John Everson – Master of Ero Horror

John Everson was one of my first introductions into the world of erotic horror, and I got to meet him last year at Tomes of Terror! I was so happy to see him returning again this year, and he’s definitely a must stop table for me. Read on to learn more about him, and maybe he’ll be a must stop for you as well!

Q: Who has been your biggest supporter(s) throughout your career?

And my wife has supported my writing for 30 years now – since I sold my first story to a small press magazine and committed to writing fiction every week. I’m always spending time closeted away to write, and once I started releasing books, she’s had to keep the home fires burning, taking care of our son and our birds while I’m driving around to bookstores and conventions.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A: It’s just my nature; I’m a creative. I’ve written songs, poems, and stories since I was in grade school. And I’ve dabbled in photography and digital art – I’ve done a lot of book cover and graphics creation using Photoshop over the past 30 years. I like to cook and garden. I’ve even dabbled in woodwork on occasion. I can’t just sit and watch or read or listen… I have to be making something to be really satisfied.

Q: What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned, whether about yourself or the industry as a whole, since you started your writing journey?

A: I’ve learned that most people are not simply good people or bad. They’re both. Everything is shades of grey, not black and white.

Q: If you could meet with your past self at the beginning of your career, what wone thing would you tell yourself?

A: Network harder, earlier!

Q: What has been the hardest part of your career so far?

A: The day I learned that the mass market line was killed and my editor, Don D’Auria, was let go from leisure Books was rough. It was just a couple weeks after my fourth novel, Siren, was released. That’s when I knew that my days as a mass market author were pretty much over; Leisure (actually their parent company, Dorchester) would go on to release one more novel from me that I had turned in, but I remember that night well. I was on a business trip in Santa Fe, ready to do some writing at one of my favorite places, Cowgirl BBQ, when I read the email, and it was like a gut punch. I didn’t write that night. And, in fact, I didn’t write for the next six months. It felt like everything I’d worked for was over at that point.

Q: If you could go back and change anything about your career, would you? If so, what would it be?

A: I wish I’d put more irons in the fire during my “riding high” years at Leisure. Maybe when that publisher crashed and burned, I would have been able to continue with a mass market career if I had. That’s the one thing I have learned about artistic careers – when you have success, you can’t just enjoy it, you need to use that moment to hustle and get a lot of other things going so that when the attention turns away (as it almost always does) you have created a broader reach and more projects to sustain you.

Q: What do you consider to be your biggest strength as an author? Your kryptonite?

A: I think I can write scenes that elicit a feeling, an emotion, in the reader. That’s why I love short stories; you can really focus on creating a moment that resonates in the reader’s heart after the last word.

As for the kryptonite…I’ve never been a labyrinthine, complex plotter.

Q: Dealing with negativity can be challenging, whether that’s from bad reviews, critics, social media, or other sources. What is your strategy for dealing with that side of the industry?

A: I mean, you try not to take that stuff to heart. But I don’t believe anyone when they say it doesn’t impact them at all. The best thing you can do is to turn away from it for a while and do something else when the arrows fly. For me? I may go work on a song on my piano or play pinball. Something else that I enjoy that will pull my mind away from the heartache that comes from seeing your work “torn down.”

Q: What has been the most impactful piece of advice that you’ve been given, and how have you used that advice in your writing journey?

A: Mort Castle once wrote to me when I was down about the death of Leisure Books and told me that I needed to just buck up and weather it. It was a stretch of bad luck, but if you stay in the game long enough, the good luck will come back. We all get stretches of good luck, bad luck, and no luck at all and the key is just— stick with it and weather the storm. I have had that note taped to the back panel of my desk for over a decade. And this year I’m celebrating my 30th as a published author, so… I’m following his advice still!

I don’t remember if someone told me this or if it’s just how I inherently am, but another bit of advice is “write for yourself.” I’ve always lived by that. I don’t try to write a vampire book or a zombie book just because those things are “hot” right now. I write what interests me and tell myself a story I want to hear. That way, I’m entertained and hopefully some readers will be too.

If you can’t make it to Tomes, you can still meet John at the Glen Ellyn Library where he will be doing a reading on Halloween as part of their No Shush Salon. He will also be doing a signing at the Barnes & Noble in Orland Park, IL on November 16th! Now read on to learn more about John and for some excellent conversation starters!

Q: If you were to write a spin-off about a side character in any of your stories (published or not), who would you pick and why?

A: I’ve thought about writing a spin-off trilogy to my Covenant trilogy following Alex, a character who can see and talk to spirits. I created her in Sacrifice and followed her in Redemption and for a long while considered doing something where she was the lead character. But… hasn’t gelled yet.

Q: What is your worst reading habit? Are you a dog-earer, a margin-writer, or do you practice some other egregious offense?

A: I’m really careful with my books – can’t stand creased spines and bent pages.

Q: Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written and why?

A: I can’t say that any of my characters were stressful to write. There were, however, some stressful scenes in NightWhere and The Night Mother where I worried about pulling punches on some of the over-the-top sexualized horror. I worried about how much to describe, how far to go and where to draw the line and let the rest be filled in by the reader.

Q: If you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve published, what would future historians think of you?

A: Erotic horror author with a nostalgic penchant for reliving the glory days of ’80s paperback horror and ’70s Italian giallo films.

Q: What is your quirkiest writing habit?

A: Not sure if it’s quirky or not, but I like to write in Irish bars where there are comfy dark wood booths, good music, and good beer.

Q: If you had to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?

A: Music is a dream you can hear.

Q: You have to wear a T-shirt with only one word on it for the rest of your life. What word is on your shirt?

A: Jalapeno.

Q: If your name was suddenly used as a verb, what would your name be doing?

A: Drinking a West Coast IPA.

Q: In the story of your life, who (or what) would be your nemesis?

A: Dawn. My favorite time of day is from 10 p.m. – 4 a.m.

Q: If someone were to open your fridge, what is the weirdest thing they’d find?

A: A bag of fresh Hatch Chile Peppers.

And while you’re waiting, give Scott Kenemore’s Edge of the Wire a read! It’s a sci-fi novel with spaceships, aliens, and an unexpected dark side… what’s not to love?