“He had 105 rejections before his first story sale and over 400 before he sold a novel. He hasn't learned much from his mistakes but thinks he'll probably improve with practice. If nothing else, he's become a better liar.”
Will the real Scott Nicholson please stand up?
North Carolina Mountains. Haunted Hotel. 1 Sheep and 1 Ghost meet.
Sharon: If you could pick a theme song to play every time you walked into a room, what would it be?
Scott: Disintegration by The Cure. It’s been my theme song for quite a while.
Sharon: When do you do your most productive writing? (day, night) If you wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea/scene do you run to the computer?
Scott: I used to be a morning person but now I work in the garden, and then panic and write before bed. I’d never get out of bed to write. If you had my wife, you wouldn’t, either.
Sharon: Cause she is so warm and cuddly or cause you would be forfeiting your life?
Scott: I wouldn’t sleep with anyone who might kill me. At least, not anymore.
Sharon: Did you ever feel like giving up on writing or publishing?
Scott: No. I’ve had some dark times in my career and life, but I just wouldn’t know what else to do. My first reincarnation was as a musician, and when that didn’t materialize, I had a black hole in my soul for about two years. Then, I decided, “I’ve always said I’d be a writer one day. Today is one day.” Writing is always there, it doesn’t take any huge effort except discipline, and it’s something you can do when you’re old, so why quit?
Sharon: What is your Precsssssssiousss? Mine is my kindle (I hug it daily
Scott: I like my Kindle, but I still read more paper books. I spend so much time freelance editing that I don’t get to read as much as I used to, and that’s something I plan to do in retirement—when I don’t do anything but write and garden and read.
Sharon: Finish this sentence: People think I am weird just because….
Scott: They are right. I am weird as hell, and the weirder I am, the happier I am. I like sweatpants with holes in them, driving beat-up cars, scrounging for firewood in the dump. I’d do well in a postapocalyptic world because I don’t need a whole lot, but I’d sure miss the Internet.
Sharon: The past decade has seen a spike in gory horror stories/movies. Your books are more like ghost stories. How do you feel about all the gore in movies and books?
Scott: I really don’t expose myself to a lot of it. I’m not a prude but I just feel no need to seek it out. It doesn’t teach me anything, so I’m not interested. I already know pain hurts and internal organs are disgusting when they’re external. I don’t think it’s a sign of the End Times or the decay of our moral fiber or anything. The End Times already happened. We’re just riding the fumes.
Sharon: 3 month blog tour. Did *you set it all up? Was it worth it? Would you do it again? Would you encourage others to do it?
Scott: Yeah, I started it about six weeks after I got the idea. I figured it was so big and crazy, it would be fun and fail spectacularly. I was setting it up as I was going. It was crazy and frantic and coincided with a surge in sales, so it was worth it. I don’t know if it will work for others, but why not? Although I tend to try something new every time, and so I’d say you should try something that hasn’t been done instead of duplicating something from the past.
Sharon: Put your iPod on shuffle, what are the first 5 songs that come up? (if you don’t do iPods, then what 5 CDs are in your car?)
Scott: Believe it or not, I still have a cassette player. I told you I was weird! I am not deliberately eclectic but I think the five out there right now are Beatles, David Bowie, Robyn Hitchcock, Bob Dylan, and The Smiths.
Sharon: Nice selection. I am a big Bowie fan. Golden Years is one of my favorite, along with Ziggy Stardust. I saw him in concert back in the 90’s!
Scott:Awesome, I saw him in the 80s and 90s. I’d say Ziggy Stardust is tops, followed by Let’s Dance and Outside.
Sharon: Have you ever called 867-5309?
Scott: No but I got to say it as a line in a student video once.
Sharon: Which book of yours is the Golden Child? Which is the Black Sheep?
Scott: Golden Child is As I Die Lying. It’s my autobiographical novel. I love it, so of course it doesn’t sell very well. My Black Sheep is probably Disintegration, my first bestseller, though it earned a lot of vitriolic feedback because the characters were a bit unpleasant.
Sharon: What type of musician were you?
Scott: Mostly bass in bands, though I played guitar, drums, and a little keyboard. A very, very tiny keyboard. Hmm, now you’re making me want to go downstairs and get out the acoustic.
Sharon: I would rather hear that than the recorder my 4th grader is playing every night. If I hear Twinkle, Twinkle one more time, I think I might snap!
Scott: Wait until I get him a drum set for Christmas.
Sharon: Would you classify yourself as a Renaissance man? (acting, author, reporting, music)
Scott: I’d say I am more like a person who has a lot of interests. I don’t get easily bored but it’s hard for me to even sit and watch a movie, because I’d rather be creating or planting or playing. I see the world as a big sandbox.
Sharon: J as long as you can keep the cats out of it.
Scott: I loathe cats. The sense of self-entitlement of a politician, combined with the sociopathy of…a politician.
Sharon: What type of writing environment/atmosphere do you prefer?
