Interview with Wayne Simmons

I recently spoke to Wayne Simmons, bestselling author of FLU and PLASTIC JESUS, a good bloke and one of the most relevant voices in horror fiction at the moment.

BIO:

Belfast born, Wayne Simmons, has loitered with intent around the horror genre for some years. He penned reviews and interviews for several online zines before publication of his debut novel in 2008.
Wayne’s work has since been published in the UK, Austria, Germany, Spain, Turkey and North America. His bestselling zombie novel, FLU, was serialised by Sirius XM’s Book Radio.
He’s a regular contributor to Skin Deep Tattoo Magazine and co-hosts extreme metal show, Doom N’ Gloom. He has his own podcast, HACK, and co-produces the Scardiff Horror Expo.
Wayne currently lives in Wales with his ghoulfiend and a Jack Russel terrier called Dita.
Look out for Wayne at various genre, music and tattoo events.

 

 

 

 

How would you describe your writing style?

 

I try to write the kind of thing that I, myself, like to read. And while, like many horror hacks, I grew up on King, over the last few years I’ve been reading a lot of noir and old school pulp. So, I guess I aim for the sharpness of the pulp/ noir stuff (economic prose, short chapters, lots of cliffhangers and hooks) with the characterisation and emotive weight of King. Whether I achieve that or not is another thing…

 

 

Which of your books would you recommend as a good starting point for someone who hasn’t read your work?

 

That’ll be the latest one, THE GIRL IN THE BASEMENT. Not only is it my favourite to date, it’s also the shortest and least expensive (77p/ 99c on e-book). So, I’d say it’s a good way of seeing what I’m about with low investment of time/ money on the reader’s part.

 

How would you describe your writing style?

 

I try to write the kind of thing that I, myself, like to read. And while, like many horror hacks, I grew up on King, over the last few years I’ve been reading a lot of noir and old school pulp. So, I guess I aim for the sharpness of the pulp/ noir stuff (economic prose, short chapters, lots of cliffhangers and hooks) with the characterisation and emotive weight of King. Whether I achieve that or not is another thing…

 

 

Which of your books would you recommend as a good starting point for someone who hasn’t read your work?

 

That’ll be the latest one, THE GIRL IN THE BASEMENT. Not only is it my favourite to date, it’s also the shortest and least expensive (77p/ 99c on e-book). So, I’d say it’s a good way of seeing what I’m about with low investment of time/ money on the reader’s part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have a favourite character from any of your novels?

 

Harold Shepherd from PLASTIC JESUS is one of my favourites. He was an interesting one to write: the old school preacher who’s losing his faith. I know that archetype’s been done a million times before, but I enjoyed doing it for the millionth and one time. And hopefully I brought something new to the table.

 

 

Your latest novel, PLASTIC JESUS, was a departure from your usual horror stories. Do you plan to write more sci-fi in the future?

 

Not sure about sci-fi, but I sure as hell plan on writing more noir – and PJ is as much noir as it is sci-fi, I reckon.

 

 

What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?

 

Thomas Emson once said to write in the same voice you’d use to tell your mate a story down at the pub. I’m not a drinking man anymore but I do still write to an audience of one: my fictitious mate down at the fictitious pub.

 

 

 

Who are your literary heroes/heroines?

 

I love the old school. In horror, that would be Stephen King and Shaun Hutson. In crime/ noir, we’re talking Lawrence Block, Mickey Spillane, Peter Hamill, Day Keene, Gil Brewer… I could go on for hours.

 

What book do you wish you’d written?

 

Going to cheat and give you two: THE SINS OF THE FATHERS by Lawrence Block (noir) and CARRIE by Stephen King (horror).

 

 

What book are you currently reading?

 

I’m reading the second in the Gabriel Hunt series: HUNT THROUGH THE CRADLE OF FEAR by Charles Ardai (Titan Books). It’s a real thrillride: think Indiana Jones in the 21^st century.

 

 

What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

 

Listen to and play noisy music. I’ve been playing guitar and bass on and off for years – sometimes in bands. Just got a new guitar and I’m really loving it.  

 

 

What advice would you give to new writers just starting out in this sordid business?

 

Keep your feet on the ground and your head as far away from your arse as possible. 

