Meet horror author, Fred Wiehe, as he lauches Holiday Madness

Speculative fiction writer and creative writing instructor, Fred Wiehe, writes mainly horror. As such, I thought he'd be a great addition to my October line-up of writers. As I've said before, I met Fred at a science fiction convention in San Jose. His insightful and thorough responses to questions caught my interest, as did his book, Holiday Madness, which comes out tomorrow. Fred and his wife, Suzy, even managed to get one of their two grown sons to attend a convention with them and sit in on his panel. Now that's really impressive! ;)

AW: What horror writer has most influenced your work?

FW: I’m not sure any one horror writer actually influenced or influences my work. I think I have my own unique voice, my own unique style. That said, the horror writers that I read the most, the ones I consider bloody good are Dean Koontz (his earlier works; I’m not sure he’s a horror writer anymore), Nate Kenyon, Peter Straub, Poppy C. Brite (again, earlier works), Jonathan Maberry, Nick (Randers) Grabowsky, and of course Stephen King.

AW: You said during a panel that you can write in the midst of noise. Can you give an extreme example of this?

FW: Writing in the midst of noise became a necessity for two reasons: my household is very noisy (I have no private office) and I tend to write on the go. I’m very busy and don’t really have the time to block out four or five hours of time for “quiet” writing. So I take my laptop everywhere with me. That way I can steal snippets of time to write. I began writing in public places, like restaurants while having breakfast or lunch. Those are the noisiest places to write. You don’t realize how noisy the places we eat are until you’re really trying to concentrate on something important—there’s constant chatter and laughter, sometimes kids scream or cry, waitresses or waiters continuously interrupt, dishes and glasses clank. It can be a mad house, but I really learned to tune that stuff out and can now write pretty much anywhere, anytime. I’ve written a novel, a screenplay, and several short stories under just such conditions.

AW: Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you opened that first acceptance letter?

FW: I checked the mail on my way into the kitchen to have lunch with my family. I expected it to be another rejection and debated on whether I wanted to open it before lunch, thus ruining my appetite. But of course not opening it and not knowing for sure was already making my stomach do flip-flops. So I opened it. After reading it, I still couldn’t eat. But for a different reason: Excitement!

AW: What was the most valuable advice you received as a writer?

FW: A writer friend said, “Get an agent.” She was right. Every writer needs a good agent to look out for them. The trick is finding a good one. Networking is probably the best way. I had been looking for months, sending out query letters, with no luck. Then fate stepped in. I got an email out of the blue from Brendan Deneen. Brendan worked as Director of Development for Miramax/Dimension Films and then the Weinstein Brothers. He remembered me because I had given him a copy of my novel Strange Days to look at as a possible movie. Anyway, Brendan had started out as an agent with Philip Morris Agency before going into movies and had decided to get back into literary managing. He liked Strange Days and was trying to build a client list at the time, so he emailed me, explained his career move, and asked if I had anything new. His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Sometimes fate just comes a knocking on the door. Be ready to open it.

AW: What has helped you the most to create truly horrifying scenes?

FW: I’ve always had a vivid and macabre imagination. I’ve often said that if I wasn’t a horror writer then I’d probably be a depressed schizophrenic or worse. My mind tends to dwell on the morbid, on the dark side of life. Writing horror is cathartic for me. I tend to get depressed and moody when I’m not writing. Releasing my dark side in my writing keeps me sane, happy, and balanced. I guess I better keep writing.

AW: What was your craziest convention experience?

FW: I’m not sure I’ve had a “crazy” convention experience. Everyone I’ve ever met at conventions—fans, fellow writers, and celebrities—has been friendly, approachable, and great. I’ve had “crazier” experiences through life in general than at any convention.

AW: Do you consider teaching to be a vocation?

FW: Well, for those who don’t know me, I am a teacher as well as a writer. I have a BA from the University of Cincinnati in Secondary Education. Currently, I teach Creative Writing, Academic Writing, Grammar, SAT Writing, and Public Speaking to both children and adults. So I guess my answer would be, “Yes.”

AW: Do you watch horror movies? Do you ever think, “Hey, I can do better that that,” or conversely, “I wish I’d written that,” or is writing for the big screen something you would rather leave alone?”

FW: It’s funny you should ask; I just finished my first screenplay Freak House. A small production company called Elftwin Films in LA optioned it and Lions Gate is considering funding the project. We also have Debbie Rochon set to play a small role in the movie. For those of you who don’t know Debbie; she was in The Night of the Living Dead, as well as a number of other horror films and has her own radio program on Fangoria Radio. Personally, I can’t wait to see my name on the big screen.

AW: Can you tell us about Holiday Madness?

