I Need More Bigfoot – An Interview with Author Eric S. Brown
It only seems fitting that I cap off a week where I released a novella about skunk apes with an interview with Eric S. Brown, the godfather of Bigfoot books. Now, there’s way more to Eric than just Bigfoot – the dude is quite prolific – but I came to know of his work through my fascination with our hairy cousin. Eric has two books currently tearing up the charts, Crypto Squad and my fave, Bigfoot War (along with its sequels, especially Bigfoot War : Frontier).
It’s been a goal of mine to interview Eric, and now I can cross that off the old bucket list. Enjoy!
1. It’s 1975 and I’m on the TV game show Password. My celebrity partner (I’ll pretend it’s Lynda Carter, complete with Wonder Woman costume) turns to me and says, “Bigfoot”. Now, since I’m a man of the future on an old game show sitting next to Wonder freakin’ Woman, my answer is as clear as a cloudless sky. I blurt out, “Eric S. Brown!” I’m right, we hug and move on to the next round. You are the Bigfoot master when it comes to horror fiction. What drew you to the wild man?
ESB: When I first started writing, zombies were my thing. I wrote them for about eight years. I had a lot of books in that genre published like Season of Rot and War of the Worlds Plus Blood Guts and Zombies. Finally though, even though I still loved them, there came a point when Zombies just didn’t do it for me as a writer anymore. I wanted something else. I remembered back to my childhood, living in rural North Carolina, and there was Bigfoot. He scared the Hades out of me as a kid and I knew I had my what I was looking for. I came up with an idea that mixed the Bigfoot mythos with the feel of a zombie/end of the world book and Bigfoot War was born. Today, it’s still the # 1 rated by customer reviews Bigfoot book on Amazon and it’s had three sequels published to date. 
2. Looking at your Facebook postings, I’m amazed by the sheer number of books you have out or are coming out. What’s the latest and tell us a little bit about it.
ESB: My latest two books are Crypto-Squad and Boggy Creek: The Legend is True. Crypto-Squad is another genre bending book like Bigfoot War. The zombie apocalypse is raging and the world’s only hope is government sponsored agency that uses Cryptids as both agents and weapons. Crypto-Squad pits Mothman, The Jersey Devil, Bigfoot, The Chupacabra, and more against zombie hordes in a struggle to save what’s left of the human race. Boggy Creek: The Legend is True is a novelization of the film of the same name.
3. How many books have you published? I know that they’re all not about Senor Sasquatch. What are some of your favorite monsters that you write about?
ESB: I’m gonna go with a lot in terms of a number of books. As to my favorite monsters, of course Bigfoot, Mothman, and Zombies are my top three at the moment. However, I also have a series of Werewolves books called “A Pack of Wolves”. A Pack of Wolves I and II are on the market now and soon Grand Mal Press will be releasing a limited hardcover that collects the two of them and also includes a third installment of the series exclusive to it.
4. If you were on a camping trip in, say, east Texas, and you open up the tent in the middle of the night to see a six foot Bigfoot staring you in the face, what’s your first instinct?
ESB: Pull out the huge freaking gun I was carrying with me and blow it away before it can rip me limb from limb.
5. Now, I often write about ghosts and find myself in situations and places that are know paranormal hotspots. Have you ever gone out Squatch hunting? 
ESB: Trying not to laugh, I will have to answer no. I am a total geek. I am mean super geek. I live in a house full of books, comics, and horror films, seldom venturing outside unless it’s in search of more coffee.
6. What do you think of Finding Bigfoot on Animal Planet?
ESB: I have not watched it. Seriously, I love Cryptid stuff and watch loads of horror films and documentaries but that show I just haven’t made it to yet.
7. Have you ever been to Boggy Creek? (on a side note, I had a chance this year but got rained out). What do you think of the movie and is it time for a solid remake?
ESB: I have not though I would love to go someday (if I can convince myself to venture out). I really enjoyed the new one and the old one is a genre defining classic that you just have to love. Working with Jennifer Jaynes, the screenplay writer for it, on my novelization was awesome. She’s such a pro. Between the two of us, I really think the new book blows the new movie out of the water because it functions on a much deeper level and on my end, has a lot more guns and gore.
8. What book are you currently reading and what’s the next one on your to-read list?
ESB: I got hooked on the Honor Harrington series over this past summer and devoured those. Currently, I am waiting on David Drake’s new horror collection to be released. Drake is my hero and in a sense my mentor. He’s my fav. author of all time. And if those didn’t give it away, yes, I read a lot of Military SF. I am much more likely to pick up a book by folks like Eric Flint, Timothy Zahn, or John Ringo than one by somebody like Stephen King.
