FAQ
Here are some things I am frequently asked, have been asked once or twice in the past, or imagine being asked in the future, and the answers as I am best able to provide them today.
Got one of your own? Make it interesting and send it to me through the form on the homepage, and I'll do my damnedest to answer it here in this space. Who knows, maybe this will become my own twisted little version of an advice column, even though I have no qualifications whatsoever to dispense advice. But, whatever. Let's have a little fun.
Q: Are you OK?
A: Yes. I'm fine. I just like writing about the darker facets of human nature. I think reading and writing about fear, loss, loneliness, isolation, broken hearts, love, birth, death, financial strain, and the basic struggle to survive in life, emotionally and physically, are interesting and invigorating ways to think about people. I like to imagine what's going on behind the crooked smile, the mother of two's zoned-out expression in the cereal aisle of the grocery store, why that man on the bus is grinning like he just ate something he wasn't supposed to. I think dark fiction helps illuminate the night.
Q: When is your next book coming out?
A: If all goes well (I don't lose the ability to write or get shot in the face during a Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart) and my publisher likes the novel I turn in this January, my next novel, The Fading, will be released in July of 2012. For the past three years, this has been my spot on the schedule. As a professional, I intend to finish one novel per year. Therefore, barring a crisis or some kind of change on my publisher's schedule, it's probably reasonable and fair fo you to look forward to (I don't like the word expect) a new book from me every July, or summer, or thereabouts.
Q: Why can't I find your books in the US?
A: Well, two of them are available in the US now. The Birthing House was released by St. Martin's Press in 2009 and can be ordered through most bookstores and online sellers. My second novel, The Haunting of James Hastings, is being released in the US under my preferred title, Killing Ghost, in early May of 2012. This is a lovelingly put together trade hardcover, also available in two collector's limited editions, with a new afterword by the author.
As for my two most recent titles, The People Next Door and The Fading, my agent is working on placing them with publishers as I type this. The reason there has been a lag-time between my UK releases and the US versions of same is simple: my first book sold well in the UK, and my publisher there, Little, Brown, has graciously asked for more Ransom novels. The Birthing House (for reasons anyone is free to speculate on) did not sell very well in the US, and so the larger American houses have been hesitant to pick up my subsequent books. Believe me, it is as frustrating for me that I have had 3 bestelling titles in a row overseas (thank you, all of my UK readers), but less good fortune here. Hopefully, as I continue to build momentum with each book and acquire new readers, another publisher in the US will pick up my other titles.
At any rate, I am terribly grateful to have readers here and abroad, and I will continue to write the best books I am capable of writing in order to expand my readership.
Q: Do you have any advice for becoming a writer / finding an agent / getting published?
A: Yes, but probably none you haven't heard before. Read 100 or so books per year for about a decade or two. Write every day, for free, because you love it, for about a decade or two. Get an education somewhere anaywhere anyhow, travel, grow up, look beyond your own life and small sad circle, have experiences, fall in love, make mistakes, try new things, follow your heart, live passionately, listen to others, observe, risk, fail, pick yourself up again, do the homework like a professional, study the art and the industry, shoot for the sun if you hope to hit the moon, bite off more than you can chew, chew harder, work harder, want it more than everyone else you know who says they want to be a writer, stop talking about it and do it. Write. Write. Write. Take pride in rejection. Tell the critics and haters to go fuck themselves. Eradicate doubt through more hard work. Write about that thing you are most afraid to write about. Avoid politics. Eat well, sleep well, and don't be an asshole. Stop reading trash and demand more of yourself. Put down the bong and pick up the pen. Go to a Pearl Jam concert and watch that intensity and passion and remind yourself, yes, that much, that's how much life force you must bring to the page, which is your stage. Never, ever, ever, no matter what, if someone rips your heart out and eats it in front of you and shits it out in front of you, never, ever, never, ever under any circumstances quit.
Q: Is there going to be a movie made out of one of your books?
A: I certainly hope so. I have a film agent who is attempting to shake the branches, but I learned long ago that holding one's breath while waiting for Hollywood to do anything for one is a good way for one to suffocate.
Q: Have you read the new Stephen King book? What did you think of it?
A: Yes. It's a tradition of mine to read every new King book upon release, going back to 1985 or so, when I was about 12. My mom always buys them for me, just like back in the day. No, I am not going to review it here or anywhere else. I love the way King writes and I enjoy even his less-than-masterpieces. Besides, the world needs another Stephen King review from someone who is not in his league like I need a bowl of dry Rice Krispies shoved up my nose holes. And, frankly, when esteemed critics like Harold Bloom can't even get their pretty little heads around what makes him so good and why he is a Great Author, there is no use in me spending my time trying to convince anyone. Those who know, know.
Q: Why do you have so many cuss words in your books? Do you have to use the F-word so much? Do your characters have to think and say fuck so much?
A: I write about the things I see and hear, and I don't pal around with nuns and monks. Soon as the world at large cleans up its potty mouth, I'll clean up my potty pen.
Q: I'm not a prude, I swear, but I don't understand why you have to show sex and describe dirty things in your-
A: Yes, you are. Everyone who starts off by saying, "I swear I'm not . . ." very much is. But I will answer your question with another question, or two. Why are you with OK reading about and watching violence, guns, rape, exploding heads, cannabalism, assault, cruelty, and so many other MEAN things but not OK with something that is generally regarded, among those who have experienced it in a caring way, as beautiful? Why is it OK for writers to go into great detail about emotional violence and the weather and the landscape but not OK for writers to depict sex? Aren't sex and sexuality a large part of our psychology and humanity, even when we are not having sex or even thinking about sex? Isn't fiction supposed to take us behind closed doors? Why should such a large piece of real estate in the human condition be shunned in fiction? Besides, what makes you think that when I am writing about sex I am actually writing about sex?
Q: Kindle or iPad?
A: Neither, yet.
Q: I just finished reading one of your books. Do you have any recommendations for me?
A: Well, if you haven't read all of my books, I would hope you would seek those out next. But I realize I only have the four novels available, so if you've had your fill of my stuff, I would recommend checking out my All-Time Favorites page, as well as the "Nightstand" link on my site. These pages feature books I have loved in the past or am enjoying now. And anything by Peter Blauner, Colin Harrison, T.C. Boyle, John Fowles, Michael Marshall and Scott Spencer should satisy anyone who loves a gripping narrative with real human insight.
Q: Do you think Tim Tebow has what it takes to be a champion NFL quarterback and will he become the franchise man for the Denver Broncos?
A: Yes, I do. I think he has all the tools and the potential to grow into the job. I could care less about his personal beliefs and I think he looks silly praying on the field, but he seems like a decent person and seems to be inspiring his teammates. That's leadership and a win is a win is a win. Plus, he's fun to watch.
Q: How many spaces do you use after a period?
A: Two. I recently learned this is incorrect, but it's a damn difficult habit to break after 20+ years of double-thumbing the space bar after every period, question mark, and, very rarely, the exclamation point. See, I just did it again.
(This is all I have time for today. This feature will be continued when I think of something more...)