Todays interview is with another horror author that I am luck enough to call friend and honest enough to admit to being jealous of his writing. Author of Abortus and Birdsong, both of which have earned him a huge following, Mark is a disgustingly nice and friendly chap.
So we abducted him and made him answer our questions...
Something Wicked This Way Comes When did you know you wanted to be an author?
Mark Green - I’ve always been interested in writing stories, even when I was young, I just never realised it was a possibility. As a child ‘Author’ seemed up there with 'Astronaut'. Like, if you told your career advisor you wanted to be a writer, they would say, ‘That’s nice. How about a job in a factory? I think that would suit you."
SWTWC - Where are you from and where are you now?
MG - I’m from a town in Cambridgeshire that squats like an unwanted turd on the border of Lincolnshire and Norfolk. It’s twinned with Mos Eisley, I think. Now, I live in Lincolnshire, not far from my original home town.
SWTWC - What has your life been like so far?
MG - Uneventful. Nothing out of the ordinary for me. Went to school/college. Got a job. Met an amazing woman, got married and had kids.
SWTWC - What other jobs have you had?
MG - I guess that career advisor was right because I worked in the same factory for ten years. I’ve worked a fair bit in security as well. First in retail, then in education and more recently, at a hospital. It’s a line of work I really enjoy.
SWTWC - Does writing energize or exhaust you?
MG - Both. Getting ideas and making them into an actual story is energizing and exciting but it can be tiring as well just because it is a constant process. My brain is almost always working on one idea or another.
SWTWC - What are common traps for aspiring writers?
MG - Thinking that being a writer is a gateway to fortune and glory. If you write because you plan to make millions and get deals etc. Then, sorry, but it probably won’t happen. Not only that, but it’s the wrong reason to get into writing. It’s about having stories to tell, regardless of whether or not anyone reads them. Write because it’s what you want to do.
SWTWC - What is your writing Kryptonite?
MG - Editing. It’s not that I don’t like the process of editing, I do, however, I am always tweaking and adjusting. I can’t read my work without finding something I would change, but you have to know when to stop. It is possible to overwork what you have and lose all sense of the original goal.
SWTWC - Have you ever gotten reader’s block?
MG - Sometimes. I read a lot, but usually, around the middle of the year, my brain grinds to a halt and I can’t absorb any more information. I seem to take a reading break for a month before getting back into it.
SWTWC - Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
MG - Occasionally. My kids have asked if I am planning to write something they could read. I have toyed with the idea of creating something for younger readers, but I don’t know. I haven’t entirely dismissed the idea, but it has been shelved whilst I work on other things.
SWTWC - What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better?
MG - I chat with a lot of authors. So sometimes it will be something brief, such as being asked if I would like an ARC for review - which is almost always a yes. Sometimes I’ll be asking for advice; I’ve messaged authors to pick their brains over something, and I’ve had the same happen to me. The indie horror community is generally an amazing community with authors and readers being amazingly supportive of one another. The authors I probably chat to most are Lee Richmond - who I’ve worked with on a couple of short story collections and we run a podcast and blog site together - and my brother from another cloning vat, Kelvin VA Allison. I chat with him almost every day. I don’t know if you’ve heard of him. He looks a lot like me, only older.
SWTWC - What authors did you dislike at first but grew into?
MG - I don’t think there were any that I disliked. I used to read whatever I could get my hands on. As a child with limited funds, this was usually from a small second-hand book stall that used to appear on the marketplace every weekend. Heavy sci-fi was probably the hardest for me as a kid. It took me a long time to finally read Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land.
SWTWC - What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
MG - Probably the look on someone's face the first time I told them to fuck off.
SWTWC - As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal? Probably a bear. Something angry and fuzzy that would quite happily tear your arms off, but also be a blast to hang out with if you treat it right.
SWTWC - How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
MG - Not too many. I have a ridiculous amount of notes, titles and paragraphs written down all over the place with story ideas, but actual projects? I think I have seven at the moment that I’m dipping into, but I’m trying to focus on one at a time.
SWTWC - What does literary success look like to you?
MG - Having someone read my work and tell me they enjoy it. Getting that response from one person is enough for me. Knowing that someone had a connection to this ephemeral thing I plucked from my imagination is amazing.
SWTWC – Where do you get your inspiration?
MG - Everywhere. I can get an idea from a snippet of overheard conversation, something I’ve seen whilst out walking, or even occasionally from a dream - as cliché as that last one may sound.
SWTWC – How many hours a day do you write?
MG - It varies. I don’t set myself a target for each day. I try and write something each day, but sometimes the brain needs to take a rest and I reset it by playing video games or reading.
SWTWC - Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
MG - Yeah, I read them. I like responding to people who have gone out of their way to leave a review. It means a lot so I like to say thank you if I can. Weirdly, I haven’t had a really bad review. However, I’m a very small fish in a big ocean of amazingly talented authors, so I haven’t really poked my head above the waves and noticed much yet. Hopefully, when it happens, it won’t bother me. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and as long as I am proud of the work I am putting out there, then I’m happy. Not all stories are going to be enjoyed by everyone.
SWTWC - Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
MG - Yes. I love throwing in a reference to a character from another story somewhere. It is, admittedly, for my own amusement. I don’t expect others to notice, but I enjoy doing it when the mood takes me.
