Allen: Tell me something about yourself and family Scott Falkner. Where are you from?

Scott: I was born and raised in Northern Wisconsin, and currently I reside in the southern part of the state, near Madison – though with the winter we’ve been having, I’m thinking that the desert southwest is sounding better and better.

Allen: What sort of stories do you write?

Scott: I tend to span the gambit. The first thing of mine to be published was straight-ahead horror, but since then I've put out a paranormal suspense novel and a dark fantasy novel. Most of the shorts I've written have been horror, and there's a free online serial I do that's kind of a western-themed space opera... so I tend to jump around. I really tend to hate the classifications, though I realize they serve a purpose. I just write what interests me. If I wasn't able to spread my wings a bit when it comes to genres, I'd get bored real quick.

Allen: What were some of your earliest memories of story creations?

Scott: When I was probably somewhere in middle-school, I remember a teacher having us write whatever we wanted for ten solid minutes every day. We could write anything at all - as long as we were writing the entire time. I have a vague recollection of writing a consistent story, doing a "chapter" every day, so that the whole thing amounted to something akin to a book. I don't really remember what it was about, but there were dragons and pirates... that sort of thing.

Beyond that, I remember trying to make my own comics as a kid. They were probably pretty blatant rip-offs from whatever I was reading at the time - probably Batman - but I had a ton of fun doing them, and of course, that sort of thing helps you visualize stories as you're putting them together.

Allen: Who were some of novelists that you really enjoy reading?

Scott: When I was a kid, I was big into writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert Howard. I uber-dug that Golden Age larger than life adventure-based science fiction - it's a veritable feast for the imagination of a young boy. Howard's Conan tales just sent me over the edge. It was all great.

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of Neil Gaiman. Let’s see, Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, Harlan Ellison… I like the writers who tend to mix up the genres. As far as newer writers go, I’ve been eating up Kealan Patrick Burke and Brian Keene.

Allen: Did you read many comic books growing up? Do you read them now? Do you have any favorite stories since this will be on comic book site?

Scott: Yeah, for sure. I was into them as a kid, and way into them as I got older. Right around the time I started college, this would have been around 1991, Image and that whole scene with McFarlane launching Spawn and all the great Liefeld titles were starting up, I really, really got into that. I'd get my weekly fix of titles like X-Force, Spawn, Ghost Rider, Spidey, Batman, X-Men, Youngblood and the like. I guess you could say I was sort of 'mainstream' when it came to comics, but I'd occasionally check out something from one of the smaller publishers (a la Dark Horse) if it looked interesting. I'm sure I spent a small fortune on comics between my senior year of high-school and my sophomore year of college. After that, it just sort of became a time constraint kind of problem - and that really rings true today. I'd LOVE to read more comics, it's just a matter of finding time to get to my local shop and seeing what's out there. As my kids get older, however, I've started taking them to the comic shop once in a while. I want to make sure that they're exposed to all those great stories and characters... - it's mythology, really. The classic comic characters are really a vital part of American mythology.

Allen: How much research goes into your books? Do you have your own personal library or do most research on internet?

Scott: When I do need to research something, the internet is vital. Usually, however, I don't put in a ton of research before starting a project. So far, in the books that I've already put out, I've kept the locales to places I'm very, very familiar with. That, of course helps in giving the books an authentic feel - when you know the sights, smells, and tastes so intimately, it's easy to convey through the story. Writing contemporary speculative fiction helps too - as in I don't have to be a history major to know what someone might be wearing and whatnot. It's a tightrope walk, making sure things are authentic enough while still giving the tales a feel of the 'fantastique'.

In the books that I'm working on now, and the ones that will be out soon, I've branched out of my "comfort zone" locale-wise, and as a result I've had to do more research. For "Delving: Assassins" - the next book to be released - I had to do quite a bit of research on the Vatican. Of course, there's always those odd little tidbits that you need to look up while you're in the midst of writing a horror story, (at what temperature does a person freeze to death, how much blood is in an average whitetail deer, etc.). I had to do some research on Native American languages for "Swaybuck" - that sort of thing.

Allen: Tell me about your books. When did you first become published author? Was there someone that said to try writing novels?

Scott: "The Feast of Catchville" - a horror novella - was picked up by Stone Garden in March of 2006. As it was the first thing of mine to be published, I was shocked when it broke the publisher's single-month sales record. "Swaybuck" - sort of a paranormal suspense novel - was released in July of 2006. Kris Stamp, the EIC of Stone Garden liked it enough that he released it as the company's first hardcover title. "Swaybuck" was then issued as a trade paperback in early '07 - I think, my mind is stretching here a bit. "Delving: Obligations" - the first volume of a dark fantasy trilogy was released in July of '07. The second of that series, "Delving: Assassins" will be released this June. Beyond that, the final "Delving" book will come out some time in 2009 - probably in the summer, and I just received word that another book of mine that is yet to be announced will be released in early '09 - all through Stone Garden.

