Author Jeremy C. Shipp has been published in ChiZine, The Harrow, Flesh and Blood, and in many other on and offline publications. His work is literally splattered all over the place. That’s a very, very good thing; Jeremy C. Shipp has surpassed the phrase ‘rising star’ and has become a legend of sorts, even outside the bizarro genre.

While preparing for the forthcoming collapse of civilization, Jeremy enjoys living in a moderately haunted Victorian farmhouse in Southern California. His first novel, Vacation, was a contender on the Stoker Preliminary Nomination list in 2008 and was ranked third before voting closed in the Preditors & Editors Reader’s Choice Poll.

His short fiction collection, Sheep and Wolves, was on the Stoker Preliminary Nomination in 2009 and ranked second in the Preditors & Editors Reader’s Choice Poll.

His novel Cursed is among the most bizarre and freakishly twisted books I have ever read, and I enjoyed every minute of it, every single list. If you’d read it, you’d get it, so get it and read it.

His recent release, a collection of short stories titled Fungus of the Heart, is currently hitting some pretty awesome numbers on Amazon, and I’m itching to get my fingers on it. I’m also pleased as punch to be included in the same table of contents as Jeremy, in the latest issue of Shroud Magazine.

I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Jeremy twice now, the first time for Apex Publications, and this second, for my own series. I’ve combined the two interviews here for readers.

Please note that this interview was originally published in early 2009, and has had only minimal edits to fix dates, etc.

Jodi Lee: For a first published novel, how has the success of Vacation affected your views of the publishing world?

Jeremy C. Shipp: Back when I was a schoolboy—wearing sailor suits and eating giant lollipops—I thought the publishing world was a magical place, where writers, readers, publishers, editors, and all the rest danced together in the Mystical Forest of Literary Ecstasy. Eventually, this romanticized ideal shattered, as romanticized ideals tend to do.

So before my novel was published, I feared that there wasn’t room for a book like mine in the world. I wasn’t sure it would ever get published. And if it was, I wasn’t sure if anyone would connect with it.

Thankfully, that fear-based reality wasn’t the one that engulfed me. Instead, I learned about the Bizarro literary movement. And I’ve received much support and feedback from readers, reviewers, writers who I’ve respected for years, and many other slinkster cool folks.

What this all boils down to, I suppose, is that I discovered it’s OK to be myself after all. Sorry if that’s too after school special-esque…

JL: In 9 years of speaking with authors, interviewing authors and reading promotional materials, I have to say you are one of the most approachable – if not *the* most approachable I’ve spoken to. How do you think this has helped with Vacation and Sheep & Wolves? Has it hindered the success at all – i.e.: has anyone given you grief over promotional tactics?

JCS: Before Vacation was published, I dreaded the idea of promoting my work. Then I realized I could have fun with it, so I spent a few hours every day having (usually strange) conversations with people, coming up with silly contests, writing weird interviews with insane grocery bags, etc.

And most people seem to really enjoy the weirdness and the fun. The only problem I’ve had is that some people just don’t get my brand of strangeness. But I’m OK with that.

JL: I enjoyed Vacation immensely, although I was warned it was sometimes a bit hard to follow. I was one of ‘those’ teenagers though, so the acid flashback-weirdness was relatively easy to navigate; what influenced you to write such a bizarre, yet oddly believable novel?

JCS: You know, it’s interesting how some read the book and say, “This isn’t so weird that I didn’t understand it,” and others says, “Whaaaa?”

This book spawned from a passionate place inside me; my love for life; my disgust toward various social systems. My goal with this novel was to maintain certain boundaries—like psychological and emotional feasibility. At the same time, in regard to other aspects of the book, I gave my imagination as much freedom as possible.

JL: How much research went into the novel?

JCS: Lots. I researched more for Vacation than any other book I’ve ever written. And I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the researching. I recently graduated from college when I started Vacation, so “research” was still a slightly traumatic word. I’d never researched for myself before. So it was a nice change. I definitely started learning a lot more after I finished school than when I was in the system.

