A Horror World Conversation with Robert Liparulo
By Steven E. Wedel

 

Crosswalk Web site said Robert Liparulo’s latest novel GERM is, “Akin to David Morrell and Dan Brown.” Morrell himself, speaking of Liparulo’s debut novel COMES A HORSEMAN, said, “ Frightening and fiendishly smart, COMES A HORSEMAN is a must-read! Robert Liparulo's intense thrill ride will keep your nerves frayed and your lights on.”

That’s not too bad for a new novelist. And there’s lots more praise where that came from. And yet, I sense many of you asking, “Who is Robert Liparulo?” I asked the same thing, myself, when I was assigned this interview.

From his Web site, www.robertliparulo.com, I learned that Robert has published thousands of articles and short stories in such diverse places as Readers Digest and Modern Bride. He’s interviewed Stephen King and Charles Heston and has sold or optioned three screenplays. He lives in Colorado with his wife and four children.

But I’m sure there’s more to know. And that’s why we’re here.

Horror World: Who are you, and why haven’t more of us heard of you by now?

Robert Liparulo: I was an early member of the Horror Writers Association—back when Dean Koontz was president, and I had a few things published in the horror community. J.N. Williamson—who received a Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement—was a mentor of mine. But I got married and started a family and had to put bread on the table, so I followed the money. At the time, that meant journalism and magazine articles, which I did for twenty years. For the past ten years, most of my articles wound up in business magazines or trade journals. And the screenplays I sold never got made (though I hear that one from years ago might be resurrected and produced). It was just about two years ago that I decided to get off my butt and write the novels I’ve dreamed about since childhood. So, it’s no wonder I’m not known. I should have done it a long time ago.

HW: When did you first get the writing bug?

RL: Fifth grade. I read Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend and I said, “I want to tell stories like that.” Every few years, I read it again, and had the same reaction. It’s such a powerful story, and Matheson is the master of atmosphere.

HW: When did you first see publication? How old were you, and where did you publish?

RL: In fifth or sixth grade, I sold a piece to the Air Force Times (my father was in the service). They bought it, thinking it was written by an adult. I never told them otherwise. It was a story about watching the Concord, on its first flight land in the Azores Islands, where my father was stationed at the time. Kind of boring, I know, but man did I get a kick out of writing, selling, and then seeing that article in print.

HW: What are the advantages, or disadvantages, of working as a journalist and as an author of fiction?

RL: As an investigative reporter, I learned how to research well, and I got over the fear of picking up the phone and calling someone in authority when I needed some information. These skills helped when I started researching COMES A HORSEMAN. I wanted to be as factual as possible, to give the fictional side of the story a strong foundation in fact. As a magazine writer, I learned how to be economical with words. So everything I needed to be a good journalist translated very well into fiction.

HW: Which pays better?

RL: Your first novel probably won’t pay that much, since publishers don’t know who you are or how well you’ll sell. If you write something good and you get some buzz going about it and about you, your next contract can be significantly better. So, I’d say that journalism and magazine writing pays a lot better than a first novel or maybe the first few novels. After that, you can make a decent living as a novelist.

HW: Why do you like horror?

RL: Who doesn’t like a good scare? I like exploring the unknown and that edge between being safe and being in danger, where there’s fear, but it isn’t so high that the only thing you can think about is survival. I believe our true nature reveals itself in extreme situations. Horror is often extreme. That makes for great character examinations and asking ourselves, “What would I do in that situation.”

HW: What does your wife and kids think of your interest in things that go bump in the night?

RL: We all love spooky things. One of my wife’s favorite authors is Peter Straub. My kids—ages nine, 17 and 19 (there’s also a baby, but this doesn’t apply to her) absolutely love horror. My nine-year-old’s favorite books are Goosebumps. The first movie he ever saw in a theater was THE MUMMY.

HW: Your publisher, WestBow Press, is a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson, the company best known for publishing bibles. Did they impose limitations on what you could put in your novels? Were you free to be as graphic as you wanted?

RL: They gave me free reign to write what I wanted. I’m sure that if I had gone into certain dark corners, they would have wanted to talk about it. COMES A HORSEMAN and GERM have some pretty graphic scenes, but I would not say they tread in the splatterpunk realm. More SEVEN than SAW. I wrote what I like to read. Both novels are exactly what they would have been had my publisher been TOR or Random House.

HW: Your books deal with good and evil. They’re from a Christian publisher. Are you a Christian? If so, please explain how a person can be Christian and write horror fiction. If not, why are you working with Thomas Nelson?

