D. Jonathan Brudie is a talented horror writer with a great debut book Dribs n. Drabs. He loves all things horror including books and films. Brudie wants to remain an independent voice in dark fiction and his debut book is remarkably unique. It was a great pleasure to interview him about the dark fiction genre.
Interview with D. Jonathan Brudie By David Kempf
Tell
us how you became involved in all writing horror?
I’ve
always enjoyed things having to do with horror. I grew up on old
movies and TV and have always turned to the scary stuff. As a young
teen I started out writing scripts for horror/ splatter types of
short films that I would come up with. The idea was that someday I’d
get to make them into movies. I still do the same thing today. My
writing is very much influenced by my love of filmmaking.
Did
you enjoy horror movies and dark fiction during your childhood?
Oh
yes, and I have to thank my Mother for that. She was a big part of
the reason why I gravitated into the horror genre. I read a lot of
books too. It’s funny the way that you never forget the first great
book you ever read. Mine was ‘The House with a Clock in Its
Walls”, by John Bellairs.
What
inspired you to write Dribs n Drabs?
Some of the stories and
poetry in “Dribs…” are older things I had written and one’s
that seemed to have great potential for being revised or overhauled.
Plus I wanted to get some of my new work out there. I figured, what
would be better than a compilation for these things. ‘Dribs n
Drabs’ is the first book in a potential series of anthologies.
How
is this book different from other dark fiction books?
I
would like to think that it is my style of writing that sets it
apart, and also the subject matter. My whole objective was to present
stories that were original and frightening, the type of things that
would stick in your mind.
What
does Dribs n Drabs mean?
Well,
by definition, it means ‘Bits and pieces’… This is exactly what
it is. Short, unrelated stories sprinkled with dark poetry…
This
is a pretty scary book. How scary did you intend it be?
Although
I was looking to make it frightening I guess my other intention was
to be unsettling and disturbing. Even though I love a good scare and
creepy atmosphere, I also love to mess with the readers head…
You
have a remarkably unique cover. How did you come up with concept?
Believe
it or not the face on the cover was a photograph I took at a museum…
There was a collection of large ornate drinking steins and this is
the picture of one that I thought looked particularly sinister. Devil
like too… I figured that it was a great representation of the dark,
and twisted evil that lurked between the pages…
What
do think of the current trends in self-publishing especially as it
pertains to e-books?
Personally
I feel that the market is getting too flooded with self published
books…It is rather frustrating because so many great books end up
slipping through the cracks and becoming lost in the crowd…
I
think that eBooks are a great way of getting your work out there
quickly and cheaply, however, it comes at the expense of really
bonding with the reader. I believe that physical books are far more
personable…
Tell
us about your earliest inspirations.
One of my earliest
inspirations was The Twilight Zone. That show got me into thinking
about writing bizarre and eerie stories, and really encouraged me to
channel energy into writing. Rod Serling was an fantastic writer and
could tell a story (in just a few pages) that would certainly stick
with you… Honestly though I learned from all of those types of
shows, Tales From The Darkside, The Outer Limits and Night Gallery,
to name a few…
What
do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as an artist so far?
That’s
really hard to say because I am active in a few different art forms.
I write, I make films, and I am also a graphic artist… I’ve been
proud of stuff I’ve done from all of these things. However, when it
comes to writing, ‘Dribs n Drabs’ is a real high point for me. It
made me happy to let a couple of my older stories finally see the
light of day…
Name
some of your favorite books.
Night Shift (Stephen
King), Psycho (Robert Bloch), I Am Legend (Richard Matheson), and
anything Poe or Lovecraft… So many more…
Name
some of your favorite films.
My
current top ten, in no particular order:
Night, Dawn, Day of the
Dead, Watchmen, The Dark Knight, The Gore Gore Girls, Eraserhead, The
Invisible Ghost, Without Warning, and Theater Of Blood…
Name
some of your favorite plays.
The Phantom of the
Opera and Spamalot were definitely my favorites…
Why
do you think horror books and movies and books remain popular?
It’s
the escapism mainly. So many people want to immerse themselves in
other realities and faraway places. Anything but the here and now.
The horror genre (whether film or books) does that in a way that is
unique. I feel that we vicariously need to subject ourselves to
terrifying things in order to somehow prove that we could do it…
People who love horror are very drawn to the films or books that are
going to affect us the most… I’ve also noticed that the more
unstable the world situation becomes the more we turn to horror. In
doing so it releases a pressure cooker of tension…
What
are your latest projects?
I’m
currently working on a feature length anthology movie called “Five
Steps To The Grave”, which will showcase a handful of great
filmmakers and their short films… As for writing, I’m setting
aside time to complete my novel “Cold Logic”. It is (at its core)
a murder mystery, the likes of which you’ve never read before…
I’ve also been busy lately promoting my short film “Ocular”,
which I’ve recently released to the public via Amazon Instant
Video, and which also had the fortune of being selected as the ‘Best
Short Shock’ at the Shock Stock Film Festival in London, Ontario
last year…
Please
in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.
I’m compelled to
create art and I seriously enjoy the entire process of doing so. I do
it because of my need to be recognized, which is the same desire I
have to creep people out, maybe even shock them. It is my hope that
my work gets more attention and that people really dig what I’m
writing, filming, etc. I’m happy to have a small but extremely
supportive group of fans that really keep me going, and regardless of
what happens next, I’m sincerely grateful for that…
