A couple of years ago I was attending the World Fantasy Convention, and at such events, amidst streams of late-night alcohol springs, a person can chance to meet quite a number of interesting people. Why do you think I go to conventions? At just such a party I encountered Nick Mamatas, discovered his first published novel, Move Under Ground, was Cthulhu meets Kerouac, and I was intrigued. From there, it’s obvious that he is a busy guy. Aside from two novels, he has also edited or co-edited Clarkesworld magazine and several anthologies. His book Starve Better is a collection of witty,Continue readingAuthor Interview Series #65 – Nick Mamatas

I first became aware of the name Jack Ketchum whilst reading On Writing Horror, a collection of essays and articles by everyone who’s anyone in the horror genre. (Previous interviewees Joe Lansdale, Jeanne Cavelos, Ramsey Campbell, and Richard Dansky also have essays in this book.) Jack’s essay, “Splat Goes the Hero: Visceral Horror” was one of those that opened my eyes to what good horror fiction is. It’s not just splattering viscera; it’s making the reader care whether a character’s viscera is about to be splattered. If there is any writing advice that I have completely embraced, it is thisContinue readingAuthor Interviews Revisited – Jack Ketchum

Having just returned from World Con, I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of writing as a career, what it takes to create one, build one, sustain one. One cannot attend an event like World Con (or World Fantasy, for that matter) and not find that one is up to one’s waggling fanboy eyebrows in the likes of George R.R. Martin, John Scalzi, Robert Silverberg, Ellen Datlow, and many other luminaries of the speculative fiction field.

About four years ago, I launched this blog into an author interview project that included interviews with over sixty working authors at various stages of their careers. One of the things I learned from this project is just how many authors out there are darn fine, gracious people. I also learned a lot about how they do what they do, and if you’re a writer, go back through the archives, and you will too. The first author interview of this series was with Joe R. Lansdale. Before then, and up to now, he’s been one of my favorite writers. HisContinue readingAuthor Interview – Joe R. Lansdale

“Write a more compelling first line and I’ll read your article!” was one Facebook comment on my post about first lines. Point well taken.  Could I have spruced up my first couple of lines? Certainly.  Do I intend every blog post to be a fine crafted work of art and a juggernaut of intellectual persuasion? Nope. Ain’t got time. I’m too busy trying to write fiction. Nevertheless, readers did have things to say about this list.  But first, here are the answers for my previous post on first lines.

Kat Richardson is the national bestselling author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels. Yours truly ran into her last fall at the World Fantasy Convention in San Jose, amidst floating schools of writers and publishing industry professional.  One meets the most interesting folks in hotel bars, particularly at industry conventions (long-time readers of BtM may notice a repeating theme…).  How many people have you ever met that live on boat?

The thing for young and/or inexperienced writers to remember is that is soon as one starts treating your work professionally, as something serious and worthy of effort, not to mention respect, one can enter a world of other creative people who have the same struggles, goals, and roadblocks. We all go through the writing life in various stages, with similar milestones, similar roadblocks, but all with unique stories.  All one has to do is make that mental shift from closeted, cloistered, would-be fiction writer, toiling away forlornly in a lonely garret, to Real-Life Fiction Writer.  Once you make that shift,Continue readingAuthor Interview Series #61 – Elaine Isaak

At Readercon in Boston this past July, at a Codex Writers’ Group lunch, I was introduced to Cat Rambo. Cat Rambo’s stories have been described as “works of urban mythopoeia”, a mashup of mythology and urban fantasy. She has worked as a programmer-writer for Microsoft and a Tarot card reader, professions which, she claims, both involve a certain combination of technical knowledge and willingness to go with the flow. Her stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Weird Tales, Clarkesworld, and Strange Horizons, plus several anthologies and Year’s Best collections.  On top of all that, she’s the managing editor at Fantasy Magazine.Continue readingAuthor Interview Series #60 – Cat Rambo

I ran into a pleasant British gentleman at the book launch party for Peter Straub’s American Fantastic Tales. He introduced himself as Tony Richards. Tony is a long-time author of horror and dark fantasy stories, these days numbering over a hundred short stories, novellas, and novels, with a career spanning thirty years.  His debut novel, The Harvest Bride, first appeared in 1987 and was nominated for a Stoker award. In addition to being a darn fine writer, he’s a great guy to share a conversation with over cocktails. Read on!