A Quick and Dirty Interview with Scotty Schrier

Hi Everyone!  More quick and dirty interviews!  You know you love em.  The author of the day is Scotty Schrier a fabulous horror writer that is sure to have his books flying off the shelves.  His new book Jode Unforgiven is releasing June 14th 2013

Q:  Give me one quote from your book that sums up the mood.

A:  Jode's eyes burned into the gunslinger. "Now, you listen here you little turd. I told you once, you don't make threats you can't back up. Your tough talk doesn't work in here. Now, you're going to sit here healing up for your trip to Tucson where I'm assuming you're going to hang. But if you don't, and you still feel raw about our little toe to toe, you come and find me. But you better bring a pine box with you. Otherwise, I'll watch the vultures eat your eyes."

Q:  In 100 words or less, what is your book about?

A:  The demon, Ophidian, killed Jode's wife and son and tried to kill him too. Through sheer willpower, Jode survived. He didn't come out unscathed, though. Jode was denied access to heaven because of the demon blood coursing through his veins. Years later, he's tracking a team of demons through the desert, searching for Ophidian. He finds his prey, and in the process stumbles across a plot so sinister, he has no choice but to gather a group of misfits from the small town of Viejo. He also has to accept help from the very forces he's fighting against, in order to save the world from total annihilation.

Q:  What made you start writing?

A:  I started reading Stephen King in high school and fell in love with is words. It was like the door opened up and someone said, "Hey look, books don't have to be dry and boring and old! They can be fun, and scare the crap out of you too!"

So, my English teacher my Junior year made us write. Usually an essay every two days or so. I hated it. Then one day she told us to write a short story. I remember when she said it had to be 10-12 pages long, I almost fainted. There was no way I could do that. After serious edits, I turned in a 15 page story. That was when I got the writing bug. I could put down all the weird crap in my mind on paper!

Fast forward 20 years to a particularly bad day working pest control, and I wrote a fictionalized account of what happened. That was my first short story that people actually liked. And I've been honing my craft ever since.

Q:  Where do your story ideas come from?

A:  I have no idea. Sometimes, just like a bolt from the blue. Other times, it's like a niggling thought that's just under the surface of my mind that's just trying to dig itself free.  But when the ideas hit, and they almost always do, there's no stopping them until I've at least written out part of it just to see if the concept might work. It's sort of like an exorcism by typing.

Q:  Do you have any weird writing rituals?

I wouldn't say weird, per se, but I have to be away from the house. Otherwise, I feel like I need to get up every 15 minutes to help out with the kids, chores, etc. By the end of the day, I might have two or three pages done. But when I get away, I can hammer out ten to twenty in a sitting. Also, I keep soundtracks on my computer so I can plug the headphones in while writing.

I have a Young Adult novel I'm working on that is being written to a John William's soundtrack. My current novel Jode Unforgiven was written almost entirely while listening to "Hurt" (the Johnny Cash remake of the NIN song) on repeat.

Q:  What author influenced you the most and why?

Stephen King started the motor with his fiction, but he kicked me into turbo mode when I read "On Writing". That has been the single most valuable book I've ever read on the craft of writing.

A:  What are your three favorite ideas for future books?

I've got a Young Adult series that I'm developing that takes place in an alternate universe where the world is covered with 90% water.

I'm also working on a connected anthology of zombie fiction.

And, of course, the sequel to the book I'm putting out now!

To learn more about Scotty check out his Facebook and website.  Think you have what it takes to hob knob with Scotty?  Go to J. Ellington Ashton Press and submit your work!

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