Interview with Brick Marlin

TN: Can you tell us what inspired Raising Riley?

Brick: Well, I wanted to write a tale about a boy who has more to fear than what lurks inside of his closet. I wanted (hoped) to show the reader what fear is, whether it was from his father, or the bullies at school; then, as an additive, include the supernatural horror.

TN: Is Horror a preferred genre, or do you enjoy writing other styles as well?

Brick: Horror is my preferred genre. Usually, I love to mix it with dark fantasy or sci-fi to give it a different voice or twist.

TN: Who are some of your influences - your favorite authors?

Brick: Wow, there so many to list. Let me see...here's a nice run down: Edgar Allan Poe; Harper Lee; Stephen King; Clive Barker; Ray Bradbury; Neil Gaiman; Richard Matheson; Richard Laymon; Dean Koontz; Kurt Vonnegut; Isaac Asimov; Frank Hubert; L. Ron Hubbard; Douglas Clegg; Brian Keene; and Gary Braunbeck.

TN: That's an interesting mix. Is there a genre you've been tempted to try but haven't? Anything that might stretch you?

Brick: Not really. Though I read a lot, and try to study how other authors write. I don't want to write exactly like them; that isn't the way to find your own voice. I believe that it has to come from deep down inside of you and how you would like to tell your tale. What emotions you feel that your character will feel inside his or her flesh. Some times, I try to listen to how people talk; their conversations; and pay close attention to detail on how things are designed and built. I suppose that I'll never stop learning the craft as I pursue further into this field.

TN: So no Romance or Mystery writing in your future - What got you interested writing? Was it something that started at a young age? Did anything in particular snap inside your head and made you realize Writing was what you really wanted to do?

Brick: No, I don't think that I'm smart enough to write a mystery; and romance really isn't up my alley. I think that the first time I wrote my first tale was in fifth or sixth grade. The whole class had to write a scary story, since Halloween was on the way, and I think a lot of the kids wrote about ghosts, pumpkins, skeletons, and sweet little monsters. I was a bit different. I wrote a story about a serial killer going around a town murdering children. I guess I was demented from the start.

I never really took writing serious until about 1985. My first actual short story for publication was in the newspaper when they had ran a Halloween issue. From then on, I wrote off and on. Ideas would come to me, but I sometimes never wrote them down. I didn't think that my stuff was any good. (Still don't, but that's just me being hard on myself I guess.)

When the year 2001 rolled around, I became a little more serious with the craft. And not until last year I allowed myself to be succumbed with the passion, enter into it full-throttle, and make up tale after tale.

Sometimes I think its more fun to stay in a fantasy world, rather than real life.


TN: I imagine as a demented writer from early on, you're a hard one to scare. When you're not reading, what other things entertain you?

Brick: Believe it or not, there is still some things that scare me. Lately, I've been thinking about playing music again. I played blues professionally for about twelve years. Its my other love. I usually don't watch much television, there's not much that is on that interests me. Sometimes I watch movies, but I'm picky about them, since I lean toward older horror and sci-fi flicks.


TN: Professional blues player? Now that's interesting. Music and Writing are both very creative ventures. Can you tell us - how does writing for an audience compare to playing music for an audience?

Brick: Music is such a great way to express yourself, let yourself go, and have fun playing on stage. When the groove is right, things go very well. But in the past, if things did not, and me and the other members in the band were disgruntled with each other about something, we'd have to deal with it on stage while playing side by side. We'd keep it professional, though, and try not to argue or fight.

I think that writing is a different form of expression, one in which you can also let yourself go and allow the ideas to come. It allows me to be on my own and bring more creativity to the table, too. If I'm writing a story, and I have trouble with the character not doing what he or she is suppose to be doing, I delete them - like killing them off, and not having to worry about any more tension.

With music, I sort of felt that I was in a box at times. I really wanted to learn jazz, but I don't think that I have the smarts for it. I love listening to the classics, such as Toots Thielemans, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, etc., but I'm not so sure that I can figure I out how to play along with the groove. It's a whole different animal.

TN: So you've enjoyed the limelight as a musician - where do you hope writing will take you? What's your dream as far as being an author?

Brick: I think that my dream is to have a lot of fans that would enjoy my work. I would love to write for a living, but I don't know if it will ever happen. From what I've read and heard about other authors, the road is very long and narrow. It definitely isn't easy. But I'm willing to do the best that I can possibly do - then see where it takes me.


TN: That's a healthy attitude for a writer to have these days. Can you give us an idea of what you're currently working on or what you hope to be writing next?

Brick: About a month ago, I finished another novel; then wrote up a novelette. Both tales accompany my first book "The Darkened Image". I've also written a few short stories, too. The next project I have in mind will be more of a dark fantasy, set in present day. I haven't gotten all of my research and facts together yet, but it's in the works.


TN: A writer's work is never done! So, to conclude, is there anything you'd like to say to the readers out there who'll be coming by to read Raising Riley?

Brick: I really hope that they will enjoy my tale, and not be very upset that I have pushed the envelope a bit on Riley's abuse. Other authors have written characters that have gone through far worse than what Riley had, and their stories have become well-known. I can't say if Raising Riley will ever tread that much water, but I guess one never knows.