Carl Alves's Blog, page 61
September 1, 2012
10 Questions With Gregory Lamberson
1. You have directed movies and written novels. Which medium do you prefer?
I used to be on the fence about this, because I love both mediums, but I’ve come to realize that I prefer working as a novelist. I need to write books, and I no longer feel like I need to make movies; I don’t know that I’ll ever make one again, but I will if the bug returns.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
We’re influenced by everything around us and everyone whose work we read. I grew up watching B movies, made for TV movies, and reading comic books, which influenced me as much as authors whose work I admire. Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway, and Dan Curtis certainly shaped my view of storytelling as much as Stephen King did.
3. What’s the greatest moment in your career?
I refuse to answer that question as phrased on the grounds that I may incriminate myself. Writing Desperate Souls, the second book in The Jake Helman Files, and Tortured Spirits, the fourth book, and directing Slime City Massacre were the most satisfying creative experiences I’ve had. With each of those projects I thought, “This is really working, this is really turning out to be what I want it to be; I’ve realized my vision.”
4. What can you tell the readers about your latest movie Model Hunger?
It’s not my movie; James Morgart wrote it and my friend Debbie Rochon directed it. I was the Line Producer and First Assistant Director, which means I put the show together and labored to keep the trains running on time. I worked fifteen hour days on location, then went home and worked from there, and picked up actors from the airport at 1:00 am and dropped them off at the train station at 4:00 am - thankless work, but I look forward to seeing the final film, because that’s what it’s all about. The film has a great cast and Debbie got extraordinary performances from them: Tiffany Shepis and Lynn Lowry set the bar.
5. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The World According to Garp by John Irving.
6. Do you prefer writing a series of novels or stand alone novels, and do you have any future plans for Jake Helman?
I prefer writing a series, because I enjoy long form storytelling, like The Wire, Breaking Bad, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I like developing subplots that carry on over several books, and the sense that I’m building up to something really big. Johnny Gruesome was a standalone novel because the concept didn’t warrant additional tales – it was a complete story, a love letter to EC Comics and the horror films of the 1980s. The Frenzy Way was supposed to be a standalone, but I wrote one sequel, The Frenzy War, and expect to write at least two more, because the concept warrants further exploration. Writing The Jake Helman Files gives me the greatest pleasure, and the greatest satisfaction. The fourth book, Tortured Spirits, will be out in October; I’m contracted for the fifth, and I have nine planned. After that, we’ll see.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
I’m writing The Julian Year for Medallion Press. It’s the first TREEbook, which stands for Timed Reading Experience E-book and utilizes time-triggered branching technology to tell multiple storylines and variations on those storylines. There’s never been anything like it. I made things difficult for myself by choosing an epic story concept, so readers will definitely get their money’s worth! This is an epic story, a horror premise that evolves into an end of the world scenario. Writing it has been a real challenge, but I thrive on challenges.
8. You have many heavy metal references in Johnny Gruesome? Do you like to listen to music while you write and what are some of your favorite bands?
There’s heavy metal in Johnny Gruesome because I wrote the screenplay the book is based on when I was eighteen, and when I wrote the novel as an adult in his thirties, I made it an ode to my teenage years. I don’t listen to metal except for the occasional Ozzy song on a classic rock station. I’m more of a Beatles guy! When I write, I listen to a lot of soundtracks: The Omega Man for The Jake Helman Files; Cat Peopleand Conan the Barbarian for The Frenzy Cycle; and Jeff Wang’s War of the Worlds for The Julian Year. There’s a great rock CD based on Johnny Gruesome, by the way, created by friends of mine.
9. How did you first get involved with movies?
I attended film school for one year, then dropped out because I didn’t like making short films, and because the administration replaced the screenwriting class with a remedial English class that was a waste of my time. I wanted to learn how to make features, and I wrote the screenplay for Slime City right out of school, then worked as the Production Manager on I Was a Teenage Zombie and learned how to put a low budget film together. I directed Slime City at the age of 21, four years after I moved to NYC to go to film school.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
My wife and my daughter, for sure, then three of my best friends. I’m not a star fucker, and I’d choose good, genuine company over that of any celebrity, living or dead. Who wants to spend dinner kissing someone’s ass?
I used to be on the fence about this, because I love both mediums, but I’ve come to realize that I prefer working as a novelist. I need to write books, and I no longer feel like I need to make movies; I don’t know that I’ll ever make one again, but I will if the bug returns.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
We’re influenced by everything around us and everyone whose work we read. I grew up watching B movies, made for TV movies, and reading comic books, which influenced me as much as authors whose work I admire. Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway, and Dan Curtis certainly shaped my view of storytelling as much as Stephen King did.
3. What’s the greatest moment in your career?
I refuse to answer that question as phrased on the grounds that I may incriminate myself. Writing Desperate Souls, the second book in The Jake Helman Files, and Tortured Spirits, the fourth book, and directing Slime City Massacre were the most satisfying creative experiences I’ve had. With each of those projects I thought, “This is really working, this is really turning out to be what I want it to be; I’ve realized my vision.”
4. What can you tell the readers about your latest movie Model Hunger?
It’s not my movie; James Morgart wrote it and my friend Debbie Rochon directed it. I was the Line Producer and First Assistant Director, which means I put the show together and labored to keep the trains running on time. I worked fifteen hour days on location, then went home and worked from there, and picked up actors from the airport at 1:00 am and dropped them off at the train station at 4:00 am - thankless work, but I look forward to seeing the final film, because that’s what it’s all about. The film has a great cast and Debbie got extraordinary performances from them: Tiffany Shepis and Lynn Lowry set the bar.
5. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The World According to Garp by John Irving.
6. Do you prefer writing a series of novels or stand alone novels, and do you have any future plans for Jake Helman?
I prefer writing a series, because I enjoy long form storytelling, like The Wire, Breaking Bad, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I like developing subplots that carry on over several books, and the sense that I’m building up to something really big. Johnny Gruesome was a standalone novel because the concept didn’t warrant additional tales – it was a complete story, a love letter to EC Comics and the horror films of the 1980s. The Frenzy Way was supposed to be a standalone, but I wrote one sequel, The Frenzy War, and expect to write at least two more, because the concept warrants further exploration. Writing The Jake Helman Files gives me the greatest pleasure, and the greatest satisfaction. The fourth book, Tortured Spirits, will be out in October; I’m contracted for the fifth, and I have nine planned. After that, we’ll see.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
I’m writing The Julian Year for Medallion Press. It’s the first TREEbook, which stands for Timed Reading Experience E-book and utilizes time-triggered branching technology to tell multiple storylines and variations on those storylines. There’s never been anything like it. I made things difficult for myself by choosing an epic story concept, so readers will definitely get their money’s worth! This is an epic story, a horror premise that evolves into an end of the world scenario. Writing it has been a real challenge, but I thrive on challenges.