 

What do you think of the current state of the horror genre?

 

I think it’s booming in film right now. Lot of very talented filmmakers emerging from the independent scene. Within literature, I’m less excited, to be honest. With the exception of David Moody and a few others, I don’t read contemporary horror and haven’t done for years. These days, I tend to get my horror fix from contemporary crime fiction, which seems to encapsulate all the things I used to enjoy within old-school horror fiction.

 

Would you ever consider self-publishing?

 

Sure. But never as a shortcut. 

 

 

You have recently started the HACK podcast. How’s it going?

 

Ha! It’s not going right now. Been too much other stuff on my plate. But I hope to get back to it real soon. I enjoy podcasting. It’s a fun way to talk about the things I get a kick out of: reading, writing, music, film, tattoos.

 

 

What are you working on at the moment?

 

This interview J

 

 

As you’ve already done Jesus (not in that way), what other deity do you think is ripe for plasticizing?

 

Ha! In the spirit of political correctness, I’m going to say all of them, so as not to offend any one particular god/ goddess/ transgendered god/dess.

 

 

If you had the chance to co-write a novel with an author of your choice, who would it be?

 

Geez, I’ve never thought of that. I think co-writing with Shaun Hutson would be a blast.

 

 

You co-produced last year’s SCARdiff horror convention/expo, and it was a great success, in my humble opinion. Are you excited about this year’s event?

 

Very much so! We’re really upping the ante with this year’s event with even more interactivity. We’ve our SFX duel, live horror-themed music, horror henna tattoos, a pitching panel called THE DRAGON’S PEN, GORE-geous pin-up girls and an albino python called Honey.  Plus guests such as Adam Nevill, Tim Lebbon and David Moody signing throughout the day at our Waterstone’s table. It’s going to be a riot. And at £6.66, tickets are selling fast. Best get in quick: www.scardiff.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, are there any nuggets of info about future works you’re willing to share?

 

Nothing in particular. I’ve loads on the go. Too much, maybe. But as long as people keep reading my stuff, I’ll keep writing it.

 

Thanks for your support, Rich. Very much appreciated!

 

 

More information on Wayne and his writing can be found at: http://waynesimmons.org/blog/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Plague Pre-order and Release Date

Just a quick post to let you all know that my debut novel 'The Last Plague' will be released on August 31st and is now available for pre-order over at Crowded Quarantine Publications' website.
It's been a long way from when I started writing the story about two years ago, and a lot has happened during that time. Seems like such a long time ago. Strange how time flies so quickly.

Anyway, hope you're all well. Cheers!

When Great Britain is hit by a devastating epidemic, four old friends must cross a chaotic, war-torn England to reach their families and evade the victims of the plague – cannibalistic, mutated monsters whose only desires are to infect and feed. Along the way, the men find a girl who has lost her parents to the infected, and they are forced to protect her as they try to find shelter and safety in a country overwhelmed by THE LAST PLAGUE.    

http://www.crowdedquarantine.co.uk/pre-orders.html

The Last Plague and Other News

Maybe you've already heard from my constant wittering about it, but my debut novel THE LAST PLAGUE is due to be released at the end of August. The cover has been revealed, also, and I think it's a thing of beauty. Great work by Adam and Zoe Millard over at Crowded Quarantine Publications, and thanks to Paul M. Feeney for the quote on the cover. I just hope that people enjoy the book when (if) they read it. It's a weird feeling, knowing that by this time next month the book will nearly be out and I'll be a father for the first time, too. Sometimes, life is good.

In other news, I've submitted my novella 'BLACK STAR, BLACK SUN' to a publisher I've always wanted to work with and admired from afar during the last few years, which of course makes the waiting even more nerve-wracking! But it's all good, and if it doesn't work out, that's how it goes.

I've just started work on what will either be a novella or novel provisionally titled CHILDREN OF DUST AND SMOKE, about a man in search of his missing son. It's a ghost story about lost children and crimes from the past, and it's got the potential to be very, very bleak. I'm just not sure *how* bleak. But I suppose anything with dead children in it will veer in that direction...

So that's it, at the moment. Hope all is well with you wonderful people. And don't stay out in the sun too long.

