An Interview With James A. Moore

James A. Moore is primarily a horror writer, though also writes fantasy, science fiction and "regular old fiction", according to his mood. His personal influences include H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Robert R. McCammon, Harlan Ellison, Thomas Monteloene, Charles L. Grant, Joe R. Lansdale, F. Paul Wilson, Rick Hautala, Brian Lumley, Peter Straub, Ira Levin and many others too numerous to mention. When asked why his first love is horror, his answer is matter-of-fact. "You write what you like, and I guess I've always had a fondness for the darker things in life."

Jim got his first break in professional writing in the most unconventional of ways. As a youth, he wanted to be an illustrator. He submitted a comic book to Marvel Comics that he'd written and drawn himself, and got an unexpected response.

"I initially wanted to be a comic artist," he says. "Unfortunately, I had no talent in that department. But a very nice editor at Marvel Comics, Marcus McLauren, looked over a full comic I'd illustrated and written and told me I should give writing a try. He said my storytelling skills were very good. He later bought my first professional sale, the story "Of Love, Cats and Curiosity" for Clive Barker's Hellraiser."

The story, "Of Love, Cats and Curiosity" is a quietly disturbing read, understated in its horror, which amplifies the final impact on the reader. Jim's preference does not lie in the overt expression of the Bad Things, though sledge-hammer delivery does have its place. "I have a very strong fondness for high suspense. I don't really care if the horror is supernatural or mundane, but I like the build of suspense. It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase that I like most," he says.

The impact of horror on Jim's life stops at the professional level, for the most part, "aside from the fact that I enjoy reading horror and a good cheesy horror movie from time to time." He is a storyteller, and he suspends his disbelief temporarily. "When I'm writing, I allow myself to believe completely in what I'm writing about. If I didn't, I think it would show in the writing." However, he doesn't spend much time thinking about the possibilities that what he's writing could be based in reality. "If I have experienced something, it is real. If I haven't, I try to keep an open mind. I tend to draw the line at people who claim they are the reincarnated spirits of aliens who died while visiting this planet." That's not to say that he's impervious to the thought. "Personally, I've never met a sasquatch or an alien from another planet, but either one is a possibility."

Jim's preference for creating an atmosphere of unrest is his greatest gift, and can perhaps be explained by his method of creation. "I think of a notion, often just an image that won't leave me alone, I sit down and I start writing. Where it goes from there is anyone's guess. I think the best part of the writing process is actually just the convoluted path the mind makes you follow to get where you're going," he says. The very fact that the idea won't leave him alone is a sure bet that it won't leave the reader alone, long after the eyes have left the page.