Author Interview: Weston Ochse

I've been friends with Weston Ochse for a few years now and it's always great (in a "I hate you" sort of way) to watch your friends blow up. Luckily, he still remembers who I am. His novel, Scarecrow Gods, won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in First Novel, and is about to be re-released as a trade paperback by Delirium Books. All of this made for a great excuse for me to pester him with a few questions.

Continued on the FearZone.


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Road to Mo*Con III: Interview with Bob Freeman Part I

One of the dangers of being my friend is that not only am I prone to playing cell phone lottery, but when I have questions I’m likely to call you just as randomly ... and I take notes. In this case, my friends have no one to blame but themselves: Louise Bohmer and Bob Freeman were talking about their spiritual beliefs on a message board, so I had to stick my nose in it and ask Bob some follow up questions. One of the great things about having conversations with people is that you can find a lot of common ground with them. First, go read Bob defining his beliefs and then you’ll be caught up (then suppress your urge to go see Beowulf and 300 again and read my interview):


Would it be right to say that you embrace the principles represented by the pantheon rather than worship the pantheon itself?

One of the more appealing aspects of Odinism is that it is not enabling... Odinists are free to shape their lives to the extent allowed by their skill, courage, and might. There is no predestination, no fatalism, and certainly no limitations imposed by the will of any external deity. An Odinist does not need salvation. All they need is the freedom to face their destiny with courage and honor. An Odinist does not fear the Gods, or consider themselves their slaves. We do not bow or cower before them. On the contrary, we share community and fellowship with the Divine. We break bread with them and join them in drink because we are family... of shared blood. The Gods encourage us to grow and advance to higher levels because we are their offpring... We are the Children of Odin. Odinism/Asatru is often referred to as "the Folkway". We see ourselves as being connected to all our ancestors. They are a part of us as we in turn will be a part of our descendants, but we are also linked to all our living kin - to our families and to every man and woman rooted in the tribes of Europe. They are, in a very real sense, our "greater family." The Gods are an intregal part of that family. It is Odin who sits at the head of our table He is our All-Father, and we are his children.

Could you go over the relationship of the Asatru to your beliefs?

Asatru is reconstructionist Norse polytheism. The word itself is Old Norse meaning "Belief in the Gods". My problem with modern Asatru stems from the fact that our numbers are small. Add to that an even smaller element of the White Power crowd who have filtered into our ranks. This vocal minority sounds even louder when you consider we are a fledgling movement.

I am constantly at odds with this, one part of me wanting to remain more or less solitary, exploring my spirituality outside the politics of the movement... While there's another part of me that thinks I should be screaming from the rooftops, shouting down those who dishonor the names of our Gods. It's the one thing that weighs most heavily on my soul.

Part of your religion being defined by a loud minority that embarrasses most of you? Can't relate to that at all. I understand where you’re coming from: part of my spirituality is quite personal (the spiritual disciplines like prayer and fasting for example), which appeals to my introverted nature. YetIi have to balance that against the calls for community, for learning, worship, and fellowship (which appeals to my extroverted self). Is there a "scripture" that informs your faith or do you hold to the ancient Norse stories? How do your ancestors inform you today?

Probably the most important source would be the Havamal which is an epic poem that comes to us in four parts.

1. The Gestapatrr's main focus is that of hospitality, offering up maxims on good manners and how to treat guests.

2. The Loddfafnismal deals with morality and the code of ethics one is expected to adhere to.

3. The Runatal instructs us in the history of and use of the Runes, the sacred alphabet brought to us by Odin's self-sacrifice.

4. The Ljodatal deals with the deeper mysteries and of magick.

The Havamal is but one part of the Eddas which is the collection of stories and myths of our gods and heroes. These include The Ring Cycle, popularized I guess by Wagner...And we mustn't forget Beowulf. I learn from these works, but more importantly I trust in the guidance of that inner voice, which is the voice of my line of ancestors that stretches back through time, back to the beginning.

Again, the focus of one of Odin's Children is being true to one's orlog, which is one's True Will (hence my Thelemic leanings). We all have a "special purpose" (cue The Jerk) ... Our journey is divining that purpose and being true to our wyrd (think non-predestination fate), which we cultivate and examine as a unfathomable mystery, as it ebbs and flows like the tides, forward and back through time.

Confused yet? The concepts make more sense in one's heart than they do when writ out... lol... It's the great Northern Mystery Tradition

[to be continued]

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Road to Mo*Con III: Interview with Bob Freeman Part II

To catch up, go here for part I of this conversation. So we also share an appreciation for mystery. What sort of traditions and rituals do you have?

As a solitary practitioner I lean toward a more eclectic approach. I perform a personalized ritual during full and new moons, the eight holy days of the wheel, Leif Eriksson Day (which is also my son's birthday) and my birthday. I also perform a libation and sacrifice during each of the twelve days of the Yuletide honoring Odinn and the Wild Hunt.