8. You have many heavy metal references in Johnny Gruesome? Do you like to listen to music while you write and what are some of your favorite bands?
There’s heavy metal in Johnny Gruesome because I wrote the screenplay the book is based on when I was eighteen, and when I wrote the novel as an adult in his thirties, I made it an ode to my teenage years. I don’t listen to metal except for the occasional Ozzy song on a classic rock station. I’m more of a Beatles guy! When I write, I listen to a lot of soundtracks: The Omega Man for The Jake Helman Files; Cat Peopleand Conan the Barbarian for The Frenzy Cycle; and Jeff Wang’s War of the Worlds for The Julian Year. There’s a great rock CD based on Johnny Gruesome, by the way, created by friends of mine.
9. How did you first get involved with movies?
I attended film school for one year, then dropped out because I didn’t like making short films, and because the administration replaced the screenwriting class with a remedial English class that was a waste of my time. I wanted to learn how to make features, and I wrote the screenplay for Slime City right out of school, then worked as the Production Manager on I Was a Teenage Zombie and learned how to put a low budget film together. I directed Slime City at the age of 21, four years after I moved to NYC to go to film school.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
My wife and my daughter, for sure, then three of my best friends. I’m not a star fucker, and I’d choose good, genuine company over that of any celebrity, living or dead. Who wants to spend dinner kissing someone’s ass?
August 27, 2012
Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson
Johnny Gruesome is a heavy metal horror novel, while not especially gory, manages to be quite gritty. In Johnny Gruesome, the lead villain is Johnny Grissom, an angry young man who has a vendetta against the world. He is best friends with Eric Carter, who is a bit more clean cut and lacks Johnny’s bitterness. Despite his anger, Johnny is a likeable character and Lamberson does a good job of crafting well-developed characters throughout the novel. On one fateful night, Johnny is murdered by one of his friends while Eric and Johnny’s girlfriend do nothing to stop it. That sets off a chain of events that really get the novel moving.
Eric and company cover up the murder to make it look like an accident. Later Johnny finds a way to re-animate and come back from the dead. When Johnny comes back from the dead, his anger has intensified ten-fold and he wants revenge on the town and specifically those who had something to do with his death.
Johnny Gruesome is a thoroughly enjoyable, fast paced horror story. Lamberson uses a very visual style in his writing. The novel often plays out like a movie, which might have much to do with the author’s background in film. There is sufficient tension throughout as Gruesome begins a killing spree in the town he grew up in. The one thing I would have preferred is a bit more detail in some of the killings. When Gruesome takes his first few victims, the author completely skips over these scenes and then covers the aftermath. I would have preferred to see the actual killings, but hey you can’t have everything. The buildup and the climax is quite effective. By the end of the story, Lamberson finally does show the bloody details of the killings, which I appreciated it. The ending did not disappoint. All in all, a fun read that will leave the reader satisfied.
Eric and company cover up the murder to make it look like an accident. Later Johnny finds a way to re-animate and come back from the dead. When Johnny comes back from the dead, his anger has intensified ten-fold and he wants revenge on the town and specifically those who had something to do with his death.
Johnny Gruesome is a thoroughly enjoyable, fast paced horror story. Lamberson uses a very visual style in his writing. The novel often plays out like a movie, which might have much to do with the author’s background in film. There is sufficient tension throughout as Gruesome begins a killing spree in the town he grew up in. The one thing I would have preferred is a bit more detail in some of the killings. When Gruesome takes his first few victims, the author completely skips over these scenes and then covers the aftermath. I would have preferred to see the actual killings, but hey you can’t have everything. The buildup and the climax is quite effective. By the end of the story, Lamberson finally does show the bloody details of the killings, which I appreciated it. The ending did not disappoint. All in all, a fun read that will leave the reader satisfied.
August 16, 2012
Become a character in Reclamation Mother Earth
Have you ever wanted to become a character in a novel. Now's your chance to become a character in my post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel Reclamation Mother Earth out from Montag Press in 2012. All you have to do is answer this question: If you had to rebuild human civilization on Earth after an alien invasion and your current place of work was destroyed, what would be your new role in society? Email your answer to carlalves@comcast.net with the heading RME Contest Submission. The best answer will win.
10 Questions With Mort Castle
1. You have been a writer for five decades. What has been the biggest change you have seen in the publishing industry?
Ah, while there are more places today for a beginning or journeyman writer to publish (well, kinda publish … )than there were “back in the day,” unfortunately, few of them are “earn while you learn” commercial publications. And few of them are comparable to the quality small press publications that used to exist.
That is, there are a gazillion websites out there using fiction, poetry, non-fiction–but few of them are paying anything.
And sadly, few of them are professionally edited.
So that means, you have non-editors who are editing and are not providing help to writers–because they simply don’t know much–except, perhaps, about building a website.
And that likewise means you have would-be writers who are being deluded and deluding themselves that they are “paying their dues” and coming up the hard way, because now they have been on 14,000 websites, not a one of which is read by more than two or three people who aren’t themselves trying to be writers.
Now, sonny, looky here … In them good old days, we had the second and third tier men’s magazines, like CAVALIER, DUDE, MR. NUGGET, and many more–and they contributed to my mortgage payment. (This is the same playground where you found guys like Stephen King, Bill Relling, Jerry Williamson, etc.) And their editors taught me plenty. Ditto the so-called “confession magazines,” like TRUE ROMANCE and MODERN LOVE. They paid pro rates.
And, by and large, the small press publications, even when they couldn’t pay much or paid only in copies, were edited by people who invested not just time but serious money in making the mag happen. So they wanted it to be good. It was their bucks keeping it going.
Now, too often the inmates have taken over the asylum–and the asylum keepers are all in the happy dance circle, too, while everyone goes, “La-la-la …”
Fortunately, the real writers and real-going-to-be writers seek out quality publications—because they aim to create quality work and want it showcased in … quality! They know one sale to CEMETERY DANCE is worth far more than 100 pieces in STOOPITSTORIES.DOT.COM. They know that scoring with TIN HOUSE or ROSEBUD or GLIMMER TRAIN is an affirmation, a validation.
Plenty changes, Carl–and not all of them good for the easily and/or willfully deluded.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Influences, please. Impossible to name a single influence. Hemingway, of course; I reread the complete short stories annually and still learn from them. Bradbury, for yanking me into the marvelous and showing me its link to myself. The poets Lucien Stryk and Bill Wantling, who both took me seriously when I wasn’t taking myself seriously. Harlan Ellison as an example of moral and intellectual courage. The late Jerry Williamson, who showed you never had to write down to people, that you could trust real readers to get it if you gave ‘em the clues to get it. The musician Josh White, who gave me a week’s worth of impromptu guitar lessons and showed me it’s about craft–craft can be taught and craft can be learned. Those editors of the old days, Maurice DeWalt at Cavalier, Everett Meyers at Sir!, who were terrific teachers.
3. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
Have to say, the publication this past July of SHADOW SHOW, the anthology I edited with Sam Weller. We have 26 stories written by a (ahem) “truly eclectic group” of writers: Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, Joe Hill, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Audrey Niffenegger … Most important, though, this was a labor of love in the best sense. It was a big group hug for Ray Bradbury.
And he was around to feel that hug. He wrote an intro for the book and was deeply honored at the word tribute we put together for him.
4. What’s the strangest job you have ever held?
What might seem strange really wasn’t. I designed the print and radio advertising campaigns for products for the hog farming industry. Stuff like flooring systems for hog confinement sheds and animal control guidance apparatus, IE, shock sticks. Here I was, raised in a kosher household, a city dweller, out there on the old hog farm becoming wise to the ways of oinkers.
But that was just a learning experience.
The strangest job was and still is, teaching high school. Even the most mature and composed adolescent is only fully sane for 14 minutes in a row and after that, it’s off to Wahoo-Oingo-Boingo-land.
Love them yout’. Love seeing them learn. Love their humor and energy and strangeness.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
Hemingway, except when it’s James Ellroy, except when it’s James Lee Burke, except when it’s Stewart O’Nan, except when it’s James Crumley, except when it’s Stephen King, except when it’s Bonnie Jo Campbell, except when it’s John Sayles, except when it’s Ron Hansen … Truth, I don’t know any real writer who has a (singular, just the one) favorite writer.
6. You are renowned as a teacher of writing. What is more satisfying for you, writing or teaching others how to write?
They both offer satisfactions that I find the same in quality. You see, I don’t have dividing lines between Mort the Writer and Mort the Editor and Mort the Teacher or for that matter, Mort the Musician and, I hope, Mort the Man. I could not be a good editor if I were not working hard to be a good writer. I could not be a good teacher if I were not a good writer and editor.
To loosely paraphrase the late Lenny Bruce in one of his court appearances, “I’m not the social critic, or the obscene comic, or the social cause … I’m just Lenny Bruce.”
Tell you, my very Zen motto has been stolen from my hero, Popeye the Sailor Man: I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam. I’m just plain Mort Castle–and I’m defined by my actions and choices, actions and choices which bring me satisfactions.
7. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Simple: Learn to write. Don’t worry about branding, about guerrilla marketing, about your platform, about self-publishing on the Swindle, Shnook, or Ipud.
Study writers and writing. Practice writing. Learn the craft, learn the craft, learn the craft.
8. You have also been heavily involved in comics. How did you get involved in comics and what has been your most satisfying project?
In 1988, founder and president of Northstar Comics, Dan Madsen asked me, “Can you write comics?”
I asked, “Can you pay me?”
Check in hand, I began my career in comics.
The most recent comics project was probably the most meaningful. I co-edited this with that great comics guy David Campiti. It’s J. N. WILLIAMSON’S ILLUSTRATED MASQUES, put out in hardcover by Gauntlet Press
http://www.gauntletpress.com/cgi-bin/...
and in trade paper by IDW
http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Mas...
(Notice how I’ve cleverly provided links so you can BUY these books?!?)
Great comics stories adapted from the MASQUES anthologies edited by Jerry. Writers like Wayne Allen Sallee, Robert R. McCammon, Bob Weinberg, F. Paul Wilson, Paul Dale Anderson, and–dare I say it?–me!
You know, like SHADOW SHOW is a tribute to Ray, MASQUES is a tribute to Jerry. He was my dear friend and a class act and received in his life nowhere near the attention his works merited. This lovely comic album keeps his name and his efforts alive.
9. What made you start writing?
Fourth grade. High tech time—teacher brought in a phonograph with a record of a reading of Poe’s “Pit and the Pendulum.” I was hooked. (Teachers didn’t care back then if kids would all go home and wet the bed for the next two or three years.)
Wrote a story soon thereafter. Horror story about a guy who gets transformed into a spider. I wanted to do to readers what Poe had done to me.
Fooled around with writing for a long time thereafter, but had plans to wind up in show biz as a working musician or comic or both. Writing was backburnered. Front burner: Guitar and a Bob Dylan hat.
But then, in college, a friend who’d been writing novels with some success said to me, “Bet you could do this.”
I said, “Maybe.” Took three weeks and wrote and sold a novel. It was that easy. Of course, it wasn’t a very good novel, bad mystery and science-fiction and sex, but it wasn’t that good a publisher (see old Mort’s response to how publishing has changed)—except it paid me an advance of three hundred bucks.
I was hooked. Sold another three or four novels.
And then comes age 25–and I said, “Maybe I can get serious about this writing thing.”
And I did. Set out to make myself into a real writer, someone who wrote stories that could be my shot at … Tah-dah! Immortality!
Writing has, on occasion, broken my heart. And that was mostly my fault, for expecting what I had no right to expect, or for trying to do it cheap, dirty, or easy.
But all these years later, when I know someone’s picking up my story in Wroclaw, Poland, and entering my story world through a language I can’t even pronounce, let alone read, or someone writes and says, “That story got to me,” or … Any of the typical authorly triumphs, yeah, I’m not displeased that I checked the “Writer” box on the vocational inventory chart, instead of the one for Famed Matador and Tree Surgeon.
10. What do you feel will be your legacy in the horror writing genre?
I wasn’t kidding about the immortality thing. I’ve got a new collection coming out from DARK REGIONS PRESS. It’s called NEW MOON ON THE WATER and I think it my best collection to date. I hope some of these stories are around for 100 years, maybe 200, maybe … until three hours past Armageddon.
Okay, my body won’t be. But if your experiences and your feelings and your imaginings are still around … Howzabout three out of four, yeah … I’ll settle for Three Quarter Immortality!
Ah, while there are more places today for a beginning or journeyman writer to publish (well, kinda publish … )than there were “back in the day,” unfortunately, few of them are “earn while you learn” commercial publications. And few of them are comparable to the quality small press publications that used to exist.
That is, there are a gazillion websites out there using fiction, poetry, non-fiction–but few of them are paying anything.
And sadly, few of them are professionally edited.
So that means, you have non-editors who are editing and are not providing help to writers–because they simply don’t know much–except, perhaps, about building a website.
And that likewise means you have would-be writers who are being deluded and deluding themselves that they are “paying their dues” and coming up the hard way, because now they have been on 14,000 websites, not a one of which is read by more than two or three people who aren’t themselves trying to be writers.
Now, sonny, looky here … In them good old days, we had the second and third tier men’s magazines, like CAVALIER, DUDE, MR. NUGGET, and many more–and they contributed to my mortgage payment. (This is the same playground where you found guys like Stephen King, Bill Relling, Jerry Williamson, etc.) And their editors taught me plenty. Ditto the so-called “confession magazines,” like TRUE ROMANCE and MODERN LOVE. They paid pro rates.
And, by and large, the small press publications, even when they couldn’t pay much or paid only in copies, were edited by people who invested not just time but serious money in making the mag happen. So they wanted it to be good. It was their bucks keeping it going.
