As I've been mentioning for the past month or two, the "Scream and Cream" anthology of which I'm a participant in, is due out soon. In three days, actually. Normally I post on Saturdays only, but I'll be making an exception next Tuesday, September 24th for the book's release day. Stop by then for much more information about "Scream and Cream," such as an author list, ordering info, etc. To whet your appetite, today I'll be interviewing one of my co-authors, Paul Lonardo. He shares a birthplace with horror legend H.P. Lovecraft, and.....I'll let him take over from here. A blurb about his story in "Scream and Cream" is included at the end of this interview. Enjoy!
I am a freelance writer and author with
numerous titles, both nonfiction and fiction books, across multiple genres. I
have placed short fiction and nonfiction articles in various magazines and
ezines. I am a contributing writer for Tales from the Moonlit
Path, The Smithfield Times, and ShopinRI magazine. I am an
active HWA member.
Instagram: PaulLonardo13
Twitter: @PaulLonardo
Author Website: https://www.thegoblinpitcher.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lonardo-b88b4b12/
Alignable: https://www.alignable.com/lincoln-ri/paul-lonardo-palonardo-aol-com-author-ghostwriter
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/paul-lonardo
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/734960.Paul_Lonardo
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/paul%20lonardo/_/N-8q8
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lonardo/e/B000APQ0Z4/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
1. Do you plan your entire story or novel all out
in advance, with a complete outline, etc., or do you just start writing, and
see where it takes you, making it up as you go along?
I usually let the story take me where it wants to go. For longer
projects, a novella or novel, I’ll plot out some points that I want to reach so
I don’t meander too much, but I find that when I get a kernel of an idea for a
story, it is usually going to pop for me if I put the time in to write it to
completion.
2. How do you come up with your story titles?
A lot of the time I come up with a title first, even if I don’t
have an idea for the story itself. I have lists of potential titles for
stories. Although, it is difficult to be original no matter how obscure the
title sounds. It’s always disappointing to search and find that the title has
been used already, often by multiple authors in different genres.
3. What writers have influenced you the most?
Since I continue to read whenever I can, I continue to be
influenced by writers and books. These days, it’s more lesser-known or unknown
writers whose books I will pick up. But as far as those writers who have
influenced me to become a writer, I have to credit Edgar Allan Poe, H.P.
Lovecraft, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Robert R. McCammon, Dean Koontz, to name
a few.
4. What is your current work in progress?
I am writing a lot of short fiction at this time, checking the
submission calls of various genre magazines and ezines. They are very inspirational
in getting the creative juices flowing. With a theme and a deadline, it becomes
a challenge and it’s a great test to see how you are improving as a writer.
5. Do you prefer writing short stories, novellas,
or novels?
Short stories have always been a favorite of mine. Maybe that’s
because I grew up reading comic books (some superhero comics, but mostly the
horror comics). The tales were short and exciting, with new ones every month
that I couldn’t wait to read.
6. What is your favorite beer/alcoholic drink/wine?
Wine is my go-to adult beverage of choice, but since I discovered
the espresso martini, my wine rack has been gathering dust and aging, which is
okay.
7. What are three things you wish you hadn’t done
in your writing career?
There is one major thing I wish I hadn’t done, and that is
starting later in life. If I had less self-doubt and been more serious about my
writing when I was younger, I could have enjoyed the entire experience longer,
including all the ups and downs that come with the profession.
8. What do you do to break a case of writer’s
block?
Being the quintessential Taurus, I try to push through it, that
whole DON’T GET IT RIGHT, GET IT WRITTEN attitude. What writer’s block may be
is simple lack of inspiration, but that can come at any time. You have to be
open to it. If you give up, you’ll never know what you might have had. How
often do you hear writers, as well as other artists, express surprise by how
well a book (or song, or anything else they created) was received by other
people.
9. Do you have any guilty pleasure reads, and if
so, what are they?
Sadly, I’m one of those people who keep the supermarket tabloids
in business. I blame my mother, God rest her soul. She always made me buy those
gossip rags for her, and every once in a while I find myself reaching for one
while waiting in line.
10. What is the first book you remember reading?
I can’t say for certain if it was the very first, but it had to be
close, and it was one I took out of the school library numerous times. And that
would be Maurice Sendak’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are. Love it to this
day. I own a copy now, got if for my son when he was young. I actually got it
for me, but that’s just between us.
11. Have you had any negative fan experiences, such
as cyber stalking or the like?
Does my wife count? Just kidding. She’s my best fan. Come to think
of it, she’s my only fan.
12. What’s your stance on reviews of your
work? Do you ignore them, read every one, obsess over them?
I prefer not to look at personal reviews, good, bad or
indifferent, unless they come from another writer/editor/publisher with
constructive criticism. Once a book is out, there’s nothing that can be done.
Some will like it, some will not like, others may be in the middle somewhere,
and that’s fine. That’s part of it. You have to take the good with the bad, but
I won’t obsess over it.
13. About allegory and symbolism—do you often
intentionally insert these things into your stories? Have you ever looked
back on one after you’re finished and realized you put in some of these without
consciously realizing it?
As a young writer, I would intentionally use symbolism whenever I
could, but I eventually realized that this heavy-handed manner of storytelling
can sometimes detract more than benefit a narrative. Symbolism is best when
subtle, and it is most effective when done on a subconscious level. As a more
experienced writer, it becomes something that you’re not even aware you’re
doing. When you go back after and notice it, that’s when you know you’re onto
something.
14. How do you handle rejection from magazines and
publishers? Do you have any particularly funny or unprofessional
rejections to share?