Additionally I honor Aleister Crowley's birth and death, the nativity of the Scarlet Woman, and the anniversary of the three days of the writing of the Book of the Law.

What are the best ways for you to connect/commune with your ancestors?

Meditation. Trance. Ascending to the Astral Plane... Every ritual I perform, I invite my ancestors into my circle. They are always with me. Blood will have blood.

Is it too personal to ask how your faith journey is worked out practically? Like what a worship time would look like?

Generically speaking, at midnight I would purify my sacred space, conjuring a magic circle about me and whatever tools I might be working with. By will and sacred word I would cast out negative energies and invite in my ancestors and whatever gods I intend to work with that night. Then I'd go to work, either reciting poetry or weaving magick... Most often it is a relaxed atmosphere, unless I have a major undertaking planned.

I know you've said that you practice your religion in a solitary way, but are there occasions where those who share faith similar to yours can gather as a community?

Asatruar gather locally in Kindreds (think Covens, though they would balk at that comparison) while nationally, Kindreds are invited to The Althing, which is akin to a "gathering of the clans". Non-solitary Thelemites can join, for example, the Ordo Templi Orientis, or Kenneth Grant's Typhonian OTO...

Does your family hold to your religion or is it just you? How do you pass it down/along or do you?

My wife is a Christian, though she doesn't attend Church or read the Bible. She believes what she was taught by her mother and that's good enough for her. She thinks I'm a nutter, as my British friends say.

My son is only four so everything is still a mystery to him. He believes in everything... from Santa Claus to Giant Alien Robots. I have read to him some of the Norse myths, just as I've told him the Nativity story. He will get to find his own path. It is my job as a father to lead by example. His mind is his own, and if he comes to view the world as I do, then I will be thrilled, but it is his journey. All I can do is show him where the road begins...

Could you explain "the nativity of the Scarlet Woman" a bit more? It reminds me of a passage in the Book of Revelation.

The Scarlet Woman, or Babalon as she is known in Thelema, represents the liberated woman and the full expression of the sexual impulse. From Chapter I of The Book of the Law:

15. Now ye shall know that the chosen priest & apostle of infinite space is the prince-priest the Beast; and in his woman called the Scarlet Woman is all power given. They shall gather my children into their fold: they shall bring the glory of the stars into the hearts of men. 16. For he is ever a sun, and she a moon. But to him is the winged secret flame, and to her the stooping starlight. —AL I:15-16

How do you (or do you see yourself doing this at all) work out your faith in your fiction?

I cut my teeth on Robert E. Howard and bought into the whole "barbarism is the natural state of man" that was such a large part of his fiction. What I try to impart in my work is a sense of wonder, coupled with, at times, a savage brutality that is often but a heartbeat away. I always try to look at the light and the dark and how they dance with one another, the beauty and the beast, if you will. I think you'll find that, in my stories, I bring an air of "power, mystery, and the hammer of the gods" to every tale. And that is indicative of the conflict that rages inside of me, and my faith in the elder gods, the primal forces, are played out in my characters more often than not, because that's what's boiling inside of me, seeking release. If my writing were a stew, the ingredients would be comprised of the sword and sorcery of Robert E. Howard, the paranormal mystery of Algernon Blackwood, the gothic romance of Dan Curtis, all tied together with the historical resonance of Katherine Kurtz. But in the end, the defining ingredient, the spice, if you will, is the heart of my ancestors that is beating strong inside my chest.

Speaking of similarity, one of the rituals of Kwanzaa, the pouring of libations, is about remembering my ancestors.

I've always felt it important to meet over the common ground, rather than to become mired in our differences. Those differences are, more often than not, superficial at best.

That's my guiding philosophy. That and mutual respect and you can have meaningful dialogue about religion and spirituality. I thought I’d leave you all with a peek at a book trailer for his latest project, Keepers of the Dead. What else can we be looking forward to from you?

The sequel to Shadows Over Somerset, Keepers of the Dead, will be released this coming Spring by Black Death Books. I'm very excited about the Indiana Horror Writers anthology, Dark Harvest, that we're both a part of. It's very strong, filled with some truly fantastic fiction. I'm honored to be a part of it. You can also read a non-fiction article on my paranormal investigations of the Eastern Woodland Carvers Building that will be in the March issue of Doorways magazine (which also features a short story by a certain "sinister minister", if I'm not mistaken). You can also catch me in a few upcoming anthologies, including Michael Knost's Legends of the Mountain State 2 (which again, you're a part of). I also have some artwork gracing the covers of two of Dr. Kim Paffenroth's works, Orpheus and the Pearl (published by Magus Press) and Dying to Live 2: Life Sentence (published by Permuted Press), as well as some art that has found its way into various private collections by some rather prestigious Occult Orders that I have become associated with.


