DREW PURCELL TRAVELS TO SPOOK CITY USA (AUTHOR INTERVIEW)

24/6/2021

Rory, the three-legged blue heeler that narrates Spook City, has a special place in my heart, as he is based on a real dog that I shared with my ex-wife. The real Rory was absolutely insane and despised me, but I found her to be absolutely hilarious and wanted to mythologize her in some way.

DREW PURCELL TRAVELS TO SPOOK CITY USA
(AUTHOR INTERVIEW)

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Having dabbled in writing for much of my life, for the past few years I’ve focused on writing screenplays, short stories, and most recently a novella, during the little bit of time I have outside of work and family. Most of my writing involves a combination of horror and dark humour, and I’m really enjoying the online community of those who share these interests.

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler for me to say that the non-supernatural antagonists in my work are usually that banal type of evil that one can’t help but witness in the real world on at least a weekly basis. Unfortunately, those people are unavoidable, but I still try to keep clear of them. The Route 66 Apeman, the “Big Bad” in my new novella, is also somebody I’d prefer to stay far away from, because of the odour as much as the threat of bodily harm.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

Definitely comedy. I have to actively fight against my humourous instincts to not let jokes constantly seep into my work to the detriment of everything else, like characterization and story. Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries such as This is Spinal Tap and Best in Show have that magical combination of realism, hilarity, and heart that I aim for whenever I’m incorporating comedic elements into something. My debut novella, Spook City, U.S.A., is my attempt at writing prose that has the tone of a goofy R-rated comedy like Step Brothers while still satisfying that horror itch. In terms of writers, Kurt Vonnegut’s depressing type of humour is a massive influence, as is A Confederacy of Dunces, which is the funniest thing I’ve ever read.

The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations. What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

I kind of get a kick out of the stigma against horror and other types of “genre fiction.” Part of its appeal to me is that it’s not for everyone. This helps foster a kind of outsider community, like with niche styles of music. Within an already ostracized genre, my stuff is as low brow as it gets, and I have no shame about that.

However, commentators can make the case that some horror is regressive and “punches down” by relying on tropes that may be harmful. I don’t know much about that, but I think an open dialogue about that stuff is helpful, as is making sure that different voices are encouraged.

A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?

It’s already starting to happen, but I’d love to see even more people from marginalized backgrounds get their works into the forefront of the public consciousness. Horror is now and has seemingly always been the perfect window into addressing cultural wrongs, and people who are much better writers and way more insightful than I’ll ever be, such as Stephen Graham Jones, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Victor LaValle, are doing an amazing job at it. Hopefully their books will one day sell as many copies as Stephen King.

Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?

Really great horror can be cathartic, and even mediocre horror is a fun, escapist diversion. I think some people are just wired for it. I know I am.

What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?

I am just now learning about the indie horror scene, so there may already be people like this already writing that I’m ignorant of, but I’d be really interested to read horror written through an Islamic lens. So many great horror books and films in the English language have a Christian, and often specifically a Catholic, focus, like The Exorcist, The Omen, and The Conjuring series, and I really enjoyed The Possession, which is about dybbuks from Jewish mythology. I’d love to see the Muslim version of this, like a serious book about Djinns incorporating Arab culture.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?

I’ve just recently started exploring indie horror, so the people whose work I’m familiar with are mostly already established. One of these authors who has stood out to me is Kristopher Triana, who writes mostly Splatterpunk that has exceptional character development. The recently deceased W.H. Pugmire had been around forever, but I only recently discovered him and am kind of obsessed. He wrote the most ornate Lovecraftian prose I’ve ever read; it’s almost more Lovecraftian than Lovecraft himself.

A traditionally published young author that I’ve enjoyed is Edgar Cantero, who wrote Meddling Kids, a thoughtful, grown-up take on many of the same the Scooby Doo archetypes that I tackle from a very different angle in my Shadybrook series. His first English language novel, The Supernatural Enhancements, is his masterpiece so far. It’s a crazy haunted house story with a twist ending that I don’t quite understand, but still really love.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

An early version of Spook City was written in screenplay form, and the most helpful feedback I received about it was that I should either pull back on the explicit themes to make it family friendly or to double-down and embrace the more R-rated aspects, but not to stay in the middle of the road, which is where my initial drafts were stagnating. After choosing to unapologetically write for a grown-up audience and eventually market the book that way, I felt freed up to limit my self-censoring and include more sex, violence, and profanity.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?

I dread doing the actual writing, as opposed to the daydreaming, outlining, and revising, which I enjoy much more. Out of necessity due to my work and family obligations, I’m forced to carve out little chunks of time to write and then make the most out of them, which has actually been very helpful to me because it forces me to be productive.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?

