Suckers - Jack Kilborn [70]
Jeff: See, I introduced this interview by saying that Afraid was one of the most relentless horror novels I’ve ever read, so now it just looks like we’re giving each other full-contact body rubs. One of us has to withdraw our praise. I guess it’ll be me. I don’t find it bizarre—I worried that my current fans would be disappointed by the decreased humor level (they weren’t) but even while writing it, it was clearly my most mainstream book.
Jack: I just read Benjamin’s Parasite, which has all the elements of essential Strand: a luckless hero in over his head, over-the-top gore, outrageous action scenes, funny as hell dialog, and richly developed characters, all of them memorable, the majority of whom don’t survive. You manage to make this hodge-podge of seemingly disparate elements work, and work well. I cared about the protagonist, the book is fast based, scary, and laugh out loud hilarious, and the plot actually makes sense–it isn’t just a strung together collection of comedy sketches.
Jeff: Thanks! That’s not a question though, so now we have to sit here in an uncomfortable silence.
Jack: …
Jeff: …
Jack: …
Jeff: I have great questions for you and great answers from you regarding Afraid and Jack Kilborn’s second novel, Trapped, but they’ll have to wait for the “serious” interview, which I think I’ll send to FearZone, because FearZone is way cool and has brought readers advance news on Benjamin’s Parasite. Wouldn’t it suck for you if FearZone rejected it? That would be awkward. I’d probably make up some excuse to spare your feelings, like maybe the webmaster died or something. Well, I guess we’ve babbled enough…so what’s that book again?
Jack: Afraid.
Jeff: Available on…?
Jack: March 31st.
Jeff: Available in…?
Jack: Your local bookstore, or fine online retailers.
Jeff: Do you have a website that people should visit for all the latest J.A. Konrath/Jack Kilborn news, blog entries that could serve as full Writer’s Digest articles, and more cool stuff than you can wave a monkey at?
Jack: Yes. It’s–
Jeff: –and we’re out of time for this interview. I’d like to thank Jack Kilborn for taking the time to hang out on my blog, and encourage everybody to support their local bookstore the day before April Fool’s Day by purchasing a copy of Afraid to call their very own.
J.A. Konrath’s Works Available on Nook
Whiskey Sour
Bloody Mary
Rusty Nail
Fuzzy Navel
Cherry Bomb
Click here for more J.A. Konrath ebooks on Nook
Jeff Strand’s Works Available on Nook
Graverobbers Wanted (No Experience Necessary)
Single White Psychopath Seeks Same
Casket For Sale (Only Used Once)
Benjamin’s Parasite
Pressure
Dweller
How to Rescue a Dead Princess
Elrod McBugle on the Loose
Out of Whack
http://www.JeffStrand.com
If you enjoyed “Suckers,” you might also like Lee Goldberg’s hilarious novel “My Gun Has Bullets,” also available in a Kindle edition. Here’s an excerpt:
Eddie Planet pressed his face against the cold, tinted glass and looked ten stories below at the jerks on the Las Vegas Strip, standing around waiting for the Mirage volcano to erupt. Cheap Hollywood spectacle. Some flash and dash to lure ’em in to lose their money. Just like television, he thought. Give ’em enough ass, laughs, or bullets to hold ’em to the commercial.
He shook his glass, oddly reassured by the tinkling of the ice cubes. How many times had he told the sound guys to “jack up the cubes” when one of his characters carried a drink across a room? Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Tinkling cubes are very important to a scene. Whether it’s make-believe or real life. He checked his watch again. A Cartier. The Renault of fine watches. Two minutes until the volcano outside erupted—who knew how long until the one behind the closed master-suite doors blew.
He felt like one of the hick tourists, having their picture taken in front of the steaming fake