FW: Holiday Madness came about by accident really. Several years ago, a friend who is a local radio personality on a public radio station convinced me to write an original Christmas/horror story for his radio show and then read it on the air. Listeners seemed to like it, and it’s now become a tradition. In fact, listeners liked it so much we started doing a Halloween show too. Some writer friends told me that these stories were the best works I’d ever written. I wasn’t sure I agreed with them but decided to take the 13 (seemed like a good number) stories and put them into a collection. Now Holiday Madness is due out October 17 from Black Bed Sheet Books. It already has a few Bram Stoker award nominations, and people I respect are saying some good things about it. Here’re a few quotes:

“Ghouls and Santa, Ghosts and Aliens—a stocking full of bloody, holiday stories hung with care. Scrooges of all ages will shriek with delight!” Del Howison, Dark Delicacies.

“With Holiday Madness Fred Wiehe proves that Halloween is no longer the scariest time of year. Holiday Madness is weird, twisted, spooky, wild and outrageous. Very highly recommended!” Jonathan Maberry, Author and multiple Bram Stoker award winner.

“Wiehe’s 13 tales of holiday terror will shock and thrill you to the bone. Teens and adults alike will love the twists and turns in this collection. Not a word wasted. Great stuff!” Nate Kenyon, Author and Bram Stoker Finalist.

AW: What are you working on now?

FW: My agent Brendan Deneen is shopping around my new alternative reality novel, ALERIC: Monster Hunter. It’s about Aleric Toma Bimbai, a two-hundred-year-old Gypsy who hunts monsters for bounty. He’s a gun for hire, with secrets as dark as midnight in a graveyard. He’s a hero and rogue rolled into one, with preternatural powers of his own, and only slightly better than the supernatural creatures he hunts. Anyway, I liked this character so much that I’m now writing a second novel for him—Zero Sin.

Find out more about Fred at www.fredwiehe.com or visit him on MySpace.



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SF tidbits and title timing

Well, I was going to share a YouTube video of outtakes from the latest Star Trek movie, but it seems to have poofed. Imagine punchy cast stumbling, cursing and dancing. So there, it was just like being there, right?

FastForward gets a whole season. Now that's impressive, and a rarity these days. Read more at Entertainment Weekly. Woohoo Rob (Sawyer)!

I've been off work this week to concentrate on my fiction. I'm rereading a book I started in 2004, in preparation for rewriting the last chapters. I put it away for a year because I was sick to death of it. Yesterday I thought it was crap. Today I'm thinking it's great. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

World Fantasy Convention is just over a fortnight away. Hopefully, my copies of Awesome Lavratt will arrive in time. This printer is supposed to be better than the last. Can't wait to see them.

I received another book for review today. This time science, without the fiction. Friday will bring an interview with Fred Wiehe, horror and dark fiction writer. Sneak a peek at his Website while you wait.

My friend, Alma Alexander (interview listed on the right), posted this great New Yorker article on Facebook. It's a spoof on publishers' promotions departments. I loved it. http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/10/19/091019sh_shouts_weiner

This being my vacation, I'm determined to have a little fun in the evening at least. Screenwriter's club Wednesday. Pool and bluegrass (wish it was blues) on Thursday and I'll have to catch a SF movie on Friday. And the local arts center across the creek from us is showing old movies on the big screen for $6/ticket. And the big splurge for the budget conscious? George Thorogood's new CD, The Dirty Dozen.

Why must we slaughter perfectly good words by using them to death? When I titled my book Awesome Lavratt, I really did mean awesome, as in this mind control device is scary powerful. Now, people are throwing "awesome" in every other sentence.

I overuse words myself. We all do. I think I'm just the victim of bad timing. Awesome Lavratt doesn't have the punch it would have before that word became the new "cool".

I named my first son Wesley because I liked the name and we had two ancestors by the name. I knew no one alive with it. Then they all came out of the woodwork. So much for his name being unique. Although, he probably prefers it that way.

So, if I only see one SF movie at the theater this week, which one should I see?









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Alice Henderson - a frighteningly good writer

Alice Henderson is a horror writer whom I had the pleasure of sharing a book signing with at a local comic book store. We swapped books, Voracious for Awesome Lavratt. I don't usually read horror, but I needed a good escape one weekend when my back was out. I hadn't promised to review it, either, so it wasn't "required reading". I inhaled Voracious in two days. My review—I had to do one since I like it so much—can be found on Mostly Fiction. Maybe I'll have to start reading horror now... at least Alice's. :)


AW: What was your first published fan fic piece?

