Ask the Author: Doug Goodman
Answered Questions (8)
Doug Goodman
Ooh, that's a question I can sink my teeth into. And without spending the next five hours talking about it, I will say this:
Authors I read
I read everything, but especially horror, and I read as much outdoor and animal books as I can. So when it comes to horror, I enjoy the books of Stephen Graham Jones, Joe Hill, Joe’s dad, and Paul Tremblay. When it comes to animal and outdoor books, I have a hard time finding authors who write consistently about those topics, and they are usually memoirs. That being said, Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Into Thin Air are mesmerizing, addictive books. Sy Montgomery’s works are full of empathy and wonder. James Herriot was the Incredible Dr. Pol before Dr. Pol was around, but with the addition of really interesting characters and observations.
Authors I admire
I really admire authors who can spin a good story while making it feel like a conversation they’re having with you. It feels so personal, like I’m sitting across from the narrator. Maybe I’m on a porch with Joe Lansdale who’s telling me strange and horrific (yet amusing) anecdotes about life in East Texas. Stephen Graham Jones and I had a very eye-opening conversation about the lives of werewolves. We were in his a dirty trailer home with busted beer bottles and sagging furniture. One of my favorite experiences was walking around The Valley with Domingo Martinez while he told me stories about his life growing up there. I remember it was really hot, but I laughed a lot. Just so you don’t think I only read Texas authors, one of the craziest times I had was with Tamsyn Muir. If you ever want to learn about what it takes to be a necromancer, she can tell you all about the dark arts of the future while making your jaw drop about a hundred times.
Authors I read
I read everything, but especially horror, and I read as much outdoor and animal books as I can. So when it comes to horror, I enjoy the books of Stephen Graham Jones, Joe Hill, Joe’s dad, and Paul Tremblay. When it comes to animal and outdoor books, I have a hard time finding authors who write consistently about those topics, and they are usually memoirs. That being said, Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Into Thin Air are mesmerizing, addictive books. Sy Montgomery’s works are full of empathy and wonder. James Herriot was the Incredible Dr. Pol before Dr. Pol was around, but with the addition of really interesting characters and observations.
Authors I admire
I really admire authors who can spin a good story while making it feel like a conversation they’re having with you. It feels so personal, like I’m sitting across from the narrator. Maybe I’m on a porch with Joe Lansdale who’s telling me strange and horrific (yet amusing) anecdotes about life in East Texas. Stephen Graham Jones and I had a very eye-opening conversation about the lives of werewolves. We were in his a dirty trailer home with busted beer bottles and sagging furniture. One of my favorite experiences was walking around The Valley with Domingo Martinez while he told me stories about his life growing up there. I remember it was really hot, but I laughed a lot. Just so you don’t think I only read Texas authors, one of the craziest times I had was with Tamsyn Muir. If you ever want to learn about what it takes to be a necromancer, she can tell you all about the dark arts of the future while making your jaw drop about a hundred times.
Doug Goodman
Hellooooo, RaChelle! The Zombie Dog books should all be on Goodreads (I just checked), and that includes the latest, Murder Dog. The novella Perro Chupacabra is also up, but it wasn't up a few months ago when I sent it out via my newsletter. Thanks for reading!
Doug Goodman
Sam, thank you for that review, and I am glad that you enjoyed the book. I have a new Zombie Dog book coming out in July/August. Contact me at douggoodmannet@gmail.com and I will email you an ARC. This goes for any advanced readers interested in one of my books. All I ask is that you put up your review and notify me when it is up so that I can like and share it.
Doug Goodman
Thanks for asking, Matt! I get a lot of my ideas from what's going on in my life. I think you should write what you know best, so I try to keep it always something close to me. Whether it is a giant monster or a zombie or whatever I'm writing about, I find that if I can tether the characters, the emotions, and sometimes even the actions, then I can write a book that feels more real.
I will give you a couple of examples. Cadaver Dog is about a search and rescue worker who trains her dogs to track zombies. The book is a quasi-memoir. I used to train search and rescue dogs, particularly Human Remains or "Cadaver" Dogs, and I was very active at the time I wrote Cadaver Dogs. Some of the scenarios and characters are loosely based on events and people I've encountered in the search and rescue community. So even though it's this odd "Where the Red Fern Grows" meets "The Walking Dead," I feel that if dogs were used to track zombies, this is how it would happen and how local governments would react to the situation.
