Blazing guns, monsters, buckets of gore, break neck paced action and fun are what you'll normally hear about the writing of fellow North Carolinian, Eric S. Brown. His books read like the classic B - Horror Movies that many of us love. I had a chance to fire a few questions his way and he was kind enough to take the time out of his, constantly busy, schedule to shoot the breeze (and perhaps a zombie or two).
eBook Nightmare: What scares you and how has that played a role in your writing?
Eric S. Brown: I was terrified of Bigfoot and snakes as a child. That fear of Bigfoot did help me write Bigfoot War.
eBN: You took a chance with Bigfoot War by breathing new life into a creature that had seemingly faded from horror fiction over the years. How did that come about and how do you feel about it's success and the influence it's had since publication?
ESB: I've been a horror fan pretty much my whole life. After years of writing zombies, I was ready for something new and I remembered how much Bigfoot used to freak me out as a kid. I also couldn't find any Bigfoot books that had a kind of survival horror feel on a zombie scale. I set out to write one that did and Bigfoot War was born. It's basically the tale of one little town's struggle to stay alive in North Carolina as a horde of Sasquatch come out of the woods and fill its streets with blood. Of course, as the series goes on, the stakes get higher and a zombie pandemic sets in on top of the human/sasquatch war.
eBN: There are other books of yours which tie into the Bigfoot War series in ways. Could you elaborate on those?
ESB: Yes, mainly A Pack of Wolves. It leads directly into Bigfoot War IV and several of its characters carry over into the Bigfoot War series. A Pack of Wolves is an Old West werewolf tale about a family of guns-for-hire werewolves (think something along the lines of an anti-hero, werewolf version of the A-Team.
eBN: Any news on the movie?
ESB: There is Hollywood interest in Bigfoot War but only time will tell how that plays out. However, Bigfoot War's success did land me my first novelization deal already. I was hired to turn the new Boggy Creek film into a book. My book Boggy Creek: The Legend is True based on the screenplay will be out later this year.
eBN: You've also been treading into the realm of other beasts, such as the werewolves, zombies and aliens. If someone were just finding out about your work, which would be a good starting point?
ESB: If you like something different and survival horror, I would recommend Bigfoot War. If you dig shoot'em up action and characters that you won't soon forget, I would say A Pack of Wolves.
eBN: I know you're a big fan of comic books and have dabbled with creating one by the name of Croatoan. Could you tell a little about it and if there is a possibility of more comics?
ESB: Croatoan will be soon from Knightwatch Press. It's very much a period piece of Bigfoot survival horror set in the colonial era of America. It's been a great experience so far. It's really cool to see the art the artist comes up with from your script and see your story come alive visually on the page. As to other comics of my own, I hope so however there will be a comic based on Bigfoot War due out later this year as well. A devote fan of the book who happened to be a talented artist created one. It's awesome. Really can't wait for it to come out.
eBN: Who or what has been you major influences with writing?
ESB: David Drake is my hero. That many is crazy intelligent, super talented, and prolific beyond belief. He's what I aspire to as a writer. I learned to write action, heck, I learned to write period from reading his Hammer's Slammers stuff. Lovecraft is another writer who has moved me a lot.
eBN: Any upcoming projects that have you particularly excited?
ESB: Bigfoot War IV and V are slated for release this year as are my Boggy Creek adaptation and A Pack of Wolves II and III. I am also in the process of beginning a second novelization for another movie but I can't give details on that yet.
eBN: If you had a chance to visit any period of history for one day and use your experience for inspiration, when would it be and why?
ESB: If we're going with only the past, I would say ancient Rome in its prime because I dig that period.
eBN: Any advice that you'd like to give to up and coming writers?
ESB: Never give up. Write every day even if you throw it away at the end. Listen to your editors even when you don't want to. And keep the faith.
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