Now, too often the inmates have taken over the asylum–and the asylum keepers are all in the happy dance circle, too, while everyone goes, “La-la-la …”
Fortunately, the real writers and real-going-to-be writers seek out quality publications—because they aim to create quality work and want it showcased in … quality! They know one sale to CEMETERY DANCE is worth far more than 100 pieces in STOOPITSTORIES.DOT.COM. They know that scoring with TIN HOUSE or ROSEBUD or GLIMMER TRAIN is an affirmation, a validation.
Plenty changes, Carl–and not all of them good for the easily and/or willfully deluded.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Influences, please. Impossible to name a single influence. Hemingway, of course; I reread the complete short stories annually and still learn from them. Bradbury, for yanking me into the marvelous and showing me its link to myself. The poets Lucien Stryk and Bill Wantling, who both took me seriously when I wasn’t taking myself seriously. Harlan Ellison as an example of moral and intellectual courage. The late Jerry Williamson, who showed you never had to write down to people, that you could trust real readers to get it if you gave ‘em the clues to get it. The musician Josh White, who gave me a week’s worth of impromptu guitar lessons and showed me it’s about craft–craft can be taught and craft can be learned. Those editors of the old days, Maurice DeWalt at Cavalier, Everett Meyers at Sir!, who were terrific teachers.
3. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
Have to say, the publication this past July of SHADOW SHOW, the anthology I edited with Sam Weller. We have 26 stories written by a (ahem) “truly eclectic group” of writers: Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, Joe Hill, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Audrey Niffenegger … Most important, though, this was a labor of love in the best sense. It was a big group hug for Ray Bradbury.
And he was around to feel that hug. He wrote an intro for the book and was deeply honored at the word tribute we put together for him.
4. What’s the strangest job you have ever held?
What might seem strange really wasn’t. I designed the print and radio advertising campaigns for products for the hog farming industry. Stuff like flooring systems for hog confinement sheds and animal control guidance apparatus, IE, shock sticks. Here I was, raised in a kosher household, a city dweller, out there on the old hog farm becoming wise to the ways of oinkers.
But that was just a learning experience.
The strangest job was and still is, teaching high school. Even the most mature and composed adolescent is only fully sane for 14 minutes in a row and after that, it’s off to Wahoo-Oingo-Boingo-land.
Love them yout’. Love seeing them learn. Love their humor and energy and strangeness.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
Hemingway, except when it’s James Ellroy, except when it’s James Lee Burke, except when it’s Stewart O’Nan, except when it’s James Crumley, except when it’s Stephen King, except when it’s Bonnie Jo Campbell, except when it’s John Sayles, except when it’s Ron Hansen … Truth, I don’t know any real writer who has a (singular, just the one) favorite writer.
6. You are renowned as a teacher of writing. What is more satisfying for you, writing or teaching others how to write?
They both offer satisfactions that I find the same in quality. You see, I don’t have dividing lines between Mort the Writer and Mort the Editor and Mort the Teacher or for that matter, Mort the Musician and, I hope, Mort the Man. I could not be a good editor if I were not working hard to be a good writer. I could not be a good teacher if I were not a good writer and editor.
To loosely paraphrase the late Lenny Bruce in one of his court appearances, “I’m not the social critic, or the obscene comic, or the social cause … I’m just Lenny Bruce.”
Tell you, my very Zen motto has been stolen from my hero, Popeye the Sailor Man: I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam. I’m just plain Mort Castle–and I’m defined by my actions and choices, actions and choices which bring me satisfactions.
7. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Simple: Learn to write. Don’t worry about branding, about guerrilla marketing, about your platform, about self-publishing on the Swindle, Shnook, or Ipud.
Study writers and writing. Practice writing. Learn the craft, learn the craft, learn the craft.
8. You have also been heavily involved in comics. How did you get involved in comics and what has been your most satisfying project?
In 1988, founder and president of Northstar Comics, Dan Madsen asked me, “Can you write comics?”
I asked, “Can you pay me?”
Check in hand, I began my career in comics.
The most recent comics project was probably the most meaningful. I co-edited this with that great comics guy David Campiti. It’s J. N. WILLIAMSON’S ILLUSTRATED MASQUES, put out in hardcover by Gauntlet Press
http://www.gauntletpress.com/cgi-bin/...
and in trade paper by IDW
http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Mas...
(Notice how I’ve cleverly provided links so you can BUY these books?!?)
Great comics stories adapted from the MASQUES anthologies edited by Jerry. Writers like Wayne Allen Sallee, Robert R. McCammon, Bob Weinberg, F. Paul Wilson, Paul Dale Anderson, and–dare I say it?–me!
You know, like SHADOW SHOW is a tribute to Ray, MASQUES is a tribute to Jerry. He was my dear friend and a class act and received in his life nowhere near the attention his works merited. This lovely comic album keeps his name and his efforts alive.
9. What made you start writing?
Fourth grade. High tech time—teacher brought in a phonograph with a record of a reading of Poe’s “Pit and the Pendulum.” I was hooked. (Teachers didn’t care back then if kids would all go home and wet the bed for the next two or three years.)
Wrote a story soon thereafter. Horror story about a guy who gets transformed into a spider. I wanted to do to readers what Poe had done to me.
Fooled around with writing for a long time thereafter, but had plans to wind up in show biz as a working musician or comic or both. Writing was backburnered. Front burner: Guitar and a Bob Dylan hat.
But then, in college, a friend who’d been writing novels with some success said to me, “Bet you could do this.”
I said, “Maybe.” Took three weeks and wrote and sold a novel. It was that easy. Of course, it wasn’t a very good novel, bad mystery and science-fiction and sex, but it wasn’t that good a publisher (see old Mort’s response to how publishing has changed)—except it paid me an advance of three hundred bucks.
I was hooked. Sold another three or four novels.
And then comes age 25–and I said, “Maybe I can get serious about this writing thing.”
And I did. Set out to make myself into a real writer, someone who wrote stories that could be my shot at … Tah-dah! Immortality!
Writing has, on occasion, broken my heart. And that was mostly my fault, for expecting what I had no right to expect, or for trying to do it cheap, dirty, or easy.
But all these years later, when I know someone’s picking up my story in Wroclaw, Poland, and entering my story world through a language I can’t even pronounce, let alone read, or someone writes and says, “That story got to me,” or … Any of the typical authorly triumphs, yeah, I’m not displeased that I checked the “Writer” box on the vocational inventory chart, instead of the one for Famed Matador and Tree Surgeon.
10. What do you feel will be your legacy in the horror writing genre?
I wasn’t kidding about the immortality thing. I’ve got a new collection coming out from DARK REGIONS PRESS. It’s called NEW MOON ON THE WATER and I think it my best collection to date. I hope some of these stories are around for 100 years, maybe 200, maybe … until three hours past Armageddon.
