Paul Lubaczewski, author of the Amazon best seller “I Never Eat…Cheesesteak”, “Cult of the Gator God” and “A New Life” Paul has an upcoming collection of Appalachian Horror novelettes “3 Hits From the Holler” coming from St. Rooster Books on February 28th”
Paul-The next two books will be 3 Hits from the Holler with St. Rooster Books which consists of three novelettes and my next full-length novel will be later in the year from Madness Heart Press “The Wild Witches of West Bygod” which will be a return to horror-comedy.
Did you always know that you wanted to be a writer?
Paul- I think it would be safer to say that everybody but me knew it and told me so. Part of why I put off having work out in public as long as I did is because I’m a born contrarian.
What advice would you offer to the writers of the world?
Paul- Be persistent. Not just with others, but with yourself. There are a ton of writers out there that might be very good, but nobody will ever know because they gave up. It’s the simplest piece of advice, and probably the most difficult to follow.
What are you currently reading?
Paul-I am just about to finish “Speaks the Nightbird” by Robert McCammon.
Has anyone inspired you professionally over the years?
Paul-Honestly, and I say this not just because he’s been a good friend to me and my work, Jeff Strand. He is absolute rock-solid proof that even if you don’t have a big publishing house behind you, if you’re persistent and work hard, and of course you have some skills, you can make a go of it in this business.
What can you tell us about “3 Hits from the Holler”?
Paul- When I first started writing professionally and publishing, I did a lot of Appalachian or Hillbilly horror. Mainly because I live in Appalachia, the ideas were right outside my door. At some point I backed off of it. Even though I’ve lived here for sixteen years, it’s not where I’m from, so it felt wrong to be “that guy.” In the last couple of years, I’ve gone back to it a bit, Witches is also set in WV. Another thing came out of letting myself write some WV again were these three novelettes as well. Anyone who writes horror will tell you, while a novelette is an amazingly satisfying length to read the genre, it is also one of the hardest to sell to a magazine. Instead of beating my head against the wall over it, I contacted my buddy Tim Murr from St. Rooster Books who had published my novella “A New Life” and we were off to the races. I’m positive I achieved what I wanted with the pieces, authentically from Appalachia while at the same time not cartoonish. It’s difficult to write about an area without climbing into bed with cliches.
Who are some of your favorite writers?
Paul- My literary comfort foods can vary wildly. Though some authors stick with me over time. When I was younger it was Poe, then it was Zelazny. In my late teens/early twenties, I read stuff like Camus, Kerouac, Kafka, Vonnegut, and a slew of 19th century depressed Russians (and I was a lot of fun at parties, I can tell you). Then it was Terry Pratchett. Then Cristopher Moore and Jeff Strand. Lately I’ve been on a bit of a Robert McCammon binge. His best books are when he uses exactly the right number of words, which is harder than it sounds. Descriptive without overwritten or belaboring.