 Bram Stoker Award®-winner Eugene Johnson is an author, editor, and columnist. He has written as well as edited in various genres, and created anthologies such as the Fantastic Tales Of Terror, Drive In Creature Feature with Charles Day, the Bram Stoker Award®-nominated non-fiction anthology Where Nightmares Come From: The Art Of Storytelling In The Horror Genre and many more. Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/eugene.johnson.14855 Plaid Dragon Publishing website: https://plaiddragonpublishing.com Fantastic Tales Of Terror Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1895163807466716&ref=content_filter Tales Of The Lost Volume Anthology series Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/Tales-Of-The-Lost-104163927614756/?tsid=0.28879433138896604&so urce=result Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Eugene-Johnson/e/B06Y4Z8TJM%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_shar e Tales Of The Lost Volume 2 Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-charity-anthology-Covid-Relief-ebook/dp/B08LHHZBZH/ref=mp _s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tales+of+the+lost+volume+two&qid=1611970943&sprefix=tales +of+the+lost+&sr=8-3 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I grew up on horror, everything horror and everything fantastic. I grew up in a very abusive home most of my life. Because of this, my maternal grandparents would try to take me to their house as much as possible to spare me from that environment. It was my grandmother who introduced me to the genre at a very young age. I still remember going to the theater with her to see Poltergeist shortly after my fifth birthday. I believe she’s the one that also first encouraged me to be a storyteller. It was around that age I started writing and drawing any chance I could. In a lot of ways horror, as well as storytelling saved me, as it became an escape from the horrors I dealt with in my own life. Here I am all these years later, still finding myself escaping to new and creepy stories. I never would have imagined it would have led to me becoming a Bram Stoker Award Winner, published and been in over two dozen books, worked on films with actors such as Tony Todd or got to work with some of the very storytellers I found comfort in when I was younger. What do you like to do when you're not writing? When I’m not writing or editing I try to spend as much time with my family: my wife, Angela, my children Hannah, Bradley and Oliver. They mean the world to me. We have a blast playing games, watching movies, using our imagination and more. I also enjoy reading, watching TV shows/ movies in my favorite genres and drawing when I have the time. I also enjoy helping others anyway I can. I have a Masters degree in Mental health counseling and come from an abusive home. I know what it’s like to feel lost and hate to see others feel that way. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? I was raised on all things fantastic. Anything unique or strange. Everything from Star Wars to Ray Bradbury. There’s a lot I don’t remember about growing up, it was too painful so I blocked it out. What I can remember I can link to all the fun and cool genre movies/TV/books/comics and more that came when I was growing up in the early 1980s and 1990s. I still remember sitting in the theater and watching Flash Gordon the 1980s film at the discount Theater in Wyandotte, Michigan. I had to be only 3 or 4 years old. 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? That’s a really hard question to tackle. The world is a very scary place right now both socially and politically. We are in the middle of an actual worldwide pandemic. We have riots happening in the streets as people fight for their rights and other people lash out in anger/fear. We will probably start to see more pandemic horror as people try to deal with the world around them. I do think others are wanting an escape. I do think we are seeing a lot of great horror come out. The lists on the year's best lists just keep growing. I have noticed a growth in works that take place in the 1980s and more. Those books like Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend’s Exorcism seem to do really well. This might be a sign that with all the current ugliness going on in the world people are wishing to find an escape that involves a time that was much more simpler. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? JAWS ~ the movie, The Exorcist ~ both, Stephen King’s work (especially Night Shift), Jack Ketchum’s: Off Season, John D. Macdonald’s books plus too many others to name! How much time do we have? My list is probably pages long. One of the first books I remember reading was Stephen King's Night Shift. I had always struggled with reading, I didn’t find out until after I received my Masters and was tested that I was Dyslexic. But Night Shift made me fall in love with King and short story collections. I also grew up watching the Twilight Zone (both the black and white series as well as the 1980’s remake), Nightgallery, Amazing Stories, Doctor Who, Buck Rogers, Tales From The Crypt, and Tales From The Darkside. I remember seeing movies at the theaters such as Creepshow, Gremlins, Poltergeist, The Lost Boys, A Nightmare On Elm Street 3, Return Of The Living Dead, Ghoulies, Critters and so many more. With those movies I saw them all at the theater before I was even 12. I think because of all the different types of horror I was exposed to I developed a wide interest as a storyteller. My love for Night Shift and theTwilight Zone is probably why I enjoyed both reading and editing anthologies so much. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? Jess Landry is pretty amazing. Though she’s been around awhile. I first worked with her on my anthology Fantastic Tales Of Terror. Her story Mutter from that anthology ended up winning a Bram Stoker Award. I work with her as much as possible and she blows me away each time. She’s getting ready to publish her first collection and anthology this year. There’s also Tracey Cross. I was introduced to her by Lisa Morton. Tracey has an amazing way with dialogue. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? Yes. A review by David Simms for Fantastic Tales Of Terror, an anthology I edited a couple years ago. He stated “Sometimes an anthology accomplishes what it sets out to do and nails the concept perfectly.” It stuck with me because the book was a passion project and I wasn’t sure people would dig the theme. It also was in-depth enough letting me know which stories seemed to be a hit and which were a miss. The stories that missed were ones that I should have listened to my gut not to put in the book, but I second guessed myself in one way or another. Not only was it a great review but a reminder to listen to my instincts. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Time management! With everything going on in life it’s hard to find that quality time to create. I struggle to find that balance at times especially when I’m struggling with my disabilities, barely able to get up most mornings. If you want to be a writer or if you are like me, just love storytelling and creating new worlds, it’s very important to make the time for your craft. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? I don’t like the torture porn sub genre much. I also try to stay away from sexual abuse of children. I was abused as a child myself so the topic is difficult for me on a personal level. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? I never thought I would be a writer or editor having to edit books with some of my heroes such as Stephen King, William F. Nolan, Joe R. Lansdale, Marv Wolfman, Kevin J. Anderson, Amber Benson, Yvonne Navarro and so many more. I started storytelling by drawing comics when I was very young, then writing stories just to escape my surroundings and used my imagination. Then as I got older my desire to share my stories grew. I had struggled in English, in part due to being in and out of hospitals/homes due to my abuse at home, my education being disrupted in the process. The other part was due to my server Dyslexia that the school system or anyone else failed to catch. It wasn’t until I was in college that my professor/advisor caught it suggesting I get tested. Because of my struggles in English with reading I was ashamed to share my work with anyone fearing what they might say or how I would be judged. In fact when I first got the courage to try to be a writer and editor, I had a Bram Stoker Award winner as my mentor just to tell me I would never make it as a writer or editor because of my disabilities including Dyslexia, that I needed to give up. The person even told me if I even tried no one in the writing world or horror community would take me seriously, that I would be a laughing stock. I was crushed. This was a person that on social media claimed they personally have a mental illness, that anyone that was struggling with any type of disability or diversity can come to them. I looked up to the person, and my desire to edit anthologies grew so much because of the work this person did, yet they were telling me I would never make. I’m not sure why the person did this. I have my ideas, but it may simply be due to the possibility they didn’t know that much about Dyslexia and the amazing writers that have already conquered the field with Dyslexia. This was a great teaching moment though. Because I learned a couple important tools from this experience. One, never give up or let anyone tell you you can’t do what you love. You find a way to make your dream happen. If you don’t know what you need to do or the person you go to doesn’t believe in you, find someone that does. This brings me to the second tool I think is important, find a mentor. The way we learn things in life are through learning from others and doing. Find a good mentor that you check out by asking around and researching. There are also professional writer organizations that offer mentors to writers in all stages. A great tool or habit is to read everyday and everything you can. If you’re Dyslexic, like me, and struggle, push through and get help. Listen to books on tape, or if you simply just come to a word you don’t understand look it up. But whatever you do, don't give up reading or make excuses not to do it. One of the best ways I’m learning something besides doing it yourself is to learn by example. You could learn so much just from reading. You can learn what a good sentence and what a bad sentence is. Not to mention reading as a great escape and stress reliever. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? It was from Joe Lansdale. I interviewed him once and was just blown away by all the great wisdom on writing he had. I could listen to him all day. The one piece of advice that stuck out the most was that the most important thing a writer needs to do is “show up.” I asked him to clarify and went on to tell me that as writers the most important thing we can do is just write. Show up at your computer, notebook or whatever, put the words down on the page. Because if you don’t do that you can’t be a writer or even begin to tell a story. He’s right, talking about it doesn’t help. You need to live it, to write everyday, no matter how bad or good what you write is, just get it on the page. Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject? I’m still struggling and learning about the process of branding/marketing as a storyteller. Number one, you should always give your best work as possible. If the story is great and the work should speak for itself. We do live in a time where there are an abundance of books, stories and more out there. It’s impossible to absorb them more. So there are works out there that may get lost. It is heartbreaking at times to put in all the hard work and you can’t grab the readers or reviewers attention. Just don’t give up. Market as much as possible. If the work is good enough it will catch on. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? All my work is special to me, even the ones that have yet to be published. They are like my children, they are a part of me. Many of my projects spend years in my head before I put them on paper. And I spend another couple years bringing them to life. When you spend that much time creating something that is definitely a party. And it's really hard to choose which one is your favorite. I do have a couple that are uniquely special to me in one way or another. One is my non-fiction anthology, Where Nightmares Come From: The Art Of Storytelling In The Horror Genre. I’ve always loved storytelling and loved those shows or books that gave you a peek behind the magic curtain so to speak. So I always want to create a book with personal advice from some of the best storytellers in the horror genre. It took me awhile before I found a publisher for the book and by the time I did I also realized how much I love the process of researching some of the best advice in the business. I then realized that it was much more than a book but a series. Other projects very