Use the code TAKE5 for $5 off your first package!

John Lynch Chats with Sergio Gomez- Camp Slaughter

JL: “I’m here with Author Sergio Gomez. Sergio, first, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?”
SG: “Thank you for having me. Yeah, I was born in Mexico, but raised here in the US. I write horror, a lot of which is based in (fictional) PA, which is where I grew up.”
JL: “I’m on the East Coast myself, are you a Steelers fan?”
SG: “Haha nope. I’m in Philadelphia!”
JL: “So no terrible towel waving?”
SG: “Nope. Just cheesesteaks (hold the whiz).”
JL: “Camp Slaughter is your latest release, can you tell us about the book?”
SG: “Camp Slaughter is a throwback to old school slasher films like Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I took elements from both of those series, blended them together, and threw in a dash of Mexican culture to freshen it up. It’s a quick-paced, tense, scary read that people have been saying is terrifying.”
JL: “That was actually something I was going to bring up. While reading it, there were definitely shades of both of those films, it’s something I thought worked really well. I’d have to agree with you about it being terrifying, I started reading it while I was in a log cabin in the Colorado Mountains. It’s safe to say I made sure everything was locked up tight before bed.”
“I loved Varias Caras and the surprising amount of depth behind the character. We get quite a bit of his point of view, was this always the idea?”
SG: “Yep, definitely. I always felt like the star of the slasher films are the killer. If I’m doing a novelized version of it, I felt I owed the readers a killer with depth. So, in later drafts of the novel, I made sure to make him the center of my attention when it came to character backgrounds.”
“Of course, I also wanted to give the campers their own depth so they aren’t just fodder for Varias Caras. I wanted people to feel like they were friends they have, or at least remind them of people they know.“
”I thought in doing that, it would intensify the events and lend more depth to Varias Caras.”
JL: “I think that worked out exactly as intended. You actually just segued into my next point.”
“The characters were not Machete-Fodder by any means. All of them felt as if they were real people. Did you find it difficult to bring that kind of realism to so many different characters?“
SG: ”It definitely got tricky at times, because another thing about writing a slasher is the pacing. I had to give enough insight into the characters to make them more than just archetypes, but also not get bogged down on the details. For the most part, though, it felt like they kind of wrote themselves.”
JL: “From my experience with the book, you found the balance you were looking for.”
“You mentioned earlier you wanted to add a dash of Mexican culture into the mixture. I loved the Luchador meets Texas Chainsaw aspect. Did it start off that way? Or is that something you came upon during the writing process?”
SG: “It was an idea I had from before I started writing the first draft, but wasn’t able to fully realize how to do it properly until the final draft.”
“I had the name “Varias Caras” since the beginning, which sounds like it could be a luchador’s name, so I knew I had to make that connection in there somewhere.”
JL: “The Name Varias Caras I found suitably terrifying, even more so when you get into the masks.”
“In the author notes, you alluded to the possibility of more Camp Slaughter. Is that a current work in progress?”
SG: “It is not. I’m working on another novel that’s unrelated. I think I need to let Varias Caras rest for a minute, haha.”
JL: “I’ve gotta ask, the jerky gift. Was it the Deer meat or the Human meat?”
SG: “Haha, I think that might be better left unanswered. It gives the scene a more impactful, lasting effect that way.”
JL: “I think so too, I just keep coming back to that in my mind, it really stuck with me.”
“What is a typical writing session like for you, do you prefer to write in silence or while listening to music?”
SG: “Total silence. I like “hearing” anything I can in the scenes. But I don’t mind some background chatter of a coffee shop every once in a while.”
JL: “My last few questions will be the toughest of the bunch.”
SG: “I’m ready.”
JL: “Favorite pizza topping?”
SG: “Pepperoni, sausage, pineapple and ham, jalapeños”
“I’m really not picky when it comes to pizza, haha.”
JL: “Pineapple, that’s a horror story of a topping!”
“One fast-food chain as to be killed off, which would you choose?”
SG: “Probably Taco Bell, haha!”
JL: “Yeah, that’s a good choice. I’m not a fan of most of their food. When they got rid of the caramel apple empanada I had an existential crisis.”
SG: “Hahaha, I think I may have missed those. I do like their cinnamon twists.”
JL: “Sergio, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me, before I let you go, is there anything you’d like to say to the readership?”
SG: “Thank you for your time.”
“Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and/or review my books. I’ll never stop writing, and it’s because of wonderful people like you.”
“And for any of my Spanish speakers, si se puede.”

Share this post


Leave a comment

Note, comments must be approved before they are published

1 comment

  • Awesome interview. I loved it! Thanks

    • Susan Lynch