Skinny Man's Lair

ABSURD interview: David T. Wilbanks

2012-02-29T15:11:00.001-08:00

Davidhas been on the scene for a while now, receiving high praise for his Dead Earthseries, which he co wrote with author Mark Justice. David also has a slew ofshorts out there, as well as a great fantasy/horror novella, The Outsider Trio,in the MalContents collection from Grand Mal Press. I was able to kidnap him and force him to answer these questions, so here we go:

RCT: Whatinterests you the most about post apocalyptic tales?

DTW: I think the post-apocalypse is a nice setting for action stories. There arelots of interesting things you can throw at your protagonist in a hostile,unfamiliar environment.

RCT: If your left armturned into a pizza, would you eat it or not? Why?

DTW: Iwould be too freaked out to eat it I think. Even though I do love my pizza.

RCT: Your tale in Malcontents, The Outsider Trio, has great elements of fantasyin it. Is this a genre you’d like to explore more?

DTW: Definitely.In fact, I have a sword and sorcery eBook coming out any time now. It’s calledHELLFIGHTER.

RCT: If you could talk to bugs, what would you ask them?

DTW: Iwould ask them to assist me in taking over the world.

RCT: You’ve co-written a lot of books with fellow author Mark Justice. What’s itlike writing with another person? Is there a strategy you employ?

DTW: Itcan be a lot of fun. And it’s a challenge, following someone else’s pages. That’swhat we do, by the way: write several pages and then pass it back to the otherguy. This is after plotting out a ways ahead as we go along.

RCT: I see you’re quite the heavy metal music fan. Do you use music to aid inyour writing?

DTW: Musicdistracts me from writing, so I don’t listen while I’m weaving tales. However,I did write a novelette titled “Judas Priest” which can be found in LivingAfter Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories edited by Craig Clarke and myself.

RCT: The number 8 tipped on its side is the symbol for infinity. What the hell isthat all about!?

DTW: These questions I leave for greater minds.

RCT: Dead Earth is a pretty out-there series of novels. Where do you get yourideas from?

DTW: Allthe stuff I read as a younger person, all the things I’ve experienced andstudied, they sort of stick together somehow and roll out into stories. Iguess.

RCT: Will you help me hide this body?

DTW: No. Nor will I helpyou hide that salami.

RCT: What’s next fromyou? What can we expect in the next year or so?

DTW: The fantasy eBook I mentioned before and a brand new DeadEarth novel. Other than that, I’m wide open for now, taking a breather.

Thanks, David! You can visit David's blog here: http://ablogofmars.blogspot.com/ And be sure to look for HELLFIGHTER soon!

ABSURD interview: Iain Rob Wright

2012-02-13T16:17:00.001-08:00

Iain blasted onto the scene recently with one of the coolest little mystery/horror novels I've read in years, THE FINAL WINTER. An apocalyptic tale about strangers trapped in a pub during a blizzard only to find out that no one is who they seem. One's a murderer, one's a rapist, and one is wanted by the evil cloaked figures stalking around outside in the snow with large demon dogs. His second novel, ANIMAL KINGDOM pits the world's animals against humans in a battle royale, but in true Wright form, we find out that not everyone is who they claim to be. It blew my mind and I knew I had to get inside Wright's head to find out what makes him come up with such fantastic stories.

RCT: You have a great knack forleaving every chapter ending on a cliffhanger of some sort. How’d you developthat technique?

IRW: I guess it’s comesfrom my love of serial dramas on TV like Lost, Prison Break, The Event,Daybreak, Flashforward, Angel, Jericho, and other great cliff-hangershows. I love the suspense of a big reveal every episode that would giveyou a little piece of the larger story. I wanted to try and replicatethat enjoyment on the page through my novels. Hopefully I succeeded.

RCT. Choose a deodorant to wearand explain why: Cat Fart Bliss or Dog Breath Inspiration

IRW: Dog Breath Inspiration. With two dogs, I am already usedto this smell and in fact have come to quite enjoy it.

