momkittycat

[momkittycat]

An Interview with Frank Cavallo

An Interview w/ @fjcavallo at Cat After Dark #horror #sf #kindle https://tinyurl.com/ycedxkoc

  Welcome to Cat After Dark, Frank! It’s so nice to meet you. I’m glad that you were able to take time out of your schedule to let us get to know you a little bit better.

Thanks for having me. It’s great to be here!

Are you a full time writer or do you hold down a regular job as well?

In my non-writing life I’m a lawyer. I’ve been at that for about 16 years now, all on the defense side.…

[momkittycat]

  Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule.

Hey, MommaCat, thanks for letting me yak away on your blog. Demon with a Comb-Over has just been released (it’d been out earlier, but the publisher went under) with a new prequel along for the ride. It’s a (pseudo-autobiographical) tale about a crappy stand-up comedian (that part is true; well, I at least bombed on open-mic night) who ticks off a demon with a comb-over (that part’s not so true).

Dread and Breakfast was released last month. It’s a terrifying (oddly amusing) tale about a bunch of people stranded at the world’s worst bed & breakfast during a Midwest winter storm. It plays heavily on my fear of guys named “Kevin” who constantly shove muffins at you at such places. And it proves the old axiom: fear antiquing.

I’m wrapping up a horror short story collection, starting a new thriller called “Chili Run,” and will soon dig into my third Zak and Zora mystery (the series about a vapid male stripper and his very put upon, no-nonsense detective sister).

Who are the authors that have influenced your writing the most?

Depends on what day you ask me, MommaCat. Hmm. Dick and Jane books. Elmore Leonard. Dr. Seuss. Chuck Dickens. Stephen King. Donald Westlake. John Farris.

#gallery-0-10 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-10 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-10 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Doc Seuss

Don Westlake

Chuck Dickens

Who would you like to have drinks with?

The above-mentioned writers would be a hoot-and-a-half to tie one on with at a round table drinkathon.

Maybe Trump. So I could get him liquored up, ruffle his awful hair and say, “Okay, Don…what’s REALLY going on? You’re joking, right?”

If you could live in (or just visit) any world, real or imaginary, where would it be and why?

I’d say Willy Wonka’s factory. But now we’re being lead by an orange Oompa-Loompa, so that’s not fantastical enough. I definitely want to avoid Katniss’s world. My life expectancy kinda’ plummets there. Perhaps I’d like to live in Stars Hollow. Yeah. Everything there is cute and whimsical.

Most authors have held many many jobs on their way to becoming successful. What are some of the jobs you have had?

I did have a devastating, very short run as a stand-up comedian. But I euthanized that deal and everyone owes me a huge thanks for it.

For several years, I worked at a public relations firm where my duties included driving Whizzo the clown around town while he chain-smoked and hawked loogies out the window (he couldn’t drive because of his huge clown feet). I also got to see Dr. Joyce Brothers in her underwear (public relations is a dangerous and ugly job at times).

If you were able to trade bodies with one person for one day who would it be and why?

Again, I’ve gotta’ pull the Trump card. I’d call a press conference, say “Just kidding” and grab the nearest person to me and declare him/her president.

What are the next three books you’re planning to read?

Sorry, MommaCat, I never plan ahead. On anything. Writing or reading.

If you won a billion dollar Powerball all by yourself, what would you do after the check cleared? Would you say screw the bills and buy a solid gold kazoo? Or something else?

First, I’d buy a new house with certain requirements: swimming pool, Jacuzzi tub and theatre room. Then I’d toss some to charity and all that crap.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing or reading?

I love to watch terrible movies from the ‘60’s through the ‘80’s. The golden age of awful.

What five people living or dead would you invite to a dinner party?

Easy! Andy Kaufman, Adolf Hitler, Salvadore Dali, Charlie Sheen and Phyllis Diller.

#gallery-0-12 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-12 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-12 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-12 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

How do you want the world to remember you?

With clean underwear please.

  Demon with a Comb-OvRer (featuring The Book of Kobal) available in Kindle format and paperback.

Dread and Breakfast: Kindle and paperback.

