A Mystery Guest Interview
Published
By Trista Herring Baughman
Hello, Dear Readers,
Spooky Season is my favorite season–the (sometimes) cooler weather, the fresh, crisp air, the smell of bonfires and funnel cakes and roasted corn at the fair, barn sales, pumpkin patches, and reading my favorite horror books.
If I’m being honest, I read and write some subgenre of horror year round. So far I’ve only published children’s horror, but I hope to change that soon.
One of my favorite blog topics is author interviews, I do this a lot on my personal blog. It’s even better when I can combine author interviews and spooky season topics, so I wrote one of my favorite horror writers for an interview a few months ago and was delighted when he agreed.
A Few Clues
- He was a featured expert on the History Channel’s Zombies: A Living History and True Monsters.
- He is a board member of the Horror Writers Association and the president of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.
- He’s a New York Times best-seller and #1 Audible best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner (yes, you read that right), anthology editor, comic book writer, executive producer, magazine feature writer, playwright, writing teacher/lecturer, and magazine editor.
Mystery Guest Revealed
He will be featured in Pikes Peak Writers 2025 anthology, The Other Side of the Mountain as a marquee author–Jonathan Maberry!
I meant to keep this interview brief (word count limits and busy lives), but I kept thinking of things I wanted to ask. He was gracious enough to answer them all.
Thank you for doing this interview, Mr. Maberry.
Readers, I know you will enjoy this glimpse into his brain as much as I did. Read on!
TRISTA: You’ve written books, comics, plays, magazine articles, etc. You have quite an impressive writing career. What is your favorite thing that you’ve done and why is it your favorite?
JONATHAN: I have so many favorites, and that’s largely because I write in different forms (novels, short stories, essays, poetry, comics, nonfiction articles and books). I doubt I could pick a single favorite. But there are favorites in different categories, so I’ll give you that.
My favorite standalone horror novel I’ve written is INK. I did some very deep dives into the research of tattoo culture, the LGBQT culture, and police forensics. And the novel has my creepiest villain (Owen Minor).
My favorite fantasy novel is KAGEN THE DAMNED, the first in the Kagen trilogy. I have been reading swords and sorcery fiction since I was seven or eight. First novel I ever bought with my own money (as opposed to schoolbooks) was CONAN THE WANDERER by Robert E. Howard, Sprague de Camp, and Lin Carter. I devoured all of the Howard stories, along with Michael Moorcock, Fritz Lieber, CL Moore, Karl Edward Wagner, and JRR Tolkien.
Favorite thriller is PATIENT ZERO, the first in my ongoing series of weird science action thrillers.
Favorite YA book is ROT & RUIN, which spawned six sequels and is now in development for film.
Favorite anthology I edited is WEIRD TALES: 100 YEARS OF WEIRD. It’s a bucket list thing to have even written for Weird Tales, but to have become its editor is just plain nuts.
Favorite Comic Book is my Black Panther stuff (POWER and DOOMWAR), which provided about 40% of the plot of the recent blockbuster flick, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER.
Favorite nonfiction book was VAMPIRE UNIVERSE, because it would have greatly pleased my wonderfully spooky grandmother.
TRISTA: You’ve written several zombie books. Is it hard to keep coming up with descriptions?
JONATHAN: The fun thing about writing zombie stories is the origin stuff –explaining how the plague started. I’ve taken two separate paths with that. One is using prion diseases (spongiform encephalopathy), especially the fatal familial insomnia variant. Creepy and deadly, and present enough in the press thanks to outbreaks of Mad Cow Disease, that it had name recognition with the readers. And I did a ton of research for that with epidemiologists and molecular biologists.
I chose a different path for the outbreak that is at the heart of two related series, DEAD OF NIGHT (four novels) and ROT & RUIN (seven novels). For that one I worked with parasites as the basis for the disease, and again dove deep with experts from around the world.
If you’re a true research junkie, as most writers are, then this kind of thing is no burden. It’s a twisted kind of fun.
TRISTA: Do you use a thesaurus or zombie description generator or does it all come from your brain?
JONATHAN: My brain is weird enough and crammed with enough trivia that I don’t need to rely on APPs or software to write, plot, edit, revise, or describe. And I loathe AI for pretty much anything.
TRISTA: You’ve been named one of Today’s Top Ten Horror Writers. That’s awesome; Congratulations! How were you notified and what was your reaction?
JONATHAN: My publisher spotted it in a news article and let me know. Kind of surreal, but I’ll take it!
TRISTA: What advice do you have for someone just starting in the genre?
JONATHAN: Couple of things… read deeply into the genre. Read the classics (Stoker, Shelley, Wells, la Fanu, MR James, Shirley Jackson, etc), read the newer hits (King, Straub, McCammon, Lansdale, Little, Laymon, Rice, etc.), and then explore the current crop of amazing storytellers (Stephen Graham Jones, Christopher Golden, Sara Pinborough, Sarah Langan, etc.). Sooooo many fantastic writers. By reading their works as a reader and again as a writer, you can learn a lot about how the various elements of the fiction craft (voice, pace, figurative & descriptive language, POV, etc) can be manipulated to craft powerful new works.
