Jonathan Maberry Interview
First let’s get to know you, Jonathan Maberry is an
author, he is the multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Ghost Road
Blues, These are part of a trilogy called the pine deep trilogy a series of
supernatural books. He has also worked on one of my favourite Marvel heroes
Wolverine.
Here’s a little about him, He has also written
zombie apocalypse books Rot and Ruin, Dust & Decay also few others
involving my favourite genre zombies and bio weapons.
I have here a few questions Jonathan has graciously
agreed to answer for my blog.
Q. Hi Jonathan, first off how are you these days?
A. I’m doing great. My career is going very well, my
family is happy and health and I get to play inside my imagination all day
long. That’s a pretty good definition of ‘happiness’.
Q. Secondly how long have you been writing for?
A. I made my first professional sale In 1978 –it was a
how-to article for BLACK BELT Magazine. I sold my first book in 1991, JUDO AND
YOU, as a textbook for a class at Temple University. I sold my first
mass-market nonfiction book, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER’S FIELD GUIDE TO THE UNDEAD, in
2000. Then in 2005 I switched to fiction and sold GHOST ROAD BLUES. I’m now
writing my fifteenth novel.
Q. Please tell us a little about all your series’ of
books please Jon a little overview to let us know about each one
A. I started off with a series of vampire novels called
THE PINE DEEP TRILOGY (GHOST ROAD BLUES, DEAD MAN’S SONG and BAD MOON RISING).
In that series an ancient vampire settles in a rural Pennsylvania town and
begins creating an army of the undead.
My second series is an on-going one featuring Joe Ledger,
a former Baltimore cop recruited by a secret government organization that
opposes terrorists who have exotic bioweapons. The first book was PATIENT ZERO,
and it continued with THE DRAGON FACTORY, THE KING OF PLAGUES, ASSASSIN’S CODE
and (coming in March), CODE ZERO. There are also several short stories, some of
which have been collected into an audio book called JOE LEDGER: THE MISSING
FILES.
Last year I published what I thought was a standalone
novel, DEAD OF NIGHT, a zombie thriller. But the demand from readers was so
strong that my publisher asked me to write at least one more book. The second
in the series will be called FALL OF NIGHT, and will be released in 2014.
I also have a series of post-apocalyptic zombie novels
for teens. The first book, ROT & RUIN, has won over twenty awards around
the country. It was followed by DUST & DECAY (winner of the Bram Stoker
Award), FLESH & BONE and FIRE & ASH (due out 9/2013).
And I just sold the first two books of a new
mystery-thriller series for older teens featuring Dylan Quinn, the son of
bodyguard parents. The first in the
series will be called WATCH OVER ME and will be released in 2014.
Next I have a few questions from my co-writer on this
blog Jonathan:
Q. when did you realise you wanted to write horror?
A. I wrote several
nonfiction books on the folklore and legends of the supernatural. That made me
look around for novels that were based on folkloric versions of monsters, but I
had a hard time finding any. So…I wrote one, and that became my first novel,
GHOST ROAD BLUES. But I’ve always loved
the horror genre and have been reading it since I was a kid.
Q. And one more, in overcrowded genres how do you keep
things fresh?
A. It’s the job of a writer –or indeed of any creative
person—to find new ways to tell stories. It doesn’t matter if that’s in
fiction, music, dance or whatever. For
me, I explore how the elements of these stories would affect me on a personal
level. Everyone is an individual, and therefore all experiences are unique.
That’s my launching pad.
Back to me now:
Q. Jon there’s a lot of Indie writers out there that
cater to a very specific crowd of readers now I’ve had the pleasure of
interviewing one such man James Cook, how do you feel about these?
A. I’m a supporter
of anyone and every writer who finds an audience and that doesn’t change if
it’s a micro-press indie writer or a New York Times mega-bestseller.
Q. What influences if any have had an impact on your
work?
A. My lifelong study of the martial arts has greatly
influenced my writing. I have become a much disciplined person, and that
discipline allows me to write every day, efficiently, creatively, and
successfully.
Q. What information do you think you can give anyone who
hasn’t read or would sway them onto reading your books?
A. My stories are not about monsters. They are about
people who confront monsters. That appeals to a lot of people because it’s not
exploitive. Also, I’m a smartass, so
there’s a lot of humour in my fiction. I don’t take myself too seriously, and
my characters reflect and often share my goofy sense of humour.
Q. How popular do you think literature is in the world at
moment, as in popular, less popular or on the come back? In my views thanks to
kindle/E-readers it’s making a come back
A. With so much
attention being given to digital publishing and e-readers of all kinds (Nook,
Kindle, iPad, etc.), I think it’s made reading a ‘thing’ again. Social media has created many forums for
people to do everything from Tweet about books they like, blog about their
reading preferences, join Facebook pages for their favourite authors, and even
track their page-by-page progress on Goodreads. As a culture, we’re reading
again. That’s a damn good thing.
Q. Do you have a favourite book or series of books if so
what is it?
A. I have favourite book series in so many genres that we
could be here all day. But there are three series that I will always put at the
top of my lists of ‘best all-time series’.
James Lee Burke’s ‘Dave Robicheaux’ mystery novels, set in contemporary
southern Louisiana. Burke’s world is rich, ornate, recherché, elegant, violent,
funny and even a little mystical at times.