Stuart R. West Blog: Twisted Tales from Tornado Alley

Amazon author page,  Facebook,  Twitter

I read DEMON WITH A COMBOVER way back in the wayback when it was published by Samhain.  You can find my review by clicking on the Random Reviews link on the right hand side of the page.  I probably should have asked Stuart for an interview then, but, nooo.  I had to wait for them to go out of business! All of his books are well written, and combine horror and humor.  That’s really hard to do.  But, when it works what you get is a fun read. Sometimes we want gore and scares, but sometimes it’s good to sit back and relax a laugh a little.  Stuart is a sure thing if that’s what you’re looking for.  Check out his books and see what you think.

An Interview with @StuartRWest NOW at CatAfterDark #horror #kindle https://tinyurl.com/mhfhd5m Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule. Hey, MommaCat, thanks for letting me yak away on your blog.

[momkittycat]

Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule.

I’m currently talking about my re-released pieces. My first novel, THE HAUNTED HALLS, the story of an evil-as-all-hell spirit that takes up residence at a small Maine inn and wreaks all sorts of havoc, has a new eBook edition from Matt Shaw Publications and a new, beautiful print edition from Shadow Work Publishing. Two of my Samhain Publishing novellas just came back out in new editions from Crossroad Press, too. ABRAM’S BRIDGE is a small town mystery/ghost story. Has more of a Ketchum vibe with real life horror at home. THINGS WE FEAR is probably my most ambitious novella in regards to how many issues I tried to tackle within its pages. Each character has their own fight with fear, and of course, it all comes together like one immense car crash. Those are available now.

My next new release will be my novel, BECOMING. I’m aiming to get it out for April 1st. 

This one is about a town where people are vanishing or changing. The stranger things get, the more trouble my three main characters realize they are truly in. Inspired by a mix of James A. Moore’s RABID GROWTH and King’s THE TOMMYKNOCKERS, I’m excited for people to read this one.

Who are the authors that have influenced your writing the most?

For me, King, of course, and Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, Bentley Little, and more recently Ronald Malfi and Brian Moreland.

I love the way King and Ketchum work horror into reality. That’s what makes them so huge. Little is just nuts and fun, Laymon had a way of bringing this insanity and viciousness into a pulpy, movie-like realm and keeping you at the edge of your seat. He got a bit ridiculous at times, but like the other, he was fearless in his writing.

Malfi and Moreland are the two authors I look at as my modern gold standard. To me, they’re head and shoulders above the rest right now. They should be publishing with the majors. They are my next King and Ketchum. Their writing is beautiful and characters and stories are fresh and inspiring.

Who would you like to have drinks with?

Well, I had a drink in my hand and a good buzz when talking to Jack Ketchum at a Samhain after-party…does that count?

That was cool. I’d love to have a beer and take in a Red Sox game with King. Can we get that arranged?

#gallery-0-16 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-16 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-16 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-16 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

If you could live in (or just visit) any world, real or imaginary, where would it be and why?

Man, I’d love to visit Australia. It seems so cool. I mean, besides all their freaky, poisonous critters. I’d consider moving to the west coast of the US, too. New Mexico, Arizona, or maybe Oregon or Northern California.

Most authors have held many many jobs on their way to becoming successful. What are some of the jobs you have had?

Too many. I loved delivering newspapers in the middle of the night. Did that for a long time for extra money. I’d listen to Coast to Coast AM and get all freaked out. Also worked at movie theaters a few times. Free movies is always a great benefit. My current hotel job allows for a lot of reading time during the day and writing time on my overnights.

If you were able to trade bodies with one person for one day who would it be and why?

Axl Rose. I’d love to get up there with that voice and those songs, with Slash and Duff and just go for it.

What are you reading now?

I just started Stephen King’s IT and Michael McDowell’s THE ELEMENTALS. I’ve never read either of them. I’m already in reading heaven.

I’m also going to squeeze in Kristopher Rufty’s new one, SOMETHING VIOLENT.

Do you have any guilty pleasure books/authors? You know the ones…stuff you don’t let your friends see you reading.

Not really. I don’t care what people think. I can admit to enjoying Dan Brown, can’t I?

THE DAVINCI CODE is amazing. I don’t think “page turner” has ever been more appropriate.

What do you like to do when you’re not writing or reading?

Hang with my wife and kids and listen to tunes or watch movies.

What five people living or dead would you invite to a dinner party?

