The James H Longmore Interview
James H Longmore is a talented writer that clearly doesn't follow any set genre or rules. No matter what you pick up you're in for one helluva read and he was willing to allow me to interview him. If you haven't heard of him you will. It's just a matter of time. Thanks James for taking the time to answer a few questions
First I have to ask where did the idea for The Erotic Sexual Odyssey Of Colton Forshay come from?
A: Strangely enough, I actually dreamt the opening line ‘it was raining bodily fluids again…’ and coupled that with a stray memory of a TV show I saw years ago about a guy who was in a relationship with his car (I remember to this day the abject look of sheer disappointment on the guy’s father’s face as his grown-ass son explained to him how he and the car made love. The book just kinda grew from there…
Was there ever moment while you’re writing it and think; “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
A: I set out to write a novel that I’d imagine the Monty Python team would have written had they been in the bizarro market but still, quite possibly during some of the more way-out scenes! I remember wondering if the game show (‘Rape’) on which Colton’s wife died was a step too far and the old guy in the supermarket trying to pay for his groceries with sex would be a hard one to swallow…
What’s the feedback been like? I’m sure there are those who are either shocked or offended by the subject matter.
A: I’ll be honest, the feedback has taken me very much by surprise! It has been awesome, and I’ve not had a visit from Homeland Security! People absolutely love Colton and his bizarre adventures and are lapping up the grotesquerie and bizarre erotica.
Will there be a sequel in the works?
A: I’m not really one for sequels, but there’s always the chance. I think Mr. Forshay may have more erotic, bizarre adventures I up his sleeve in that strange world of his….;
You also wrote a novel called Pede which I cannot wait to read. Is that straight horror and how do you go from giant centipedes to bizarro erotica?
A: Oddly enough, ‘Pede was the first novel I wrote (prior to that it had been screenplays) – an homage to all those fantastic creature movies and novels I grew up with. Moving from that to Colton was easier than you might think – it was simply a matter of taking the harness off and letting my creative brain roam free (and see where that got me!).
When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer?
A: Back in elementary school, when all the other kids wanted to be astronauts, cops and accountants (an odd boy, was Andy Martin), I wanted to write books! I wrote my first book aged seven, entitled ‘Stick Insects’ which was about stick insects. My second book followed shortly thereafter and was entitled ‘Dinosaurs & Moths’ (guess the subject!) because my interest switched from paleontology to entomology literally overnight. Sadly, neither have been picked up for publishing (maybe Jaded Books Publishing may consider it?), although I am considering the latter title for use on my upcoming anthology.
You also host Co-host the New Panic Room Podcast. How did that come about?
A: I was invited on to the show as a guest and people fell in love with my accent (Yorkshire – think Sean Bean as James Bond) – and they invited me back as co-host. The show has undergone some changes since then, under my influence, and is about to go through its final metamorphosis which will see it competing with the best of ‘em!
Where can we find it?
A:Follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/ThePanicRoomRadioShow/?fref=ts
Who are some of your biggest influences?
A: Jeeez, where do I start? Stephen King (obviously!), a brilliant UK horror author named James Herbert (his first book ‘The Rats’ was the very first grown-up horror novel I ever read, and ‘Pede is kind of my personal homage to that mighty tome), John Wyndham, HG Wells, Lovecraft, Monty Python, Clive Barker, Chuck Palahniuk, Joe Hill (the acorn didn’t fall too far from the tree there!), Edward Lee, Jack Ketchum, Wrath James White - I could go on and on…
Aside from horror and bizarro are there any other genres you’d like to explore?
A: I’d love to write a kid’s book, one that my little girl could read! I have written kid’s and family friendly screenplays, but never a book suitable for children. I have the ideas, just looking for a great artist to work with!
I also wish I had the patience for science fiction – I used to love Asimov, LeGuin and Clarke as a kid, but my stories tend to be tight and claustrophobic and do not encompass entire worlds and beyond.
When you’re writing do you outline or write notes?
A:I do, I do (almost an ABBA song!) – without an outline I’d just ramble on indefinitely and (literally!) lose the plot. And without notes, I’d forget stuff! I make notes on my phone, on neon green Post Its, in my document as I’m writing, I even have a waterproof notepad in the shower!