Burke gets my vote for the best living author. Second would be the ‘Travis McGee’ novels by
the late and very much missed John D. MacDonald. Although the books are a bit
dated now in terms of politics, social observation and the battle of the sexes
(the series began in the 1960s), McGee is the model for the tough,
intellectual, reluctant hero. I’ve recently bought all twenty-one of them on
audio and have been listening to the while on book tour. My third favourite
series is The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Politics, superb fantasy
world-building, excellent character development, and lots of action. Runners up
for my favourite series include Michael Moorcock’s ‘Dancers at the End of
Time’, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, and (believe it or not), Joe
McKinney’s zombie series, Dick Francis’ British racing novels. I know…you didn’t see that one coming, did
you?
Q. I am currently trying my hand at writing I find it
hard to concentrate on it for any long amount of time though, cooking, eating,
something else catching my interest. So I write it bit by bit on a blog, how do
you stay focused or what are your tricks for sustained and successful writing?
A. First, don’t publish works on a blog that you later
intend to sell. Publication on the web constitutes ‘first publication’ or
‘first edition’ in many cases, and it can lose you a deal. However, as far as
writing when you either don’t have much time or haven’t yet cultivated the pro
writer’s knack of going long stretches on a regular basis, then here are some
suggestions. First, write every day. No exceptions. I don’t care if you’ve just
had total knee replacement –as soon as the anaesthesia wears off, grab a pen and
paper and write. I say this because that’s exactly what I did. Also, take one project and write it to
completion before writing something else. Completion tends to validate and also
recharge your creative batteries. And, reward yourself. Every day that you
write, put a little bit of money in a card. A quid, say. When that project is
completed, then use that money ONLY for fun.
The thing that happens is that on a subconscious level you begin to
equate writing with reward, and that builds enthusiasm. I started doing that
when I was in college. I still do it.
Some fun questions now Jonathan if you would
Q. Do you have a Zombie Apocalypse plan?
A. Yes. I know where to go (local food distribution
warehouse). I am trained in First Aid, I’m a 6’4” 8th degree black
belt and I’m very good with a sword. I will get my wife and my friends to
safety. Oh, and if there is one of those
whiney guys in our group, I’m going to pitch him out into the zoms. Idiots,
cowards, laggards and fools form no part of my survival plan.
Q. What are your favourite horror films/or series?
A. This one could take all night, so I’ll give you a very
short version. Favourite zombie films –in order—the unrated director’s cut of
Zack Snyder’s remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD is my all-time favourite. Runner up is
the Romero DAWN. Favourite American TV zombie show is THE WALKING DEAD, without
question; but my second favourite is an overlooked and underrated BBC
miniseries called DEAD SET. Brilliant.
For non-zombies: favourite werewolf film: DOG
SOLDIERS. Favourite vampire film: NEAR
DARK, written by Eric Red. Favourite ghost story is THE HAUNTING (the original
BW).
Q. Aside from the obvious what are your favourite classic
monsters, Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Wolfman?
A. I was always a Hammer Films fan. I loved Peter Cushing
as Van Helsing and as Dr. Frankenstein. My favourite giant monster is, and will
always be, Godzilla.
Q. What is your favourite non horror works, films TV etc.
A. My favourites are fickle. All time favourite TV show
is FRIENDS. Favourite recent shows include BREAKING BAD, JUSTIFIED, WILFRED,
REVOLUTION, EPISODES, DEXTER, HOMELAND and GAME OF THRONES.
Q. I believe out of the major horror icons or even
apocalypse settings that the zombie isn’t too far off in reality with all the
chemicals and other types of ways zombies can be created isn’t it just an
accident waiting to happen, what’s your views?
A. We won’t create dead flesh-eating monsters, even
though some of the science is there and the rest could be tweaked given enough
money for research…which no one will. However, rage viruses like that in
Romero’s original THE CRAZIES (and the remake) or like the one in 28 DAYS LATER
---that’s a lot more likely. Scarily so.
Q. On that note what is that your favourite zombie
reanimation way or do you like/prefer any of the following and what are your
views, God/Supernatural, Chemical, Radiation, Voodoo or Extra-Terrestrial?
A. I don’t see any supernatural revival happening, so
that doesn’t work for me. I’d be more afraid of something cooked up in a lab.
Viruses as delivery systems for gene therapy. That sort of thing taking a wrong
turn.
Finally Jonathan
Q. Where do see your series’ and writing going in the
future, as in more follow up new ideas also any film or TV series plans?
A. My next series of teen novels will have no science
fiction nor supernatural elements. It’ll focus more on real-world horrors like
school shootings, bullying, drug uses, teen suicide and other issues. The first
book, WATCH OVER ME, is due out in September 2014.
As for my adult fiction…I’m still writing the Joe Ledger
thrillers and having wicked fun there. I’m currently writing CODE ZERO, the
sixth in that series. I’m also slated to write FALL OF NIGHT, the sequel to
DEAD OF NIGHT, my bestselling zombie novel from 2012. And I’ve got a slew of
short stories coming out in all kinds of genres: Steampunk, ghosts, mysteries,
an Oz story, a Cthulhu story, another of my Sam Hunter –werewolf P.I. stories,
and some adventure fantasy.
And is there anything else you would like to say to your
readers and viewers of this blog?
Sure…come follow me on @jonathanmaberry or on Facebook
www.facebook.com/jonathanmaberry
Thank you Jonathan for doing this Interview and giving
your dedicated readers a little more insight into one of their favourite
authors and what’s going on in their world at the moment
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