 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I was born in Newcastle, Australia which is a quiet little place with 5 beaches all within walking distance from each other. I started writing movies and that was my goal, to be the next Tarantino or Kevin Smith. But, then reality came crashing down on me and I turned to novels and short stories. And here I am. What do you like to do when you're not writing? Watching movies, playing video games and spending time with my wife. How about you? Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? My father and his father before him. They were natural storytellers and I was lucky enough to get the gift of the gab. That and the old Jim Henson TV series ‘The Storyteller’ with John Hurt in it. 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? Well, “horror” is extremely subjective. I mean one man’s horror is another man’s pleasure. For me personally, “horror” is anything that cannot be described or explained rationally, so to break past the assumption that “horror” is a low genre or what-have-you we need to slowly move away from the standard clichés and some authors have already done that. Just look at Gabino Iglesias and John Hornor Jacobs, both have done that. But, for the majority “horror”, unfortunately, will always be the realm of jump scares and poorly defined characters. 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? The phrase “Big Brother is watching you” springs to mind. That and the infantility of society. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? Oh, that is a tough one…For books I’d say David Eddings, Raymond E. Feist, Don Winslow, Jake Bible, Brian Keene and Miguel de Cervantes. Movies? The Princess Bride, Big Trouble in Little China, In The Mouth of Madness…Anything John Carpenter…Okay it’s better to go by director. Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, Edgar Wright, Billy Wilder, John Landis and Stuart Gordon. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? Can I say myself? No? Oh, okay then…well, definitely Gabino Iglesias and John Hornor Jacobs and Valerie Lioudis, Angel Medina and Sylvester Barzey (those last ones specialize in Zombies) How would you describe your writing style? Very cinematic, since that was how I started. I go more for action and violence than creepiness, which I must work on. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? Definitely, a review for my book ‘Flicker’ said “Don’s (the main character) journey is one that few will forget as both he and us are assaulted by the kind of vomit-inducing sights that would make Clive Barker say “steady on”.” I love the part about Clive Barker. And the most negative was someone said about my very first book “a very condescending writer”, which I am still trying to figure out what they meant. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Hmmm…editing is the big one. I’m very much a one and done kind of author so the moment I type ‘the end’ that’s it. I move on. So, having to come back to edit is like dragging me to the dentist. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Nope. As long as I find it interesting and can spin it to horror then I’ll write about it. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Sometimes they are so important and other times a complete after thought. Honestly I go with how they sound. I try to find names that have a musicality to them, which to me at least means they’ll stay with the reader long after they have finished the book. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? When I first started writing prose, I was constantly worried about how much description to put in and how long a chapter should be. Now, my mantra is “everything is as long as it needs to be, so quit worrying.” That and my research-fu has improved by leaps and bounds. What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? Having a thick skin is the best tool a writer can have. Whether you are traditional, indie or hybrid publishing you are releasing something into the world that is going to touch people. Some will accept it and be positive while others will try to tear you down because you have done something they never could or would. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? So far it would have to be, switch to using a word processor…No, I’m serious. I used to write long-hand and give it to my lecturers and they would all say the same thing, “I don’t understand hieroglyphs.” Now, using a laptop my output has increased tenfold. Other than that it would be “Don’t try to imitate anyone else, what makes your writing unique is that it comes from you and you alone. Nobody talks, thinks and writes like you do, so embrace it.” Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject? You’re telling me! So far Facebook Groups and twitter have been the best approach. Stephen Kozeniewski has a facebook group for authors to tweet and re-tweet weekly any book related posts. That in itself has been a great help to me. To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favorite child, and who is your least favorite to write for and why? You mean I have to pick one?! Well, it would have to be Don English, the star of ‘Flicker’. He is a throwback to Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane but in a modern world full of horrors. He is my favourite. Now, least favourite? Well so far I haven’t gotten to that point, but the moment I do, I’ll let you know. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? Definitely ‘Flicker’. And maybe a short movie script that I entered a competition. It didn’t win any awards but the feedback was great. And are there any that you would like to forget about? Certainly! I have a bunch of old short films that are just atrocious, and unfortunately they are on Youtube. And you know what they say, once it is online, it is there forever. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? The Outback. It’s a short story in the Australian Outback during a post-apocalypse. It has everything that I love: action, drama, chills and thrills. The main character is not my favourite but close and there is this scene towards the end where I cried after writing it. Plus the ending is one that will either make you cheer or want to beat me up. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? Certainly, it’s from The Outback, a description of a Dropbear (ask any Australian about it): It was larger than a regular koala, at least four times the size and the already formidable claws were longer with serrated edges. The cute grey fur was now a mottled black colour with splotches of the familiar. The ears were slightly more pointed than regular ones but it was the face that inspired fear in the woman and the panicky attacks Dog would launch. The dropbears face was more long and the features heavier than the cute plush looking koala. The eyes were bigger but completely black and devoid of anything resembling life, the brow jutted forward and bathed the entire thing in shadow while the nose was more related to that of a bear or wolf. And the mouth…the mouth was filled with jagged fangs that went out in odd angles and seemed to penetrate the lips and cheeks. This thing was more hideous to Noni than the Resurrected. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? My last book was a short story, ‘The Outback’. Before that I had two. One from Severed Press called ‘Kaiju World’ and the other was self-published, ‘Flicker’. Right now I’m working on another short story called ‘White Dress’ about how far love can push us into doing truly horrific things and a novel called ‘Hound’, which is a bit like Cujo meets Jack Ketchum. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? Definitely ‘jump scares’ and maybe having to explain everything. Sometimes no-explanation is scarier than finding a reason. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? The last great book I read was Thomas Ligotti’s ‘The Conspiracy Against the Human Race’. It has really opened my way of thinking about horror and my next books will be more nihilistic and pessimistic towards humanity and horror. And the last to disappoint me would have to have been James Ellroy’s ‘L.A. Confidential’. I read it after seeing the movie and it is just a sprawling mess that needed to be cut down by at least half…well that’s what I think. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? That’s a good question! Let me see…Well, it would have to be “Are you corrupting hearts and minds with perverse prose and images?” To which I would emphatically say, “If anyone is old enough to make a decision about their jobs, meals and bedtimes then they can make the decision about what they read and not blame the author.” Thank you and goodnight! R.F. Blackstone Born in the slightly off town of Newcastle on the coast of Australia, R.F. Blackstone learned how to survive life in the land Down Under where everything can kill you. The son of a stage actor, magician and teacher, R.F. Blackstone had an interesting upbringing learning to see the world in a different way. Now taking that slight skewed way of looking at the world and applying it to his writing. He has spent 10 years writing scripts before trying his hand at novels. Currently he lives in Mexico City with his wife, where he enjoys tequila, tacos al pastor and pumping out stories. Links: http://rfblackstone.wordpress.com https://twitter.com/RF_Blackstone https://www.facebook.com/Blackstone.RF https://www.amazon.com/R.F.-Blackstone/e/B07BT23L9Y FLICKER BY R.F. BLACKSTONE  What if there was a movie that had the power to drive any who watches it insane? What if it was only shown once? What if whoever held that movie had the power to change the world in their hands? For Private Eye Don English finding this very movie is just another in a long line of peculiar jobs. He's getting paid well enough and needs the money, so why not? But as he gets closer to finding the lost movie he soon realises that everything is not as it seems. And that sometimes lost things should never ever be found.   Comments are closed.
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