No one actually suggested that I start writing novels, it really just stemmed from my love of reading, and wanting to create my own worlds and stories, (can you say ‘God Complex’ – ha-ha). I typed up my first novel while I was in college, (a gargantuan science fiction story that sort of went nowhere) and realized that it didn’t quite make the grade. It was a useful exercise, however, as it showed me firsthand what it took to write a novel. After that experience, I was hooked.

Allen: Do you also have online stories for readers to enjoy?

Scott: I believe that there are currently a couple of old Helman Graff tales that were unearthed not long ago still available online. If you go to the “News” section of the official Delving site, (there’s a Delving link on www.scottfalkner.com) you’ll find the links to them. I originally sold them to the now-defunct (I think) “Adventure Fiction” ezine several years ago, and they’re still languishing in the online graveyard.

I’ve heard that Stone Garden (www.stonegarden.net) is putting up PDF’s of the first chapters of some of their books. I’ve heard that the first chapter of “Delving: Obligations” is available there…

Beyond that, a short story of mine called “The Mow. The Below. The Storm,” is available as a digital download for two bits on Amazon.com.

Allen: Your earlier novel The Feast of Catchville was set in remote northern Wisconsin. How did you decide on location for setting?

Scott: It’s really a ‘write what you know’ sort of thing. I’m originally from the northern part of the state, and between the ridiculous winter weather, the isolated locales, and some of the “stranger” denizens of the Northwoods, the locale seemed ideal.

Allen: How hard was it to create Swaybuck? Did you go to locations to research the novel?

Scott: “Swaybuck” took the longest to write of all my books… as it was the first book I really decided to stick with until I got it “right”. I think I started writing it in 1997, and to the best of my memory it was finished up around 2004 or ’05. There were about nine different drafts, and the story changed dramatically from what I’d originally envisioned it as. So, in answer to your question, yeah, it was tough to write.

As far as locale research, there was really no need. The town in the book, Cutter Falls, is based in large part on Rice Lake, Wisconsin, the town I grew up in, so I knew the area pretty well.

Allen: When you sit down to write a novel, do you begin with character in mind or some sort of sequence of events?

Scott: It can happen in a variety of ways. “Swaybuck”, for example, just started with an image I had of an orange plastic pill jar dropping into a bathroom sink. I started thinking about who dropped it, why that person dropped it, and the whole thing just kind of blossomed from there.

In the event of “Delving: Obligations” I had a vision of a well-dressed young man with no identification and no memory being beaten and left for dead in a blood-filled, derelict Chicago alley. Again, I wondered who he was and what he was doing there… and everything just kind of snowballed into a story.

With “Catchville”… I had had a problem getting “Swaybuck” published because it was too long for a publisher to take a chance on, being that I had no ‘track record’ as a writer up to that point. I started thinking about how I could write a shorter book, and I decided to keep the actual “story time” contained to a single night. The idea to keep a group of people cooped up in a tavern in the middle of a snowstorm came to mind, and the story just worked itself out from there.

Allen: Who are some of your favorite characters that you have created? How attached personally do you become to your characters?

Scott: Helman Graff is probably my most popular character, being featured in several of my short stories, “The Feast of Catchville”, and now in the Delving books as well. He’s sort of a modern day Abraham Van Helsing with a mysterious past.

Jonathon Kells was a ton of fun to write in “Swaybuck”. I really enjoyed his maniacal personality. Ted Glontz, the “bad” deputy from the same book was fun to write too. Those over the top characters are a hoot.

Marissa Graff has really evolved into a character in the Delving books that I enjoy going back to. She makes some major changes – character-wise - in “Delving: Assassins”, and it’ll be fun to see where that character leads in the final volume of the trilogy.

Another new character in “Delving: Assassins” that I really enjoy writing is Kallen Nawhz – she’s sort of a super-cool, supermodel assassin. Lot’s of fun!

As far as getting attached to the characters, well… yes and no. Yes, I get attached to them in the sense that I try to stay true to them and their stories. I take the characters seriously, and make sure that I resolve their storylines to the best of both my own and hopefully the readers’ satisfaction. On the flipside, I don’t worry too much about killing them off if that’s what a good story calls for. I’m not going to cry over a killed character… again, as long as it serves their story.

Allen: I noticed you are also an artist. What sort of things do you portray?

Scott: When I was in high-school and college, I did a lot of sketching – pencil and ink. A few years ago, however, I rediscovered oil and canvas, and it’s become a passion. There’s nothing in particular that I paint, just sort of whatever I think would be interesting.

Allen: Where can your art be found for people to view? Has your art ever appeared on book covers?

Scott: There’s a gallery on www.scottfalkner.com that has quite a few pieces. A recent piece of mine based on an early scene from a book by Tim Lebbon is now featured on Lebbon’s ‘Noreela’ website, (www.noreela.com).

