Red Sand is about shipwreck survivors being picked off one by
one on a dangrous and mysterious island, often in quite gruesome fashions. Can
you tell us about your background as a suspense/horror writer?
Red Sand is my first novel. Prior to this novel, I wrote
extensively on non-fiction horror – climate change and war. After I watched the
movie The Ring, I became interested
in the horror genre, when done right. I despise slasher flicks. I prefer
psychological horror/suspense. As for the gruesome deaths in Red Sand, well, I
couldn’t have them die in their sleep, now, could I?
I’ve written a great many short stories but never managed to
get them published in my dream publication, Fantasy
and Science Fiction. Years went by. The novels built up in my head, begging
to get out. A few years ago, they even wrote
me a letter. I thought it was time to set them free. Red Sand was the first
because it was the easiest. I’ll challenge myself in the near future.
Five years ago, I had a dream about the scene where Emily is
running away, only I was the one running away. In the original dream, it was
Dumbo, not Angel, chasing me. When a horn blew, Dumbo stopped chasing me,
saying, “No! Wait! I can do this. Don’t send them now!” The fate that meets
Emily in the book was mine and Dumbo’s.
I often write snippets of my dreams that turn into stories
later.
What’s your favorite part about Red Sand? Any scenes you particularly
enjoyed writing? Concepts you enjoyed developing? Characters you enjoyed
writing about?
Carter's death, without giving it away. I'm fairly certain
this is an original death, at least from the point of view. I once read a story
about a method of deep frying fish in a special way so that it... well, that's
giving things away.
What was the most challenging part about writing Red Sand?
The format. I wanted the reader to quickly realize that
whoever the chapter starts with is the next to die. I thought that would be a
novel approach. In reality, that was extremely limiting. The story arc had to
include each character so that it continued after I killed them off. Since not
every character was around during key moments, I found it very challenging to keep
up a coherent narrative. It was like creating a mass consciousness. At the same
time, I had to keep it interesting for the reader by letting them know more
than the characters. That was a slack rope to balance on.
I think this concept will work for my next two books, but
after that I’ll use something more traditional.
Although your characters are ultimately victims to the mysterious
island, you take the time to flesh out each of their backgrounds. Why did you
choose develop them so thoroughly?
I used to write about war and read a lot of war books. I
noticed a huge chasm between the reality of war and the perception of it in
popular fiction. Namely, in books and movies, we follow the protagonist from
the beginning to end, usually knowing they’ll survive or, if they don’t, that
their death happens at the very end. This portrays an unrealistic life
expectancy we end up carrying as a culture. In reality, when those boys go over
the wall, no one knows which will die and which will live.
I thought the most realistic war book would introduce a
character, give us deep insight into his/her life, motivations, and life plans,
then send them into war. Fifteen pages later, that character gets shot dead.
The remaining 200 pages of the book are blank. In a movie, the main character
gets killed off fifteen minutes into the film, and the remaining two hours are
just darkness. That would be
realistic. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be very entertaining.
I’d been playing with the idea for years when I decided the
only solution is to use this format with an ensemble cast. Each character gets
a chapter to shine in, then dies. We see it from their point of view, because
that’s a hell of a lot scarier. We know what they feel, what they think, as
they die. We see idiosyncracies as their minds unravel and grasp for meaning in
death.
To me, death is the most horrifying prospect of all because
it means the end of learning. In Red Sand, Carter’s last act is one of learning
because he lacks the capacity for proper emotion.
Thanks to a constant inundation of slasher flicks, crime
novels, and murder in nearly every medium, we are inured to the true horror of
death. I wanted to try to bring that into play. I hope I succeeded. If not,
I’ve got two more tries.
If you were a passenger of the Princess Anne, shipwrecked and left at
the mercy of a heirarchical band of survivors, what role would you assume?
Like everyone else, I’d like to assume I’d be the hero,
taking charge, showing compassion, beating the bad guys. In Red Sand, I tried to remove that option
from all characters. There are no heroes, no bad guys. Every character has a
shade of gray.
I would always be one step behind someone who led, trying to
retain some form of independence. I would look for a way off the island on my
own while supporting others in their quest. I don’t think I wrote that into any
of the characters.
I would be Paul. I’m not good at politics, and I’d like it
off in Departure Camp on my own. Maybe I wrote him from my own fantasies. I
fear, though, that I would be one of the first to die.
Can you tell us a bit about your inspirations?
Orson Scott Card made a big impact on me in my teens. I was
amazed at how real his characters seemed and how he delved into their
motivations.
Joss Whedon is the king of dialogue. I have a hard time
creating realistic dialogue so I try to study his work for clues. He can make a
character loveable or hated with one sentence. I still don’t know how he does
it.
When it comes to action, Neal Stephenson takes the cake. I
love how he crams so much information, colloquial thought, and possibilities
into each sentence. It burns the brain as the action explodes.
When it comes to horror, I’ve never read anything so deeply
terrifying as Danielewski’s House of
Leaves. That book haunted me for months after I read it. I aspire to his
greatness.
When it comes to reading, though, I typically pick dead
authors. This made it difficult to write a contemporary book. Modern readers
don’t tolerate the old language, far superior though it may be. I could never
buy into Hemmingway’s “The River Was There,” when I had Conrad, Kafka, Dickens,
Poe, and Stevenson illuminating the path.
Red Sand is not a
work of literature, and my Great American Novel still collects dust in the
chambers of my mind. When the time is right…
Are you working on anything new?
I have ten books to write. After writing one, I’m energized
to write the rest. I’m trying to finish the next one by July, a zombie
apocalypse book with a twist. Stay tuned!
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