Stephen King, Bruce Springsteen, Noel Gallagher, Quentin Tarantino, Steve Irwin.

#gallery-0-18 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-18 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-18 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-18 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

How do you want the world to remember you?

However they want, just remember me!  I hope to leave a few great books behind.

He’s off to a great start!  This is one author you won’t soon forget.

Follow him on Twitter 

Facebook

On the web 

I read Abram’s Bridge.  This was a ghost story that was every bit as poignant and heartwrenching as anything to come from the pen of Willie Meikle. Originally published by the now defunct Samhain, it is currently being published by Crossroads Press.  I believe it was Glenn’s debut novella.

It depicts the dark side of life in a small, rural town.  Secrets are handed down from generation to generation.  You’ll be glad you read this.

Buy ABRAM’S BRIDGE at Amazon.com

Read an Interview with @grolfehorror at CatAfterDark. #horror https://tinyurl.com/mhfhd5m Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule. I’m currently talking about my re-released pieces.

[momkittycat]

An Interview with David Whitman

@DavidWhitman interviews at CatAfterDark! #horror @CrossroadPress

Please tell me about your upcoming books and their production schedule.

I have two upcoming books. The first is a short novel entitled The Witch, the Murderer, and the Devil in Black. Martin Kent can channel the souls of the dead into animals. He roams about his small town with his dead wife, who is in the body of a deer. When a tragic experiment causes the death of every animal in town, Martin…

[momkittycat]

Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule.

I have a new book coming out in a few weeks – TAKEDOWN – which features two characters from my Spider Shepherd series. I have taken his former boss – Charlotte Button – and his friend – Lex Harper – and spun a standalone thriller around them, basically a home-grown jihadist plot. It might well end up being the first in a new series, we’ll see!

Writing-wise, I’m midway through a book provisionally titled THE GIRL WHO GOT BURNED about a female firefighter who is badly injured in a fire and is reassigned as an arson investigator. Years ago I wrote two episodes of a TV show about firemen called London’s Burning but a lot has changed since then so I’m doing a lot of research. I’ve visited a fire station and hope to be taken into a training fire soon. Once that’s done and dusted I’ll be starting work on the new Spider Shepherd novel, which will be titled LIGHT TOUCH. It’s got several plotlines including an undercover cop who has gone bad and an evil jihadist who is being protected by MI5.

  Who are the authors that have influenced your writing the most?

I’ve always been a huge fan of John Le Carre, Jack Higgins, and Gerald Seymour. I read most of their books before I started writing my own thrillers. I also loved the black magic books of Dennis Wheatley and it was those that led me to writing my Jack Nightingale supernatural detective series. I’m also a huge fan of self-published authors Joe Konrath and Mark Dawson, who offer lots of advice on publishing your own work. I’m one of Amazon’s Top 10 UK self-publishers and I’ve learned a lot from Joe and Mark.

  If you had the ability to bring one author back from the dead to write one more book, who would it be and why?

I love the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams and he died way too young. I’d bring him back to write one more book. Everything he has ever written has had me in fits of laughter.

  If you could live in (or just visit) any world, real or imaginary, where would it be and why?

I’d happily visit any world where I can fly. I already have a pilot’s licence but that’s not the same, I want to really fly. I do have vivid dreams where I actually can fly and it’s always a big disappointment when I wake up.

  If you were able to trade bodies with one person for one day who would it be and why?

I always wished I could sing or play a music instrument but I’m not musical at all. I’d like to be Kenny G for the day, just so I could play the saxophone.

  What are the next three books you’re planning to read?

On my desk next to me are RED WATCH by Gordon Honeycombe, about a hotel fire not far from where I live in Maida Vale, London, SOLDIER SPY by Tom Marcus, an MI5 officer’s autobiography, and NOMAD by Alan Partridge alias Steve Coogan. I’m reading that for fun.

  Do you have any guilty pleasure books/authors? You know the ones…stuff you don’t let your friends see you reading.

I reread my old Enid Blyton books from time to time, especially the Adventure series (River of Adventure etc). I know that world never really existed but I always wish it did.

  If you were to give just one piece of advice aspiring writers, what would it be?

Write every day. Even if it’s just a few paragraphs, write something.

  What five people living or dead would you invite to a dinner party?

