Steve (S) 1. When did you first realize that writing was in your future?
Kent Hill (KH) 1. When I was not yet four years I saw a one a one hour special that not only blew my mind but set me on the path I am still on today. That special was called SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back. It was a retrospective of special effects up to and including Empire and for the first time I saw movies being made and I thought to hell with being a fireman or a cop (not that those are not noble pursuits) like all my friends wanted to be. I wanted to be in pictures. I went to my folks immediately declared this. I recall my father saying, "What can you do to start off?" I said I can write the story that will become the movie; in my mind it was the easiest thing I could think of to get the ball rolling, so that's what I did. I started writing down ideas for movies, so I guess that was where it all began. Plus it was and still is easy. I need very little to start me writing.
S 2. Did you take any schooling for being an author?
KH 2. No. I think creativity is the same as being able to tell a joke, you can either do it or you can't. I think courses that claim they can teach you how to write creatively are a rip-off. Sure they can perhaps teach you some structural fundamentals, but no one can give you creativity. The only thing I can safely say, as far as someone educating mean with regard to my writing was (A) when I was still in primary school or elementary school as you call it, we had regular classes that were called composition classes. The teacher would give us a theme or a topic or an object and we had to write a story about it, and (B) I have been working on a screenplay of late with my friend and fellow author Michael Kanuckel. In venturing to have Russell Mulcahy (director of Highlander) write an intro for the book Michael wrote, Russell became enamoured with the story and wanted to develop it into a film. The quest still goes on and Russell, as I write this, is set to read the new draft. In his absence, due to commitments with his TV show Teen Wolf, I had other filmmakers and screenwriters give me their opinion along the way. The draft I have recently completely went through a top to toe rewrite inspired by the master class I received from screenwriter Matthew Greenberg (Reign of Fire, 1408.) Now I went to film school, but this relatively brief period of analysis and notes provided by Matt was the best screenwriting lesson I've had. If you want to learn, learn from a pro. Not from someone on the same indie circuit, I mean a pro, I guy who has been making a living from his writing in the big leagues for years. I was very fortunate sure. But had I not met Matt and I was truly looking for someone to help me out. I would seek someone with his credentials, they same goes for fiction writing, and get them to give me pointers. Most people who claim to have all the answers are better at writing 'how-to' books. The pros don't talk about what they do, cause their work speaks for itself and they've been doing it for years. Seek them out, you'll find if you ask they might just be willing.
S 3. How would you describe your writing style?
KH 3. My stuff tends to take the form of the character either narrating the story or it's tone or flavour is a precedent that has been associated with the genre. The stuff I've down in books like Sword Dude and The Last Barbarian; the tone of the text comes from R.E. Howard and Henry Kuttner. I can't match those cats for style and mastery but I can mimic the tone. With the likes of DeathMaster the style is dictated by the voice I hear in my head that is the protagonist narrating the story. I had a fan of my stuff tell me that each of my books have a different voice to them so no one is the same as the other, which is a really splendid complement but also speaks to what I was trying to accomplish while writing them. That is that the flavour of the peace dictates the tone or the style. I love B movies so that is an influence. When I was writing Alien Smut Peddlers from the Future I was listening to Neil Young's Dead Man score constantly and that flavoured that piece. So, I guess you might say I adopt the style that is either dictated by the kind of story or the kind of genre I'm working in. But always with my slant to it.
S 4. How difficult was it to co-author (with Craig Mullins) a whole novel?
KH 4. Well the best thing about it, aside from the fact that Craig is a really good writer, is that neither of us had ever done it. I remember him asking me, "How do we do it," and I said, "I write a bit, you write a bit." So I kicked it off and Craig really dug what I was doing and that got him inspired for his sections and thus we went along. The only work came when I noticed our tones were different. In order for it to appear reasonably seamless, I had to got back over and make sure everything sounded similar, but that was the only thing. There was one time during the writing that I asked Craig to write something in particular. While in the middle of writing a new segment and suddenly I saw the ending for the story. I told Craig I was stopping to write this ending and instructed him what I would need in his final segment to tie it together. What he delivered was astonishing and it was so easy wrapping it up neatly. All this combined with Sean Ferrari's fine editing and art provided by Brian LeBlanc, my Frazetta on a budget; we put out a great barbarian book. It was a grand adventure both in the writing and on the page. I look forward to the day Craig wants to do it again, it was an awesome experience.
S 5. What's your favorite horror film ever?
KH 5. I can't really say it's my favourite, (my favourite I'd probably say is John Carpenter's The Thing) but one horror flick that left quite an impression on me was Poltergeist 2: The Other Side. Now the movie didn't and doesn't scare me, but the first time I watched it, in particular that scene where Craig T. Nelson (Steve Freeling) is drinking and he swallows the worm and then proceeds to spew up a fucking demon, then it turns and it's got Julian Beck's (Kane) face, man, I wasn't scared like I've said but I ran outside and hurled my guts up. I was checking my drinks for weeks after that.
S 6. How do you come up with these off the wall ideas to write about?
KH 6 Usually it's a scene or a title or even a sentence that starts me off. Then I have to figure out the ending. After that it's just a case of filling in the middle. Alien Smut Peddlers began it's life as a single scene with a spacecraft crash landing, guy walks over to the wreck, alien slimes out, crawls up his ass and takes him over. Plus, back when I was captain of the drinking team, you'd be surprised the stories and adventures you pick up. A good writer is a keen observer of life. After all, there are some truly amazing moments during one's existence that fiction just can't touch. (Spoiler Alert) The scene in my Retirement Village of the Damned with the old dude who shits on the hood's of parked cars - true story. So yeah, I crib from my own life, friends, family, conversations I hear. This world is an off the wall kinda place. It's there for the taking. Never pontificate in front of a writer.
S 7. Your favorite novel that you wrote and why?
KH 7 DeathMaster. It is one that I thought about for a long time before I wrote it. I remembering hearing Jim Wynorski talking about his film Lost Empire and saying if he never got to make another movie he was going to put everything he ever wanted to see in a movie into Lost Empire. That was kinda how DeathMaster began. It started life as a screenplay which was going to have everything in it that I could get. Pay homage to all the things I loved about the movies that were precious to me plus more. Figured, like Jim, if I only get one shot then I'm going to leave not stone unturned. There is an uncut version I'm going to put out this year. I made trims for pacing initially, but the director's cut will see the light of day.
S 8. Your all time favorite author?
KH 8 It's a two horse race that is just too close to call, with the runners being Charles Bukowski and Joe R. Lansdale. Hank I love for his elegant simplicity and Champion Joe for that dude's ability to do it all, I mean that cat has written horror, comedy, thrillers, mysteries - everything from the richly bizarre to comic books. His story On the far side of the Cadillac Desert is still one of best things I've read.
S 9. What do most people not know about you but are willing to share?
KH 9 Good question. When I was two I crapped in my undies and so as not to get caught I buried them in the backyard. I then quickly ran inside slid on a clean pair. Thought Mum was dumb see, that she wouldn't notice I'd gone from Spiderman underwear to He-Man underwear. Never underestimate your mother.
S 10. Your greatest supporter who isn't family?
KH 10 My hats off to Don Noble. Till my number is called and I buy the farm I will sing the man's praises. He took a chance on me after I went three years and across three continents of publishers' rejections. A little book about smut peddling aliens made him laugh - the rest is history.
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Those are the sites to buy his books or check out his work, I say you won't be disappointed. Thanks Kent for the pleasure was all mine doing this interview was awesome.
The Man Himself
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