TRISTA: Every author’s dream is likely to have their story turned into a TV show or movie. What was the process like for V-Wars? Did someone just approach and ask for movie rights or did your agent pitch your idea to Netflix?
JONATHAN: V-WARS was published by IDW Comics, and they are structured to co-own the license. They also have a media division, and it was those cats who shopped V-WARS to TV. I had very little actual involvement at the time. Now I have a killer book-to-film agent, Dana Spector at CAA, and I’m far more involved in shopping projects around, and developing them.
TRISTA: Did you have a hand in writing the screenplay? Are you pleased with how it turned out?
JONATHAN: I was not directly involved in V-WARS or with Netflix. I was named executive producer only toward the end of the process. So I had very little input. However, since then, every project I’ve had optioned now lists me as an executive producer, and with creative input.
I will likely write some TV scripts for future projects.
TRISTA: Are there any plans to adapt your other works to the screen?
JONATHAN: My YA post-apocalyptic zombie novels are in active development with Alcon Entertainment. We’re at the second draft of the script and I’m looking forward to reading it soon and giving notes. And I have several other IPs (intellectual properties –i.e. novels, short stories, comics, etc) that are either under option now or are close to being optioned, both in the U.S. and abroad.
TRISTA: Do you think writers must have an agent?
JONATHAN: It certainly helps. Agents find markets, develop relationships with editors, negotiate the amounts of advance, negotiate deal points to help the writer, advise on career directions, liaise with other industry professionals (film agents, producers, other editors, etc) on the writer’s behalf, and much more. I know for a fact that my career would not be at the level it is if not for my agent, Sara Crowe.
TRISTA: Do you attend writer’s conferences?
JONATHAN: I love writers’ conferences and have been attending many as a guest, panelist, toastmaster, guest of honor, or keynote speaker. I started as a presenter back in my magazine feature-writing days and attend a greater number of them these days. I love helping other writers gain a deeper understanding of how publishing works; I love teaching useful classes on elements of craft; I love teaching workshops like the Art of the Book Pitch, Creating Compelling Characters, Developing a Novel from Idea to Finished Draft, Writing Fight and Action Scenes, Editing on a Deadline, and others. I also do career counselling at some writers conferences, and that’s always a lot of fun.
TRISTA: What book (and/or author) has most influenced your writing career?
JONATHAN: Richard Matheson’s I AM LEGEND is without a doubt the most influential single novel I ever read. Even though it’s about a vampire apocalypse, it is the prototype for all zombie outbreak books & movies, and for most kinds of apocalyptic outbreak stories. George Romero took a lot of notes from that novel when he wrote and directed NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
One thing the book did that had not really been done before, is to give readers the science. Usually most early works that fall into the category of ‘science fiction horror’ (FRANKENSTEIN, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, etc.) allude to the science, but provide none of it. Matheson went the extra mile. Also, it deals with the main character’s existential struggle, even to the point of making him the villain of his own story. Utterly fascinating. Sadly, that point was missed in the movie adaptations of the book.
TRISTA: Do you ever worry that your latest book won’t sell, or does that worry go away once you’ve written a bunch?
JONATHAN: Every writer worries a bit. But I don’t lean into obsessive fretting. I do my best to write commercial fiction that will appeal to readers while still maintaining my artistic integrity. And I have an amazing agent, great editors, a talented and reliable assistant, and so on. Plus, social media allows writers to reach a global audience, so that helps.
TRISTA: I read in your bio that you were a martial arts teacher. How has this influenced your writing?
JONATHAN: I’ve been involved in Japanese jujutsu for sixty years and am a retired 8th-degree black belt. That training always helped with courage, focus, discipline, and insight. Our style also required that its practitioners learn more than moves. We had to learn a great deal about anatomy, physiology, psychology, and the law. And those studies greatly impacted the kinds of things I write, how I do my research, and how I write fight & action scenes.
TRISTA: Which would you rather be: a zombie, a zombie hunter, or a superhero?
JONATHAN: Superhero. I don’t relate to monsters at all. I like the people who fight monsters. But I’m also a lifelong comic book fan, so I think I’d like to be a superhero.
TRISTA: Something else I read in your bio was that you dedicate all of your published works to your wife, Sara Jo. I love that! My husband reads all of my stories before anyone else. I don’t know what I’d do without him! My sister and kids also read my work before I send it into the world. They’re the best beta readers ever. In what ways is your wife supportive?
JONATHAN: Sara Jo did me a great service at the beginning of my fiction career. She offered me a deal: she was retired, but said she would go back to work in order to pay the bills while I wrote my first novel. The agreement was that if I was not making enough money within five years, I’d give up the novel stuff and go back to teaching jujutsu. Just shy of the five-year mark I landed a 3-novel deal and then a 4-book nonfiction contract. I was able to support the family from then on, and my wife was able to retire again. Along the way, she’s offered nothing but unwavering support. She’s a marvel and I am a very, very lucky man.