I love the idea of a dinner party with dead people – I’m sure there’s a serial killer story in there somewhere! I think if I am bringing people back to life I’d go for the real villains of history, just to see if they were really evil or if they just got a bad press. I’d got for Genghis Kahn, Hitler, Stalin, Chairman Mao, and Tony Blair. (I know Tony Blair’s still alive, but I live in hope).

#gallery-0-6 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-6 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

  How do you want the world to remember you?

I don’t really care whether the world remembers me or not. So long as my family and friends remember me, that’s good enough for me. Hopefully they’ll remember the fun times we had.

  When  I asked Stephen about Social Media he had the following to say (and I couldn’ agree more!)

I’ve stopped using Twitter. Often it’s a nasty place, and even though it’s often great fun and supportive, the nasty bits have spoiled it for me. I left at the same time as Stephen Fry – he went back, I didn’t. I love Facebook, it’s much more supportive and helpful and I enjoy interacting with fans there. My Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/stephenleatherofficial/

I have a website at www.stephenleather.com and Jack Nightingale has his own website at www.jacknightingale.com

Stephen’s newest book PENALTIES came out October 31 wherever books are sold.  It’s a nail-biting thriller bringing together the British and Chinese underworld and the game game of football.- soccer to us Americans. Gabe is a soccer star on his way to breaking a record for penalties scored. Ray is his brother that he hasn’t seen in years due to his choice of profession. Gabe is happily married with a wife and son. His life comes crashing down around him when the Chinese kidnap his wife and son. He is told to throw the game he is just about to play or his family will be killed. But will they be spared if they lose?

Buy it today at Amazon.com

Come read An Interview with Stephen Leather at Cat After Dark Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule. I have a new book coming out in a few weeks – TAKEDOWN – which features two characters from my Spider Shepherd series.

[momkittycat]

An Interview with F. Paul Wilson

Read An Interview with @fpaulwilson #repairmanjack

  Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule.

Panacea is out July 5. I’m writing a sequel of sorts, The God Gene, now. Not really a sequel, simply another mystery-adventure with the same two lead characters. Lemme tell you, it was with no little trepidation that handed in Panacea — my first non-Repairman Jack novel in many years. It’s a significant departure, since…

[momkittycat]

An Interview with David Bell

Come read An Interview with @davidbellnovels at Cat After Dark #thriller

  Would you talk about your upcoming books and their production schedule?

My next thriller, SINCE SHE WENT AWAY, will be released on June 21st. It’s about a single mother and her teenage son and their involvement in a missing persons case.

Have you ever devised a character and then written a plot around them?

I think good stories start with characters. Character drives plot not the other way…

[momkittycat]

I recently “discovered” author Sean Costello when I was browsing the Goodreads shelves of people that I follow.  One of his books caught my  eye and I looked it up on Amazon.  As I looked over his books, I was surprised to see that this unknown to me author had nearly all five star ratings on his books!  So I bought one and also downloaded SQUALL, which was free.  The rest, as it’s said, is history.  I went back and bought more; emailed Sean asked him for an interview; now I hope all y’all go check out his books.  I’ll talk about HERE AFTER after his interview, so stick around.

Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule.

I’m currently working on the second draft of a novel called Terminal House. In many ways it’s a departure for me. I tend to write action-driven stories, but this one rides more on character and deeper issues, like aging, Alzheimer’s, euthanasia, and romantic love. At its core, though, it’s a tale of psychological horror. One man’s journey into oblivion.

Who are the authors that have influenced your writing the most?

Stephen Hunter, Elmore Leonard, Stephen King, Thomas Harris, and a host of other great scribes.

If you had the ability to bring one author back from the dead to write one more book, who would it be and why?

I’d resurrect Elmore Leonard and tell him to take his time . . . I mean really take his time finishing the novel he was working on when he died. The man was a genius, and when you met him in person he was just the sweetest guy. To end such a uniquely creative mind was a crime against humanity.

If you could live in any world, real or imaginary, where would it be and why?

It would be this one, but in the 1960s. I’d see Led Zeppelin again, and make damn sure I got to Woodstock this time. I’d start writing as a young man instead of an older one, and maybe—just maybe—I’d be doing it for a living now.

Most authors have held many jobs on their way to becoming successful. What are some of the jobs you have had?

