Hey, folks…..Andy here. Mark has graciously stepped aside this month so that I could introduce James Newman, who is not only one of my favorite writers but is also one of my best online friends.

Back in 2002 or thereabouts, I picked up a copy of “J. Newman’s” HOLY ROLLERS audiobook, which James not only read, but also produced. I knew from that moment that this Newman guy was going to be something special…..and damned if he hasn’t delivered time-and-again over the course of his career.

In my humble opinion, James’ greatest asset as a writer is being able to delve into the dark recesses of the human condition and bring that ugliness kicking-and-screaming into the light. As James alludes to in the interview we conducted this month, you don’t need monsters or supernatural forces to tell an effective horror story; all you have to do is look around and ask “what if?” From the aforementioned HOLY ROLLERS (“What if those Jehovah’s Witnesses won’t take no for an answer?”) to his upcoming novel ANIMOSITY (“What if you were wrongfully accused of a crime you didn’t commit?”), James takes mundane daily events and morphs them into our worst nightmares.

This month, Horror Drive-In is proud to present you “Baggage”, a short-but-powerful story that’s sure to send a shiver up your spine. After the feature, be sure to check out the interview with James, where we discuss everything from his upcoming projects to books and movies to…..Seinfeld?



“If you care about her, honey, that’s all that matters,” she assured him from her end of the line. “If this girl makes you happy . . . ”

“She does, Mom. I think she’s something special.”

“Your father and I look forward to meeting her, hopefully sooner than later. You know it’s hard for him to travel these days, with his health and all . . . ”

“Mom . . . ”

“Yes, dear?”

“This feels right. Don’t get me wrong. We get along great. It’s just that . . . ”

“What, sweetheart?”

“I can’t help thinking she has a lot of baggage.”

“Honey,” his mother said, “if you truly care about each other, you will find a way to work around it. Follow your heart.”

“Okay. Thanks, Mom.”

“I’d better run now. Your father’s been craving Red Lobster all week, and he’s standing at the door tapping his watch.”

He chuckled. “I love you, Mom.”

“We love you too. Can’t wait to meet this special young lady!”

He hung up.

And then he made his way back to where his lover lay dozing on the couch after a long, hard day of moving in.

He tried not to break his neck as he negotiated a path through his cluttered kitchen, down the hallway, into the labyrinth that his living room had become. He stepped carefully over her suitcases, backpacks, briefcases, travel satchels, and plump duffel bags . . . around trash bags, totes, carry-alls, grocery sacks, pocketbooks, and even a few brightly-colored diaper bags. They sat all over his house, taking up at least two-thirds of the floor space in every room.

More than a few of them leaked viscous fluids that soaked into the carpet.

They all reeked of rotting flesh.

A fly buzzed in his ear. He swatted it away, bent to close up one hefty Samsonite suitcase when he glimpsed a glazed grey eye staring out at him from within.

By God, he would make this work. He had a feeling it was meant to be this time.

She was the one. He was sure of it.

Even with all of her baggage.






Horror Drive-In: Thanks so much for joining us in the Horror Drive-In fiction section, James.  We really dug the short-short you submitted for the site.
 
Speaking of short stories, your collection -- PEOPLE ARE STRANGE -- was released by Croatoan Publishing last year.  I've always enjoyed your short fiction, so it was nice to have all of your stories finally collected in one place.  Are you still writing short fiction as much as you used to?  Any chance we'll see another collection down the road?

James Newman: Thanks so much for having me, Andy!  Always a pleasure to catch up with you…

PEOPLE ARE STRANGE was a lot of fun.  I especially enjoyed writing the little "commentaries" at the beginning of each story, as I've always enjoyed those in the collections I've read by my favorite authors.  I'm just glad I could remember where the ideas came from, 'cause most of those stories go back quite a few years at this point.   :-)

Sadly, I hardly ever write short fiction anymore.  If I do, it's more in the form of a novella than a true "short story."  I'm not sure why I slacked off on writing those, but "Baggage" was the first thing I've written in a long time that was under, say, 15000K words or so.

I don't have any plans at the moment to do a follow-up, though it has crossed my mind that it would be cool to do sort of a "sister collection," if you will, to PEOPLE ARE STRANGE.  Like a collection of my supernatural/monster stories, since this one was all about real people and the things they're capable of.  Weird thing is, looking back, I realize probably 90% of the stuff I've ever written was more in the vein of PEOPLE ARE STRANGE.  I guess human beings scare me more than anything else I can imagine.