As far as covers go, through a twist of fate, my work has actually been on a few of my own. When “The Feast of Catchville” was scheduled to come out, I was contacted by Stone Garden and told that they were having some artist delays due to some reason or another, and that the release of “Catchville” would be delayed due to the lack of a cover. I took a chance and asked if I could do my own cover, and after taking a look at my online gallery, Kris (Stamp) told me to give it a try. Since then, my paintings have been featured on both “Catchville” and “Swaybuck”. I’ve also been intimately involved in the creation of the Delving covers, with my web designer, Ren Richfield. Eventually, a publisher’s going to tell me that I can’t haven any control over the cover of one of my books and I’ll have to have a nervous breakdown… I’m a bit of a control freak.

Allen: Tell me about your new book Delving Obligations.

Scott: Delving started, as I said earlier, with the image of the guy in the alley. Beyond that, I wanted to write a book about families and their traditions. I wanted to say something about feeling a bit like you’re beholden to those traditions just because of the family you’re born into. It’s a dark fantasy. It’s the first book of a trilogy. It’s got some romance, some magic, some bloodshed, some intrigue, and I think I was able to meld all those qualities into an interesting story.

Allen: Would you consider allowing your stories to be translated into comic book stories? I would love to see an artist translate The Feast of Catchville into graphic novel. I would like to see this with some of your other stories.

Scott: Absolutely. I love the comic medium. “Catchville” would be fun to see as a comic, as would the Helman Graff stuff – the Delving stuff as a longish graphic novel would be amazing. I’ve been told by several readers that I’m a “visual” writer, so, based on that I think most of my stuff could serve as the backbone for a decent comic.

Allen: Would you ever like to work on comic book series as writer? If so, which series would be your dream project?

Scott: Eventually, yeah. I’d like to dip my toes into as many creative processes as possible. Comics. Film. Plays. All of it. As far as a comic dream project goes… it’d be fun to put my own slant on any of the classics. Spawn would be fun to do. Wolverine. Ghost Rider, maybe… I sort of gravitate towards the anti-heroes.

Allen: How can someone contact you?

Scott: Through the “Contact” section of www.scottfalkner.com .

Allen: What are some of your hobbies?

Scott: Reading, writing, and painting take up most of my time. I like to snowboard when I get the chance, and screw around with the guitar on occasion.

Allen: What are some of your favorite movies?

Scott: I’m a huge fan of Kubrick and Hitchcock. More recently… one of my guilty pleasures is the “Resident Evil” films. I guess I’m a fan of fantasy and horror with a hint of science fiction thrown in.

Allen: Could you describe a typical work day for Scott Falkner?

Scott: Having three young children, I tend to work at night… late into the night.

When I’m actively working on a book, I write every day, and strive to get at least one to two thousand words finished.

Of course, being a professional writer means that there’s a lot of other, tertiary stuff that you have to spend time on. Rewrites. Revisions. Submissions. Proposals. Tending to the constant influx of email – sorting out the work stuff from the fan stuff from the crazy stuff. Scheduling ahead for signings and conventions, and all the travel those things entail. Overseeing and approving all the website hoop-la. Staying current on all the industry news. This is all stuff that you don’t think about when you decide that you want to be a writer, but it’s all necessary. Not that I don’t dig it – I’d much rather be tending to my writing career as a whole than having to work a real job.

I paint when there happens to be an hour or two of free time – which isn’t as often as I’d like. I’ll also sketch or paint when I come to a point in a book where I need to dwell a bit on what’s going to come next, (the downside of not working with an outline!).

Allen: Have you ever spooked yourself with a direction a story was moving?

Scott: There’s been a few times when a specific event in a story has given me some goosebumps. There’s a point in “Swaybuck” when a young girl is left to die in a car. That sort of creeped me out as I was writing it…

Allen: How has it been for you publishing with Stone Garden Publications?

Scott: They’ve been a great publisher to start out with. I’ve learned a helluva lot about the process, and what it takes to succeed in the publishing world. They’ve given me a lot of freedom as a result of my past success – something that I don’t take for granted.

Allen: How do you promote your books? Book signings, appearances or convention promotions?

Scott: Signings combined with readings are the norm. I try to do at least a few with every book release, and am trying to do more with every subsequent release. I think it’s fun to see and listen to authors in person that I enjoy, and I try in turn to make that experience possible for those that enjoy my own work. So far, the signings have been primarily confined to the Midwest, but last year I did one in Colorado and another in Baltimore. I hope to branch out a bit more in the future.

Allen: Thank you very much Scott for doing this interview. Would you like to lead us out with any words of inspiration?

Scott: Thanks for having me, Allen. Inspiration? Uh… you’re your own biggest obstacle. Decide what you want to do with your life and do it. No excuses.