Not counting a paper route, my first job was as a salad chef at a harness race track. I was 16. The kitchen skills came in handy for my next job, which was slinging hoagies at a place called Fat Albert’s in my hometown of Ottawa. I was a night watchman at a pulp and paper mill, a working musician and, briefly, a model. Then I hit med school, internship, four years of specialty training and a 35-year stint as an anesthesiologist. Now I wanna be a writer.

If you were able to trade bodies with one person for one day who would it be and why?

I guess I’d swap with Jack Nicholson—with all due apologies to Jack for the uneven trade—just so I could see what it’s like to be the coolest dude in the universe.     

What are the next three books you’re planning to read?

No plans right now. When I’m writing, I try to avoid reading fiction. I’m too easily influenced.

Do you have any guilty pleasure books/authors? You know the ones…stuff you don’t let your friends see you reading.

Reader’s Digest. But only on the throne.

If you were to give just one piece of advice aspiring writers, what would it be?

This brings up a fun anecdote. In the summer of 1985, I took a drive in my turbo Volvo to Lake Kezar in Maine to do some windsurfing. I’d heard the lake hosted some serious blows . . . and knew that Stephen King had a summer place in the area. I thought, Get in some epic surfing and maybe run into King in the village.

Well, upon entering the vicinity, don’t I see the man himself coming up this rural road in the opposite direction. He’s driving a champagne-colored Mercedes convertible—and he’s alone. He saw my head swivel as he passed and he smiled, accustomed by now, I’m certain, to the star-struck gawks of yokels like myself. So I pulled a U-ie, passed the man at considerable speed, and bailed out of the car at the next stop sign. He rolled up behind me, I said, “You’re Stephen King,” and he said, “I know that, who the hell are you?”

The long and the short? Steve got out of the car (he’s six-foot-six, so I was pretty sure I was about to get decked by Stephen King), chatted with me for twenty minutes, then signed the hardcover copy of Pet Sematary I happened to be reading at the time. Before he left—he was headed for a Red Sox game in Boston—I asked him the question you just asked me, and he said, “Read a lot and write a lot; it really works.”

#gallery-0-6 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-6 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

What five people living or dead would you invite to a dinner party?

Well, Jack, of course. And if we’re talking reanimated, deodorized and civilized dead: John Bonham, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and my maternal grandmother; she was a great cook.

How do you want the world to remember you?

The world has very little use for me, Momma. But I would like to be remembered by my son as someone who loved him more than anything else—ever—and wanted only good things for him, always.

You can find Sean on Facebook, on his website and on his Amazon.com author page. He’s on Twitter as SeanCostello51. Get on his Mailing List and grab a free copy of LAST CALL!

Thanks very much for giving me this opportunity.

 Buy HERE AFTER now at Amazon.com!

HERE AFTER is an edge of your seat thriller in the style of very early Dean Koontz novels.  It’s a little bit paranormal, a lot mystery, and very heartwrenching.  There’s a kidnapper loose in Canada and the police aren’t having any luck tracking the person.  Two men meet in a victims group and become friends.  Can they find their boys when the cops have failed?  Check this and all of Sean’s books out at Amazon today.  He won’t disappoint.

Read An Interview With @SeanCostello51 #thriller #horror I recently "discovered" author Sean Costello when I was browsing the Goodreads shelves of people that I follow.  

[momkittycat]

John McIlveen, Bram Stoker nominee for his first novel, HANNAHWHERE,  is Cat After Dark’s April guest. No foolin’!

You currently work for MIT. Would you talk about your position there?

I am an Electrical and Mechanical Designer and coordinator for the qualification and of certification cleanrooms, and for the toxic gas monitoring systems at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington MA. I work in FSD Engineering. We are a part of the US-DOD so I will mysteriously disappear if I say anything else.

Please tell us about your upcoming books and their production schedule.

I have recently finished a big fat mainstream novel titled GONE NORTH, which (from fly leaf) is the story of Thalia and Emma Holden, two sisters from the Lower Ninth Ward in 1961. Raised in a home of limited means but abundant love and happiness, life is as good as it’s ever been, despite the vicious battles for and against racial segregation across America, and right there in New Orleans. When nineteen-year-old Emma Holden accepts a job with a prominent white family outside of Boston, a job that would enable her to attend college, it seems a dream opportunity. And then tragedy strikes, claiming the life of her parents.