9. Thank you for taking the time to answer my sometimes-insane questions. Is there anything else you’d like to tell the folks visiting Hunter’s blog and chain?
ESB: Thank you for having me on here. I hope that if you’re looking for something crazy different in terms of Crypto-Zombie horror, give the Crypto-Squad or my Bigfoot War series a go.
A Swampy Preview & a Chance to Win a Monster
The day is finally here. Swamp Monster Massacre lives! To kick things off, I invite you to visit the first stop of the blog tour (as seen in the previous post) and take a gander at the following preview of chapter one. This isn’t your grandfather’s bigfoot story – that’s if you had a strange grandfather obsessed with the big ape. To check out all the stops on the first severed leg of the tour, click here. Dates will be added weekly because this bad boy is running until the end of the year. 
And to make things extra special, I’m going to pick a random person who responds to this post to win a $5 Samhain gift card, which shockingly is more than enough to pick up your own copy of SMM with change to get a second novella.
Remember, keep your hands in the ride at all times and no flash photography. Skunk Apes hate that.
SWAMP MONSTER MASSACRE
Chapter 1.
Rooster Murphy pried his knuckle out of Cheech’s shattered eye socket with a grunt of frustration. Goddamn guy’s skull must have been made of honeycombs to break apart like that. Cheech’s right eye, in all its smooshed, gelatinous glory, quivered on the knuckle of his middle finger. He flicked his wrist in disgust and watched the eye splatter against the floor, leaving a slick streak.
“I told you to cut it out, didn’t I?” he screamed at the Cuban man’s cooling corpse. “Did you think I was fucking playing with you? Huh? Jesus, Cheech! You know, you really put me in a tight spot. You really did. You fucked me good, man. You fucked me good.”
He hocked a wad of phlegm on Cheech’s chest for good measure.
Now what?
All Cheech had to do was hand over the guns, and all he had to do was give that entitled Cuban the money. Simple. A friggin’ retard could have handled that.
But Cheech, man, he always had to ride him. Always had something to say. Always quick with a joke at his expense. He was Luis Cortez’s son after all, so he thought that gave him a free ride to say and do anything he felt like.
And Rooster, he’d really been trying to hold it together. Five court-ordered stints at anger management, meds that made his head fuzzy and his dick soft, meditation CDs made by California fruits, and all that other shit out the window in under a minute.
So now he had the guns and the money and Cheech’s stiff with the surprisingly fragile skull. It was only a couple of punches. Must have been all that blow Cheech did, eating away at his stupid face.
Fuck it. Either way, he was a dead man. Rough Cheech up a little, you could expect Papa Luis to come down on you so hard you own mother would feel the loss in her old, empty womb.
Rooster took a moment to think about his options. The guy’s apartment was straight out of that Cribs show, full of all kinds of marble and hi-tech electronic shit. The air conditioning was on full blast and, as he discovered walking into the kitchen, there was plenty of Presidente beer in the fridge. He usually preferred the cheap stuff like Busch or Schaefer, but beggars can’t be choosers.
He twisted off the non-twist-off cap of a Presidente and sat back on the big leather couch. Rooster shoved Cheech’s legs away with the heel of his sneaker. The cold beer felt like heaven as it sluiced down his chest and into his gut.
This was bad. He’d been down shit creek more than his share of times, but this one took the cake, ate it, crapped it out, clogged the toilet and spilled out onto the floor. Cortez had guys all over Naples. Hell, his arm stretched down to Miami and up north to Jacksonville. Getting out of Florida was going to be like that Clint Eastwood flick, The Gauntlet. That was pretty badass when Clint fortified a bus to take on an assault from more guns than the French had surrender parties.
For the first time since entering Cheech’s apartment, Rooster smiled. He remembered seeing that movie with his dad at the old Big Star Drive-In. He must have been ten at the time. His dad would park a couple of ratty old lawn chairs in front of their Chevelle and they’d eat popcorn one of his succession of ‘aunts’ had made at home. And on special nights, like the night they saw The Gauntlet, his dad would share a few sips of his suds with him.
It wasn’t until Rooster had finished the beer that he remembered he wasn’t supposed to drink alcohol with his meds. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to drive, operate heavy machinery, walk, talk or screw when under the influence of alcohol, because no matter what you are in the middle of doing, you are about to take a world-class face-plant.
“Crap.”
The room spun and he thought he saw Cheech move. The bottle slipped from his hand and his mind slipped from this world.
Swamp Monster Massacre is available at Samhain Horror, Amazon, B&N and everywhere e-books are sold.
