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I first met James Newman years ago on the Gorezone Message
Boards. He seemed like a pretty nice guy and he liked to read
too. I had no inkling that he was a writer. For some reason
I was home from work one morning and I was looking through
the profiles of the people that participated in the Book Forum,
which I moderated. When I clicked on the link to Newman's
website, I saw that he was a writer. There was a free story
to be read at the site and it was called "Uncle Bernie's
Liquor Cabinet."
I sometimes dread it when writers know that I am reading
their stuff. I feel like I have to make some sort of reaction.
The great thing about reading James' story was, no one had
any idea that I was doing it. Had I not liked it, he would
never have the slightest clue that I visited his site and
checked out the story.
I liked it. And I wrote James to tell him so. That was the
real beginning of our friendship, which is a great one. I
was there when James saw his first book publication, which
was a single story chapbook called Holy Rollers. "Uncle
Bernie's Liquor Cabinet" showed promise. Holy Rollers
delivered upon it.
Since then, James Newman has become a favorite among small
press readers. His debut novel, Midnight Rain, made
a lot of year's best lists and he has done several other chapbooks,
often with collaborators. Each of these was received with
reader and critical acclaim.
James took the time out of his busy schedule to answer a
few questions for Horror Drive-In.
HD-I: How's it going, James?
JN: Great, old buddy! Nice to be chatting with you. And congrats
on the "Grand Opening" of the Horror Drive-In. This
place kicks ass . . . .
HD-I: We've known each other for quite a few years. Back
then, a lot of us were hopelessly naïve about the genre
and had high hopes for its future. Now you've published fairly
extensively in the small press and have also cracked the mass
market. How healthy do you think the horror market is today?
JN: I think the horror market is perfectly healthy, but for
proof of that you've often gotta look in places other than
the mass market, in categories other than "Horror"
(as far as publishers' labels go). The exception being Leisure,
of course, and their very strong stable of horror writers.
I think you have to dig a little deeper these days to find
good horror elsewhere. For example, there's a ton of great
stuff being published right now that says "Mystery"
or "Thriller" on the spine, but many of these books
are very, very dark . . . even if their place in the world
of flat-out HORROR is debatable, they still come damn close
(off the top of my head, I'm thinking of John Connolly's work,
a lot of Preston & Child's). And I haven't even touched
on the small press. Thank God for the indie presses out there
- some phenomenal horror fiction is being published right
now that you won't find on the shelves of your local Books-a-Million.
You just gotta know where to look (as if I have to tell you
- right, Mark?).
HD-I: We both started out as fans and now horror fandom has
gotten huge. Do you think it is a positive force for the genre?
JN: Definitely. I started out
as a fan — hell, I'm still a big horror fanboy nerd —
so it's great to see so many like-minded sickos at the cons,
online, etc. Kindred souls.
HD-I: I know what you mean. Often when I'm at cons, I wistfully
wish that I could find people in the real world that wear
horror t-shirts or carry genre books in their hands. It's
feast or famine. Have you ever experienced a dark side to
fandom?
JN: I don't have any stories to tell personally involving
run-ins with any folks who take it too far, but you never
know. I guess more than anything I'm disappointed by "horror
fans" who are so enthusiastic about "horror,"
but then think the genre begins and ends with FREDDY &
JASON AN MICHAEL MYERS RULZ!!!!!! At least, those who are
above the age of 15. Ya know?
HD-I: You've done a lot of collaborating lately. Are you
comfortable writing with other people?
JN: Absolutely. I'm proud to
say that I was good pals with all of the guys I've collaborated
with — Donn Gash, James Futch, Jason Brannon — before
the work began. That certainly makes collaboration a lot easier.
And in some cases — as with Jason — I was a fan
of his writing long before we were friends. So it's a real
honor. I'm looking forward to collaborating again with every
one of these guys again in the future, hopefully.
HD-I: Is there a dream writer that you'd most love to work
with?
JN: Joe R. Lansdale. Problem is, I'm sure he doesn't have
the slightest idea who the hell "James Newman" is,
and couldn't care less. I would also kill to work with Mr.
Ed Gorman, who I think might just be our greatest living writer
of dark fiction.
HD-I: What about today's horror movies?
JN: I have mixed feelings about most of them. There have
been a few movies released during the last couple years that
I dug a lot - SAW, the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, and HAUTE
TENSION are a few that come to mind right away - but for the
most part I could take 'em or leave 'em. I did get bitten
pretty bad by the "Japanese Horror" bug for a little
while - I still think RINGU and AUDITION are two of the most
disturbing horror films ever made, and UZUMAKI one of the
coolest - but now that's played itself out, sadly enough.
HD-I: Your work, Midnight Rain in particular,
seems to be perfectly suited for the screen. Has there been
any interest in adapting it?
JN: Oh, yeah. One pretty big
player in our beloved genre showed a bit of interest in the
film rights to 'Rain at one time. As a matter of fact,
he told me he thought the story would be better suited for
television than the big screen, which I found very interesting.
But it's been a couple years since I heard anything about
that at all. I've learned not to get my hopes up about such
things. It sure would be cool, but you know how it goes .
. . .
HD-I: You've hinted to me about some future publications
which you are understandably reluctant to discuss before they
are a reality. Are there any definite plans for books that
you can tell us about?
JN: Right now, the only thing
set in stone that I can really talk about is the chapbook
from White Noise Press. That one's a novelette collaboration
with Jason Brannon called The Church Of Dead Languages.
I think folks are gonna dig it. It's about a church youth
group's camping trip gone horribly wrong. Jason might disagree,
but I keep thinking of The Church Of Dead Languages
as sort of a cross between Holy Rollers and Lovecraft's
"The Shadow Over Innsmouth" gone Southern Gothic
. . . .
HD-I: Finally, you're a part time writer. Do you ever see
yourself quitting the day job and focusing on your fiction
full time? A lot of us would like to see that happen.
JN: I wish, man. I appreciate
the vote of confidence. Quitting my day job to write full-time
certainly is a dream of mine. One day, maybe. Problem is,
writing — at least for me, right now — pays shit.
And I make really decent money working for the Man.
Then there's the sad-but-true fact that I am the most UN-prolific
writer in the history of the genre . . . .
HD-I: Thanks a lot, James.
JN: You're very welcome, bro. Thanks for having me here
at the 'Drive-In. Now let's slip out the gates for a beer.
Unless you have some stashed in the projector room? You are
the boss, after all . . . .
HD-I: Dude, I always have plenty of drive-in
necessities.
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