AH: Fan fiction is actually different from licensed media tie-in fiction, which is what my Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels are. I’ve actually never written any fan fiction. The work I’ve done with licensed universes (like Buffy and Star Wars) were always written after the publisher contacted me and gave me the go ahead to officially write for that franchise. My first piece of media tie-in fiction was my novel Night Terrors, which was set in the Buffy universe. Simon & Schuster wanted to do a series of Buffy books written in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure book. They created the Stake Your Destiny series, of which Night Terrors was a part. It was a fantastic challenge to write. I had an immense flow chart on my wall that tracked all the possible threads and endings.

AW: You have written some Buffy the Vampire novels, including a choose your own adventure one. Why Buffy?

AH: I wanted to make some solid connections with editors, and I thought writing a tie-in novel might be a good way to break in. I loved the show and was very familiar with the characters and types of plot lines they used. I also have a love of horror and the supernatural. It was a blast to write for Buffy. I had a lot of creative freedom, and was honored to contribute some stories to that universe. I’m very excited to say that my second Buffy novel, Portal Through Time, won a Scribe Award for Best Novel (which is an award given by the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers to honor licensed fiction like Star Wars and Star Trek novels, etc.).

AW: How did you land an agent?

AH: I talked to a lot of writers about their agents before I approached any. I found writers to be very willing to discuss how helpful, communicative, etc., their agents were. I’d heard very good things about an agent who represented a fellow Buffy writer. I had an offer from a publisher on my novel Voracious, and I asked this agent if he’d be willing to negotiate the deal. He said yes. Getting an agent can be very difficult, and having an offer in hand is really helpful, as is having a publishing history. By the time I got my agent, my two Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels had already been published. It also helps to go to conferences to meet agents in person, talk to other writers, and get recommendations for other agents to approach.

AW: You were telling me about some of your experiences with "drive-by" signings. Can you share some here? Perhaps best, worst, funniest and most unexpected?

AH: I did a slew of these after the release of my novel Voracious. I’d read that signing your stock at a bookstore is a win/win situation. Your autograph adds value to the book for the bookseller, and it benefits the writer as the books are often faced out on the shelf with an “autographed copy” sticker. But I quickly learned that with drive-by signings, I never knew what I was going to encounter. I’d visit a bookstore, find my books on the shelves, and offer to sign them. I am always very polite, kind, and friendly. In return, I’ve been greeted with kindness, rudeness, enthusiasm and absolutely bewilderment. During a few (my best), the booksellers were very kind and ordered more copies of my book into the store. They also suggested I come back for a regular signing. That’s the best outcome, what I hoped would happen. During the worst experiences, I was forbidden to sign them because the bookseller did not seem to understand I wasn’t a random person off the street wanting to write in a book, but that I was the actual author. Sometimes once the person understood this, I was then given the green light to sign copies. But on a few occasions, this concept was never understood and I had to leave without signing the stock.

AW: Can you give advice to newbies on why and how to foster relationships with booksellers directly?

AH: It’s very important to develop a positive relationship with booksellers. Go talk to them in person. Tell them about your book. If you are local, be sure to tell them that. Be polite and upbeat. If you can win over a bookseller, they are far more likely to hand sell your book, suggesting it to more readers. They will invite you back for author events. When you go into a store to do signings, order pizza for the staff. Give them something (a bookmark, a mug) that you have personalized. Be approachable and kind. Go to bookstores that specialize in your genre and meet the owners and staff. Independently owned specialty bookstores tend to do the most events for writers in specific genres. They are usually avid supporters with an in-depth knowledge of their genre. And when you go in there to talk to them, support them in kind by buying a book.


And here we are getting excellent ideas from Kathy Bottarini at The Comic Book Box in Rohnert Park.



AW: We obviously share a love of shapeshifters. What character sparked that interest for you?

AH: I don’t think it was any specific character that sparked my interest in shapeshifters. I’ve had a love of monsters and the supernatural from the time I was little. I loved tales of werewolves changing at the full moon, and vampires transforming into bats or mist. I wanted to create a character who had the ability to change into whatever he desired, and so I created Stefan for my novel Voracious.

AW: Who are your three most favorite authors and why?

AH: Robert McCammon is a huge favorite of mine. His novels truly immerse me in their worlds. I feel like I’m there, as if I know the characters, as if I could call them up on the phone and invite them out on an adventure. His novel Boy’s Life is simply amazing. Richard Adams is another favorite. Watership Down is rich with folklore, characterization, a whole world created between those pages. Mark Twain has written some of the most hilarious non-fiction I’ve read. His travel accounts and essays frequently make me laugh out loud. If I can add a fourth author, I must say that the writer I spend the most time with is George Gissing, a Victorian novelist who kept a diary that truly does the writer’s struggle justice. He wrote openly about the struggles (“days of blank misery,” as he would say), triumphs, the sheer joy of finishing a novel and the agony of being confounded by a plot. It’s comforting to know that the journey of a writer, though a century separates us, is still universal.