Any other projects in the work and if so can you tell us a little bit about them?
A: My fourth novel (And Then You Die – J Ellington Ashton) just came out, it’s a darkly comedic bizarro tale of fecal spirits. Then we have to wait for 2017 for the one after that, it’s a psychological horror (Flanagan – Sinister Grin Press). Then it’s back to traditional horror for ‘Tenebrion’ (TBA – you’re the first to know about this one!) and the work in progress is a dystopian crime thriller (working title: Dead to Rights). Oh yeah, and not forgetting ‘Dinosaurs and Moths’ !
What advice would you give to writers?
A: I’d say ‘write’. Don’t be one of those people who always says ‘Oh, I’m thinking of writing a novel’, and remember that sitting in Starbucks talking loudly about writing is not actually writing and will get you the sum total of nothing.
We’ve talked a bit about the bizarre genre on the podcast. Do you think it’ll ever return to where it was four years ago?
A: I’d like to think so. Sadly, bizarro has kind of wandered off into the uber-grotesque and gratuitously sexual for the sake of it. All stories need a great plot, engaging characters, a beginning, middle and end. I hope that my books The Erotic Odyssey of Colton Forshay, Buds & And Then You Die may help to turn this unfortunate tide.
What are you currently reading?
A: I always have a lot of reading on the go, I love to read what my fellow indi writers are putting out there, as well as the big boys’ stuff! Currently – ‘Gerald’s Game’ (King), ‘The Everborn’ (Nick Grabowsky), ‘Darkness of the Soul’ (Noe) and ‘Rejected for Content IV (an anthology in which I have a story: ‘Snuffed: Fifty Shades of F****d Up’.
Now I turn the floor over to you. Where can we find you and your books? Any words for your readers?
A: I’m getting to be everywhere! My website is the main hub to find my work: www.jameslongmore.com , I have an author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/James-H.-Longmore/e/B01H0Q04AC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 , and can be found at www.jadedbookspublishing.com (the official home of ‘The Erotic Odyssey of Colton Forshay’.
Words for my readers? My warmest and most sincere thanks for spending your hard-earned and time on my work, I truly hope you enjoy reading it, and I hope we are embarking on a long and satisfying relationship together.
First I have to ask where did the idea for The Erotic Sexual Odyssey Of Colton Forshay come from?
A: Strangely enough, I actually dreamt the opening line ‘it was raining bodily fluids again…’ and coupled that with a stray memory of a TV show I saw years ago about a guy who was in a relationship with his car (I remember to this day the abject look of sheer disappointment on the guy’s father’s face as his grown-ass son explained to him how he and the car made love. The book just kinda grew from there…
Was there ever moment while you’re writing it and think; “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
A: I set out to write a novel that I’d imagine the Monty Python team would have written had they been in the bizarro market but still, quite possibly during some of the more way-out scenes! I remember wondering if the game show (‘Rape’) on which Colton’s wife died was a step too far and the old guy in the supermarket trying to pay for his groceries with sex would be a hard one to swallow…
What’s the feedback been like? I’m sure there are those who are either shocked or offended by the subject matter.
A: I’ll be honest, the feedback has taken me very much by surprise! It has been awesome, and I’ve not had a visit from Homeland Security! People absolutely love Colton and his bizarre adventures and are lapping up the grotesquerie and bizarre erotica.
Will there be a sequel in the works?
A: I’m not really one for sequels, but there’s always the chance. I think Mr. Forshay may have more erotic, bizarre adventures I up his sleeve in that strange world of his….;
You also wrote a novel called Pede which I cannot wait to read. Is that straight horror and how do you go from giant centipedes to bizarro erotica?
A: Oddly enough, ‘Pede was the first novel I wrote (prior to that it had been screenplays) – an homage to all those fantastic creature movies and novels I grew up with. Moving from that to Colton was easier than you might think – it was simply a matter of taking the harness off and letting my creative brain roam free (and see where that got me!).
When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer?
