For clarification, the main character's name in both novels is Sylvester Logan James. So if you see SLJ, that's what we're talking about.
Now, as Arnold said in Conan the Destroyer, ENOUGH TALK!
J: Where did you get the idea for the SLJ series?
B: That’s a question
that doesn’t have just one answer because the idea itself and the character
both evolved from a youthful fascination with classic horror. A host of influences
helped shape the story into what it is today. My inspirations ranged from my
Dad and our mutually admired border-hero Lewis Wetzel, to an obscure scene on an
episode of Laverne and Shirley, circa
1977.
As a kid I saw lots
of vampire killers in movies and comic-books, but there was a conspicuous
absence of werewolf-hunters. I decided to remedy this apparent oversight by
creating one of my own, but Sylvester Logan James would be barely recognizable
in his earliest incarnation. The character who would become SLJ first starred
in my home-made comics as the Werewolf Stalker, and then graduated to a career in
typewritten short stories. I started taking the character seriously around 1998
when I gave him a literary makeover in When
the Autumn Moon is Bright, which would become Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter. To this day I have six
unpublished, SLJ based manuscripts that bear little resemblance to the AWH
storyline.
J: What has your experience working with Permuted Press been
like?
B: I couldn’t have
asked for better people than Permuted Press; they’re an exceptionally
author-friendly, forward-thinking outfit. I have nothing but good things to say
about Jacob, who has the best interests of his authors at heart. I’m fortunate
to be associated with him and such a talented stable of writers.
J: How has becoming an author changed your life?
B: I was
self-published for a number of years and I can tell you at this point it’s
mostly bragging rights. Naturally, if you’re a writer being published is a big
deal; just ask one who isn’t. I mean tell someone at a party you’re a writer
and they’ll probably tell you about poems they’ve written or the idea they had
for a novel back in high school. On the other hand, if you say you’re a
published author you might get a, “Oh, really?”
In the life-changing
department I’d like to say being an author has made me independently wealthy
and won me national acclaim, but I can’t so you might want to ask me again when
I’m a NYT bestseller.
J: How do your family and friends feel about your choice of
genre?
B: My friends love
it, but of course you can pick your friends can’t you? Family is a much harder
sell, because they’ve probably put up with our ramblings since adolescence and
won’t see us for the polished wordsmiths we’ve become. My family isn’t much in
the way of horror and I don’t think they understand its appeal, so for the most
part I get an occasional “atta-boy” but that’s about all. Truthfully, that’s
enough because while they might not fully appreciate what I write, they’ve always been supportive. In fact, each of my
parents played key roles in my decision to be a story-teller. When I was only
10 my mother gave me her old typewriter on which I wrote my very first stories,
and thus instilled in me a love for writing. My father’s attitude towards the
concept of werewolves is the very foundation of SLJ, and defined my
interpretation of “The Beast” once and for all.
J: What do you do when you’re not writing?
B: Basically, I chase
a toddler all over hell’s creation. I’m also teaching him to hunt werewolves
and cast silver bullets in between periods of wiping the snot off his cheeks. Other
than that I’m a bit of a firearm and motorcycle aficionado, though the seldom
get a chance to indulge both interests at once. I also dabble in graphic design
and have created a line of horror/sci-fi themed labels which I put on antique
bottles and sell on Ebay around Halloween.
J: What can your fans expect in 2013? Any new releases
coming up?
B: This year with a
bit of luck I’ll be able to finish The Lineage,
which is the third and probably last installment in the AWH series. I’ve been
working on this thing for what feels like way too long, but when you add a
20-month old to a pre-existing penchant for working slowly I guess that’s bound
to happen.
My buddy Miles Boothe
has edited a nice anthology series for Pill Hill Press called Legends of the Monster Hunter, to which
I’ve contributed a Foreword and other supplemental material. The first two
books, Leather, Denim and Silver and The Trigger Reflex are available right now
and the third installment Use Enough Gun should
be out sometime this year. There are some real gems in these books that are
worth the purchase price all by themselves.
J: Would you ever consider writing a zombie novel?
B: I don’t think so, it’s
not my niche and I have no vision for it. I’d have to have a real epiphany of
an idea to even consider it. You know, something that’s never been done in a
field where almost everything’s been done? No, I believe I’d write another kind
of monster novel first, maybe an Aztec mummy or something.
J: Who do you think could play SLJ in a movie? Any other
cast picks for characters from your novels?
B: My dream cast is pretty
well established for a movie treatment: Gillian Anderson as Tanya Clemons,
Gabriel Byrne as Daniel Rogier, Christopher Walken as Diego etc., but SLJ has
always been harder to cast. It’d have to be someone with a talent for
portraying anger and grief with equal enthusiasm; someone who is masculine
without being loutish and visually striking without being pretty. When I think
about movie characters who with these traits I settle on Bill the Butcher (Gangs of New York) and Nathaniel
Bumppo, aka Hawkeye (Last of the
Mohicans), both as played by Daniel Day Lewis. Sam Eliot would also be my
first choice to play Foster, SLJ’s father.
J: Do you have any book or movie recommendations for your
fans?
B: You know, tastes
vary so wildly from person to person that I’m always hesitant to suggest books
and films to others. However, there is one book I would recommend to anyone
interested in tales of violent redemption and that’s Cormac McCarthy’s
masterpiece, Blood Meridian. To say
the least it’s not for the faint of heart or the easily befuddled, but for me
it’s become the gold standard.
In these days when horror
seems to have been watered down or glitzed to the nines, I think it behooves
those of us with an abiding interest in the genre to re-visit its roots and the
classic authors who pretty much defined it. I think reading the old
grandfathers like Jacobs, Derleth and Blackwood could give us some perspective
and re-calibrate our palate for what bumps in the night.
As far as movies go
I’ll just drop a couple titles that I think are underrated. Ravenous (1999), starring Guy Pearce and
Robert Carlyle combines my two favorite genres (horror and western) into a
bloody, funny and downright cool-as-hell romp through the American wilderness
with a genuine Windigo. Also, if you’ve never seen Angel Heart (1987) with Mickey Rourke you’re really missing
something as far as I’m concerned.
J: What would you tell anyone who hasn’t read your books yet
to get them to give it a shot?
B: All I can promise
is that my monsters don’t sparkle and my protagonist doesn’t gratuitously take
off his shirt. My werewolves aren’t romanticized, bare-chested love-puppies and
my hero only looks like the “good guy” because of the company he keeps. I paint
a hard-boiled, sometimes noir world of teeth on the floor and hair on the wall
and make no apologies for it. I strive to make the existence of werewolves as
realistic as possible, and since I see them as demonic creatures I’m going to
take you to places that are pretty messed up.
I’d also add that
these stories have a larger tale to tell than just a vengeance-seeking
anti-hero at odds with supernatural monsters. The heart of the series is a
running commentary on the effects of hatred on the human soul, but you don’t
necessarily have to appreciate that to enjoy the story.
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