Talking about vampires, zombies, and Jane Austen with Seth Grahame Smith
By Maria Gagliano and Celia Blue Johnson
What inspired you to become a writer? Are there any writers who have significantly influenced your work?
I became a writer by osmosis more than anything. My mother’s been a book editor since I was little, and my stepfather had a five thousand–volume collection of used and rare paperbacks in the basement. I read constantly as a kid. I can’t say there was a specific moment where I decided, “Hey, I think I’ll be a writer now.” I guess it’s the same as asking a professional athlete, “What inspired you to become a professional athlete?” I enjoyed writing, and enough people gave me praise and encouragement that I kept it up. As for influences, I know this isn’t as cool as saying Ayn Rand or James Joyce or whatever (not that they aren’t wonderful)—but I’d be lying if I didn’t say Stephen King. Between the ages of twelve and sixteen, he’s just about all I read, and I read him obsessively. I’m still amazed at how prolific the man is and how unnervingly good he is at creating images that take up permanent residence in your brain. As I’ve gotten older my reading has shifted to histories and biographies, especially by writers with that same flair for imagery—Doris Kearns Goodwin, Walter Isaacson, David McCullough, and others. I count them as influences too.
What’s one of your most memorable images from a Stephen King book? Do you think any of his titles in particular have really influenced your work?
The death of Gage Creed in Pet Sematary stands out. I was a kid when I first read that book, and I remember being really affected by it. The idea that this sweet, innocent little boy (not much younger than my brother or I) could just—poof—die. How sudden and brutal it was. In terms of being influenced by a particular title, I’d say On Writing without a doubt. It’s the best book on the craft I’ve ever read. I try to revisit it once a year.
Can you tell us a little about your writing process for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Was it as simple as going through a copy of the book and inserting zombie scenarios whenever you thought they’d work, or was it as all–compassing as writing a new book from scratch?
I can’t say that it was as difficult as writing a three–hundred–page book from scratch, but it was challenging in other ways. I had to carefully read the original several times through to work out the logistics (if I change something in chapter 3, how does it resonate in chapter 53; where am I going to put these new zombie sequences, and what will they be?).
Once I knew where I was going, it was a matter of starting on page one, line one, and going from there. Sometimes I’d insert a couple of lines; sometimes two or three paragraphs. Sometimes I’d write three or four consecutive pages of new material.
By Maria Gagliano and Celia Blue Johnson
What inspired you to become a writer? Are there any writers who have significantly influenced your work?
I became a writer by osmosis more than anything. My mother’s been a book editor since I was little, and my stepfather had a five thousand–volume collection of used and rare paperbacks in the basement. I read constantly as a kid. I can’t say there was a specific moment where I decided, “Hey, I think I’ll be a writer now.” I guess it’s the same as asking a professional athlete, “What inspired you to become a professional athlete?” I enjoyed writing, and enough people gave me praise and encouragement that I kept it up. As for influences, I know this isn’t as cool as saying Ayn Rand or James Joyce or whatever (not that they aren’t wonderful)—but I’d be lying if I didn’t say Stephen King. Between the ages of twelve and sixteen, he’s just about all I read, and I read him obsessively. I’m still amazed at how prolific the man is and how unnervingly good he is at creating images that take up permanent residence in your brain. As I’ve gotten older my reading has shifted to histories and biographies, especially by writers with that same flair for imagery—Doris Kearns Goodwin, Walter Isaacson, David McCullough, and others. I count them as influences too.
What’s one of your most memorable images from a Stephen King book? Do you think any of his titles in particular have really influenced your work?
The death of Gage Creed in Pet Sematary stands out. I was a kid when I first read that book, and I remember being really affected by it. The idea that this sweet, innocent little boy (not much younger than my brother or I) could just—poof—die. How sudden and brutal it was. In terms of being influenced by a particular title, I’d say On Writing without a doubt. It’s the best book on the craft I’ve ever read. I try to revisit it once a year.
Can you tell us a little about your writing process for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Was it as simple as going through a copy of the book and inserting zombie scenarios whenever you thought they’d work, or was it as all–compassing as writing a new book from scratch?
I can’t say that it was as difficult as writing a three–hundred–page book from scratch, but it was challenging in other ways. I had to carefully read the original several times through to work out the logistics (if I change something in chapter 3, how does it resonate in chapter 53; where am I going to put these new zombie sequences, and what will they be?).
Once I knew where I was going, it was a matter of starting on page one, line one, and going from there. Sometimes I’d insert a couple of lines; sometimes two or three paragraphs. Sometimes I’d write three or four consecutive pages of new material.