A: Back in elementary school, when all the other kids wanted to be astronauts, cops and accountants (an odd boy, was Andy Martin), I wanted to write books! I wrote my first book aged seven, entitled ‘Stick Insects’ which was about stick insects. My second book followed shortly thereafter and was entitled ‘Dinosaurs & Moths’ (guess the subject!) because my interest switched from paleontology to entomology literally overnight. Sadly, neither have been picked up for publishing (maybe Jaded Books Publishing may consider it?), although I am considering the latter title for use on my upcoming anthology.
You also host Co-host the New Panic Room Podcast. How did that come about?
A: I was invited on to the show as a guest and people fell in love with my accent (Yorkshire – think Sean Bean as James Bond) – and they invited me back as co-host. The show has undergone some changes since then, under my influence, and is about to go through its final metamorphosis which will see it competing with the best of ‘em!
Where can we find it?
A:Follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/ThePanicRoomRadioShow/?fref=ts
Who are some of your biggest influences?
A: Jeeez, where do I start? Stephen King (obviously!), a brilliant UK horror author named James Herbert (his first book ‘The Rats’ was the very first grown-up horror novel I ever read, and ‘Pede is kind of my personal homage to that mighty tome), John Wyndham, HG Wells, Lovecraft, Monty Python, Clive Barker, Chuck Palahniuk, Joe Hill (the acorn didn’t fall too far from the tree there!), Edward Lee, Jack Ketchum, Wrath James White - I could go on and on…
Aside from horror and bizarro are there any other genres you’d like to explore?
A: I’d love to write a kid’s book, one that my little girl could read! I have written kid’s and family friendly screenplays, but never a book suitable for children. I have the ideas, just looking for a great artist to work with!
I also wish I had the patience for science fiction – I used to love Asimov, LeGuin and Clarke as a kid, but my stories tend to be tight and claustrophobic and do not encompass entire worlds and beyond.
When you’re writing do you outline or write notes?
A:I do, I do (almost an ABBA song!) – without an outline I’d just ramble on indefinitely and (literally!) lose the plot. And without notes, I’d forget stuff! I make notes on my phone, on neon green Post Its, in my document as I’m writing, I even have a waterproof notepad in the shower!
Any other projects in the work and if so can you tell us a little bit about them?
A: My fourth novel (And Then You Die – J Ellington Ashton) just came out, it’s a darkly comedic bizarro tale of fecal spirits. Then we have to wait for 2017 for the one after that, it’s a psychological horror (Flanagan – Sinister Grin Press). Then it’s back to traditional horror for ‘Tenebrion’ (TBA – you’re the first to know about this one!) and the work in progress is a dystopian crime thriller (working title: Dead to Rights). Oh yeah, and not forgetting ‘Dinosaurs and Moths’ !
What advice would you give to writers?
A: I’d say ‘write’. Don’t be one of those people who always says ‘Oh, I’m thinking of writing a novel’, and remember that sitting in Starbucks talking loudly about writing is not actually writing and will get you the sum total of nothing.
We’ve talked a bit about the bizarre genre on the podcast. Do you think it’ll ever return to where it was four years ago?
A: I’d like to think so. Sadly, bizarro has kind of wandered off into the uber-grotesque and gratuitously sexual for the sake of it. All stories need a great plot, engaging characters, a beginning, middle and end. I hope that my books The Erotic Odyssey of Colton Forshay, Buds & And Then You Die may help to turn this unfortunate tide.
What are you currently reading?
A: I always have a lot of reading on the go, I love to read what my fellow indi writers are putting out there, as well as the big boys’ stuff! Currently – ‘Gerald’s Game’ (King), ‘The Everborn’ (Nick Grabowsky), ‘Darkness of the Soul’ (Noe) and ‘Rejected for Content IV (an anthology in which I have a story: ‘Snuffed: Fifty Shades of F****d Up’.
Now I turn the floor over to you. Where can we find you and your books? Any words for your readers?
A: I’m getting to be everywhere! My website is the main hub to find my work: www.jameslongmore.com , I have an author page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/James-H.-Longmore/e/B01H0Q04AC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 , and can be found at www.jadedbookspublishing.com (the official home of ‘The Erotic Odyssey of Colton Forshay’.
Words for my readers? My warmest and most sincere thanks for spending your hard-earned and time on my work, I truly hope you enjoy reading it, and I hope we are embarking on a long and satisfying relationship together.
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