Earlier today I posted my review of Night of the Chupacabra by Michael Hebler.
The Chupacabra Series – Book One
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You can read my review here .
As soon as I hit the publish button it said 200th Post!
I’ve come a long way this year in the blogging world. I’ve met some awesome people and authors, read some amazing books and made some new friends! And I feel like celebrating.
And so does Michael! His new book Night of the Chupacabra was released today.
What better way to celebrate than with a giveaway! Michael is offering one Signed paperback and one e-book copy of Night of the Chupacabra and he is stopping by to chat.
Thanks for stopping by Michael. I don’t want to keep you from your celebration for the release of Night of the Chupacabra, so let’s get started.
Are you kidding? This IS part of the celebration! Of course, no celebration would be complete without champagne.
Why the Chupacabra? There are many mythical creatures and I’m curious as to how you picked it for your story.
Actually, this story started before the chupacabra became involved. I had wanted to do a heavily character-driven type horror-western tale. When the story first started, it was going to be a serial killer in the Old West, but somewhere along the way, it took more of a supernatural turn and I birthed a monster from my imagination. Then one day, I was heading to the fridge(no surprise there) and noticed one of my roommates had posted an article from the Orange County Register about a Santa Ana man blaming the death of his newborn on a “chupacabra”, which I had never heard of. The roommate thought the article was hilarious – she was disturbed that way – and the article managed to hang on the fridge door for a year. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but then I sat down to watch one of my favorite TV shows, “The X-Files“(yes, this was in the 1990’s), and they did an episode on the chupcabra and I was suddenly fascinated by it. It was scary how many similarities there were to my completely manufactured monster. I did as much research as I could, but there wasn’t much at the time…and I’m glad too! Dial-up on the internet was SO SLOW! And so I decided to replace my monster with the chupacabra.
Your story takes place in western times. Did the era come first or the creature when you decided to write this book?
Oh, definitely the western first. When I started this story,
Clint Eastwood‘s dark western “Unforgiven” had recently won a
Best Picture Academy Award, thus sparking my love for the genre – it’s still one of my Top 10 favorite films to this day. Then, a friend of mine in college, Eric Person, had written a one-act play about a group of cowboys and civilians trapped inside a saloon while werewolves were trying to claw their way inside. I was instantly inspired. I loved this new concept of crossing genres! So, once I had decided to give the creature I created the pink slip and hand the part over to the chupacabra, I knew it had been the right choice because I then had the Old West as a setting to create an
origin story. But as things transpired and back stories were created, I found I had more than enough to hold off on a true “beginning” story, which will now be book four in this anthology, “Dawn of the Chupacabra”, and is most definitely my
Greek tragedy of the series.
What do you think makes a good story?
Well, really, all the elements need to work together. I think they are all equally important, but what I tend to gravitate to more than theme, plot, or pacing is characters. Like I mentioned before, I wanted this story to be character-driven and I wanted compelling relationships and situations that were not only scary, grotesque, and intense, but funny, heart-warming AND heart-wrenching. I wanted to make sure there was a little bit of everything; a little something for everyone with an emphasis on the scary and grotesque, of course.
What is your favorite scene in Night of the Chupacabra?
If I said, “That’s like asking me which of my children I liked best”, would you hate me for being cliche? But in all actuality, I kinda/sorta do have one. In the 15+times I rewrote and rewrote, and then rewrote my editor’s rewrites, one scene always felt magical to me. It’s around Chapter VI or VII when Jessie is in the basement making her case to Sheriff Dillmore and Miss Christie about the monster they just missed seeing, then Suzanne suddenly comes to Jessie’s aide. I think what I like most about that scene is that it really tells a lot about the web of relationships of the four characters who were juggled around in a way that – at least to me – flowed at an even pace. The dialogue is fiery,as is Miss Christie, one of my favorite characters in the entire series. She really shines in that scene.
Is there a deleted scene that you liked but it didn’t work?
Yeah, just about the entire 1995 first draft! But actually there was this one scene that took place inside a church where a group of townspeople huddled because they were convinced God would protect them from the “devil”, and when they discovered they were wrong, it became quite chaotic. Unfortunately, the character dynamics were completely different then. Jessie had a do-gooder, older brother, Clarence, whom she was trying to save. Unfortunately, she couldn’t save him from me because she is now an only child. Plus, I also wanted to steer clear of the sensitive subject of religion when this book was supposed to be just a form of entertainment.
What was the most challenging thing in writing your book?
Well, it doesn’t help being mildly OCD. There’s a certain amount of perfectionism that I expect from myself and learning to finally drop the pen and let my baby fly the coop took a lot of deep breaths… and some alcohol. If you haven’t done the math yet, the end result did take about 20 years.
Can you tell us something more about this series, maybe what we can expect?
You can expect at least four more books. The first three(Night, Curse, and Legend) are their own trilogy but will have a different protagonist for each. As mentioned, the fourth(Dawn) is an origin story and the fifth(Return) will take place around the 1970’s – 1980’s. I do have a story I’m very, very excited about for the fifth book, but it’s still undecided if there’s enough for another trilogy. I don’t want to squeeze it out; it has to come naturally. And I promise not to take 20 years between each story. Curse and Legend are already written and on my editor’s computer screen now, and Dawn is half outlined. In fact, if all goes well, I expect Curse of the Chupacabra to be released around September 15, 2013 and then each one a year later.
Is there anything you would like to share with your readers?
Well… I expect the first round of readers will be avid dark thriller/horror fans and chupacabra fans, so I guess I would like to share a disclaimer for those who believe in the chupacabra: There are many theories out there about what the chupacabra is and where it comes from. Everything from an alien pet left behind to a toxic mutation of an extinct animal from the Roman Empire. The Chupacabra Series is for entertainment purposes only. I am not trying to lay the ground work for its mythology or an explanation of its existence. This is purely a creative work of supernatural fiction. But if you wish to have a discussion, you can always email me: info@michaelhebler.com
Five Fun Shorts!
1) favorite beverage? Alcoholic – Pineapple Upside Down Cake (I wrote a whole thing about it on my blog). Non-alcoholic – milk.
2) swim in the ocean or a pool? POOL!!!! Unless the water is crystal clear, I can see that shark a mile away.
3) phobia? You would think sharks, wouldn’t you? But no… heights.
4) favorite movie? The Color Purple.
5) hardcopy or e-book? Hard copy.
That’s a wrap! Thanks so much for sharing with us Michael. I look forward to having you back soon.
Thank you. I hope to be back for the Curse! (that didn’t sound quite right, did it?)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRiCp9MKQ6g]
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So let’s celebrate shall we?
To Enter the Giveaway
Just leave you email address and answer this question, “What monster scares you?”
That’s all it takes and you’re entered for a chance to win a paperback or an e-book copy of Night of the Chupacabra.
Contest ends November 1st.
US only
While it’s not required, it would be nice if you followed me on twitter and my blog.
You can find Michael here:
