Hellbound Tour & Giveaway:Nick's Book Blog

Today I'm at Nick's Book Blog:

http://nicksbookblog93.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-tour-stop-su-halfwerk.html

Join us, see my answers to Nick's questions, like what inspired me to write Hellbound.

 You might win

PDF copy of Hellbound

Or

Amazon gift certificate worth $25/-

An inteview with Magda Olchawska

Magda Olchawska is interviewing me today on her blog: www.magdaolchawska.com/entry/264
She's asking me some interesting questions about my books and writing. Please join us and leave a comment if you like, we'd love to hear from you.

I have a kickass name ;-D

Kandie Delley is so right. She says I have a kickass name, and I agree with her :-)
Join us today on her website where I discuss Promoting Outside the Proverbial Box.

http://www.kandiedelley.com/main/2011/05/10/suhalfwerk

MunatyCooking Online Magazine - May issue

 

Here's a link to May's Issue of MunatyCooking Online Magazine:  

http://issuu.com/munatycookingmagazine/docs/issue_4_2011

Featured in this issue:

• Chef Dennis
• Author Conda V Douglas
• Author Lynn Hones
• Food blogger Sandra Mihic

You're a click away from many mouth-watering recipes!

Interviewed

Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz interviewed me today here:  

http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/2011/05/su-halfwerk-horror-and-paranormal.html

If you have a moment, please stop by. We would love to hear from you.

Fiona Dodwell Interviewed me

Fellow author, and close friend, Fiona Dodwell interviewed me here:
http://fionasfiction.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/interview-with-author-su-halfwerk
Come on over, visit with us, we won't bite...that much.

Stormcaller by P.L. Blair ~ Book Trailer

This is the trailer for Stormcaller, book 2 in P.L. Blair's "Portals" fantasy adventure series.

Tilte: Stormcaller
Author: P.L. Blair
Genre: Fantasy - Adventure
ISBN: 9780979697425
Publisher: Studio See Publishing
Book Blurb:
Stormcaller continues the adventures of Corpus Christi police detective Kat Morales and her Elven partner Tevis in P.L. Blair's second book in her "Portals" series. They battle an ancient Aztec god to save the Texas gulf coastline from certain destruction by a hurricane. Tlaloc, worshipped by the ancient Aztecs as a god of rains, storms and disease, has come to Corpus Christi with an ultimatum: He will be worshiped as in times past, including Human sacrifice, or he will destroy the Texas coastline with a hurricane. It's up to Police Detective Kat Morales, her Elven partner Tevix and the rest of an elite team headed by the Wizard Arvandus to stop Tlaloc before he makes good on his threat. The adventures that began for Kat and Tevis in Shadow Path continue as they race against time, and between worlds, to defeat the Stormcaller.

Author Interview - Michael McCarty

Today, I'm interviewing author of over 20 books including A HELL OF A JOB and MASTERS OF IMAGINATION, Author Michael McCarty.

• Welcome Michael. Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Michael McCarty and I am a writer. I am the author of 20 published books, with more scheduled to come out. I’ve been a freelance writer for over 25 years. I am a three-time Bram Stoker Finalist and the recipient of the David R. Collins’ Literary Achievement Award from the Midwest Writing Center.  I used to do stand-up comedy and was a coffeehouse musician. I was a former staff writer for Science Fiction Weekly, which was the website of the Sci Fi Channel. I live with my wife Cindy and pet rabbit Latte in the Quad Cities -- which is twice as nice as the Twin Cities.  ;-)

• What inspired you to write your first book?

My first novel wasn’t actually my first published book – I’ve also written story and poetry collections and nonfiction. My first novel, Monster behind the Wheel, co-written with Mark McLaughlin, was published as a limited edition hard-cover book (which has since sold out) and will be forthcoming from Medallion Press as an ebook.  The inspiration for Monster was this: my late father was a mechanic and I grew up around automobiles all my life, so I wanted to write a book about cars. In college, I read the Stephen King book and saw the John Carpenter (who I interviewed in my new book, Masters of Imagination) movie, Christine, and I thought there was so much more to say about the myth and mystery of the American automobile than that novel and movie conveyed. I wanted to tell a ghost story. I wanted to tell a zombie story. And with the help of my very talented collaborator Mark McLaughlin, we surpassed everything I’d originally wanted to do with that book.

• How long does it take you to write a book?

All of my books are completely different. The LaGungo books were very quick --  about half a year each: Professor LaGungo’s Delirious Download of Digital Deviltry & Doom and Professor LaGungo’s Classroom of Horrors (both books co-written with Mark McLaughlin). Partners in Slime (my short story collection co-written with Mark McLaughlin) took about a year to write. Rusty the Robot’s Holiday Adventure, co-written with Sherry Decker, took about a year too. Masters of Imagination, Esoteria-Land and A Hell of a Job all took about two years. Monster Behind the Wheel (also co-written with Mark McLaughlin) took five years. And Liquid Diet: A Vampire Satire took 10 years to write and another 10 years to get published.  So, it depends on the book. I write very fast with collaborators: with collaborator Joe McKinney, our novella Lost Girl of the Lake took about a month or so.

• What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Because my day-job is at a college, I have a college-student-like schedule at work. That means, when the students have their vacation, so do I – Thanksgiving break, Christmas vacation, Spring Break and summer vacation (2 months). I write for about four hours everyday after work and mostly on the weekends.

• How many books have you written?

I’ve written 30, and 20 have been published so far. The rest will be published in 2011, 2012 and 2013. I’ve always been prolific. I enjoy what I do, and once I start writing the words just fly out of me. :  )

• What genre are you most comfortable writing?

I’m most comfortable with the horror and science fiction genres. My fiction is a lot like a gumbo stew – I throw in elements of humor, the surreal, erotica and whatever else I have lying around the kitchen  :  )

• Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it? 

I’ve suffered from panic, exhaustion, confusion and scheduling conflicts between my day-job, publishers, collaborators, fans and promotions. The longest writer’s block I had was while working on Monster behind the Wheel with Mark McLaughlin, because there was a tricky twist in the storyline and when we finally figured that part out, the rest of the book exploded in a fireball of excitement. The book was on the Final Ballot of the Bram Stoker’s for First Novel, and I know, Mark and I will always be proud of that honor.                                                                                                        

• What are your current projects?

2011 is a busy year. I’m still promoting Masters of Imagination (Bear Manor Media) because the ebook was published in December 2011, but the trade paperback just came out. I have Professor LaGungo’s Classroom of Horrors co-written with Mark McLaughlin (Bucket O’ Guts) which should be out any day now. Also, there’s Lost Girl of the Lake, co-written with Joe McKinney (Bad Moon Books), a novella set in the early 1960s and the nonfiction book Conversations with Kreskin, which should be coming out later this year. I also have the mass-market ebook, Monster behind the Wheel, co-written with Mark McLaughlin (Medallion Press), scheduled for publication later this year, too.                                                                                                            

• Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Partners in Slime, co-written with Mark McLaughlin and published by Damnation Books, is a collection of 13 twisted tales. There’s plenty of horror, science fiction, and weird humor. Both Mark and I do a solo novella: mine is a sci-fi tale called Giant Cockroaches from Outer Space and Mark’s is an incredible horror tale called The Nightmare Quadrant. Both are tied together with bugs: mine are six-foot cockroaches from outer space and Mark’s involves a praying mantis. If that wasn’t enough, Mark and I also did collaborations with two horror icons: the Zombie Girls: Mark did a story with Kyra Schon, the little girl from Night of the Living Dead, called Arlene Schabowski of the Undead, and mine is with Linnea Quigley from Return of the Living Dead and it is entitled, The Wizard of Ooze. So much critical mass and excitement in one book! I am surprised that Damnation Books was able to cram all that between the covers  :  )      

• How did you come up with the title for your book?                                                  

Mark has a couple of books with “Slime” in the title: Slime After Slime and Once Upon A Slime. Mark and I were talking about doing a short-story collection in the United States (our other collection, All Things Dark & Hideous, has been sold out in England for a long time). And jokingly, I said we should do a collection called Partners In Slime and Mark said, “I love it! Let’s do it!”

• Is there a message in your short story collection that you want readers to grasp?

Life is hard, but fiction can be fun. We want the reader to enjoy these creepy and bizarre tales after a hard day of work or around the house. To blow off steam, to laugh and scream.

• Are there parts of the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

Strange as it might seem, that applies to a story in the book by Mark and I called The Ten Klown-Mandments. Although the storyline is about a clown named Klowny whose life is an eerie parallel to Moses’, but set in the near future, I think subconsciously my years as a stand-up comedian might have crept into the plot. And, Mark’s always been a bit of a clown, so some of his antics also may have worked their way into the storyline. To find out for sure, Mark and I would have to go to a shrink and unfortunately, we just can’t schedule that right now. :)      

• If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?   

Mark and I both really wanted to add the stories Night of the Living Ed and Return of the Living Ed, but those stories were already part of my book, A Little Help From My Fiends (Sam’s Dot Publishing). But in the end, we were very happy to have 13 stories … 13 is a good number in horror.  : )

• What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Scheduling. Mark and I are very busy with many projects, so it was sometimes difficult to get together to write these stories. But once we got cooking with them, it was a breeze.

• Is there anything additional you would like to share with your readers?

Please check out Partners In Slime … you won’t regret it.

• Where can we find you online?

My websites are:

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-McCarty/129752763006?ref=ts
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-McCarty/129752763006
• http://www.twitter.com/MonsterBook
• http://www.myspace.com/monsterbook
• http://www.myspace.com/poetrymonsterbook
• http://www.myspace.com/ottochurch

 Partners in Slime:

• http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615723492
• http://www.amazon.com/Partners-in-Slime-ebook/dp/B004PYDI42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1299631031&sr=8-1

A Hell Of A Job:

• http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Job-ebook/dp/B003OYIE7K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=merchant-items&qid=1299631092&sr=1-3

•  http://www.damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615721177

Masters Of Imagination:

• http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Imagination-Interviews-Filmmakers-ebook/dp/B004HKIKSS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1299631202&sr=1-1

Rusty the Robot:

• http://www.samsdotpublishing.com/purchasecenter/storybooks.htm

Also, feel free to check out Mark McLaughlin’s Facebook page, and our YouTube page with its animated book trailers and other weird little movies: http://www.facebook.com/MarkMcLaughlinMedia

http://www.youtube.com/McMonsterBook

About Michael McCarty:

Michael McCarty has been a professional writer since 1983 and is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, as well as hundreds of articles, short stories, and poems. In 2009 he was named as a finalist, along with collaborator Mark McLaughlin, in two different Bram Stoker Award categories: Best First Novel of 2008 for Monster Behind the Wheel (Corrosion Press/Delirium Books), and Best Poetry Collection of 2008 for Attack of the Two-Headed Poetry Monster (Skullvines Press). He received the 2008 David R. Collins’ Literary Achievement Award from the Midwest Writing Center. In 2005, he was a Bram Stoker Award finalist in the nonfiction category for More Giants of the Genre.

Michael lives in Rock Island, Illinois with his wife Cindy and pet rabbit Latte,

and is a former stand-up comedian, musician and managing editor of a music magazine.

Author Interview - Fiona Dodwell

Today, I'm interviewing a dear friend and fellow Damnation Books author, Fiona Dodwell. I've read The Banishing, and loved every moment of it. Don't miss out on this treat.

• Welcome, Fiona. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm 29 years old and I have been passionate about horror since I was a child. I have studied psychology, drama and theology. I currently work in a psychiatric unit. I am married to my husband Matthew who works for a local charity, and I am an avid animal lover.

• As a child, what did you want to do when you grow up?

A writer. All I wanted to do was write. I remember when I was about twelve years old and the class teacher asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I looked up, eyes wide with excitement and opportunity and announced I wanted to write books. My teacher replied: “Yes, but what real job do you want to do?” That to me wasn't helpful – I needed encouragement, inspiration. Thankfully it didn't deter me from dreaming and I went on to write short stories and poems through my childhood and early teens, winning competitions and learning the craft.

