INTERVIEW WITH LARRY CALDWELL

[bctt tweet=”INTERVIEW WITH LARRY CALDWELL – The first draft of a story is really only my map through the woods. @LarryCaldwell_ #horror #writingcommunity #interview” username=”theboldmom”]

Can you describe your book in a couple of lines?

Rock star Rocco Boyle died at the height of his fame. Some people believe he sold his soul to a devil. Others think his ghost still wanders his estate. Clay Harper, a guitarist walking in Boyle’s footsteps, thinks they’re only stories. Urban legends.

He’s wrong….

What is the book you always keep close, and why?

IT by Stephen King. I read that book when I was 12, about the same age as those kids in the Losers Club. It was the first adult novel I ever read and to this day remains my favorite. A monster that shapeshifts into your worst nightmare and feeds off your fear? That horror in a nutshell. A classic!

Do you have an inspiration source?

Stephen King was my Beatles and the reason I wanted to write books for a living. I’ve discovered a lot of fantastic writers in the years since, but a good King novel feels like home to me.

What are your current projects?

I’m currently working on a new horror novel and a children’s novel, and here in Hollywood, I’ve been hired to write a screenplay about a speed-dating event that turns into a night of horror.

Which kind of music do you listen to?

Everything. There’s not a single genre of music I can’t find something to like about. But since FAREWELL GHOST is a rock novel, I’ll mention my love of the entire genre—from Chuck Berry to the present day.

What kind of reader is your book for?

If you like rock music that knocks your socks off and horror that scares the dickens out of you, FAREWELL GHOST is your novel!

[bctt tweet=”If you like rock music that knocks your socks off and horror that scares the dickens out of you, FAREWELL GHOST is your novel! @LarryCaldwell_ #horror #writingcommunity #interview” username=”theboldmom”]

How would you describe your style?

Intense. I feel like a good book can be a transcendent experience, a more intimate way of telling a story that any other form. If you read some of the best passages from a literary master like, say, Philip Roth—you can feel the keyboard-smoking intensity that it was written with. That’s what I strive for.

What is your writing process?

I like to write a draft of something, then put it away awhile and come back to it with fresh eyes. The first draft of a story is really only my map through the woods. It’s the rewriting that will carve the path. The more times I can wander those woods to create that path, the better.

[bctt tweet=”The first draft of a story is really only my map through the woods. It’s the rewriting that will carve the path. The more times I can wander those woods to create that path, the better. @LarryCaldwell_ #horror #writingcommunity #interview ” username=”theboldmom”]

How would you define your evolution as a writer?

I started as a horror writer, then I went off to an MFA writing program where they wanted you to write “serious literature.” Then I became a TV writer. I’ve dabbled in a bit of every kind of writing, fiction and non-fiction, but I’ll always love a good scary story!

What would be your advice to new authors?

Remember that any skill worth doing is hard to learn. It takes time and practice. Writing is rewarding and amazing and it can also be mind-consuming hard work. Remember to have fun along the way. If you’re not having fun with your writing, at least some of the time, you won’t want to do it!

Which one is the mistake you would avoid now, looking back in time?

Not to get so caught up in the “having an agent validates me as a writer” thing. Agents are business people. Writing is an art. Sometimes those things go together, sometimes not. It wasn’t until I had an agent that I realized I was a “real writer” with or without them.

[bctt tweet=”Agents are business people. Writing is an art. Sometimes those things go together, sometimes not. It wasn’t until I had an agent that I realized I was a “real writer” with or without them. @LarryCaldwell_” username=”theboldmom”]

What is your favourite quote?

“The first draft of anything is shit.” —Ernest Hemingway.

Do you have a favourite artist?

I grew up on the Jersey Shore. Bruce Springsteen is our proudest export to the world. His songs are great, but what I really love are the stories he tells. Regular people with big dreams. People struggling to voice exactly what they’re feeling about their lives. Bruce’s voice is, in many ways, a universal human voice.

Where can your readers find you?

On my web site: larrycaldwell.net

And on Twitter: LarryCaldwell_

Contact me, I’d love to hear from you!

What is the best time of the day for you to write?

I like to write all night, but truthfully any time I can string a few hours together without being interrupted will work!

Can you tell us something about your next book?

Yes, it’s set in the California countryside, which is as strange and wild a place as any. It’s about a perfect little town with a secret—and terrifying!—power.

Thank you!

When rock-star Rocco Boyle dies at the height of his fame, guitarist Clay Harper losses the idol whose life he always wanted. In his wildest dreams, Clay never imagined that he’d soon be living on the infamous estate where Boyle died.
Or that Boyle would still be in residence….
But in the hills of Los Angeles, things are seldom what they seem, and despite all warnings, Clay ventures deep into the city’s underbelly—touring its famous rock clubs and hangouts, auditioning for a rising local band led by the talented and alluring Savy Marquez—to discover what really happened the night Boyle died….
And though the answer is terrifying, uncovering it may be the very thing that launches Clay to stardom of his own.
Populated with devils, spirits, record execs, and other frightful creatures, Farewell Ghost is a tale of rock-star dreams turned otherworldly nightmare.

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About the author

Larry Caldwell is a horror novelist and screenwriter originally from the land of Springsteen and tomato pies–currently lost somewhere in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the University of Maine and Emerson College (where he did nothing but study swordplay). An NBC Writer-on-the-Verge and AFF Bronze Typewriter winner, Larry was a writer on TV’s supernatural thriller Midnight, Texas.