Questions and Answers "My name is Steven Philip Jones. (No, I'm NOT that Stephen Jones.) My only novel released to date is a mystery-adventure, KING OF HARLEM, but in 1991 I edited and wrote the introduction to a trade paperback release of H.P. Lovecraft's Herbert West stories under the title HERBERT WEST: TALES OF THE REANIMATOR. I have also written several comic book adaptations of Lovecraft stories as well as the novel DRACULA and novella CARMILLA. So, I guess you could say I am predominantly a horror writer." What are you currently working on? I have been busiest promoting KING OF HARLEM, my first novel, but when I find time I am searching for an agent to represent my next novel, MUTIES, which is an action-adventure novel with comic book overtones written for the Young Adult market. I also am editing the manuscript to THE SCEPTRE: THE FRIGID CASTLE, the first in what I hope will be a four-novel fantasy series. If everything works out this story will appear in the second installment of the POD fantasy anthology ENCHANTED REALMS next year. Are you a member of any writing groups? No. Who or what has been a major influence in your writing and why? The biggest influence has been the classic Universal horror films. I love the Hammer horror cycle, too, but the Universal stuff is #1 with me and has been since I can remember. It is probably because of this influence that my writing tends to possess a good old-fashioned optimism. Well, not so old-fashioned since the September 11th attacks on America! The fact is I prefer atmosphere, light and shadows, and suggestions to gore. I am not turned off by a story or movie just because it may contain gore, but I am when the gore is gratuitous. I loved John Carpenter's THE THING and ALIEN, both of which are good horror films. Really good horror films. But I have no interest in the gore for its own sake stuff like Chucky or Jason. I enjoy being scared, but not nauseated. Who (Fact or Fiction) would you most like to meet, and what would you ask them? Father Abraham. "Hey, this whole burning of Isaac thing! Just how old was your son at the time, anyway?" Is there a book or story you wished you had written? Not really. I could mention a title, but I could never have written them as well as the original author did. Is writing your full-time occupation, if not what is? I split my time between writing and working the family business. And, no, I am not going to reveal what the family business is. It has nothing to do with organized crime. It is just embarrassing. As a reader do you prefer Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? Horror. My favorite genre to read is adventure, but everything I write always seems to have at least a tinge of horror in it. In that regard I am a little like my favorite writer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What was your first professional sale? How did it feel when you received the acceptance? I sold a comic book series called STREET HEROES to Malibu Graphics in 1987. It felt great. I got the phone call while I was in my dorm room at the University of Iowa. It was right before lunch, and I ran down to the cafeteria to meet a friend, and I was so excited I hugged him right in front of everyone waiting in line to get their jello. He was going to deck me until I explained. Who is your favorite author? Hey, didn't I answer that? That would be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Like me he was primarily an adventure writer who also enjoyed writing horror, science fiction, contemporary, even non-fiction. I, however, can only pray that I will someday write a story that is half as good as THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES or as perceptive as DANGER!. If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be? Copy. Do not be afraid to copy. Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote something like this about copying: "I don't like it, but, damn it, it's the only way!" I am not suggesting you plagiarize; I am suggesting that beginning writers should not be afraid to emulate another writer's style. Okay, most English teachers and creative writing teachers preach against copying, but don't listen to them. Listen to me. Copying is the natural way to learn anything, and that includes writing. Look, odds are, if you admire any writer enough to want to copy them, then your own latent style will probably end up resembling that writer's style rather you copy or not. Let me give you an example. H.P. Lovecraft, one of the most influential American writers of the past century along with Dashiell Hammett and Ernest Hemingway, is famous for having been influenced by the British fantasist Lord Dunsany. Some of Lovecraft's stories are even categorized as "Dunsany stories" because Dunsany's influence is so strong. The funny thing is, though, that the first of these stories, "Polaris", was written in 1918, and it is a documented fact that Lovecraft refused to read anything written by Dunsany prior to 1919. It turns out that Lovecraft's own style was very similar to Dunsany's style to begin with. I had much the same experience with Dashiell Hammett. I never read Hammett until I was 32, by which time my own style was developed. But my style was so similar to Hammett, and Hammett is a much better a writer than I will ever be, so I was able to learn a lot by reading his stories even so late in life. If you are a beginning writer, who better to learn writing from than someone who writes in a style like yours? Clive Cussler recounts this incident about Thomas Wolfe, who took my point to an extreme. Wolfe spent time during a tour as a merchant marine actually copying James Joyce's ULYSSES. When