ONCE BITTEN THRICE SLY WITH GABRIELLE FAUST

Posted by Dave GammoncloseAuthor: Dave Gammon Name:
Email: slamsta@yahoo.ca
Site: http://slamnationnation.blogspot.com
About: Slammin Dave Gammon set out to save the world and now I’m simply content with corrupting it. Studying human behaviour and psychology it didn’t take long for the Slamsta to recognize a firm lineage between self actualization and sexual fulfillment. Taking my unique and unorthodox philosophies to the retail sector, I became a retail manager of four adult video and novelty stores at the ripe age of 22. Throughout my tenure (of what I now affectionately refers to as being a Purveyor of Perversity) I’d acquired countless unforgettable anecdotes which soon be seen at slamnationnation.blogspot.com. My erotic endeavors can soon be seen through Blueline Publishing with such tales as Coming Unbung and Oral Presentation. A novella titled Lusty Layover is pending releaseSee Authors Posts (35)

DAVE GAMMON: Greetings Ms. Faust and thank you for gracing our audience with your intriguing and captivating presence. You’re the author of dark fantasy/horror/sci-fi novels including The Eternal Vigilance series, Regret; among poetry collections Before Icarus, After Achilles, and Crossroads. Eternal Vigilance has a most fascinating premise of a post apocalyptic vampire realm.

In your opinion are there any other sub genres in horror literature and or film that has experienced a reawakening of sorts in popularity?

GABRIELLE FAUST:  With the reintroduction of the post-apocalyptic trends, I feel like the cyberpunk and cybergothic subgenres are starting to gain more momentum. The younger subgenres like dark fantasy and steampunk are definitely gaining momentum, so I think we will begin to see a crossover of those genres with more mainstream horror, science fiction and fantasy genres in the next couple of years. It’s rather hard to pinpoint trends these days in literature because the word “genre” itself is nearly outdated and meaningless as authors continue to deconstruct the norms and challenge the publishing world with nontraditionalist viewpoints and plotlines.

DG: Without doubt technology places a tremendous role in dictating what is current in our culture. What are your views on ebooks, IPads, kebo? Has this development persuaded and enticed a new generation of readers? Is it detrimental to those who cannot or will not bother to conform to technological advancement?

GB: Absolutely, technology has always and will continue to dictate the state of modern culture and how art is delivered into the hands of the masses. In many respects the progression of technological developments facilitates the distribution of new concepts that the world might never otherwise be privy to. However, on the flip side, I’ve noticed a definite cultivation of the “short attention span theater” mentality that everything must be 140 characters and stripped of any and all thoroughly deep ideas. The addiction to technology has unfortunately inspired the idea that people aren’t capable anymore of truly intellectual discussion. While I personally will always prefer the smell of aged paper to the stale ozone smell of a Kindle, I’m all for people reading more, and if that is how they prefer to purchase books, more power to them.

DG: Who are some of your favourite authors and books? Who are some of the authors that have been influential in your career?

GB:  There is a wide spectrum of authors that have influenced my writing over the years. Hunter S. Thompson, Leonard Cohen, Dan Simmons, Michael Marano, Anne Rice, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouac, Tom Wolfe, Brian Lumley, Jean Paul Sarte, C.S. Friedman, Poppy Z. Brite, Dean Koontz, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Bukowski, Stephen King, William Gibson, William S. Burroughs…just to name a few. When I think of individual books that have truly impacted my work a few that come to mind are are “Neuromancer” by William Gibson, “Black Sun Rising” by C. S. Friedman, “The Subterraneans” by Jack Kerouac, “Memnoch the Devil” by Anne Rice, “Lost Souls” by Poppy Z. Brite, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” by Hunter S. Thompson, “Electric Kool-Aide Acid Test” by Tom Wolfe, “Beautiful Losers” by Leonard Cohen and “Necroscope” by Brian Lumley. As I said, my influences dance over a wide spectrum, but primarily I gravitate towards poetic, challenging, gritty work that embodies the voice of a generation or movement, work that is impactful and wise beyond the decade in which it was written.

