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The 7Q Interview: John Claude Smith

AUTHOR BIO

John Claude Smith has published two collections (The Dark is Light Enough for Me and Autumn in the Abyss), four chapbooks (Dandelions, Vox Terrae, The Anti-Everything, and The Wrath of Concrete and Steel), and two novels. Riding the Centipede was published by Omnium Gatherum in 2015 and was a Bram Stoker Award finalist for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. The Wilderness Within was published by Trepidatio/JournalStone in October of 2017. His third collection, Occasional Beasts: Tales, will be published in September of 2018. He splits his time between the East Bay of northern California, across from San Francisco, and Rome, Italy, where his heart resides always.

QUESTIONS

#1. Looking back, what’s one fiction book that you feel truly made an impact on your writing? Do you still gravitate towards that author?

#1. There can never be just one book that leaves a thermonuclear impact on a writer’s writing. Most of us have books littered throughout our reading timeline that stand out, sometimes in ways bigger than we might imagine, especially if we write as a means of creative release…or psychological/philosophical survival…or just to know more about the person we are. That said, I would have to say there were two books that left a profound impact on my writing: Crash by J.G. Ballard and The Books of Blood by Clive Barker. Both books opened my mind to a way of thinking that anything was possible. There’s even a Barker quote I love that states this perfectly: “I forbid my mind nothing.” Ballard was primarily a science fiction writer, or some offshoot of science fiction that explored the inner mind (hence, the New Wave of SF from the 1960s and 1970s), whereas Barker’s fiction was steeped in horror and the fantastical.

With Crash, Ballard invited the reader into the mind of the narrator, one James Ballard, and the personal thoughts most of us would rather leave unexplored, and definitely unvoiced. For a young man just out of his teens, this was a vital discovery. Over the years, so many more writers have shown me this, expanded on this, but Ballard was there first, at least in what I had read up to then. More so, the way many of his tales really sank their fangs into my psyche—it was never just about what’s on the surface, it’s what is awakened by what seems to be on the surface. With The Books of Blood, there were no secrets as Barker opened a vein and bled for us, showed us everything. I’d never visualized so deeply while reading until I read The Books of Blood, though as I state this, I remember being seven and my mother handing me a horror anthology that had a tale by H.P. Lovecraft in it—I don’t remember which tale, though I think it was one of the Silver Key tales—and how that tale completely took me to the land it depicted, the all-around ambience and imagery filling my mind. Mind you, I do not believe it’s necessary as a writer to show everything—utilizing all avenues within the writer’s toolbox means it’s an option, one of many to choose from, in order to tell a tale. With the malleable putty that was my young mind, both of these books, each in their own way, came off as more honestto me. Especially with Ballard, whose work I go to again and again, the crystalline insight within Crash and many of his other works showed me the best way to touch the reader is to hold nothing back. Connections are made once we drop the walls within. Those truths that make us squirm inside? They should be part of the mix of storytelling. Or just those inner thoughts that question so much about the curious machinations of the world around us, not even the ones that bring discomfort, they just point out observations from an unfamiliar trajectory. There’s much more to how Ballard opened my eyes and ways of thinking than this, but you get the point. I don’t go back to Barker as much these days, but both he and Ballard set the path, of which my fiction has branched out from. And, of course, to the casual reader, my style is more along Barker’s, I suppose.

As an aside, I must mention not a book, but a short story that was like receiving a sledgehammer lobotomy when I first read it: “The Night They Missed the Horror Show,” by Joe R. Lansdale. This fit the theme to blood-soaked, perverse perfection. It shook the writing brain down to the roots.

#2. How do you feel about the use of sub-genres in the industry? How do you describe your work overall?

#2. Why not? I’ve always wanted to be classified as a writer who writes Literary Weird Psychological Philosophical Extreme Body Horror Not Your Average Horror Horror, so go for it!

Actually, if it can point a potential reader toward a genre that fits what they believe they want to read, it’s all fine. I would hope the reader would be open to exploring more than one genre, though. I mean, I get bored if all I’m reading is just one kind of horror, or fiction in general. But I’ve never been one drawn to the primary horror tropes—zombies, vampires, etc.—so who am I to say? (Then again, I do have this one zombie tale in progress…as well as a vampire piece that’s deep into novella territory, so perhaps I’m just full of…y’know.)

#3. What about your writing process do you think is unique or quirky? What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

#3. I remember reading so many books about the writing process, do this, don’t do that, no wait, do that…don’t do this, so I kind of think the best thing is to do whatever works for you as a writer to get the tales written. And if you’re not getting them written, then you need to shake things up, find a better way. Being consistent is one of the keys for me, as in, writing every day, putting in the time and focus, because in my case, stuff happens, unexpected stuff happens, as the writing brain locks in and evolves, and being with the words often helps push these things forward. When I say, “being with the words,” I also mean through reading. Immerse yourself in all aspects of storytelling.

Anyway, I don’t know if this is unique, but I have found I like to get a story almost done, approaching the ending and with designs on how it should turn out…and stopping. Going back to the beginning, doing the primary editing and shaping, so I can get the ending correct, because where I think it’s going might be quite different as I reread everything and see what really is going on. It’s worked well, and I like getting a tale completed and realizing most of the editing has already been dealt with. Sure, another run-through or seven might happen, but it’s a solid foundation to make whatever minor alterations are necessary.

