Nate Southard

answers the Usual Questions

Nate Southard

American author Nate Southard writes prose and comics. He has worked as a cook, bar back, and pizza maker. He thinks you won't find the last part interesting.

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

I'm grateful to my fans, and I genuinely love interacting with them, both in person and online.

There's something about that immediate exchange that's thrilling, and it's great to see that others have enjoyed your work. As for it affecting my work in any way, I can't really say that it has. My writing style has changed over the years, but that's more a reflection of my tastes and what I enjoy than anything else. When all is said and done, I think the best thing I can do for a fan is to create work I care about to the best of my ability.

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

This is probably a great example of how not to take a compliment...I was at KillerCon in 2011, and somebody came up to the table I was signing at and said, "I've read everything you've ever written." That's a great compliment, no two ways around it. However, I'd recently gone through a breakup, and my confidence was hovering around zero. Instead of thanking them for reading, I laughed and asked, "Why?" I can't remember their reaction, just that I was horrified to have blurted out something like that.

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

Koko by Peter Straub changed everything about how I write. The characters, the prose, the story: everything about that book is so rich and amazing. It really opened my eyes to everything the horror genre can be.

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

Spaceship, hands down. I want to play in zero gravity. As for who I'd want to be stuck with...Kelly Clarkson. I have a crush on her that is legendary. I keep trying to get my fans to start a drive for me to receive a ten-second hug from her, but so far no one's leading the charge.

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

George W. Bush. I wouldn't trust myself to not shout out, "Seriously, what the hell?!"

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

Cook books and food. Specifically, Thai food. I couldn't go a month or more without eating a helping of yum neur. And how does beer act in space? Could I enjoy a good IPA in orbit?

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

Really, I just want to keep improving and create the best work I can. I want every new project I write to be better than what I previously wrote. Time will tell how that works out, I guess.

What is the special satisfaction of your work?

I get to make up ridiculous things every day. I think that's great. That's the amazing thing about being a genre writer: no matter how seriously you take the job (and I take it very seriously), it's always going to be at least a little ridiculous.

submitted by Nate Southard

20 August 2014

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Just the facts:
Born: Aurora, Indiana. Land of hills and...well, that's about it. Hills.
Resides: Austin, Texas. Land of many more cool things than Aurora, Indiana.
Bibliography/Awards:
SELECTED NOVELS:
Pale Horses
Down
Lights Out
Scavengers
Red Sky
SELECTED NOVELLAS
Just Like Hell
The Slab City Event
AWARDS
Novel of the Year, Virus Magazine, for Red Sky
Check his web site for fuller list