Questions and Answers
What are you currently working on?
I'm wrapping up some editing on my first sold novel, SHARA, which is about a shy young woman who lets a college professor turn her into a werewolf in the belief it'll give her self-confidence. This is something I started working on 10 years ago. During that time, it's been edited by mystery writer Carolyn Wheat, romance author Sara Orwig, critiqued by friends and family and finally gone over by the editors at 3F Publications.
My new project is called AMARA'S PRAYER and is about goddesses, angels, sex, depravity and the search for faith. It's a twisted love story and also my graduate thesis.
Are you a member of any writing groups?
I am an active member of the Horror Writers Association. Ordinarily, I'm also a member of the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. but things were hectic this year and I didn't renew in time.
Who or what has been a major influence on your writing and why?
Gene Simmons of KISS has been a huge inspiration – the whole group, really, but especially Gene. I started listening to KISS when I was about 11, when they were at the height of their popularity in the mid-1970s. I learned a lot about having fun listening to their music, but they also have the songs about believing in yourself. If Gene can stand up there and vomit blood and fire and have chicks throw panties at him, surely I can achieve whatever paltry goals I have in life.
Stephen King was a big influence because of his ability to create characters. Charles L. Grant showed me how to write about things similar to what King had done but make them my own. That sounds confusing, but if you look at King's CHRISTINE and Grant's THE PET I think you'll see what I mean. Anne Rice is the master of poetic prose.
Who (Fact or Fiction) would you most like to meet, and what would you ask them?
Probably Jesus Christ. I'd ask him what he was up to during those years for which we have no record.
Is there a book or story you wish you had written?
The first one to come to mind is THE EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty. And then Charles Dickens' DAVID COPPERFIELD or Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. That could be a very long list.
Is writing your full time occupation, if not what is?
Yes, it is, but not fiction writing. I'm a mild mannered reporter by day and a summoner of horror by night.
As a reader do you prefer Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror?
My first love was for high fantasy and sword-and-sorcery fiction – Bilbo Baggins and Conan the Barbarian – but these days I mostly read horror when I can read for pleasure.
What was your first professional sale? How did it feel when you received the acceptance?
My first pro sale, according to HWA standards, was a little piece called 'Warren Pepper's Victory Choir.' It sold to the dirty online magazine 1000 Delights in 2000. My first sale where I got a real check was 'A Drink From the Springs' to Terminal Fright magazine in 1993. On both counts, it was a very, very satisfying feeling to know that somebody liked what I'd written enough to turn loose of money to have it in their publication.
Who is you favourite author?
Living or dead? Dead would go to Charles Dickens. Living would go to Anne Rice if she has her act together. I love her florid prose and rich descriptions, but sometimes she seems to love the language more than the tale and that gets tedious.
If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be?
Put your butt in the chair and write until you fall out of it. There's no other way to learn how to do it.
When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author?
That would have been 1985; I was 19 at the time and had just discovered Stephen King.
When did you first feel that you were an author?
I think it was when I finished the manuscript of my first novel, THE PROMETHEUS SYNDROME (unpublished) in 1988. Short stories and poems were like practice, but proving I had the commitment to finish an entire novel showed I was serious.
Are you for or against e-books?
Personally, I cannot imagine sitting in front of a computer screen to read a book. But, if somebody wants to stare at a glowing monitor and read one of my books, I'm all for it.
Are you a music fan? If so, what?
Obviously, KISS has been a major influence. So has Meat Loaf. Otherwise, the harder metal from the 1980s … Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Wasp etc. It always pissed me off when MTV would put Bon Jovi on Headbanger's Ball. Hey, that could have been AC/DC on there!
Do you have a favourite place to write?
My family just recently moved, so I'm still searching for the right place. Now that I have four kids, I have to hide with the laptop and do it wherever and whenever I can. I do prefer sitting at a desk in a closed room.
Do you enjoy book signings/conventions?
I enjoy signings if people turn out for them. I haven't been to a horror convention yet, but in general I don't enjoy conventions as much because I'm a closet introvert, something I have to overcome as a reporter, but something I know works against me at cons. I'd rather watch a group of strangers and take mental notes on how they behave than to force myself into the group.
Why do you like SF/F/H?
People who read speculative fiction are more likely to come with an open mind about the ideas presented there. I've always had a fascination with the supernatural, too. In the kind of books Oprah pushes, the supernatural would be out of place, but when you pick up a horror novel, you know you might encounter ghosts, vampires or some other fictional "monster" that really is a reflection of some element of our psyche or society being dealt with in an allegorical sense.
What is the scariest story you have read?
THE SHINING by Stephen King is the only reading experience where I can remember being creeped out. When Danny went into Room 217 ... well, I kept the bathroom door open until I had the shower curtain pulled back for a while after that one.
What gives you nightmares?
