by Valarie Thorpe

eemed 'a name to watch' by HorrorNet, James Newman lives with his wife, Glenda, and 15-month-old son, Jamie, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina -- more specifically he exists in a single room filled with morbid toys and leering posters of every horror-movie maniac imaginable.

And books. Lots and lots of books.

Not to mention dense clouds of cigarette smoke, which he's sure will one day be his 'undoing.'

A self-professed 'horror freak and internet junkie,' James' influences include Stephen King, Joe R. Lansdale, Ed Gorman, John Carpenter, "hard-drivin' rock n' roll," blues, and Southern culture in general ("sometimes the scariest thing of all"). His fiction has appeared in (amongst others) Dread, Shadowfeast Online, Darkness Within, and the U.K. anthology Nasty Snips. He is Co-Editor (with Brian Knight) of the new horror web-zine Deviant Minds.

Recently an independent production company bought an option on James' original thriller/road-movie screenplay Bad Road.

Visit James online at http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html or feel free to drop him a line anytime at jnewman@brinet.com."

James graciously recently agreed to answer a slew of questions for us at Really Scary and for that we pass along a resounding thank you and booming slap on the back -- Thanks James! Rum & Cokes on us!

What's the one thing you credit the most as being the catalyst/primary motivator for your becoming a published writer?

Actually, if I may cheat a little, there are two things.

First I gotta give credit to my mother, who -- throughout the years when I would say "I wanna be a witer when I gwow up" (and I'd always back it up with these goofy little monster stories scribbled in crayon) -- never insisted that I "have something to fall back on." Not once. She always told me I could be whatever I want to be. Matter of fact, she often said (maybe not in these exact words, but you get the picture): "If you don't do something with that writing talent God gave you -- even if it is writing that twisted horror stuff, that's fine if that's what you want to do, 'cause you're good at it -- then I'll kick your ass. It'd be a shame to let that talent go to waste."

Second, the main catalyst you asked about, my primary motivator that made me realize "I can do this!" I guess was winning the "Killer Frog" Contest a few years back. In case you're not familiar with it, "Killer Frog" is an annual writing competition sponsored by The Scavenger's Newsletter (a recommended periodical for writers who want tips, markets, "inside information," etc. -- very helpful) in which a writer must create a premise so absurd, so over-the-top and ridiculous, that a horror story quickly becomes humorous. I sent Editor Janet Fox my story "Soft In the Middle" back in . . . '97, I believe it was . . . and she loved it. "Soft In the Middle" -- a gory little tongue-in-cheek yarn about killer doughnuts -- took First Place that year.

Yes, you read that right. Killer doughnuts.

I won this ugly little frog statuette that still sits on my bookshelf to this day, $25 I think it was, and of course a copy of the anthology when it came out. Pretty cool.

Of course, the contest is actually publicized in all the small-press trade-zines and such as "A Contest Featuring Horror Stories As Bad As They Can Be," or something to that effect, so I'm not sure if winning is something I should still be bragging about!

But it sure made my day at the time. And made me realize that maybe . . . just maybe . . . I could swing a career out of this writing thing.

What was your first published work?

My very first was this gory gangsta/urban-monster thingamajig called "Offspring." I first sent it to David Barnett's Into the Darkness, and they sent me back my very first rejection. Which was actually a very encouraging rejection (I sure wish they could all be like that!): they claimed it was a bit predictable but the ending was "very good and showed definite potential."

So I sent that one right back out to another little 'zine, the now-defunct (I'm pretty sure) Widow of the Orchid. They accepted it. And that was all she wrote.

I couldn't believe that the second sub I ever sent to someone could be accepted! I figured that either meant that I actually might be worth a darn at this writing thing . . . or maybe it was just flat-out luck. Either way, it gave me the confidence I needed to keep going.

Of course, now I look back at "Offspring" and wince. Pretty horrible.

For the record, not to knock Widow or anything . . . but the first published work of mine that I really count would be my story (still a favorite of mine as well as of those who have read my stuff, it'll always have a special place in my heart) "Uncle Bernie's Liquor Cabinet." Bill Hughes accepted it for Dread, a nice-looking little 'zine which, sadly, closed just a few months ago. That was a nice one. Hell of a guy, great editor.

How long a haul was it for you before you published your first work? Any 'trying to get published' horror stories you'd pass along to aspiring writers?