As far as bad advice, I couldn’t tell you. As I was reading those books about writing, I would take it all in. The stuff that works or seems like it would work stuck with me. The bad or useless advice got shuffled off to the warehouse in the back of the brain where everything learned but no longer needed sits amidst the synaptic cobwebs or…well…

#4. How does music and media factor into your writing? Do you feel it plays as much an inspirational role as literature?

#4. Music, the arts in general, are huge for me. Creative people drive much of my fiction. Creative people and damaged people, often one and the same. Perhaps the most curious aspect of how music works for me is that I usually do not write with music playing. I like ambient sounds, the world around me, or nothing (I’d say “silence,” but it’s never really silent—white noise abounds--hence, ambient sounds).

When I am writing, if the writing is as it should be, I am fully immersed. It does not matter what’s playing or not in the background, I am with the characters. I might write with certain songs or music in my head, in a way, the rhythm of the tale dictating as much, but it’s usually internal. Probably why there’s lots of musical references in my fiction. It’s always there, even when it’s not.

I sometimes will play music before writing, setting the appropriate mood, yet when I settle down, again, it does not matter. I don’t really hear anything outside of my head, for the most part.

I will admit, though, for whatever reason, when I was doing the first draft of my novel, Riding the Centipede, Echo and the Bunnymen’s first four albums were with me the whole way.

#5. As an author, how much do you engage in social media? Do you feel it is more for your own entertainment, or for marketing and networking?

#5. I’m online every day, sometimes with the intent to promote myself or others, sometimes to connect with people, sometimes with no agenda and just rolling with the flow of the day in the news, the moods of people, etc. It’s a fascinating form of psychological/societal study, if one is willing to just take it all in: the good, the bad, and how privacy is practically obsolete in a world lived out loud, in every way. Probably why I appreciate the hours away from the internet writing, exploring the world, hanging out with my girlfriend, etc. Keeps me sane.

Sometimes I think of how wonderful it would have been fifty years ago when a writer was sent out on a book tour and perhaps a spot or three on television talk shows and it was taken care of by the publisher and then you were allowed to get back to writing without the world out there set to devour your time. That said, I genuinely enjoy many facets of what must be dealt with now, it’s a different world, the world has changed immensely since I was a kid, and we must change along with it, or at least consider how we can work within those changes. Except when I get sucked into the social media side of things and realize I’ve lost hours in the process, ahem…

Which reminds me, I need to do a blog post later today about the new collection.

#6. Where do you see the future of horror fiction heading? In turn, what changes would you love to see, either socially or technologically?

#6. Hard question to answer because what will happen and what I see as possibly happening and what I’d like to see happen don’t exactly cross paths. I’d say, with fiction, the inspired fiction that’s not hooked as an IV to the forever lines dangling off the vampire and zombie tropes has shown quite a bit of promise. A lot more weird fiction and cosmic horror (Have you read Brian Hodge’s latest novel, The Immaculate Void? An absolute stunner that really pushes cosmic horror in ways I’ve not often read) has arisen…like a vampire once night falls—no, no, excuse that. A lot more has arisen that inspires me as a writer. Fiction in general and horror specifically that’s out of the norm, and better for it. It’s always been there, but it seems to be gaining a firmer foothold over the last decade.

Even if it’s not weird fiction (or weird horror, yes, let’s get that straight) or cosmic horror, some movies have done horror justice lately, like A Quiet Place and Hereditary and The Ritual; okay, there’s some weird/cosmic elements woven into the last one. I know of some other movies that might really embrace these things, yet I’ve not seen them, so no room to state one way or another. But if nothing else, I hope a stronger incorporation of the weird and cosmic happens, and not just a tease. For example, I was hooked with the first couple episodes of the first season of True Detective, that wonderfully bleak Ligottian mindset pouring out of Rust’s mind and mouth, but there were a couple points over the next few episodes where, amidst the weird possibilities, I could see it was not going to go all the way. Specifically, there was the end of episode 4 or 5, when they showed some guy with a mask and a machete stomping around in his underwear amidst the tall weeds—okay, don’t kill me if I’m off in specs here, that’s what comes to my mind as I think on it, and not having seen it since it was aired, my mind might have mixed some things up there, but the gist, man, the gist is there sooo—so, anyway, that image let me know we were going to end up steering away from the pure cosmic weirdness hinted at so far--of what could have been--and were being dropped down into more familiar territory (I also remember a post on FB where somebody stated something to the effect, it was the scariest image they’d ever seen, and I thought, you’ve got to be kidding?!!!).

The point to all this is that I’d really like to see horror dig deeper into the cosmic or weird, as well as just the different—different perspectives, diverse perspectives—with diversity being a means of growth in the field.

#7. What can you tell us about any forthcoming projects? What titles would you like to promote now?

#7. Just out is my third collection (though some people qualify my OOP chapbook of three tales, The Wrath of Concrete and Steel, as one, but I don’t), Occasional Beasts: Tales. In the pipeline, I’ve got “American Ghost” to be included in the Joe Pulver edited anthology, The Leaves of a Necronomicon, out in November, and “Normal,” which will be out soon in the Test Patterns: Creature Features anthology. After that, it’s all in progress: A novel/novella or two, short tales (wrapping up another collection!), and a secret project with my girlfriend, Alessandra, that’s threatening to make our brains implode. Busy is a way of life, and I don’t mind one bit when it comes to my writing.

AUTHOR PIC

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