I know, but I still like to look at the bottom of the page and watch my word count go up. So I’ll say action sequences. They write the fastest, you blitz through, then go back and fix all your blocking and bad language.
8. What made you want to start writing horror?
I’ve never not been into horror, most horror fans are like that. I just wrote my first non-horror book, it’s a crime novella called The First One You Expect and it’s going to be released by J David Osborne’s Broken River Books, and even that one is about a DIY low budget horror director. I can’t get away from horror, even when I’m deliberately trying.
I try to read outside the genre a lot, and I enjoy basically everything the lit world has to offer, as long as it’s quality, but when I write, I write horror.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
“Write what you know” is kinda lame advice and always gets taken way too literally, but I like to think I’m good at that. I write about people that interest me, people that even if I can’t explicitly relate to, I try and liven them up by giving them hopes, fears and quirks that I’ve observed in other people.
10. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
I’ve recently gotten to collaborate with some amazing folks, writers and film people, but I don’t think I can divulge all their names yet.
But for a “dream answer” let’s go with: David Cronenberg, all the way. Guy’s got an amazing mind, and is clearly an avid reader with great taste. He’s the only filmmaker who can be considered a “master of horror” whose work today is still as strong and vital as his early work, maybe even more so (horror geek sacrilege, I know).
Everyone’s living in the shadow of King, but I wouldn’t say he’s my biggest influence but I did grow up reading him, so he’s definetly a gateway drug/influence. Probably Richard Matheson, there’s such simplicity in his prose, but still thematically dense. When I was first starting to try writing salable stuff (in college), I was reading a lot of Elmore Leonard and Cormac McCarthy, but I don’t think I can write like them.
2. What inspired you to write a novel about eighties Italian grindhouse movies?
Tribesmen is a real “chicken/egg” situation. John Skipp put out a call for manuscripts that were lean and mean and could be read in the same amount of time as a feature film and I kind of tailored the pitch to that. I have a weird love/hate/repulsed/respect relationship with not only the Italian cannibal genre, but the mondo film genre as a whole. Yeah they are balls-to-the-wall (and most horror fans will leave it at that), but it was also super exploitative. There’s a great interview with Jess Franco where he discusses his dislike of the subgenre, and he made a couple!
3. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
Not to turn this into one of those touchy feely kumbaya answers, but I really don’t think I can give a definitive one. In my short career I’ve already gotten to work with more heroes of mine, people whose work I admire, than I ever thought possible. So every moment is an amazing moment. Case and point: I just wrote a book with Cameron Pierce and Shane McKenzie.
4. What is the best horror movie you have watched and why?
Never going to be just one. We’ll got “best I’ve watched this week” and I’ll say Curse of Chucky. Movie came out of nowhere, it’s straight to video but that seems like the only way to do a movie like this and get it right any more. Although You’re Next was great, too. That just had to wait like three years to get a release.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
We’ll restrict it to living/working and I’ll say Joe Lansdale, Junot Diaz, Stephen Graham Jones and Joyce Carol Oates. We’ll say it’s a fourway tie so I can get away with that as a real answer, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m dodging your questions. I’m a bad interviewee.
6. If you had to choose between being a New York Times bestseller or a successful Hollywood screen writer, which would you choose?
7. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
It’s a crutch, I know, but I still like to look at the bottom of the page and watch my word count go up. So I’ll say action sequences. They write the fastest, you blitz through, then go back and fix all your blocking and bad language.
8. What made you want to start writing horror?
I’ve never not been into horror, most horror fans are like that. I just wrote my first non-horror book, it’s a crime novella called The First One You Expect and it’s going to be released by J David Osborne’s Broken River Books, and even that one is about a DIY low budget horror director. I can’t get away from horror, even when I’m deliberately trying.
I try to read outside the genre a lot, and I enjoy basically everything the lit world has to offer, as long as it’s quality, but when I write, I write horror.
9. What is your best quality as a writer?
“Write what you know” is kinda lame advice and always gets taken way too literally, but I like to think I’m good at that. I write about people that interest me, people that even if I can’t explicitly relate to, I try and liven them up by giving them hopes, fears and quirks that I’ve observed in other people.
10. If you could pick one other author to collaborate with on a novel or story, living or dead, who would it be?
I’ve recently gotten to collaborate with some amazing folks, writers and film people, but I don’t think I can divulge all their names yet.
But for a “dream answer” let’s go with: David Cronenberg, all the way. Guy’s got an amazing mind, and is clearly an avid reader with great taste. He’s the only filmmaker who can be considered a “master of horror” whose work today is still as strong and vital as his early work, maybe even more so (horror geek sacrilege, I know).
October 21, 2013
Tribesman by Adam Cesare
Adam Cesare has managed to capture the same spirit and feel of the eighties ultra-violent Italian splatter films that the novel pays homage to. Set in a small Caribbean island that years before had been cursed when a group of white men had arrived and slaughtered the villagers, a tiny film crew arrives hoping to exploit the natives while making a cannibal movie. The spirits of the island grip some of the members of the crew into veering off script and making a movie that involves actual cannibalism and murder, not the pretend type that was supposed to be included in the movie. This sets off a wave of violence as the crew members not swept up by the spirits on the island try to survive for the weekend.
Tribesmen is a gritty, intense novel. Cesare has done a tremendous job of creating a visual novel. As I was reading the book, I kept picturing it unfolding on the screen. The novel is fast paced and often brutally violent. Needless to say that if you’re squeamish, this may not be the book for you. The flavor and style is unique to much of the horror fiction that I have read recently. The writing is competent and professional. I was thoroughly entertained as I read this novel and you will undoubtedly be as well. This is a must read.
Tribesmen is a gritty, intense novel. Cesare has done a tremendous job of creating a visual novel. As I was reading the book, I kept picturing it unfolding on the screen. The novel is fast paced and often brutally violent. Needless to say that if you’re squeamish, this may not be the book for you. The flavor and style is unique to much of the horror fiction that I have read recently. The writing is competent and professional. I was thoroughly entertained as I read this novel and you will undoubtedly be as well. This is a must read.
October 17, 2013
Movie Review: Gravity
I watched Gravity in 3D, and it seems to be the type of movie that greatly benefits from being viewed in 3D. The visuals in this movie were really something, and the director made sure to include many shots of Earth from outer space. Besides having really neat cinematography, the story was also intelligent and well-crafted. Set in outer space at a space station, Ryan Stone and Matt Kowalski played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney respectively are out on a spacewalk when a Russian missile destroys one of their satellites. Those damn Russians. The shrapnel from the destroyed satellite is sent into space ripping through everything in its path include Stone and Kowalski’s space station. They are the only survivors, but they are now floating through space and quickly running out of oxygen. They have to find their way back to Earth and avoid imminent death.
Although there were a few slow spots in the movie, there was also a great deal of tension. There were so many ways for the astronauts could have died. Almost in every scene there was something that could have killed them. The movie did a good job of showing the isolation and despair that they would feel under those circumstances. Not my two favorite actors, Bullock and Clooney did a credible job in this movie. This was an enjoyable movie with tense moments and cool visuals that you will want to check out.
Although there were a few slow spots in the movie, there was also a great deal of tension. There were so many ways for the astronauts could have died. Almost in every scene there was something that could have killed them. The movie did a good job of showing the isolation and despair that they would feel under those circumstances. Not my two favorite actors, Bullock and Clooney did a credible job in this movie. This was an enjoyable movie with tense moments and cool visuals that you will want to check out.