Well, like I said, it wasn't that bad at all. Not like I'd heard, at least! Widow of the Orchid was only the second submission I'd ever made since I decided I wasn't just gonna write and keep my stories to myself (where would that get me, after all?), but try to take that big step and submit them "professionally." That felt really good. Definitely gave this young writer an incredible boost in self-confidence.

I don't really have any horror stories . . . yet! Knock on wood, I hope I never do, although if I'm around long enough I'm sure I'll have plenty down the road. The only thing that even comes close is the inevitable story all "up-and-coming" writers will tell you, which is getting a piece accepted to a great market and then before the issue featuring your "pride-and-glory" is released, the magazine folds. It happens all the time. It's happened once or twice to me, but you just have to take the story back once the rights are officially relinquished, keep your head up because you know it's a good one and it will find another home, and move on to the next market.

That happened with "Dirty Black Summer," actually. Tracy Martin accepted it a while back for Mindmares (one of the best in the small-press), and then she recently closed the magazine. What a shame. I was disappointed, of course (I'd been trying to break into Mindmares forever, and now it had finally happened!), but I just took the story and submitted it to Fangoria's website when they started their online fiction section. And they accepted it. That felt great! A lot of people diss Fango, but I grew up reading that magazine (still do, in fact -- I'm a subscriber), so that was a real honor . . . to be the first story accepted in their new fiction venture (and the money sure didn't hurt my feelings either -- the most I've gotten paid for a story yet!).

As far as advice I'd give? That's an easy one . . . the best piece of advice I ever received: NEVER GIVE UP. Ever. You can't take rejections personally. You're gonna get a shit-load of 'em. But if you keep trying, and you want it bad enough -- and you have the talent there to begin with, even if it takes a little "honing" to perfect your craft -- then you will be published. And what a feeling when it finally happens . . . makes all that hard work pay off and then some.

I'm definitely making an assumption with this question but considering it's what you do, I figure I'm probably all right making this leap, and with that extended justification out of the way -- Why do you enjoy horror writing? What's its appeal?

I, for one, am glad to be called a "horror writer." I'm not ashamed of that in the least. It's what I love, it's the genre I love to read the most, the genre of movie I like to watch the most. So why would I be ashamed of that? Sure, not everything I write is straight-out horror, per se (actually a large part of what I've been writing lately has been more "dark humor"-kinda stuff . . . sick n' twisted, but more perversely comical than outright "scary"), but I have no problem with that label at all. I love horror -- as my bio says, I'm a "horror freak!" Always have been, always will be. I'd much rather sit down and watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist, or Phantasm over dinner than Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? or the latest installment of Survivor. I'd rather introduce my son to the joys of The Thing or Rosemary's Baby or maybe David Cronenberg's The Fly (once he's a little older, of course) than Barney or the TeleTubbies.

That is, if my wife would allow such a thing. Which . . . well, let's just say I'm not gonna hold my breath.

My dear ole' dad, God bless him, took me to see Halloween and The Incredible Melting Man at the drive-in when I was only like 4 or 5 years old (the strange part is, I can actually remember this pretty well!), and -- while I don't know what the hell he was thinking! -- I'm sure glad he did. If that's what "warped" me, so be it . . . thanks, Dad.

Again, back to being a horror writer . . . I have a real problem with people who are so scared of the "horror" tag, ya know? Why turn your back on what you grew up reading, writing, watching, and loving? The "dark fantasy" label that gets slapped on many books these days frankly pisses me off. It's a cop-out. One of my favorite writers, Bentley Little, said it best (and I'm paraphrasing here, so forgive me -- can't remember the exact quote): "What's up with that? Pretty soon, they're gonna be calling Dracula 'dark romance,' Frankenstein 'supernatural sci-fi.'" Heehee.

I've always loved being scared. I think many people are the same way. It's the thrill of danger, the goosebumps on your arms, the adrenaline-rush . . . my friends and I love going out at night, just sitting in the dark under the full moon, and intentionally trying to scare the hell out of ourselves. Before the local law deemed it illegal, we used to walk the railroad tracks in our hometown till two or three in the morning, telling one another stories of ghastly things that lurked in our paths. Flesh-eating hobos lurking down the line, packed like rotting sardines in boxcars made of bones as they waited our arrival. Strange, I know . . . but we had a friggin' blast. The thing is, if you go too far in scaring yourself, you can always go back inside where it's warm and safe.