SWTWC - What is your favorite childhood book?
MG - When I was young, it would have been The Enormous Crocodile and The Twits. As I got into double figures, it was Fighting Fantasy Game-books which led me into things such as Lord of the Rings and Dragonlance.
SWTWC - I am a huge horror fan. Mainly of the mid to late 80’s. Do you love horror movies and what is ‘your’ go-to horror era and fave movie?
MG - I love horror movies. I grew up watching 50’s B-movies and Hammer Horror. I was born in the mid-seventies, so I was at the right age when the home video market exploded and horror movies where being released in a frenzy of inventive and ground-breaking ideas and themes. The ’80s will always be my favourite because of that.
SWTWC - Favourite cartoons as a kid? What shows made you happy?
MG - Lots. TMNT, Thundercats, He-Man, Centurions, Real Ghostbusters. Basically, anything with action and weird creatures.
SWTWC - Does your family support your career as a writer?
MG - My wife is incredibly supportive and reads all of my work. Which, yes, made me nervous when she sat and read Abortus, but she knew what she was getting into so she wasn’t as shocked/disgusted as I was expecting. Guess I’ll have to try harder when I next venture into extreme horror.
SWTWC - Do you believe in writer’s block?
MG - Not really. Sure, sometimes you will run into a point when you can’t quite think your way around or through the next part of your story. However, I use that time to take a break, listen to music or prod at another project. A solution will often appear when you’re not looking for it.
SWTWC - What are you planning next?
MG - I have a few projects that I hope to get completed during the first half of the year. I have my first-ever submission piece heading out into the world, and I’m writing a short for an anthology that includes a lot of amazingly talented writers. I’m working on my next book, although I can’t share anything about that yet, except to say it will be very different from my previous titles. I have a collaboration project with a couple of fantastic authors, that I’m really excited to be working on as well.
SWTWC; Now some quick fire questions, are you ready? OK. Let’s do this….television series or movie?
MG - Movie
SWTWC – Delivery or sit-down restaurant?
Delivery
SWTWC – Board games or card games?
Board games
SWTWC – Video games or books?
MG - Books, but it is a very close call
SWTWC – Paperback book or eBook?
MG - Paperback
SWTWC – Summer or Winter?
MG - Autumn
SWTWC – Beach or forest?
MG - Forest
SWTWC – Die Hard is an Xmas film, yes or no?
MG - Yes. Along with Lethal Weapon and Invasion USA
SWTWC – Morning or night?
MG - Night
SWTWC – Shopping in-store or online?
MG - Online
SWTWC – Shower or bath?
MG - Shower
SWTWC – Call or text?
MG - Text
SWTWC – Sausage or bacon?
MG - Pigs in blankets, so I can have both
SWTWC – Cats or dogs?
MG - Dogs.
SWTWC – Rock or hip hop?
MG - Rock. Always rock.
SWTWC – Coffee or tea?
MG - Coffee during the day, tea in the evening.
SWTWC – Turquoise…is it blue or green?
MG - With my slight Norfolk accent, I pronounce it turkeys
SWTWC – Sleep on the left or the right side of the bed?
MG - Right. Wait, why do you want to know this? Will there be spooning?
SWTWC – Friday 13th or Halloween?
MG - Phantasm
SWTWC – The Thing or Alien?
MG - The thing
SWTWC – American Werewolf in London or Dog Soldiers?
MG - American Werewolf - one of the first movies I saw on VHS. I have a tattoo of the werewolf.
SWTWC – IT (1990) or IT (2017)?
MG - 2017 because it’s fresh in my mind and can’t remember the 1990 version very well.
SWTWC – Lost Boys or Fright Night?
MG - Lost Boys
SWTWC – Shining or Amityville?
MG - Shining
SWTWC – Best film in the Halloween franchise?
MG - The 1978 original
SWTWC – Favourite decade for horror movies?
MG - 80’s
SWTWC – vampire, slasher, werewolf, zombie or ghost films?
MG - Slasher all the way. Give me movies like Pieces, Slumber Party Massacre, A Bay of Blood, Dead and Buried, Friday the 13th, Slumber Party Massacre, Chopping Mall… OK, I’ll stop.
SWTWC – Red Hot Chili Peppers or The Foo Fighters?
MG - Megadeth
SWTWC – Kong; Skull Island or Godzilla; King of Monsters
MG - King of the Monsters as my youngest loves it more so we often watch it together
SWTWC – Marvel or Dc?
MG - 2000AD - Give me Judge Dredd any day of the week.
SWTWC – An asteroid is about to destroy the Earth in 7 hrs...pick three films to watch
MG - I’d want horror and comedy so - An American Werewolf in London, Tucker & Dale vs Evil and Evil Aliens.
SWTWC - Pick your last meal on Death Row; starter, main and a desert + a drink.
MG - As it’s my last meal, I’ll be greedy and go full Mr Creosote. I would choose the buffet at a Chinese restaurant, including the crispy duck course. The main would be a cheeseburger, but one with everything - lettuce, tomato, pickles, relish, onion rings, bacon. All the good stuff. For my side dish, I'll have chicken madras, and for dessert, I'll have cheesecake.
SWTWC – thank you for being probed T
MG - thanks for untying me and letting me out of the van.
Find Mark here;
ABORTUS;