Summer of Zombie Blog Tour Post #3 - Interview with Bryan Smith

What inspired your new release? The Late Night Horror Show was originally going to be my ninth novel with Leisure Books. But Leisure went belly-up and I got out of the contract. Couple years later I revived it for Samhain Publishing. At this point I don’t really recall the initial inspiration. Probably as some sort of ultimate homage to B horror movies, I’d guess.

Tell us about any WIPs you have: I’m working on a crime novel called 68 Kill.

How many people ask you to read their books? Way too many. It’s why I’ve reverted to a blanket NO to that question.

In a word sum up your writing style: Visceral.

Do you have a character you enjoyed writing the most? Either Jessica Sloan from Depraved, Kayla Monroe from my Kayla series, or Roxie from The Killing Kind.

Is there a genre you would like to try? I’ve been trying most of the ones I’m interested in, particularly with my recent forays into crime and urban fantasy fiction. Horror, crime, and urban fantasy will probably always be my main genres.

Could you live without coffee? I don’t like coffee. Beer’s another story. Try to take my beer away and you are in serious trouble.

Tell us one of your favorite jokes: Q: Why did the monkey fall out of the tree? A: It was dead. It’s not a very funny joke. I tell it to new people I meet just to annoy them.

What's your favorite thing about the writing process? Those moments when you’re so lost in the act of storytelling that you lose awareness of the actual physical process of writing, when it feels as if you’re witnessing real events and are simply transcribing them as fast as you can.

Three facts about you: 1. I sold my first mass-market novel at the age of 38, long after I should have given up and done something sensible with my life. 2. I’m agnostic. 3. I believe dogs are superior to cats on virtually every conceivable level.

Do you believe in UFOs? I would like to believe in UFOs, but I do not. Life certainly exists throughout the universe, but if we truly had been visited—and visited often—the proof would not be so elusive.

What was your favorite snack growing up? The hell if I know. I’m old. I can’t remember that far back.

Would you rather have fame or fortune? Fortune. Fame is overrated.

Pick one book that is your all-time favorite? The Stand by Stephen King

Embarrassing guilty pleasure - Those midnight sacrificial offerings in the name of PRAISE HAIL SATAN.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Introvert.

Favorites:

Muppet - Stabby

Cartoon growing up- Bugs Bunny.

Color- Red, the color of gore.

Type of Monster- Zombies

Do you speed when you drive? Always.

Spaghetti or Lasagna and why? Brains.

Your thoughts on Self Publishing: I’ve put out my own digital editions of all my old Leisure Books titles, and they’ve done reasonably well. So based on that alone, I have a pretty favorable take on it these days. This is a marked contrast to when I was younger and self-publishing was referred to as “vanity” publishing. Back then it had a huge stigma and it was the last thing I ever wanted to be associated with, but times change.

Your thoughts on Zombies: They’re swell.

Do you believe in the Loch Ness Monster? No. But I do believe in the Easter Bunny. And one day I’m gonna corner that fluffy little bastard and stab him and stab him until there’s nothing left but bloody fur and bunny guts.

Are you a tweeter, a re-tweeter, or you couldn't care less about Twitter? I don’t use Twitter much.

Would you rather sit on a porch with sweet tea {insert other beverage if tea isn't your thing} or go hiking with a bottle of water and a smile? I’d rather go hiking with a flamethrower and a case of beer.

Your favorite type of music: Punk rock, psychobilly, hard rock, metal

Your favorite color of Skittle: Red. The color of murder.

Your favorite memory: I don’t remember, I blacked it out.

Your favorite quote: "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."--Hunter S. Thompson

Your favorite way to spend an evening: Drinking, listening to vinyl records, hanging out with my dogs.

Tell us what you are working on now!: A crime novel called 68 Kill. There’s not a lot of screwing around in this story. It’s just action, action, action from the get-go, sort of a synthesis of Quentin Tarantino and Duane Swiercyznski filtered through my own skewed sensibilities.

Anything you would like to say to the aspiring authors reading this blog? Major in business. Because, really, if you hope to become a full-time writer someday, it will require total commitment and sacrifice at virtually every level of your life. Just about any other path you could choose will be easier. But if it’s really in your blood to do it, then by all means go for it, but know what it takes and that you can’t do it halfheartedly.