1. Tell us all about yourself, Brian, and what makes you tick and what do you like doing
when you aren’t writing!
a. I am currently an Enterprise Process Engineer for an e-commerce
company by day, aspiring writer by night. When not working or writing, I
enjoy cheesy horror movies, the kinds which are unintentionally hilarious.
So much so, in fact, that I have taken pilgrimages with friends to the
filming locations of a few of my favorites. I have been to the cabins
where the original Howling was filmed as well as the country and western
locales of Howling VII in Pioneertown, California. I have also frequented
the processing plant where Silver Shamrock tried to destroy the children
of the world via Stonehenge-activated masks in Halloween III. For my
next trip, I would like to visit Nilbog, where goblins wreaked havoc in
Troll II (interestingly enough, there were no trolls in that film).
2. Tell us about your family – married? Kids? Where you live!
a. I have been married for 18 years to a wonderfully beautiful and equally
tolerant woman. Together, we have three children – a daughter who is
eleven and going on seventeen, an athletic nine year old son, and a six
year old boy who is a perpetual motion machine. We all live in a suburb
of Salt Lake City, Utah. I have no heritage here, but it is a beautiful place
with tons of outdoor opportunities and I feel I am here to stay.
3. If you could travel anywhere in or out of this world, where would it be?
a. In this world, I would love to go to Ireland and go pub hopping. Outside
this world, I would rather enjoy a trip to Phobos or Deimos. I hear they
are quite lovely this time of year.
4. What is your favorite all time movie?
a. Well, aside from the gluttony of terribly bad horror movies, I also enjoy
the occasional well-made variety. One of those would probably be
Raiders of the Lost Ark. I saw it in the theater as a young boy and it really
made an impression on me. A close second would be Jaws. Both are
incredibly re-watchable classics.
5. What about weekly TV show? Why?
a. Weekly TV show has got to be The Walking Dead. It is remarkable
because the characters are so well defined and dynamic. Each has a
unique arc. The group itself is evolving, as well. You can see the walkers
as a force of nature whereby the world has ended, not just relenting hordes
of ravenous undead. The situation could very well be a global pandemic
or other cataclysm, lending to the realism of the show despite its
outlandish premise. It is a very well written and produced show in a time
where it doesn’t have to be to garnish market share.
6. What is the most scared you have ever been?
a. I had a dream once, a nightmare really, that I have never been able to
shake completely. In the dream, I was in a crowded indistinct foreign
marketplace. I am not quite sure where, but English was not the native
tongue. I was there with my children. I was lured over to a shop where a
young woman had a gambling table facing the sidewalk. She promised
easy money to me for a small risk. I was intrigued, so I went over, telling
the children to stay put for just a moment. At the table, I began winning.
The woman congratulated me and urged me to continue gambling. I was
distracted, but eventually remembered my children. I glanced over just in
time to see some men snatching them and quickly hauling them away. I
began to run over to help when the woman called me back to collect my
winnings. I turned to her and realized that by the evil expression on her
face, she was in on it. I ran to the kids, but they were gone. Nobody
spoke my language and I could not get help. I went back to the woman
with the gambling table, but she was gone as well. I woke up and had to
immediately check on the children. Ever since then, I have kept a close
eye on them in crowds.
7. If you could have any fantasy, what would it be?
a. I would like to, just once, find an abandoned castle where I could carry out
my experiments in peace. Not to have the angry throngs wielding
pitchforks, axes, or shovels charging the gate and setting the place ablaze.
Secondary to that, perhaps not having the experiments escape and wreak
havoc on the villagers in the first place would be nice. Or X-ray vision.
Forget the first two. Definitely X-Ray vision.
8. Now, tell us about your book?
a. I have a series of books out now that are horror anthologies for the adult
and young adult audience. It is called Fright Feast, and there are four
books with thirteen tales each. The stories range from reanimated
graveyard statues to mummies, vengeful spirits, monsters, and even an
apocalypse brought on by feral pigs. The tales have been received well
from readers and critics alike.
Currently, I am working on a horror novel called Ghost Town Terror in
same vein as the classic Goosebumps series. This is twist on the classic
ghost story whereby three normal young boys find themselves haunting an
entire town of apparitions. It is the premiere title for a new imprint of the
Teen Fox Productions called Monstrous Memoirs due out in 2016.
9. Where did you come up with the idea for your story?
a. My brain is plagued by stories. The problem I face is not coming up with
ideas, it is finding the time to write them down and “let the monsters out”.
I believe writers are inherently insane, to one extent or another. I mean
normal people don’t live in fantasy lands as much as writers. We’re a
weird, pitiable group.
10. What is your favorite thing about writing?
a. I like the manual act of writing, believe it or not. The mechanics are
enjoyable to me. I love writing on an old manual typewriter just as much
(perhaps more) than on a laptop. Typing and the physical sensation of
creating directly from mind to fingertips is amazing. I adore the process
entirely.
11. What is your biggest pet peeve about writing?
a. Marketing is a pain. I am not a salesman. I would rather write and leave
the promotion to others whenever possible.
12. Where can people find you? (give all your links)
a. http://www.amazon.com/Brian-James-Lane/e/B009KVNKAC
b. https://twitter.com/CreepyGram
13. Most important – where can we buy your story?
a. The Fright Feast series can be found at
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=series_rw_dp_labf?_encoding=UTF8&field-
collection=Fright+Feast&url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text and Ghost
Town Terror will be available through Teen Fox Productions next year.
Good morning all! I want to thank James for stopping by. Your books look fabulous!
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