James Newman – retro interview, circa 2006

James Newman really irks me off.  Seriously, he can’t seem to stop letting me down.  I mean, I’ve read a respectable chunk of the man’s work, a great deal of which is downright nasty stuff.  Incidentally, I kept going back for more.  Every time James and I crossed paths I expected this brooding, acid-tongued bad ass son of a bitch.  I expected him to cast his sweet southern charm upon me and lead me by the hand to some dark and miserable place where pain and suffering are the only items on the menu.  However, time and time again I’m let down because I’m always so shocked to find the most kind and generous guy who usually rubs off as shy and humble to a fault.  But don’t let his kind demeanor fool you.  James Newman will impress upon you his kindness and charm just as naturally as he’ll have you gripping your pillow in the throes of a Newman sponsored night terror while you shiver with fright. And since his books were sufficiently keeping me up at night anyways, I figured I might as well use the extra time for picking at his brain and chancing a peek inside.

Richard Hipson – Thanks for finding the time to sit down with the likes of me today.  If you’ve got your drink of choice in front of you and your CD of choice in the stereo, why don’t we kick things off by having you fill us all in on what you’ve been up to over the past several months and what you’re currently work on?

James Newman –  The last few months I’ve been working on a couple things.  First and foremost, I’ve been finishing up a collaboration with Jason Brannon that White Noise Press will be publishing later this summer — a novelette called THE CHURCH OF DEAD LANGUAGES.  I also recently began work on my new novel, which is shaping up to be a fun one so far . . . possibly the most fun novel I’ve ever written.  I’m having a blast with it so far.

RH–     So if all goes as planned, what can we expect from you by the end of this year?

JN –     2006 is shaping up to be a really busy year for me.  Lots of cool stuff coming out!  As I mentioned, THE CHURCH OF DEAD LANGUAGES will be out this summer, and there are also plans for another chapbook to be released from Nocturne Press, a collection of my really whacked-out, sorta humorous horror stories called PEOPLE ARE STRANGE.  And then there’s the one I’m most excited about — my novel THE WICKED will finally see publication this summer, in a killer limited hardcover edition from Necessary Evil Press.  Good times. 

JN –     Just so there’s no misunderstanding, RIVERSIDE BLUES isn’t a collaboration — I just wrote the Foreword for that one (and I was damn honored to do it, as Erik’s novella is one of the best debuts I’ve read in years, a really creepy piece o’ Southern Gothic that impressed the hell outta me to say the least).  To answer your question, though, I love to collaborate.  It helps if you’re good friends with your co-writer before you begin, of course, as well as a fan of his work, but I’ve been lucky to have found the best of both worlds so far.  Donn Gash and I have been best friends since we were fifteen or so, and of course his work blows me away.  As for Jason, I was a big fan of his stuff before we ever became pals. 

But yeah . . . getting back to your question . . . I think that old saying “two heads are better than one” is certainly relevant when it comes to writing collaborations.  I know these guys have brought out the best in me, and it’s always challenging to try to keep up with writers I admire.  If nothing else, it makes for a really fun ride, and if you’ve got that you’re already on the road to a successful story right out of the gates.

JN –     I don’t know how other writers do it, but I think the reason the collaborations I’ve been involved with have worked so well — as far as, like you said, merging together so smoothly — is the process itself.  Basically, someone will start off the project, then send it to his co-writer.  The other guy then takes what’s already been written, tinkers with it just enough to add his own $.02 to it, and then writes the next part.  Back to the other writer it goes, and so on and so forth.  By the time you get to the end, and do those final revisions, it’s very much a “gelling” of two voices.  That’s worked for my co-writers and me so far, anyway . . . .

As much fun as it’s been, I do think I’m gonna step away from the collaborations for a while after I finish up THE CHURCH OF DEAD LANGUAGES with Jason.  Not that it hasn’t been fun – I’ve enjoyed each project immensely, and had more fun than writing should ever be! – but I need to change things up a bit for at least the next year or two.  Don’t wanna become known as the guy who does nothing but chapbooks with other writers, can’t carry his own gig, ya know.  LOL

JN –     Simon Wood and I have talked about doing something together, at some point.  I’m a big fan of his work.  Also, Jeff Strand and I will definitely be unleashing something on an unsuspecting world at some point.  You know that’ll be wild.  Donn Gash and I do have a few unfinished stories lying around that will see the light of day in the future, but I’m not sure when that will be.  Of course, I would love to work with Brian Keene one day.  But he can leave the groupies at home (just kidding, Brian!).

