Hi everyone, welcome back to Sunday Brunch! Today in episode 30 something a little different is happening as we delve into the horror community š± and show some support for an indie author who’s mythology based novella is coming out in two short days!
Adam Godfrey is an author who believes in doing the right thing and so he gave up a publicity opportunity in favor of not supporting someone doing damage to the indie community. I’ve seen some awesome support come to the affected authors and am thrilled and honored to offer him this platform to chat about his project! (If anyone else is interested, I’m here for you too)!
That said, read on to find out all about Narcissus, horror in general, and a debate on whether or not vampires are actually safe from mirrors š
š„Welcome to the Sunday Brunch Series! As an introduction, can you tell everyone an interesting thing about yourself that isnāt in your author bio?
š¤ When I used to work at United States Joint Forces Command, I provided information technology (IT) support to former Secretary of Defense, General James āMad Dogā Mattis.
š„Whatās your brunch order today?
š¤ Oh wow . . . you know, Tony Todd, who starred in CANDYMAN, FINAL DESTINATION, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990), etc. frequently posts about his chicken and waffle meals, which has convinced me that, if Iām ever in the vicinity of a Roscoeās Chicken and Waffles, thereās going to be an unplanned stop to give it a try. That said, my brunch order today is going to be chicken and waffles. Final answer.
š„ There is some drama in the horror community right now surrounding the host of a particular podcast, who is receiving harassment claims from female authors? Good on you for not supporting him and backing out of the podcast. Do you have any comments on the situation?
š¤ Yeah, I generally try to steer clear of most Twitter discourse, but due to the nature of the fast-growing numberof claims being made against this individual, as well as my (previously) scheduled appearance on the podcast, I cancelled the interview out of support for those affected by his behavior, and desire to not be associated in any way with what he had going on. I donāt know the individual in question on a personal level, have not personally read the messages exchanged, and am not here to lay judgement on anyone, but lifeās taught me that more often than not, where thereās smoke, thereās fire. Enough people had come forth about this individual within a very brief window of time to where I knew he wasnāt someone I wished to align myself with in any way, shape, or form and, although that had been the only podcast I had lined up to promote the release of NARCISSUS, I was more than eager to forego that opportunity in the name of doing whatās right. Itās really infuriating, and thereās no room in this world for such malicious conduct. I will always stand with the victims
š„ Yeah wow, seems best to avoid that and hopefully those involved get the message that the indie community is a lot stronger than they are. He needs authors, not vice versa, and there’s no time and place anywhere for being a creepš¤·āāļø
š„ Is your publication date affected by any of that or are you still on for May 2nd? I’ll list purchase links at the end!
š¤ Oh, not at all. The publisher (Shortwave Publishing) has absolutely no affiliation with that individual, and has also stepped forward to make this known and declare their stance against sexual harassment. Theyāve been really wonderful to work with and weāre very excited to release NARCISSUS into the world on May 2!
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š„ So Narcissus is a horror novella based on the Greek myth! I’ve been seeing a lot of fantasy mythology retellings and adaptations, it’s kind of cool to see it in other genres too. What drew you to that myth?
š¤ I always loved Greek mythology, with the legend of Narcissus standing out as one of the more intriguing ones. Something about the destructive nature of self-infatuation, and how we so often see this in play today by way of narcissistic personality disorder (narcissism) among political figures, celebrities, etc. Narcissists gorge their inflated senses of self-importance on the undue admiration of others, and itās an affliction that is, in itself, such a horrifying, all-consuming monster that impacts not only the afflicted individual, but also all who are exposed to him/her. What better Greek myth to adapt into a modern horror antagonist?
š„I got scared while reading, sorry I’m a chicken š„² Looking at the book’s tag line on your Twitter that says “If your ability to avoid your own reflection were a matter of life and death, how long would you last?” What would your actual game plan be if you avoid your reflection to stay alive?
š¤ Haha! Itās quite alright. My wife doesnāt read horror either (though sheās extremely supportive of my work). Sheās very much a horror lightweight.
