 Gary started his career with the U.S. Army and served in Desert Storm. Upon completion of his tours of duty, he was then recruited by a security contractor firm to conduct clandestine operations for a number of years. He is now Director of Operations for an IT company in Northern VA. He has been a martial arts/self-defense instructor for twelve years. Gary has narrated a number of books that are available on Audible. He hosts a weekly show on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube that averages over 5k viewers a week, worldwide. When not working, he spends time with his wife Wendy and their three kids; Carly, Noah and their boxer Mingo. He and his family live in central Maryland. WEBSITE LINKS amazon.com/author/ghickman https://lightreapersmedia.com/ https://twitter.com/LightReapers Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? In addition to my bio, I love horror movies and have always been a big fan of zombie movies. That started when I was thirteen and my uncle took me to see Dawn of the Dead at the midnight movies. After that, I saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre and it just grew from there. To get the ball rolling and get everyone relaxed, here is a hopefully lighthearted question to break the ice, which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life and have them complain at you about they way you treated them in your work. Sergeant Abarra, because he is a hot head and a former drill sergeant. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? Being in the military had a major impact on me. The comradery with the other guys and the adrenaline of being in action. I think that the military aspect adds another element to a story. Not in all situations, but in some. 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 hope I have done some of that in this book. Horror, good horror has every element that makes a good movie. Drama, love, struggle, friendship, etc. I think that horror can be all those things and still scare the hell out of you. I think some plot twists to keep people on their toes is important as well. 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? I am not one who likes to have movies, books or other mediums separate people and pit them against one another based on socio/political lines. I think people are too easily influenced by bs and tend to believe most things they hear or read. Obviously, I think the whole Covid-19 situation will generate new subject matter for the horror genre. I do believe horror should move toward more of a mind screw than just straight up slasher films. The problem is we seem to have one or another. We need to be able to mess with people’s head and still bring the violence as well. Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? I think people use horror as an extension of their emotions. Basically, if they feel slighted or wronged (bullied maybe), they can project their feelings into the story and when someone who “has it coming” gets whacked graphically, I think there is a bit of personal satisfaction achieved. What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre? I think we should leave it up to the minds of the writers to change, add or subtract things in their stories and then the fans can gauge what they are interested in. In the past authors were able to write about almost anything with a far lesser degree of the fear of backlash, but this has all changed in recent years. These days authors must be more aware of representation and the depiction of things such as race and gender in their works, how aware are you of these things and what steps have you taken to ensure that your writing can’t be viewed as being offensive to a minority group? I think writers should feel free to compile their stories however they want without having to walk on egg shells. If they spend so much time worrying about how their work might offend someone, then the creativity is completely stifled and we end up with books full of garbage. That being said, if something is straight out racist or defiling, then I am not down with that. There are so many different groups or certain degrees of separation, that you can’t negotiate that minefield and produce a decent and well thought out story. Does horror fiction perpetuate it’s own ghettoization? In some aspects I do. I think there are people out there who get “lazy” when it comes to writing and they use the perception of fiction to produce something not well thought out. Whether that be a book, movie script, etc. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? As mentioned above, Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, along with The Thing and Escape from New York. Even though EFNY wasn’t an actual horror movie, it was really dark and had some horror type elements. Writers like DJ Molles and Stephen Knight have heavily influenced me to pull the trigger and finally write my first book. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? Edward Castle has some good momentum going and I am in the middle of reading some new books I became aware of, but don’t want to discuss that until I have a chance to read more of their material. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? Yes, this was a review from Sandra in the UK. 5.0 out of 5 stars GORY, GRAPHIC BRILLIANCE Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 May 2020 Just finished reading this book and it's awesome..I stayed up most of the night just so I could finish it lol.... gory, bloody, graphic. Characters that you really become involved with.....only one bad thing about this book...it's finished and I want more!!! It is most definitely worth reading people. bring on the next one please What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? I basically write the story in an outline format. I have the main flow of the story written and then go back and fill in more content. I feel the filler content and the scene transitions are quite hard for me. Getting from one situation to another is something I struggle with. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Yes, rape or molestation. Those are things that I can’t deal with and would not enjoy writing about, no matter how the story turns out. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Yes, I spend a lot of time coming up with names that match their background stories. I have issues reading some fantasy books which make up some crazy names and places. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? Even though this is my first published book, I have been writing for many years. Short stories, poetry and journals I have written for 20+ years. Experience and time alive have enabled me to relate to so many different people and situations, that I didn’t have when I was younger. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? Write what is on your mind and don’t feel you have to fall into any lane that already exists. If you do, then the things you write sound too similar to everything else in that lane. 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? My favorite is Lia, because she has beauty, but is also a badass. I feel like protecting her at times even though she doesn’t need it. My least favorite is Bettington, because he can’t seem to get his head straight with what is going on. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? I have only written one, but I think The Light Reapers: End of the World defines me pretty well. So many years of writing has culminated into this first published book and I made sure that what I wanted in a story was added. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? “Guess what, you fuck? I am not going to kill you. You will exist for a little while, lying in your own disgusting filth, not being able to move and not being able to see. Whether it’s dehydration, hunger, exposure, being ravaged by animals or shredded apart by the infected, you will die eventually, and you won’t see it coming. The only thing you will know is that death is coming. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Next book will be The Light Reapers – Book 2, which I have a third written so far. After that, I am switching it up and will work on a book about the prostitutes during 1880’s London, during the time of Jack the Ripper. The story will be much different that what people might expect. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? The dumb, indestructible killer who just walks around. I like the smart and calculating villain. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Great - The Retreat Series: By: Craig DiLouie, Stephen Knight, Joe McKinney Bad - Yesterday's Gone: Season One: By: Sean Platt, David Wright What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? Can we make this into a movie? YES! The Light Reapers: End of the World by Gary Hickman The Light Reapers are a Special Operations Unit who had served numerous campaigns together. They were an expertly trained and elite group, but could they ever prepare for what was to happen next. Under a shroud of darkness and maliciousness, a viral weapon was being produced by an alliance of terrorists bent on the destruction of their respective enemies. When double-crossed by an ISIS faction, the viral weapon is stolen and prematurely unleashed on the planet. Now facing a worldwide epidemic, The Light Reapers are deployed to rescue a scientist who may be able to develop an antidote. If that wasn't difficult enough, they also must track down the ISIS faction and eliminate them. All while battling hordes of the infected. the heart and soul of horror interviewsComments are closed.
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