RCT: You’re novel The Final Winter isundoubtedly British. I loved it, and in part because us Yanks have a smallfascination with your culture--the pubs, the slang, the castles, etc. Isthere a difference between American and British Horror? And if so, do you use itto your advantage?

IWR: I think American horror is more diverse (much like the vastcountry itself), whereas English horror is very claustrophobic anddistinct. While American horror novels can be set on the beach,mountains, desert, forest, sea, and many other places, English horror novelshave the luxury of drawing on a very long, varied history stretching backcenturies and centuries. I think it is that, spooky castles, ancientevils, and secret societies that makes British horror great for mystery and suspense. I think Americans probably like it because our culture is very similar toyours, yet different enough to interest.

RCT: Your trapped on a desert islandwith a talking pancake, a dragon that likes to have sex with cars, and adancing mouse. Which do you take with you on the rescue ship?

IRW: Dancing mouse. I am a friend of the rodents.

RCT: What was the impetus for havingall the world’s animals attack in your novel, Animal Kingdom? What would you doif your own pets turned evil?

IRW: I guess I wanted to destroy the world in a way that hasn’t beendone before. I was a bit tired of zombies, to be honest. I think myown pets already are evil. The other day they ate my wall! Theyactually decided to just goddamn eat the wall of my house and now I have a bighole in my hallway.

RCT: Complete this sentence: Ihad to get butter on the toast, Officer, otherwise the pelican wouldhave_____________

IRW: …arrested Julia Roberts

RCT: Who do you read for inspiration?

IRW: I grew up with Stephen King and James Herbert, then moved on toRichard Laymon, before becoming addicted to the works of Brian Keene, ScottSigler, J F Gonzalez, Jeff Strand, and pretty much anything Permuted Pressrelease. Lately I have been reading a lot of Dean Koontz.

RCT: What’s your approach to dialogue?

IRW: I struggle to be honest. I have been accused of using toomany Americanisms in my work, and this would likely be because all my favouriteauthors and my favourite films are typically American. I tried to rectifythis with my latest release ASBO which is very British. When I am writingdialogue, I just try to be realistic, while being colourful enough to makecharacters stand out – it’s a balancing act.

RCT: Bee Man is angry and wielding akatana at your front door. You can calm him down by offering him a gift, somethingfrom the room you’re standing in. It must be green and have holes in it. Quick,what do you give him!?

IRW: I give him a blue lampshade with sequins. He was justtesting me…

RCT: You’ve now got The Final Winter,Animal Kingdom, and ASBO out as novels. What are you working on next? What canwe expect to see from you in the future?

IRW: Ihave book 1 of a novella series based on a short story I once wrote, ThePeeling of Samuel Lloyd Collins. That should be out very soon. ThenI will be working on my next two novels; one features a virus aboard a cruiseliner, and the other is about an exorcism with a breath taking twist. NOpublishers are currently onboard with either yet as I tend to sell my work uponcompletion, not before. Either way, they should both be out this year.

Thanks, Iain
Visit Iain's blog here: http://iainrobwright.blogspot.com/

ABSURD interview: CRAIG SAUNDERS

2012-01-23T16:44:00.001-08:00

Craig Saunders is a busy guy these days. His newest shorts collection, DEAD IN THE TRUNK, just hit on Amazon's kindle. His novel RAIN is getting great reviews, and his latest novel, SPIGGOT is a gut-busting romp about a British Detective trapped in the body of an axe murderer. It's got mystery, bloodshed, and lots of poop jokes and I can't recommend it enough. So without further ado....let's put Craig in the hot seat.

RCT: You write horror novels but your newestbook, Spiggot, is a comedy? What gives?!