So, my game plan . . . thatās a tough one. What I found so compelling about the concept of NARCISSUS while writing it was the sheer impossibility of the situation. Reflective surfaces surround us. A glass of water, a doorknob, a window, cell phone screen, a spoon, a freshly-waxed floor. An entity that can access us through our own reflections is a truly inescapable one, so in truth, I have no idea what I would do. And itās not as if blinding myself would work. I wouldnāt have to see myself for my reflection to gain access to me.
Something funny though. I just sat with Robb Olson on his podcast The ARC Party and he brought up a very good point that I had never considered. Vampires have no reflections. In the world of NARCISSUS, maybe vampirism exists, and if it does, mayyyybe that would be a way to cheat the system. Itās funny, sure, but also pretty dang smart . . . haha!
š„The cyber security and Department of Defense career sounds interesting, have you based any writing off of your experiences there?
š¤ Not directly (aside from professional publications in the cybersecurity industry), though readers will find a common thread of plausible science and technology running through the center of much of my work. Iām working final edits on a full-length novel now (BODY OF WATER), which contains some of these very elements, and Iām so excited to eventually see this one hit the reading world. It bears a concept never before explored in film or literature.
š„ Do you have any classic (or non classic) horror favorites or what brought you into writing within the genre?
š¤ When I was young, I was a voracious reader of scary stories, and Iād devour any story anthology I could get my hands on. A couple that stick out in my mind are TALES FOR THE MIDNIGHT HOUR by J.B. Stamper and SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK by Alvin Schwartz. But, truth be told, as much as I do love horror literature, Iāve always watched more horror films/tv than read horror books. Early influences include FRIGHT NIGHT, THE LOST BOYS, TWILIGHT ZONE, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, CREEPSHOW, etc. A number of early readers of NARCISSUS have commented on what a cinematic read it is, and this is probably why. When I write, I see it as a movie in my head. For much of my work, if it doesnāt lend itself well to the screen, it just doesnāt work for me.
š„ I noticed that too with the strong descriptive elements. I can tell and tend to enjoy when books are written with that cinematic feel, it works well with a lot of space opera (and horror)!
š„What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever read or seen in a movie?
š¤ Iāve honestly never really been spooked out by a book, but as far as films go, the scene in FRIGHT NIGHT where Amy turns into this ravenous vampire and goes after her boyfriend has always been downright terrifying. The opening scene of TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE where Dan Aykroydās character says āYou wanna see something REALLY scary?ā is one of the most effective horror scenes Iāve seen. Another is the scene from SALEMāS LOT where Danny Glick (having turned into a vampire) is scraping at the window of his friend, floating in the fog just outside and begging to be let in. Yeah, thatās prime material right there.
š„Have you read any great books recently?
š¤ Iām actually reading Stephen Kingās THE STAND for the first time right now, as well as JURASSIC PARK. As a Crichton nut (one of my biggest early influences), itās absurd that Iām just now getting to that book, but I guess I always thought āwell, Iāve already seen the movieā. That was misguided thinking. Itās very different from the movie, and soooo good. Iām a huge fan of DARK MATTER by Blake Crouch, as well as THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman.
A book I recently finished that I really loved was GHOST EATERS by Clay McLeod Chapman. Heās really a brilliant writer thatās rising so fast in the horror community.
š„ Thank you so much for taking the time to interview! This last is an open forum for you so feel free to talk about anything else you might want to say!
š¤ Thanks so much for the opportunity! NARCISSUS will be available on May 2 in ebook/print format through Shortwave Publishing and other major online retailers, and is already available on audio via Audible and iTunes, narrated by the Audie Award-winning narrator Elisabeth Rodgers. Itās not often that a narrator actually manages to enhance the reading experience, but I feel thatās exactly what she pulled off. Just a phenomenal performance.
There you have it! You can find Adam online at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamfgodfrey
All of the publication info and purchase links for Narcissus can be found at:
Meet the author:
Adam Godfrey hails from Chesapeake, Virginia, where he lives with his wife and three daughters. He holds over twenty years of experience working for the United States Department of Defense in information technology and cybersecurity risk management. He holds a masterās degree in cybersecurity, and his professional contributions to the field have been internationally featured across a variety of media platforms.
In fiction, Adam is a novelist and author of short stories. His genre-crossing work ranges from the suspenseful to the horrific, frequently characterized by central threads of plausible science and technology gone awry.
– from Am*zon bio
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