The scariest thing to me now is the thought of some harm coming to my kids. Show me the ground opening and Satan rising in flames, but do not tell me there's a pervert anywhere around my kids.
Interestingly, though, if I watch George A. Romero's zombie movies enough, they'll often give me some very bizarre dreams that have been rather frightening.
Have you ever used real life horrors for inspiration?
Absolutely. If it doesn't scare me, I'd be an idiot to think it'd scare somebody else.
Given the high quality of horror fiction available, why do you think there are so few great horror movies?
For the same reason a movie is never as good as the book it was made from. In most movies, you have to cram the emotions, atmosphere, plot, character development and everything else into about 90 minutes. In a book, you have 400 pages in which to do that. Plus, too often in horror movies the director is looking for the quick, cheap thrill. Have the girl show her boobies, then hack her to death. Big deal.
There are some new directors out there making decent movies, but they're often constrained by tight budgets. I think it'll help when more directors and screenwriters realize horror – real horror – doesn't usually happen to pretty teenagers. Of course, back in the days when I actually saw movies in the theater, I didn't want to see old farts on the screen.
Is there anything more that can be done with vampires, demons and zombies?
There's a reason these archetypical monsters have been with us since we lived in caves. They aren't going away, but there certainly has been a lot of overkill, particularly in the vampire subgenre. I think every author brings something unique to his or her story, even if they are using one of the archetype monsters, simply because every author has a different story to tell. But an author going that route needs to really think about what he or she is doing and realize the story will be harder to sell.
Short story, single novel or novel series - which do you think is the best medium for horror?
I think the novel is best. I generally don't feel a deep enough emotional commitment to the characters of a short story to feel real horror for what's happening to them. A series is nice, but you can't really sustain a feeling of dread for three, four or twenty books – it just gets too broken up. I mean, are you going to carry around a feeling of horror for a year after reading Book 1 before Book 2 comes out?
What book are you reading at the moment?
Well, I'm reading an assigned book for my graduate degree. It's called Art History's History and I couldn't say offhand who it's by. It's not a bad book, just not something I ever would have picked up on my own. The last book I read by choice was Diana Barron's PHANTOM FEAST.
Do you enjoy collaborating?
The fact I've never done it probably answers that in the negative. I'm a control freak when it comes to my fiction. I've talked about collaborating with a friend in New Mexico who has a very unique vampire character. We've come up with a situation where her character would meet my werewolves, but we haven't put anything together yet.
Do You Always know a Story's Ending When You Begin Writing?
I usually have an ending in mind, though it's not always the one I end up with. In a novel, I generally have certain mile markers I know I'll hit in the course of the story, but the details of how the character will get there are vague. It's better that way, I think. If I outline too much I lose interest in the story because I've already told it.
What's the most memorable thing said in a review of your work?
Alex Severin, who I think is one of the most twisted writers out there today, wrote that my story 'Chip' made her screw up her face.
Have you won any awards for your writing?
Hahahaha This'll be fun. I have several awards for journalism. In 2000 my story 'Reunion' was voted Best Fiction published by Short, Scary Tales online magazine and another of my short stories, 'Bridges' got an honorable mention award for mainstream short-short in the Oklahoma Writers Federation annual contest in 2001. But, in 2001 and 2002, I got third place in the historical romance category of the OWFI contest. Oklahoma is home to A LOT of romance writers, so for me to place in that category two years running was a shock.
My wife likes to read romances, so I wrote one for her. Then I wrote enough of another to enter the contest the next year. The second one, at least, is about my werewolf characters.
Is there something you are particularly proud of?
At the age of 19 I married the girl I'd been dating for five years. Now, 18 years later, we're still together and have four kids. Career-wise, I'm most proud of my novel SHARA. It's the seventh I've completed and by far the best.
Plug away - what do you have coming out?
The big one is SHARA, coming July 2003 from 3F Publications. So far, the people who have read it have been very positive about it. It'll be 3F's first novel publication, so I hope it does well not only for me but for Nic and Liz, the owners. It can be pre-ordered at Shocklines online bookstore.
My short story collection, DARKSCAPES, still is available. It has 34 stories in it, many published there for the first time. It was recommended for an HWA Stoker Award last year. It was published by Publish America and is available at Amazon, B&N and all those places, as well as Shocklines.
'When the Lady of Byblos Calls' is a short story I have in ATROCITAS AQUA from Double Dragon Publishing. I think it's one of the better short stories I've written. The anthology is about horrors that involve water. My story is about the water that makes up a large percentage of the human body. You can get it at all the online places, too.
My fat lady story, 'Lulu' will be out later this year in Lone Wolf Publishing's two-CD CARNIVAL/CIRCUS anthology edited by Jean Rabe. Anybody who wants to hear a real authentic Okie drawl can pick up a copy and suffer about 30 seconds of me talking about why I wrote the story. It can be pre-ordered through the publisher at http://www.lonewolfpubs.com/.
Many Thanks, Steve
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