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Author/Editor Interview: Mort Castle

I should probably mention that I have a couple personal connections to Mort Castle. For one thing, his 2002 WHC workshop in Chicago served as one of the purest experiences in honing my craft and introduced me to many folks who would be come my peers and dearest friends in the business. As another, Mort recently accepted a story of mine for Doorways Magazine whose fiction he edits, thus proving the age old adage that the student shall one day ... well, remain a student. That's why I'm here with some questions

[Continued on FearZone. Make with the clicky-clicky]



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Interview with Jason Sizemore

Every now and then, I think about what it would be like to start my own magazine venture. When that mild brain stroke hits me, I just ask friends of mine what it's like and keep asking them questions until the fever passes. In this case, I cornered Jason Sizemore of Apex Digest of Science Fiction and Horror.


What made you decide to start your own magazine?
Friendly answer: I'd gotten the itch to start a small business around the birth of my first child. Call it a first-child crisis moment, whatever. Anyways, having created a little Sizemore minion meant I needed a business I could run from home. Being a science fiction and horror geek, who liked short fiction, who had some experience editing in the past, a genre magazine seemed like fun. Three years later, here I am with the tenth issue of Apex coming out.

Asshole answer: I'd grown tired of seeing so many magazines come and go. Failures. And assholes all over the web kept saying a print 'zine can't be done. I set out to prove them wrong because I'm weird that way. I wouldn't say I've succeeded yet, not until Apex is able to pay professional rates (as defined by the HWA), but three yeras later, here I am with the tenth issue of Apex coming out.

Horror and science fiction seem like a strange pairing.
Not so strange...but not so obvious...in terms of novels, some of the most memorable works in the genres are a combination of the pair: I Am Legend, Frankenstein, McCarthy's The Road. Let's not forget a few of the best movies to come out of Hollywood: Alien, Aliens, The Thing, Dark City and so on.

What makes a good story for Apex?
There's the obvious stuff: quality writing, unique ideas, strong characters. Then there's the "type" of stories we publish. We tend to shy away from monster fiction (think Alien). Even though we like to print progressive fiction, we don't like anything that's trying to make a political statement. We do like to see stories dealing with the implications of science. The struggle between religion and technology. Speculation of what terrors might be waiting for us as humanity progresses.

How do you approach the dreaded slush pile. Do you read every story?
I've got four skilled editors (two of them dedicated to reading submissions): Mari Adkins, Jodi Lee, Deb Taber, and Gill Ainsworth. Between the five of us, we'll read each and every submission that comes to us. Will we read every page of every story? No way. That would be torture.

It seems to me that a lot of folks seem to wake up, full of "love for the genre", and decide to start a magazine, either print or e-zine. Judging from how many start up without seeing a second issue, it seems like the reality of running a magazine quickly catches up to them. With that in mind, what kind of research did you do before you started up?
Not enough, but more than most. I built a business plan. I covered my bases pretty well at the beginning. I knew how much printing would cost, how much my shipping costs would be, how much to pay people, etc. But I did not do enough research concerning the distribution system and it came back to haunt me.

Most magazine distributors ask for Net-90 from the time they receive an issue. This means if I release issue ten tomorrow, I probably won't see payment for six months. Then there's the multitudes of fees: you're charged for returns, for their shipping costs, for everyone they sell, on and on. At the volume I'm moving to distributors, I make about $1.00 for each copy they receive.

This left me in a lurch. Suddenly my backup funds had to go to the printer. Then last summer I lost my job, and things started looking scary. Fortunately, the genre community came together and literally saved the publication. Everyday I strive to create a product worthy of such charity and kindness.

What are some of the costs to put together an issue?
Printing is about 60% of my costs. Shipping is 20%.

How much time do you end up putting into the magazine per month?
About 25 hours a week. It's a labor of love, and even after three years I still enjoy publishing the magazine.

How did you go about getting distribution?
I called several large bookstores (local Barnes and Noble, Joseph-Beth Booksellers) and a couple of indy shops in Louisville and asked them who they used for magazine distribution. I researched these distributors, called them, then submitted an application package. It's similar to submitting a story to a market. You put together your product, write a friendly cover letter, and you wait for that acceptance/rejection letter.

When Ingram Periodicals accepted me, I knew then that Apex had a real shot at being a major player.

It almost seems like some markets appear and expect people to just sign on as subscribers (for the love start-up with for the love sign ons). How do you get the word out? Review copies? Message board spamming? Other marketing?
At the end of issue 2, I had 40 subscribers. The distributors helped. With distribution comes visibility. You pressure your genre friends to subscribe. You ask a few family members. Review copies don't do a whole lot. Not even in the beginning. I will admit to copious message board spamming. But I was always careful to ask the board mods if it was cool to spam.

