10 Questions for Jason Norton

What was the first thing you remember reading?

The first thing I really went crazy for were a handful of my older brother’s comics. I was four or five and I’d read a slew of other, more age-appropriate stuff by then, but those comics are the thing that’ve stuck in my mind for forty-plus years as the foundation for my love of literature. The earliest one I can remember reading was an old Detective Comics issue from 1978, issue 458 entitled, “The Real Batman Dies Next!” I still have it, minus the cover. It currently resides in my eldest son’s room.

What writers/books have been most influential to you?

Richard Mattheson—both his short stories and his Twilight Zone scripts were pivotal for me. With just a handful of words, he could terrify, delight, or mesmerize. His stuff always ended with those killer twists that left your jaw hanging and your head itching. The Tales from the Crypt comics were also a huge influence. Grizzly horror, morality plays and wicked twists rolled into ten pages or less? Yeah, I’ll have some of that.

What book or movie did you enjoy that not many people would think you’d like?

One of my biggest guilty pleasure films is Same Time Next Year. It’s this romance drama from the seventies starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. They have this affair where they meet one weekend a year at this hotel for nearly two decades. It’s funny, tragic and beautiful and—surprisingly enough—there’s not an axe murderer or zombie apocalypse anywhere to be found.

What type of writing do you enjoy more, Fiction or Non-Fiction?

Fiction, for sure. I was a newspaper reporter for five years, and enjoyed penning human interest stories, but that’s where the excitement ended. Recounting zoning code amendments, school board squabbles and the intricacies of biosolids land application is not my idea of fun.

Do you think your environment, where you live, has an effect on type of art you create?

Perhaps not so much geographically, but demographically, sure. Most of my short stories are about small-town relationships gone wrong (couples, friends, business partners, etc.). That’s definitely more of what I’m accustomed to—these seemingly white bread hamlets that run rampant with the rumors and secrets. My longer works spread out across more adventurous locales, populated by internationally-networked heroes and villains.

Is it easier for you to create if given an assignment or does it get in the way of your creativity?

When I first got into writing, it was easy to formulate ideas. Nowadays, with my ever-growing list of responsibilities, my creativity seems to extend little beyond what to pack in my kid’s lunchboxes. Thus, I currently welcome any and all story starters.

What are your methods creating a story or novel?

I wish I could say I had a formula, but I really don’t. I love horror tropes—vampires, werewolves, ghosts—and I like trying to put some alternative spin on them. But I try to use them less as the lead, and more so as a vehicle to bring change or resolution (whether good or bad) to my protagonists. Sometimes I have a fairly solid plot before I begin, sometimes an opening line hits me when I’m washing dishes and I craft the whole story around that intro. A lot of times in mid-story, I’ll type a line that flies in the face of the thousand words that came before. If it’s too good to toss, I’ll have to adapt the remainder of the story around it. It helps stretch me, I hope. On a side note, I tend to write a lot about cults. It’s probably good that I prefer not to go out much.

What have you written that you are most proud of?

My novella, The Sons of Solomon and the Beast-Men of Scepter. It’s a throwback to old pulp adventure novels. It’s the start of a series, chock full of two-fisted pulp action, magic, monsters, superpowers and espionage. Plus, Nazis get punched in the face, which is always fun. I also was really happy with the reception for my short story, “Bogged Down.” It was adapted for audio and was produced by the extremely talented Jeff Clement, now of the No Sleep Podcast. It currently has 61,000 views on YouTube. Oh, and the Wormwood Prophets Society, which I was graciously asked to help create with my buddy Mark Slade. It really is a unique collaboration with some amazing authors and one crazy-talented artist. Each writer assumes the identity of one of the Wormwood Prophets, weaving tales and dropping clues about their clandestine crusade to further the gospel of an otherworldly entity hellbent on consuming our reality. It’s something special.

What was the oddest thing you’ve ever been asked to do in your writing career?

Nothing too weird, but I will say, once people found out I’d been published, they asked me to help them write more practical things. Thus, I’ve been asked to contribute articles for newsletters,  job ads for employers and flyers for fundraisers. And I get asked to proofread a lot. Once, back in my newspaper days, a local citizen wanted me to investigate why “so many” cars in my beat county were driving around with rusted hoods. Hard-hitting investigative journalism at its best.

What projects are you working on now?

Mark Slade just asked me once again to contribute to a wickedly clever anthology he’s putting together. He’s kept my writing career on life support these last few years. Every time I think I’ve go no more ideas, Mark plants just enough of a seed to get the gears turning again. I never thought my muse would end up being a dude, but considering his love of old TV, classic rock and all things horror, who am I to argue with the universe?