by Ronald Kelly
MH: I know that during your absence from the literary scene, you devoted your life to Christ. What effect does religion have on your writing now? Does it render some subjects taboo for you?
RK: During my childhood, I grew up in the church. My parents took me every time the doors were open, but I never actually made that soul-saving commitment to God. I returned to my religious roots around the time that my career went in the dumper and became a Christian. I believe my faith played a big part in erasing the bitterness I felt and helping me accept how things were progressing in my life at that time.
As for what effect religion has on my writing, I’ve always implemented a strong moral conscious in my fiction, particularly in my novels. After all, horror is the ultimate battle between good and evil, in my opinion.
As far as taboo subjects, I honestly came back to writing believing that I would write differently because of my faith. I thought “Well, I’m going to clean up my act and not do this and not do that.” But when I actually started to write again, I found that altering my work in such a way would only do an injustice to my fans and to myself as well. To create effective horror fiction, you must be realistic and brutally honest. To sanitize it is to bleed away its energy and impact.
I do exercise restraint in some aspects. I don’t use excessively vulgar language and refrain from using the Lord’s name in vain. I don’t feel that’s necessary to convey the emotions and dialogue that I use in my fiction. I do include mild sexual content sometimes, but nothing overly perverse.
MH: Personally, I feel more and more jaded as a reader when it comes to being genuinely frightened by horror fiction these days. I’ve heard from several others who have the same views. Is this true for you as well? How do you deal with that intangible when it comes to writing for an audience?
RK: Currently, I don’t feel that way when I read horror, mainly because I’ve had such a long vacation from the stuff that most of it seems fresh and effective to me. I did feel that way back in the mid-nineties, when the market had become so saturated that it seemed like most writers were just rehashing the same subjects and thrill points. I think that’s why horror has such a cruddy reputation sometimes. It is a genre that has to constantly deliver without letting up… and that’s difficult to do on a regular basis.
As for how I manage to write effectively, I try to approach every project more as a reader than a writer. I ask myself “What would I enjoy reading? What would scare me or make me uneasy? What sort of characters, locations, or situations would press my ‘fright buttons’? That’s where I tend to play the role of “storyteller”, rather than horror author. If you can spin a yarn effective enough to keep your readers enthralled, with characters they truly care for and creepy elements that they are normally unaccustomed to, then you have a better chance of providing them with a memorable novel or short story.
MH: What other genres do you enjoy reading? And are there other genres that you would like to try your hand at professionally?
RK: As I mentioned before, I’m a great fan of westerns. In fact, my first western novel, Timber Gray, will be released by Croatoan in the next year or so. Also I enjoy suspense and mystery. I’ve already got an unpublished mystery novel on my shelf that I’m considering submitting, but I’ll have to do a bit of research on potential publishers first.
MH: Upon returning to the horror fiction scene, what was your impression of its present state? Was it better or worse than when you left it? And are there any new writers that you enjoy reading?
RK: The first impression I got of the genre when I came back was just how healthy it seemed to be. Back in the mid-nineties, the horror genre had an IV in one arm and one foot in the grave, or so it seemed. It was one sick puppy.
But, now, it appears to have survived and thrived. Also, back then, horror fiction seemed to be gravitating toward suspense-oriented stories, but now a renewed interest in the supernatural seems to have emerged, which is encouraging.
I admit when I decided to return, it sort of felt like I’d awakened from a coma. (Laughs) I mean, I hardly knew who anyone was in the industry. Some of my old pals were still around, but the majority of those working in horror today are new folks. I was extremely pleased to find some new talents that have really rocked the ol’ haunted house on its foundation. Brian Keene has made a huge splash and revived the zombie genre. And I was surprised to find great writers like James Newman, Jason Brannon, Scott Nicholson, and Deborah LeBlanc on the scene… all Southerners. Now ain’t that encouraging to an ol’ Dixiefied writer like myself?
Also, I was glad to find some really first-rate horror artists working on the scene, like Alex McVey and Zach McCain. It’s even more of a blast having them do work for my upcoming publications, both with Croatoan and Cemetery Dance. Alex’s work, in particular, seems to meld incredibly well with my prose. Like James Newman told me recently, our stuff goes together like “gravy and biscuits”… which is a Southern thing, if ya’ll don’t get it.
MH: If you could take only 10 novels with you to a desert island from which you could never leave, what would they be?
RK: Hmmm… good question. Let’s see, it’d probably be in this order:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Stand by Stephen King, Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Animosity by James Newman, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, The Magic Wagon by Joe R. Lansdale, Deliverance by James Dickey, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, The Dead Zone by Stephen King, and The Memory Tree by John R. Little. Yeah, I reckon that would do me just fine.
MH: Let’s talk about your past novels. Which one is your favorite of the bunch? How about your least favorite?