For now.

That reminds me . . . my friend Donn and I really need to finish that book, The Hoboes, that we started way back in like tenth grade or something. I think that one had some definite potential.

Anyway . . . "normal" people (and I use that term loosely) tend to look at me funny when they ask me what kind of stuff I write. "Horror," I usually say, just to give them a quick, easy answer, and they usually reply by gawking at me as if I just grew a penis in the center of my forehead. "Oh, like Stephen King-kinda stuff?" they ask. "Sure," I say, just for the sake of -- once again -- a quick, easy answer.

"Ahhh . . . cool," is their comeback.

For once, I'd like to stare back at someone and ask them, "Why are you so surprised?" I mean, here I am talking to them in my faded Night of the Living Dead T-shirt, a ratty old copy of Graham Masterton's Feast under one arm . . . what'd they expect me to say: "Oh, Danielle Steele-kinda stuff"?

I've often wondered, though . . . why is it that, when you reply "Stephen King-kinda stuff" to a question like that, then everything is okay? Why is "horror" not cool, but "Stephen King-kinda stuff" is? Last I checked, Stephen King was, for the most part, a "horror writer." At least in my opinion.

Boy, I really got off on a tangent there, didn't I? Jeez. I don't think I answered your original question at all!

Okay, here's the best answer I can give you: Because I'd rather write horror than scripts for All My Children.

Though I'd suspect the latter pays a helluva lot better.

I really enjoyed "Dirty Black Summer," (the first published fiction by Fangoria on their website.) Do you find that you do much in the way of historical research when you write or do you primarily write what you know?

Nine times out of ten, I do follow that old credo: "Write what you know." You'll notice in a lot of my fiction a sort of "southern tone," if you will, a "rural" thing goin' on. Because that's what I know, that's where I'm from. My hometown is the redneck capital of the free world. Ugh. That can be a good thing, however, when it comes to writing. Lots of good material there, quirky characters galore.

You mentioned "Dirty Black Summer." Perfect example for the "research" part of your question . . . I did more research on "DBS" than I've ever done on anything else. It was a tough one. Not just because of the research, though, but the over-all subject matter.

Along with my upcoming novella Holy Rollers, "DBS" is the only other story I've ever felt mentally drained upon completing. I don't know how to explain it better than that. I realize it was just a short story, but "DBS" (like Holy Rollers) left me feeling so tired when I was finally finished. Exhausted. I felt as if I'd just gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson, and he'd bitten both my ears off! And my nose. Maybe even a couple fingers.

Again, maybe it was the subject matter. Those two stories took a lot out of me. I didn't think I'd ever be able to write again, especially after 'Rollers was completed. It was scary, to be perfectly honest.

Getting back to your question (there I go again, rambling), "DBS" required a lot of research. First of all, to cite the most obvious, there was the German language. I obviously don't speak German -- I'm just a hick from North Carolina! Although I've always thought German would be cool to learn . . . it's such a harsh, guttural language, don't you think? Almost Lovecraftian at times.

I also had to research the different "divisions," if you will, of the Reich, the SS, that kind of stuff. Didn't take long, but I had to get it just right. I don't want to give anything away in the story for those who haven't read it, but the main thing I had to find out is if only men were allowed in the SS. The answer: hell no, women were a part of it too. In fact, an interesting little tidbit I discovered amid the research for "DBS" was that during WWII, there was a couple (by the name of Koch, if memory serves) who were in charge of one of the death-camps. After the Allied Invasion, when they were taken into custody, U.S. soldiers discovered that the Kochs possessed their own little personal "museum" of atrocities. Mrs. Koch, the sick bitch, was especially fond of collecting tattooed flesh.

I can't help quoting the old cliché here: "Truth is indeed stranger than fiction."

How in the hell did we let that happen?

It looks like you have a ton of work about to be published. Can you give us a rundown on what to be on the lookout for?

Absolutely. First of all, the thing I'm most excited about . . . DarkTales Publications (www.darktales.com) will be releasing Holy Rollers before the end of the year. Holy Rollers is a novella of horror/suspense of about 13000 words that asks the question "What if? What if those pesky Jehovah's Witness-types showed up at your door one morning . . . but then absolutely refused to leave? And worse yet . . . what if they had guns?"

