I’ve been reaching out to other writers much more lately, and I’m hoping to start doing some more author interviews! So check out my latest interview, with poet and horror writer A.P. Duvall, the author of Ichor!
Tell us about yourself! What would you like readers to know about you?
A.P. Duvall: I’m a debut author who has recently self-published. I grew up and spent most of my life in Florida, I’ve been married for nearly four years and we are servants to a dog and two cats. I’m a movie fanatic, I’ll read just about anything, and my favorite music genres are the blues, folk, and rock and roll.
What book or books have most influenced you as a writer?
A.P. Duvall: As a writer, I’m mostly influenced by horror writers, so I bow at the altar of Stephen King. IT, Misery, The Tommyknockers are a few of my favorites. My novel, Ichor, was also influenced by the John Dies at the End series by Jason Pargin, and Vonnegut’s treatment of characters in stories like Slaughterhouse V and Timequake were real eye-openers for me.
Alexis: I’m also a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, and I agree that Stephen King is definitely the horror master!
What are some tropes of fiction in your genre that you love/hate? Why?
A. P. Duvall: It’s hard for me to become invested in monsters that just tick the box of the conventions. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, etc, there needs to be some sort of original twist on them, if you’re just ripping off Bram Stroker or George Romero, I don’t really find it all that interesting. But I do love an original concept, a new threat, a unique motive, a fear that’s been unexplored, horror novels can really be about the darkest subject matter and be absolutely enthralling.
Alexis: It’s interesting how so many monsters get used over and over, ad nauseum. I do wish that people would branch out more—there’s so much rich monster stories and folklore out there!
Who is your favorite character in your book? What do you like about them? (or, which character do you hate most and why)
A.P. Duvall: Each character has a little bit of me in them, so it’s hard to pick and choose favorites because it’s like choosing the favorite part of your psyche. Having said that, the character that was the biggest hurdle for me to overcome was a character named Hugh Gleason. He’s talked about so much before the audience gets to be in his point of view, and I knew he had such a rich story to tell, and honestly, it scared me. Once I dove in, he actually came surprisingly easy. He was so melancholic, so weary, so bruised and battered by the circumstance that he’s in, that my heart went out to him, even while I was completely responsible for his misfortunes.
A.P Duvall’s adorable kitties!
What TV shows/Movies do you like to watch or stream?
A.P. Duvall: I love films from directors like Kubrick, Scorsese, Fincher, Kurosawa, Ridley Scott, I’ve been slowly making my way through ‘best-of’ lists, watch more foreign films and trying to be a more well-rounded film nerd.
When I need to binge a TV show I’ll go for Arrested Development, Law and Order: SVU, or anything with Gordon Ramsey, that’s not including all the prestige shows from HBO and the like.
Alexis: Arrested Development is a great show, and I also enjoyed watching Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares!
What’s your favorite animal?
A.P. Duvall: I’m always torn with this question. The octopus is so alien, intelligent, lives underwater but has a beak, they can camouflage, shoot ink and they just look terrifying, but also kind of cute, like if you could have an octopus for a friend, I think that’d be pretty cool. On the other hand, I also love crows and ravens. They’re also extremely intelligent, can use and even make tools, they engage in play, bartering, and again, can look scary at first. Something about really smart non-primate animals are really interesting to me.
Alexis: There are flocks of crows in my town right now (I think they’re migrating), and every time I see them I sort of wish I could convince one of them to be my backyard crow friend. They’re great birds to watch, because they always seem to be having conversations with each other. I do think it' would be incredible to talk to a octopus, or learn to understand how such a different creature thinks.
Ichor, by A.P. Duvall, with a beautiful cover design by Duvall’s wife
What advice do you have for other writers or people just getting started in writing?
A.P. Duvall: Just write what you know and to know yourself. If trying to figure out a character’s motives feels like pushing a boulder up a mountain, maybe you need to bring your characters closer to yourself. I’m not saying everything has to be autobiographical, but writing is a form of self-expression, that means you’re expressing your self, your truth, your ideas – just write what means something to you and you should be fine.
Do you like Greek/Roman/Norse/Asian/African mythology or folklore? What’s your favorite myth?
A.P. Duvall: I incorporated a bit of Greek mythology in my novel, even the title Ichor, comes from Greek mythology , it was what they called the blood of the Gods, golden in color and toxic to mortals, and when I came across it in my research big chunks of the narrative fell into place. I’m trying to learn more about Norse, and African mythologies, all cultures have incredibly interesting and revealing stories that go back thousands of years and are very indicative of our shared history and humanity.
If you write sci-fi, what technology, innovations or scientific discoveries have inspired your work?
A.P. Duvall: Theories of multi-verses and time travel are incredible to me. I’ve been trying to learn more about AI and how we may be incorporating it into our lives and even ourselves in the future is incredibly interesting. It’ll be a whole new world soon if we can make it that far. We have these issues with privacy now, what will it be like when our bodies and computers are one and the same? What will humanity mean when we can create thinking machines that are capable of making choices and have autonomy. These aren’t new ideas, but they are endlessly fascinating.
What feels different to you about writing poetry versus working on a novel? Do you feel that these are very different kinds of writing, or do they feel more connected to you?
A.P. Duvall: The main difference is speed. I took a long time on my novel, but poetry comes very quickly, but I do feel that they are connected in a lot of ways. Fiction writing should have moments of poetic beauty and poetry should tell a story. The first poems we read are probably Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, or nursery rhymes, and they all tell stories that stay with us for a long time, and when you read a great book it’s the beautiful and simple phrases that stand out above just the plot or characterizations.
Alexis: I like the idea of poetry telling a story, because so many of the best poems do tell a story, even if it’s just capturing a single moment in time.
A. P. Duvall, Poet and Horror Writer, Author of Ichor
More about A.P Duvall
My debut novel, Ichor is available exclusively on Amazon on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited or in paperback. I recommend the paperback to really appreciate the beautiful cover my wife designed, but I’m biased.
My website is notesfromthehole.com, where I post poetry, drawings, and will soon upload some short stories soon. I can be found on Twitter @ap_duvall.
A.P. Duvall’s fluffy doggie!