A Tip of the Hat to...
Hello from sunny Florida. This is the view from my office. Fortunately (?) I have to stand up and turn around to see it. Otherwise I’d only write about 45 words a day.
The fact that I have had some modicum of success as a writer comes in part from the people who have inspired me along the way. I was very fortunate to be taken seriously in the beginning by Lisa W. Cantrell. Lisa wrote The Manse (a Bram Stoker Award winner), the sequel, Torments, The Ridge, and a number of other books and short stories. She was the first “real writer” I ever had actual contact with, and she showed me how to format a manuscript, where to find markets, how to approach editors and look like a professional, and generally got me off to a good start. Lisa also became a good friend somewhere in the process of trying to teach a newbie how to be a real writer. She also (in a round about way) introduced me to my friend/mentor of 25 years, Charles L Grant. Lisa had a successful career, then stopped writing for reasons she will have to tell.
I met Craig Shaw Gardner at NECON the first year I attended and he (along with the other writers I met) treated me as a colleague and did what they could to show me the ropes in between “That Damn Game Show” (you had to be there), the NECON Roast, hanging out in the dealers’ room, and the NECON cookout. From his official bio: “Craig sold his first short story in 1977, and began writing full time in 1987. While most of his early novels are humorous fantasy, the majority of his short stories have been sold to original horror anthologies such as SHADOWS, MIDNIGHT, DOOM CITY and other cheerful names. His novelization of BATMAN spent something like 13 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, changing his name on book covers to "New York Times Best-selling Author Craig Shaw Gardner" forevermore.” But more than that, he gave me many vital insights into both the craft of writing, and the business of writing. All of which have served me well. He’s one of the good guys.
Kathryn Ptacek has been a friend as long as I can remember. And her writing advice for me from the very beginning of my career has always been, “A writer writes. Anything and everything.” She’s one of those folks who is so genuine and so funny, you tend to forget how important she is in the horror genre (and others as well). A writer and editor since 1981, she has published science fiction, fantasy, horror, suspense, and romance short stories and novels under her maiden and married names, and under the pseudonyms Les Simons, Kathryn Atwood, Anne Mayfield, and Kathleen Maxwell. She edited the Women of Darkness and Women of Darkness II anthologies in the late 1980s during a time when women’s contributions to the field of horror were all but overlooked. In addition, she has won The Silver Hammer Award, the Mentor of the Year Award, and the Richard Laymon President’s Award from the Horror Writers Association. Also, Charlie Grant was lucky enough that she married him.
These are not the only people who have had a big influence on me as a writer. I have met and/or known and learned from people like the late Gahan Wilson, Dean Koontz, and the late Brian Lumley, just to name few. I hope I have learned the lessons they had to teach. I tried. And equally important, I have tried to do the same for other writers when I have had the opportunity. Because we’re all in this together.
My name is Thomas Smith and this is Whistling Past The Graveyard; an occasional newsletter about what I’m working on, any books/writing projects coming out in the future, and anything else that strikes my fancy. I’m honored you decided to take this walk with me.
Watta Deal Department
This is worth it for the artwork and signatures alone. Add to your Ronald Kelly collection (or start one)!
My book, Haunted North Carolina Coast will be released by Arcadia Publishing’s Haunted America imprint on August 5th. Here’s an interview I did recently on COAST LIVE about the book.
As always, thank you for walking past the graveyard with me. And until next time, whatever else you do, find somebody to be nice to.
Your writing journey is uncannily similar to mine, Tom. Writers like Joe Lansdale, Charlie Grant, and Karl Edward Wagner offered me support along the way. And thanks for the shoutout to the RKHORROR bookstore. The sale is still on through Wednesday, plus the free books are getting scarce, so folks might want to head over soon and check it out!