Lyle Perez-Tinics Interview
Lyle Perez-Tinics is an author of zombie novels as well as the owner of horror publisher Rainstorm Press.
Can you provide us with a brief summary of your novel Dement?
It’s actually a novella, not a novel. Dement is about a pawnbroker named Mark, whose made a living ripping people off. An elderly woman named Maggie Bliss walks into the store wanting to sell a gold necklace to help pay for her son’s funeral costs. Of course, Mark takes the necklace and basically swindles it out of her. Maggie begins to walk out of the store where she is instantly attacked and killed by one of the living dead. But is she really dead? Soon after the incident, Mark begins having dreams about the mysterious old lady; dreams that will never let him rest in peace.
What were your motivations to write Dement?
I don’t know what motivated me to write Dement. It kind of just happened. I’ve been working pawnshops for years so I know all of the “behind the scenes†stuff that happens. I know how much of a profit these people make and all of the “cons†they use to take people. Knowing all of this made it easier to write the opening scene where Mark and Maggie make a deal. But as I was writing I started thinking, “What would happen if zombies came out of nowhere right… here!†After that the story took on a mind of its own.
Having started your own publishing company, Rainstorm Press, what made you decide to publish Dement through Knight Watch Press?
There are a lot of small publishing houses out there. Many of them are run by regular, hardworking people like you and I. They also tend to be run by people who like to write and they use their press to publish their own stuff. I didn’t want to be “that†kind of press. If I’m going to be published, I don’t want to be the publisher as well. I have nothing against people who use their publishing house to publish their own stuff, it’s just not for me. Occasionally, you will see one or two of my books published through Rainstorm Press, but that’s only because I’m still learning this publishing thing and I’m using my own stuff as a test run. If I end up messing up on something it’s okay because it’s my own book. I wouldn’t want to mess up someone else’s.
Speaking of Rainstorm Press, would you like to give us a brief summary on how that’s been evolving?
It’s been coming along well. Our first anthology, Signals from the Void, has been accepted well by reviewers on Amazon. We are also in the middle of doing our charity Christmas book, The Undead That Saved Christmas Vol. 2 and Vampire Edition. All of the proceeds from that book go to help buy Christmas present for foster kids. Last year I did Vol. 1 and self-published it. This year I hope to have a better distribution now that I can use the Rainstorm Press name ISBNs. We also just signed our first mystery/thriller writer, Jane Isaac. Her book An Unfamiliar Murder is a great work of fiction and I can’t wait to help her present it to the world. Be expecting that one early 2012.
When you sit down and write, what is your perfect writing environment, quiet, music, a specific room in the house? What helps get you in the mood? Watching classic horror films or…?
I need it to be quiet. When I write, it’s like the entire story is playing in my head like a movie. Can you watch a movie when someone is talking in the background? It’s kind of hard to understand what’s going on. So I need it quiet to really envision that story playing in my head. I can pause the scene I’m writing and move the camera angles while in pause so I can vividly describe what I’m seeing. I’m not sure if other writers do this, but it works for me.
Music helps me get in the mood but I can’t listen to it. It basically plays in my head. If I need sad music, my mind plays it. If I need action music, my mind plays it.
I’m not much of a movie watcher. I’d rather watch the movies in my head.
Who are 5 people, besides friends and family that you would want to be stuck with during the zombie apocalypse?
Oh jeez. I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a zombie apocalypse with anyone. I’ll have a better chance of survival if I’m alone. But it I had to pick… I’ll choose the entire cast of The Expendables. If anyone group of people will survive it’s all of them.
In a hypothetical zombie apocalypse, which do you prefer? The classic slow zombie or the fast moving zombies we’ve seen in some of the adaptations and remakes?
You gotta go with the slow zombies. There’s no suspense with fast zombies. They see you and will chase you down: the end. With the slow zombies you’ll be able to run and once you turn the corner BAM! There’s one ghoul staring you in the face.
What advice can you impart to authors who want to break into the horror genre?
Think differently from what’s already out there. If you’re going to write a zombie story, make it as original as possible. I’m tired of seeing the same plot devises like using bandits in a zombie story. Knock that off! Enough with the bandits that are trying to take your shit. Write a story and avoid that. I’ve always said that the best thing about zombies is that we don’t know how they begin. It was ever explained in Night of the Living Dead, it was only speculated. That’s where the originality can come it. One of the anthology I’m going to be opening soon is titled Dead Zero: Genesis. I’m going to be editing that one with my good friend Eloise J. Knapp. We want stories that explain how the zombie plague began. Be looking for the open submissions call for that one soon.
Who do feel is directly responsible for your entry into the horror genre and specifically including zombies into your work?
I would have to blame the Resident Evil games for my fascination with zombies. As for horror… I don’t know. I always liked being scared as a kid. There was this book called Tales to Tell in the Dark or something like that I loved. Another book was In a Dark, Dark Room. These are popular amongst any kids in elementary school.
What and who are your favorite authors and books?
The list is endless. My favorite author hands down is James Rollins. If it wasn’t for his book Amazonia, I probably would not have fallen in love with the thriller genre. I’m actually in the middle of writing a thriller book. A few months back I started writing a zombie serial novel titled Rising From The Tempest. I put that novel on hold because I wanted to revamp it as a thriller. So far it’s coming out well and to all the people who were reading the original serial, don’t worry, the rewrites are coming along great and it’s going to be Epic.
I really enjoyed Paul is Undead by Alan Goldsher. That book made me laugh so many times. I just finished Valley of the Dead by Kim Paffenroth, another good read. Plague of the Dead and its sequel, Thunder and Ashes by the late Z.A. Recht are my favorite zombie novels.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.
