Saturday, February 19, 2011

Author Interview: Scott Nicholson

I've heard whispers of Scott Nicholson around the internet, on people's blogs and in the horror fiction community.  I've downloaded The Red Church and Ashes on my kindle.  (I still have to get to them).  I've checked out his website Hauntedcomputer.com and drooled over the cover art on several of his titles.  Then one day, Scott contacted me and kindly agreed to do an interview.  How cool is that?! I think authors are some of the most fascinating people on the planet.  I love to know what they think and *how* they think.  After I meet or converse with an author, I think I'm more likely to read their work.  My curiosity gets the best of me and I want to glimpse inside their head.  So let's peek inside Scott's head with a few questions.



What is your newest project?
I recently released two novellas, the mystery Crime Beat and the paranormal romance mystery Transparent Lovers. Ill soon be releasing the paranormal book Ghost of a Chance with JR Rain and on April 1, I am launching the psychological thriller Liquid Fear.

You probably wouldn't be able to pick a favorite book that you've written, but can you tell me which one is your "darkest" book, which one you've enjoyed writing the most, which one effected you the most?
I’ve written funny stuff like October Girls and a children’s book If I Were Your Monster, but many of my works are supernatural or mystery thrillers. I’d have to say the bleakest is Disintegration, and the title pretty much sums up what my life was like at the time!

What is currently on your own bookshelves?
I am usually reading non-fiction books, though I like Koontz and King and Elmore Leonard and James Lee Burke. Right now I am reading one of JR Rain’s, The Girl With The Vampire Tattoo, because we’re writing the sequel together, and also reading a book on “The Nazi Doctors,” because I’m fascinated by the way normal people can be swayed to do horrible things, how psychology tricks us and we allow ourselves to be manipulated.

What have you read recently that you've really enjoyed?
The last book that was pure fun and had me laughing and thinking was Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn, about a small-time hood with Tourette’s Syndrome.

How did your writing evolve?
I started out making little comic books on notebook paper and just kept writing and writing, and pretty soon I had a pretty big pile of it. It’s really just part of who I am, no big deal, but it’s what I do.

You told me that you are now primarily published in e-format. Can you tell me a little bit how that came about and how you like it? Is it more work because you have to keep up with social media or do you feel it is better because of the people you can reach?
Paper books are costly and are hard to distribute, and ebooks make it easy to give the reader a good, low price. Plus there’s little overhead for the writer, so it really gets down to a personal transaction between the reader and writer without a thousand people taking money from both. It’s easier in many ways because your audience is sitting there at the computer and you don’t have to convince them to get dressed and drive to the store.

Why scary stories? What attracts you to this genre?
We were raised on the Appalachian font-porch storytelling, and often the stories were about ghosts, witches, or creatures. Now I just modernize those old folk tales.

What is your favorite horror movie?
It varies, but I like the themes of otherness, like Night of the Living Dead, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and The Thing.

Thanks for the interview!

Thank YOU Scott. 

Scott Nicholson is author of 20 books, including The Red Church, Speed Dating with the Dead, and Forever Never Ends. He also created the comics Dirt and Grave Conditions. His web site is http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/.

4 comments:

Brenda Wallace said...

I'm really enjoying Crime Beat right now. The humor is just so insightful. I have a lot of Scott's books, too, in my TBR queue because I enjoy great writing. I also think authors are some of the most fascinating people on earth. Well, it was a little scary, but I'm glad we got a glimpse inside Scott's head.

Karen said...

Great interview - I'll be checking out Scott's books.

Missie, The Unread Reader said...

Scott Nicholson is a writing machine! I've read October Girls and enjoyed the humor. Looking forward to reading more of his work.

Midnyte Reader said...

Thanks for the comments everyone. I'll be checking out Scott's books too!

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