RK: My favorite, hands down, is Fear. That novel was a truly great experience for me. I mean, it was so fun to write and it flowed so effortlessly, which is rare during the course of such a lengthy novel. The characters seemed to write themselves, as far as motivation and dialogue is concerned, and it was incredibly satisfying as a horror writer to be able to inject as many nightmares into one book as I could muster. Also, I enjoyed setting the story in the post-World War II era, which was a departure for me. Just a very pleasant writing experience all around.
As for my least favorite, that would definitely be Father’s Little Helper. I started that novel out intending it to be one thing and it mutated into something else entirely. I didn’t intend for it to turn out to be as dark and violent as it did, but sometimes a piece of fiction does that during the course of its construction; it takes on a life of its own and oversteps the boundaries of your intended outline. That’s what FLH did. It kind of snickered at me and said “No, hoss, let’s do it my way. Let’s get a little nasty with this one.”
And that’s just the way it turned out. Oh, it’s a fine book, I reckon. Just not at the top of my list, that’s all. Also, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the title change Zebra gave it. It was originally called Twelve Gauge. Father’s Little Helper sounds like a children’s book, rather than a horror-suspense novel.
MH: I’ve noticed that not only do you like to set your stories in various Southern settings (mountains, small towns, swamps, etc.), but also in other eras in time. Do you do much research when you write in a timeframe other than present day?
RK: Strangely enough, no, I don’t. It’s always come naturally to me and I can’t really say why. I guess it goes back to all those stories that my grandmother and mother told me as a child. They talked about the times they grew up in with such detail and passion that it made me feel like I had actually lived in those times myself. I reckon I’ve carried that sense of alternate time around inside me to a point where I can write about other eras pretty accurately. It’s uncanny sometimes.
Of course, I used to be quite a scholar of Civil War and Old West history and that’s helped me tremendously when setting my tales in those eras. And, if I do need to do some research, I still have alot of reference works to refer to.
MH: Who are some of your favorite characters that you�
��ve created?
RK: I’d say two of my favorite protagonists are Jeb Sweeny from Fear
and Cindy Ann Biggs from Hindsight. Both are kids and I believe horror
is most effective when experienced through the eyes of a child. Also, there is alot of myself, personally, in Jeb… alot of the way I thought and acted when I was growing up. And there is alot of my late mother in the character of Cindy Ann. Also, both Fear and Hindsight can be considered “coming-of-age” stories, which I love to write.
Other characters that I have a soft spot for are Bowie Kane from Pitfall and Boyd Andrews from Blood Kin. Both were men who fought the odds; men who had to rise above adversity and injustice to get the job done and fight the monster. And, in the end, they accomplished that.
One of my favorite protagonists was the Dark’Un in Something Out There, which was actually a monster itself. The bad guy in that story was man himself and his willingness to destroy the environment for his own selfish gain.
MH: How about favorite villains?
RK: As far as memorable antagonists, I’d say characters like Bully Hanson from Hindsight, Crom McManus in Undertaker’s Moon, and Grandpappy Craven in Blood Kin. If I can jump the gun a bit, I’d include Doctor Augustus Leech from my upcoming novel, Hell Hollow, since he is pretty much an earthly incarnation of the Devil himself.
As far as non-human villains go, I’d add the Tasmanian devils from Pitfall and the snake-dog critter from Fear to the list.
MH: Have you ever had a hard time writing a death scene for any of your characters?
RK: There have been several times when killing off a character was hard to do, mainly because I was emotionally attached to them,.. if that doesn’t sound too weird. After all, they are your creations and, in a literary sense, you are their parent.
Three stand out more than others. One was Johnny Biggs in Hindsight. Johnny’s murder, along with his two pals, was based on a true triple-murder that took place on my mother’s side of the family back in the 1930’s, so it actually had basis in fact. A couple of others were Tammy Craven and Caleb
Vanleer in Blood Kin, two main characters who didn’t survive the wrath of Grandpappy Craven.
One character that was particularly difficult to do away with was Roscoe Ledbetter in Fear, who was lynched by satanic klansmen. I reckon it was the
manner in which he was murdered that bothered me the most, although it was necessary for the sake of the plot. Sometimes you have to sacrifice valuable characters to send a storyline in the direction you want it to go. To refrain from doing so can upset the applecart, so to speak, and totally alter the outcome of the story that you have in mind.
MH: I know that you’ve written a sequel to your debut novel, Hindsight. Do you think there is any chance that we’ll see it published soon?
RK: I certainly hope so. I’ve currently got the sequel, Restless Shadows, circulating among the small press publishers. So far it’s been a hard row to hoe trying to get someone interested in the project. That’s probably because I’m insistent that both Hindsight and Restless Shadows be released together, either as two separate books or one volume containing both the original novel and its sequel. I know that’s a tall order to ask of any publisher, but it just seems like the right thing to do. Alot of new readers have never read Hindsight and, since it’s no longer in print, it just seems logical to re-release it along with the sequel, which takes place seventy years after the first story.