CS: Haha! Because I'm a lunatic, certifiedand registered. I'm licensed, too, so I'm allowed out in public and everything.But really, Spiggot was written before the horror came. I was writing horrorright from the start, but fantasy and science fiction and humour, too. So, youask, quite rightly, what's my point? Well...I think horror and comedy are justnext door neighbours...like, once, I had a next door neighbour, and I laughedmy head off when they got run over by a tram. We don't even have trams in myhome town, so, you know, it was funny, because why was there a tram there? I'mnot sure there was.

Who can honestly say they've neverlaughed at someone getting their head lopped off by an errant axe? I can't. Iwon't. It wouldn't be fair. So, to round up...horror's funny, and humour'shorrible, and they're good bedfellows. Does that make sense? It shouldn't, soif it does, you're a nut. No, you are. No, you...OK, bye. What, there are morequestions?

RCT: A badger and a rhino are for hire. Thebadger has a sword, and the rhino has a spoon. Which do hire to escort youthrough the jungle, and why?

CS: Badgers, because badgers are wicked.Sound a bit like tadger, which in turn sounds a bit like todger, acolloquialism for a specific part of a male's anatomy. And a sword, too, goodphallic symbolism. So, you could put a condom on the badger and you'd beprotected. Whereas, Rhinos are herbivores and generally quite placid. Plus,rhinos look stupid with that daft horn. Plus, I can't spell rhino, and alsorhinos are highly susceptible to rhinoplasty.

RCT: The dialogue in Spiggot is very funny,how did you come up with it?

CS: People are always asking how I come upwith stuff. The short answer is that I just make it up. Writing's easy. It'sjust a long lie. I'm good at lying. For example, if you'd asked me if I've everdressed as a woman, but not for charity, I would say no. I think writing gooddialogue is as simple as cutting out the parts that no one wants to read.Elmore Leonard, I think, said something like that. But I suck at quoting peopleand that's a form of dialogue, though whether quotes should be double or singleis a part of writing good dialogue, and quoting people, so really, do I writegood dialogue? Well, we're talking now, and I've not made a jot of sense thewhole time. I agree. What was the question?

RCT: A train leaves London at 4:00pm carryingonly Henry Winkler, and picks up Daniel Radcliff at 4:30 in Chicago. By 5:00pm,when the train lands on the moon, it turns out Henry Winkler has turned into agarden gnome. How? Why? Explain.

CS: Because Daniel Radcliff is a witch.Witches can turn Henry Winkler into a gnome. It's one of the first spells theylearn. Henry Winkler isn't dead, then? I thought he was. Wasn't he the Fonz?Good man, Henry. He'd make a good gnome. I wanted to shoehorn 'there's no placelike gnome' into that answer, but I failed, but epically, so really, by thelaws of magic, that's a win.

RCT: As someone who writes all types ofgenres, please give us some insight into your influences. Who do you read forinspiration?

CS: I don't read anything for inspiration...Iread for pleasure, mainly. Sometimes I like to read in the bath and...what? Notthat kind of interview? REWIND STAT! OK, I don't read for inspiration, butthere are a ton of authors that have influence what could loosely be called mystyle. I'd include Iain M. Banks, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Lee Child,Stephen King, Robert E, Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Charlie Huston, George R.R.Martin...and a whole bunch of others. I like succinct, clever writers thatdon't use too many words, so please consider Banks, Howard and Lovecraftremoved from that list. Told you I lied.

RCT: Where do your story ideas come from?

CS: Please refer to Article 1.1 (B) of theGeneva Convention. No man shall be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment.So I shan't answer that question. But, in answer to your question...places.Yep, places. Not people, not other books, not short stories, or dialogue, butplaces inspire me, particularly in my horror. All my horror novels are set inNorfolk (where I live) in towns I visit, or even the town I live in. Is thatOK? Did I pass?

RCT: Bee Man has just broken into yourhouse...do you hit him with stale French bread, or offer him a fig leaf? Why?

CS: Because BEE MAN is really DavidDunwoody's alter ego, AKA 'The Dunwoody' and he's already eaten the fig leaf,I'd offer to break the bread with him and give him a cuddle, because I'm notinto violence. Then I'd laugh as he choked to death on a hunk of hard bread,because bees can't eat bread.