Okay, my body won’t be. But if your experiences and your feelings and your imaginings are still around … Howzabout three out of four, yeah … I’ll settle for Three Quarter Immortality!
July 26, 2012
Win an autographed copy of Brett Talley's The Void
This is your chance to win a copy of thrilling new author Brett Talley’s sci-fi horror novel, The Void. All you have to do is drop me a line on my website or at carlalves@comcast.net by August 7th.
July 23, 2012
10 Questions With Brett Talley
1. So how did you go from graduating from Harvard Law School to being an author of horror and science fiction?
Long before I even dreamed of going to law school, I knew that I loved writing. I wrote my first book—if you can call it that—when I was in second grade. It was a vampire novel that was five chapters and five pages long. I like writing all sorts of things, but horror has always interested me the most.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Probably H.P. Lovecraft and F. Scott Fitzgerald. A weird combination, for sure, but they have more in common than most people might thing. I love the lyricism of their writing, the ebbs and the flows. And the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft has had a huge impact on me. The unknown is the key to horror, and no one was better at exploiting that than him.
3. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
When I published my first novel, That Which Should Not Be. Anyone who has ever written anything and tried to publish it knows the heartache and heartbreak you go through. When I learned that I would actually cross that finish line, I was ecstatic. Little did I know all the work that’s involved after publication! Still, it remains the best moment for me.
4. How did growing up in the South affect you as a writer?
I think the southern gothic is engrained in the DNA of every southerner. I love that old style and that old language. When I decided to write my own horror novel, I deliberately set it during that period so that I could explore the gothic form more fully. I even tried to bring some of that feeling into The Void, which is primarily a horror story in space.
5. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
The main effect on me has been as a reader rather than a writer. E-books simply make it easier to read many different kinds of books quickly. I love old books, and I would never abandon physical bound copies, but it’s hard not to fall in love with a Kindle.
Of course, the other impact of the electronic revolution is that it’s easier to get my books into the hands of more people. That makes me pretty happy.
6. Who is your favorite writer?
F. Scott Fitzgerald. As I noted earlier, that’s probably a strange answer for someone who writes primarily in horror. The Great Gatsby is my favorite book of all time. It’s perfect. If I could write one sentence as great as good as that novel, I could die happy.
7. What attracted you to write a story set in space in the future in The Void?
Two things. My first book was set at the turn of the 20th century, so I wanted to do something completely different. But the bigger reason had to do with the mystery of space. It’s such a rich subject. We can guess at a lot of things, but the fact is, as Star Trek points out, space is the final frontier. The unknown is our greatest source of fear, and with space, you can really take advantage of that.
8. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Never, never, never give up. Writing is one rejection after another. It takes a hundred no’s before you get a yes. But it only takes that one yes.
9. Where did you come up with the concept for The Void?
One of the great old stories is the abandoned ship. From the Marie Celeste on, the ghost ship is one of the truly fascinating set ups. I decided to take that and run with it with the spin of putting it in space. That story’s been done before, of course, but I think the concept of the dreams makes things unique.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
H.P. Lovecraft, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Alexander Hamilton, and Jesus.
Long before I even dreamed of going to law school, I knew that I loved writing. I wrote my first book—if you can call it that—when I was in second grade. It was a vampire novel that was five chapters and five pages long. I like writing all sorts of things, but horror has always interested me the most.
2. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
Probably H.P. Lovecraft and F. Scott Fitzgerald. A weird combination, for sure, but they have more in common than most people might thing. I love the lyricism of their writing, the ebbs and the flows. And the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft has had a huge impact on me. The unknown is the key to horror, and no one was better at exploiting that than him.
3. What’s the greatest moment in your writing career?
When I published my first novel, That Which Should Not Be. Anyone who has ever written anything and tried to publish it knows the heartache and heartbreak you go through. When I learned that I would actually cross that finish line, I was ecstatic. Little did I know all the work that’s involved after publication! Still, it remains the best moment for me.
4. How did growing up in the South affect you as a writer?
I think the southern gothic is engrained in the DNA of every southerner. I love that old style and that old language. When I decided to write my own horror novel, I deliberately set it during that period so that I could explore the gothic form more fully. I even tried to bring some of that feeling into The Void, which is primarily a horror story in space.
5. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
The main effect on me has been as a reader rather than a writer. E-books simply make it easier to read many different kinds of books quickly. I love old books, and I would never abandon physical bound copies, but it’s hard not to fall in love with a Kindle.
Of course, the other impact of the electronic revolution is that it’s easier to get my books into the hands of more people. That makes me pretty happy.
6. Who is your favorite writer?
F. Scott Fitzgerald. As I noted earlier, that’s probably a strange answer for someone who writes primarily in horror. The Great Gatsby is my favorite book of all time. It’s perfect. If I could write one sentence as great as good as that novel, I could die happy.
7. What attracted you to write a story set in space in the future in The Void?
Two things. My first book was set at the turn of the 20th century, so I wanted to do something completely different. But the bigger reason had to do with the mystery of space. It’s such a rich subject. We can guess at a lot of things, but the fact is, as Star Trek points out, space is the final frontier. The unknown is our greatest source of fear, and with space, you can really take advantage of that.
8. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Never, never, never give up. Writing is one rejection after another. It takes a hundred no’s before you get a yes. But it only takes that one yes.
9. Where did you come up with the concept for The Void?
One of the great old stories is the abandoned ship. From the Marie Celeste on, the ghost ship is one of the truly fascinating set ups. I decided to take that and run with it with the spin of putting it in space. That story’s been done before, of course, but I think the concept of the dreams makes things unique.
10. If you could invite five people to a dinner party (alive or dead, real or fictional) who would you invite?
H.P. Lovecraft, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Alexander Hamilton, and Jesus.
July 16, 2012
The Void by Brett Talley
I had heard a lot of buzz about author Brett Talley, so I was looking forward to reading The Void, his second novel, and Talley not only met but exceeded my expectations . The book is part sci-fi, part horror, and all together creepy. Set in deep space in the near future when distant space travel is possible, there is one caveat to the ability to travel long distances in space. When the travelers go through a warp drive, they are put to sleep where they have dreams that border on nightmares. The dreams are always the same, and sometimes they drive the person to madness. One thing I really enjoyed about the novel is the richness of the world of the dreams. They remind me quite a bit of the dream sequences from the movie Inception. As I mentioned, normally the dreams are all the same, except in this voyage, their are slight differences in each person’s dream. Talley does a good job of giving the reader the sense that the world he created is about to fracture in a big way. Aidan Connor, the story’s protagonist, has recently been in a shuttle that was destroyed, leaving him the soul survivor. Meanwhile, a couple of the passengers of the shuttle have their own agenda, unbeknownst to the rest of the crew. All of these things build a sense of inevitable doom that permeates the novel.
