Author Interview: Rick Yancey

I was lucky enough to have the chance to interview Rick Yancey, author of The Monstrumologist. For those of you who missed my raving review of this amazing, well written, brilliant book, it can be found here along with a book summary.

Without futher ado... here is the interview. It is my first one, but I personally think it turned out great and am kind of bouncing in my seat over it... *blushes*

Where/how did you come up with the idea for THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST and how long did it take you to write/develop the story?

After finishing the Alfred Kropp adventures, I wanted to try my hand at a genre I have loved since I was a kid - the Victorian mystery/horror novel, a la DRACULA. What emerged after multiple attempts to get it just right was a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Frankenstein . . . THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST.

How far are you in your work on the next installment of this series and how long do you foresee the series to be?

There will be three books at the least. I'm working on the second book now. If anything, even scarier . . .

I certainly am awed by how you write, especially your descriptions- even the gory ones. Do you ever have to stop yourself from getting too gory or do you write it all in there, regardless of how vivid a picture it will create?

I try to faithfully record everything that Will Henry witnesses, and I don't consciouslessly hold something back. It is what he sees, and what anyone would see, should they go where a monstrumologist goes.


Do you ever scare yourself with some of the ideas you come up with or have trouble going back to the real world after a writing session?

All the time. And let me tell you, at 3:00 in the morning, monsters are REAL.

Are you interested in the horror genre outside of your own work and if so, what are some of your favorites?

I'll mention some. DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, the works of E.A. Poe and H.G. Wells. Early Stephen King. My book is compared over and over again to Lovecraft, whom I must confess I have never read. Maybe I'm channeling his spirit or something . .

Where were you first introduced into the horror genre enough to make you want to write it?

It had to be the first time I read DRACULA. Totally freaked me.

You write books for both adults and teens- is there one kind you like to the others and are your writing styles and processes different between the two?

The styles certainly are different, because I always write in the first-person, and no narrator should sound like another. The process is the same. Sit butt down, hands on keyboard, GO. I'm lucky in that I write both for pleasure; neither kind of book is a chore, and I know I'm very, very lucky that that is the case.

What is your favorite part and the hardest part of writing?

Favorite part: when the story just seems to start writing itself (that's when I know I'm on to something). Worst part: When nothing I try seems to work. Then I feel like a complete fool for ever taking up writing to being with.

Do you have any interesting writing quirks or rituals you go through?

I like to hum theme music when I write. I also act out certain scenes. But only when nobody is watching!

Is there anything else you would like to say or tell us?

Read my book! Please! It's really, really good. Really good!

Thank you, Rick, for taking the time to answer my questions and I agree with the last thing- read the book. It is phenomenal, at least in my opinion- and since this is my blog, and my interview, and my attempt to promote his awesome book, its really the only opinion that matters. =D And with the holidays coming up, what better time to ask for this book?