RCT: Your books often incorporate a mysteryof some sort. What draws you to mysteries?

CS: Hey, I never realised that...but that'strue. I'm always amazed that people pick up more of my meaning that I do. It'sreally not a conscious thing...I guess I just like to try and make things alittle interesting, and have some semblance of a plot...though to be honest,Spiggot's plot is something that only a lunatic, certified, could make up. Biggrin here. I'm trying to avoid emoticons, though I'm a little addicted to them.Hang on, was I actually supposed to be answering these questions? I like alittle mystery. I like to make the reader turn the page, to wonder what happensnext. For me, a good mystery achieves that just as much as character does...Ifigure if I've got violence, humour, character and story covered, there's noreason not to read the book. Big winking face here.

RCT: I haven’t made my bed in over a week.Should I bother?

CS: No, because, man law. First law of manlaw is you don't talk about man law.

RCT: What are you working on now and what doyou have coming out soon?

CS: My next project is a new horror novel,The Noose and Gibbet. I have the first draft down, and I'll probably do anothertwo drafts before it's ready to go. In between times, I'm learning the businessside of being a writer. It's not all about sitting and creating. There's otherstuff to do, too. I didn't realise that when I first set out to be a writer. Ido now, with four books, two on the loose, two more coming out (The Love of theDead, from Evil Jester Press, being the first).

Anyway, writing wise, after The Nooseand Gibbet, I'm not sure. I have a few projects to complete, and new ones tostart. I have two novels each in two separate trilogies completed, two sciencefiction novels complete which I need to submit, a short horror novel topublish...I'm always busy. I haven't run out of things to do just yet. Plus, Iplan on giving my wife a cuddle when I've finished answering your franklybrilliant questions. Oh, I have? Thanks Ryan, and readers. I enjoyed this *alot*. Hope you did, too. Look forward to working with you more...and cuddles.Damn again, did I say that out loud? Hmm, this could be awkward. Cheers!

Thanks, Craig

First ABSURD Interview: DAVID DUNWOODY

2012-01-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new interview series:

10 ABSURD/ NOT-SO-ABSURD QUESTIONS.

First up is seasoned author David Dunwoody. David dropped jaws with his first foray into the zombie apocalypse with his novel, EMPIRE. Since then he has written not just a sequel to Empire, but a host of other novellas and shorts, as well as two collections, DARK ENTITIES and UNBOUND & OTHER TALES. Dave lives in Utah and can be visited on the Web at http://daviddunwoody.com/

RCT: What draws you to the horror genre? What other genres do you enjoy writing and why?

DD: Fear and humor have always been my favorite areas to tap into. Although not everybody likes to be scared, or to laugh, I think fear and amusement are probably the most universally accessible and compelling emotions. Even love has to rank below a good chuckle. After all, psychopaths, animals and babies all laugh (no offense psychopaths). Humor and fear complement one another beautifully too. Nothing like a laugh to offset a particularly dark scene or set the reader up for one. I’d like to inject more humor into future horror projects. I do write a lot about clowns, but they’re not funny. At all.

RCT: You’ve got a dozen eggs, some fried chicken, 4 zucchinis, a bunch of grapes, wheat bread, spaghetti sauce, two onions, an avocado, 3 hotdogs, cheddar cheese, and a large bowl of chili. What would you make to eat (feel free to combine items).

DD: I would use the uncooked spaghetti to spear the heart of the avocado, as avocados are vampire eggs. A chicken leg would make an effective mallet. I would then eat the whole brick of cheese with my hands and pretend I was a king, because as far as I know kings did that.

RCT: How do you approach writing dialogue?

DD: Dialogue is one of my favorite things to write, probably because it seems to come the most easily. Most characters’ internal and external voices exist for me long before I have a picture of what they look like, or even fully understand their motivation. The dialogue is the thing that feels the most real about them - what a character says to others (and to him/herself) is who they are, even if it’s contradictory or otherwise loony. Some people simply are their self-delusion, and that’s true for a lot of my characters right up till they meet their end.