With her parents gone, her sister in Boston, and her brother in California awaiting deployment to Vietnam, Sixteen-year-old Thalia Holden suddenly finds her life in shambles, now living with her grandfather and her hard-drinking, lecherous Uncle Carl. She tolerates her new life until a late night encounter makes her realize New Orleans is no longer home. Home is with her sister Emma, and that was where she needed to be.

Carrying only a duffle bag packed with minimal necessities, forty-two dollars, two Steinbeck novels, and accompanied by her three-legged German Shepard, Thalia embarks on an extraordinary Journey from New Orleans to Boston. In her travels, Thalia encounters her greatest fears, going face to face with extreme prejudice, perversity, but also compassion, offered by a diversity of characters ranging from despicable to eccentric, to delightful. Each day Thalia fears for her survival yet hungers for life.

Meanwhile in Boston, Emma struggles with grieving her parents’ deaths and worrying for her missing sister, while caring for the Merrick family, a wealthy but sympathetic family of five, the youngest of which is a fifteen-year-old son with Down Syndrome. To top it off, Emma discovers she has unwisely but helplessly fallen for the boss’s oldest son, who only complicates things by sharing the infatuation.

GONE NORTH is a tale of family, love, humor, conflict, and ultimately hope, involving humanity at its best, and at its worst. A firm publication date isn’t set yet, but it’s in the not too distant future.

I am almost finished a thriller titled CORRUPTION, which is about a Boston drug cartel, babies falling from windows, and a “common day Joe” who is pulled unwillingly into the midst of it all to help the mother of one of the children.

I am ¼ of the way into another horror novel titled ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?, which deals with a new type of “Super Ecstasy” which has some very unnerving after-effects for one poor son of a gun.

I understand that you’re friends with Christopher Golden. How did the two of you meet? Are there any plans for a collaboration?

Chris is a mensch in every way. He has been a mentor and very instrumental in my (and many others) writing career. We met in 1987 at a convention called NECON (www.campnecon.com) which is the best convention – bar none. He was living in New York and working at Billboard at the time, and I was in Hudson, NH working in the semiconductor industry. Ironically, we both ended up in Haverhill, MA. As for collaboration…I’d like to preserve our friendship. Joking aside, I’m not opposed to the idea, but it’d be like the tortoise and the hare; Chris writes full time at high speed with an astronomical output…I’m rather sluggish, seeing as writing is my second career.

Who are the authors that have influenced your writing the most?

This list could take pages, but in my opinion, John Steinbeck was a master in every way. Stephen King of course, for story lines. Who hasn’t he influenced in one way or another? Margaret Atwood, because she’s a phenomenal stylist and so amazingly diverse. Harry Crews, who was the king of flawed characters and mastered black humor. John Irving, or more-so his earlier writing. Read A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY and you’ll understand. Rick Hautala, who passed away March 17, four years ago. I befriended Rick in 1984 and he introduced me to the writer’s side of books, and to NECON, and he kept at me to start writing. Finally, Chris Golden, who has been a coach, a teacher, a cheerleader, and most importantly, a fun and goofy friend.

If you had the ability to bring one author back from the dead to write one more book, who would it be and why?

William Shakespeare, especially to see his reaction to this modern world (400 years after his death in 1616), and how he would translate it into his writing.

If you were able to trade bodies with one person for one day who would it be and why?

My first thought was Kate Winslet, so I could stand naked in front of the mirror all day. Seriously, maybe Stephen Hawking (stressing the “one day”), so I could experience existence from his perspective. To understand what drives him, what keeps him positive, and to see the correlation between his genius and his handicap, if one exists.

#gallery-0-6 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-6 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-6 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

What are the next three books you’re planning to read?

I am currently reading and enjoying HAVEN by Tom Deady, which is due out later this year from Cemetery Dance.

Next in line are THE FIREMAN by Joe Hill, DEAD WAKE, non-fiction by Erik Larson, and THE GIRL YOU LOST by Kathryn Croft.

If you were to give just one piece of advice aspiring writers, what would it be?

Always believe in your art and always strive to improve it. (Okay, that was two, but it was one sentence.)

What five people living or dead would you invite to a dinner party?