• When and why did you begin writing?

Probably around the age of ten. I wrote my first book called Caged Demon – so you can see, even back then I was a dark minded person! Very heavy for a child's mind.

• What inspired you to write your first book?

My first book, written about four years ago- The Dead Lie – was inspired by my husband. He read through some of my writing - short stories, sample chapters, poems,  and thought I had potential. He knew how much I wanted to write a great book, and he kept encouraging me to throw myself into it. His support has been amazing. 

• What books have influenced your life the most?

Susan Hill's The Woman In Black, Stephen King's Pet Sematary and The Dark Sacrament.

• If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

Probably Stephen King; he has mastered the genre that I adore.

• Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Sometimes there is a brick wall. I'm sure most writers will know what I am talking about. Most writers at one time or another will hit a block – and sometimes it's tempting to do something other than your best – or to even stop trying at all. I have learned to drive on, strive, work at it. Even when the going is tough! Writing can sometimes flow with inspiration; other times that well of inspiration can dry and you really need to tap into it with focus and hard work.

• How long does it take you to write a book?

Anything from six months to over a year. I have written three books, none took longer than a year.

• What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I am not somebody who works to a timetable. I work when my heart is in the place. Some days I might write for three hours straight – other days might only produce a single page. I write regularly, but  it isn't something rigid and scheduled.

• What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I guess something I love exploring in my writing is the dark side of the human mind. The lengths some will go to. I don't usually create characters that are perfect – I like to explore flaws, faults, issues. My central characters often take me by surprise.

• What do you like to do when you're not writing?

A lot of reading. Honestly, when I am not reading I am unhappy. I read for hours a day when I can. I also love spending time with my husband and family, and I enjoy leisure time online.

• What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

That the words on pages come to life – a life of their own. The amount of times I will find a character do something unexpected, or an event come out of nowhere! It's quite an amazing feeling to see character you create suddenly jump out of the page and take matters into their own hands.

• What do you think makes a good story?

It's hard to answer that. Good writing, interesting characters, unexpected twists. For me, as an avid horror fan, I have to say the darker and creepier and  more disturbing the better the story!

• What genre are you most comfortable writing?

Horror, horror, horror!

• How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

I tend not to stick to set formulas or plans. I like my writing to be raw, unformed, free. I know some writers tend to plan, but I go with instinct. Of course I have a basic outline of a story and the major events in that story, but I let the rest fall onto the page naturally. It's a magic feeling to create something that can surprise even me, when I'm the one writing it.

• What is your favorite horror movie?

I have many favourites... I would have to say The Ring, Case 29, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby.

• Do you ever come up with anything so wild that you scare yourself, that leaves you wondering where that came from?

There are many scenes in my novel, The Banishing, that I found disturbing to write. I let the story flow in the direction it needed to go – there is no use in writing horror if you are frightened of unveiling those dark elements of life.

• What is your favorite book outside of the horror genre?

The Secret Life of Bee's. That is beautiful. I also love How To Kill A Mockingbird.

• What draws people to horror novels? Why do we, as readers, like to be scared?

I think it's fun to be scared – when we know we're safe. It's that feeling you get on a rollercoaster: we love to be thrown about in the dark, face the unexpected, but to know we'll step off that ride safe and sound. There is something in us, as humans – we are shaped and formed by the dark side as well as the light, and I think by enjoying horror books and films we get to touch that side without burning ourselves, so to speak.

• Why should fans of horror movies read horror books?

Books can do so much more. Your imagination is a powerful tool. It can take you places no actor or special effect can take you.

• What are your current projects?

I am currently submitting my second novel which is being considered for publication, and I am writing a dark, twisted ghost story called The Governess.

• Can you share a little of your current work with us?

My novel The Banishing is a dark story about one woman's struggle to survive – and to save her marriage in the process. It explores elements of demonic possession, spirit  hauntings and the dark side of the human psyche. My central character, Melissa, begins to notice some dark changes overcoming her husband. Is he losing his mind – or is there more to it?