I tried all sorts of marketing. Some failed, some succeeded. Our spokesmodel Amanda D. was a hit. Anytime she goes to a con and wears the Apex tanktops, we always receive a bump in business.

Did you just go out of your own pocket or did you raise capital?
At first, straight out of my pocket. These days, I have some private investors that help give the publication flexibility and to prevent another "ohmygodsaveapex" scenario that occurred last summer.

What sort of plan did you have for generating revenue/defraying costs?
Well...to generate interest in the magazine, I was able to hook a couple of "name" friends to contribute work to Apex in the first couple of issues. I called over 200 businesses soliciting for advertising and was able to sell all the ad space in issues 1 and 2. The first four covers a comic artist friend of mine did the work for free, saving me hundreds of dollars. And we were lucky to "discover" two talented new writers, Bryn Sparks and Jennifer Pelland, that quickly became fan favorites and moved many copies for us.

What are some common mistakes that writers make?
Not realizing we require a science fiction element to every story. Inconsistent verb tense. Weak openings.

How hands on are you with working with writers?
I'm extremely hands on, so to speak. Approximately one-third of the stories we accept are accepted "as is" with minor edits. The rest usually involve at least one minor rewrite. I tell the writer what I want from a scene or character, or what plot point is missing/needs to happen. It's an enjoyable process with the writers that have a professional attitude.

I have zero patience or tolerance for unprofessionalism. The moment I sense a writer/artist is being an asshole, I drop the sale. I have no time for such nonsense.

Come on, dish, what is some of the most unprofessional behavior you've seen?
We once had to deal with a writer being a "diva" about their story, who refused any and all changes we requested to their manuscript. I'm glad they're so confident about their work, but if you're convinced you know better than me about what goes in Apex, then why are you bothering submitting to Apex?

Now Apex is expanding into books. Can you tell me how you choose your projects and what we have to look forward to?
Due to time constraints, we don't open to submissions or pitches for book projects. This means you have to catch my eye with your work. For the anthologies, I target people who I think will bring an interesting story to the collection. Gratia Placenti (Latin for "for the sake of pleasing") is our next antho. I grow giddy thinking about what writers like JA Konrath, David Niall Wilson, Adrienne Jones will bring to the book.

The collections...three story and one poetry...are all from writers I admire and believe to be stars in the making. So I approached them. Brandy Schwan, Lavie Tidhar, Steven Savile, and Fran Friel. I can't think of a better roster to kick-start our book publishing efforts.

How much does this cut into your writing career/other business interests?
It cuts deeply into my writing career. But being an editor and seeing the types of errors I see day after day allows me to stay away from such pitfalls. So when I do write, the quality is higher than it used to be.

I'm careful to make sure Apex does not cut into my day job. It's all fun and games until you're standing in the soup line!


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An Interview with Alethea Kontis

The lovely Alethea Kontis is a woman who wears many hats: writer, producer, editor, as well as being a book buyer for the Ingram Book Company. Besides needing an excuse to post my favorite pictures of me and her, I wanted to ask her a few questions about being a book buyer as well as what this means to the careers of writers.

Continued on Blogging in Black.
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Interview with Publisher Kim Stewart

Every now and then, I just run across items that intrigue me. The other day I ran across P.O.W.E.R. Magazine. I liked the idea that “God has a destiny in mind for you, and it is bigger than you can ever imagine. Stepping into that destiny begins with Prayer, Obedience, and Worship and letting Him use you for the Edification of His people, bringing about a Rebirth ... thus the International P.O.W.E.R. acronym.” So I thought that I would ask its Publisher, Kim Stewart, a few questions.

Tell me a little bit about P.O.W.E.R. Magazine.

International P.O.W.E.R.'s mission is to "Compel People To Come To Christ", encourage family values and overall personal development. We are not packaged like many traditional Christian magazines because our focus is on the un-churched and the un-saved. We hope to feature cover stories on celebrities like Tony Dungy and Angela Bassett who are not ashamed to tell people about the "Good News About Jesus Christ" In hopes that people, who admire these personalities, will read about how they give the God the Glory and perhaps do a self examination of their walk with the Lord. And at some point say "What must I do to be saved"?

What lead you to start your own magazine?

Once I relocated back to Indianapolis, from Atlanta, I was disturbed to fine that many of my old acquaintances living lives of quiet desperation. Living in the same condition they were in when I left. The communities that I was raised in did not appear to be progressing. However, other communities seemed to be flourishing. So I believed that if their was some form of a magazine could address their needs and show them the steps needed to transform themselves from the inside out, then perhaps a change for the better could take place in their individual lives - leading to a change through out the city, the state, this country and all over the world.

What unique voice do you hope to add to the magazine scene?

