David Dunwoody

answers the Usual Questions

David Dunwoody

You can read work by David Dunwoody free at his web site (listed below).

Has your interaction with fans, for example, at conventions, affected your work?

I haven't done a great many cons, so I haven't had the opportunity to meet a lot of readers but the interactions I've had are always inspiring. I don't know that it's changed or guided my writing but I definitely think of readers when a story hits print and always look forward to fan feedback.

Is there any particular incident (a letter, a meeting, a comment that stands out?

At a Salt Lake Comic Con event in April, I met a man who'd lived through Hurricane Katrina and read Empire shortly thereafter (Empire is a zombie novel set on the Gulf Coast and was first published online in 2006). Understanding how my outlandish zombie story had become entwined with the memories and emotions of a real-life experience was certainly thought-provoking.

Do you have a favourite author or book (or writer or film or series) that has influenced you or that you return to?

I return frequently to many writers - King, Lovecraft and Barker in particular - for a number of reasons, but there's also a filmmaker whose philosophy of storytelling and approach to horror have inspired me. David Cronenberg has created some of the most balls-out and cerebral horror I've ever seen and I always find his interviews and commentaries fascinating. His views on horror as an art form can be applied to prose as well as cinema. There are a lot of good Cronenberg interviews on YouTube.

Who is the person you would most like to be trapped in a lift with? or a spaceship?

If we're talking a space elevator then definitely Willy Wonka. But for a plain old spaceship I'd go with Dan Aykroyd. He seems to have the inside track with aliens.

Who is the person you would most DISlike to be trapped in a lift with? Or a spaceship?

Anyone who's consumed Taco Bell in the past 36 hours.

What would you pack for space? (Is there a food, beverage, book, teddy bear, etc that you couldn't do without?)

In case we never return, I'd have to bring a mix CD of songs that remind me of important people and events from my life. I'll have to work out a definitive tracklisting as there are too many songs swirling around in my head. (Maybe the aliens will just let me bring an iPod so I can have them all.)

What is the most important thing you would like to get/achieve from your work?

In terms of achievement, just to know that people have enjoyed it (and been scared half to death by it). That's the only outside validation I'm looking for. Regardless of that, though, writing itself is a joy.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

My head is a jumble of thoughts and each one demands special attention. Being able to reach into that storm, pluck something out and form it into a story on the page is always gratifying. There's a certain rush that comes just from that process. Being able to get published and read by others means a lot, too, but those are secondary to this solitary thing which I will always be compelled to do.

submitted by David Dunwoody

13 Jul 2014

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Just the facts:
Born: 1981
Resides: Utah, USA
Bibliography/Awards:
Full bibliography

Web site:
http://daviddunwoody.com/

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