I was extremely excited when I was given the opportunity to review one of my favorite horror authors, Peter Straub. Peter is the author of seventeen novels.  Without further ado…

You learned about your own mortality at a very young age.  How do you think this helped you to become a successful horror author?

My childhood trauma demonstrated to me very bluntly that the world was not at all benign, and that anything could happen to anyone at any time. The fear that this recognition induced was undoubtedly very helpful to me as a horror writer. I knew how fear tasted and how it worked. You really cannot beat first-hand knowledge.

You also started reading at an early age.  What sort of books were you interested in as a child? As a teen? Now?

When I was a child I read a ton of books about dogs by Albert Payson Terhune, a lot of books about horses, including FROG, by Col. Sp. P. Meeker, plus the Hardy Boys, and whatever I could find in libraries. STREET DRAG, by Henry Gregor Felson, turned me on. When I was in my early teens, I discovered science fiction and read tons of Heinlein, Asimov, Van Voght, and many many others. One day when I was a freshman in high school, I went into the fiction room of the school library and came across a book by Thomas Wolfe called OF TIME AND THE RIVER. The title appealed to me, the book more so: it seemed  nearly to be about me! After that, science held no more interest for me, and I was launched into the world of adult fiction. These days, I love Donald Harington, Elizabeth George, Dennis Lehane, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Chabon, Stephen King, Joe Hill, Kelly Link, Bradford Morrow.

Which one of your books was the most difficult to write?  Why?

In THE HELLFIRE CLUB, I cut half the material from my outline to make a briefer book and wound up taking twice the time I should have spent on it. I had no idea what my subject was any more. It took me about  a year to come up with a villain necessary to the story, a real ordeal.

I’m often asked how I can bear to read as much horror fiction as I do.  How difficult is it to write horror? Did you get questions of concern from your friends and loved ones when you started writing it?

I don’t think any of my friends felt anything like concern for me, and some of them were frankly envious. As for difficulty, it’s exactly as difficult to write horror as it to write any other kind of fiction. So the answer is “very.”

Do you have a process for writing? How far in advance to you plan your books? Do you write at a certain time of day? Location?

I make notes, I ponder, I try to cook up a kind of scheme. Very often I have created an outline, but the outlines fades away as I move along. I write from four five hours a day, most of them in the afternoons.

Have you had any strange experience at book signings or other bookish events? Crazy fans, odd questions, etc?

No, thank goodness.

Name one interview question you detest answering.

What’s it like to work with Stephen King?

Thank you, Peter, for taking the time to speak with me.  One of the things I’m interests me about authors is where they work.  To wrap up the interview, I asked Peter to send me a picture or two of his work area. It’s amazing what you can learn about a person by looking at where they work.  Following are a few pictures of Straub’s work area, his desk:

In December, you may recall we had a lovely snowstorm, bringing us 20″ of snow. Guess what!? We’ve been hit with yet another snow storm.

Friday P.M.-Not too bad, right?

6:30 AM on Saturday. 20" of snow!

9:30 AM on Saturday and the snow is still falling!

At least the boys are enjoying the snow!

The snow is still falling!  By the time it’s all over, we’re expecting around 30″ of snow!  The local Department of Transportation has indicated that neighborhood streets won’t be cleared for another 36 hrs.  Therefore, the entire J-crew will be spending the entire weekend indoors.  We’ve got a ton of great food planned.  The husband has already cleared a path to the grill, so we’ll be eating well!  I’m hoping to get some reading done!  We’ll see if that happens!

Updated pics:

Saturday, 1:30 PM

Believe it or not, that's my van under there!

Trees are breaking under the weight of the snow. Breaking limbs sound like gunshots.

I’ve officially started the countdown!  In a little over three months, I’ll be making my way to NY to attend Book Expo America 2010.  I had a fabulous time last year.  I got to meet dozens of bloggers I’d chatted with online for months. I networked with publicists and authors and made some pretty awesome connections.

One of the things I can’t wait to attend after BEA this year is Book Blogger Con 2010, a one day event intended to provide support, instruction, and social time for people who blog about books. Book Blogger Con will take place May 28, 2010, immediately following BEA. If you have a book blog and you’ll be in NY for BEA, this is the place you’ll need to be!

I remember when I was planning for my trek to BEA 2009.  I had so many questions so I thought I’d come up with a FAQ for first time attendees! My answers obviously reflect my personal opinion :)So, without further ado!

What is the attire for BEA?

The official attire is business casual.  Last year, I wore dress slacks and a casual top and layered it with a blazer. Comfortable shoes are a must!  Comfort comes before cuteness!  Don’t wear heels or flip flops or anything else that lacks support.  On the flip-side, don’t wear your grungy old running shoes.

Are the books really free?

Yes, the majority of the publishers do provide ARCs to BEA attendees.  Be realistic in what you decide to pick up. Take the time to read the back of the book and see if the book is one that you’d be interested in.  This isn’t a shopping spree, the goal is not to see who can bring home the most books.

There are some publishers that don’t offer free ARCs. Don’t beg for a copy of a book.  Don’t grab it off the shelf while no one is looking.  If you aren’t sure if the ARCs are free for the taking, ask first!

What are five things I should bring with me?

1. Comfortable shoes (explanation above)

2. Business cards: you will be meeting a ton of new people.  You will go through a great deal of business cards, so it would make sense to purchase them from somewhere pretty economical.  My suggestion is vistaprint.com.  You can get a pretty decent number of business cards for under $20.

3. Water/snacks:  you will be doing a lot of walking.  And while there are some (great) cinnamon almond vendors in the Javits Center, you should still bring your own snacks. Your days will be long and you’ll need to keep your energy up!

4. Tote bag: you will need something to carry your books in.  There will be an abundance of tote bags given away but oftentimes these go very fast!  So pack something with plenty of padding on the straps; your shoulders will thank you later!

5.  Patience:  If you plan on participating in any of the author signings, plan on standing in line for a long time.  Your comfortable shoes and water & snacks will really come in handy now.

I think that about covers it!  Don’t forget to sign up for Book Blogger Con! I’d be remiss not to mention that Book Blogger Con is now officially affiliated with BEA 2010!  Register for Book Blogger Con and you’ll be automatically signed up to attend BEA!  One stop shopping, gotta love it!

So, are you attending BEA 2010? I’d be happy to answer any questions!

Congratulations, Heidi! Your book will be mailed out this weekend.  Please be sure to check out Heidi’s Blog, TBC-The Black Cell.net!