• How did you come up with the title for your book?

The Banishing is a ritual (a fictional one I created!) which involves making a pact with a demon. The title was formed on that basis  - which I describe in my novel.

• Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

This book is about surviving. The line on the cover of my book says “How far would you go to save your marriage?” The Banishing is one woman's answer to that question – and the results are disturbing. I like to think that the reader will follow my central character and feel her pain, her plight. And hopefully understand the lengths she goes to in order to survive. I hope it will inspire women: my character, Melissa, is a fighter, a very strong woman.

• Are there parts of the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

None at all – and when you read it, you'll be glad!

• What was the hardest part of writing your book?

There are scenes of domestic abuse in the story which were difficult to put down on paper. I had times where I felt like removing certain graphic scenes or certain words. But in the end they stayed: I had to stay faithful to the story. I didn't write anything to glorify abuse – but only what was essential to the story.

• Where can we find you online?

Please check out my website: www.fionasfiction.wordpress.com or the publisher's website:

www.damnationbooks.com

 

Fiona, thank you for stopping by, and good luck with your new release. :-)

About Fiona Dodwell:

Fiona Dodwell lives in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. She works in health-care but is fascinated by the paranormal deep enough that she studied it (in her own time) since she was a teenager. She is currently on the staff team at Talk Paranormal – an online paranormal discussion group.

She grew up loving dark fiction, devouring books like Stephen King's Pet Sematary and Susan Hill's The Woman In Black at a young age, and thus began a life-long love of horror.

She began writing poetry and short stories as a child, and entered many writing competitions as a teenager – some resulted in winning entries.

She has written three novels – The Dead Lie, The Obsession, and The Banishing.

Author Interview - Greg Chapman

Today, I'm interviewing fellow Damnation Books author, Greg Chapman. His book, Torment, was released on March 1st.

• Greg, tell us a bit about yourself.

Wow, how do I put the last 35 years into words? Seriously I’m driven by a very vivid imagination. When I’m not working in marketing for the Department Education I’m thinking about short stories, or novels or graphic novels. It’s been with me ever since I was a kid, so I guess I’m still a kid at heart (my wife would definitely agree). Having two fiery red-haired daughters has probably made me worse in fact. Professionally, I was a reporter on three newspapers across Queensland for eight years.

•  As a child, what did you want to do when you grow up?

Becoming an author is a dream come true, literally. Probably from the age of seven or eight I started to draw – no one else in my direct family can draw so no one knows where it came from. I was into comics (Superman was my fave  - but I’m into more “mature” stuff now) and Doctor Who (still love it). I created my own comics (I had one called “Flare” about a guy who came from the Sun) and over time and practice my drawing ability became more refined. The writing and the drawing went hand in hand. I got a diploma in graphic design so the drawing side of things was the priority for many years after high school.

• When and why did you begin writing?

It was just like a switch came on inside my head. I got my first comic and I thought I can do this and I did. I just loved the idea of telling stories and people – especially my late mother – encouraged me to keep at it.

• When did you first consider yourself a writer?

The actual hard fiction writing began in high school as part of my English classes. I recall my teacher encouraging me. After the graphic design career I met my future wife and she was studying at university and I thought about studying journalism. This eventually became a reality and a job that I held for about eight years. In between, I dabbled with stories, still drawing and writing, but never trying to submit anything. I moved back to my home town in 2008 and I found I didn’t want to be a journalist anymore. I joined a small writers group and heard about the Australian Horror Writers Association.

• What inspired you to write your first book?

After joining the AHWA I was selected into its mentor program under the tutelage of amazing Aussie horror author Brett McBean. During that time I had my first short story published in the US e-mag The Absent Willow Review – a vampire tale entitled Precious Blood. This was a real boost and I started on a novella called The Noctuary – a tale about a writer who finds his muse is real and is demonic. Within that story was another story – Torment. Brett advised me to separate the two tales – that Torment was good enough to stand alone. Now Torment is about to be published. Maybe The Noctuary will be too.