Wolfe had finished, he carried the manuscript outside and dumped it in the ocean. His shipmates asked Wolfe why he did that, and Wolfe told them, "Because now I know how to write a book." Like I said, this was extreme, but, hey, if it works for you, try it. When did you first decide you wanted to be an author? When I was nine years old. I can even remember the exact moment. But I must have wanted to be a writer even before that. Actually this is kind of neat. When I was applying to college back in 1985, my mother dug out a file where she had kept my birth certificates, report cards, and other important papers. She figured it was time I had it. I went through the file and found my Kindergarten report card, and read where my teacher wrote, "Steven loves to tell stories to the other children." So I guess it's a latent thing, know what I mean? When did you first feel that you were an author? Since I was nine years old. My entire self-identity from that age on has been as a writer. Are you for or against e-books? For. The more books, the better. The story is the important thing. Sometimes we have to remember it is as important not to kill the message with the messenger. Are you a music fan? If so, what? Yes. I'm not very good. The only instrument I ever was able to play was the clarinet, and I haven't picked one up in years. Tried learning the guitar and drums, but I just don't have the talent. I love listening to music, and I'm not picky. When I'm writing I prefer to listen to instrumental: soundtracks, classical, Mannheim Steamroller, Gordon Giltrap, easy listening, Vangelis, swing and big band, stuff like that. I can listen to some singers if I am very familiar with a particular album. People like Neil Diamond and Alan Jackson. I love to listen to music in the car when I am driving. Jimmy Buffet is a favorite, he is such a good wordsmith, as is Billy Joel. I am leaving out a whole bunch of folks, but listing what all I like would take forever. I'm sort of eclectic in a commercial sort of way. I can listen to John Barry one moment, than listen to KISS the next. That maybe weird, but you cannot deny that they are both great in their own way. Do you have a favorite place to write? At home in my den. With the proper mood music playing, of course. Unless Rush Limbaugh is on. I've got to listen to Rush. Do you enjoy book signings/conventions? I have never attended a book signing, so I don't know. I have attended comic book conventions, both as a guest and a customer, and enjoy them quite a bit. I really enjoy meeting people who have read my stories and listening to their compliments and complaints. When it comes to comic books the best compliments come from kids. My friend, Phil Hester, calls it "the cool factor," as in, "Man, your comic is soooo cool!" It doesn't get any better than that, because I've been where that kid is and know exactly what he means. Maybe some day I'll be asked to sign books somewhere, and, if so, I hope I will enjoy the experience as much as I have enjoyed attending comics conventions. Why do you like SF/F/H? I've never worried about that. I suppose because I love it when something impossible happens. I know, more often than not, if I write something when the impossible does not occur, I consider the effort a waste of time. I do not feel the same way about what I read. Not at all. What is the scariest story you have read? You know, I'm not sure. I remember feeling kind of nervous after reading SALEM'S LOT. And "Colour Out of Space" creeped me out. At the same time, "Call of Cthulhu" contains an immense kick when Cthulhu comes charging out of his lair. Those three come immediately in mind. I can tell you the scariest story I have ever seen. That was the first episode of the NIGHT GALLERY pilot trilogy. The one where Roddy McDowell returns from the dead to get Ozzie Davis, and Davis can watch McDowell getting closer and closer through a painting on the way of the foyer he is cowering in. Real EC stuff. Scared me to this day when I watch it. What gives you nightmares? Zombies. I get awful zombie nightmares. It has been awhile, but I have woke up screaming from a couple of them. But does this prevent me from watching DAWN OF THE DEAD or RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD? Nooooooooooo! Oh well…dopey me. Have you ever used real life horrors for inspirations? Yes. Given the high quality of horror fiction available, why do you think there are so few great horror movies? "Few"? There are dozens of great horror movies, beginning in the silent era and continuing on through today. THE SIXTH SENSE is a very recent example. I haven't seen THE OTHERS yet, but, from what I've heard, it is a great horror film. Ditto THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Some would argue this, but I think that THE MUMMY remake is a great horror film, in a B-movie way. But B-movies can be great! Look at THE THIN MAN, for crying out loud! THE MUMMY is certainly funny, but it has some real scary moments. You know it is not easy to make a great movie, period. That is one problem. And then, when a film is great, people will argue what genre it is. Some folks still debate rather ALIEN was a horror film or a science fiction film. Well, dude, if it scared you, and scared you, and scared you again, it is a horror film. I don't care if the characters are totting ray guns, six-shooters, or swords and shields. JAWS is a great horror film. So is THE EXORCIST. So is HALLOWEEN, and THE FOG, and THE THING (both versions). SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES is a wonderful horror film. The classic Universal films are great. Many of the Hammer films were great. WHITE ZOMBIE was