When the crew reaches their destination, the dreams start to blend into reality, as they discover a ship that was part of a scientific experiment. That’s the point in the story where things really start to unravel for the crew. Talley does a masterful job of creating chills throughout the novel as well as building up tension. As a fellow writer, I appreciate his craftsmanship and ability to manipulate language with great skill. The Void is well worth reading and I would highly recommend it for your reading pleasure.
When the crew reaches their destination, the dreams start to blend into reality, as they discover a ship that was part of a scientific experiment. That’s the point in the story where things really start to unravel for the crew. Talley does a masterful job of creating chills throughout the novel as well as building up tension. As a fellow writer, I appreciate his craftsmanship and ability to manipulate language with great skill. The Void is well worth reading and I would highly recommend it for your reading pleasure.
July 13, 2012
10 Questions With Tim Marquitz
1. Who has been your biggest influence as a writer?
TM: Clive Barker is who really set me along the path to writing, but it was Jim Butcher who most impacted me stylistically. It was reading the Dresden Files that sparked my direction for the Demon Squad. I wasn’t really sure of my voice when I first started, but reading Jim’s work made me realize I could just be me. I didn’t need poetic or graceful, at least not with the Demon Squad. All I needed was to be myself…only better.
2. How has your interest in heavy metal music influenced your writing and what are some of your favorite bands?
TM: While it might not be obvious beyond the band references I make, my love of metal is a major influence on my writing. The epic, dark feeling I try to capture comes the music I grew up on. It’s what I picture when I’m working on a scene, when I’m contemplating a story. The aggressiveness, the brutality and nihilistic characterization is all a reflection of the bands I listen to.
Nowadays, I’m a big doom fan. I listen to Candlemass, Anathema, My Dying Bride, the Foreshadowing, but I’m a fan of metal, in almost all of its genres. I grew up with Venom, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Voivod, Destruction, Kreator, Dark Angel, and pretty much every band around back then, as well as a bunch of punk and hardcore like Cryptic Slaughter, GBH, and the Exploited.
3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
TM: Tough question. I’m not very sentimental when it comes to books so there’s no one book I’d prefer over any of the others. Maybe if there was a copy of Playboy with Kiera Knightley in it; only for the articles, of course.
4. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
TM: I’m a product of this new generation, but I tried to chase the tail of the old ways and didn’t get anywhere. It’s kind of frustrating trying to figure out how to get out there in the new world, and I don’t think I’ve quite figured it out.
I think, despite my lack of critical success, I’m benefiting from the revolution. Readers are looking for new books that don’t fit easily into the tried and true niches carved out by traditional publishing. There’s a market for different, and now there’s a path for the little guys to find their audience. The hard part is standing out amidst the flood of like-minded indies.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
TM: Unequivocally, Clive Barker. There’s just a grace and beauty to his writing that moves me and brings me back to every word he sets to paper.
6. Most of your novels are parts of a series. When you start writing, do you intend to make it a series, or does it evolve that way?
TM: I think they kind of evolve that way. I actually prefer the idea of writing a book that starts and end within the same covers, but there always seems to be more to it than that. When I sit down and find a character I really enjoy writing the excuse is there to keep writing, to create more stories for the character to star in. It’s like a good friend, a beautiful woman, or a great book, you just want more.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
TM: I’m currently plotting a novel that’s a zombie/assassin/sword and sorcery mashup, and I hope to settle into the writing soon now that the flood of side projects are out of the way. I’m also mulling ideas for the fifth Demon Squad book. And as weird as it is for me to say this, that’s all I have going on right now as far as actual writing.
I’ve a number of projects sitting with publishers that I’ve yet to hear back on, and I’m fixing to release the second book in the Blood War Trilogy any day now. I’ve also just released a collection, along with Malon Edwards, Edward M Erdelac, and Lincoln Crisler, called Four in the Morning, so I’m in the process of promoting that. Most of my time, though, has been spent working on my forthcoming anthology, Fading Light, which features stories by Mark Lawrence, Gene O’Neill, Gord Rollo, William Meikle, David Dalglish, Nick Cato, and a ton of other great authors.
8. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
TM: None at all. I write to entertain. There’s no message or theme or idea that runs through my stories in any intentional manner.
9. How do you try to craft fight scenes in your writing?
TM: I’ve been fortunate (unfortunate?) to have been in a number of fights, and I’m also a huge fan of mixed martial arts and have watched damn near every fight ever recorded. I study all that and try to bring a gritty realism to my scenes. Of course, you need to fictionalize it a bit or the fight will last all of a sentence or two.
Ultimately though, I try to picture what I need the scene to provide. Am I writing a fight to advance characterization or plot? Both require a different focus, so I write to satisfy those needs.
10. You have a lot of religious elements in your story telling. What drives this religious influence and are you ever concerned that you might offend readers?
TM: The Demon Squad series is based in the Christian mythos so there’s an obligatory need to reference religion and its tropes/traditions. That said, I’m not religious, and I don’t touch the subject unless it fits within the characterization needed for the story.
As for offending readers, I’m not concerned at all. I purposely avoid attacking anyone’s religious beliefs, but I write what I feel. If it turns out to be offensive to someone, as it will inevitably be, that’s too bad. My stories aren’t for everyone and I won’t pretend they are. It’s never my goal to offend, but I’m not going to dance around a subject because of how someone might feel afterwards.
I’m a firm believer in, “If you don’t like what I write, don’t read it.”
TM: Clive Barker is who really set me along the path to writing, but it was Jim Butcher who most impacted me stylistically. It was reading the Dresden Files that sparked my direction for the Demon Squad. I wasn’t really sure of my voice when I first started, but reading Jim’s work made me realize I could just be me. I didn’t need poetic or graceful, at least not with the Demon Squad. All I needed was to be myself…only better.
2. How has your interest in heavy metal music influenced your writing and what are some of your favorite bands?
TM: While it might not be obvious beyond the band references I make, my love of metal is a major influence on my writing. The epic, dark feeling I try to capture comes the music I grew up on. It’s what I picture when I’m working on a scene, when I’m contemplating a story. The aggressiveness, the brutality and nihilistic characterization is all a reflection of the bands I listen to.
Nowadays, I’m a big doom fan. I listen to Candlemass, Anathema, My Dying Bride, the Foreshadowing, but I’m a fan of metal, in almost all of its genres. I grew up with Venom, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Metallica, Slayer, Exodus, Voivod, Destruction, Kreator, Dark Angel, and pretty much every band around back then, as well as a bunch of punk and hardcore like Cryptic Slaughter, GBH, and the Exploited.
3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
TM: Tough question. I’m not very sentimental when it comes to books so there’s no one book I’d prefer over any of the others. Maybe if there was a copy of Playboy with Kiera Knightley in it; only for the articles, of course.
4. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
TM: I’m a product of this new generation, but I tried to chase the tail of the old ways and didn’t get anywhere. It’s kind of frustrating trying to figure out how to get out there in the new world, and I don’t think I’ve quite figured it out.