Unlike most publishers, I am not in the magazine business as much as I am in the people business. Therefore, I hope to provide a voice for those who don't have a platform to express themselves as well as a large readership that will enable us to move in great numbers towards solving problems that plague all communities. For example, healthcare certainly does not have a color, yet it has a price tag. If we are able to use our database to bring about change for all people then our unique voice will have been heard.

What has your own spiritual journey been like?

We don't have time for that testimony yet, but it is coming soon. I will sum it up however like this. I should have been dead a long time ago. I have done every type of un-Godly thing there is, yet God has continued to have mercy on me and save me from myself. In my case I really don't believe God cares one way or the other if I publish a magazine. I have a testimony and he didn't bring me out of it to not share it with anyone. Truthfully, I believe that he has allowed me to manage P.O.W.E.R. (I say manage because it's his magazine like all things. His money, His house, His car etc., and he is loving us enough to let us manage some of His things), as a way to get me in shape for the real task at hand and that is to do Christian Motivational Speaking.

If you had to leave someone with one message, what would it be?

Christ died on the cross to save us from the penalty of sin. He exchanged His life for our life In His death he also freed us from many of the chains that we are bound to; divorce, drugs, homosexuality, etc. But the scripture that immediately came to my heart II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

[If you are interested in P.O.W.E.R. Magazine, click here.]


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Accidents Waiting to Happen – An Interview with Simon Wood Part II

(Click here for part I)

Tell me a bit about the journey of your writing career. You started off and have published hundreds of short stories, right?

I blame my writing career in the Immigration and Naturalization Service. I’d come to the US in ’98 and I had to wait for my work visa to be processed. Before I left England, I’d been toying with the idea of writing. With nothing to do in the states, I followed up on the idea. I’d never taken any writing classes and I was a little embarrassed to do so because I’m dyslexic and I didn’t need the additional stress. I wrote three short stories in a week, then spent the next three months rewriting them until they were presentable. After that, I began my first novel. I worked fifteen months straight writing short stories and novels every day without making a sale. I finally sold my first short story and that seemed to be my break. After that, I sold stories one after another, but it wasn’t until 2002 until my first novel was published. One thing I didn’t do was pin my hopes to one piece of work. I wrote and wrote and submitted and submitted. It’s the reason I’ve generated so many sales. I’m tenacious when it comes to my work. I can’t sell it if I don’t submit it.

How did you transition from small press publishing to a mainstream publisher?

Really, I made the break into mainstream publishing through not giving up and good luck. I’ve just been diligent, biding my time and when opportunities come my way, I’ve pounced on them. Dorchester is my current publisher for my novels. I took my chances with Dorchester to get a face to face with the editor, because I knew he’d like my novel if he saw it—I just didn’t know how much. Recently, I’ve landed a non-fiction book deal. That remains the easiest book deal I ever got. A writing friend showed some of my essays to a publisher and told them they should consider me for a future project. They contacted me and the next thing I knew we were talking about a book. I think it’s a good example of being good to people and they’ll be good to you. J

Was it difficult getting your first novel republished?

Oddly, it wasn’t a difficult one. The biggest stumbling block was me. It never occurred to me for the longest time that I could get it republished. The rights had reverted back to me a least a year before I decided I wanted to give the book a second chance. But before I sent it out, I gave the manuscript a complete makeover. I cut the clichés and stereotypes, sharpened the prose and made the book a much tighter piece of work.

Finding my publisher was pretty simple all things considered. Trying to resell a book is tough, but I knew Dorchester was open to reprints. The editor for Dorchester was attending a convention in San Francisco and I put my name on a list to pitch the book to him. I pitched the book and he liked it and the rest is history. I’m now working on my third book with Dorchester.

What's a typical writing day like? How do you juggle work, family, and writing?

I currently work part time—Monday through Wednesday. On those days, I write short stories and articles in my lunch hour and I work on my novels between 8pm and 10pm. Thursday and Fridays, I hit the keyboard from 9am and work through to about 4pm. I may work on something in the evening, but I try to spend that time with my wife. Saturday and Sundays are a bit more fluid. I will work on my books, but I tend to work around whatever I have planned with my wife and friends. I used to be very focused and selfish, but it wasn’t until my dog brought me one of his toys and put it in my hand that I realized that I was neglecting everyone. So I’ve become very disciplined. I made agreements with my wife that I would work between certain hours and use typical down time, like lunch hours, to work on writing. I’d like to get it to the point where I can get all my writing work done between Monday and Friday so that I can have my weekends for my family and friends. I have a tendency to be dedicated which can hurt the people around me.

What path would you like for your career to take from here? Do you see yourself writing full-time?

I would like to cement myself as a popular fiction writer with books and stories coming out regularly. I couldn’t ask for more. Actually, I’m planning to go full time as a writer in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully my faith will be rewarded.

Do you have any upcoming projects on the horizon that we should be on the lookout for?