But I’m bound and determined to stick with my guns until I find someone who’s willing to take a chance on the project. I’ve got more patience now than I did ten years ago and I’m sure it’ll be well worth the wait, especially for my fans.
MH: Are there any of your other novels which you’ve considered writing sequels for?
RK: Yes, I’ve got ideas for sequels for Pitfall and Something Out There. I reckon some folks might wonder why I would want to continue storylines that I’ve already explored, but it has to do alot with the characters. If you develop characters that you really care about, you want their lives and adventures to continue. I’d really like to write a solid sequel to Blood Kin. I have a feeling there are still some nasty bloodsuckers hiding out, somewhere up there in the Smoky Mountains.
MH: Ron, you’ve had numerous short stories and novels published, but Flesh Welder is your first chapbook, isn’t it?
RK: You’re right, Mark. This is my first chapbook. I never had the opportunity to put one out during my first career, but then they seem to be more popular now than they were back then. And what a humdinger of a chapbook it’s turned out to be! I couldn’t be more pleased with the production and design, and the audio recording by Wayne June… well, I didn’t expect such an appealing package for my first publication since coming back. Flesh Welder is a story from years back, first published in Noctulpa: Journal of Horror in the early nineties, but the magazine had a very limited circulation and I wanted folks to have another chance to read it. It’s a tale of post-apocalyptic horror; a subject that is rarely explored these days.
Incidentally, re-releasing FW has primed my imagination and I’ve come up with a couple of post-nuclear novellas and three or four short stories which I may turn into a small collection sometime in the future. If it comes to pass, Zach McCain has agreed to do the cover artwork and interior illustrations, which would be terrific, since he did such a wonderful job with the Flesh Welder cover.
MH: I’ve known Steven Lloyd for awhile and I’ve always found him to be a solid, dependable guy with tons of enthusiasm for writing and publishing fiction. How have your experiences of working with him and Croatoan Publishing been so far?
RK: Lordy Mercy… it’s been first-rate from the beginning! I couldn’t be happier with my association with Steven and his new publishing venture. When I returned to writing, I genuinely hoped to find a publisher that was receptive to my work and the passion I have for telling my tales of Southern horror. I’ve found that respect and enthusiasm with Croatoan. Steven knows the business thoroughly enough to know his strengths and limitations, as well as what the reading public hungers for. I couldn’t be more pleased being connected with such a promising publishing house at this point in my career.
MH: As we wrap this up, Ron, could you tell us what we can expect from you in 2008? From what I understand, you have quite a few things lined up
for your fans.
RK: Oh, I’ve been pretty danged busy during the past year, that’s to be sure.
I’ve got several projects coming from Croatoan Publishing… the Flesh Welder chapbook that you hold in your hands, as well as the limited edition of Undertaker’s Moon, my novel of Irish werewolves in a small Tennessee town, which was formerly released under the title Moon of the Werewolf. It’s shaping up to be quite a volume, containing the original novel, a “behind the scenes” article on how I came up with the idea for the story, and an unpublished prequel novella titled The Spawn of Arget Bethir (The Silver Beast), as well as some other special features. The cover and interior illustrations will be provided by Alex McVey, which will undoubtedly make this one of the most unique werewolf editions ever published. I’m so stoked about this… and for good reason!
Also, I have several releases coming from Cemetery Dance Publications, namely my first unpublished novel in ten years, Hell Hollow, as well as my first full-fledged short story collection, Midnight Grinding & Other Twilight Terrors. I also have various short fiction and another chapbook or two coming out from other small press publishers.
MH: Then it looks like fans of Southern horror – and simply horror in general – have alot to look forward to. Thank for taking time to do this, bro. It’s been a blast.
RK: It’s been my pleasure, Mark. Thanks for picking my brains… just give ‘em back when you’re finished with ‘em, okay?
About the Author
After a ten year hiatus from the horror genre, Ronald Kelly returns with his distinctive brand of Southern horror fiction. He is the author of such novels as Hindsight, Pitfal
l, Something Out There, Father’s Little Helper, The Possession, Fear, and Blood Kin. He has penned over a hundred short stories, many appearing in major anthologies like Borderlands, Shock Rock, Dark at Heart, and Hot Blood. His audio collection, Dark Dixie: Tales of Southern Horror was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992 for Best Spoken or Non-Musical Recording. His first short story collection, Midnight Grinding & Other Twilight Terrors, was published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2009. His upcoming publications include Undertaker’s Moon, Hell Hollow, and the Essential Ronald Kelly Collection.
He lives in Brush Creek, Tennessee with his wife, Joyce, and three young’uns, Reilly, Makenna, and Ryan.
You can check out his website of Southern-Fried Horror at http://www.ronaldkelly.com.