Rejection is part of the process, and I’m at the point where I
expect a large percentage of submissions to be rejected. It’s a numbers game,
so when a story does get accepted, I’m ecstatic about it because it’s like
winning the lottery. Not getting any response is the worst because many
publishers still ask that you not to simultaneously submit your story
elsewhere. I say submit it everywhere at once. If you want to increase your
chance of winning the lottery, you have to buy more than one ticket.
15. What is the most disturbing movie(s) you’ve ever
seen, and why?
No matter how many times I see it, The Exorcist continues
to scare the crap out of me. A half a century since its release, it’s as
disturbing as ever. It has aged remarkably well, though it’s clear that movies
have a much faster pace today. Still, you get pulled into the film by the story
and its characters, and don’t realize that the possession sequences do not
occur until the very end of the movie.
16. Do you usually do a lot of research before you
start a project?
I do plenty of research, but I would say that most of the research
happens during the writing process, not before I begin the project, though I do
some there, as well.
17. What are your feelings about your earliest
stories? Do you feel they still hold up, or are you a bit embarrassed by
them?
I don’t know if ‘embarrassed’ would be the right word to
describe my feelings about my earliest works, but they certainly need a
rewrite. Which is why I don’t like to read my older stories, unless my intent
is to rewrite and release an updated version. If my writing style and knowledge
of myself, life, and the human condition hasn’t changed since I wrote my first
piece, I’d be in a lot of trouble as writer.
18. What pieces of advice would you give to aspiring
writers?
Well, I am often asked
what advice I have for someone who wants to pursue a career in writing. My
response is always the same. It may sound cliched, but the simplest things are
sometimes the solutions to biggest dilemmas. If writing is something you really
enjoy, don’t let anything stop you, no matter how little time you have to
devote to it. Always write for you first, write what interests you, and the
readers who find you will be lucky they did.
19. What’s your writing history? Did you start
as an adolescent, or was it later? And then how long did it take before
you starting submitting your work?
I’ve been writing in various forms most of my
life, though my initial interest was in cinema and filmmaking. I was in high
school when I borrowed a friend’s Super-8 movie camera, which touched off a
personal, creative spark. I began making my own blend of action and horror
movies. I wrote the scripts and was behind the camera shooting scenes around
the neighborhood with my friends playing the parts.
We had lots of laughs making those movies. I took
it more seriously because they were all projects I had envisioned, and I wanted
to see them through to completion. It was really a creative outlet that I was
experimenting with, and the experience got me thinking seriously about
screenwriting. In those early years, I went to movies all the time, so I
learned everything I could about how screenplays were written and tried my hand
at them, writing several original stories for the screen. They were certainly
awful, but they were mine.
Growing up in the 80s, I was a fan of dark fantasy and horror, in
books as well as film, so when I turned to other forms of writing this was the
genre I focused on.
Stephen King and other contemporary horror writers influenced me
in those years when I started writing my own short fiction, developing ‘my
voice,’ as they say about a writer’s early efforts.
I’ve written more than twenty books to date, including novels,
novellas, short story collections, as well as a host of nonfiction titles, and
recently a book of haiku poems, naturally in the horror genre, where they are
called horrorku. I continue to work with other people on
collaborative nonfiction projects, and I also ghostwrite and edit books for
aspiring authors.
As evidenced from my list of books, there
are numerous other genres represented in my fiction besides horror, including
romance and a children’s adventure novel. My nonfiction ranges from true crime,
to sports, to biographies, and assisting others with their autobiographies. I
really enjoy the challenge of writing in a genre that is new to me. It keeps me
feeling fresh and eager to learn different styles of writing and approaches to
a topic or subject matter. This also ensures that I continue reading, because
you have to read in the genre you are writing.
20. What’s your post-writing process? Do you
edit extensively? Do you use beta readers or writing groups?
Editing doesn’t really stop for me. Today, with self-published
works, even when the book is released, there is the capability of rewriting and
uploaded the new version. It’s dangerous only because touching up a story can
literally go on forever. At some point, however, you just have to let the story
go and stand on its own, in the same manner you have to do when your child
reaches a certain age. There’s always a new story to create. And that’s what’s
so great about writing.
21. How much of your work is based on your personal
experiences, such as work, relationships, and so on?
Experience, not much. My work is based largely on curiosity.
Something sparks my imagination and makes me want to explore a topic, subject
or emotion. Life experience is another matter altogether. The mature writer you
become understands so much more about…well, everything, than the novice writer
you once were. There is no shortcut to this life knowledge, but it seeps into
your writing every step of the way.
22. Do you have any writing rituals, such as doing
it at a regular time every day, or writing in public places, or while listening
to music?
For me, a comfortable place to write is
important, and I actually have two places I can work. Which location I use
depends on the time of the year. Besides the quiet and still of the night that
I prefer, I also require cooler air temperatures. In the summer, I have a
basement office area that is always cooler than the rest of the house. In the
winter, the upstairs living room is where I’ll be working, with a window air
conditioning unit at the ready if the heat ticks up to high.
23. You’ve been a writer, editor, and
publisher. Which of these is your favorite? And has serving as the
latter two changed you as a writer?
Writing is first and foremost my favorite. Editing is my least
favorite because it is less creative and more tedious, but it probably the most
import part of the process and essential to creating a really good book. So, if
you should ever find a really good editor, hang on to them for dear life.
Publishing can be fun, but time-consuming. I should do more promoting of my own
work, but I always end up jumping right into a new project.
And here is a short blurb for Paul's contribution to "Scream and Cream," titled "Rebirth."
Rebirth plays off the frightening legend of the Hindu Goddess Chhinnamasta, who is represented by a headless woman. Her image symbolically represents sexual restraint. When a young man seeks out a woman that he does not know to enlighten him on the pleasures of tantric sex, he gets a whole lot more than he bargained for. This erotic/horror tale could be described as fifty shades of red
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