dear to me are my 2018 anthology Fantastic Tales Of Terror featuring stories by Neil Gaiman, Kevin J. Anderson, Lisa Morton, Jonathan Maberry and more. The theme focused on the dark supernatural Heidersdorf of some of history's most important events and people. I always loved “what if?” stories or those books and shows that told you the unknown history of a situation. I also always had a love for the events in history like the disappearances of Roanoke and the true story of Vlad the Impaler that people had their own supernatural theories. I’m also proud of the story I co-wrote with Jonathan Maberry for the C.H.U.D. Tribute anthology. Jonathan is one of my favorite people and writers so it was a dream come true to work with him. I almost had a heart attack when he actually said yes when I asked him. I would kill to get another chance to write a story with him again. I learned so much from him. I also will mention I was really looking forward to seeing my homage to 1980’s horror films currently titled Attack From The 80s!! anthology, edited by myself, featuring some authors I have always wanted to work with. I grew up in the 1980s so this project is near and dear to my heart. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? I think all my works show a different piece of me as a storyteller. I love fun twists on things though such as many of the books Grady Hendrix writes. So I think Fantastic Tales Of Terror and my upcoming Attack Of The 80s shows this side of me at my best. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? In October 2020, I released Tales Of The Lost Volume II edited by Steve Dillon and myself. Featuring stories as well as poetry by Neil Gaiman, Heather Graham, Joe Hill, Lisa Morton, Tim Lebbon, Christopher Golden, Lucy A. Snyder, Christina Sng, Tim Waggoner and many more, with an introduction by Mort Castle and art by Luke Spooner. The anthology is the second in a series which takes a dark look at the things we lose and the ghosts we struggle with. Money raised by the anthology will go to benefit the Save the Children Coronavirus response. The book was released by my new small press Plaid Dragon Publishing in collaboration with awarding Things In The Well Publishing and Gestalt Media. I’m currently working on a few projects that I’m trying to wrap up to come out later this year hopefully. The links are below for the book and Plaid Dragon Publishing for any one who would like to check them out. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? This year has been an amazing year for horror fiction. Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay, One Of Us edited by Kenneth Cain, and After Sundown edited by Mark Morris, Black Cranes edited by Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn, Halloween Season by Lucy A. Snyder, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix are all outstanding books. I really don’t want to dismiss someone's hard work by picking a book I was recently disappointed in. Right now in the state the world is, being thankful for anything that allows me to take a little bit of a break from the whole of the real world. What’s the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? Probably what’s the “best advice about writing I ever heard?” I can’t share enough the story and the advice Joe Lansdale told me. His words have stayed with me all this time and he told me this around 2010 in an interview I did with him. His advice was so simple, yet so powerful. Everyone wants to know the secret to being a writer. There’s no secret. If you want to do something, do it! Just make the time and do it. I never knew I would or could be where I am today when I was just a small boy wanting to escape the world around me. Making things up creating new worlds is awesome and rewarding on so many levels. I would have never done that if I didn’t just do it and not give up. Even now I’ve been thinking of quitting the publishing world due to the current state of the world and other issues going on around me. It’s a hard decision because I love telling stories. It's therapeutic for me and I heard Joe’s words just “show up” and It’s hard for me not to try. Sincerely, Eugene Johnson For more information on eugene and his publishing follow the links belowFacebook: https://m.facebook.com/eugene.johnson.14855 Plaid Dragon Publishing website: https://plaiddragonpublishing.com Fantastic Tales Of Terror Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1895163807466716&ref=content_filter Tales Of The Lost Volume Anthology series Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/Tales-Of-The-Lost-104163927614756/?tsid=0.28879433138896604&so urce=result Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Eugene-Johnson/e/B06Y4Z8TJM%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_shar e Tales Of The Lost Volume 2 Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-charity-anthology-Covid-Relief-ebook/dp/B08LHHZBZH/ref=mp _s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=tales+of+the+lost+volume+two&qid=1611970943&sprefix=tales +of+the+lost+&sr=8-3  Tales Of The Lost Volume II: A Covid-19 Charity Anthology Edited by Bram Stoker Award Winner Eugene Johnson and Steve Dillon We lose many things during our time in this universe. From the moment we are born we start losing time, and loss becomes a part of our life from the beginning. We lose friends (both imaginary and real), loved ones, pets, and family. We gain stuff and lose stuff, from our socks to our money. We can lose our hope, sanity, passions, our mind, and perhaps even our soul! In the end when death finds us, we end up losing everything... Don't we? Loss is part of who we are. We can't escape it. We learn from it, grow from it, and so much more. Some of the greatest stories ever forged come from loss. Within this book is some of those stories. Featuring stories and poetry by an amazing lineup including: Tim Waggoner * Lisa Morton * Neil Gaiman * Joe Hill * Heather Graham * Christopher Golden * Tim Lebbon * Christina Sng * Vince Liaguno * John Palisano * Kaaron Warren * Chris Mason * Greg Chapman * Tracy Cross * Stephanie W. Wytovich * Alexis Kirkpatrick * Ben Monroe * Lucy A. Snyder and Matthew R. Davis. Edited by Bram Stoker Award Winner Eugene Johnson and Shirley Jackson award nominated author Steve Dillon. Coming in 2020 from Plaid Dragon Publishing in association with Things in The Well. With cover art by the brilliant Francois Vaillancourt, and interior art by the amazing Luke Spooner.    Comments are closed.
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