My next thriller, Paying the Piper, comes out in November. Again it deals with the protagonist’s downfall and their redemption. It’s the story of Scott Fleetwood. He’s a news reporter who interfered with a kidnapping case that leads to the death of a kidnapped child. Eight years later the kidnapper comes out of retirement to kidnap Scott’s children. He can get them back if he’s willing to do some ‘jobs’ for the kidnapper.


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Accidents Waiting to Happen – An Interview with Simon Wood Part I

For matters of complete disclosure, it should be pointed out that Simon Wood and I are friends. Reviewing friends presents a tricky quandary because you have to be honest in your reviews but you don’t want to damage the friendship (sadly, I’ve seen poor reviews ruin relationships). I tend to solve that dilemma by begging my friends not to send me anything that sucks. Luckily, they tend to listen and Simon is no exception.

Tell me a little bit about what you write. Do you see yourself as a thriller writer a horror writer or what?

I write what I love. Above all other things, I’m a fan. To be a good writer, you have to be. I’ve grown up loving stories, so now I want to tell them. That means I flit between horror and crime, comedy and sci-fi. I’m a little bit of a chameleon which I know bugs the hell out of people at times, but I like telling stories. Sometimes I want to scare people, astound people and make them laugh from time to time. If I see myself as anything it would be a storyteller.

How would you describe your spiritual journey? Would you describe yourself as a religious/spiritual guy?

I don’t consider myself a religious person. I don’t seek guidance from a higher being or seek support from a faith. I guess that makes me sound directionless and I suppose I am in a lot of ways. I’m still trying to find my place in the world. Still discovering. I’m weird like that. -J-

While I don’t seek guidance from others, I always make myself available to others. If people seek help, I’m here. I’m never one to turn my back or to end a friendship.

What role does faith play in your life?

That’s a difficult question to answer. I don’t think faith plays a part in my life. I’m always the first to doubt. Will this happen? Will that work out? I always err on the negative. I think it’s a self defense mechanism—expect the worst and prepare for it.

There seems to be this thread of "sin" throughout your story. This idea that buried sins can come back to get you. Am I reading too much into things?

When I look through my books and stories, sin does present itself as a consistent theme. I wouldn’t say it’s a subject I champion on purpose. I didn’t even notice the theme for several years of my writing. It’s just something I believe in—sin will be your undoing. You don’t have to be particularly religious to see or understand that. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you take measures to cover them up, they will come out and it will hurt.

I suppose the other predominant theme is temptation. In life, every one of us walks a fine line. The moment we let our temptations get the better of us, we lose our way. Several of the kids I grew up with became killers or were killed. I found it hard to deal with the fact that someone I played soccer with could take a life, but they were a product of their decisions. You could see the downward spiral and if it weren’t for a handful of choices they would have never ended up where they ended up.

What would be the one thing you would want readers of Accidents Waiting to Happen to come away with?

Indiscretions (or mistakes), no matter how deep you bury them, will come back to bite you. There are always options. When I pick my novels and stories apart, all of them could have ended on page one if the protagonist had done the right thing.

(to be continued ...)


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The Ultimate Gift – An Interview with Director Michael Sajbel

How did you get started in movies?

I started making movies in junior high and high school and then I was fortunate enough to go to UCLA film school. When I graduated, I started working for an independent producer/director as a screenwriter. I think I was 22 years old when my first screenplay was made into a movie.

How do you go about choosing your projects?

Well, they kind of choose me. In other words, of all the projects in the world, only a certain number get filtered through to me. I don’t know how you would characterize that, but if a project gets to me, I usually take a look at it. If it has an offer to direct, it goes to the top of the stack. If it’s financed already, it goes to the very top of the stack. I look at it and see if it’s something that I’m the right person for. Just a few months ago there was a film that came to me with an offer to direct that I just didn’t feel was right for me, so I turned it down.

I always look at the story and if the story has got all of the elements that I respond to, usually redemption, somebody seeking redemption, something that is authentically written, then I really respond to it.

Can you tell me a bit about your own spiritual journey?

There was a great awakening in America during the early 70s called the Jesus movement. Jesus Freaks were running around converting everyone. I was in high school and had a girlfriend who I knew really well. She went off to Colorado to go skiing and when she got back, she was a completely different person. I saw when she was walking in the door without even saying a word that she was a completely changed person. It was amazing. I had never seen that before. She told me what had happened to her and I fought it for a while (maybe a week) on my own, just between me and God. Finally, God convinced me that this was the way, the truth, and the life. So I surrendered my life.

There’s been a lot of talk about “The Passion Effect” as Hollywood tries to go after the “Christian audience.” Do you see yourself mostly making films targeting the Christian market?

That’s almost a two part question. The Passion Effect … I look at it as one man who had a vision and a passion, Mel Gibson, and he made a film exactly the way he wanted to make it. He was criticized heavily before that film opened about how it was going to be everything from too violent to anti-Semitic, you name it. And he stuck to his guns and the public responded. I think what they saw was a movie made by a person, not by a committee. The effect is that a lot of studios recognize that there is an untapped audience out there.

