The Woodkin Kindle Edition by Alexander James (Author)

Alexander James: From Chef to Writer.

Meet Alexander James, a chef turned writer with a passion for all things weird and wonderful. With a penchant for Dungeons & Dragons, double-stuf Oreos, and margaritas, Alexander’s love for the unusual extends into his writing. His candid attitude and unique perspective on horror as a genre make for an engaging interview. Dive into the conversation as Alexander discusses his creative journey, influences on his writing, and his brand new novel The Woodkin.

BIO

Alexander James
Alexander James: From Chef to Writer.


Alexander spent most of his childhood in southern Germany, and then went to culinary school in South Louisiana. He’s worked as a chef in everything from atrocious mall restaurants to a northern Italian farm-to-fork joint with Michelin dreams. He started writing because he’s only got another ten years or so left in his knees. When he’s not sweating through a crushing dinner service, he’s either drinking Scotch whisky in front of his computer keyboard or backpacking . . . also with Scotch whisky.



WEBSITE LINKS

Website: www.drunkscribe.com

Twitter: @DrunkScribe



Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I am a chef by trade, and a weirdo by passion. I love Dungeons & Dragons, double-stuf Oreos, drinking margaritas on a cold fall day, and backpacking in the mountains literally any time I have the opportunity.

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

No one but my critique partner and my agent has met Felix yet, but . . . Felix. He’s a line cook who’s got mad codependency issues and who also low key finds himself addicted to opiates. I love him for what he means to me, and I find myself feeling sorry for him more days than not.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

I love a good cozy fantasy novel, I have to say. Or, a really cerebral in-your-face thriller with a grotesque twist. I want to be sitting in my bed saying ‘what the f*ck?’ over and over again. 

The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations.  What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

Horror is a lens. Anything can be horror if you use the right pacing, inflections, connotations. People assume horror is the whole song, but I think horror is the minor keys that haunt the background, getting stuck in your head. Don’t assume horror is necessarily anything gross or ‘raise the hair on your neck’ scary. It can be something mildly unsettling, that sticks with you long after you’ve read it!


A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years? 

I’d love to see horror venture into political commentary, honestly. A lot of political commentary gets wrapped up in literary fiction or very heady metaphorical fiction. I’d love to see someone take a horror novel into the halls of the White House or the Hague and see justice done. 



Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? 

The same reason people enjoy eating spicy food. Is it enjoyable in the moment? No. Are we having a good time chomping on fresh jalapenos and laughing at the faces we’re making? Yes.

What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?

Variation. People are writing the same body horror/monster mash/cerebral ‘someone isn’t really dead’ horror story that we’ve all been reading. I want the Mexican Gothic breath of fresh air for the whole genre. I want that book that’s going to turn the whole horror writing game on its ear and inspire new, different horror books


What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice of?

Taylor Grothe, hands down is my vote. She’s an incredible writer, person, friend, and you’d be remiss not to have her name on your radar.  

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

The reviews that honestly hit the hardest for me are people who have waited (sometimes impatiently) for The Woodkin to be restocked at their local library. I’ve dreamed about writing that tattered, beat-to-hell book that can’t stay on library shelves for longer than a day. It’s the highest badge of honor I can think of.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?


Slice of life. I simply don’t have the patience to write a scene in which nothing happens except the character just . . . does some stuff. I’m all about pace; if it’s not directly relevant to the story, lose it.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?


There are lots, honestly. I’d never really see myself tackling the hyper-talked about topics that float around the dregs of Twitter. I’d rather write a good story that people find entertaining than challenge any kind of status quo.

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?


Beyond the nuts and bolts of the craft, which I’ve been steadily plodding along for years on, I think I’ve seen my vision for what I’m capable of evolve. There were days when I first started writing where I would go to bed feeling absolutely jazzed about the 800 words I got down. These days (when I’m drafting) if I end the day with less than 2.5k I feel like I’m letting myself down.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?


Don’t stop. You can’t ever stop. 

Which of your characters is your favourite?


Alain Dubois. Similar to Felix, no one (not even my agent) has met him yet, but he brings the exact level of saber-rattling arrogance to my life that I need.


Which of your books best represents you?


Felix and the Art of Floating is almost a page-for-page lift off my life, if I made every decision poorly and against my own self interest. So . . . that one. Again, no one but my agent and CP (and several Very Important editors) have seen that one.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? 

I always quite liked the opening line from The Woodkin. “He’d been rotting upwards of a week.” It’s got a good amount of grotesque and spookiness that sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? 

My last one is a YA horror novel about a girl and her cousin who discover a door leading to an inverted form of their own lives where people are nothing but paper leading to a new ending to a novel, and my next one is about two boys who are led to 1890s London searching for the cause of a plague decimating imagination.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?


I never quite liked the ‘no cell service’ trope, which is deeply ironic because it’s featured heavily in The Woodkin.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

Mexican Gothic made an incredible impression, I’d read that book again for the first time in a heartbeat. I thought I would like Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant much more than I actually did, which bummed me out.

What’s the one question you wish you would get asked but never do?  And what would be the answer?

Thank you so much for asking, I do enjoy drinking wine in the shower. My god, how did you even know to ask that??

The Woodkin by Alexander James 

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CamCat Books (22 Aug. 2023)

The Woodkin by Alexander James 
Alexander James: From Chef to Writer.

On the trail, anything can happen.

After secrets and betrayal shatter his marriage, Josh Mallory seeks solace on the Pacific Crest Trail, in the mountains of Washington. On the trail, he’s just another hiker. On the trail, he can outrun the memories. But this backpacking trip swiftly turns grisly when he comes across the body of another hiker who seems to have fallen to his death. Josh is forced to detour through a small mountain town, where missing hiker posters flutter in the windows, and residents show no interest in hearing about the dead hiker. Unease that something is not quite right chases him back to the trail.

But night falls too quickly and in his haste to get away, he becomes trapped on a mountain ridge beneath the light of a full moon. Feeling more and more uneasy, Josh soon realizes that he may not be alone on the mountain, and begins to fear that, like the missing hikers, he won’t make it out alive.

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  • Jim Mcleod

    Jim "The Don" Mcleod has been reading horror for over 35 years, and reviewing horror for over 16 years. When he is not spending his time promoting the horror genre, he is either annoying his family or mucking about with his two dogs Casper and Molly.

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