Another example is Kaijunaut, which is about astronauts encountering kaiju monsters on a strange new planet. As outlandish as the premise can be, I've worked at Johnson Space Center for the past decade and a half, so I had a basis for grounding the story in people and ideals that I'd aggregated. As one of my review cycles, I handed the book over to several trusted friends who were also engineered, and they helped me keep the physics and processes cemented in realistic terms (so no FTL travel :) ).
My upcoming book, Wendigo Road, is based on a lot of time I spent in Montana and North Dakota working on reservations. It may be giant monster madness, but it will have that tangible, grounded quality to it.
Thanks again for asking!
I will give you a couple of examples. Cadaver Dog is about a search and rescue worker who trains her dogs to track zombies. The book is a quasi-memoir. I used to train search and rescue dogs, particularly Human Remains or "Cadaver" Dogs, and I was very active at the time I wrote Cadaver Dogs. Some of the scenarios and characters are loosely based on events and people I've encountered in the search and rescue community. So even though it's this odd "Where the Red Fern Grows" meets "The Walking Dead," I feel that if dogs were used to track zombies, this is how it would happen and how local governments would react to the situation.
Another example is Kaijunaut, which is about astronauts encountering kaiju monsters on a strange new planet. As outlandish as the premise can be, I've worked at Johnson Space Center for the past decade and a half, so I had a basis for grounding the story in people and ideals that I'd aggregated. As one of my review cycles, I handed the book over to several trusted friends who were also engineered, and they helped me keep the physics and processes cemented in realistic terms (so no FTL travel :) ).
My upcoming book, Wendigo Road, is based on a lot of time I spent in Montana and North Dakota working on reservations. It may be giant monster madness, but it will have that tangible, grounded quality to it.
Thanks again for asking!
Doug Goodman
Write early and write often. I was once asked if I could give my college self some piece of advice, what would it be? Keep Writing! You have to write to learn to write, and you have to read, too. Write and read and write some more. Write every day if you can.
Doug Goodman
Exorcizing the demons in my head. When I don't write, I hear stories. I start having vivid, lucid dreams. I'm talking, the kind of dreams you wake up tired from. So I like to say I'm exorcizing the demons. I'm a much happier person when I'm writing.
Doug Goodman
Caffeine helps. So does sugar. Sometimes if the roadblock is what to do in a certain situation, I might research the procedure. For example, what would the policeman do if x happens. Research it. If I get a character roadblock, I either think of the people I've known in my life, or I might think of characters from entertainment I've seen/read. I prefer doing the former, but especially if the character is minor, I may lean toward the latter.
I also like to break up my writing time. So if I can write, go to work, then come back and write some more, I've given myself some time away to think of my next step. If I'm writing throughout the day, I stop to run errands or take a walk.
The more I write, the more I find charting out my stories really helps, too. That way, when I get stuck 20000 words into the story, I can go back to my chapter synopsis and look at where I've been and where I want to go, and that usually helps me through any rough patches.
I also like to break up my writing time. So if I can write, go to work, then come back and write some more, I've given myself some time away to think of my next step. If I'm writing throughout the day, I stop to run errands or take a walk.
The more I write, the more I find charting out my stories really helps, too. That way, when I get stuck 20000 words into the story, I can go back to my chapter synopsis and look at where I've been and where I want to go, and that usually helps me through any rough patches.
Doug Goodman
Ooh, this is a good one. Standing squarely in my genres, I think of John Carter and Dejah Thoris as a great fictional couple that comes together, falls in love, and then go on pushing through the problems that their worlds throw at them. But I also think of Conan and Belit, who are kind of a precursor of Batman and Catwoman. Or worse, I think of Jack and Wendy from The Shining. But the first fictional couple that came to my mind, so the one I am sticking with, is Arthur Curry and Mera. I like them for the same reason I like John Carter and Dejah Thoris. There is the initial romance and love, yes, but this is more than just a couple, they are a married couple, and one character is synonymous with the other. It is hard to imagine an Aquaman storyline that does not somehow include his wife, and while I respect the power of new love, I appreciate the persistent passion of the married couple storyline. Another good one, in comic book format, is Alana and Marko from the Saga, which is a currently on-going story.
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