Many thanks to Cinsearae S., owner of Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine, for granting me this interview.
Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine
1. Greetings Robbie, so great to have you with us! Can you tell the readers a little bit about you? I live in Portland, Oregon with my wife Rebecca Irene Fanucchi and daughter Bailey Paige Fanucchi. I divide my time between family and writing. I have written 3 dark picture books, short stories and a young adult novel. Two of my short stories have been published in anthologies. My young adult horror novel Piercing Through was recently picked up for publication by Caliburn Press. So far, I’ve had no success in the tough picture book market. If any publishers out there would be interested in dark themed picture books I have three ready: a zombie tale, a vampire story and one about an egotistical boy who loses his head. So far I’ve had no takers. But I’m still hopeful that dark picture books will be a new genre someday.
2. What first sparked your interest in writing horror? The religion I was born into preaches Armageddon and destruction regularly. From an early age I was exposed to their publications which featured illustrations of cities collapsing, fire shooting from the sky, the earth opening up and swallowing people, etcetera. At first they terrified me but I eventually made peace with it. Then I read Lord of the Rings when I was 12 and enjoyed the classic tale of good versus evil. From that point it was a gradual descent into the great horror of the early eighties; Stephen King, Robert McCammon, Dan Simmons and many others who made that decade the glory years of the horror genre. But when Clive Barker exploded onto the scene with his Books of Blood I knew I had found my favorite author. His writing has influenced much of my writing. In fact, after a friend read the first draft of my novel Piercing Through he said it reminded him of Hellraiser. It was then I realized that I had unintentionally written what could be perceived as a tribute to Barker’s film.
3. Tell us about your novel, PIERCING THROUGH. What was your inspiration for it? My young adult novel Piercing Through takes place in Portland, Oregon, where the tattooing and piercing cultures have become inseparable. Kelly Sage and William Hendricks are two among a handful of individuals who oppose this. Kelly and William are unlikely friends brought together by a shared passion for their respective pursuits. Both strongly believe tattoos and piercing should be their own subcultures, not the blended single entity they’ve become in modern society.
Kelly Sage, a piercing purist, finds comfort in adorning her body with studs, barbs, snakebites and much more in response to her mother’s premature death and the emotional abuse that followed from her stepfather. Kelly becomes interested in a phenomenon involving the use of extreme piercing in an attempt to access other dimensions. Her hope is to escape into a world free from the pain that torments her adolescent life.
On the other hand, William Hendricks, a tattoo enthusiast, is repulsed by anything linked to piercing. He is horrified upon learning of Kelly’s desire. When Kelly’s pursuit of other worlds releases a pair of pierced wraiths, William knows the only thing that can save her are the black magic tattoos covering his body. But there is one problem. He doesn’t know how to unlock their dormant power.
Piercing Through started as a short story I wrote as far back as the mid-nineties. The premise was pretty much the same, except for the sub-plot of the tattooing versus piercing issue. That I worked into the novel after moving to Portland, Oregon. Portland, in my opinion, epitomizes what’s happening across the nation. People everywhere are getting pierced or tatted or both. It’s become so prevalent that it no longer represents the underground. The piercing and tattoo cultures used to represent subversive attitudes and rebellion. Now every other soccer mom or business man sports a tat or body piercing.
4. When not writing, what things do you like to do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests? Like all writers, I read a lot. I know; boring. My other interests are equally as unimpressive. In fact my life is quite simple: Spend time with my wife and daughter, read and write. I do a lot of binge watching television. There are so many good shows on. I think we are in the golden age of TV; everything from The Walking Dead to American Horror Story. I rarely go to the movies anymore. There’s much better offerings from the boob tube.
5. What do you find to be the easiest and hardest aspects of writing? The easiest part is writing while inspired. There are times when the path of my subconscious seems connected to the computer and words and ideas flow freely. But more often than not I’m not in the zone and I feel like I’m struggling with each word. That’s the toughest part of the writing process. You’ve probably heard before that if you write only when inspired you’re an amateur. Pros stick to it and get it done even when it’s a struggle. They say “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration”.
6. And my favorite question I ask nearly everyone—there’s a zombie coming towards you…do you kill it or befriend it (and why)? I like Clive Barker’s view of monsters, that they are complex like we are and some are even more human than us. So I guess it would depend on the temperament and behavior of that particular zombie. However, I’ve never known a zombie to turn away from devouring a delicious brain, and the fact that I’d like to keep my brain would force my hand. I’d have to kill it.
7. Where can the readers find you on the internet? My main internet presence is my blog/website. Website.
I also have the obligatory Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/robbie.fanucchi.
You can also get the latest news on my works on my Amazon author profile. https://www.amazon.com/author/rjfanucchi
Thank you , R.J.!
Purchase Piercing Through on Amazon:
Piercing Through (Kindle format)
Piercing Through (Print edition)
Dark Words 