Interview with Gerald Rice

Gerald Rice

Interview Date: xxx

Biography

I'm Gerald Dean Rice. Used to be Gerald Rice--I suppose I still am, but all future works shall include my middle name. It's a rebranding thing.
I've always been into horror. When I was in kindergarten my mother took me right from school to see Creepshow. I saw a ton of stuff I shouldn't have when I was a kid.
I got a book of ghost stories when I was 11 for Christmas. These were the days before YA novels, unless you picked up one of those namby-pamby VC Andrews books. Okay, scratch that; I've never actually read a VC Andrews book.
But the more I read and the older I got the more I wanted to write my own stories. I tried my hand at writing comic book stories with my best friend in high school, but we had no clue how to break into comics. I submitted my first story to Cemetery Dance back in 2000. It took somewhere around 7 months for the to respond.
I was so proud even though they'd rejected me. The truth of it was it wasn't a very original story and it was very straightforward. There was a whole lot I didn't know about writing back then. But I learned pretty quick and have since had stories published in print and on-line.


When did you start writing, and was there a significant event that prompted you to do so?

I started writing in high school. I don’t know if there’s any singular event that started me, but I was a big reader from an early age and at some point I began thinking about if the story had gone in a different direction and what could have happened and eventually I just began writing my own stories.


If you could have one superpower, what would it? (Assuming said power would be reasonably powerful.)

Superhuman strength. No matter what your other power is, flight you eventually have to come down to sleep, invisibility, eventually you want not to be invisible, speed, there’s just some things you just don’t do fast—whatever the other power is, if I were superhumanly strong I could just crush you as soon as you stopped doing whatever it is you do.


Do you have a favorite superhero from novels, comics, or movies?

Superman. It was Spawn in the first few years of the 1990s, but it’s Superman again.

Kev's response: Spawn was a beautiful comic when it first came out. Sadly, when they switched artists, it went downhill fast...


Where do you get your inspiration for writing? What motivates you?

My inspiration comes from all places. Sometimes I’ll string two words together in my head and I’ll get a story idea. Sometimes it’ll be something I see on TV. And very rarely, I’ll intentionally set out to develop a very specific topic. I find those are hardest to write.


Do you pre-plan your stories, or are you a by-the-seat-of-the-pants style writer?

Yes. Short stories I can wing without plotting for the most part. I’ve tried the same with longer stories—novels and novellas—they wind up falling by the wayside because I paint myself in a corner. But, I am blogging a story on my site that so far is doing pretty well. It’s in a rough state so there’s bound to be typos, but I’m learning the story as I’m writing it and it’s currently at 17,000 plus words.

Kev's response: I've done that, where I lock onto a core storyline, but have difficulty working others in.


Do you write only when inspired, or do you have a set schedule where you sit down to write?

No set schedule, really. When I’m especially inspired I can crank out a ton of verbiage in a short period of time, but I can write just about whenever I want.


Do you have a favorite genre to write in? To read?

Horror. Horror. My mother was a huge Stephen King fan and took me to see Creepshow when I was in kindergarten. She gave me her copy of Eyes of the Dragon when I was about 11. I also like crime thrillers.


What do you enjoy the most about writing?

There’s a whole world I’m responsible for. I really like the characters or I really like what’s happening and it’s a story other people should know.


Is there any part of writing that you don't enjoy?

I don’t know. Sometimes there are certain scenes that aren’t fun. There was one in The Ghost Toucher where the main character had to go home to see his mother. For some reason it was really hard for me to write and I wound up skipping it and coming back to it after I’d finished everything else.

Kev's response: I wish I could do that easier. I tend to get stuck at those places until I can fight my way through it.


Can you tell me something odd about yourself?

I have an extra rib.


Do you write one story at a time, or do you have several novels in the works at one time?

I usually only write one at a time, but if I have a really cool idea that demands my attention, I may put the other work on hiatus.


In my evil plot to take over the world, do you advise I use highly intelligent, self-motivated minions, or simple ones, and why?

Simple ones. Highly intelligent minions would plot to overthrow you.

Kev's response: Yup. I'm hoping to bring in a few mad scientists as well, some who have no masterminding skills, but can build evil gadgets.


Where do you see the future as far as paper books versus digital e-books?

I think our generation and perhaps the next are safe so far as paper books sticking around. But I do think at some point everyone will have an ereader slapped in their hand as soon as they hatch from the birthing pod.

Kev's response: I'm thinking the explosion of the tablet market is heralding that point in time. Kindles were a great start, but once everyone finds out how awesome a (good) tablet is to have with them, reading on them will be a natural next step.


What are your current projects?

Working on Dethm8 on my site and I’m considering writing something I’ve tentatively titled, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill! That or a YA project.

Kev's response: Aw, man, that's going to be a pain in the backside to search for on Amazon. It'll be like, "Did I miss a Kill in there?"


Do you have any advice for others about self-publishing?

Never pay a service to publish your work. If you don’t know how, just jump into it. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords are all super easy to learn.

Kev's response: I'm totally with you here. Get past the learning curve, and they are easy to work with directly. (Wish iBooks were as well...)


Do you have any online sites where readers can find out more about you (and your books)?

Lulu, Amazon, iTunes, and my website is Razorline Press.

Kev's response: Gerald, thanks much for joining me! I see that you've got quite a few horror books/shorts on Amazon, good fortune on them all!



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