Cheers.

PROGRESS?

Hello! Welcome back, haven't seen you in a while. Pull up a chair and warm your cold hands by the fire. And please ignore the beckoning voices from outside...


The first draft of my novella 'Vermillion Fields' is heading towards the final stages, and as much I've enjoyed (sort of) writing it, I'll be glad to take a break from it and work on something else. I've submitted three short stories the last few weeks, so I hope to hear about them fairly soon. Had a short story rejected a couple of weeks ago, but that's the way it goes and I didn't like the story much anyway. (I'm not bitter. Honest)


I've been paid for my short story 'FATHOMS', which will appear in a forthcoming issue of BIG PULP magazine, so I'm now officially a 'paid writer' or whatever the hell that means :) Many thanks to Bill Olver, the head honcho of BIG PULP for accepting my story. I just need to make my first million, then I can retire gracefully ;)


Aside from all that, I've got several ideas for short stories brewing in my head and waiting to be scribbled down. There are a few anthologies I'll be submitting to and, also, a short story competition.

Hope all of you out in the internet wastelands are well. Cheers!

BLACK CHAOS

I've just seen the cover for Big Pulp magazine's zombie issue BLACK CHAOS, which includes my short story 'Fathoms'. It looks pretty damn cool, and I must say it's some great work by the artist Ken Knudtsen. Can't wait for the issue to be released, and it's my first paying gig so I'm geeking out to a ridiculous extent about it.


In other news, THE LAST PLAGUE is getting closer and closer to release, and I'm counting down the days. Can't wait to hold a copy of it in my hands. The editing process is finished and I've seen the cover, which is very impressive and tendril-like, but I can't reveal it yet unless I want to be kneecapped by the Millards!

Also, work on my novella VERMILION FIELDS is going well and the first draft is, at the moment, coming along quite nicely. I'm sure that will change, though...

That's all for now! Stay lucky, punks. Cheers!

Progress and Soundtracks

I've been going through a bit of a lean spell with the ol' writing in the last few weeks. But that seems to be improving at the moment and I'm making decent progress on my cosmic-weird horror novella VERMILION FIELDS while researching all kinds of strange stuff and getting some ideas down for various short stories. So I can't complain really. But I probably will at some point anyway. It's in my nature and I'm British...


Been listening to a lot of Suede, Radiohead, Portishead and Manic Street Preachers while writing. Good music helps, especially when trying to imagine blasted wastelands and cosmic entities that can devour planets like a pregnant woman would gobble up Maltesers. Since I finished my forthcoming novel THE LAST PLAGUE I've tried to take writing more seriously and I've attempted to get some words down every day even when there hasn't been much time, but it's bloody hard sometimes (most of the time) and there's always some household job to do or the temptation to procrastinate, but I think I'm getting there. But it's a long bloody road and there're a lot of potholes.

As long as there is coffee and cheese, there will be words.


Cheers!

Occult Goodness

After waiting a while for it to be re-released, I recently finished 'Banquet for the Damned' by Adam Nevill, one of my favourite scribes. While it's not, in my humble opinion, the strongest of Mr Nevill's novels (that would be 'The Ritual'), it's still easily one of the best books I've read in the last year and there aren't many novels I've read in my adult life that have unsettled me in such a way. However, I'm pretty crap at reviews, so I'll just throw some words out there like an ape lobbing its own excrement at a wall, and hope to do justice to the novel with my meagre scribblings. Two friends and failing rock musicians, Dante and Tom, arrive in the university town of St. Andrews after being invited by Dante's hero Professor Eliot Coldwell, who wrote 'Banquet for the Damned', a book that had quite an effect on young Dante. But not all is as it seems, and the town is rife with the disappearances of students and rumours of a nocturnal visitor plaguing them. Strange things are afoot. Whispers of witchcraft and the occult. The town seems infested with dread and darkness. Bad dreams and bad memories. I enjoyed the novel immensely. A story in the occult tradition of old Hammer films and the work of MR James. Great stuff. Also, my copy of 'The Croning' by Laird Barron was delivered. I've read his short story collection 'The Imago Sequence' so I can't wait to get stuck into this. Until next time. *waves goodbye*