DG: What is your biggest obstacle in writing? If you hadn’t graced the literary world with your gifts and talents, what vocation do you think you’d find yourself in?

GB: My biggest obstacle within the art of writing itself is the severe ADHD I have suffered with since childhood. It is both a blessing and a curse. While it allows me to be extremely creative and motivated to work on multiple projects at once, it also makes it incredibly hard to sit still for a long duration of time, which is needed by authors to complete their work. The disorder has challenged me to create a system for myself that guides me through the process.  As for what other vocation I might be pursuing if I had not found myself as an author, it would most definitely be stellar astronomy. I keep threatening to go back and finish the degree which I started many years ago before I was sidetracked by art and writing, but I have a feeling I might not have the mental fortitude and discipline required. Many a bottle of wine has been drunk between the years in which I calculated the distance to red dwarf stars and today. **wink** Perhaps it’s best if I just wax poetic on quantum physics rather than attempt to actually work within it. I might accidentally open a wormhole somewhere and end civilization as we know it.

DG: How do you come up with your setting and characters? Are any characters based upon people you’ve known?

GB: My characters are 90% of the time one part pure fantasy and one part observation of my fellow human beings. I draw on my past experiences with people to flesh out the deeper natures of my characters giving them real personalities that are wholly believable. Settings are the same way. In the ETERNAL VIGILANCE series I took the areas of the world I have personally visited in order to grasp the detail of each particular place, and then deconstructed them in order to give them the futuristic post-apocalyptic feel they needed for the storyline. Write what you know, as they say.

DG: Do you have any advice for new and aspiring writers?

GB: There are two pieces of advice I always tell all aspiring writers. One, develop a thick skin. This is a brutal, cut-throat business, in which you’re going to get ripped to shreds by publishers, editors, critics, bloggers, the press, etc. Everyone gets bad reviews so get used to it. The world is filled with snarky, spiteful people and you have to learn how to sift through the critiques to find the truly constructive criticism that you can use to improve your work rather than the needless bitchiness. Two, if this is your dream and you can think of absolutely nothing that you would rather do with your life, DO NOT GIVE UP. You must make a commitment, to yourself and your work, that you will continue to try. Even if you never become a huge name in the literary world, you are always a writer as long as you continue to WRITE. Be brave and put your work out there for the world to read.

DG: I’d like to briefly play word association. Please keep in mind there are no right or wrong answers. These are merely your first, immediate impressions.

• Anne Rice — iconic, brave
• Bram Stoker — a founding father
• Clive Barker — sexy, depraved, genius
• Nancy Kilpatrick — elegant
• Dean Koontz — unapologetic gritty
• Stephanie Meyers — fluke success
• Stephen King — horror institution

DG: Do you have a personal title you would recommend as a good read for a first time exposure to the works of Gabrielle Faust?

GB: I would suggest starting with either the first ETERNAL VIGILANCE novel, entitled FROM DEEP WITHIN THE EARTH, if you like cybergothic gritty vampire tales. Or, if demons and philosophy are more your speed pick up a copy of my latest novella REGRET, which was just released from Dark Regions Press in September.

DG: What’s on the horizon for Gabrielle Faust in 2011?

GB: Right now I’m working on the fourth ETERNAL VIGILANCE novel, entitled MEDITATIONS ON DARKNESS, which I hope to have completed by the end of next year. Also in the works is the sequel to REGRET, entitled REVENGE, which I am co-writing with philosopher and musician Solomon Schneider. Those are the main two projects on my plate with deadlines. I am also working on a third collection of poetry, which will combine the work of BEFORE ICARUS, AFTER ACHILLES and CROSSROADS, my previous collections, with a series of about 80 to 100 new poems. Lately I have been tip-toeing back into songwriting and hope to record at least two new songs in the coming months for release on ReverbNation. To say the very least 2011 is going to be a very busy year!