Being a straight, white American guy who wants to write diverse characters, I try not to tell stories that might be seen as coopting someone else’s experiences for my own gain. I can’t help being irreverent, so I don’t see myself ever writing about something like the Holocaust or slavery, because I couldn’t do it justice.

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

Thankfully, I wasn’t published until recently, so none of my early works are floating around out there. However, I can’t guarantee Spook City, U.S.A. won’t make me cringe once I have a few more books under my belt. The sex scene in it already does.

Since I’ve never taken formal creative writing classes, I’ve relied heavily on editing and advice from my brother and my wife, who are much more educated than I am. Outside of that, books like Stephen King’s On Writing and Chuck Palahniuk’s recent Consider This have been awesome, as has the writing community at LitReactor and podcasts like This is Horror and The Lovecraft eZine.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?

Before I turned my attention to writing prose, I was focused on songwriting for many years, and someone once told me to write the type of songs that I would most like to listen to. Since then, I’ve applied that to every artistic endeavor I’ve undertaken. As poorly as it may reflect on my character, Spook City is totally the type of book that I would most like to read.

Which of your characters is your favourite?

Rory, the three-legged blue heeler that narrates Spook City, has a special place in my heart, as he is based on a real dog that I shared with my ex-wife. The real Rory was absolutely insane and despised me, but I found her to be absolutely hilarious and wanted to mythologize her in some way.

Which of your books best represents you?

I couldn’t imagine writing a more personal book than Spook City, which happens to be my only released book as of now.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?

I’m way too proud about the opening line of Spook City: “Welcome to Shadybrook, California, located not far from Needles in the part of the state that the Red Hot Chili Peppers never get around to writing songs about.”

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

My new book is Spook City, U.S.A., the first in a series of novellas set in the fictional desert town of Shadybrook, California. It twists the “mystery team with a dog” trope into a raunchy horror/comedy intended for the few weirdos who equally enjoy Scooby Doo, Super Troopers, and Twin Peaks.

Right now, I’m bouncing back and forth between writing the next Shadybrook book, tentatively titled Screaming at a Mall, and a series of short stories about a punk band that solves mysteries.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

I love a good jump scare, but I hate a poorly executed one. Also, the “Indian Burial Ground” stuff is pretty played out, and living close to a reservation, I can assure you that it annoys many Native Americans.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

The last great book that I read was Blackwater by Michael McDowell. It’s an obscenely long Southern Gothic saga that was originally published as six separate volumes, each released one month apart in the early ‘80s, similar to how Stephen King put out The Green Mile about ten years later. I’ve become obsessed with McDowell after first reading about him in Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell. He wrote the screenplay for Beetlejuice and a ton of over great stuff but is sadly kind of overlooked.

The last book that disappointed me was Gone Girl. I’ve been on a kick of reading many of the extremely popular books of the last ten years or so that had passed by me, and I really liked Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places, so I was surprised when Gone Girl didn’t live up to the hype, in my opinion.

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?

Q: It turns out that all those creatures H.P. Lovecraft wrote about are real and they’ll be showing up in town tomorrow. Can you help us defeat them?
A: Um, sure.

Drew studied history at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and served as the executive director of a community theatre organisation before switching careers to food service management, which allows him to write at night after putting his four kids to bed. He was recognized by the 2020 Hollywood Horrorfest as Best First-Time Screenwriter and his short story “Comparative Religions: A Practical Use for the Undead” will appear in Sheer: A Dark Horror Anthology. His debut novella Spook City, U.S.A., is the first volume in an ongoing series about the fictional desert town of Shadybrook, California.

WEBSITE LINKS
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B093YH41H6
Twitter: https://twitter.com/purcelldrew

Spook City, U.S.A.: A Shadybrook Community Patrol
by Drew Purcell

Mickey has lived his whole life in run-down Shadybrook, California. Like the rest of the locals, he takes the town’s creepiness for granted and doesn’t think much about the fact that every summer, the monsoon season is accompanied by supernatural phenomena like the Route 66 Apeman. With his best friend, Charlie, he joins a citizens’ police academy in a cynical attempt to get over his hang-ups about women.

Against the backdrop of the supernatural monsoons that have turned deadly for the first time, a mysterious entrepreneur unites the town's feuding cliques with vague promises of reinvigorating the community through legal pot sales. As they uncover dark secrets, Mickey, Charlie, and the few other sane members of the academy are the only thing stopping their community from being wiped off the map entirely. But can Mickey work up the confidence and the energy to do what’s right while developing a meaningful romantic relationship for the first time?

It's a raunchy horror/comedy written for the few weirdos who equally enjoy Scooby Doo, "Super Troopers," and "Twin Peaks."