Meet our guest author, Andrew Saxsma!
Where are you from?
Originally, I’m from a
teeny, tiny town called Clifton in Illinois.
When I say teeny, tiny, that’s no stretch of the truth. My graduating class only had about
sixty-something people. Main street is a
string of 2 bars, an antique store, and a deli.
Our elementary school was closed down and a pizza chain bought the space
in the cafeteria. Seriously. But, about a week ago, I moved to Los
Angeles, even after I’d heard all the horror stories about living here. I will say, the traffic lives up to its
reputation, but really, it’s no worse than Chicago (which was only about 40 min
away from where I used to live). I’m in
love with this city. So much to do, so
much to see. It’s incredible.
What inspired you to
write your first book?
My first book, Redial, actually hit me, the idea
anyway, while I was watching PS I LOVE YOU, with Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler
who passes away very early into the film.
There’s this scene where she’s lying in bed and she’s calling his cell
phone over and over to listen to his voicemail.
It’s very sweet, very sad, very emotional. It’s a great scene, but as I was watching it,
a thought hit me like lightning. What if
he answered?? Or better yet, what if something else answered? Suddenly, this very sappy scene became
something of horror, and I loved it hah!
From there, my brain just sort of catapulted with ideas, eventually
turning into my first novel.
Do you write full-time
or part-time? How do you balance your writing life with your family/work life?
I am a part-time
writer, sadly. In economic times like
these, even us authors have to get day jobs to get by. The thing that kills me is all day at work
that’s what I think about, writing. I
wouldn’t say it’s distracting, because it’s worse than that! Somehow, though, I manage. I try to write between 25-30 hours a week,
but honestly, that’s not always attainable.
So, it’s a struggle, and I know I’m not the only writer who battles with
that. Why can’t we all just do what we
love, all the time!?
What jobs have you held
that influence your stories?
When I was 15, I worked
at a small grocery store in my hometown.
I was a stockboy, at first, and a chicken cook (basically, I fried
chicken). I worked side-by-side with a butcher
who was batty as shit! Seriously, he was
so strange, but he was a really nice guy.
Anyway, on my blog, I run a series called Hell Breaks Loose, which is post-apocalyptic zombie stuff. The beginning of the series takes place in my
hometown, and in one scene the main character, Mitch, goes to the store and
encounters a Mad Butcher, which is based off the guy I used to work with.
Do you have a specific writing style?
If you’d asked me this
a year ago, I would have said that I hadn’t found it yet. I’ve done quite a bit since then, and I’m
actually proud to say that I think I’ve finally nailed down my writer’s voice
to coincide with my style. I prefer a
bit of action with my horror, and I love to toss in some gore, but not for
gore’s sake.
How did you come up with the title?
The title for my latest
book, Old McDonald, came to me after
a few days of trying to squeeze a title out of my head. I don’t think I’ve ever had as hard a time
coming up with a title as I did for this book.
Usually, after it’s done, or sometimes in the middle of writing it, a
title will just sort of step out from the shadows, revealing itself based upon
the material on paper or in the CPU.
That didn’t happen for this one.
But, I’ll say the title is pretty much self-explanatory, and I quite
like it.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
The main character,
Gene, is a simple guy. He likes simple
things and he loves simple living. When
he strays from that, shit starts happening.
I grew up on a farm, so I can empathize with that small, simple
living. Science catches up to Gene, and
that’s the downfall. It’s not an opinion
that I have, that Science is inherently evil, but I think there are things that
just shouldn’t be messed with, and I definitely exemplify that in this tale.
How much of the book is realistic?
If you discount crazed
farm animals rampaging across the countryside as realistic, then not much, hah!
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Like I said, I grew up
on a farm, and some of the experiences I had in my own childhood played a part
in the story. The farm in the book, as I
describe it, is identical to the one we lived on. Everything else is completely fictional.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Oh, there are soooo
many! The one that I saw in my head
first, after reading this question, is the book IT, by Stephen King. It’s
one of my favorites, because it has a little bit of everything, and those
everythings are done so well. I can only
dream of crafting a book as great as that one.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Honestly, my writer
friend, Greg, would fall into that role.
He’s the one that got me started in actually taking my writing
seriously, about 6-7 years ago. Since
then, we always bounce ideas off each other, giving each other feedback and
critiques. We look over each other’s
work for grammar and such. He’s a huge
part of my writing, even to this day, and he’s brutally honest, which I take
with a gran of salt.
What book are you reading now?
Right now, I’m reading The Skinner by Neal Asher. I’ve started getting into hardcore Science
Fiction lately, and am really enjoying it so far. Neal Asher is a spectacular writer.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
In my spare time, I
work as an Associate Editor for Trembles Horror Magazine, and every once in a
while we’ll get some wonderful stories from unknowns, which is a joy.
What are your current projects?
I have a lot of
projects on my plate right now, one of which is absolutely TOP SECRET. But, I’m working on a novella called When Angels Scream, and am still trying
to finish my fourth novel A Velvet Kiss
Goodnight.
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My friends of course,
who continually yell at me to finish what I’m doing so they can read it,
hah!
Do you see writing as a career?
Absolutely. It’s something I take very seriously, and
it’s something I treat like a job. I
can’t call in sick, I can’t take a vacation.
It’s there, it’s real, and it has to be taken seriously as such,
otherwise what is then? A hobby?
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
Not at all. It came out just the way that it should have,
I feel. I mean, there were times when I
wanted to go back and change things, but I got myself to believe that it was
complete, in and unto itself.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
It started back in high
school, with a creative writing assignment in an Advanced English class. I wrote a crappy story about a band of
pirates plagued by this vicious sea creature.
I mean, the story was atrocious, and not at all cohesive, but that’s
where it started.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Dialogue is always a
point of contention for me. It just
doesn’t come as naturally to me as the rest of the writing does. For me, it’s a question of believability and
finding the right words for that character.
Everything else, I can see in my head clear as day.
Who designed the covers?
I was actually
approached earlier this year by an artist from the UK, named Stephen
Cooney. After sampling his work, I was
sold. His artwork appears on the cover
of Old McDonald, and will appear on
the cover of A Velvet Kiss Goodnight. My first two book covers were created by a
friend named Luke Imbery.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write. Write often.
Write genuinely. If your head is
screaming at you to put it on paper or on the keyboard, you must obey. Also, read!
Get your hands on as many books as you can. Devour them.
Eat them whole!
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I just want to say
thank you for supporting me, for reading my work and thanks for all your kind
words and harsh criticisms. We cannot
improve without knowing what we’re doing wrong.
What do you think about
e-publishing versus technical publishing?
I think it’s
wonderful. It gives so many people
access to their piece of the publishing pie, and it empowers them, with the
right tools and the drive, to their own successes.
If you could live
anywhere, where would it be?
I just moved to the
city I’ve always wanted to live in!!!
If you could have any
super power, what would it be?
I would wanna’ fly like
superman or have the ability to teleport like Nightcrawler!
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