Interviews
by Mark Sieber

A FEW WORDS WITH BRIAN FREEMAN

Brian Freeman is one of the hottest young talents in the horror fiction genre. From celebrated short stories to an accliamed first novel, his fiction has been published in a variety of respectable markets. Brian also edits, publishes and works full time for Cemetery Dance Publications. He graciously took time out of his frantic schedule to answer a few questions for Horror World.

HW: Brian, how long have you been writing fiction and at what point did you start submitting stories to publishers?

BF: I wrote my first short story in second grade, and I started submitting stories for publication when I was thirteen or fourteen.

HW: Your first novel, Black Fire, was published under the pseudonym, James Kidman. What prompted that decision?

BF: There were a couple of reasons for using the pseudonym for the book, but there was one deciding factor for me. After considering some long-term factors, I decided I'd be better off publishing my two rather different types of books under two different names. It's mostly for marketing and categorization. Of course, the other type might not be published under Brian Freeman, either. There's a new author who just published a novel under that name and it has created a lot of confusion.

HW: How did you manage to get on the Cemetery Dance staff?

BF: The summer before my senior year of college I did some freelance work for CD. As graduation neared the following spring, I realized I might actually have to graduate and find a job. My wife's work was taking us to the Baltimore area that summer so I sent Richard Chizmar a very long proposal full of ideas I thought could help CD. He liked my ideas, and I had sent them at the right time, so everything just kind of clicked.

HW: Tell us about Dueling Minds…the history of it as well as the upcoming anthology.

BF: I ran the DuelingMinds.com website my Freshman year of college. The site featured work from some incredible authors and artists. Each issue of the webzine had four or five stories that were all inspired by the same piece of artwork, giving readers the chance to discover how different authors interpreted (and were inspired by) the exact same image.

A couple of years ago Roger Range of Endeavor Press asked if I thought a Dueling Minds anthology would work for his newly founded publishing company. Since Roger is publishing beautiful hardcover signed limited editions that feature works that are just a little shorter than novellas, I agreed that the concept could actually work out really well as a mini-anthology.

Alan M. Clark provided the wonderful cover artwork and Gary Braunbeck, Gerard Houarner, Brian Keene, Tim Lebbon, Tom Piccirilli, and Jenny Orosel wrote some extremely clever stories. The book is being designed right now and Roger just let me know that it should be out by the end of the year. I hope readers will enjoy the experience.

HW: You keep very busy, with the writing and the full time job, editing and you also run a Stephen King Newsletter. How do you find the time for it all?

BF: By not spending as much time on everything as I wish I could! It's a constant juggling act, and I'm never getting as much done as I would like.

HW: I didn't even mention the small press that you are starting, Lonely Road Books. Do you think it's a risky venture to do this in these scary economic times?

BF: Starting a small press is definitely a risky venture even in the best of times. I'm limiting Lonely Road Books to one or two titles a year, which will allow me to focus my energy on producing the best books possible. I hope the quality will really win over the collectors.

HW: Let's see… fiction, editing, publishing, working for the biggest small press in the business…have I left anything out?

BF: I still do freelance marketing work from time to time, but only a few times a year.

HW: Brian, the reception for your fiction has been very positive. What is the biggest honor you¹ve had yet in the horror field?

BF: I think Tom and Elizabeth Monteleone publishing something I wrote in Borderlands 5 would have to rank way up there, just considering how many thousands of submissions they receive, and the quality of the authors they work with.

I was also really surprised when BLACK FIRE was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. It ended up alongside a great group of books so that was a real honor, too.

HW: What about the future for Brian Freeman?

BF: Hopefully there's a few more books to be written!

HW: Thanks Brian and good luck with all your ventures!

BF: Thank you!