Monday 21 June 2010

First Online Interview

My first online interview was conducted a short while ago by Paula Phillips at Paula Zone. I figured I would post it here, just for the hell of it!

TAKEN FROM THE PAULA ZONE BLOG


Interview with Swan Song author, Jevron McCrory

Who remembers the book I reviewed just the other day? Swan Song? You know, that awesome vampire novella with the singer Katrina Collins and the music reporter Lewis Morrison? Well, if you haven't checked it out, then scroll down the page or head over to the right hand side of the screen where you will see a little calendar and click on June 13th!

Today for you all, I have an interview with the author Jevron McCrory of Swan Song for you to read!

Tell us about your book, Swan Song.

Swan Song is essentially about two very damaged individuals.

A cynical somewhat reprehensible male music journalist falls for the latest 'big thing' on the music circuit, a beautiful waif like female songstress who proves to be as elusive as her music. She also happens to be a vampire.

The story explores why people end up the way they do and how far they are willing to go in order to make the necessary changes, whilst raising morality questions on who could be considered the more evil, the creature who, by necessity, commits horrendous acts or the mortal who simply chooses to do so.

I wanted to do a real character piece and limit the amount of 'action' in order to draw the reader in, make what was happening more believable and hopefully more effective. It's a slow burn piece. It was intentionally written as the 'antidote' to Twilight and I wanted it to be everything I thought Twilight wasn't. Fierce, unforgiving and uncompromising. I actually created a template, listed everything about Twilight I disliked, then put the polar opposites into Swan Song.

The result is a gritty modern violent London based vampire story that I hope gives the creatures of the night back some of their bite.

As your novel is based around vampires, what was the first vampire movie you saw and the first vampire book you read?

The first REAL vampire movie I ever saw was The Lost Boys and it absolutely fried my brain. I had never seen anything like it! It was funny, stylish, romantic, violent and so utterly downright cool that I became more than a little obsessed with it. It's easily my favourite movie and there's probably not a week goes by I don't watch it. It's the yardstick by which all vampire movies should be measured.

The first book was Bram Stoker's Dracula as I had heard so much about it. The ending disappointed me as I felt the Count was disposed of far too quickly but the richness of the prose and characters just drew me in. It's truly a classic.

What gives you the inspiration to write in a particular genre?

I think I have tried my hand at every genre, be it a short story or my numerous screenplays. My heart however belongs in the horror genre. It just has the ability to straddle multiple subgenres effortlessly. I've always loved dark material and I find violence in fiction exciting.

Has your characters or writing been inspired by friends/ family?

To some degree.

I think it would be impossible not to be influenced by those around you. In some instances, I've been very intentional about a character resembling someone I know, or once knew, at other times, I think it must be a subconscious thing. So much of what an artist creates is laced with meaning only decipherable in hindsight.

Did you experience writers block? If so, what did you do to get rid of it?

I'm very lucky as I don't seem to suffer from writers block. I always have something to say. Anyone who knows me will agree with that! I can just take two characters onto a page and things often just seem to start clicking all by themselves.

What are you working on now?

I'm working on a collection of twelve short stories for Vamplit Publishing that will ultimately become my follow up to Swan Song (EDIT -They may now appear in the paperback edition of Swan Song!)

They are all stand alone tales that will each have their own unique themes and characters and will range from drama to horror to romance to black comedy. I've gone pretty far in some cases yet I want them all to share a unique sensibility and style. I want to build on what I began with Swan Song as there's definitely an audience for the savage, bittersweet, gritty, London based vampire.

What is your favourite scene in your book?

Without giving too much away, my favourite scene in Swan Song would have to be when Lewis sees first hand, in shocking fashion, what Katrina is.

I spent a long time agonising over when and how to make the 'reveal' as I knew it would be a pivotal moment in the story. Actually, from that point on, the story rushes headlong to it's conclusion and there's a sort of breathlessness to it that I like. I also remember how shocked and scared I was when Kiefer Sutherland was finally 'revealed' as a vampire in The Lost Boys and I wanted to aim for that kind of impact.

Finally, I blended a bit of sexual heat with a spot of random violence, all brought about by a mere simple accident.

