RICK REED

In their October 2006 issue, Unzipped magazine said about me: “You could call him the Stephen King of gay horror.” Now, that's a comparison I'm extremely pleased with. I can only hope I can actually live up to it. My published novels include A Face Without a Heart , Penance , and Obsessed . My horror short story collection, Twisted: Tales of Obsession and Terror was published in April 2006. My most recent novels include a thriller about a serial killer using a gay hookup website to find his victims called IM (Quest Books, May 2007); and a vampire love story set in 1950s Greenwich Village and modern-day Chicago called In the Blood (Quest Books, September 2007). Coming up: a paranormal page-turner about a psychic reluctantly caught up in the murders of two teenage girls in her small western Pennsylvania town called Deadly Vision (Quest Books, January 2008); a reincarnation love story called Orientation (Regal Crest, November 2008) that crosses boundary and sexual orientation lines; and a sexy thriller called High Risk about a bored housewife who chooses a very handsome—and psychotic—stranger to come on to (Amber Quill Press, Spring 2008). My short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies. I live in Miami , FL with my partner, Bruce, and our Boston Terrier, Lily. Visit me on the web at www.rickrreed.com .

What is your approach to writing a novel: that is, do you outline or not? Do you keep files and piles of notes? What are some of the tricks, pitfalls, etc. that you need to keep in mind when writing a mystery novel/story?

I'm too disorganized to have outlines or even piles of notes (what quantifies a pile, anyway?). And the only tricks I mess with are far in my past; I'm a happily “married” man, now. But seriously, what I usually write from is a germ of an idea which I will develop into a page or three of notes, sketching in what the story is about, major plot points, and key players. I don't like to plan too much because I think my best writing so far comes from being spontaneous, from the surprises I encounter along the way. I'm a great believer in trusting instincts…they're almost always right. It's really no different for mysteries. All I have to do is come up with the problems and the characters. If the characters are good, they'll figure out the solutions.

What is it that kick starts a project for you: a character, a situation, or…?

It really depends on the project. With IM , it was the idea of the dangers of hooking up online and inviting strangers into your homes. With In the Blood , the idea started with three urbane, art-loving vampires and a spooky house on Sheridan Road in Chicago . But I will say that the characters have to be sympathetic and real in my head to go the distance of writing a novel.

What started you in writing? What kept you going?

An overactive imagination. A fear of the dark at the back of the closet. Living as a child a good part of the time in my imagination or in books. Everything that started it is still true.

Can you tell us a bit about the first story you had published -- how did that come about? And how do you feel about it now?

The first story? Or do you mean the first novel? The first story I had published was a porno story in a gay men's magazine, so the less said about that, the better. My first novel was Obsessed , which was one of the first books published in Dell's new horror line (at the time) called Abyss. I tried for years to get it published and didn't have any takers, so one day, in complete desperation, I called up Stephen King's agent at the time, and surprisingly, got to talk to her. She said they wouldn't consider unpublished authors. I asked her if I could at least write to her and she agreed. So, over the next several months, I wrote her some of the most well-written letters I've ever crafted. Finally, either because she was impressed or she wanted to get rid of me, she recommended me to another agent, who took me on and sold Obsessed and my next book, Penance , to Dell.

How have you grown as a writer? What has gotten better? What things have you dropped along the way?

I look at each book or story and always try to see growth. When I stop seeing it, that's maybe when I'll consider hanging up my hat. I think what has gotten better is that I trust myself more and more and that means writing more simply and realizing it's less about my command of language and derring do with prose than it is about communicating and telling a good story people will want to read.

What are the three most important pieces of advice you'd give to writers?

Write, write, and read…a lot.

How long does it generally take you to complete a novel – from conception to completion?

Again, it depends: on what's going on in my life at the time, what roadblocks I encounter. If my slate is clear as well as my vision, I would say the best time for completing a novel would be three to six months.

How many revisions do you normally go through when writing a novel?

Generally, not that many. I'm a very careful writer and edit as I go along. Usually when I'm writing a book, I will go back to the section I wrote just prior to that and edit it to get myself in the mood to write the next portion. So, for me, it's usually a couple drafts…and then probably a little more working with an editor.

What's the most difficult stage in the writing for you?

The middle. The beginning and end are usually fun. It's the work part of a novel to get through the middle, to make the journey.

Who are the authors that you admire most, who inspire you, whose writing you think is most beautiful, moving, exciting?

I'd say my favorites are Flannery O'Connor, Patricia Highsmith, James Purdy, Stephen King, and Ruth Rendell. I read a lot of different stuff—true crime, horror, mystery, and some non-fiction. Right now, I'm reading the DEXTER series by Jeff Lindsay about a Miami serial killer who specializes in killing off the bad guys.

Does the world you create in your non-series novels continue to live in your mind long after you've completed the novel? What implications does that have in terms of wanting to do a series in the same setting?

The characters have to become real to me for me to write, so yes, I do miss them when I'm done. If their story arc is finished within a book, I generally have had no pull to write more about them.

What other kinds of writing do you do?

For nine years, when I lived in Chicago , I was a theater reviewer and also wrote a column called “Tales from the Sexual Underground” which dealt with people in the sex trade and fringe sexual practices.

What tips do you have for beginning writers?

Same as above, write a lot and read a lot. It's really the only way to learn.

Is the publication of each book as thrilling as that first one?

Oh yes. That's a thrill that never gets old.

What are your goals as a writer?

To tell stories that people want to read.

Why do you think mystery is so popular?

People like being engaged…mysteries get them involved in solving a problem.

Talk about your most recent book and what it means to you.

Since I had two books come out this year, I'd like to talk a little bit about each. In May, IM came out. I'm excited about this one because it's so topical and fits right in with a lot of today's headlines. It's about a serial killer who uses Internet hookup sites to find his victims. The twist is that the killer may or may have himself been a murder victim. I hope readers will find it quite suspenseful. Some people have called IM a ‘cautionary tale' but I was just trying to write a good story. I guess if there is a message, it's to be careful out there, especially about inviting strangers into your home when you only have an online conversation to go on.

This September, my “tragic vampire love story” makes its debut. In the Blood is, really, about immortality…not just in the sense of how we think of that term when we think about vampires, but also in the sense of the timelessness of good art (two of the key characters are artists who stand to lose their creativity if they accept the “gift” of vampiric immortal life) and the timelessness of love (these same two consider making that sacrifice for the love of a vampire). I hope this book is a scary read, but also hope it takes a very well-worn genre into new directions.