JN –     Hahaha . . . well, I guarantee you when it happens — and it WILL — you’re in for one of the most bizarre stories you’ve ever read.  I’ll leave you with this, for now:  A country-music loving redneck, with wrinkled brown skin.  An eighteen-wheeler named “Big Mama.”  And the death of a child in a strange little town called “Suicide Cove.”

            James, I think it’s very safe to say that you are much more than “just” an author.  You are also a working class taxpayer, a husband, and a father.  How the heck do you juggle the many hats that you wear while continuing to rock out those killer stories that we fans so love to gobble up? 

JN –     It ain’t easy, bud.  At all.  And if I told you that I write every single day, I’d be lying.  Hell, if I told you I write every OTHER day, I’d be full of shit.  You just grab any free time you can, when you get home from the day job, gobbled down dinner with the family, helped your son with his homework.  If I can throw down just 500 or 1000 words after all that, then I feel I’ve accomplished SOMETHING.  Because gradually, those words add up to stories.  Those stories add up to books.

Now, if we could just work on the pay.   Heh

I need a raise.

RH –    Despite your many chapbooks, novellas and short stories in circulation, the only full length novel you have out at this moment is Midnight Rain.  I absolutely loved the chance to get to know your characters over the long haul as you force them to grow and evolved with the incredible, and often terrifying, situations that you cast them in.  When can we expect to see another full length novel pour out of that head of yours and onto a bookshelf?  Tomorrow, right?  *Laughs*

JN –     From your mouth to God’s ears, my friend.  I appreciate that.

JN –     Well . . . I don’t have anything new to report as far as mass-market deals right now, but I am proud to say that THE WICKED is finally gonna see publication.  That’ll be a limited hardcover edition from Necessary Evil Press, as I mentioned earlier.  Should be out by August or September at the very latest, I’m guessing.  And then it looks like I’ve sold my next one, although that’s not 100% set in stone yet so I don’t wanna say TOO much . .

JN –     Awesome, man.  I look forward to hearing what you think!  Where MIDNIGHT RAIN was a coming-of-age thriller, THE WICKED is a straight-up supernatural horror tale.  Fun stuff.

            Now, we all know what a kind hearted, generous guy you are, but for argument’s sake, let’s say you get sent straight to hell anyways.  Some would argue that hell is living in absolute repetition of the very things that you hate the most, like never ending re-runs of General Hospital, for example.  But you’re smarter than that and somehow manage to trick the devil and end up being able to choose your damned destiny, to a certain degree.  If you had to pick one book, and one book only, to read for eternity, would that book be?

RH –    Can be any book you choose.

JN –     Do it.  For me.  Now!  You will NOT be disappointed, my friend.  I promise.  If you enjoyed MIDNIGHT RAIN, which you’ve told me you did, then BOY’S LIFE is gonna blow you away . . . .

JN –     Awesome.  And I’ll agree to do an interview for you sometime.   (doh!)

JN –     If I had to pick just ONE, regardless of genre, I guess it would have to be LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL.  Man, I love that flick.

JN –     Probably THE PRINCE OF EGYPT.  Dug that one a lot.

JN –     Well, just so happens that’d be AC/DC’s HIGHWAY TO HELL.  Could anything be more perfect for the scenario at hand?

JN –     Favorite song of all time:  “Walk All Over You.”

JN –     You’re gonna hate me.  I’m coming up with nothing clever whatsoever for that one.   LOL

JN –     Yep.   haha

JN –     Batman!  I’m the biggest Batman nerd you’ve ever met.  He has no superhuman powers, which I think makes him even more interesting.  He’s dark and brooding, which of course appeals to the horror-lovin’ side of me.  And by day he’s a millionaire playboy.  What’s not to like?

JN –     Haha — awesome.  I like SpiderMan too, but he’s a nerd by day.  And I’m already that.  So I’ll pass.

JN –     Well, as you know I’m a huge movie buff.  Particularly horror movies.  I can’t get enough of ’em.  And I think that shows in my work.  When I write, I picture the story as a movie in my head, and that’s what I want to get down on paper.  I think Stephen King called it “skull cinema.”  Every image, every scene, every character, I see on a big movie screen in my mind.  Not sure if this answers your question the way you wanted it answered, but hopefully that explains what a big influence movies are on my prose.