• Do you have a specific writing style?

It’s hard to narrow it down really. I like third and first person narration. I like to describe and build dread, but I also know you have to keep it tight. I like mysteries and I work very hard to try and keep the suspense going for the reader. Visceral horror also appeals to me…that thing you don’t want to look at, but can’t turn away from. I think that comes from my very early childhood fear of the dark. I was also exposed to a few horror films, like Friday the 13^th and Nightmare on Elm Street by my older brothers and cousins.

• What books have influenced your life the most?

One of my subjects at uni was Literary Theory and it was boring – until we began to read classic fiction. Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher was one of the first horror tales I ever read and the darkness in it infected me. Over the last few years I have read a lot of Clive Barker and I’d say he was a major influence – so the Books of Blood and Weaveworld obviously struck a chord with me.

• If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

As I said I did have a mentor in Brett McBean, but many other Aussie writers have supported me along the way. It’s like one big happy, scary, dark, extended family. But I’d love to meet Clive Barker and learn a few of his trade secrets. Maybe one day???? If I’m lucky??? Please???

• What book are you reading now?

The Fall (the second part of The Strain trilogy) by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It’s brilliant – how all great vampire tales should be.

• Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I can create worlds quite well, but getting the dialogue right and natural is always a challenge.

• How long does it take you to write a book?

I probably wrote the very first draft of Torment in about nine months. I wrote a novel in six months, but it was clear that I’d rushed it.

• What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I write and draw at night (when my kids are in bed)

• What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

If it’s a long story I have to handwrite the first draft. I find the story flows out of me better (and I’m a crap typist).

• Where do you get your ideas for your books from?

My head is full of weird and wonderful ideas and I always write them down (my wife finds my notes everywhere). Sometimes I’ll go looking for obscure words to inspire me.

• What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Draw and play with my kids. Read.

• What does your family think of your writing?

My wife is very supportive of me, but she doesn’t like horror stories and that’s OK. My kids are too young to read my stories, but I’ll be putting away a few copies for them to read when they are older. My other brothers are proud of me, my dad too. I’m most grateful that I was able to tell my mum about my acceptance with Damnation Books before she passed away from breast cancer. When Torment comes out it will be a few weeks before the first anniversary of her death. A lot of good things have happened to me since she passed and I know she has been keeping an eye on me. I dedicated Torment to her.

• How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

I’d have to say yes. I grew up in a Catholic household and given my first short story was about a priest and a vampire and Torment is about exorcisms and demons and a deacon’s daughter… well need I say more?

• What genre are you most comfortable writing?

Horror and dark fantasy obviously.

• Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it?

Sometimes. Usually I put the story down and draw or find something else to do.

• What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

Story is the key with any story…and in a horror story? Building that sense of dread.

• What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

Oxford English Dictionary. The Elements of Style by E B White. For Horror – Barker, King, Laymon, Piccirilli, Ramsey Campbell, Lindqvuist, Richard Matheson any and all horror authors.

• What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

I reckon most of my ideas are waking dreams.

• What interests you about the horror genre?

Horror fiction is a genre unlike any other because it covers the whole gamut of human emotions, philosophy, faith and you can take your characters to the edge of insanity and choose to push them off or pull them back.

• What draws people to horror novels? Why do we, as readers, like to be scared?

It’s a primal instinct I think. It reminds you you’re alive and no other emotion can fully affect you – body and mind – like horror and terror can.

• Why should fans of horror movies read horror books?

Because the majority of the time the books are so much better than the film and also the imagery in the film takes away a reader’s ability to imagine.

• The perception of the horror writer is that he/she is just a little bit weirder than most. Do you find yourself — and other horror writers — to be more idiosyncratic than the average person?

People do look at me funny when I say I write horror and I’m sure they wonder what I do at night. I just try and explain that I just like to tell stories and share the fear around. It’s just a story people. It’s a natural emotion to feel scared.

• Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Torment is a supernatural horror tale. It’s about a young woman trying to find the truth about her mother’s death during an apparent exorcism. It also jumps back to her childhood throughout. Fundamentally it’s about love and dying and good and evil.

• How did you come up with the title for your book?

Torment just made sense because it’s about this woman’s lifelong torment. The torment of losing her mother, of not knowing the truth, of believing her father – a man of God – may be responsible.

• Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I hope the message is clear. I’ll leave that up to the reader.

• Are there parts of the book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

No.

• If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

The story was different to start with as it had been incorporated into another work. The form it’s in now is where it needs to be.

• What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Going back and reinventing it…making it a story on its own.

• Is there anything additional you would like to share with your readers?

I just hope they enjoy the story and feel something from it. I hope they think it’s good enough to read my work again in the future.

• Where can we find you online?

www.wix.com/darkscribe/gregchapman

www.wix.com/darkscribe/gregchapman_dark-artisan

www.darkscrybe.blogspot.com

You can find Torment in these places:

http://damnationbooks.com/book.php?isbn=9781615723416 

or 

http://www.amazon.com/Torment-ebook/dp/B004PYDI3I/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

Greg, thank you so much for visiting us. We hope to see you again, and good luck with Torment.

About Greg Chapman:

Greg Chapman is an emerging author of dark fiction and freelance horror artist. Torment is his first novella length work, but he has also had short stories published in The Absent Willow Review. His horror comic art has appeared in Midnight Echo Magazine and he recently signed a contract with McFarland Publishers to illustrate a non-fiction graphic novel written by Horror Writers Association president Rocky Wood and Bram Stoker award-winning author Lisa Morton.

Author Interview - James Dorr

Today, I'm interviewing fellow Damnation Books author, James Dorr. He was kind enough to accept my invitation to visit with us today.

• First a bit about yourself.  Did you always want to be a writer or when and why did you begin writing? 

When I was a kid I actually wanted to be a scientist, to learn new things about the world around me.  As it happens though, when I grew up I eventually became a technical writer, working for an academic computing center.  In the midst of this I had been a cartoonist and illustrator on my college humor magazine, occasionally writing articles too, and in graduate school I started to write a science/humor column for a weekly "unofficial" newspaper, moving from there to editing another paper, this time a literary and arts weekly.  And so it grew.

• Was it then that you first began to consider yourself a writer?

 Yes and no.  The arts paper spun off into the technical writing gig, my first post-college "real" job, which included editing a monthly house magazine.  Nevertheless I tended to see myself more as an editor (the job also entailed, for instance, putting together manuals and other instructional material) who also wrote when the task required it, rather than a writer per se.  One who cajoled others into writing, then whipped the results into proper English.  After that I worked briefly for a start-up computer software company (which immediately fell prey to "bad" economic times), then freelanced a little (business and consumer topics, including real estate -- good for world building?) and realized at that point that what I was doing was really writing.  Also I was able to use a more flexible schedule to work on writing fiction and poetry, something I'd always wanted to do but that had eluded me, and then, with another turn of the economy, get a regular non-writing job on a part time basis, drop the nonfiction, and concentrate on -- and start to sell -- my more imaginative creative output. 

• What books or writers have influenced you -- and do you have a particular writing "style"? 

Going back to childhood I was an avid reader of science fiction, yet one book that influenced me perhaps even more was the Modern Library Giant edition of The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.  Add to that the works of Ray Bradbury who perhaps contributed to, when I choose to use it, a relatively lush writing style.  Then, more broadly, add The Complete Greek Tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides which represent the first, and still among the best, literary horror, and, unique to my taste perhaps, various works of Bertolt Brecht which attempt to tie in the epic universality of the ancient works to modern real-world societal horror.  

Stylistically, I attempt to vary my writing according to the needs of the story (or poem) I'm working on, something historically set, for instance -- or something in a completely made up world -- tempting me to a more descriptive, "poetic" style as opposed to a sparer approach I might take to contemporary mystery or horror.  Also, perhaps the influence of Brecht, I'm willing to "distance" readers in some stories, casting them as fables or fairy tales "once upon a time," while in others I may prefer a more immediate, intimate voice, perhaps told in first person. 