Had you previously written anything?

Many things!

I've been writing since I was about fourteen years old, maybe earlier, so before I wrote Swan Song, I had one novella, about seven short stories and about six screenplays under my belt. My first novella, a black comedy called Little Napoleon, may be making it's published debut with Vamplit later in the year.

How long does it take you to write a book?

Little Napoleon took about seven or eight months as I continually juggled plot strands and characters. I just couldn't stop playing with it! Swan Song, because it was wrote on spec and I knew a publisher was waiting for it, took as little as a couple of months! I just thrashed it out in a frenzy. I wanted a pure and simple intimate character study rather than a head spinning Usual Suspects structure so it just came together really quickly.

Which comes first for you – characters or plot?

Both. Often, my characters ARE my plot!

They start to speak to each other and ideas just start forming in my head. Things just start to happen, things I could never have planned without that initial interaction. Character development comes later during the process.

I remember George Lucas saying in an interview :

'You are always aiming to be furthering the plot AND learning something new about the character at the same time.'

That stuck with me.

How did you get into writing? Did you always want to become a writer?

Always, though I figured I was far too lazy to make an actual go of it. I had tons of unfinished stories when I was younger. Finally, I hit upon an idea that just wouldn't let go and I finished it, proving to myself I could do it, IF I wanted to!

If you were stranded on a desert island, what are three material things you couldn't be without?

Material things? So I can't bring my wife? Seems unfair.

Okay, an acoustic guitar, my samurai sword (for chopping trees to build a shack and stuff like that) and probably my 100% screen accurate full size replica Chucky Good Guy Doll from the Child's Play movies.

Well, I can't bring a computer can I?

What are you reading now?

Michael Jackson's biography Moonwalk. I've read it a dozen times. The man was a legend.

Which author has inspired you the most and why?

Clive Barker.

Barker has taught me more about the art of writing than any other writer I could even begin to think of. You'd think I would have a whole slew of favourite writers vying for this coveted position but no, Clive Barker wins it hands down. He's ferocious, passionate, highly inventive, fearless and his prose is simply to die for. I try to imitate him actually when I write! Maybe I shouldn't say that!

What advice would you give aspiring authors?

I don't think I am in any position just yet to give advice. All I will say is above all, above anything else, be passionate, as passionate as you can be. Without passion, you have nothing. I truly believe that.

To finish off, do you have a quote or poem that has stuck with you over the years and what is the story behind it?

Brandon Lee, in his last on camera interview before he tragically died whilst filming The Crow, quoted from Paul Bowles' 1949 novel The Sheltering Sky. This broke my heart when I heard him say it, as he was to die only a handful of weeks later. It also speaks to the enduring appeal of the vampire in it's sentiments of treasured time. It's a beautiful quote.

Because we do not know when we will die, we tend to think of life as an inexhaustible well, yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more, perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.

6 comments:

  1. It's a great interview - you didn't need to agonise over the answers, I promise!
    What Clive Barker books would you recommend? I've not read any, but would like to now I've seen how much he influenced your writing. For me I am afraid it was Stephen King. Not very original, I know, but you can't help what you grow up with!

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  2. Any Clive Barker is wonderful but sadly, I do prefer his earlier work as compared to his new. There was a savageness there that is now lacking, though I know Clive did say he grew tired of horror.

    The Hellbound Heart is the novella that became Hellraiser the movie. That's a wonderful introduction. Cabal is my favourite book. When you are ready to really invest in his heavier works, try Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show. Both are masterpieces!

    Thanks for the compliment hon. Maybe one day I can interview without being so fussy with my answers!

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  3. Oh, I like heavy stuff. Thanks - I will check them out!

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  4. Jevron, I love what you've done to the place! Cool new look. Tell Marissa that she should read "The Thief of always" first. then she can move on to "The Great and Secret Show". "The Damnation Game" was good, too. Great interview, by the way.
    --James

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  6. Ahhh, thank Gwen, our dear publisher. She did it. I hardly understand the technical aspects of blogging.

    The Thief Of Always is good but it's actually a children's book, wrote for children. Barker is a very dark, graphic writer. I reckon Marissa should see Barker at his darkest!

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