Giles:Frightening stories and tales with fantastic elements have always been stories that spoke the most. Marvel Comics pretty much taught me to read. Combine that with an uncle and older cousins who are huge horror/sci-fi fans, and a mother who never ever denied me a trip to the library, then you've got a formula for a lifetime dweller in the land of make believe. With that being said, I want people to know that I'm not a one-trick pony. I love suspense, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, but I don't believe the things I write are bound by any one category exclusively. Those labels, by themsleves, can sometimes turn a reader away. Someone who loves contemporary romance might hear "horror" and immediately say, "I don't mess with that", because they have a preconceived notion of what the word means. They may be thinking of haunted houses, bats and Freddy Krueger and never take the time to see what they are missing. In the case of NecRomance, there's a reason why the "R" is capitlaized. It's about a man who has lost a loved one and wishes he could have them back. Who hasn't been there? But my story takes it up a notch and gtants that wish, so we see why sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone. To me, that's the most alluring part to the above mentioned genres....in them, you can take the mundane and make it out of this world.
Lisbon: What writers have influenced your style?
Giles: Of course Stephen King. But in recent years, I've found heavy influence in the works of Tananarive Due, Steven Barnes, Walter Mosley, Brandon Massey, F. Paul Wilson, Eric Jerome Dickey, Tim LeHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Ray Bradbury, Robert McCammon, Rod Sterling, J.L. Rowlings...really I could go on. A read A LOT. Those are my favorites, though. Some of the authors on the list, I've actually had the chance to trade emails and talk with. It is those authors that I've found the most influence because they let me know that none of us get into the business easily, but it's the ones who keep grinding that eventually break through. Because of them it is impossible for me to give up my dream.
Lisbon: How long did it take you to complete NecRomance?
Giles: NecRomance took me about two and a half months to complete. It was actually my second attempt in writting a novel lenght work. My first attempt, Blood Rose, took me a few years to write, and to my dismay, ended up being a bloated 600 page mess. I was so devastated when I sat down and realized I'd spent years writing what would amount to a stack of paper -airplanes-in-waiting that I decided to do something fast just to keep my desire from buring out completely. I pounded out NecRomance during the spring of 2004. My original intent was to end up with something 300-400 pages that I could shop to agents. But as a good friend of mine always says, 'the book is boss'. It ended up a trim 145 pages. I was tempted to try an expansion, but I found I really liked the story the way it was...so I shelved it, figuring I could do something with it someday. Then AMAG came along and the rest is history.
Lisbon: What are your personal endeavors outside of writing?
Giles: Outside of writing I have two full time jobs, I am a Systems Analyst for a big-deal technology company for 8 hours a day and a new husband 24 hours a day (fortunately with that job, the boss lets me take a nap from time to time). I used to be gym rat, but I've lost some discipline as my writting projects have started gathering steam. Still, during my free time I love to go out to movies and dinner with my wife, taking walks, and going on road trips to visit family and friends we rarely get to see.
Even when I have free time, though, writing's never too far from my mind. I want to also start a small editorial service business to help new writers refine their manuscripts and I'm interested in getting into some volunteer programs to encourage young people to read and write more...I don't know, I guess when you love something you never truly get away from it.
To learn about L.R. Giles please vist his website at www.lrgiles.com |