HD-I: I also dig it when authors do "commentaries" before their stories.  I've always enjoyed reading about the genesis of their tales.  And, I find the "commentaries" get even more interesting when authors write about "real-world scenarios" because, as you said, people get pretty scary sometimes.
 
While we're discussing the short stuff.....the audiobook of your novella HOLY ROLLERS was my first exposure to your work (you did a bang-up job of reading and mixing that one, by the way).  At one point you were toying with the idea of writing a sequel to the novella.  Is that still a possibility?

JN: Thanks a lot, man.  I'd like to do more of that sometime, as folks really seemed to dig the audiobooks I've worked on (as you know, Andy, I not only did my own HOLY ROLLERS, but also work for Tom Piccirilli, Brian Keene, all the way up to Brian Lumley -- that was super cool).  I had a blast with 'em.

I haven't thought about a sequel to HOLY ROLLERS in a long time.  I had actually forgotten about that until you brought it up!  I think I must have had a seed of an idea at one time -- not sure that it was a good idea, but it was an idea nonetheless! -- but I never pursued it.  I doubt I will at this point.  As much as I loved HOLY ROLLERS, and the various media in which it's been published, I'm kinda sick of that story by now.  I'm sure everyone else is too.

HD-I: C'mon, man!  Don't give up on 'ROLLERS just yet.  You could still do a Braille version, and a movie version, and a video game version (I just know I could lop off both nipples if I was given a chance!)…..
 
Ahem.  Moving right along.....you've been working on a new novel, tentatively entitled UGLY AS SIN.  Can you give us a story synopsis?

JN: There's been some talk through the years about a possible movie version, mostly via friends who expressed an interest in adapting a little 30-minute short film of 'ROLLERS.

Dude, the nipple thing is the funniest thing I've heard in months!  I can barely respond, I'm laughing so hard . . . . BONUS!  10,000 POINTS!

The new novel:  UGLY AS SIN has been so much fun, probably the most fun I've ever had writing.  It's not horror, though much of its subject matter is very dark.  I guess I'd call it "Southern noir with more than a hint of pitch-black humor," if forced to categorize it.  As far as the plot itself, UGLY AS SIN is about a former professional wrestler whose life is turned upside down when he's abducted one night by two psychotic fans who think his lifelong "heel" (villain) character is real.  He ends up facially disfigured after this encounter.  And that's just the first 10 pages!  Things get even worse for him when he receives a call from his estranged daughter . . . she's crying, pleading for his help, which convinces Nick "The Widowmaker" Bullman to return to his hometown of Midnight, North Carolina, where his daughter's reason for calling soon opens his eyes to bizarre truths about not only the people around him but his own tormented soul as well . . . .

Jesus.  I suck at writing these little summaries "on the fly," don't I?  Cringe.

HD-I: Hell, it sounds pretty good to me.

I didn't know this one took place in Midnight.  Does the story have any ties to MIDNIGHT RAIN?

JN: Not really . . . then again . . . .

I'll say this much:  UGLY AS SIN is not a sequel to 'RAIN.  The two have nothing to do with one another in the grand scheme of things, and are definitely "stand-alone" stories.  However . . . there's some cool stuff you'll recognize if you've already read MIDNIGHT RAIN.  Some familiar places.  And at least one very familiar face.

HD-I: How far along are you on UGLY AS SIN?  Do you know when you'll be done, or is it still too early to tell?

JN: Well, as much fun as this one has been, it's also taken me longer to write than anything else I've ever worked on.  I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I've written without any sort of outline whatsoever -- while I don't usually work from anything "set in stone," I at least usually have a loose list of scenes that I plan to write to get me from Point A to Point C.  With this novel, I chose to try a lil' experiment, and see if I could write totally "blind," without having a clue where I was ultimately going.

It's worked so far, I'm diggin' it, and I think folks are really gonna like UGLY AS SIN when I'm done with it.  But it sure has taken about 3 times as long to write this one, compared to how long it usually takes me to finish a novel (granted, I'm a very slow writer to begin with).

Anyway . . . to answer your question . . . I just passed the 50,000-word mark.  I reckon I've got around 25-30,000 words left.  I'm shooting to be finally done with UGLY AS SIN this Fall (the good news is, that's the final draft I plan to be done with at that time -- unlike most writers, I edit as I go).

HD-I: One novel that is done is ANIMOSITY, the story of a man who is wrongfully accused of a crime by his neighbors for no other reason than that he's a horror author.  Any update on when this one will be available?

