by C.M. Forest
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Amazon * Timber Ghost Press
What are your top 10 favorite books/authors?
Why would you ask the impossible? If you wanted a top 100, I would still have to narrow it down. Sigh. Okay. I'll just name authors because, in most cases, they would have multiple books in my favourites list anyway.
Nick Cutter
Adam Nevill
Andrew Pyper
Laird Barron
Stephen King
Junji Ito
Dan Simmons
Caitlin Starling
Michael Slade
T. Kingfisher
What book do you think everyone should read?
If we're talking the spooky stuff, then it has to be Stephen King's It. I know it's thick enough to choke a donkey, but it's worth it. Truly an epic horror novel.
How long have you been writing?
I've been writing for about ten years. Although, to be fair, only about five of those were with any sort of serious intentions. It felt more like a glorified hobby at first.
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
I usually have a handle on all the major characters in a story before I start writing, but a bunch of secondary characters will inevitably pop up along the way. I will say, it is rare for these surprise additions to ascend higher than secondary character status though.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?
Confession time. I do almost no research. This is completely because I'm lazy. My process is to write the book with little to no regard to research, then, afterward, when cleaning it up, I'll fact check the stuff I wrote. Even then, I try to dance around as much research as possible. Again, I'm lazy.
Do you see writing as a career?
Not to sound naïve, but yeah, I do. As much as I would love to be raking in Stephen King money, that's not the only path to success as a writer. Hopefully, in a couple years, with a few more books under my belt, I'll be making enough to transition into writing as my full-time gig.
Do you read yourself and if so, what is your favorite genre?
I read about 50 books a year. I thought this was impressive until I started making friends in the industry and found others read hundreds! Like, how is that even possible?! Anyway, I read across multiple genres but my fav, obviously, is horror. I would say I read three horror books for every one of a different genre.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
I always write with my headphones on. I find silence off-putting. I can hear my own heavy breathing and it reminds me of how unhealthy I am. At least with music in my ears, only those around me have to hear me gasping for air.
Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?
Traditionally, I would write one at a time, but there have been occasions when I'm editing one project while writing another. I try to avoid this, as my mind works better when I can keep things separate.
If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose?
Tough question. Okay, I would probably narrow it down to Stephen King's It, or Dan Simmons' The Terror. I love both books dearly, and think both are monuments of horror. Obviously, It is more well known, but The Terror is nearly flawlessly written and full of so much detail and research that it was mindboggling to me while reading (it's the exact kind of book I could never actually write).
Pen or type writer or computer?
Computer. I like the idea of writing with a pen, and have done so before, but ultimately it was just adding in an extra step to the process since I had to transcribe it onto the computer anyway.
Tell us about a favorite character from a book.
Easy. The protagonist, Owen. I felt connected to him very early on. He's like a caged tiger, just waiting for somebody to carelessly leave the door unlocked. He's my opposite in so many ways, that I kinda sorta want to be him. At least, have his confidence, not the whole violence thing. That I don't want.
What made you want to become an author and do you feel it was the right decision?
It's hard for me to pinpoint the exact moment I decided to try my hand at writing. I've always been a creative person, and even went to school for animation, so that desire to tell a story was sort of always there. But the catalyst which heralded my writing career in earnest was the birth of my first child. Lelaina Blue. She signaled a turning point for me, a loud, flashing sign that said, "DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR LIFE!"
A day in the life of the author?
Get up and drive my kids to school. I am not a morning person, so this process is painful and messy to watch. Afterward, I hit the local library and write from 9am till about 11am. I like to get in 1500 words a session, and usually come in just above or below that. Once done, I spend another hour beta reading other works, sending emails, and finishing odds and ends (like answering interview questions). The it's lunchtime. After lunch, I'll spend some time on social media. Side note, I am not a fan of social media (okay, being real, I kinda hate it), but it's a valuable tool for authors, so I make time for it. And then the kids are home from school and the author stuff is essentially over for the day.
Do you have any advice to offer for new authors?
Write. Every. Day! This sounds like an obvious bit of advice, but it must be said. I used to be very guilty of this. I would take a few days off, or even a week or two, while writing. Inevitably, when I returned to it, I would waste a whole day just trying to get the feel for it again. You can't beat the momentum everyday writing creates.
Describe your writing style.
I would say visceral and descriptive. I want you to really see the space, to smell the stink, to taste the decay. Gross, I know, but it's what I shoot for.
What is your writing process? For instance do you do an outline first? Do you do the chapters first?
I always start with a few paragraphs describing the idea. From there, I begin outlining. I'm definitely team plotter (in the great plotter vs pantser debate), and as such, like to break down almost the entire book before I actually start drafting. My reliance on plotting has burned me in the past though, as a small change early in one particular project snow-balled into a complete rewrite by the end. Because of that, I try and leave some wiggle room in the story during the plotting phase.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Video games! I am a sucker for video games. The worst thing I can do is sit down and "just play for twenty minutes or so", because that will be the next three hours of my life, and there goes my writing time.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
Great question! I would say I try and straddle the line. On the one hand, I want the creative freedom to write whatever the old grey matter conjures up. But, on the other hand, I am trying to be successful and as such, I have to be, at the very least, aware of the marketability of what I'm are writing.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I spent a lot of years trying to tone down my writing voice, only to realize after a lot of heartache, that it was a mistake. At the end of the day, every story has been told, nothing is truly new or unique, so all that matters is how you tell it. Younger me would have benefited well from such advice.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
I haven't written all that many yet, but I would say, on average, about a year.
Do you believe in writer's block?
I absolutely do! Thankfully, I've not felt it much myself, but I have friends that suffer from this to a debilitating degree. It is real and it is awful.
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