TRISTA: That is so beautiful! I love that. What comes first for you–the plot, the characters, or the title–and why?
JONATHAN: I usually get a plot idea first, and often that comes with a point-of-view character. I then sit down and begin mapping out the story while also fleshing out the character. Why is he the protagonist? How will he deal with the threat? How will he grow as a result of the events? From there I’m off and running.
TRISTA: Your work has won several awards. How does that make you feel? How are they nominated?
JONATHAN: Being nominated for awards happens in as many different ways as there are organizations that give awards. I have nothing to do with that part of the process and I’m always surprised. Delighted to be sure, but surprised.
Awards are wonderfully validating. Not sure I’d have continued in fiction had my first novel, GHOST ROAD BLUES, not been nominated for two Bram Stoker Awards. I won “Best First Novel” but lost “Novel of the Year” (to some upstart kid named Stephen King). And then I won other awards for different books, fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novels. It always catches me off guard because there are so many other writers out there every bit as talented as me.
TRISTA: How many books have you written? Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
JONATHAN: I’m writing my 51st novel (since 2006). I’ve done 28 nonfiction books, 26 runs of comic books/graphic novels; 160 short stories; edited 26 anthologies; and have 16 short story collections. Before that, I wrote about 1200 feature articles and roughly 3000 reviews and filler pieces. I also wrote sarcastic greeting cards and how-to manuals. It’s been a long, strange trip.
TRISTA: How many works in progress do you currently have?
JONATHAN: At this moment, I’m writing COLD WAR, my 51st novel; and doing advance research for SLEEPERS WAR BOOK 2, which I’ll be writing next. I have about eight or so short stories to write. I’m in the art-phase for a GODZILLA VS CTHULHU comic for CMON Games. (I’m not the artist –just the writer—but my input is part of the team effort). And a company (Crystal Lake) is about to launch a Kickstarter for a Joe Ledger/Violin horror comic. I have another comic in discussion (samurais vs zombies). I’m also editing a couple of anthologies and editing two different issues of Weird Tales Magazine. And I’m on Zoom calls a bunch for some film & TV projects.
TRISTA: Who is your favorite zombie character of all time?
JONATHAN: In works other than my own, it’s the little girl in Mike Carey’s The Girl with all the Gifts (both the novel and the movie adaptation). In my works, it’s Homer Gibbon, who was in three novels, DEAD OF NIGHT, FALL OF NIGHT, and LOST ROADS.
TRISTA: When did you know that you wanted to be a writer and how did you make that happen?
JONATHAN: I can’t ever remember wanting to be anything else. Before I could read and write I was telling stories with toys. I’ve always written, and was in every school paper or journal. Sure, I’ve done other jobs along the way (bodyguard, bouncer, jujutsu master, graphic artist, etc), but my default setting is writer.
I first broke in when I was in college. I took a magazine feature class and began pitching and selling to markets like Black Belt, Karate Illustrated, etc. Then in 1991 a textbook publisher approached me to write the texts for a couple of friends who were excellent teachers but not comfortable as writers. And I wrote the textbooks for the classes I was teaching (Martial Arts History, Jujutsu, Women’s Self-defense, etc).
My first novel was GHOST ROAD BLUES, and that was how I landed an agent and my first book deals.
My first comic book was a Wolverine short, and I was scouted by Axel Alonso, who was editor-in-chief of Marvel at the time. He’d read my novel, PATIENT ZERO, and reached out to see if I’d like to try my hand at comics. I jumped right in.
TRISTA: You’re the editor of Weird Tales Magazine. Mind telling us a little more about that?
JONATHAN: Weird Tales Magazine is the world’s oldest horror publication. It’s the magazine that launched the careers of folks like HP Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, Ray Bradbury, and others. I was introduced to it by L. Sprague de Camp, and fell in love with the strange and creepy vibe to it.
When publisher John Harlacher decided to re-launch the magazine after it had been shut down for some time, a mutual friend –movie producer Tony Eldridge (THE EQUILIZER, etc)—suggested me. At first I just wrote a story for it –a fantasy piece called “The Shadow Beneath the Stone”, but soon they asked me to step up, first as editorial director and then full editor. It’s a bit surreal to be part of something so old and influential as Weird Tales, and I’m deeply grateful to be its current editor.
TRISTA: I want to thank you again for your time. It was such an honor to interview you today. Is there anything else you’d like to say to horror fans or aspiring horror writers?
JONATHAN: For writers of all kinds…if you go to this page on my website, there’s all kinds of free downloadable PDFs, including a sample query letter, how to write a novel synopsis, samples of manuscript formats, comic book scripts, and more.
Also…if you want to write…then write. Don’t let anyone scare you off or talk you out of it. Go be weird and write your heart out.
For a list of classes and workshops taught by Jonathan Maberry, click here.
Need more on writing horror? Check out these resources.
There’s Something Strange About My Brain by R.L. Stine
On Writing Horror by The Horror Writers Association
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
PPW Articles:
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