I think, despite my lack of critical success, I’m benefiting from the revolution. Readers are looking for new books that don’t fit easily into the tried and true niches carved out by traditional publishing. There’s a market for different, and now there’s a path for the little guys to find their audience. The hard part is standing out amidst the flood of like-minded indies.
5. Who is your favorite writer?
TM: Unequivocally, Clive Barker. There’s just a grace and beauty to his writing that moves me and brings me back to every word he sets to paper.
6. Most of your novels are parts of a series. When you start writing, do you intend to make it a series, or does it evolve that way?
TM: I think they kind of evolve that way. I actually prefer the idea of writing a book that starts and end within the same covers, but there always seems to be more to it than that. When I sit down and find a character I really enjoy writing the excuse is there to keep writing, to create more stories for the character to star in. It’s like a good friend, a beautiful woman, or a great book, you just want more.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
TM: I’m currently plotting a novel that’s a zombie/assassin/sword and sorcery mashup, and I hope to settle into the writing soon now that the flood of side projects are out of the way. I’m also mulling ideas for the fifth Demon Squad book. And as weird as it is for me to say this, that’s all I have going on right now as far as actual writing.
I’ve a number of projects sitting with publishers that I’ve yet to hear back on, and I’m fixing to release the second book in the Blood War Trilogy any day now. I’ve also just released a collection, along with Malon Edwards, Edward M Erdelac, and Lincoln Crisler, called Four in the Morning, so I’m in the process of promoting that. Most of my time, though, has been spent working on my forthcoming anthology, Fading Light, which features stories by Mark Lawrence, Gene O’Neill, Gord Rollo, William Meikle, David Dalglish, Nick Cato, and a ton of other great authors.
8. Is there an overall theme to your writing?
TM: None at all. I write to entertain. There’s no message or theme or idea that runs through my stories in any intentional manner.
9. How do you try to craft fight scenes in your writing?
TM: I’ve been fortunate (unfortunate?) to have been in a number of fights, and I’m also a huge fan of mixed martial arts and have watched damn near every fight ever recorded. I study all that and try to bring a gritty realism to my scenes. Of course, you need to fictionalize it a bit or the fight will last all of a sentence or two.
Ultimately though, I try to picture what I need the scene to provide. Am I writing a fight to advance characterization or plot? Both require a different focus, so I write to satisfy those needs.
10. You have a lot of religious elements in your story telling. What drives this religious influence and are you ever concerned that you might offend readers?
TM: The Demon Squad series is based in the Christian mythos so there’s an obligatory need to reference religion and its tropes/traditions. That said, I’m not religious, and I don’t touch the subject unless it fits within the characterization needed for the story.
As for offending readers, I’m not concerned at all. I purposely avoid attacking anyone’s religious beliefs, but I write what I feel. If it turns out to be offensive to someone, as it will inevitably be, that’s too bad. My stories aren’t for everyone and I won’t pretend they are. It’s never my goal to offend, but I’m not going to dance around a subject because of how someone might feel afterwards.
I’m a firm believer in, “If you don’t like what I write, don’t read it.”
July 10, 2012
Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man
At first sight it would seem as if the folks at Marvel/Disney are jumping the gun by launching another Spider-Man movie so soon after the first series, but the previews looked cool and I thought my eight year old son would enjoy. As it turns out, the Amazing Spider-Man was a very entertaining and well done movie that was worth watching. The bar had been set high with the first couple of Spider-Man movies as well as The Avengers released just a few weeks earlier. In this version, they redefined Spider-Man from the shy, nerdy reluctant superhero to one that was more sarcastic and edgier. They also made a curious move by going with The Lizard as the movie's villain instead of a more well known character like The Green Goblin, who will most likely be appearing in the sequel. The movie also explores what happens to Peter Parker's parents, something largely ignored in the previous version.
There is a lot to like in the movie, namely the actors who were well cast in their roles, the action and the effects, which were done at a high level, along with a well thought out and intelligent plot. The movie is well paced. There is good chemistry between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, as well as a lot of soul searching by Peter Parker as he adjusts into his new superhero persona. If you watch the movie in the theater, be sure to stick around after the closing credits as they show a scene that is a preview to the sequel, including the possible villain.
There is a lot to like in the movie, namely the actors who were well cast in their roles, the action and the effects, which were done at a high level, along with a well thought out and intelligent plot. The movie is well paced. There is good chemistry between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, as well as a lot of soul searching by Peter Parker as he adjusts into his new superhero persona. If you watch the movie in the theater, be sure to stick around after the closing credits as they show a scene that is a preview to the sequel, including the possible villain.
July 8, 2012
10 Questions With Benjamin Kane Ethridge
1. Black and Orange has a highly developed mythos. How did you create the backstory and world for Black and Orange?
I had to establish rules I may or may not use during the course of the story, so I kept them in mind as I introduced concepts and tried never to break those rules. The other world, the Old Domain, is a place of wonderful dark power, but this power can only be derived from sacrifice or loss. I took a look at what we know about Halloween only on the surface and then abandoned those explanations. Pagan history may have been true, but it wasn’t the whole truth, and that distinction was necessary to build a subterranean explanation for the holiday.
2. What did it mean to you to win a Bram Stoker award for Black and Orange?
It meant that I had arrived at a new place in my writing life. I didn’t feel superior for winning it, for I’ve read far too many great books that never made it to the final ballot, or the preliminary for that matter. I did have a sense of accomplishment because I had tried to write the best book I possible could and then I tried to get the book out there with just as much energy. That second part was probably key, because as I said, a great story isn’t always enough. People have to know it exists and when you’re in the small press, that’s no mere foothill to scale.
3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“Finnegan’s Wake” by James Joyce, though I would hope for supplemental analytical material.
4. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
It’s been a boon for me. Being in the small press means limited distribution and e-books remedy that nicely.
5. What did your relationship with the late Michael Louis Calvillo mean to you as a writer and a person?
As a writer, he was my beta reader and steadfast supporter. As a person, he was like a long lost brother I found when I turned thirty years old. My relationship with him, in both facets, has improved my soul. Feeling sorry for yourself, feeling worthless and misery, it’s all easy to do as a writer, but Michael would never hear of such things. He taught me it’s possible to meet your goal, despite the odds, and he also taught me that after I’ve done all I can for my own work, to help other writers whenever and however possible. He did that for me and I will never forget it.
6. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
Both. I try to have a general direction, but nothing hard. The times I’ve made detailed outlines I feel like I’ve already told the story, so writing it becomes a retelling and is beyond tedious. It’s better to think on my feet, but also with a mind for staying on the road.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
Yikes, well, I’m pretty busy. I’m finishing the proof for my next novel BOTTLED ABYSS, which should be out in June 2012. After that, I’m doing the last edit on NOMADS, the sequel to BLACK & ORANGE. I’ll be co-editing a shared world anthology called MADHOUSE with the powerfully good writer Brad Hodson. There is also a shared anthology edited by Anne Petty named LIMBUS, which I’ll be writing a novella for sometime soon. Also, this year I will begin a three book series for Journalstone publishing, the first installment entitled NIGHTMARE BALLAD.
8. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Run! Beat cheeks! Hightail it! Fast! No, I’m joking. But, well, um, escaping should always be an option on the table. Let’s face it: not everybody is cut out for this trade. You have romantic hearts that love writing and will always write, but they won’t pursue publication, won’t promote their book once it is published, won’t understand why nobody bought it. Therein failure grows.
Nowadays being a writer is so much more. A whole range of other jobs have already been absorbed into the title and now some writers are publishing their own work. So it’s not enough that you’re a writer, editor, agent, public relations, publicity, but now you want to be a publisher? For some folks who don’t want to spend much money that could also entail becoming graphic artists, layout designers, marketers, merchants, etc. I get exhausted thinking about it. Too much work. Way too much. Some people can do it, and to be fair, some can pull it off in an honorable, respectable manner, but why would you want to get yourself into twelve different jobs for the credit of having one?
I accept that writers will take on editing and promotion and even representation, but after that, for me, forget all that other stuff. It’s too much blood and treasure for the end result. The only caveat is e-book publishing your extensive catalog of previous work, which hopefully arrived into the world the correct way at some point.
9. How did you get the concept for Black and Orange?
I love Halloween, so I gravitated toward the subject matter. I also had become bored with traditional small town Halloween stories, so I wanted to see what would happen if I took a completely different approach, where the creepiness came from a foreign dreadful place outside the world, rather than the holiday itself. It was important to me that this place wasn’t just Hell, because that’s tired too. I wanted the Old Domain to be a place of wonder and mystery, just as much as it was hellish. I also adore fantasy, so writing a Halloween Fantasy outside the realm of children’s books and film made sense for my imagination.
10. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Any scenes that allow me to tickle language. I enjoy evoking strong emotion from language as well, but I really love to take advantage of the written medium. It’s not enough to write a scene as you would see it in a film, for if that’s what you’re setting out to do, why is this not a screenplay? Not all stories need contortions of language or flourishes of style, but they should always be considered, and I will always opt for something unexpected than commonplace. That’s what keeps me happy.
I had to establish rules I may or may not use during the course of the story, so I kept them in mind as I introduced concepts and tried never to break those rules. The other world, the Old Domain, is a place of wonderful dark power, but this power can only be derived from sacrifice or loss. I took a look at what we know about Halloween only on the surface and then abandoned those explanations. Pagan history may have been true, but it wasn’t the whole truth, and that distinction was necessary to build a subterranean explanation for the holiday.
2. What did it mean to you to win a Bram Stoker award for Black and Orange?
It meant that I had arrived at a new place in my writing life. I didn’t feel superior for winning it, for I’ve read far too many great books that never made it to the final ballot, or the preliminary for that matter. I did have a sense of accomplishment because I had tried to write the best book I possible could and then I tried to get the book out there with just as much energy. That second part was probably key, because as I said, a great story isn’t always enough. People have to know it exists and when you’re in the small press, that’s no mere foothill to scale.
3. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
“Finnegan’s Wake” by James Joyce, though I would hope for supplemental analytical material.
4. How has the digital revolution and the emergence of ebooks affected you as a writer?
It’s been a boon for me. Being in the small press means limited distribution and e-books remedy that nicely.
5. What did your relationship with the late Michael Louis Calvillo mean to you as a writer and a person?
As a writer, he was my beta reader and steadfast supporter. As a person, he was like a long lost brother I found when I turned thirty years old. My relationship with him, in both facets, has improved my soul. Feeling sorry for yourself, feeling worthless and misery, it’s all easy to do as a writer, but Michael would never hear of such things. He taught me it’s possible to meet your goal, despite the odds, and he also taught me that after I’ve done all I can for my own work, to help other writers whenever and however possible. He did that for me and I will never forget it.
6. Do you outline prior to writing your story, or do you work out the plot as you write?
Both. I try to have a general direction, but nothing hard. The times I’ve made detailed outlines I feel like I’ve already told the story, so writing it becomes a retelling and is beyond tedious. It’s better to think on my feet, but also with a mind for staying on the road.
7. What current writing projects are you working on?
Yikes, well, I’m pretty busy. I’m finishing the proof for my next novel BOTTLED ABYSS, which should be out in June 2012. After that, I’m doing the last edit on NOMADS, the sequel to BLACK & ORANGE. I’ll be co-editing a shared world anthology called MADHOUSE with the powerfully good writer Brad Hodson. There is also a shared anthology edited by Anne Petty named LIMBUS, which I’ll be writing a novella for sometime soon. Also, this year I will begin a three book series for Journalstone publishing, the first installment entitled NIGHTMARE BALLAD.
8. What advice do you have for beginning writers?
Run! Beat cheeks! Hightail it! Fast! No, I’m joking. But, well, um, escaping should always be an option on the table. Let’s face it: not everybody is cut out for this trade. You have romantic hearts that love writing and will always write, but they won’t pursue publication, won’t promote their book once it is published, won’t understand why nobody bought it. Therein failure grows.
Nowadays being a writer is so much more. A whole range of other jobs have already been absorbed into the title and now some writers are publishing their own work. So it’s not enough that you’re a writer, editor, agent, public relations, publicity, but now you want to be a publisher? For some folks who don’t want to spend much money that could also entail becoming graphic artists, layout designers, marketers, merchants, etc. I get exhausted thinking about it. Too much work. Way too much. Some people can do it, and to be fair, some can pull it off in an honorable, respectable manner, but why would you want to get yourself into twelve different jobs for the credit of having one?
I accept that writers will take on editing and promotion and even representation, but after that, for me, forget all that other stuff. It’s too much blood and treasure for the end result. The only caveat is e-book publishing your extensive catalog of previous work, which hopefully arrived into the world the correct way at some point.
9. How did you get the concept for Black and Orange?
I love Halloween, so I gravitated toward the subject matter. I also had become bored with traditional small town Halloween stories, so I wanted to see what would happen if I took a completely different approach, where the creepiness came from a foreign dreadful place outside the world, rather than the holiday itself. It was important to me that this place wasn’t just Hell, because that’s tired too. I wanted the Old Domain to be a place of wonder and mystery, just as much as it was hellish. I also adore fantasy, so writing a Halloween Fantasy outside the realm of children’s books and film made sense for my imagination.
10. What type of scenes do you most enjoy writing?
Any scenes that allow me to tickle language. I enjoy evoking strong emotion from language as well, but I really love to take advantage of the written medium. It’s not enough to write a scene as you would see it in a film, for if that’s what you’re setting out to do, why is this not a screenplay? Not all stories need contortions of language or flourishes of style, but they should always be considered, and I will always opt for something unexpected than commonplace. That’s what keeps me happy.
