Kyle resident Scott A. Johnson’s third horror book, Pages, is scheduled to be published this month. The family man depends on long hours — and coffee — to fit writing into a schedule that includes a full-time job at Texas State and a part-time gig as a karate instructor. (Photo by Wes Ferguson)
by WES FERGUSON
Birds are chirping in the Plum Creek neighborhood in Kyle. Kids are riding bikes and playing ball, while moms push strollers down tree-lined sidewalks.
Little do they all know, something sick and twisted is lurking in the house around the corner: their neighbor Scott A. Johnson’s mind.
“The more brutally I kill you, the more I like you,” said Johnson, 40.
He’s not talking about his neighbors, though. He’s talking about the characters who populate his novels, the latest of which is being published this month.
Johnson is a Texas State University library tech by day and a horror writer by night. He’s a short man with a soul patch, a hoop earring through his left ear, and a pair of red Chuck Taylors on his feet. He recently discussed his writing with the Hays Free Press.
You’re more than a horror writer. You’re a paranormal investigator, too. Do you believe in ghosts? If so, do you have any proof?
I do believe in ghosts, and in my work investigating haunted places, I’ve had a few experiences that brought me to that conclusion. I have recorded voices from empty rooms, chased cold spots across areas where they shouldn’t have existed, and even have video of my wife being scratched across the neck by something that wasn’t there. Of course, we see things like that every day faked on YouTube or in Hollywood, so by “proof” I mean that I was there and I (and the other people who were there) can attest to the authenticity of it. Do I have any proof that cannot be reproduced? No. But belief in the supernatural, like the belief in anything whether it’s religion or pro wrestling, comes down to a choice. I choose to believe, and that’s enough for me.
Have you ever noticed anything scary or paranormal about Kyle? Have you done any investigating here, or ever thought about setting a novel here?
Well, every neighborhood has that house. It’s the one people whisper about or the ones that kids dare each other to stand in its shadow. There are plenty of creepy places in and around Kyle. I’ll admit, I haven’t done any investigating in Kyle, but that’s not for lack of places to investigate. It’s for lack of time. I’ve thought about setting a story in Kyle, and ideas are forming, but I haven’t done it yet. I have, however, set a novel (currently with my agent) in a place called Shy Grove, which was inspired by the little Texas town where my father grew up. My third novel, Cane River: A Ghost Story is actually based on my home town of Lake Jackson, down to the layout of the town. My first novel, An American Haunting, was inspired by a house in San Marcos, where I used to live.
When you sit down to write a horror novel, what’s your objective? To scare the pants off your readers? How do you know when a book or passage you’ve written is really, truly, terrifying?
I don’t really sit down and write with the thought of “I’m going to scare somebody.” My first goal is always to tell a good story. Now, because of my sense of humor and the directions my mind normally runs, the stories usually turn out creepy. But I think that to sit down with the objective of scaring someone without first telling a good story is the wrong mindset. Having said that, I like to play to fears and build tension by twisting around those primal issues that people have and by playing to what I call the “Lovecraft Principle:” Things we can’t see are often more frightening than things we can. I know when something’s truly terrifying if, when I reread it, the rest of the real world around me fades to background noise and the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.
How did you get into the horror genre? What about horror appeals to you?
I didn’t really “get into” horror. It’s just something I’ve always been fascinated with. My home town was covered in ghost stories, so I grew up around it. Horror, to me, is a universal truth. It’s an emotion we all share. It’s a thrill ride like being on a roller coaster. I grew up telling ghost stories around campfires, and, for the most part, that’s still what I do. I’m still that kid sitting by flickering light, dropping my voice, and trying to make it so no one can sleep at night. Just, now, I have a larger audience and words on a page.
When you’re working on a book, you write at least 1,000 words a day. With your day job – and a sideline gig as a karate instructor – where do you find the time?
I don’t write until I get home in the evening. It’s difficult because I’m very careful to make sure I still spend time with my wife and children, check homework and that sort of thing. Usually I don’t get started writing until after 9 p.m., which means I don’t sleep very much. I do drink a lot of coffee though, so there’s that.
Your 11th book and eighth novel, Pages: Book Two of the Stanley Cooper Chronicles, is being published this month by the Library of Horror/Library of the Living Dead Press. Why should we read it?
People should read it if they’re interested in heroes that aren’t the stereotypical tough guy, or the square-jawed manly man. The main character, Stanley Cooper, is a normal person who is thrown into extraordinary circumstances. I think readers are able to relate better to Stan because he’s like them, with real problems and real limitations. If they’re interested in a complex story with real emotional content and with moments of real terror, this will be a good book for them.
Pages may be purchased at Johnson’s website, americanhorrorwriter.net or at retail booksellers such as amazon.com.
