Interviews
THE BOOK OF DARK WISDOM INTERVIEW
Mark, how long have you been writing?
Actually I’ve been writing since I was a teenager. I am a musician and a songwriter. I’ve written several hundred songs. I began writing stories about twenty years ago, after my wife and I settled in Richmond, Maine. I had always wanted to write horror, I just hadn’t been able to find the time until then. I’ve written several novels and novellas and a bunch of short stories.
Do you plan to continue writing? If so, what’s next for you?
Oh, yes, I will write for the rest of my life. Next will be my collection of dark tales, entitled The Holocaust Opera. It will be published by the time this interview appears. The collection contains two novellas, The Haunting of Sam Cabot and The Holocaust Opera, plus eight short stories. I have another novel slated for 2005, tentatively titled Soul Thief.
Have you been published before this and if so, what?
My first published short story, Bug Shot, appeared in Raven’s Tale Magazine in 1995. Since then I have published quite a few short stories in various ‘Zines’ and ‘Ezines’. I self-published my first novel, The Lost Village, two years ago. It won a lot of critical acclaim, was recommended for a Bram Stoker award and nominated for a Tombstone award.
Which authors influence you the most?
I read widely but my greatest influences are the obvious ones: Poe, Lovecraft, Clive Barker, Stephen King. There are many more, of course, too numerous to mention in this short interview.
Why do you write horror?
I get asked that a lot, usually by polite but slightly baffled, sometimes condescending voices. The best and most truthful response I can give is: what makes you think I have a choice? I don’t know. It’s just the way my machinery works. My greatest influence was my grandmother, Luella. She was a psychic, a medium, and a great story teller. She didn’t write any of them down but she told the best ghost stories in the world. I was a good listener and the magic just went into me. I have been a devoted fan of the supernatural ever since.