I'm so excited for the release of Holy Rollers I can barely sit still.

Also, Undaunted Press (www.undauntedpress.com) just released a themed chapbook anthology called Pig Tales: Stories From the Trough, featuring my story "Long Pig Blues From the Poor-Man's Cafe." That's a pretty neat little book. Undaunted also publishes a magazine, Whispers From the Shattered Forum, and sometime in the next few months my story "A Changed Man" will be visible in its pages.

The final issue of Darkness Within (another 'zine that closed recently, unfortunately, one of the best in the biz while it lasted) is still available from http://redrival.com/darkwithin -- that one features my short-short "The New Racism" (you'll definitely see that "southern tone/write-what-you-know" thing I was talking about earlier goin' on in this one).

Delirium Books (www.deliriumbooks.com) are a rockin' little outfit. They run a magazine of "twisted humor/horror stories" called Delirium that I'm really proud to get to be a part of. My story "The Good, the Bad, and the Severely Maladjusted" (this bizarre western/horror/humor hybrid thing that is probably one of the most out-there things I've ever written) will be in Issue #2 -- that's currently scheduled for October, I believe. They've also accepted my story "Keeping Up the Joneses," a short-short, for another future issue. The thing I'm really anticipating, though, is the release of Delirium's new hardcover anthology, The Dead Inn. Volume 1 is due out this month, last I heard, and Volume 2 -- scheduled for December -- will feature my story "A Town Called Hatred."

"Uncle Bernie's Liquor Cabinet" will be reprinted in January in a the second issue of a handsome new 'zine called Demontia. I encourage everyone to submit something to Editor Kathi Deavers -- she's such a sweetheart, one of the coolest editors I've ever had the privilege of working with.

I don't write many vampire tales, but my tongue-in-cheek bloodsucker story "Angell" will be visible come January in Parchment Symbols #8. That one's pretty cool.

There are a few more things here and there -- a couple of big things, in fact, which I'm dying to talk about -- but I'd better not "jinx" them by jumpin' the gun. Nothing's set in stone yet, but I'll be sure to let everyone know when I have more details myself!

Is Holy Rollers, coming soon from Dark Tales, your first published longer work? Do you like writing short stories or novel length works more?

Yes, Holy Rollers is definitely the biggest thing to happen to me yet, since I've been "seriously" writing. It's gonna be so cool.

I love writing short stories. Too bad a young writer can't get rich n' famous just by writing those! That'd be all too easy.

I really have a tough time with novel-length works. I've worked on some different things here and there, but so far I have yet to finish anything that I felt was worth a damn. Sad but true. I need to get on the ball, write a couple novels.

I actually enjoy writing screenplays even more than novels. That's a fun format. Not easy, by any means, but I think it's a lot easier than writing a novel. So far that's been my experience, anyway. I even sold an option on one, a thriller/road-movie called Bad Road. Some pretty exciting things have been happening with that lately, so I'm obviously pretty stoked about that . . .

What do you see as the shortcomings and/or benefits of the two different forms?

I don't know that I really would say there are "shortcomings" or "benefits" to either. It's all about where the story needs to go. If a short story can't be told in short-form, and it grows into a novel, then you'd better let it go there. Because it needs "room to breathe," if that makes any sense. Can't limit something that wants to grow.

On the other hand, if you can tell a story in 5000 words or whatever (I'm personally a big fan of well-done short-shorts, but of course that can be really restricting if you're doing it just for the sake of writing a short-short) then a writer needs to keep it at that. No use rambling on. "Less is more," as they say. And I'm a firm believer in that. Many of my own short stories get cut by around 1000 words or so during the final-draft stage. Not something I set out to do, really, it's just a matter of -- again -- "less is more." Even though I hate to delete all that hard work into never-neverland, it's better to cut all the needless, extemporaneous shit if it doesn't "push the story forward." And it makes for a much "smoother" read, I think, in the end product. I try to write stuff that "flows well," because that's what I like to read.

Of course, as you can tell by this interview, I have a tough time applying "less is more" to everyday life, everyday conversation. I tend to ramble on and on. Stop me anytime.

Really.

From a horror writer's perspective, who are some writers you believe in this genre right now that are being overlooked?