JN –     No.  I’m not at the point in my career where I can afford to give someone 15% of what I make.  Haha

JN –     I’m honestly not sure.  I’m not actively pursuing agents at this time, but I won’t say that one day I wouldn’t choose to have one.  I’ve heard many writers say they are very necessary, but just as many have found success without an agent.  One day, I’ll probably go down that road.  It’s just not for me right now.

For one thing, I think any agent worth his salt would like to have writers much more prolific than me in his or her stable! 

JN –     I really think so.  Every writer has his own agenda, and plans for the future.  It varies from person to person.  Frankly, I’ve never had the slightest desire to have an agent . . . then again, like I said, that doesn’t mean I won’t have an agent ONE day.

JN –     Yeah, the greased palm thing is definitely out, ’cause I’m po’ white trash (LOL).  But seriously . . . I just try to be a nice guy, ya know?  I try to treat people the way I want them to treat me, and — how do I say this — promote my work, when it comes to online networking, in the way that I enjoy seeing others promote.  Not by beating you over the head with the fact that he or she has a new book on the market, not by spamming every message board in existence and always making every post about MEMEME, but just being a decent person.  That goes a long way in my book.  It’s the way I was raised, it’s the way I’m raising my son, and it’s the way I want people to think of me.  Sounds like you think I’ve succeeded.  And I appreciate that, my friend.

My good buddy, Markus Euringer, recently accused, “Newman’s whole humble pie thing is an act.  Don’t believe it for a second.”  But I swear it’s not.

JN –     John Holmes, eat your heart out.

JN –     Thanks, buddy.  The Golden Rule and all that.  It’s worked for me.  So many people turn me off ever wanting to read their work — and maybe I’m missing out on some fantastic work, but so be it — simply because of the way they treat other people.  Snarky message-board posts, just being loud, obnoxious, opinionated assholes.  Why?  What do you have to gain?  Just be good to people.  That’s my motto.

JN –     I don’t know, man.  I’ve always been like that, in everything I do.  Pretty pathetic, huh?  I tend to suffer from all-too-frequents periods of self-doubt that will keep me from writing anything for weeks, sometimes months at a time.  I wish I knew why, ’cause I can’t tell you how many fine folks have told me I need to get over that shit for good.

As far as getting through it — honestly, it usually comes from the compliments and the support of my readers.  Maybe, in that respect, I’m a very needy, dependent person.  Always counting on that reaffirmation to keep me going.  Because once that starts rolling in, it fires me up.  I go through writing streaks like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.  Incredible highs that feel like they’ll never end.  Hell . . . maybe it’s some kind of bi-polar thing.  I don’t know.

JN –     Thanks, man.  They don’t.  Thank God!  I just have to get over myself, and sooner or later I’ll get back in the groove.

JN –     I always enjoy telling this story . . . .

JN –     When I was about halfway through the first draft of MIDNIGHT RAIN, a buddy who knew a couple people in the publishing business told me that Leisure were getting ready to start a new “Thriller” line in addition to their popular “Horror” line.  I had told him a bit about ‘RAIN, and he thought it’d be a perfect fit for Leisure.  I agreed, but I remember telling him, “Yeah, but I’m a nobody and this nobody’s book ain’t even finished!”  He suggested that I send Leisure a query anyway, asking if they’d like to see the novel when it was done.  I did.  Leisure got back to me in record time, asking to see the finished manuscript.  A few months later, I finally turned it into them.  A few months after that, I came home to a pile of mail on the dining-room table.  Didn’t pay it much attention at first, ’cause I assumed it was all junk-mail.  But then, when I started thumbing through it, I saw the envelope from Leisure.  I remember yelling into the other room to my wife, “Well, here it is, babe!  My rejection from Leisure!”  But when I opened the envelope, I soon saw that it wasn’t a rejection  And, of course, I nearly hit the floor.  Definitely a great evening, and one of the highlights of my writing career so far . . . . as if I have to tell you.

JN –     Well, he turned out to be sorta a goober, but I do thank him for that.   LOL  (for the heads-up, I mean, not for turning out to be a goober)

JN –     Oh, and special thanks to Jenny Orosel, too — your readers will know her as the writer of several kick-ass essays in the last couple issues of IR.  Jenny is one of my closest friends in the world, and she was also there that evening.  She was a very important part of my giving Leisure a shot, and also the number one reason I finished MIDNIGHT RAIN in the first place.  She wouldn’t let me quit, no matter what.