The Swamp Monster Tour Countdown
In just 4 days, my novella, Swamp Monster Massacre, emerges from the Everglades. In it, you’ll see why criminals, tourists and skunk apes don’t play well together. It will be available as an e-book through Samhain Horror. The Swamp Monster Blog Tour starts on the release day, Tuesday, October 2nd. The tour itself is going to have 4 (severed) legs and will run until the end of the year. We’re talking between 30 and 40 stops! 
The first leg is all set to go, with posts, reviews and more importantly, giveaways. All along the tour, I’ll be giving away signed books, e-books, gift cards, signed stuff and more, so make sure to drop by each stop and enter to win. And pick up a copy of old Swampy or give him a Like. Gotta keep the monster happy. It’s under $3 everywhere e-books are sold.
I’ll announce the other (severed) legs here and keep checking the Signings & Appearances tab for updates to the tour.
(Severed) Leg 1:
Oct 2 : Brian Moreland’s Dark Lucidity Blog
Oct 3 : Fictitious Musings
Oct 4 : Aniko Carmean, The Happy Horror Writer
Oct 4 : Lil Gracie Lou Blog
Oct 6 : Darlene’s Book Nook – Horror Spotlight
Oct 8 : Horror Author, Jonathan Janz
Oct 10 : Horror Author David Bernstein
Oct 11 : Midnyte Reader
Monster Men Vanish!
To see the found footage that may relate to their disappearance, click the Missing poster.
Time for a Giveaway!
In this day and age of online communications, waiting excitedly for the mailman doesn’t happen very often. Well, this is one of those days. My Fedex dude just dropped off a box of my new bookmarks. I splurged for the super high gloss and heavier card stock so they would stand out and last more than a week. I gotta say, they’re pretty sweet. A lot of that is thanks to my friend and designer, Jerry Mulcahy. He did an awesome job and also designed our Monster Men logos.
If you live in the US and you’d like some signed bookmarks and a Swamp Monster Massacre promo card (gearing up for a 3 month blog tour with that bad boy), just send me an email at huntershea1@gmail.com with your name and address and I’ll get them right out to you. This is my way of saying thanks for all of your support and encouragement. And no, you will not be added to any mailing lists. Come get some!
A Horror(hound) Pictorial
I’m back from the Horrorhound weekend in Indy and the air is already getting crisper, the night coming sooner. October is coming. That means Halloween is near. It also means I’m ready to begin my month-long immersion in all things horror.
To get the season going, I have a couple of things. First is The Monster Men’s new podcast on The Bermuda Triangle. Terror on the high seas!
Second, since a picture can say a thousand words, here are 14,000 words on Horrorhound and Halloween. Thank you to everyone who came to the Samhain table and especially those who picked up some signed copies. You all made our day.
Notes from the Underworld : Horrorfind 2012
I think the best way to talk about this past Horrorfind Weekend is to roll with the random thoughts and pictures. So, here’s what’s dripping out of the old brain pan, 24 hours after we departed our little horror shangri-la.
Attendance wasn’t as, shall we say, robust as it has been in the past. However, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a lot going on. This was my first time at Horrorfind as a guest. I was at the Samhain horror table with 7 other talented authors. All of them were as nice as can be (not evil, devil worshipping sex maniacs like people think horror writers are) and it made me realize I’m in some stellar company. Big time twisted love to Brian Moreland, Ron Malfi, Mick Ridgewell, John Everson, Damien Walters Grintalis, David Bernstein and Russell James. You don’t need to be a psychic to know the future of horror is right here at Samhain.
From L to R : Hunter Shea, Brian Moreland, John Everson, Damien Walters Grintalis and David Bernstein
And I can’t forget the Samhain staff, including Don (our amazing editor), Dawn and Jacob, he of the mighty kilt (though he is wearing jeans in this pic)!
As the fates would have it, my hotel room was right next to actress Meg Foster’s (the actress with the amazing crystal blue eyes of They Live fame, not to mention about 100 other movies and TV shows). We got to talking about ghosts and meditation, hugged, and even exchanged a copy of Forest of Shadows for a signed picture. She’s a fascinating, caring woman. What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and tell the teenage me that I would one day meet her and hand her my book that she said would be her plane read. Teen Hunter would have said, “Yeah right, hammer. Keep dreaming.”
I was in the bar with author Norman Prentiss and saw an old dude walk by. I said, “That guy looks like Rob Halford.” Norman corrected me. “That’s Pinhead!”
