Martin Lastrapes.
We have told you a million billion trillion times how much we love this dude. We've both read, reviewed (
HERE and
HERE) and LOVED his book, Inside the Outside - which is being given away, for FREE, for a limited time only,
HERE. So go grab it real quick like, and then come back here to read the BiblioBabe's first ever interview, conducted with the very rad, the very badass, and the very epic... Martin Lastrapes.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I was a bit of a late bloomer, so it wasn’t until I was about 18 or 19 years old. Incidentally, that was also about the time I started reading for pleasure.
What is the first thing you can remember writing as a child?
When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I wrote an adapted version of The Three Little Pigs from the perspective of the wolf. I called him Scare E. Wolf.
What is the first thing you wrote as a "serious author"?
The first thing I wrote where I really felt like I’d done something special was a short memoir called The Black Curtain, which was about the first time I went to a strip club. It was later published by The Pacific Review.
Who is your favorite author?
If you twisted my arm, I’d probably say Tim O’Brien. For my money, his writing is perfect. Of course, if you asked me the same question again, I might very well tell you Tom Robbins or Nick Hornby or Ron Currie, Jr. or Jasper Fforde or…
What is your favorite book (besides your own, of course)?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. This book really set the standard for me for what a good novel should do and I thought about it often while I wrote Inside the Outside.
Who (or what) was your biggest inspiration to become an author?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt a desperate need to do great things with my life. My biggest fear is that I will live and die without having done anything of consequence in between. So, I guess my biggest inspiration is fear.
What was your inspiration behind Inside the Outside, and how long did it take you to write it?
I spent about five years writing Inside the Outside. The first spark of inspiration came when I saw an HBO documentary about “The Iceman” Richard Kuklinski, a contract killer for the mafia. I found him to be equal parts terrifying and charming. I wanted to create a fictional killer that could made readers feel the same way and so Timber Marlow was born. Of course, Timber’s nothing at all like Kuklinski, yet she wouldn’t be here without him.
Is there a character you most identify with? Why?
There’s so much of me in Timber Marlow that I hardly feel like I invented her at all. We’re both shy and curious. We want to know about all the things we’re not supposed to know about. We’re endlessly fascinated by those parts of the world that are not our own. And we’re both in love with Ginger Falls.
We're going to play a game called "Kill, Bang, and Marry"—as in, which of your characters from Inside the Outside would you Kill, Bang, and Marry? GO!
Kill: Daddy Marlow
Bang: Ginger Falls
Marry: Rita Kirkland
Are your friends and family ever wigged out by your *ahem* bent for the peculiar when it comes to writing? Anyone who doesn't want to be alone with you around sharp objects, or squeals in abject terror when they accidentally spill Bar-B-Q sauce on themselves in your presence?
Haha…um…I think so, yes. I can generally tell who’s been wigged out when I come across friends or family who’ve read the book and choose not to acknowledge its existence when I’m around.
You're trapped on a deserted island, with no hope of rescue, but you're there with three items of your choice. What are they, and why?
A Kindle filled with every book I’ve ever loved, so I would always have something to read.
An iPad with every movie I’ve ever loved, so I would always have something to watch.
An issue of Playboy, preferably from the mid-1990s, so I would always have something to… I like the interviews.
Inside the Outside was recently in Amazon's Top Free Horror Books! Congrats! How do you feel and what is your next goal?
It was terribly exciting to see Inside the Outside so high on the list. When I decided to offer it for free I worried that nobody would care and it would toil in anonymity (but, to be fair, I think that about most of all my endeavors). My next big goal is to finish my second novel.
Do you have ideas or plans for your next book?
I’m halfway done writing my second novel. Its working title is The Vampire, the Hunter, and the Girl. It’s about a vampire, a hunter, and a girl. I can’t tell you much more than that, but I will tell you that I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I hope to have it published in 2013.
We've noticed that you've been speaking about your experiences as an indie author. How is the transition from author to public speaker?
The transition has been good. It’s given me a chance to meet a lot of readers who enjoyed Inside the Outside, so that’s been very gratifying.
Are you going to stay in the horror genre with your future books?
Not necessarily. I have a handful of novels in my head that I can’t wait to write and, genre-wise, they’re all pretty different. I have an idea for a fantasy-ish novel, as well as a quirky comedy. I have an idea for a totally different cannibal novel, which would much closer to The Twilight Zone than Inside the Outside. I’m also toying with the idea of one or two spin-off novels for characters from Inside the Outside. Ultimately, my goal is for my voice and my storytelling sensibilities to become my most distinguishing characteristics, regardless of what genre I write in. Sort of like a Quentin Tarantino movie or a Charlie Kaufman screenplay.
How much of your success do you credit to the popularity of ebooks, indie publishing, and social media?
Somewhere in the area of 99%, give or take.
You have written about a lot of controversial subjects, is there anything for you that is too taboo to tackle?
As a rule, I never shy away from taboo subjects. But I don’t like the idea of playing taboo for shock value. I mean, it’s okay to shock your reader, so long as there’s a substantive purpose at play. Otherwise it’s just literary shock porn.
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