• What book or books are you reading now?

 As it happens, I've returned to Ray Bradbury at the moment with a fairly recent collection, A Pleasure to Burn, which puts together his stories on censorship and societal bounds on imagination as a sort of sourcebook for Fahrenheit 451.  However, like many writers, I read much more nonfiction than fiction, sometimes for immediate research purposes, sometimes just to broaden my knowledge, and right now I'm going through a book by Tom Jokinen called Curtains about training to become an undertaker.  Then finally I've been dipping into a just received copy of Illuminated Poems by Allen Ginsberg.

• Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

This one's easy:  generating ideas.  Or more properly speaking, ideas that can be translated into a story or a poem.  Sometimes it does take more than one idea to come together and, possibly through the tension between them, suggest what may become a story, or sometimes a single idea will do, but put into a context, perhaps that of a themed anthology or just something that happened during the day.  Once that's done, though, the real work begins, that of actually writing it.

• Along those lines, do you have a particular work schedule when you're writing? 

Some writers do, and more power to them.  In my case I've never been able to set aside say one or two hours a day and say "that's my writing time."  I'm a slow starter, I procrastinate, and I need to feel I have an open-ended time of at least four hours (preferably more) so that I can get properly started and continue on, if I wish, until I'm exhausted.  That's one reason, I think, that I started to get into fiction seriously when I was freelancing -- nonfiction is another matter, that I can schedule -- in that I could take all night on something if I wanted.  When I had regular work hours again though, I made a point of doing most of my first drafts on weekends, then using more limited weekday time for rewriting as well as the business-side tasks like submitting work and record keeping.   

• What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I enjoy playing music.  I lead and play tenor in a Renaissance recorder consort that performs at local Society for Creative Anachronism functions, and perhaps for me that's a way to be creative but by working with something that someone else wrote.  I also listen to music -- I like jazz, and sometimes I've used jazz themes in my writing -- and watch movies on DVD or VHS (I'm building a collection of obscure classic horror), again to enjoy somebody else's imaginative work.  And for unwinding from my own work sessions I like to take walks, both for the fresh air and to get reacquainted a little with nature. 

• Are there any current projects you'd like to tell us about? 

Yes, I'm expecting to have a full-size poetry book, Vamps (A Retrospective), out later this year from Sam's Dot Publishing.  It will be illustrated by Marge Simon and will, as the title suggests, consist of mostly vampire and vampire-related poetry and art, to be published in early April 2011 if all stays on schedule.  Also, but farther in the future, I've been negotiating with a publisher for a novel composed of stand-alone components -- somewhat like Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles or Christopher Barzak's The Love We Share Without Knowing -- that add up to a larger story set in the "Tombs," a vast necropolis and its environs on a far-future, dying Earth.  As a sort of preview, several Tombs stories have already appeared independently in various places, including one in my collection Strange Mistresses and three in Darker Loves (the latter of which right now, however, won’t be in the novel but may become part of a follow-up volume).

For more details on these and other projects as they come up, as well as occasional "lagniappes" -- free sample stories and poems just for the enjoyment -- readers are invited to check out my doings at http://jamesdorrwriter.wordpress.com 

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. 

James, thank you for stopping by and for answering my questions. Good luck with your books.

AUTHOR BIO FOR JAMES DORR

James Dorr is a short story writer and poet working primarily in dark fantasy and horror with occasional forays into mystery and science fiction.  He has two collections, Strange Mistresses:  Tales of Wonder and Romance and Darker Loves:  Tales of Mystery and Regret, from Dark Regions Press as well as a now out-of-print poetry chapbook, Towers of Darkness, originally in Nocturnal Publications' "Night Visions" series.  Dorr also has a novella, The Garden, available in electronic and print chapbook form from Damnation Books, along with three to four hundred appearances in magazines and anthologies in the US, Canada, Britain, France, Australia, and Brazil ranging from Aboriginal Science Fiction and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine to Xenophilia and The Yellow Bat Review.