The Ultimate Gift is not Christian per se, but enjoys a Christian worldview. It is just great entertainment. It’s about character and what does and does not really matters in life. Whether you call that a Christian film or not is up to you.

One of the experiences we had was that we were released by Fox Faith as opposed to 20th Century Fox or another studio. Which labeled the movie as a Christian movie and critics really went after it as a Christian film. At the same time, we are marketing to the Christian community because they have been clamoring for entertainment that is inspiring, non-offensive, or is sympathetic with a Christian worldview. The Ultimate Gift has all of that. In the music business it’s what you would call a crossover picture. It can please any of a number of audiences.

What’s the one thing you’d like people to take away from this movie?

The ultimate gift isn’t any specific type of dogma or religious thought. The ultimate gift is the passing on of one’s values to the next generation. The ultimate gift is what those who are wiser than we are can share with us. And it’s not about a lot of the things that today’s society would hold in high regard. Like money, fame, and all of the accompanying signs of success. It’s about what really counts.

Do you think you’re passing along the gift of story?

I like to think of myself as a director who happens to be a Christian. What appeals to me about any project that comes across my desk is that I see if it’s a story that I would want to tell. Every now and then, a story comes past me that I HAVE to tell. And that’s the difference: what can I take that I really like and am inspired by and what do I get really passionate about. Certainly The Ultimate Gift and before that, One Night with a King, all the work that I’ve done in my career so far has been stuff that I’ve felt that I was ideally suited to do.

What are you up to now?

I was in the running for a project called Joshua, sort of a “what if Jesus was to come back now” sort of story. I didn’t get that project, but then I came across a book that really nailed it for me. Eli by Bill Myers. A radical take on the synoptic gospels, kind of like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Eli. Most sermons explain things like “a drachma was”, taking us back into the culture of the time. Eli does none of that but is about Jesus in our culture and our time. The premise is that Jesus never came back two thousand years ago, but came now for the first time.

I bought the rights to the book Eli, I talked with the author about it, and we agreed that I would write the screenplay because I have a particular vision for this book. It’s unlike a lot of books where you’d have to radically change them. The screenplay is going to be very, very in harmony with the book. The fact that Bill Myers is also a screen writer as well as an excellent story-teller probably is why my life is fairly easier on this one than it has been on other projects.

But Eli is an extremely challenging character and story. It just won’t let you off the hook. Jesus is not a milquetoast, mamby-pamby, pablum-spouting, do-gooder. He challenges you, every turn that you make, to what you hold is real and what your values are. I should have the screenplay done in the next week and, if I get the financing, will have the film ready for next year. It’s really more me. I really can’t do a film that I don’t see myself in or in some way can grab ahold of the theme and the story and take it somewhere.


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The Ultimate Gift – An Interview with Author Jim Stovall

Can you tell me about the book The Ultimate Gift?

The Ultimate Gift is about when one of the richest men in the world is coming to the end of his life and instead of making all of his relatives instant millionaires forever, he has a grandson he sees some potential in and instead of giving him money, sends him on a twelve month odyssey which he has to learn the gift of money, friends, and family. In the end if he can accomplish all of these things, then he will receive the ultimate gift.

What inspired this story?

I had written five books or so before this and they were all non-fiction. I had written everything I knew and everything I kind of suspected, so it was time to come up with some fiction. I liked the way the story wrapped around the messages I wanted to deliver.

I had a co-worker diagnosed with terminal cancer and she made me the guardian of her 11 year old child. And in that process gave me a lot of instruction: make sure she knows about dating, driving, and going to college and those sorts of things. So that whole concept of somebody passing something on at a time when they knew they weren’t going to be there I think is where some of that came from.

Do you see this journey that Jason is on as an allegory for discipleship?

I think it can be. The whole concept of us passing on things that matter, both practical, spiritual, financial, all these things that make a difference. How we manage our money, how we manage our life is a reflection of our faith. I don’t think you can separate those out. Too many people try to compartmentalize their faith. “I’m doing good in my faith area, but I’m doing bad in my family area.” I don’t think you can do that.

Can you tell me a bit about your own spiritual journey?

I grew up in a Christian home. My father has worked for Oral Roberts for over 50 years now, still working. I grew up in that environment. We were in church every week. I would say, as I look back on it now, that I was a very religious person. I did it because that was what we did. And then at age 17 I was diagnosed with a disease that would result in my blindness and you immediately go from religion to relationship. That faith has to go from a theory that you take down and polish off on Sunday mornings to something real that you can live with.

How involved were you with the movie? Did it turn out as you imagined/hoped?

