Richard Kadrey is the author of ten novels, including Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, Aloha from Hell and Kill City Blues. The first Sandman Slim novel was published in 2009. It is one of 13 books listed on Barnes & Noble’s “Best Paranormal Fantasy Novels of the Last Decade”.
For the benefit of those not familiar with your Sandman Slim series, can you tell us a bit about it?
It’s about James Stark, a magician (in the sense that he can perform real magic) unjustly sent to Hell. The first book in the series is about Stark’s escape from Hell and his search for revenge on the people who killed his girlfriend and sent him to Hell in the first place. There’s a lot of action and a lot of questions about the nature of God, the Devil, and reality in general. Plus it’s funny.
What is it with the darkness that you find so fascinating?
I never think of my work of dark. It’s just what the inside of my head looks like. I’m very comfortable with monsters.
In your world you use a lot of occult and biblical symbolism. Is this something you’ve always been interested in?
I left the church when I was a teenager, but I’ve always been interested in the magical and religious systems that control so much of our belief and behavior. Sandman Slim is a perfect vehicle to explore those ideas.
What’s next for Stark, are you ending the series with the next book?
I’m writing book 6 right now and have pitched book 7, so I hope the series keeps going for a while. I have plenty of stories to tell. In the book I’m writing now—The Getaway God—the Angra Om Ya, the old gods that once controlled the universe, are coming back and Stark is working with the Golden Vigil trying to figure out how to fight them.
You also have a new book being released soon called Dead Set. It sounds quite different from Sandman Slim, can you tell us a bit about it? Why this change of scenery?
Dead Set is a YA novel about a 16 year girl named Zoe. Her life fell apart a year earlier when her father died. She and her mother lost their home and had to move into a crappy apartment in a sketchy part of town. Zoe left her friends behind and is starting at a school where she knows no one. While cutting school one day, she goes into a used record store and finds a secret room. The place is full of unlabeled records. When she takes on out of its sleeve it seems to have a beating heart, veins and arteries. The owner tells her that the records don’t contain music, but souls and that her father’s soul in among them. She can have it if she’s willing to pay the price. First a piece of hair. Then a tooth. Then… Zoe ends up having to go into a strange version of the afterlife to save both her dead father and herself.
I wrote the book because so many of my protagonists are powerful characters. I wanted to write about someone with virtually no power who has to find new strength within herself.
How did you start writing? Was there a particular book or moment in your life that spurned you on?
I’ve been writing my whole life, for as long as I can remember. My mother was a reporter, so there was a typewriter, pens, and plenty of paper around.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Learning to trust your instincts. Sometimes when composing a story you include something and you aren’t sure why. When you trust yourself, often these mystery characters and plot points will explain themselves. But you have to get to the point that you’ll allow a little chaos into your process.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Finish what you start. That’s the first and most important rule of writing. You can always fix them later, but you have to create something first.
What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?
Some favorites include J.G. Ballard, William Burroughs, Cormac McCarthy, and Angela Carter.
What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?
I do a lot of photography. After I finish a book it’s nice to do something that has nothing to do with words.
Anything you want to add to your fans?
Thanks for reading my work and I hope you enjoy the latest Sandman Slim, Kill City Blues, and my YA novel, Dead Set.
I’m a huge fan of the Sandman Slim books, and thought Kill City Blues was the best yet in the series. Can’t wait to read book 6, and I hope this series keeps going for a long, long time!