Literary Spotlight: John Saul

John Saul

All 32 of John Saul’s books have made the best-seller lists and have been published world wide.

Q: What about the recurring theme entailing the corruption of young innocents seems to appeal to your fans?

A: It was best summed up at a book signing in a mall in Portland. I was sitting at the table and a woman with six kids in tow walked by me and did a double take. She picked up my book, glanced back at her brood and smiled and said, “That’s why I love your books!”

Q: You have said, “I try to give every reader a thread to relate to.” Can you expound upon this?

A: Well, my readers can often say that the evil in my books is based on the supernatural, or the characters are plain nuts, or they are just plain evil. So, as a reader, if you don’t believe in the supernatural, you can hold on to other reasons why things are happening.

Q: What are the challenges of writing a series, e.g., The Blackstone Chronicles, as opposed to a stand-alone novel?

A: The biggest challenge was that the books were being published while I was still writing the story. I worried constantly what would happen if I got hit by a bus.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers who are intimidated by not having formal writing training?

A: I was never trained in writing. If you have a good story to tell, you should just go ahead and write it and give it a shot.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.