Ask the Author: Joe Pawlowski
Answered Questions (6)
Joe Pawlowski
Not sure I'm the one to judge my best stories. Readers seem to like "Shadow Man."
Joe Pawlowski
Getting lost in your writing. It's like going into a trance. Then you suddenly look up and an hour has passed. I write basically horror or dark fiction so you would think the experience would be a little unnerving, but it really isn't. I'm a vegan because I don't want to hurt animals, and I even catch spiders and let them loose outside instead of just stepping on them. I would never harm anyone, but when I find myself slipping into the mind of a killer or describing some horrendous scene I'm completely at peace. Go figure.
Joe Pawlowski
When I was a young man I almost drowned at a public beach. The experience had a profound effect on me at the time. I remember the sensation of floating underwater and the sun shone through my eyelids. I was very much aware of the fact that I was probably going to die, but felt no fear or concern. I'm still not sure why I kicked to the surface but when I did it was right next to a raft. I pulled myself onto the raft and lay there exhausted. I actually used this memory when I wrote a passage in Dark House of Dreams, my second novel. It's one of those experiences you revisit throughout your life.
Joe Pawlowski
Lately, I've been reading Joyce Carol Oates a lot, Shirley Jackson's short stories, Thomas Harris, and my unusual usual: books and articles on true crime, myths and legends, Haitian vodou, demonology, monsters and mythic creatures, supernatural classics, ghosts, cannibalism, witchcraft, pagan religions, psychopaths, dream psychology, magic, deadly spiders and dangerous animals, strange diseases, deformities, and ways of killing people.
My morbid taste in reading materials gives me a leg up when I'm writing horror and dark fantasy. I have over 700 books on my Kindle and, instead of reading books straight through, I mostly dip in and out, depending on my interest at the moment. I have about the same number of audiobooks and listen to them quite a bit.
My morbid taste in reading materials gives me a leg up when I'm writing horror and dark fantasy. I have over 700 books on my Kindle and, instead of reading books straight through, I mostly dip in and out, depending on my interest at the moment. I have about the same number of audiobooks and listen to them quite a bit.
Joe Pawlowski
I've completed a novella about a boy who lives with his grandmother who tells him stories about his ancient ancestors who were headhunters and cannibals. The boy sort of flirts with the idea of becoming a modern-day cannibal himself, but ... well, I don't want to give away too much.
The story also features adventures on the dark web, a legendary Russian goddess, a serial killer, a conspiracy buff, and sort of a love triangle.
I received the manuscript back last week from Danita Mayer, who is my editor. After I go through the first-round corrections, I'll send it back to Danita for a second round. When she sends it back to me, I'll go through the whole thing again.
Then, I'll do the book's formatting and will give a copy of the formatted book to my stepdaughter, Jennifer Thompson, who will proof it for me.
I also use the program Grammarly in preparing my books.
Hopefully, the novella will be out before the end of the year. Stay tuned.
The story also features adventures on the dark web, a legendary Russian goddess, a serial killer, a conspiracy buff, and sort of a love triangle.
I received the manuscript back last week from Danita Mayer, who is my editor. After I go through the first-round corrections, I'll send it back to Danita for a second round. When she sends it back to me, I'll go through the whole thing again.
Then, I'll do the book's formatting and will give a copy of the formatted book to my stepdaughter, Jennifer Thompson, who will proof it for me.
I also use the program Grammarly in preparing my books.
Hopefully, the novella will be out before the end of the year. Stay tuned.
Joe Pawlowski
My most recent book is a collection of short stories called, "The Vermilion Book of the Macabre." I've always enjoyed reading short stories and, as it turns out, I also enjoy writing them. I tend to read quite a bit on bizarre and unusual topics, so I just applied some of that research. For instance, the subject matter of "Monster Man" is based on a book about rabies that I'd read. I got the idea for "The Craftsman" after reading about ancient torture techniques. "The Mask of the Imposter" was based on some articles I'd read on Imposter Syndrome, which is a real psychological condition. I find that being curious about macabre topics comes in handy when it comes to writing horror and dark fantasy.
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