JL: Tell me your reactions to all the fantastic blurbing Vacation received – had you secretly been bribing anyone? Have any of your literary heroes come out to give nod to Vacation?

JCS: No bribing—although I did wish on a few shooting stars (which may have been planes…I wasn’t wearing my glasses). I’m extremely honored by the blurbage that my novel has been blessed with. Piers Anthony, Jack Ketchum, and many others. I never thought they’d read my novel, let alone like it. I’m as giddy as a schoolboy. I even put on the sailor suit every once in a while, for old times’ sake.

JL: So, ‘Mr. Stoker-Preliminary-Nod-For-Best-First-Novel-and-Best Collection’, any way all this success is going to go to your head?

JCS: I had a layer of parsnip implanted in my head to protect me from that. Parsnips, of course, repel ego (and also powdered Tang®, for some reason).

JL: Any whispers or nudges in the direction of a film based on Vacation? I mean, that would be the absolute in bizarreality. Can we hope?

JCS: The only whispers I’ve heard lately are from the yard gnome who lives under my bed. He likes to freak me out when I’m trying to fall asleep. But if Vacation were made into a film someday, that’d be awesome. I do have a short film I wrote, called EGG: (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1351171/)

And I have a few other screenplays in the works. Maybe one day, there’ll be a movie called Vacation. Well…besides the one that already exists…

JL: And of course, I must ask – after the two fantastic years you’ve had with Vacation and Sheep & Wolves, do you have any in-depth advice for those of us still waiting in the wings? What advice would you give new writers on:

a) submissions
b) handling rejection
c) handling critiques

JCS: Oh no, I feel my After School Special-ness acting up again. This probably isn’t very in depth, but I think it’s important to have as much fun as possible, whatever you’re doing.

As far as submissions go, my best advice is to read the submission guidelines carefully. And if you’re looking for market listings, here are a couple great sites: duotrope.com and ralan.com.

Don’t worry about rejections. Rejection slips are an important part of a writer’s breakfast, and supply the body with fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Getting a rejection just means that you’re on your way to getting published. And if you don’t give up, you’ll find those editors/agents/readers who feel passionate about your work.

In my mind, critiques/reviews can be helpful. But they can also be useless, depending on the situation. For instance, if you’re a minimalist and you’re being critiqued by someone who hates minimalism, that person might tell you that you need to read some Charles Dickens and get with the program. So my advice: keep a grain of salt with you at all times.

JL: What brought you to write horror, specifically the type of horror you write?

JCS: In truth, I never intended to be a horror writer. But I write from my heart and my mind and my gut, and all three of these have been affected by the world I live in. To me, civilization is a dark and bizarre place filled with good intentions and systemic evils. And so, the ideas that spawn from my psyche tend to lead my characters down dark and bizarre paths.

JL: What inspires you?

JCS: I see my stories as battlegrounds not between good and evil, but respect and disrespect. Therefore, I’m often inspired by the respectful behaviors of people I know, from small gestures of kindness to grand loving actions. In the realm of disrespect, I’m often inspired by real-life events and horrors. Systemic racism, factory farming, the exploitation of women and children, class stratification, etc.

JL: Given your current material, would you ever consider writing in another genre? Have you already done so?

JCS: Over the years, I’ve written books and stories that probably wouldn’t be classified as horror. Young adult, fantasy, science fiction. Most of my work these days, however, is rather dark, in one way or another. And I don’t foresee that changing. But what do I know? My muse is a strange and enigmatic creature.

JL: What author has been a staple in your life since youth?

JCS: As a kid, I read writers like HG Wells, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas. But in my adult life, my literary diet consists of authors such as Haruki Murakami, Kurt Vonnegut, and Francesca Lia Block. So, the truth is, I’ve never had such a staple.

JL: Your favorite novel or anthology for the 2008 publishing year was?

JCS: I didn’t read many books in 2008 that were published in 2008. But of everything I did read, I’d say my favorites were the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.

JL: Could you give an approximation of your submission to rejection ratio?