(Outside of family and friends)

Jon Anderson – (From the band YES)

Harry Crews – (author – deceased)

Martin Luther King

Stephen King

Marilyn Monroe

Would make for an interesting evening.

  How do you want the world to remember you?

Fondly

You can find John on his website, on Facebook, on Goodreads, on his Amazon.com author page and on Google+.  You can follow him on Twitter also – @jmcilveen.  Stop by any or all of those and say hello! I think he’d be delighted that you came by.

Thank you for reading and reviewing my books, and thank you for inviting me to participate in your blog and this interview.

Thank you to everyone who pimped HANNAHWHERE, which helped get it nominated for both The Bram Stoker and The Drunken Druid Awards.

Buy HANNAHWHERE at Amazon.com!

HANNAHWHERE is the story of twin sisters Hannah and Anna whose mother is in an abusive relationship.  What she teaches the girls will amaze you and give you hope.  If you read only one book this year, make it HANNAHWHERE.

Read An Interview With @jmcilveen #HANNAHWHERE #STOKERNOMINEE John McIlveen, Bram Stoker nominee for his first novel, HANNAHWHERE,  is Cat After Dark's April guest. No foolin'!

[momkittycat]

An Interview with Joe Hart

Read An Interview with @AuthorJoeHart #amazon

  Being an aspiring published author is_________________.

Not sure I like the term “aspiring” when describing a writer. You either write or you don’t in my opinion.

Would you talk about your upcoming books and their production schedule?

The next book I have coming out is a thriller called THE NIGHT IS DEEP. It is the second book in a series I’m writing about an ex-homicide detective who has a…

[momkittycat]

An Interview with Benjamin Kane Ethridge

Read an Interview with @bkethridge #horror@sphorror

Most authors have had many jobs to pay the bills in their quest to become successful. What are some of the the jobs that you have held?

Target (cart attendant, cashier, graveyard shift stock team), Substitute elementary school teacher, Environmental compliance inspector, Program/ Project manager

Being an aspiring published author is different for everybody.

How much did winning the Stoker Award…

[momkittycat]

An Interview with Martin Mundt

Read An Interview with @MartinMundt1 at CatAfterDark #horror #Humor

  Most authors have had many jobs to pay the bills in their quest to become successful. What are some of the jobs that you have held? 

    I’ve had one job since 1982, in manufacturing.  I would’ve taken on more freelance editing and proofreading work, but the opportunities have been rare, and so hardly count as jobs. I briefly traded commodities back in the 80’s, but I broke even, so in the…

[momkittycat]

Synchronized Sleepwalking by Martin Mundt

Synchronized Sleepwalking by @MartinMundt1 reviewed! #horror @johneverson

For those of you who read – or at least skim through my entire blog you’re going to get a double dose of Martin Mundt.  I actually read and reviewed this book a few months ago at the request of Marty’s new publisher, John Everson.  You can read that (along with a bunch of other reviews) HERE on the Random Reviews page.  If you didn’t get SYNCHRONIZED SLEEPWALKING yet,  let me run through the book…

[momkittycat]

CatAfterDark reviews DEAD RINGERS by @ChristophGolden They say everybody has a double.  What if you met yours and found out they wanted to take over your life?  

[momkittycat]

An Interview with Christopher Golden

Read An Interview with @ChristophGolden at CatAfterDark!

How many hours per day do you spend writing? How would you spend your time if storytelling were no longer an option?

CG: Unfortunately, business takes up more and more time. These days, in addition to the usual email and phone calls, there’s social media. Sure, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are entertaining, but there’s also a certain amount of marketing and event promotion and planning that is just a…

[momkittycat]

CatAfterDark reviews Brian Hodge's new novella Dark City @necrobedlam DARK CITY as you'll notice from the cover is a novella collection.  It contains the story, IN THE NEGATIVE SPACES, Brian Hodge's longest story to date.  

[momkittycat]

An Interview with Brian Hodge

Read An Interview with author Brian Hodge at Cat After Dark!

Most authors have had many jobs to pay the bills in their quest to become successful. What are some of the jobs that you have held?

I don’t really fit that mold. I graduated college with a degree in advertising, and worked for a newspaper while writing my first two novels. They both sold around the same time. Then I went to my first convention, the World Fantasy Con, and that went so well it was…