JN: I'm hoping to see ANIMOSITY by the end of the year.  We'll see.  This one's been delayed for so long now, it's been unbelievably frustrating.  But I'm really excited to get it out there finally, and hear what everyone thinks about it.  ANIMOSITY (which is subtitled AN AMERICAN HORROR STORY) is a very personal piece for me, sorta my "love letter" to the horror genre, and to the often thankless job of being a horror writer.

HD-I: I was lucky enough to see an early, shorter version of ANIMOSITY, and it's a great book.  Hopefully we'll all get to read the final version soon.
 
Cemetery Dance is releasing your novella, THE FORUM, as another installment in their Signature Series.  Are you anticipating it will also be released sometime in 2009?  Also, have you had a chance to see all of Jill Bauman's artwork yet?  If so, how does it look?

JN: Thanks, man!  I think you'll like the novel-length version even more. 

I'm hoping to see THE FORUM in 2009.  You know how it goes, though.  I'm pretty sure that's the plan.

I've seen Jill's artwork, and I dig it.  It felt weird not working with Keith Minnion or Alex McVey for once, though.  

HD-I: Yeah, you three guys go hand-in-hand-in-hand.
 
In the past, you've collaborated with multiple authors on titles such as THE CHURCH OF DEAD LANGUAGES, LOVE BITES, and NIGHT OF THE LOVING DEAD.  Are any other collaborations in the works?

JN: No current plans to collaborate.  Although I do have a novella (tentative title:  "Showdown In Suicide Cove") on the back-burner right now that I'm writing with Jeff Strand.  That's been fun, but we've both been too busy to finish it for the last year or so.  Maybe one day . . . .

HD-I: Stepping away from your fiction.....as part of my court-ordered punishment for not reading F. Paul Wilson until you force-fed me a copy of THE TOMB (for which I'm forever in your debt), I again have to publicly say you were right and I was a bozo.  :)  Have you read anything recently that deserves recognition?

JN: I've read a handful of titles over the last year or so that really blew me away (which is probably why I'm in a rut now, unable to get hooked by anything I pick up that just doesn't come close -- don't you hate that?).  I'm glad you asked me this question, 'cause I sure do love turning folks on to something that really impressed me . . . .

Check out the following as soon as you can:

   - SHARP OBJECTS, the debut novel by Gillian Flynn.  I actually first heard about this one right here at the 'Drive-In.  It's one of the best things I've read in a long, long time.  As soon as I finished it, I started over and read it to my wife in about two sittings.  She loved it too.  I can't wait to get Flynn's new one, which I just found out is now available.
   - MIDNIGHT ON MOURN STREET, by Christopher Conlon.  Simply fantastic.  I loved this one so much I gave it a blurb.  Conlon is brilliant.
   - This is gonna sound like a really weird recommendation, especially coming from one horror/thriller fan to another, but this past Christmas when I asked my wife what she wanted she said simply, "Those SECRETS books by Frank Warren."  I ended up buying her three of them.  After she finished with them, she suggested I give 'em a look.  And I couldn't put them down!  Basically, here's what it is:  the whole thing began as an art project for the author.  He asked folks to mail to him their deepest secrets on a postcard.  He then compiled these postcards in a big coffee-table book.  The response was overwhelming, and so far he's released at least 3 of these books that I know of.  As a writer, I was fascinated by these glimpses into the human condition -- some of the secrets are funny, some are interesting in their sheer mundane-ness, while more than a few are disturbing.  I couldn't put these down, man.
- THE PRICE, by Alexandra Sokoloff.  I read this one in a single sitting, through the night in a hotel room while on vacation with the family.  I couldn't sleep, and once I started THE PRICE it didn't help my insomnia one bit.  A great novel that's not quite horror . . . or maybe it is?  Hard to categorize, although I know Sokoloff wouldn't mind her stuff being called horror.  I liked her first book, THE HARROWING, but her second blows it away.  I challenge any parent to read this and not end up in tears at some point.
- RED LEAVES, by Thomas H. Cook.  Another one I first heard about here at the 'Drive-In.  A great novel about love, familial loyalty, suspicion, and betrayal.  Great stuff.  The first I've read by Cook, and I'm looking forward to hunting down more by him.

HD-I: Yeah, the Flynn and Conlon books were two of my favorites from last year too.  I'll have to check out the other three on your list (those “Secrets” books sound pretty damned interesting).
 
Along the same lines, you've turned me on to some great music in the past.  What CDs are you spinning these days?