great. The 1922 NOSFERATU was great, as was VAMPYRE, and those are almost 100 years old! To try and narrow this down, the biggest problem with making a great horror film is getting the creators to take the damn thing seriously! Look at GHOST STORY. That is a wonderful book. Wonderful. I never thought I would ever read anything better than SALEM'S LOT, and a year or two later Peter Straub proved me wrong. Stephen King even champions GHOST STORY in DANSE MACABRE. So what happens? Hollywood comes along and wants to make a movie. The cast is perfect, except Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Melvyn Douglas were given the wrong roles. Dick Smith even executed the make-up and some special effects. It should have been a classic chiller, but then I read an interview with the producer, who explains that it was his duty to take a silly horror story and make it intelligent and palatable to viewers with common sense. In other words, this little weasel was afraid ticket-buyers might laugh at him if he made an unabashed horror film. The idiot. That attitude just burns me up. The same approach was taken with CHRISTINE. I don't blame Carpenter. Not much, anyway. I read an interview with that film's producer, too, and he came right out and said something like, "Our movie will not contain any scenes like the ones in the book where you see the ghosts of Christine's victims riding around in the back seat. People laugh at that stuff." Of course they laugh! They're laughing at the idea of a sentient car with the soul of the devil in it! So what? Thank God for people like George Romero, who understands that a scream sounds an awful lot like a laugh, and people often do both at the same time. Is there anything more that can be done with vampires, demons and zombies? Certainly! Hey, every good writer has a distinctive voice and perspective. When a good writer trains those two things on vampires, demons and zombies, he will create stories that may be similar in structure and content as other stories, but will be new and fresh in how those elements are presented to you. Plus humanity is always evolving, and our monsters evolve with us. Our monsters are also influenced by their locale. Count Dracula may be an arch type, but he is very much a product of the Victorian age, just as the Frankenstein Monster is a product of early 19th-century Europe. I remember reading that Dashiell Hammett once considered writing a version of the Frankenstein story entitled ABBA. Do you think ABBA, written in 1920s America by one of the great noir writers, would have been anything like Mary Shelly's novel? Just look at the variety of vampire lore from around the world. Look at how different cultures interpret the Frankenstein Monster. Do you think Hollywood would have ever made a film like FRANKENSTINE CONQUERS THE WORLD? No, but, despite how silly the film is, I'm glad Japan did. Vampires, demons and zombies were around before our generation arrived, and they will be here long after we are gone. Who knows? Maybe we'll even join their legion? (Hee-hee-hee.) Short story, single novel or novel series - which do you think is the best medium for horror? All of the above. It just depends on the story. DRACULA and SALEM'S LOT are great single novels. "Colour Out of Space" was a smashing short story. The Cthulhu Mythos worked wonderful over a series of stories, some written by different authors. It really just depends on the story. What books are you reading right now? Right now I am on BASIC ECONOMICS by Thomas Sowell. Wonderful book. I started THE BEAR AND THE DRAGON by Tom Clancy and need to get back to it, but I always read his books in spurts over several months. And I need to get my tail in gear and read VALHALLA RISING by Clive Cussler. Do you enjoy collaborating? What do you think comic book writing is? I love to collaborate. It can be a wonderful experience. It can be the pits if the other guy is a jerk, but I haven't had that problem too often. I haven't had the chance to collaborate on any prose work, but I hope to some day. I think it will be a blast. Unless, of course, the other guy is a jerk. Do you always know a story's ending when you begin writing? I wish. Very rarely, I'm afraid. That is one thing Stephen King and I have in common. But, hey, it works for me, though I would never recommend taking this route if you are a beginning writer. What's the most memorable thing said in a review of your work? "A tightly woven enigma around real and interesting characters, KING OF HARLEM makes for a gripping read. Jones is a bright new light in the mystery genre." That in itself is okay. The fact Clive Cussler wrote is out of sight! Have you won any awards for your writing? No. I was accepted into the University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop because of my writing. Does that count? I know that means the world to me. Is there something you are particular proud of? My wife and daughter. Plug away - what do you have coming out? Nothing definite. I am trying to find an agent to represent my new Young Adult novel, MUTIES. It is tough, since it a cross between a techno-thriller and a superhero comic book. I am submitting the first installment of a four-novel fantasy series called THE SCEPTRE to the POD anthology ENCHANTED REALMS. If that is accepted it will be available in 2002. I recently finished a prequel novella to KING OF HARLEM called "The Curse of Wrigley Field", which can be read for free on my website (www.stevenpjones.com). Besides that I am creating content for Caliber Entertainment (www.calibercomics.com). Many Thanks, Steve! Relevant Links Steven Philip Jones Main Bibliography Steven Philip Jones's Web Site