Tiger's New Family Portrait

Pod of Horror # 57: Edward Lee, Mike Oliveri and Moonshine Matinee

Get ready to have your giblets rocked. Edward Lee visits Pod of Horror #57 to talk about the differences between his mass market and small press fiction. Mike Oliveri tells us how The Pack will roam the world of prose fiction and graphic novels. Michael Vance discusses the pulp influences that went into the writing of Weird Horror Tales. The Call of Kalanta covers the news and the Thanksgiving menu. You can win free books in The Tomb of Trivia. And we debut the new movie feature Moonshine Matinee with Jason L. Keene. Get it at iTunes or download it at here. Pod of Horror is hosted and produced by Mark Justice.

Writing and Revising

I’ve always been interested in the craft of writing. In every interview I conduct with a writer, I try to ask about their method of writing. As you might imagine, there are as many answers as there are writers. You have to find what works for you. But it basically breaks down into two camps: the writers who slowly craft their story, revising as they go, and those who don’t look back until they finish the story.

After years of trial and error, I find that I fall into the latter group.

Writing, for me, is a head game. I have to convince myself that the story is worth telling and I am the only guy who can do it. Then, once the writing begins, I have to trust myself to tell the story. It is so easy to get distracted or discouraged by doubting yourself as you go along. Perhaps it’s part of my nature to look for reasons not to write, but in the past I’ve scapped countless projects because of a lack of confidence in what I had written, projects that – had I stuck with them – would likely be publishable.

So experience has taught me to just sit down and write, damn it, until I reach the end. For me, writing is most gratifying when I get caught up in the heat of the story, letting it pour out. The results always feel more honest and powerful, whereas a story that I’ve carefully plotted in advance and revised constantly during the actual writing can feel cold and contrived.

When I finish I can revise and, if necessary, fix story problems. And I find a lot of things to fix, believe me. You’re talking to the king of typos. On the other hand, I usually discover that those parts of the story that were originally doubt-inducing read just fine in the finished product.

A few days ago I was rereading The Gunslinger by Stephen King and found inspiration in his foreword to the revised edition:

“My approach to revision hasn’t changed much over the years. I know there are writers who do it as they go along, but my method of attack has always been to plunge in and go as fast as I can, keeping the edge of my narrative blade as sharp as possible by constant use, and trying to outrun the novelist’s most insidious enemy, which is doubt. Looking back prompts too many questions: How believable are my characters? How interesting is my story? How good is this, really? Will anyone care? Do I care myself?”

As usual, King says it better than anybody.

So how do you write?

Maybe This Was What The Mayans Were Talking About

More Signing

Michael Knost, the sexiest horror editor from Logan, West Virginia, will join me Saturday at Border’s in the Huntington (WV) Mall, from 3-5, to sign Legends of the Mountain State, Appalachian Winter Hauntings and The Writer’s Workshop of Horror. All of them make great Christmas gifts for the reader on your list.

And, hey, got somebody on your list you don’t like very much? Then a photo of Mike and me signing books makes a fine present for that person, too. We’ve got you covered either way.

A Good Mail Day

Accoutrements courtesy of Norma, who is chomping at the bit to decorate for Christmas.

Winter Just Got Scary

Appalachian Winter Hauntings has just been released. Here's the publisher's description of the anthology:

Appalachian Winter Hauntings includes eleven bone-chilling accounts—penned by many of the preeminent storytellers in the business—that are appropriate to the Appalachian region and relative to the heart of the holiday season. This anthology is designed for cozying up close to a blazing fireplace on the coldest of winter nights.

When organizing the theme and the writers for this venture, Woodland Press, along with editors Michael Knost and Mark Justice, wanted to seek stories and tales that did not disrespect or alter the religious aspects of the holiday season. Instead, the stories, although having a distinct ghostly theme, are of a family-friendly nature. Contributors include: Ronald Kelly, Brian J. Hatcher, Patricia Hughes, Steve Vernon, S. Clayton Rhodes, Steve Rasnic Tem, Sara J. Larson, Scott Nicholson, J.G. Faherty. EmmaLee Pallai, and Elizabeth Massie.

The texture is gritty and the stories are moving. Think Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" turned up a notch with a ghostly Appalachian backdrop.

So, pour yourself a mug of hot cocoa, wrap your favorite blanket around you, and brace yourself for ghostly stories and weird encounters that take place in the shadows of snowy hilltops or along icy mountain trails.

You can order the book now at The Horror Mall, Amazon or the publisher, Woodland Press.

I'll be participating in a book signing for AWH on November 14 at Border's in the Huntington (WV) Mall.