here's a group of horror writers making a wonderful bunch of rumbling, gurgling and other attention getting noises. They aren't exactly new, many have been around and working hard at their craft for quite a while, but with a few more publishers [DarkTales, Leisure, Barclay] making a strong push into the horror genre, a bunch of these writers are getting the publishing credits they've long deserved. And one of these writers is David Whitman, the author of DeadFellas, Scary Rednecks (with co-author Weston Ochse), and the upcoming Harlan from DarkTales Publications.

David reeks of horror author greatness and we mean reek in a good way. His work walks up to you casually, calming even...and then kicks your legs out from under you while you're left wondering how you ended up on your ass.

David graciously agreed to handle one of our question barrages. So, check out this interview and then go get something he's written. You'll be able to brag how ahead of the curve you were even though we told you about him...don't worry, we'll brag about that down the road ourselves.

Question: With the success of your book Scary Rednecks, which appeared to be in absolutely everyone's hands at the recent Horrorfind convention, any possibility of getting Scary Redneck typecast?

Whitman: I think there was a little bit of that at first. I've always made a strong effort to make sure that typecasting didn't happen. DEADFELLAS changed a lot of perceptions really quickly when it came out in January. I also have a collection of gothic horror stories that I've been working on since 1999 entitled DARK HOLLOW that is miles away from Scary Redneck territory.

Harlan seems like a departure from that though. What prompted this idea for you?

Whitman: I really don't know how it came about. I've never truly planned anything I've ever worked on. I certainly never thought I would be part of a collection of SCARY REDNECK stories and look what happened there. HARLAN seemed to come out of nowhere. At first I thought it would be fun writing through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old boy. Then, as I became more attached to the character emotionally, it became much more difficult. I had genuine affection for him and he was completely suicidal. There is no other character that I've felt closer to. That's mostly because I spent so long inside his head. I never knew what was going to happen from one scene to the next. The character of Harlan Sexton just seemed to come alive to me. Part of me feels like he wrote it, heh. A lot of that could be because there are a few things in the novel that are autobiographical.

Columbine happened when I was about half-way through the novel and I guess it freaked me out a bit since there were some parallels. I put it on hold for about a year and went on to other projects. When I came back to the novel, I was very surprised at how it held together.

You mentioned before that you'd actually written Harlan several years ago. Is it at all weird talking about, and having published now, a book you wrote a good while ago? Is it just as fresh to you now as when you wrote it or do you lose a little closeness to it when you begin other work?

Whitman: It's still pretty fresh in my head. I was still writing scenes for the novel up to about early August 2001. I wrote the scene involving the Carpy character in the summer, for example. Plus the editorial process of the novel took a very long time.

Is Harlan your first novel length work?

Whitman: Nope. The first thing I ever wrote was a novel called FAR IN REALITY. I'm still not sure if it will ever see the light of day. I've gotten so much better since those days and releasing it would involve a massive re-write. I've used characters from that novel for other things, though. The reality manipulating demon from DEADFELLAS (Farron) is one. I also have a short story coming out in the DEAD INN 2 ("The Dark Reality of Bannen Wilde") that pretty much features a whole scene cannibalized from FIR.

It seems that to go from short stories to longer works, something has to sort of throw itself into overdrive. How do you make that transition from short story writing to a novel?

Whitman: I don't find the transition difficult at all from shorter to longer works. I do find writing itself difficult. Often-times it's like pulling teeth to me. I would never give it up, though. I can usually tell if a story is going to be a longer work right from the beginning. Other times I have so much fun with a certain character that I will purposely seek out other plot-lines for him or her.

Closed cage grudge match: Sopranos vs. Deadfellas - Outcome?

Whitman: The DEADFELLAS characters (Tim Machen & Francis O'Connor) would definitely get damaged, but I think they would ultimately win out. Tony Soprano and his cronies simply do not have the ability to replicate themselves. Plus, Tim and Francis do all those John Woo moves. There is always the theoretical possibility that mixing the two universes could cause an infection in the basic reality structures of both. Then you would see a major double war as Tony replicated into dozens of doppelgangers. And the cast of undead Sopranos would be truly and utterly frightening. An undead Big Pussy pushing around a shrieking zombie version of Livia Soprano ("Poor you!) in a wheelchair would be horrifying. Ultimately, the Deadfellas would win out because the undead Sopranos would probably attack Tony and friends. If Richie Aprile came back from the dead he is going to want Tony Soprano flesh no question.