RL: I am a Christian. Nothing about my faith precludes me from wondering about or writing about horror. Life can be pretty horrific. I don’t write about fantasy creatures such as werewolves or vampires, but I would feel free to, if that’s where my tastes lead me. Christians are very much aware that there are things about this life, this world, that we can’t see or understand. Every Christian believes in the supernatural. Of course, we believe in good and evil. Combine the two, and you have the elements necessary for a good horror story.

HW: Does your pastor know what you write?

RL: He has autographed copies in his office. He’s read both, and claims to have enjoyed them very much. Horror and faith are not mutually exclusive. THE EXOCIST is frightening all the more because it’s based on reality, a spiritual reality. I know a lot of Christians who enjoy horror fiction and horror movies. It’s not a contradiction. In fact, pastors often sprinkle their sermons with examples from horror fiction and movies; not to say that the book or movie was bad, but because it illustrated a point about good or evil or faith so well.

HW: Have you noticed a trend toward anti-Christian sentiment in the online horror community? If so, what do you think of that?

RL: Not generally. I think what people dislike is the self-righteousness that some critics of horror wear like armor in the name of Jesus Christ. Average Christians don’t like the behavior of self-righteous Christians either, especially if they’re big-mouths. Every people-group has its members who don’t behave well and yet they seem to draw a lot of attention and somehow come to represent their group. When someone posts a blog message saying something like, “You people are heathens! God will smite you!” they’re not necessarily speaking for Christians or for God. They probably just don’t like horror or don’t like to be scared, and it has nothing to do with their faith except to the extent that they say it does. If the horror community has a bad taste for Christianity, it’s probably because they’ve encountered someone like that.

HW: How has the WestBow Press/Thomas Nelson target audience responded to your brand of horrific fiction? Do fans send letters promising prayers to help you overcome the demonic force making you write scary stories?

RL: As I said, horror and faith are not contradictory, so no, no letters like that. The novels have done extremely well in multiple channels—that is, the general market and among Christians. COMES A HORSEMAN was a finalist for a Christy Award, one of the most prestigious awards in Christian fiction. Does that mean the book is tame or panders to the Christian reader? I don’t think so. Many general market reviewers praised it. Does that mean the Christy Award judges were wrong? No, it means the two are not at odds. I think it’s a mistake to even try to separate readers by whether they’re Christians or Muslims or Jews or auto mechanics. Readers are readers. Some like horror, some don’t; some like suspense, mystery, romance... some don’t.

HW: Do you think horror fiction thrives during times of turmoil, such as now, with the Iraq war, or does it do better when people have fewer real-world things to fear?

RL: Like every genre, horror’s popularity is cyclical. I think it has less to do with the state of the world than it does the quality of the story. You could argue that people living in horrific times would rather indulge in lighter literature; or you can argue that horror fiction makes the world look less horrific, by comparison, which makes it good reading in bad times. I think both arguments are true, depending on the individual. As long as talented writers are telling interesting stories, horror will be popular.

HW: Let’s get back to your books specifically. Tell us briefly what inspired your two novels, and give us the TV Guide summary of each.

RL: GERM is about a designer virus. Its creator encodes a virus with a bit of human DNA. The virus them travels from person to person until it finds the DNA that matches the code within it, then it turns into Ebola and kills that person. It’s sort of like an assassin-germ. A few years ago, I read about someone who claimed that the government was trying to create a virus or chemical that attacked only specific races. I thought, well, why stop at a specific race, why not a specific person? With gene splicing and manipulating viruses to attack cancer cell, the technology is there for a malicious, assassin-germ.

COMES A HORSEMAN follows two FBI agents who are investigating a grisly series of murders. Before they realize it, the killer comes after them. That leads to their uncovering the man behind the murder, a powerful leader who thinks he’s the antichrist. I had read an article about delusions of grandeur—people thinking their God or Napoleon. I thought, What about the antichrist? If their delusions stem from wanting to be powerful, wouldn’t he fit the bill?

HW: I understand you’re working on a third novel. What can you tell us about that?

RL: It’s called DEADFALL. It’s set in the Canadian wilderness. A group of average Joes head up to a remote spot to get away from it all. They run into some twentysomethings who are terrorizing a small town with an incredibly powerful weapon. They men have to decide whether they run and save themselves or try to help the town.

HW: And what about those screenplays? Can you tell us anything?

RL: The only one I’m working on now is the one for GERM. It may also be a video game. We’ll see.

HW: Is there anything you’d like to add? Something I might have forgotten to ask?

RL: I appreciate your checking, but you’ve been thorough. Thank you; it’s been fun.

HW: Thank you, Robert, for your time. We wish you even more success than you’ve had so far.