There are quite a few names in the small-press "horror community" who are consistently churning out some great stuff. Some of it, in my opinion, is even better than those who've "made it!" If you know where to look, there's some fantastic stuff out there.

Just to name a few, right off the top of my head: Weston Ochse and David Whitman (check out their collection Scary Rednecks from DarkTales . . . you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll shit your pants in fear), Brian Keene, Sheri White, Staci Layne Wilson [Ed: click here for a review of Wilson's excellent Horrors of the Holy], Drew Williams, Craig Loewen (I may have spelled this guy's name wrong -- if so, Craig, please accept my humble apologies -- but in any event he's a damn fine writer), Mark McLaughlin, M.J. Euringer, Victor Heck (check out his novel A Darkness Inbred, also coming soon from DarkTales -- I had the honor of getting to read an excerpt from 'Darkness a few years back, and never have I read anything like this . . . I'm not just spewing hyperbole when I say David Nordhaus -- that's his real name -- is a genius with words . . . this guy's gonna be huge one day), my lifelong pal and fellow Deviant Minds staff member Donn Gash, my fellow DM editor Brian Knight . . . hmm, I know I'm forgetting twenty or thirty more!

As far as those who have "made it," but aren't exactly household names yet, here are some of my favorites: Joe R. Lansdale, Bentley Little, Ed Gorman, Ray Garton, Nancy Collins, Jack Ketchum, F. Paul Wilson, Thomas F. Monteleone, Graham Masterton, Edward Lee, Jay R. Bonansinga . . . and whatever happened to Robert R. McCammon? God, that guy was good. If you've never read McCammon's Boy's Life, I urge you to run -- don't walk -- to your nearest bookstore and pick it up. This is without a doubt my favorite novel of all time. And believe it or not it ain't even horror!

Can you tell us a little about Deviant Minds?

I'd love to!

Deviant Minds is a new web-zine that will launch its first issue in the next month or so. We're shooting for no later than Halloween (rather appropriate, eh?). Myself and Brian Knight are the Editors. It's gonna be a real blast . . .

This thing could go anywhere, frankly (nothing is set in stone as of yet), but right now it's looking like Deviant Minds is gonna be a 'zine related to anything and everything in horror. We'll have a fiction section featuring 5 or 6 short stories per issue, a reviews section (this will feature reviews on anything in the genre, from books and movies to music CDs . . . for example, the first issue will feature -- to name just a few -- a review of Peter Straub's Shadowland, one for Alice Cooper's new CD Brutal Planet, and an advance review of my own Holy Rollers), a couple nonfiction articles (you guys are gonna love my buddy Donn Gash's regular movie column, aptly titled "Chewing Bubble-Gum and Kickin' Ass"), and a whole lot more. I think Deviant Minds has definite potential -- so far we've had some great compliments, fantastic support, so we must be doing something right.

Also, visitors to the site will be able to participate in an ongoing horror-trivia contest compiled by yours truly. That's gonna be a lot of fun. For the first installment of DM, we're giving away a copy of Jack Ketchum's signed, Limited Edition Ladies' Night.

Check it out.

What scares you? And do you ever scare yourself when you're writing?

First and foremost, the thought of something happening to my son scares me worst of all. I would hope any parent would say the same. God forbid anything like that should ever happen.

Second of all . . . hmm . . . I don't know. The dark still scares me, at times, and I'm an adult! Sad, I know. My wife and I play this twisted little game with one another every now and then in which one of us will say something like "What would you do if you looked out the window at three in the morning and saw some faceless black man-shape slithering, like a snake on its belly, up the driveway toward the house?" Uggghh.

That scares me.

And spiders. Don't even get me started on spiders. Spiders . . . ugh . . . shit, can we talk about something else?!

I have yet to scare myself with anything I've written. I'd love to do that...hell, I'm always trying. I'll sometimes conjure up a bit of creepy imagery that'll make me think "damn, that's pretty cool," maybe raise a couple goosebumps on my arms, but I've never actually scared myself. Yet.

Maybe one day. That'd definitely be cool. Quite an accomplishment.

Again, a hale and hearty thank you to James! And we're not the only ones crazy for his writing, check out these impressive thoughts by a couple of other writers you just might've heard of:

"As the lives of Mr. Newman's characters are shattered by an unwanted intrusion so is our sense of comfort rattled by this convincing portrayal of proselytizing taken to the nth degree. A suspenseful read."