JCS: When I first started sending out my work 10 years ago, I received rejections about 90% of the time. Maybe more, and most of those were from Gordon Van Gelder. Back then, I was obsessed with getting a story published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Anyway, in recent years, my batting average has improved a bit. For instance, the first story I ever submitted to Cemetery Dance was accepted.

JL: Do you have a specific time of day, set length of time or perhaps a word count goal for each day? Or do you ‘wing it’ and let the story take you where it will, for as long as it will?

JCS: On weekdays, I write at least 4 hours every day, usually starting in the afternoon. In the past, I didn’t write nearly as often. On certain days, I convinced myself I wasn’t feeling creative enough to write, so I didn’t. But I discovered I was just sabotaging myself, deflating my confidence. Now, when my mind hits me with, “I don’t think I can write today,” I remind myself that an insecurity isn’t the same thing as the truth.

JL: What has been your greatest achievement during your writing career so far? What goal do you hope to reach in the coming year(s)?

JCS: For years, I dreamed about getting one of my books published. So when my first novel, Vacation, was published, I felt a deep and satisfying sense of accomplishment. Still, I feel the most accomplished after I finish writing a novel. In 2009, I’d like to write a barrel full of short stories, and maybe a young adult fantasy novel.

JL: What is in the future, as regards to your work?

JCS: My short story “Inside” is going to appear in an upcoming issue of Cemetery Dance. And I have stories that’ll be published at Horror World and in Harlan County Horrors. There’s also my new novel, Cursed, which will hopefully hit the stores this year.

JL: In 500 words or less, describe your current (or recent past) project.

JCS: Since I just finished Cursed, perhaps I should describe that. Cursed is a weird novel set in modern day America. The characters band together and try to cope with very strange problems. I like these characters. They’re nice and complex and funny, and I enjoyed having them as imaginary friends for a while. Cursed is a book about friendship, control, power, dreams, psychopaths, validation, manipulation, and other good words.

JL: For my last question, I have to ask the question that’s been on my mind for months – when does Jeremy C. Shipp get to take a vacation? I swear it seems like you’ve been promoting in one form or another since early 2007. Are you tired of it all yet?

JCS:: Maybe I will take a vacation one of these days, but for now, I’m having a blast. This promotion stuff is really just another excuse for me to be silly. Now I gotta go feed the gnome under my bed some powdered Tang®. I can’t really drink it anymore.

Thank you for sitting a second round, Jeremy, it was a pleasure!

Title: Vacation
Author: Jeremy C. Shipp
Publisher: Raw Dog Screaming Press
Copyright/Release Date: 2007
Pages: 164
ISBN: 978-1933293417
Price: $13.95

Ah, the evils of escapism gone too far.

Who wouldn’t want a free year-long trip around the world? After reading Jeremy C. Shipp’s ‘Vacation’ – not me. There is only so much adventure this little homebody could take. I’m just happy I was able to join Bernard Johnson on his vacation.

In a world where Pax has become the legal drug of choice, where one can take an entire year out of life to do what most now only dream about in exchange for wearing clothes as advertising – a secret world exists. Just below or beyond the surface of every day life, secret agents work to contain freedom fighters known as Meeks.

In a convoluted and often confusing series of events, Johnson, talented but mildly under-achieving teacher takes the trip of a lifetime. Although I’m still unsure as to whether or not he simply downed a bad batch of Pax or if the events revolving around him were his own truth, he is dumped right into the middle of the war between different factions of Meeks, the ever-present threat of the Agency and the people of the world who just don’t see anything else beyond their own bubbles – the Tics.

When I say dumped into it, I really mean thrust forcibly, much as the reader is forcibly contained to his or her seat to finish the book. I have to say that while I’m often disappointed by first novels coming from small presses, this time I’m pleasantly surprised… but not surprised that I’m not disappointed. I’ve been keeping an eye on ‘Vacation’ and Jeremy C. Shipp’s progression through the ranks at Amazon and on message boards all across the net.

Although I have my review ARC on file, I ordered a hard copy of it as soon as I finished writing this review. If you’re looking for an angry but gentle, sane but insane read, I highly recommend this mind-twisting journey of fate.

4.5/5