Pump Up Your Book Chats with Hunter Shea, author of ‘Swamp Monster Massacre’

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ABOUT HUNTER SHEA

Hunter Shea is the author of the novels Forest of Shadows and Evil Eternal, Swamp Monster Massacre and the upcoming Sinister Entity. His stories have appeared in numerous magazines, including Dark Moon Digest, Morpheus Tales and the upcoming anthology, Shocklines : Fresh Voices in Terror. His obsession with all things horrific has led him to real life exploration of the paranormal, interviews with exorcists and other things that would keep most people awake with the lights on. He is also half of the Monster Men video podcast, a fun look at the world of horror.

You can read about his latest travails and communicate with him at www.huntershea.com, on Twitter @HunterShea1, Facebook fan page at Hunter Shea or the Monster Men 13 channel on YouTube.

The Interview

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

I grew up a Bigfoot fanatic (as well as ghosts, UFOs, Loch Ness Monster – you get the picture). As a kid in the 70s and 80s, I was heavily influenced by shows like In Search Of, The Twilight Zone and The Night Stalker. And what was better than watching Bigfoot and Wild Boy on Saturday mornings or catching my favorite episode of The Six Million Dollar Man where Steve Austin went against a robotic Bigfoot?

I’m fascinated by cryptozoology and have always wanted to write a book about Bigfoot. When my editor and I were trading emails one night when neither of us could sleep, he asked me if I had any ideas for a novella. I had just shot an episode of my Monster Men podcast about Bigfoot and it was the first thing that came to mind. I wanted to give my story a little twist, so I centered around the skunk apes of the Florida Everglades and added a criminal element to the story. It just kind of took off from there and Swamp Monster Massacre was born.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

I have to say, this was the most fun I’ve ever had writing and there wasn’t a single stumbling block. Because it was a subject I loved and my editor let me roll with whatever my subconscious dreamed up, everything flowed. I also wrote it in a very tight timeframe, so there were no problems with continuity. The entire concept of the book came to me in a flash. I know it sounds cliché, but it popped into my head, fully formed, as I was writing to my editor in the middle of the night.

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

Growing up, I loved to write little stories here and there and the occasional poem, though most of my poems centered around dystopian worlds or zombies. I remember pounding away on our old typewriter, cranking out little serials on thin onion-skin paper. Then college came and my mind was on other things, naturally. I didn’t get the full writing bug effect until I was working in the phone company in the early to mid 90s. My friend Norm was writing his own book amidst the mind numbing madness of the telecom world and he inspired me to give it a shot. I’ve been infected ever since.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Here are the two tips I give people when they ask me how to become a published author. First is : READ. You have to read voraciously if you want to be a writer. If you don’t like to read, how can you possibly like to write? Reading is your best classroom for learning the symphony of the written word. I must read close to 100 books a year. The good books taught me how to craft a scene, write convincing dialogue and build a tight story. The bad books showed me what I need to avoid in my own writing.

Number two : Write. I know a lot of people like to talk about writing and do a little here and there and have writers groups critique it to death. You know what happens to those stories? They almost never get to The End. Stella Doro cookies used to have an ad campaign where a wife said to her husband, “Don’t talk. Eat.” Same goes for here. “Don’t talk. Write.”

Q: Can you tell us a little about your childhood?

When I look back at my childhood, I see how destined I was to become a horror writer. I grew up in a middle class family just outside New York City with my mom, dad and little sister. I built Aurora monster models, wished I could live in The Planet of the Apes, and read a ton of comic books. My father took us to the movies a lot. We had a theater 2 blocks from our house where we could see a double feature for two bucks. We also had a drive in nearby, so I go to see a little of everything. My favorite memories are of my father waking me up to watch a fight flick on Chiller Theatre (“Dad, that hand has six fingers!) and hustling off to bed tired but thrilled that I got to see a tree walk off with a leading lady. I had a very vivid imagination and was a tad on the hyperactive side. If I was growing up today, I’m sure my parents would have sedated me.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

It’s funny, I used to only be able to write in my bedroom because I built an office/writing area there. I needed total silence and had all kinds of pre-writing rituals. Now, I write anywhere, any time. I wrote Swamp Monster Massacre at my kitchen table. I’ve written in airports, libraries and my car. I’ve learned to shut things out around me and melt into my stories. I have deadlines now. I needed to liberate myself from the same old routine.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

I know there are so many out there to choose from, so I’ve had to choose wisely. Getting caught up too much in social media can rob you of precious time you need to write. But I do have a Facebook fan page, Twitter account and I’m on Goodreads. I have a blog/website, and that’s been a blast to do. I post articles, reviews, interviews, video podcasts, you name it. There are a lot of people clamoring for your attention on the web. I want to make sure I give you your bang for the buck when you stop by my old blog and chain. I also like to pop on to dozens of other blogs and throw my 2 cents in from time to time.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

Book promotion has become a 24/7 task that all authors have to dive into head first. Thanks to the internet, there are plenty of avenues to reach your potential readers. It’s a lot of work. It’s not as simple as having your publisher set up a book tour and your go from town to town hawking your book for a few weeks. I’m still actively promoting my books that came out in 2011. It never stops. You have to do your homework and really be careful where you invest your time and, sometimes, money. I tell everyone writing a book is easy. Promoting it is the really hard part.

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

I’m not very original with this one, but I would love to win one of those mega lotteries. I’d give a ton away to certain charities, then make a whole lot of people financially independent so they could follow their dreams. Then I’d buy up a few lots in Maine and fill it up with close friends and family and call it the Hunter Compound. My friends are all very creative, so there would be a lot of writing, painting and music making going on in the compound. There’d be a ton of laughter, drinks by the fire and wishing on stars. Sounds kinda nice, doesn’t it? 😉

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

I would be on a particular lake in Maine, living in a modest house on the water. I don’t ask for much. Just give me the water and a porch to sit on so I can admire it and I’m set for life.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview,Hunter. Do you have any final words?

Yes, I want to take a moment to thank every reader who has reached out to me or given a review or shared a link on my various social media outlets. You’ve all made this little dream of mine a joy to experience. You’re what keeps me going, even on days when I just want to hit the pillow and sleep for a month. Heck, you can come to the compound any time and shoot the breeze.

ABOUT SWAMP MONSTER MASSACRE

Deep in the overgrown swamps of Florida, where humans rarely dare to enter, lives a race of creatures long thought to be only the stuff of legend. They walk upright but are stronger, taller and more brutal than any man. And when a small boat of tourists, held captive by Rooster Murphy, a fleeing small time crook, accidentally kills one of the swamp dwellers’ young, the creatures are filled with a terrifyingly human emotion—a merciless lust for vengeance that will paint the trees red with blood.

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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