Action-Adventure, Thriller, and Speculative Fiction Author
ALAN BAXTER
ABOUT
Alan Baxter is a multi-award-winning British-Australian author who writes supernatural thrillers, dark fantasy, and urban horror. He rides a motorcycle and loves his dogs. He also teaches Kung Fu. He lives among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia, with his wife, son, dogs and a cranky old cat. He is the author of the dark supernatural thriller trilogy, Bound, Obsidian and Abduction (The Alex Caine Series) and the dark supernatural duology, RealmShift and MageSign (The Balance 1 and 2). His latest books are the horror noir novel, Hidden City, the cosmic horror novella, The Book Club, and the supernatural noir novella, Manifest Recall. As well as novels, Alan has had around 80 short fiction publications in journals and anthologies in Australia, the US, the UK, France, Germany and Japan. His short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, and many others, and around thirty anthologies, including the Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror on several occasions. His award-winning first collected volume of short fiction, Crow Shine, is out now. At times, Alan collaborates with US action/adventure bestselling author, David Wood. Together they have co-authored the horror novella, Dark Rite, action thrillers in The Jake Crowley Adventures, Blood Codex and Anubis Key, and the Sam Aston Investigations giant monster thrillers Primordial and Overlord. Alan has been a five-time finalist in the Aurealis Awards, a five-time finalist in the Australian Shadows Awards and a six-time finalist in the Ditmar Awards. He won the 2015 Australian Shadows Award for Best Short Story (“Shadows of the Lonely Dead”), the 2016 Australian Shadows Paul Haines Award For Long Fiction (“In Vaulted Halls Entombed”), and the 2017 Australian Shadows Award for Best Collection (Crow Shine), and is a past winner of the AHWA Short Story Competition (“It’s Always the Children Who Suffer”).
That was certainly a mouth full of an introduction, but necessary to show Alan's extensive background! Let's jump into the questions.
Alan, what literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
So many! Most recently I went to the US for a convention called StokerCon, which was held in Providence, RI, so I visited a lot of H P Lovecraft sites, including his grave.
What books have most influenced your life?
Again, so many. Probably my biggest influence is Clive Barker. His novels and short stories are just amazing. I’ve also for many years been a huge fan of Stephen King, Michael Moorcock, H P Lovecraft, Ursula K Le Guin, Anne McCaffrey, Shirley Jackson, Ramsey Campbell, Jack Ketchum. All their work and more has inspired me. More contemporary writers include Laird Barron, Paul Tremblay, Kaaron Warren, Margo Lanagan, Victor LaValle, Josh Malerman… so many more!
Is there a message in your novels you hope readers will grasp?
Well, I’ve written quite a few books now and mainly I want to tell a good, entertaining story. Though all my books can’t help but address a variety of social issues, as that’s what it means to live in this world. I don’t set out to project any particular message, but I’m sure a lot of my philosophies come though one way or another. But first and foremost, it’s all about the story.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
I think a lot of people try to run before they can walk. We’re all so desperate to be published, and these days there are a lot of ways to do that and many of them are easy for people who aren’t really ready to publish yet. It’s important to remember that writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Take your time and make sure your work is really good first. Don’t rush to publish. Don’t pay someone to publish you – money always flows to the author. Annie Proulx published her first novel at 56. There’s no rush.
Does a big ego help or hurt writers?
Both! It’s a strange thing. On the one hand, we need an ego big enough to think people will want to read what we write. On the other hand, too big an ego makes a person into a jerk. I think it’s important to have the confidence you need to stand behind your work, but to always remain humble and kind wherever you can. That goes for all of life really.
Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?
I always write what I want to write, which is what I want to read. Hopefully my readers are along for any ride I come up with under those specifications.
What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I’ve got heaps of author pals and they’re all great. The Australian genre scene is really friendly and supportive, and thanks to the internet and travel, I’ve made a lot of overseas friends too. I think we all help each other in numerous ways. Other authors are my colleagues, not my competition – a rising tide lifts all boats.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
A little of both. The Alex Caine Series is a finished trilogy, but there are a couple of small reference to other books. My standalone novels tend to be exactly that, but on rare occasions there might be an Easter Egg in one that references something else. But even with my books that are part of a series, each one is a complete story. You could pick up any of my books at random and get a complete read from it. But if you read all my work, you’ll likely get a bigger experience.
What are your future projects?
I’m currently about to hit edits on my new horror novel, Devouring Dark, which is coming out through Grey Matter Press in November.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Every single book I ever bought. A good writer needs to be a voracious reader and all the books I’ve read made me the writer I am today. And that still continues.
As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A dog. Dogs are the best, they’re my everything avatar.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Only a couple. I tend to finish what I start, but sometimes I put something aside for another time, especially if I realise it’s not really cooked yet and I need more time for the ideas to sink in. There are a couple of early works that will never see the light of day, but I needed that practice.
What does literary success look like to you?
More readers. I’d always like to make more money, of course, but in the end I think a writer’s success is measured by the number of readers they engage. If I can increase my readership with each release, I’ll consider myself a success.
What’s the best way to market your books?
Other people. It really comes down to regular readers enthusing about your work. We can only ever do so much ourselves, so it takes passionate fans to really make a book into a success. This is why I always tell people to talk about the books they love – tell friends and family, post about it online, leave a review at Amazon and Goodreads. All that stuff REALLY helps.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?
I do. I enjoy them. Thankfully I don’t get many awful ones, but I often find good and bad reviews interesting, sometimes informative.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
Only those people know. If they exist.
What is your favorite childhood book?
There are four books that I read over and over again as a kid. Runaway Ralph by Beverly Cleary, Stig of the Dump by Clive King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, and Charlotte’s Web by E B White. I loved those books and read them and reread them until the covers fell off. I still love them. We’re reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory right now with my 4 year old son.
Is there anything else you’d like the readers/authors out there to know about you, your novels, and/or the publishing process?
Just that thing I mentioned before – if you love a book, talk about it. Share your enthusiasm, because that’s genuinely how books and authors live and die. Especially if they’re my books. Talk about my books A LOT!
DEVOURING DARK
Coming this November
Devouring Dark is Baxter’s full-length urban horror novel about a man plagued since childhood by a malevolent darkness that threatens to consume him. After a lifetime spent wrestling for control over this onslaught, Matt McLeod has learned to wield his mysterious paranormal skill to achieve an odious goal: retribution as a supernatural vigilante.
CONNECT
Baxter wants to connect with you. Read extracts from his novels and novellas, and find free short stories at his website – www.warriorscribe.com – or find him on Twitter @AlanBaxter and Facebook, and feel free to tell him what you think. About anything.