Interview with our Tough Love blogger, John F. Taylor

Posted by bridgid on | January 15, 2012 | No Comments |

I wanted to take a moment to check in with our Tough Love for Writers blogger, John F. Taylor. It seemed like the perfect time to learn a little more about the life of our favorite horror writer and reptile enthusiast. In his interview, John shares what he’s been up to, his thoughts on writing horror, and advice for horror-writing newbies.

(Honestly, this is all just an excuse to post John’s author photo again. It makes our cool factor jump, like, 20 points. Don’t you think? )

Catching up with John, reptile enthusiast & horror writer

BG: So John, what have you been working on?

JT: Oh boy, What am I working on right now, is that a trick question? All kidding aside, when it comes to writing, I have about 3 short stories in the works. Two of which could be considered horror fiction the other is actually a ‘high fantasy’ romance piece with a working title of ‘Declination of Destiny’ wherein two people who should’ve been together end up separated and pursuing completely different lives then find one another through a ‘special’ circumstance that neither of them could ever imagine. Its also an examination of the trials that come with not following your instincts.

Outside of this I am redesigning the Reptileapartment.com to make it a more science based site as readers are very interested in the scientific aspect of reptiles. I am also recording podcasts for the Reptilelivingroom.com as well as publishing Herpetoculture House which is an eZine dedicated to reptile captive care, and much more such as field studies etc.

BG: You have a ton going on! That’s great. And I love the design changes you’ve made to Reptile Apartment. Well done!

As a Young Adult writer, I always get asked, “Why YA?” So, John, I have to ask, why horror?

JT: “Horror…why horror?” I have to laugh at this question not because its funny mind you but it’s the same one my family still asks me today after over a decade of serious writing. Typically my answer to this question is a flippant response of ‘why not?’ To be honest with our readers I want to really answer this with a well thought out answer so here goes:

Horror is a genre of media that has attracted me since I was a kid. I remember seeing Frankenstein with Boris Karloff, The Wolfman with Lon Chaney Jr., and of course Bela Lugosi as Dracula. I had no clue some of these were originally books until much later in life and even today I have yet to completely read Bram Stoker Dracula. All of these actors scared the living hell out of me and I loved it! It was a new sensation for me having a movie scare me that is.

Fast forward a decade or so and after I got done with reading about dinosaurs I moved onto fantasy fiction as I had no idea there was a horror genre. I read Tolkien, Weiss, etc. Then I discovered the horror genre in writing with of course the author I think everyone cuts their fangs on Stephen King. I remember reading Pet Semetary and hating it. Yes, I said I hated it.

Then in 1990 I met my writing mentor Michael McLarty who introduced me Clive Barker whom Stephen King called the “future of horror’. I read the Books of Blood collected short stories and was absolutely horrified and the renditions of seemingly normal average lives twisted into monstrosities of the macabre which were believable and could happen to anyone. I loved it, and I had to figure out how to do it myself!

I wanted to lull people into a an average reality then show them the monster of mankind whether it be a vengeful sister or someones odd sense of love.

That’s the long answer I like the psychology and emotions behind the fear, its actually more of a suspense thing really though when it comes down to it. Is the monster around the corner? What is the monster? That and twist endings that you would never see coming or expect I love stories and films like that and I try to create these myself when I write horror.

BG: Wow. Great answer, John. (And creepy. Remind me to read your fiction with the lights on.)  

What are some resources you would recommend for those just breaking into the Horror genre?

JT: One of, if not the best resources is a book I discovered On Writing Horror: A Handbook by the Horror Writers Association. Another resource would be Mike Arnzen.com whom is a horror writer I regard very highly and is very accessible to his fans. A lot of people really tout the HWA or Horror Writers Association and I haven’t joined as yet for various reasons but its still a good resource for things horror related. I must also mention before I get hate mail from Stephen King fans. I read Kings’ acceptance speech in the above mentioned On Writing Horror and afterwards read Duma Key by King and I am now a King fan. You want to know what it takes to be a Horror writer/writer of any kind read that speech.

BG: Do you ever write in other genres?

JT: As far as writing in other genres the answer short answer is yes I do. I write in the genres of science fiction, poetry, and as I had mentioned earlier I am currently working on my first fantasy piece, I have also considered doing some mystery work as well but have as yet to venture that far. A subgenre that really fascinates me however and I do plan to tackle sometime soon is that of Steampunk.

BG: One of your short stories was published in an anthology. Would you mind sharing a little of that process with us?

JT: As far as getting published is concerned its a really fun and exciting process. Essentially, by monitoring sites such as Ralan.com & Duotrope.com is how I find out about markets and places where I can publish and its really a matter of following the submission guidelines.

I cannot put enough emphasis on this, as it is the number one reason I hear from editors when rejecting work (not following submission guidelines).

This particular anthology was a paying gig based on how many sales of the book were made with your name being mentioned. Meaning when the customer ordered the book if they mentioned your name you got a percentage of the sale price. I would say the overall experience was a good one. The publishing world can be a very daunting one as there is so much that goes into publishing. You have to monitor markets, send out queries, keep in touch with editors if you have one (if you don’t get one now!).

I have also been published on several websites which were paid gigs as well and I am usually asked if its harder to get published in print or cyberspace so to speak. Truth is, quality is quality. If you can feel comfortable about publishing on a site rather than in print then do it.

Yes it’s it sometimes considered by some as not ‘really’ publishing as its not traditional but what is tradition but an act that we continually observe out of habituation. So forget the naysayers and publish wherever you can.

BG: How do you balance writing fiction, freelance writing, managing multiple blogs, chasing reptiles in the wild (AKA Field herping), attending reptile shows, traveling, and spending time with your famil?

JT: I am not really sure that I actually balance anything versus I have a very forgiving family that understands I am not really driven to write, I don’t have a choice I have to write.

But, please for the love of whatever you may hold sacred do not try to do what I used to do which was to work a day job of eight hours and then come home to work another 12 or more hours writing, promoting, recording podcasts, etc.

This is not healthy, several friends expressed concern about this habit and after a recent hospital stay which may have had implications due to my work schedule and not adhering to a proper rest period I cannot express enough the need for proper rest periods. The old saying “I’ll sleep when I am dead.” Don’t buy into the hype it may be more real than you realize.

OK, so back to balancing it. Blow up your television. It’s the number burglar of time. As I have said in other posts here there are ways to manage distractions and exert control over what you do with your time. That being said, I now ‘work’ only another 5 or 6 hours after my regular day job. Even this may change as needed by my personal health. Take time away, don’t force it to come out, it should flow naturally and it will. If you force it, it will come out that way.

BG: Thank you for the thoughtful answers, John! 

Read John’s Tough Love for Writers posts here.

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