Everyone seems to have a certain sort of writing method. Some like to outline stuff ahead of time, some say they can sit down and just start banging away, some like to write by hand, some spit twice into the wind and try to pull on Superman's cape, etc. What are some of the things you like to do or methods you use when writing?

Whitman: I don't do outlines. I simply sit down and start writing. Sometimes what comes out is pure and utter shit, other times I'm very happy. This style of writing is definitely a double-edged sword. Oftentimes, I will find myself completely stuck with no way out for my characters. Sometimes it will take days for the answer to come to me. I think this style of writing gives my work a sort of inner energy that just wouldn't be there if I outlined the plot chapter by chapter. Also, I find that if I plan my work too much I get really bored. It's fun for me to not have a clue what is going to happen.

One trick that I do when I find myself stuck is I'll create a little scene just for fun. I'll think of some kind of subject I want to rant about and then I will let the characters do the talking for me. At this point the characters come alive and *sometimes* it will lead to a story that I did not even know was going to exist. DEADFELLAS was born that way. I started writing this scene of two guys arguing in a cemetery about epitaphs and then one thing led to another. At first I thought it was going to be a crime short story. Dear God was I wrong. The SCARY REDNECKS characters were born like that too. If you look at much of my work you will see that they often began with characters talking or ranting about something relatively mundane before the shit hits the fan.

How long have you been writing?

Whitman: I used to draw and write my own comics when I was just a kid. I used to write some clunky short stories back then too. I guess you could say I've been struggling to be a writer for about twenty or so years. Only within the last ten years did I start to take myself seriously, though.

What was your first published work?

Whitman: The first story that I got published was entitled "Out of the Ashes". It was a mean-spirited little piece about a very evil individual who terrorizes a broken man with the memory of his dead son. It was in a webzine entitled ALTERNATE REALITIES, and I think it can be safe to say that I was ecstatic. It was not for any money, nor was it at a place that could bring me any major attention, yet I was overjoyed. People were finally getting a chance to read my work.

Do you think green ketchup is a good idea?

Whitman: Hell no. I just don't understand this kind of stuff. I guess I would have thought green ketchup was the bomb when I was about six, though.

How does your background, where you grew up, and/or where you live now contribute or affect your writing?

Whitman: My childhood played a big part. My parents lived a hippy lifestyle when I was a kid. There were always dozens of people in my house at all times back then. I met many interesting and scary people this way. And I listened from the shadows a lot. Just listening to them talk as they drank and smoked has definitely been an influence on my dialogue. I was very aware from a young age of just how different people can be.

Would you enshrine the following phrase or toss it out the window: "Writers should write what they know."

Whitman: Being a horror writer I guess you kind of toss that out the window. I don't have to kill people in order to write about it. Imagination is the key. And a little research never hurt. Of course having real experience of what you are writing about can never hurt either. And nothing can take the place of real experience. I feel like a politician now, heh.

Jack Daniels or Dewars Blended?

Whitman: I'd lean towards the Jack Daniels, I guess. I'm not a really big drinker. Hell, I haven't been truly drunk in over ten years.

A lot of folks say that first person is a challenge. Why did you go with it in Harlan and what sort of pros and cons did you run into?

Whitman: I definitely do not prefer first person. First person is far too restrictive in so many ways. The plus side to first person for me is that you can really create three dimensional characters. You get to give the reader a literal window right into the character's head.

With HARLAN it just naturally started to come out in first person. I never really felt the restraints of the style while writing it. If anything it made it a bit easier for me and kept the serial killer in the background.

Harlan's ending, which is spectacular by the way, serves as a loop of sorts and brings the reader full circle. Did you know you were going to do that going in? Is that something you think writers need to do or consider to give readers a satisfying conclusion?

Whitman: Thank you so much for the comment about the ending--it feels so damn great to hear that you liked it. I was so worried. I had no idea what the ending was going to be. Up until the very end of the novel I wondered of Harlan was going to kill himself or not. Every time Harlan's life went further into hell I wondered how it would effect the ending. I also had no idea who was killing all the teenagers until about the same time that the reader does. There were times that even I suspected some of the most obvious characters of being the killer.

As for what a writer needs to do--I think that a writer should just do whatever feels natural to the character or the story. There is nothing worse to me than an ending that leaves you with a feeling that it was simply tacked on. I hate it when a solid character does something unbelievably outlandish. I also completely despise the deus ex machina endings where the writer pulls a plot line right out of his or her ass.

Dave, thanks two bucketloaders full for giving us a chunk of time. Best of luck and we'll be following you all the way to the top my friend! Um, not in stalking way or anything...well, we'll try not to.