I watched Dee Wallace hold court one night, sitting with a few other celebs while a ring of onlookers gaped at them. Dee and the gang were just having some drinks, but it was like they were on a little stage. Not wanting to be part of the rubberneckers, I trained my attention on the scraggly guy singing karaoke tunes from Rocky Horror Picture Show. Disturbing.
Actress Kim Darby (Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, True Grit) was also near my room and I happily led her down to show her where the celebrity room was. She’s a kind and seemingly fragile woman. For some reason, I kept checking on her to make sure she was having a good time.
We met the cast of Pet Sematary, with the exception of Fred Gwynne, of course.
My favorite attendee was this little guy who walked around in dress pants and dress shirt, wearing a lucha libre mask and sometimes carrying a brain on a stick. Over 3 days, he never once took that mask off.
I also met a pretty cool guy who hand crafted an entire Ghost Busters costume. It was impressive to say the least.
I rode the elevtor with Count Gore De Vol and we talked about what we had for dinner the previous night. The Count had yogurt for those keeping track. Wonder if it was blood flavored?
During my slot in the author reading room, I showed a Monster Men best -of episode and talked about ghosts. That was fun and I kept people awake, which is always a good sign.
For lunch one day, I had a hot dog that looked like a cooked baby arm. Not by intention. As someone said to me, a hot dog that big had to be filled with lots of snouts and assholes.
My wife bought me a skull for my writing area. Here I am showing my appreciation.
On the last night, all of the Samhainers went out to dinner in Gettysburg. It’s amazing to see how all of the history has been put aside so they can stress the paranormal. The sidewalks were even painted with little ghosts. Ghosts sell. We did see a bunch of Civil War re-enactors having dinner outside an old tent. Keeping to tradition, they munched on McDonald’s.
Oh yeah, and I was signing copies of Evil Eternal and Forest of Shadows. Great weekend. I have 4 days to prepare for Horrorhound in Indy. Wonder what I’ll see there?
Beware the terror of Evil Eternal!
Horrorfind Bound!
I’m packing up the Shea-mobile tonight so I can head out first thing tomorrow to the Horrorfind Weekend in Gettysburg, PA. I’ve been going there for years as a fan. This is the first time I get to go as a guest, and I’m thrilled. I’ll be joined by six other Samhain Horror authors and will be signing books, doing readings and causing mayhem all weekend long. There will also be a film festival, costume contest, supernatural seminars, a horror themed car show and lots more. The cast of Pet Sematary will even be there, along with a ton of horror screen legends. To learn more, click here. Trust me when I say, Horrorfind is the most fun a horror fan will have all year. Come on down and have a drink with me. I promise, I’ll buy a pitcher or two, or three, or four.
Evil Eternal Giveaway, Horror Cons, Movies, Ghosts and More
First let me kick things off by having a little giveaway this week. Evil Eternal, my little ode to demon slaying, is going to be in print on September 2nd. Thank you to everyone who bought the e-book. Now, as an author, my hot little hands get advance print copies of my books.
I’d like to give a signed copy away to one of you out there in blogger land. Entering the contest is muy simple. All you have to do is click on the book cover right here. That will take you to the Amazon page. Once you’re there, all I ask is that you give it a Like, then share it either through Twitter, FB, on Pinterest. If you hover on the Like button, icons to share through any of those will appear.
Once you’re done, just throw a comment here that you did it and you’re eligible. I’ll pick a winner on Wednesday, August 29th. It will be shipped out the next day. Scout’s honor.
This coming Friday, I’ll be heading to Gettysburg, PA to attend the Horrorffind Weekend. I’ll be with a crazy group of Samhain authors signing books, doing readings and having a ton of fun. Horrorfind weekend is my favorite weekend of the year. Hope you can attend! Then, the following Friday, I’m off to Indianapolis, home of cafeteria style food, to represent Samhain and meet the cast of Aliens at the Horrorhound Weekend Convention. It will be my first Horrorhound and I hear it’s enormous.
I was fortunate enough to do something super cool this week. I was invited to be a member of a paranormal panel for the NY Spotlight on Success show down at Chelsea Manor in NYC. Big thanks to Diana and Joe for letting me and my Monster Men brother Jack talk about all things ghostly. We had a blast, got to check out the ‘haunted’ spots in the club, and met a ton of great peeps, including paranormal researchers Dan Sturges, Laurence Hewett, and psychics Michelle Dauria and Krystin Reilly.
Aside from finishing what I hope is the final round of edits on my kids horror story, and getting ready to write another novella and novel, I’ve been recharging my brain by watching movies. What keeps little Hunter going? Here’s a sample along with my 3 word review. So, what are you watching?
Fantastic, creepy story!
Decent psychological thriller.
Lost slasher gem.