JN: You know me.  I listen to anything and everything.  From blues to metal to, occasionally, some rap.  I'll just list the best CD's I've bought recently:

    - The Parlor Mob: AND YOU WERE A CROW.  Great retro-rock.  These guys wear their Zeppelin influences on their sleeves, but they're no clone by any means.  You know how sometimes a band just has "it"?  You can feel the emotion, the soul, in every chord?  That's the Parlor Mob.  They've got "it."  This one has rarely left my CD player since I discovered them last August or September.  Possibly the best debut CD I have ever purchased.
    - As I Lay Dying:  AN OCEAN BETWEEN US.  On the (much) heavier side of the spectrum, I've been listening to this disc a lot.  They're a Christian band, but you wouldn't know it without delving into their lyrics.  Really, really heavy stuff.  I usually can't stand the Cookie Monster vocals, but these guys balance it out with "clean," melodic vocals as well.  I dig it.  Something to pop in and wake my ass up in the morning, at least.
    - Katatonia:  THE GREAT COLD DISTANCE.  Imagine if the Cure were heavy metal.  Gloomy, depressing, suicidal . . . yet with a hint of hope.
    - Concrete Blonde:  This one shocks a lot of my metalhead friends, when I tell them I'm into Concrete Blonde.  I never paid them any attention back in the day, when the band was alive and well; I just discovered them about a year ago, and ran out and bought everything they ever recorded.  MEXICAN MOON is a favorite.  Although they were never classified as such, as far as I know, I consider Concrete Blonde a "gothic rock" band, without all the trappings and cliches.  Man, they could write some hooks.
    - V.A.S.T.:  I'm always spinning something by Jon Crosby, whether it’s his acoustic self-titled stuff or V.A.S.T.  He's a musical genius, IMO, and that is most certainly not a phrase I go throwin' around lightly.  If you've never heard V.A.S.T., they could probably best be described as "early U2 meets a less-abrasive Nine Inch Nails meets the occasional Gregorian chant or old slave spiritual."  No, really.

HD-I: Shit, I haven't listened to any of those (and haven't even heard of a few of them).  Looks like I have some listening to do.
 
Here's one out of left field:  How many times have people greeted you with "Hellooooo, Newman," and how fucking badly do you hate Seinfeld because of it?  I admit to doing this to you once when we first started corresponding, thinking I was funny and unique while I typed it, then thinking I was a major douche bag once I sent it.  :-)

JN: Oh, I get that all the time.  At least a couple times a week.

And yes, I do despise it.  Especially since the first time I actually saw the Newman character.

Here's a weird lil' fact for ya:  Would you believe I've never seen a single episode of SEINFELD?  I'm one of like 3 people in the universe, I'm guessing.

HD-I: I think Sieber's one of the others who haven't seen it.
 
One last question we're all dying to know (well, OK, maybe just me):  With the loss of multiple star players, do you think UNC can repeat as college basketball champions next year?

JN: Probably not.  That's just me being realistic, as much as I would love to see it happen.  However, I do think these young guys comin' up are gonna surprise some folks.  I think Ed Davis, for one, is gonna be talked about in the coming years as one of the nation's best blockers and rebounders.  Wait and see.

Thanks for throwing in a Tarheels question.  Made me smile.

HD-I: I think they'll have a tough time too, but UNC always seems to be right in the thick of it.  They may surprise us both.  And hell, as long as they beat Duke twice, who the hell cares if they suck?!?

JN: You got that right, brother!
 
HD-I: Thanks so much for the interview, James.  I sincerely appreciate it.

JN: My pleasure!  This was a lot of fun.  Thanks for asking me to do this.  I hope folks enjoy "Baggage," as well as THE FORUM and ANIMOSITY when they're finally released! 

Later.  I'm headed to the concession stand.


Select James Newman Bibliography:

Holy Rollers, DarkTales Publications Chapbook, 2001
Holy Rollers Audiobook, Lone Wolf Publications CD, 2002
Midnight Rain, Mass Market Paperback, Leisure Books, 2004; Deluxe Limited Hardcover, Earthling Publications, 2004
Night of the Loving Dead (with James Futch), Trade Paperback, Black Death Books, 2005
Love Bites (with Donn Gash), Chapbook, Nocturne Press, 2005
The Church of Dead Languages (with Jason Brannon) Chapbook, White Noise Press, 2006
The Wicked, Deluxe Limited Hardcover, Necessary Evil Press, 2007
People Are Strange, Short Story Collection, Trade Paperback, Croatoan Publishing, 2008
The Forum, Signed Limited Hardcover, Cemetery Dance Publications (Forthcoming)

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