AW: What are you working on now?

AH: I have several projects going on right now, a horror novel, an urban fantasy novel, and a Crichton-esque science thriller. The research for the thriller has completely taken over my desk and floor. I can barely see over the stacks of books and maps. But it’s fascinating, and the discovery process of writing a novel, when one is first figuring out the plot, is one of the most exciting stages of the craft.

Visit Alice at www.alicehenderson.com.

Photos by Patrick Wilkes

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Filed under torture...

When my kids were little they had these little books with companion cassette tapes. One of them, oh that I could forget it, was called Casie's Shapes to Share. I don't even know if the voice was supposed to be male or female. I do remember it was annoyingly high-pitched with the evilest of lilts to it. That particular tape had an "accident". We just couldn't take it any more!

Much later, I took an online course at the local junior college. It was great. I never had to set foot on the campus. The school provided (or perhaps sold?) a VHS tape of the lectures. I've never met the teacher, but so help me, I think she's Casie! I couldn't watch it!

And then came Pokemon's Pikachu! That was courtesy of our Godsons.

Now, because it's the month for all things frightful, listen to these robots sing, if you dare, courtesy i09.

By the way, if you get an email telling you that there's been a suspicious transaction via paypal in your name, click here to cancel, DON'T CLICK IT! It's the latest scam. And no, I didn't click it. I know better.

Happy Mad Hatter Day - yesterday. As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short. And no one invited me to tea. I would have worn my March Hare hat to be sure.

Read here for literary torture methods: How you can really help an author out.

Retrieved from the mailbox just before I departed for Silicon last Friday was Terry Pratchett's new book, Unseen Academicals. I almost brought it with me. I just finished Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next: First Among Sequels today, so I'll have a nice bit of silliness to read in tandem with In the Courts of the Sun. Of course, that's if you don't count Grants Pass. But that's almost done. Review to follow shortly. Having to sit up at the computer to read the pdf version makes for slower going.

Only two more days of work and then I'm all about the novel, Under the Suns of Sarshan - my novel. I'm determined to finish it next week during my vacation. And I might actually slip out to some writing events and get Awesome Lavratt placed in a few bookstores. I'll also have to polish up my presentation for the writers conference on the 24th and try to get my radio interview into podcast form for my website and a new feature for Broad Universe. Definitely a working vacation.

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Silicon con report and SGU

This was my first time at Silicon. It seems to have more of a science bent? And it's definitely smaller than BayCon. I don't know if the venue was just larger than needed or their attendance was down. Or maybe I'm just used to BayCon. Interesting panels, though.

On the Joys of research panel, we discussed resources, methods, narrowing your search and finding experts to steer you in the right direction. One of my fellow panelists, as it turned out was Candy Lowe. Candy (as C.S. Lowe) has co-written many stories for Analog with G. David Nordley, who was already on my interview list. Candy and I shared lunch after the panel. I'll be interviewing both of them, now. All the better! But not until November, at least. I'm reserving this month for horror.

I have Alice Henderson, author of Voracious and several Buffy books and Jennifer Brozek, editor and writer of sf, horror and rpg worlds. I shared both of my panels on Saturday with author Fred Wiehe. He has a story collection coming out in a couple of weeks called Holiday Madness. So now we have yet another horror writer for October. I know he'll be good for a stimulating interview.

I attended a great panel on alien autopsies, complete with grizzly slides led by Pat McEwen. The grizzly slides were mostly of dead humans, of course.

I skipped the parties Saturday night and got some much-needed sleep.

Sunday, I attended a worldbuilding panel that Gerald (Nordley) was on. Gave the garage rocket ship panel a miss reluctantly. My back couldn't take any more sitting.

I picked my books from the dealer's room and headed home. On the way, I drove by my childhood home in San Leandro. Of course, I couldn't remember or recognize which one was mine. They all looked alike and I can't remember the house number. I also don't remember the neighborhood being so dumpy. Either it went downhill or my perception has changed. I was 8 years old when we moved away. I wonder if our kids will have a similar experience if they ever decide to visit this tract home long after we've moved away. How can you get sentimental over a tract home in a suburb or bedroom community?

Of course, first on the agenda when I got home: SGU (Stargate Universe)
OK. So we have Lost in Space, complete with Dr. Smith (Rush) and The Last Starfighter (Eli Wallace)trying to horn in on the SG franchise. Hmmm. And who's idea was this? I was unimpressed.

I have another reading gig. This one at the Hotel Healdsburg (in Healdsburg, CA) with other local authors. Dec. 5th. More info to follow.

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