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- Author interview - |
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 Interview with bestselling author John SaulBy Phillip Tomasso III Read our review of Nightshade, the latest novel by John Saul. PHILLIP TOMASSO III - Welcome, Mr. Saul. It's an honor to interview you for The Charlotte Austin Review. The first question that comes to mind is: Is John Saul a pseudonym? JOHN SAUL - John Saul is not a pseudonym. It’s my real name. What inspires you? Do you develop ideas for your novels based on facts? My ideas are developed to augment the movement of the plot. Where do they come from? I'm the last to know - out of a nightmare, out of the air, out of the news. The characters and settings in your novels appear genuine and totally believable. How much research does this require to be achieved successfully? I try not to do too much research. I’m often given the credit of creating fabulous descriptions, but the truth is that I write in a way that the reader puts their own description into the story line. I've read all of your novels and true to form, I was terrified while reading Nightshade. Author Dean Koontz was physically abused as a child and would hide in his room to read horror novels. He would then write horror stories in which his father would receive just punishment. What led you into writing in this genre? What is so compelling about it? Actually my childhood was very normal. I originally wanted to write comedy, but my agent steered me into writing thrillers, which I adapted to immediately. I consider myself a craftsman and my job is to write a scary book each year. That’s my motivation. Why are most of your stories centered around teenage children? Some are centered around younger children and a few are centered around adults (Black Lightning). Teenagers and children are not yet responsible for their actions and serve as excellent protagonists and antagonists for this genre. Would you consider doing another series like the Blackstone Chronicles? Of course I would consider it. I loved doing Blackstone, but unfortunately it is a very difficult project to publish. When you hear about Stephen King's success with e-publishing, do you find yourself leaning towards the same direction? Do you see your books being sold on-line from your own web site which may perhaps bypass traditional publishing houses? Not at the moment. Nightshade is available as an e-book. Right now I see the Internet as needing a form of entertainment designed specifically for that medium. Based on your huge best selling success, film producers should be continually knocking on your door. Are there any John Saul films waiting to hit the Silver Screen? Which of your books would you most like to see made into film? Unfortunately they are not knocking down the door - at least not yet. Miramax just picked up The Right Hand of Evil. I think Creature, The God Project, Black Lightning and Shadows all would make delicious films. You seem to average a new book every year, and have done so since 1977. Are there any old manuscripts that might pop up in the future, perhaps under a different name – like Stephen King's Bachman Books, or like James Patterson who has been re-editing earlier novels and re-releasing them? I burned old manuscripts in the hope they would never see the light of day. Any closing thoughts or comments? No, I think you’ve covered the ground and then some. Mr. Saul, thank you for this interview and for a glimpse into your work. |
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