Author: Alan Draven

ISBN: 978-0-595-43204-2

Today, Norm Goldman Editor & Publisher of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Alan Draven author of Bitternest: A Novel

Good day Alan and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

Why and how did you become a horror writer?

Alan:

As far as I can remember, I always wanted to be a writer. I've always written in one form or another: poetry, movie reviews, short stories, etc. I find it’s simply the best and easiest way to express myself, completely uncensored on paper.

Writing got me through many tough times in my life; it kept me sane for the better part of the ‘90s. I used to think I'd never be able to finish writing a whole book. Now I have to stop myself because I just go on and on. I'm at a point in my life where I need to write. I have all these stories inside my head that are gnawing at me and they won't leave me alone until I tell them, so I write. It just so happens that I found my voice in the Horror/Dark Suspense genre, where I feel most comfortable. It’s the genre that gets me the most excited.

Norm:

How would you define horror literature and why does it attract a good segment of the reading population?

Alan:

Call it what you want; dark suspense, supernatural thriller, dark fantasy—it has different labels, but it’s still horror. Horror is alive and well and I’d even go as far as to say that it’s healthier than ever. It’s constantly changing and it evolves with the ages. In the end, it’s whatever stirs up emotions in the reader.

One of the reasons people read horror, I think, has to do with voyeurism. People love to be have a front row seat to witness horrible things that happen to others without ever having to get involved or feeling ashamed for wanting to see blood—it’s safe. Others read horror to satisfy a craving for excitement, dread, and strange and unusual things. 

Norm:

Why do some critics as well as others trivialize the success of many horror authors?

Alan:

Because a lot of critics still see horror solely as pulp fiction, something unsavory with no literary merits; in short, they think it’s vulgar. The genre has produced many writers that contradict this school of thought: Clive Barker and Tom Piccirilli come to mind. These guys know their craft and write some of the most beautiful prose you’ll find on bookshelves.

Stephen King and Dean Koontz have also written many books that are more literature than horror (King’s most recent novel, Lisey’s Story is a fine example). Most of those who put horror authors down have seldom read any of the genre’s authors save for big names like King, Koontz, and Rice. They should give Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, Bentley Little and Michael Laimo a try to see what horror writers write about today. 

Norm:

What elements make a good horror novel?

Alan:

Atmosphere and emotion are key in horror, whether it be in a short story or a novel. It’s like a canvas for a painter. Horror doesn’t have to be supernatural; as long as you have the essential ingredients in your story such as atmosphere, a strong plot, a monster (in all its shapes and sizes; a virus, an alien, a personal fear or even a monster of the worst kind—the human kind), well-developed characters, and a good dose of tension. As long as there is something that makes the reader feel uneasy, that disturbs them on a primal level, for me it can fit the genre.

Norm:

What has been your overall experience as a self-published author?

Alan:

Self-published authors have to wrestle through a very sharp stigma from their peers who are published the traditional way. True, most self-published books are riddled with typos, grammatical errors, and poor editing. But there are a handful of us who would never put out a book unless it was at the level of the industry’s standards. For that, I believe we deserve every ounce of respect given to any other writer.

My book underwent an editorial evaluation by a professional editor who assessed all aspects of the novel; plot, character development, dialogue, opening chapter, climax, structure, etc. It has made my novel a much better book, something I can be proud of.

My novel has also been copy edited by a professional copy editor to correct errors in grammar, spelling, usage and style. I’m very happy with the end result and believe that it deserves its place among any other book out there. I understand how established writers perceive self-published writers as not deserving to have a place at their table. I just wish they’d keep an open mind before passing judgment, especially when there’s been so many examples of great authors in the past who self-published.

For my first book, I didn’t want to wait three to ten years to get published, so I released it using the “self-published with assistance” route. I wanted to be read while I would try to get published the traditional way with my future novels. There are thousands of people who have written manuscripts that go unpublished for countless reasons. I didn’t want to be part of that group. I believe in myself and my writing and I figured if I release a good book and get good reviews and good sales, if I spend day and night promoting it, it’ll make enough noise that they won’t be able to ignore me the second time around. That’s what I intend to do. I’m paying my dues, same as everyone else. “All roads lead to Rome” like the saying says.

There isn’t one proven way to make it as a writer. I chose what suits me the best, what I believe will work for me. I don’t care if some say it’s not the way to do it; there isn’t only one route to get to the final destination.

I’m sure a lot of writers felt the same way when word processors brought on a whole new group of writers who didn’t want to use a typewriter—they were taking the easy way. Times change and whether we like it or not, the methods to get books out there do too. Does that mean a lot of sub par books will see the light of day? Yes, unfortunately. Thankfully, there are reviewers and message boards to point out which ones are quality books and which ones aren’t. Overall, so far, in spite of everything, I’ve had a great response and I intend to keep going until everybody knows about me. I’m here to stay.

Norm:

Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?

Alan:

As a writer, I want to be read; it’s even more important to me than making money with my writing. Call it a need or desire for appreciation, but I when I write a story, my ultimate goal is for someone to read it. It goes without saying that if readers stopped buying a writer’s work, the writer would have a hard time making ends meet. It’s a give and take relationship.

