Eric J. Guignard is an author and anthologist of dark and speculative fiction, operating from the shadowy outskirts of Los Angeles, where he also runs the small press Dark Moon Books. He's twice won the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and been a finalist for the World Fantasy Award and International Thriller Writers Award. Eric's latest fiction collection is Scaring and Daring: Terrifying Takes on 15 Classic Tales: A Horror Writers Association Anthology, and he recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What inspired the anthology Scaring & Daring? How did you become the editor?
I've always loved classic literature, and I'd long nursed a dream about creating an anthology of stories modernizing the classics or playing off them somehow. A contributor in this book, Lisa Morton, is the one who originally prompted me to put together a formal proposal with a horror spin to it. I submitted it to the Horror Writers Association for their backing, and then it was shopped out by our agent, Alec Shane of Writers House. The project was picked up by HarperCollins, and the entire experience with them, via acquiring editor David Linker, has been absolutely phenomenal.
What was your process for putting together this collection? Did you ask specific writers for stories that fit the theme? Did you open up a submission process? Or did you approach it differently?
I approached the construction of this anthology as I've done for my other anthologies, which is a combination of Project Management objectives along with creative aspirations and regular ol' "hopes." I wrote out my vision of what the end product would look like, and then I worked backward, setting milestone goals and putting in placeholders of criteria, such as subject matter, author voice, etc. I then contacted certain authors to write stories I thought would work best. Afterward, I held an open call for other authors to send in work, and I selected additional stories that would align with the preexisting draft. It's a lot of piece-fitting, while also being flexible and open to new directions!
Were there any surprises for you amongst the contributors (names you were not expecting to participate or writers you were certain would but were not able to contribute)? Are there any authors or stories that you were hoping to include but were unable to for some reason?
Oh yes, absolutely! I won't name names of those "not" included, but as with any creative project, I started with a dream list. Some of the authors from that list became part of the book. Some authors did not; either they were busy with other projects, did not feel inspired by the subject matter, or just ghosted me. But the final group I ended up with is categorically stellar. At this point, it's hard to imagine switching out anyone's work for something different. The stories interact with each other while also looking at the classics in uncommonly different ways. Sarwat Chadda’s Wolf in the Mirror is actually very dark. Compared to The Boy of La Mancha Rides a Ghost Horse by Carlos Hernandez, which is hilarious! The Shadows in the Rock by Joe R. Lansdale is sweet boy-adventure, while Hook and the Hand of Fate by Teel James Glenn and Maxwell I. Gold is just fun in every way.
In your Afterword, you mention a Christmas when you received a set of Classics Illustrated editions that were your introduction to many of the stories explored in this collection. Do you still have those books?
Sadly, I do not have the original set that I'd received (cue my Rosebud-esque tears), although in later years, I've reacquired some of those Moby Books' titles individually from used bookstores as well as similarly published children's versions by Sterling Publishing (Classic Starts series) and Baronet Books (Great Illustrated Classics series). I've since read them all with my own children.
Which of the stories that are explored in Scaring & Daring were your favorite(s) as a child? As an adult, are they still your favorite(s) or has that changed as you’ve gotten older?
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (and corresponding Adventures of Tom Sawyer* was, and still is, a favorite of children's literature. The Three Musketeers was fun when I was a boy, and I was always a fan of the works of Rudyard Kipling. I feel like I have a better appreciation for the works of Sherlock Holmes, such as The Hound of the Baskervilles, now as an adult.
Do you have a least favorite (as a child and/or adult)? (I realize that you may not want to address this one, and if that is the case, please don't. But I also realize there may be a story here and that it could be fun to answer.
It's a bit gender-biased, I'm sure, speaking from the perspective of boyhood, and reliving swashbuckling adventures like Treasure Island. Back then, I was less interested in works such as Anne of Green Gables or Little Women. (Sorry, fans!) I look past that now as an adult, certainly, and find greater enjoyment and value in different voices and perspectives. Delilah S. Dawson nailed it for her homage to The Secret Garden in this anthology, and same for Nancy Holder with Pollyanna, both which I probably would have overlooked (i.e. the original material) as a child.
What is it about these stories that we consider "classics" that continue to draw readers and authors back to them to read and explore?
Classic literature provides a common ground for cultural references in all forms of media. It's important to revisit these books, as many of them were the inspiration and groundbreakers for contemporary authors we read today. The themes are timeless, the resonance often still as emotional today as when they were first penned. They speak to the issues of their era, their voices, fears, and hopes, and they're also just thrilling, entertaining reads still today.
What's currently on your nightstand?
I read multiple books at the same time (although I'm a rather slow reader), so currently stacked on my nightstand are James by Percival Everett; West of Sunset by Stewart O'Nan ; You Like It Darker by Stephen King; The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab; Song for the Unraveling of the World by Brian Evenson, and a half-dozen others!
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, TV, more traditional art forms) that you've experienced or that has impacted you?
I know this already feels dated, but I still go back to A Song of Ice and Fire (George R.R. Martin) books and the adapted Game of Thrones TV series. The world-building was amazing, and plot twists and spin-offs could go to insane places... plus I found it fun watching the paths diverge between the books and the TV shows. I feel like it was a part of my life for such a long time. I started watching the show first, and then went and read the books back-to-back during the 2nd and 3rd seasons. So visually, I had ideas of what the characters looked like and expectations of how they should act, which were not necessarily accurate for the books.
Music-wise, I have been Loving the visual dance aesthetic and music of the English soul-funk-DJ band Jungle. Their videos are mesmerizing and creatively inspiring. The same with the psychedelia-rock band Khruangbin.
What are you working on now?
Through my press, Dark Moon Books, I'm publishing a series of author primers created to champion modern masters of the dark and macabre, titled: Exploring Dark Short Fiction (Vol. 1: Steve Rasnic Tem; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford; Vol. V: Han Song; Vol. VI: Ramsey Campbell; Vol. VII Gemma Files, etc.). I also continue to edit and publish the anthology series, +Horror Library+, which promotes new, unthemed horror short stories from authors around the world. And I foremost write short stories; I've published over 200. Some of my recent works are included in my second collection of short fiction, A Graveside Gallery, released in April through Cemetery Dance.
I recently finished my second novel, Wrecked, Yet Sent Forth, which I'm beginning to shop around, and I'm in the process of writing two more novels: one is a paranormal detective series, and the other is a cosmic slipstream time-travel. Wish me luck!