Scott: I can work anywhere but my routine is to sit at my desktop beside the big window. The world is out there, the Blue Ridge Mountains are out there, my garden is out there, but I have to consciously turn and look so it is not a constant distraction.
Sharon: (sigh) I love the mountains. Serenity is what I equate them with.
Katie: Do you have a plan if the Apocalypse happened tomorrow?
(Sharon looks around, where the heck did you come from?)
Scott: As I said, the End Times are over. Game over. But that’s good, because now the pressure is off. We don’t have to behave ourselves. I could survive pretty well off the grid, because I know how to garden and fish and hunt. The trouble would be getting shot by the people who don’t know how to do those things, though I’d be happy to teach them and share my seeds.
Katie: *pulls out Glock 39* Gimme all yo seeds! lol Kidding.
This is our famous Rapid fire question round:
Flanged Mace or Medieval Flail
Scott: For giving, or for receiving? I believe I’d go flail in either case.
Coke or Pepsi
Scott: Coke, rarely.
Sharon: damn, score one for you Katie.
Futbol or Football
Scott: Football. Go Panthers, if you change the tires and put some gas in the car.
Banded Mail or Breast Plate
Scott: Breast Plate. I’m a breast man.
Sharon: snort!
Mystique or Elektra
Scott: Well, I have heard of these but can’t visualize either. Wasn’t Elektra the one who slept with her dad? In that case, NOT her.
Squash or Cucumber
Scott: Depends on the purpose, but if it’s eating, squash. I grow about six different kinds.
Basil or Garlic
Scott: That’s cruel. We grow both. I like both. But I’d have to go with garlic because of its health and antiviral properties.
Sharon: I like garlic best too.
Sesame Street or Barney
Scott: Sesame Street!
Sharon: Old school then?
Scott: Snuffleupagus rules.
Youth or wisdom?
Scott: Well, I get dumber the older I get. If wisdom is down the road, I’ll take that, so I at least have something to look forward to.
Smooth or crunchy?
Scott: Smooooth.
Sharon: There you go with the weird again. Most men prefer crunchy and women prefer smooth (they did a study).
Scott: My taste buds are gay.
Sharon: Yeah, mine are pretty happy too ;)
Geek or Nerd?
Scott: Nerd. They are always underestimated.
Summer or Winter
Scott: Winter. I love the fire.
Sharon: YES! I love the smell of a wood burning fire place on a crisp October day!
Scott: October is my favorite month, of course.
Sharon: Where can readers find you in the next few months (blog tours, websites, signings)?
Scott: Wow, I hardly know where I’m going to be tomorrow! The best thing is to sign up for my monthly newsletter at scottsinnercircle-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, where you can also win gift cards, free books, and other stuff.
Thanks for stopping by Scott!check out all Scott's books over at amazon
***Scott is offering a signed copy of Thank You for the Flowers, a short story collection and we are throwing in some cool Sheep swag including the new Sheep pen. Follow our blog to double your chances to win! In the comments below make sure to enter both things:
1. We are going old school in Scott's honor: Tell me your favorite Sesame Street Character.
2. Your email address.
Contest runs until July 20th at midnight!
I've read a few of his books and they aren't the splatter type of horror. Just good character driven stories with some not so nice otherworldly creatures causing death and destruction :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview Sharon! I have a stack of his books I am going to eventually find some time to read. :) Coke rules!!!!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Bert & Ernie! I grew up loving Sesame Street. It seems kids these days don't even know who the characters are! I would love a chance to win this contest.
ReplyDeletethanks Sharon and Katie, for hosting me. Good luck in the giveaway, Karen and Hellokitty!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful interview today. Scott Nicholson is great and I love his writing. I am not trying to be a copycat, but Snuffleupagus is also my favorite character. When my son was a baby I gave him a stuffed one and in my finer moments, when in the passenger seat of the car of course, would have him peaking out at the other drivers waiting at stop signs and lights and then wave goodby to them with his snout. I got lots of smiles and double takes and what a joy it was. Thanks for bringing that memory back to me today and making me smile.
ReplyDeleteOf course I am a follower - we sheep follow you see. I appreciate the giveaway opportunity today.
dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com
I liked this interview alot! Fixing to download one of his books right now, thanks for introducing his writing to me. Like Kermit best,lol.
ReplyDeletejpennington1@ec.rr.com
I was obsessed with Ernie for some reason when I was a kid. I would always want to buy all the Ernie doll's I saw at Toys R Us and would go into brat mode when my parents wouldn't buy it for me. But my favorite character today is Cookie Monster. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletevanessanicole21 at yahoo dot com
Great interview!
ReplyDeleteI love Big Bird!
ReplyDeleteaikychien at yahoo dot com
I'm a follower.
ReplyDeleteaikychien at yahoo dot com
I loved this interview! It was interesting and fun. Great job!
ReplyDeleteScott is very talented. I love his books.
I love Cookie Monster.
cristinaalaska(at)gmail(dot)com
Contest closed. The winner is anonymous! I will send you an email! Congrats and thanks for playing stay tuned, there will be more of Scott's books up for grabs in the future.
ReplyDelete