Once the book is published, and out on the market, it feels like you are at the reader’s mercy. We owe so much to readers just to simply survive and do what we love. However, in creating our work, it is important that we write what makes us happy. I always hope that is something that readers can connect with. A writer’s success depends on his readers; word of mouth is the most powerful tool there is; it can make or break you, even more so than critics. But, it’s always nice when critics like your book too!

Norm:

Has there been a change over the past one hundred years in the way horror novels are written and promoted?

Alan:

I think horror novels in the past had a tendency to be more scientific and psychological. Then they evolved into stories with vampires, werewolves, ghosts and bogeymen. Nowadays, horror is much more visceral and there are practically no limits as to what one can find in a horror book. There’s plenty of explicit sex, gore, and graphic violence; all things that were mostly left to the reader’s imagination in the golden days of horror.

As with everything else in life, we became more desensitized and readers demanded to see more. Horror used to be promoted as one big genre. Since then, many sub-genres have surfaced such as splatterpunk, zombie novels, erotic horror, etc. Many publishers have dropped the horror word from the spine of their books in favor of “fiction”.

Norm:

Do you agree that to have good drama there must be an emotional charge that usually comes from the individual squaring off against antagonists either out in the world or within himself or herself? If so, please elaborate and how does it fit into your novel?

Alan:

Definitely, my whole novel is about drama and battles. At first glance, it may seem that it is cut and dry—a battle between good and evil. There are many conflicts between good and bad guys, as well as amongst themselves. However, there are many gray areas, and elements that emerge over time that demonstrate the inner demons that many of my characters possess. Without these tensions, the book wouldn’t be what it is. They are essential.

Norm:

Do you have a local writing community or fellow writers that you look to for support and advice?

Alan:

No, I’m more of a loner when it comes to my writing process. My support comes from my fiancée; she provides me with invaluable constructive criticism and tells it like it is. She won’t always say, “Oh that’s great, I love it!” She’s pushed me to become a better writer, time and time again. As far as advice is concerned, I get advice from books on writing and other authors I met on the Internet who were kind enough to volunteer their help and input.

Norm:

What does a typical writing day look like for you, from waking to turning in at night, and how does it compare to a conventional 9 to 5 job?

Alan:

I’m not at the point where I can write full time yet, but I make sure to write every day of the week. I work part-time outside of the house two days a week in an office and the rest of the time, I work from home as a proofreader for the courts in Canada. I feel very fortunate to have such a flexible schedule; it allows me more time to write. I try to write a thousand words a day. I usually write either in the morning before noon or late at night after ten. I find these are the times when I’m more inspired and when my writing flows better. I save the afternoon for real work.

Norm:

How did you come up with ideas for Bitternest? What methods did you use to flesh out your idea to determine if it’s salable?

Alan:

The idea for Bitternest had been evolving in my head for a good five years. It was originally going to be a supernatural crime story of the good, the bad, and the ugly with a detective, a crime lord, and a vampire.

They would all have equal importance and a lot of lines would be blurred. I opted for a more traditional style of storytelling and decided to have a hero, the detective, and have him go against the crime lord while making an alliance with the vampire.

As the story was shaping up, I wanted something more thrown into the mix to make the odds even worse for my protagonist. There’s an old saying in horror, “Write what scares you.” In the winter and spring of 2006, all I kept hearing about on the six o’clock news was talk of a potential threat of avian influenza. It would kill almost 50% of its victims if it were to hit North America. That scared the shit out of me.

At that moment, I knew I’d found the last ingredient for my novel. As to determine if it would be salable or not, I figured this is something that I’ve never read before, a story about a detective making an alliance with a group of vampires in an already creepy city while battling a pandemic of influenza. Add to that a biblical/mythical character that screws up everybody’s plans and you’ve got something odd and unique. I’m a picky reader; I need a story that’s fast paced and engaging, and that takes things to the next level. I think I’ve managed to achieve that with Bitternest.

Norm:

Will there be any unique ways you'll be marketing your book that is different from how others authors market their books?

Alan:

We live in the information age and the Internet is a great way to promote a book. It’s cheap and you can reach an incredible amount of readers you wouldn’t otherwise have access to. I’ve been spending a lot of time updating my website, posting on horror-related message boards and on MySpace.

It’s a great place to meet fellow writers and potential readers. Aside from that, I’ve pretty much done things the traditional way: I sent out press releases, copies of the book for review to magazines and websites, held a contest, and bought some advertising space in a few magazines.

Norm:

When writing your book, did you ever have it in the back of your mind that you could turn it into a movie or television project?

Alan:

Absolutely! I have to confess that I’m a huge movie junkie; I have probably seen too many movies for my own good. So of course, when I was writing Bitternest, I could see the whole thing in my head unfolding like a movie. Certain scenes in the book even played out with a soundtrack in my mind. I think it would be very feasible to turn it into a movie, especially in this day and age.

Norm:

What is next for Alan Draven and is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Alan:

I’m currently halfway through my second novel; a time travel horror story set in 1957. This one will be more subtle and creepier, less action-oriented than Bitternest. It still takes place in the city of Bitternest; I’m continuing the mythology I created up to now in various short stories and the current novel. A character from my first book that was only mentioned a few times becomes a major player in this next book. I plan to shop it around to mass market publishers when I’m done. After that, I’ll be writing a novella and a few more short stories before starting novel number three.

Thanks once again and good luck with Bitternest.

To read more about Alan Draven CLICK HERE

 To read Norm's Review of Bitternest: A Novel CLICK HERE