JN –     Oh, God, yes!  Hopefully I’ve improved!

I think — and I’ve had others agree, friends and family who don’t just blow smoke but give me the honest, constructive criticism they know I always want from them — that the thing I’ve come the farthest with is my dialogue.  I think I’ve most improved in that area.  At one time, I thought my dialogue was my biggest weakness.  These days, if I may say so, I think it’s my strongest.  I’d like to think I’ve grown leaps and bounds in that area.  I have so much fun writing dialogue these days, and I hope it shows!  (you’ve read ANIMOSITY, so you know what I’m talking about)

JN –     Thanks, bro.  I definitely think ANIMOSITY is some of the best stuff I’ve ever written, and I can’t wait for folks to see it.  I’m stoked to know that they will, and soon . . .

I don’t think I’ve asked you (if I may):  Which did you like more?  ‘RAIN or ANIMOSITY?  Just out of curiosity . . . .

JN –     Ha!  Turning it around on you.

JN –     Woohoo!

JN –     Wow!  That’s a lot to live up to (LOL).  I appreciate it, man.  Yeah, ANIMOSITY will definitely be published, although not in the mass-market.  But it is very close to being a done deal (or will most likely already be, by the time this issue of IR goes to press).  I’m in talks with a wonderful publisher who have some really kick-ass things planned for this novel.  I’ll give you a hint, but this is all I can say for now:  Said publisher IS one I have worked with before.

And if everything goes as planned, you’ll see the book around this time next year.  I can’t wait!

JN –     Hahaha . . . .

JN –     Never give up.  Don’t let rejection get you down.  Because, if you do, you’ll give up long before you have a chance to get ANYWHERE in this business.  Rejection is a part of the writing game, and it will always be — even after you’ve had a taste of success, it still happens.  You’ve got to keep on keepin’ on, never let the bastards get you down, and you’ve got to WANT it.  You’ve got to want it so bad you’ll let NOTHING get in your way.  That’s what I did.

More advice, as if I know what the hell I’m talking about (and this is something I stand by to this day, best piece of advice I think I can give those just starting out, ’cause it’s always worked for me):

Always think about the FLOW of your writing.  Know that old saying “Less is More?”  Truer words were never spoken.  Trim the needless fat.  Trim it mercilessly.  Trim stuff you LIKE, even.  Make it hurt.  Read your work aloud, to catch clunky passages and sentences that don’t flow smoothly.  Not to mention awkward, unrealistic dialogue.  The best thing you can do, if you want to make it in this business, is to read your work aloud before you start submitting it to publishers.  Because, I promise, you’ll find then that it’s not quite as ready to go out into the world as you thought it was.  Polish, polish, polish.  I can’t stress this enough:  It’s all about THE FLOW.

Did I mention it’s all about the flow?

I usually cut somewhere around 1500-2000 words of every 6000 I write, in the final editing stages.  No shit.

Make it flowwww, baby.  Fluid.

JN –     Right on — doesn’t it just seem so much tighter, so much leaner n’ meaner?

JN –     Absolutely.  I mean, I’ve cut PLENTY of stuff in my final drafts that I LOVED.  That I thought was so damn clever or “cute.”  That should be the first stuff to go.  Get rid of it.  If it draws attention to itself, and you — the WRITER — appear in the story, you’ve just broken the cardinal rule of writing.  The writer should never appear in the story.  The reader should forget he’s reading, just like you lose yourself in a good movie.  Total immersion.  That’s what I strive for, anyway.

JN –     Sorry, can’t really think of an answer for that one . . . .

JN –     Ha!  True!  Of course, I’ll think of something 20 minutes from now, smack myself.

JN –     No, I think that just about covers it.  Watch for THE WICKED, THE CHURCH OF DEAD LANGUAGES, and PEOPLE ARE STRANGE this summer.  I also have it on good authority that HOLY ROLLERS may briefly come back from the dead in the next year or so.  But that’s all I can say about that for now.  Till then, everyone should keep reading INSIDIOUS REFLECTIONS.  It’ll make your penis grow.  (Unless you’re woman, then . . . never mind.)

JN –     Hahahahaah

JN –     Niiiice.  Thanks again for having me.  I had a blast!  We’ll definitely have to do it again sometime.

Check out his website for more on James Newman, check him out online HERE.