Hey Tim!
You seem to be some kind of a writing machine right now, and deservedly gaining more recognition within the horror community as well as the reading world in general.
What can you tell us about projects that you have coming out in the next year or so?
TM: Hey Janine! Thanks for the kind words! I have so much happening right now and I'll talk about what I can. First, the short novel I co-wrote with my buddy Chad Lutzke, WORMWOOD, is now available through the Night Worms November box. This signed edition is extremely limited and we were super happy to have Night Worms and Thunderstorm Books get together and produce it. DEAD DAUGHTERS is getting rereleased in December from Silver Shamrock Publishing. In February, Grindhouse Press is putting out PARADISE CLUB, a novel I had written specifically for my now-defunct Patreon. Also next year, Silver Shamrock is publishing my big novel, MALIGNANT SUMMER. Can't wait for that one. I think it's the best, most personal thing I've ever written. I hope people like it.
It feels awesome to type THE END and have a manuscript accepted. But how does it feel when you keep getting amazing artwork for your covers too? PARADISE CLUB looks just wow!
TM: Thanks! Yeah, I have to say, I've been pretty lucky with my covers. Whether it's finding incredibly-talented freelancers for my self-published stuff or whoever my publishers contract, they've all been great. I honestly adore every single one. PARADISE CLUB came out A-mazing. Scott Cole did that one. He's a phenomenal graphic designer and he's just as skilled at writing fiction as he is at making beautiful art.
It is one hell of a coup to be working with Night Worms, who are including the book you wrote with Chad Lutzke in their November package! Can you tell us how that came about?
TM: Chad and I started working on this story a few months before the pandemic hit. I heard him on a podcast talking about his youth and some of the things he got into, and his story sparked an idea. I started thinking about it and then actually pitched the idea to Chad as a potential collaboration. The idea and story completely changed once we started talking about it, and I'm so happy with how it turned out. Sadie was really interested in reading it, having been a fan of our previous works. She got to read it early and wanted to include it in the November box. And of course we jumped at that chance. Love Night Worms and the monthly boxes they put out!
How different do you find the writing process when you have a co-author? Is it great to have someone to bounce ideas off or can it be frustrating waiting for their part?
TM: I say it can be both, depending on the individuals. I've had some collabs fall through because it just didn't work, or our writing didn't click. In working with Chad, it was a pretty great experience because we were on the same page about pretty much everything. And I do love the collaboration process. I'm collaborator at heart. It's different, sure, having someone else to talk about the story with and helping you along the way. But it's a good kind of different.
Is there another author who you would like to collab with, perhaps one of your own favourites?
TM: Great question! There are so many. A few I'd love to collaborate with would probably be Hunter Shea, Jonathan Janz, Josh Malerman, or Ronald Malfi. I respect the hell out of them and their writing abilities. I'd probably drop everything I'm working on just to be able to share the page with them.
MALIGNANT SUMMER is a whopper. Do you foresee ever writing something of that size again?
TM: Yeah, absolutely! I love writing a big long novel. It's hard to get them published, though. In independent publishing, bigger books are way more costly and are typically less profitable, so they're hard to sell. I got lucky with Silver Shamrock. They're a fantastic publisher and they really believed in the story, enough to take it on. But to answer the question, yeah, I'd love to. I started writing a fantasy novel that will probably be about that length. And another novel I started this year is currently sitting at 60k, and I'm... maybe halfway done? We'll see what happens!
You have also stated it is quite personal to you, with parts based on real events from your own past. How does it feel when you open up like that to your readers? Does it make you vulnerable to criticism?
TM: Criticism never really bothers me. I mean, it truly doesn't. I see how that can affect some writers and make them want to pull back, not put “themselves” too much into a story. But I feel the more I put myself into these stories, the more honest they become, and readers really appreciate honest work. To do anything less would be a disservice to the audience.
Since no one knows when we will return to ‘normal’ in respect to social gatherings, how will you promote future work when book-signings are occurring less?
TM: It's definitely strange territory we're heading into. Who knows what the world will look like next year. I have a few events lined up and a few cons I want to attend, but I want to make sure it's safe before I do that. Safe for me, safe for my family, safe for the people on the other side of that table and their family. If not, I'll have to adapt. Maybe virtual book signings become a thing? It's certainly something I've thought of. Which is kinda cool, because you can actually meet even more readers that way. I think doing live events on YouTube and panels and virtual cons are going to be a great replacement if social gatherings continue to be limited.
I must ask about one of my most favourite podcasts/YouTube shows, Final Guys. How does it feel to finally have your face and name featured in the intro? And do you all really have as much fun as you appear to? One day, I’ll have to stay up and watch it live …
TM: Ha! I love those guys. I really do. There's nothing better than getting together with a few like-minded friends and talking horror movies all night. It feels good to be welcomed into their tribe. And yes, we have so much fun, each and every episode. You have to load up on coffee and NoDoz and watch one night!
Thanks so much for your time, Tim!
TM: Not much other than keeping an eye out for the new books! You can follow me on Twitter, where I hang out the most, and at timmeyerwrites.com. Thanks, Janine!
Janine Pipe is a Horror lover and writer who was first introduced to the genre as a child reading ‘Salem’s Lot – and she hasn’t looked back since. Citing Glenn Rolfe and Hunter Shea as her favourite current writers, she likes to shock with her writing. There is usually a lot of gore and plenty of swearing … She is very thankful to her biggest cheerleaders, her husband and daughter and her mentor, Graeme Reynolds. She chews the fat with fellow authors on her blog – Janine’s Ghost Stories and reviews for Scream Magazine and is a friend of Nightworms.
You can find her work at Tales to Terrify and several of her short stories have been published, including an all female anthology with Kandisha Press and the charity anthology, Diabolica Britannica. She is currently writing a splatterpunk novella about a teenage vampire hunter and has a horror podcast with fellow Brit and indie author, Lou Yardley called Cryptids, Crypts and Coffee.
Check her blog here – www.janinesghoststories.
Follow her on Twitter – www.twitter.com/disneynine
Join her Patreon gang – www.patreon.comJanines_