A Bunch of Bloody Questions
May 14
I"ve sold two reprints to the Fresh Blood anthology (which is going to have an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale, barring the unforeseen, which is really cool) -- "Dog Boys" and "Little Gods" (two of my favorites; I don't think of "Little Gods" as horror, per se, but it certainly has horrific elements). This is intended to be an anthology of hot young horror writers, which is flattering, and I've been annoying Heather by saying "Have I mentioned that I'm an up-and-coming young horror writer?" and such. I'm easily amused.
The editor sent me a list of odd questions to answer, to help him with writing the introductions for the stories. Since I'm a big believer in combining efforts, killing two stoats with one stone, and etc., I'm going to post the questions and my answers here, thus making a journal entry out of them. Witness my efficiency and be afraid.
What's the strangest food you eat on a regular basis?
Vegetarian corn dogs.
Tell me about the scariest experience you ever had.
I've had a fairly unscary life; various altercations with middle-school bullies spring to mind, but those are vague, more of a lump-sum. Specifically? One Hallowe'en I dropped a microdot of mescaline, and had a very harsh and unpleasant trip, which culminated in my spending the night in a room full of rabbit-shit while, in the apartment next door, a terminal patient moaned in sustained pain. That was pretty scary; death filled my ears and the corners of the room.
Name your favorite horror flick and novel.
Favorite movie is a very recent one, actually -- Session 9 (before that my favorite was probably In the Mouth of Madness). It by Stephen King is my favorite horror novel (though, having said that, I think instantly of Kathe Koja's The Cipher and Jessica Amanda Salmonson's Anthony Shriek, so I can't decide).
What scares you the most?
Dying. It also pisses me off.
What is your favorite beverage?
Blended vanilla lattes from Gaylord's Café. Winner, Best New Crack of 2001.
What is your earliest memory of being scared?
When I was seven, I tried to break up a fight between my dog, Wolf, and a neighbor's dog. One of the dogs bit me, teeth sinking into three places around my knee, a wound which required seven stitches (one for each year I'd been alive). I still have the scars.
What periodicals do you read on a regular basis?
Locus (I work for them). Star*Line, the Journal of the SFPA (I recently became editor). The Santa Cruz Comic News, a biweekly compendium of editorial cartoons; it's how I keep up with world events. I also read lots of online periodicals -- Salon, Strange Horizons, Infinite Matrix, Sci Fiction, and more blogs than you can shake a mouse at.
Favorite authors? Major influences?
The first novel I read was Carrie by Stephen King; he remains a big influence. I love Kathe Koja, Neil Gaiman, Kim Newman, and Joe Lansdale. In recent years Jonathan Carroll has exerted a tremendous influence on me. Outside horror, I like Charles de Lint, Kelly Link, Tim Powers, Karen Joy Fowler, James Morrow... I could, of course, go on and on.
What are your neighbors like?
I don't really know my neighbors, except insofar as they infringe on my life. My landlady lives behind me. She has a lemon tree hung with Xmas ornaments and picture frames. Some people with an incessantly barking dog live next door; they inspire many late-night revenge fantasies. One of the neighbors apparently throws human or dog shit out the window on a regular basis, as the green roof of the outbuilding next door is regularly covered in such. Some nice lesbians with a community garden live across the street. Then there's Willy May's brother, but the less said about him the better.
Tell me about your childhood enemies.
There was a square-headed asshole named Wade who went to primary, middle, and high school with me. He was the epitome of everything I despised, and still despise, about people -- stupid, violent, confident, heedless.
Favorite music?
The Old 97s (subversive punk-country). Aimee Mann. Beck in all his strange incarnations. Neutral Milk Hotel. Modest Mouse. Agent Ink. Juliana Hatfield. The Blake Babies. All equal in my esteem.
Writing habits/rituals?
I write as much as possible, whenever I can; rituals would only get in the way. I like to write longhand in coffee shops.
What, if any, type of car do you drive?
A silver Nissan Sentra named Denise. There's a yellow snake wrapped around the rearview mirror, to protect me. Several successive generations of wasps lived in my back seat; I named each of them Thessaly, until they all died.
What human being, alive today, scares you the most?
Attorney General John Ashcroft, for his steady campaign of eroding civil liberties.
What is your favorite quote?
"To Generalise Is To Be An Idiot!", William Blake.
What are your obsessions, other than writing?
Spiders. Lizards. Scorpions. Love. Good food. Insects. Poetry.
Where is your favorite place?
Caffe Pergolesi in Santa Cruz, California.
Tell me about your family.
A mom, a dad, a brother and a sister. All very lovely people, all very far away. My girlfriend Heather, who is my breath and my heartbeat. My best friend Scott, the astrophysicist.
What are your thoughts regarding the stories?
"Dog Boys" is one of my favorites, written in a heat during a single day in college -- I went to classes, for some reason, but didn't pay any attention to lectures, scribbling in black ink on college-ruled paper on a clipboard. Later the story won a writing competition which provided me with a full year's scholarship, paying for my last year in college. It's about the pain of being young and powerless. And I should mention I'm actually rather fond of dogs.
"Little Gods" is about grief, dealing with loss -- death, breaking up, growing apart. It's a hopeful story, because grief is a process; when it works, it's something you find your way through.
What inspired the stories?
In terms of tone, "Dog Boys" was inspired by Joyce Carol Oates's "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?", which I read just before I started writing it. In terms of subject, it was inspired by my unpleasant middle-school years, particularly an evil bus driver who basically verbally abused the less popular kids.
"Little Gods" was inspired by my breaking up with a long-term girlfriend, not because of any real problems between us, but because our lives had gone in different directions (specifically, me to the West Coast and her to the East). The story was my way of dealing with the loss. The idea of small gods emerged during the writing -- just a gift from the little gods of plot.
Words written since February 1, 2002: 66,850
Words written since last entry: 2,200.
Boo.
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