RCT: You’re naked, stranded on a pacific island. A box of clothes washes ashore. Inside are a speedo, a two piece bikini, a large fig leaf, and a batman cape. Which do you wear and why?

DD: I would use the bikini top and cape to become BEE MAN and then eat the fig leaf. Who the hell’s gonna know? I don’t even care if bees don’t eat leaves. Bee Man does. It’s my mythos and I’ll own it until I die of a heat stroke.

RCT: Do you see the horror genre as a reflection of our lives and times....erm...at times, that is? In other words, does your writing draw from real life, or vice versa?

DD: I think it reflects our times as well as timeless fears from our most primal sources. David Cronenberg called horror a genre of confrontation rather than escapism and I think that’s the right way to go about it. I don’t view a rollercoaster as a pleasant distraction from taxes and reality TV. It scares the goddamn piss out of me to be weightless and slung around hairpin turns. And it’s gratifying to survive the ride and own the experience. Even though I am seriously never going on a fucking rollercoaster again, I get the same rush from good horror and I hope I provide it.

RCT: What was your favorite book to write so far, and why?

DD: It’s a dead heat between my 2010 novel Unbound and an upcoming work called The Harvest Cycle, which was edited by some maniac at Permuted. I think I enjoyed both because I was able to let go of the boundaries of genre (the boundaries I perceived, anyway), and that sense of freedom led to better characters and better plot turns. For me it seems that shedding genre conventions helps me be a more honest writer, which I’m sure has to do with some deep-rooted personal issues, but hey, it works!

RCT: Smurfs or Snorks? Why?

DD: Snorks, and you know why. If you don’t, do a Google Image search.

RCT: How do you find inspiration to bring something new to every one of your books?

DD: It probably goes back to that aversion to genre boundaries. For example, I wasn’t satisfied with the outline for my zombie novel Empire until I thought of adding the Grim Reaper as a nemesis for the undead. Opening the door to dark fantasy really got me excited about writing that book and its sequel. That same desire to do something weird and new drives me to make each novel distinct from the last. Even though The Harvest Cycle is a post-apocalyptic romp like Empire, it’s a very different kind of ride; where Empire was a haunted house, THC is the Tilt-a-Whirl.

I’m not claiming to be reinventing horror, but I’m not ready to start a novel until I’ve thought of an angle that makes me go, “How did I think of that?” That’s when it starts to feel like a new world is forming.

RCT: What planet would you like to live on? (feel free to tell us about planets we don’t know about yet).

DD: Any planet where a green-skinned vixen says “What is this…‘love’ you speak of?” She doesn’t actually have to be green, but I’m trying to be realistic.

RCT: Finally, what are you working on now and what do you have planned for the future?

DD: I’m all about short stories at the moment. I have a novel cooling off, waiting to be revised, and in the hopper is the aforementioned Harvest Cycle. It’s an apocalyptic story combining the Cthulhu Mythos with robot death squads, lobotomized cops and cannibals who use Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as their Bible. I had great fun writing it and I hope readers will have the same experience.

Thanks, Ryan!

RCT: Thank you, BEE MAN!

Some books I'm reading.

2012-01-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

Here's what I'm reading right now:

RELIQUARY by Preston and Child. I love their Pendergast series and this one is not one to miss. It's the sequel to Relic (of which they made a pretty bad, yet somehow fun, movie, that left out the Pendergast character.) So far it's a fun ride.

CROSSED by Garth Ennis. The writer of Preacher (one of the BEST comic book series ever) brings us his rendition of The Walking Dead. Of course it wouldn't be Ennis without some religion thrown in (note the cross on the face of all the infected). Great stuff.

My new blog

2012-01-17T17:22:00.001-08:00

Ok, I figured it was time to start blogging. Check back here later for more goodies.