Tim Lebbon (www.timlebbon.net)

Word Association

1. Editor Work

2. Chicken Curry

3. Education We don't need no

4. Conferences Beer

5. MySpace Who?

6. Shakespeare The Man

7. Jellyfish Yuck

8. Scary Spook

9. Frank Spencer

10. Pencil Pen

Regular

1. What do you like best about writing horror novels? Well, I tend to just write novels and they end up as horror. I suppose I love exploring the darker side of human nature, I like stretching my imagination, I enjoy making stuff up. I've every respect for people who write about love affairs and sport, historical naval novels or thrillers, but they're dealing with the real world. With horror - indeed, with any fantastical writing - you can stretch your creative muscles and create whole new worlds. These worlds still have love affairs and histories, but they're set in very different, exciting places.

2. What's your favorite word and why? Fuck. So many uses, such impact (if used correctly), and it can impart a whole page of emotion.

3. Having published a good number of books, is there anything that still surprises you about the business? I'm always pleasantly surprised when I get a new book deal. I still get excited whenever there's a good bit of news - a story accepted, a novel optioned, a new book deal with a current publisher. I still regard myself at the beginning of my career, really. Maybe I'll get old and jaded and just expect all the good stuff that comes my way, but I hope not - I much prefer the excitement.

4. How's writing a blog different from writing a novel? Well ... my blog is just news and a few random comments really.

5. Several of your works have been optioned for movies. What is that like? I've had 8 or 9 options, and while there's always excitement at a new one (a short story has just recently been optioned by an LA production company), I'm more laid back now - an option is fantastic, but it's only one step along the road to seeing a movie made. There are still a couple of projects that I'm very optimistic about, however.

6. Do you have a writing routine? I write whenever I can. Usually still 9 to 5, because I have kids in school and a wife who works. But I work in the evenings, and sometimes I get up early to catch up on stuff. I'm quite lucky in that I can usually sit down, think about things for an hour or so and then get to work. It's rare that I have a day when nothing happens, but if I do, I just take it as part of the creative process.

7. What advice would you give an unpublished writer? Write a lot, read a lot. Repeat.

8. If you were a red jelly bean, what flavor would you be and why? A red would have to be raspberry, wouldn't it? Why have strawberry when there's raspberry?

9. What question do you wish we would have asked you? What question do you wish we would have asked you? Oh, hang on ...

10. Is there anything else you can share with our writing community? Plenty. Lots of it is on my main website at www.timlebbon.net. And there are a couple of other sites I run: www.noreela.com for my fantasy novels, and www.thehiddencities.com for the novels I'm writing with Chris Golden.

Tim Lebbon (www.timlebbon.net)
Word Association
1. Editor	Work
2. Chicken	Curry
3. Education	We don't need no
4. Conferences	Beer
5. MySpace	Who?
6. Shakespeare	The Man
7. Jellyfish	Yuck
8. Scary	Spook
9. Frank	Spencer
10. Pencil	Pen
Regular
1. What do you like best about writing horror novels?	Well, I tend to just write novels and they end up as horror. I suppose I love exploring the darker side of human nature, I like stretching my imagination, I enjoy making stuff up. I've every respect for people who write about love affairs and sport, historical naval novels or thrillers, but they're dealing with the real world. With horror - indeed, with any fantastical writing - you can stretch your creative muscles and create whole new worlds. These worlds still have love affairs and histories, but they're set in very different, exciting places.
2. What's your favorite word and why?	Fuck. So many uses, such impact (if used correctly), and it can impart a whole page of emotion.
3. Having published a good number of books, is there anything that still surprises you about the business?	I'm always pleasantly surprised when I get a new book deal. I still get excited whenever there's a good bit of news - a story accepted, a novel optioned, a new book deal with a current publisher. I still regard myself at the beginning of my career, really. Maybe I'll get old and jaded and just expect all the good stuff that comes my way, but I hope not - I much prefer the excitement.
4. How's writing a blog different from writing a novel?	Well ... my blog is just news and a few random comments really.
5. Several of your works have been optioned for movies. What is that like?	I've had 8 or 9 options, and while there's always excitement at a new one (a short story has just recently been optioned by an LA production company), I'm more laid back now - an option is fantastic, but it's only one step along the road to seeing a movie made. There are still a couple of projects that I'm very optimistic about, however.
6. Do you have a writing routine?	I write whenever I can. Usually still 9 to 5, because I have kids in school and a wife who works. But I work in the evenings, and sometimes I get up early to catch up on stuff. I'm quite lucky in that I can usually sit down, think about things for an hour or so and then get to work. It's rare that I have a day when nothing happens, but if I do, I just take it as part of the creative process.
7. What advice would you give an unpublished writer?	Write a lot, read a lot. Repeat.
8. If you were a red jelly bean, what flavor would you be and why?	A red would have to be raspberry, wouldn't it? Why have strawberry when there's raspberry?
9. What question do you wish we would have asked you?	What question do you wish we would have asked you? Oh, hang on ...
10. Is there anything else you can share with our writing community?	Plenty. Lots of it is on my main website at www.timlebbon.net. And there are a couple of other sites I run: www.noreela.com for my fantasy novels, and www.thehiddencities.com for the novels I'm writing with Chris Golden.

Main | Writing Prompts | Classes | Interviews | Links | Search | Contact