ABSURD interview: David T. Wilbanks

David has been on the scene for a while now, receiving high praise for his Dead Earth series, which he co wrote with author Mark Justice. David also has a slew of shorts out there, as well as a great fantasy/horror novella, The Outsider Trio, in the MalContents collection from Grand Mal Press. I was able to kidnap him and force him to answer these questions, so here we go:

RCT:   What interests you the most about post apocalyptic tales?

DTW: I think the post-apocalypse is a nice setting for action stories. There are lots of interesting things you can throw at your protagonist in a hostile, unfamiliar environment.

RCT:    If your left arm turned into a pizza, would you eat it or not? Why?

DTW: I would be too freaked out to eat it I think. Even though I do love my pizza.

RCT:    Your tale in Malcontents, The Outsider Trio, has great elements of fantasy in it. Is this a genre you’d like to explore more?

DTW: Definitely. In fact, I have a sword and sorcery eBook coming out any time now. It’s called HELLFIGHTER.

RCT:   If you could talk to bugs, what would you ask them?

DTW: I would ask them to assist me in taking over the world.

RCT:    You’ve co-written a lot of books with fellow author Mark Justice. What’s it like writing with another person? Is there a strategy you employ?

DTW: It can be a lot of fun. And it’s a challenge, following someone else’s pages. That’s what we do, by the way: write several pages and then pass it back to the other guy. This is after plotting out a ways ahead as we go along.

RCT:    I see you’re quite the heavy metal music fan. Do you use music to aid in your writing?

DTW: Music distracts me from writing, so I don’t listen while I’m weaving tales. However, I did write a novelette titled “Judas Priest” which can be found in Living After Midnight: Hard and Heavy Stories edited by Craig Clarke and myself.

RCT:    The number 8 tipped on its side is the symbol for infinity. What the hell is that all about!?

DTW: These questions I leave for greater minds.

RCT:    Dead Earth is a pretty out-there series of novels. Where do you get your ideas from?

DTW: All the stuff I read as a younger person, all the things I’ve experienced and studied, they sort of stick together somehow and roll out into stories. I guess.

RCT:   Will you help me hide this body?

DTW: No. Nor will I help you hide that salami.

RCT:   What’s next from you? What can we expect in the next year or so?

DTW: The fantasy eBook I mentioned before and a brand new Dead Earth novel. Other than that, I’m wide open for now, taking a breather.

Thanks, David! You can visit David's blog here: http://ablogofmars.blogspot.com/ And be sure to look for HELLFIGHTER soon!