There has probably not been an author who has had as much involvement as I did. I had script approval, I worked with them on casting, and I actually played a small part in the film. That was fun. So all and all, I was very pleased.

Obviously when you turn a book into a movie you have to make changes. Leave things out, add an element of danger, we had to give Jason a girlfriend … some things like that. But by and large, I was totally pleased with the final product.

Can you tell me about the broader ministry you see this movie being a part of?

We do a lot of work in public schools, we do a lot of work in prisons. The Ultimate Gift is taught as a curriculum now and we’re able to go into a lot of places. It has become almost like a movement.

What’s the one thing you’d like people to take away from this movie?

That our life has been given to us as a gift and there are things we’re here to do. And we’re supposed to do them otherwise we’d all just be in heaven now. So it’s been given to us as a gift and how we deal with it on a daily basis is our tribute to the gift we’ve been given.

Do you think you’re passing along the gift of story?

Well, I hope so. You know whether you are talking about the Bible or not, when you tell a good story, you’ve earned the right to speak into people’s lives. I could talk to you for an hour and a half about a certain message or I could just say it’s like the good Samaritan and you’d know what I was talking about. We all have those connections with a great story. So hopefully it will live and the message will come through that way.

What are you up to now?

The sequel to The Ultimate Gift comes out next month. It’s called The Ultimate Life and it follows what happens to Jason right after the movie. So we continue on into his life.


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Evan Almighty – Tom Shadyac Interview

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Tom Shadyac, director of Evan Almighty, for a roundtable discussion. As we quickly learned, he’s a long-haired, whirling dervish of manic energy, constantly defying people’s expectations.

RT: As compared to Bruce Almighty, it seems as if there was a conscious effort to stay away from anything possibly offensive, other than, say, poop jokes, in this movie.

Tom: It was a conscious effort to invite everyone to this movie. This is an ark story, with animals, a flood, and a big boat, and I thought it would be insane to not invite a two year old and a grandparent and everyone in between. The ark story speaks to everyone and I thought this movie ought to. It dictated to us what to do. So, no, you don’t find those things that I’m still absolutely fine with. Although, maybe you ought to not read your bibles then, because it has a lot of violence, sexual impropriety and people with multiple wives and deception - but the darkness is used to light.

RT: You worked a lot with people’s image and conception of God, how God is depicted and how we imagine God. That seems to come from your own spirituality because it’s consistent with Bruce Almighty.

Tom: It does, it does. That voice you see in the movie, that God voice, is very personal to me. I’m very exacting with it. How he delivers it, the way he says it. Yes, it’s very specific and personal to me the way God is presented in these movies.
RT: What do you want people walking away thinking about this dialogue with God?

Tom: Everything I do is a reflection of where I’m standing or something that I believe in. So as a story-teller, we want to spread that. I took a journey in my life. I’ve had a great deal of success. I’ll say blessing/curse because they go hand in hand. I think it can be very deceiving. Because I was an idolater of magnitude, the bigger the better: the house the money, the thing. And I had to learn about personal change. For me, this is an expression of that. So do I want them to take that specific message? If it speaks to them, yes. Hopefully there’s enough here so that we can meet people right where they are. Art is best when this great Thing works through us. We don’t even know what we’re doing. That’s my personal journey, but how many other journeys are involved in this web?

RT: It’s not clear in the film whether the biblical account really happened. As part of the film’s back-story, God gives an interpretation of the story but he doesn’t quite come out and say that it did happen...

Tom: This is a new telling, a new approach to the Noah story. I couldn’t tell you whether it happened or not. It wouldn’t shake my faith either way. I’m sure there are those who will say “it happened, it happened.” Maybe it did, go with God. I don’t approach with “I know,” I approach it with an openness.

That story could absolutely fully exist as it was. We are not contrary to that story at all, I believe. Let’s say it happened, He’s saying, “I once destroyed the world, because there was so much corruption. We’re here today. I no longer have to destroy the world, look at what you’re doing. To each other.

There’s been some talk about the Christian environmentalists at work. How can we not be concerned about the environment? Because the environment is not a tree, it’s not the air, it’s how we treat each other. You and I are now in the same environment, we’re creating an environment here. I hope one of respect. This movie is about the environment, meaning you, me, and this gift of a world that we live in.

RT: Bruce Almighty was made four years ago, before what some people call “The Passion Effect” where everyone says Hollywood’s changed in terms of how they deal with spiritual themes and religious audiences. Having worked on religiously themed movies before and after that, what differences have you perceived?

Tom: Well this one difference I have perceived: I’m not doing anything different. I’m just doing movies that speak to me, whether there’s a passion effect or not. As far as studios go, they are aware a faith-based audience exists. It is the great unknown x-factor of how a movie will do. No one knew what it would do for The Passion [of the Christ], or [The Chronicles of] Narnia. But they are aware now, that there are people out there, a new audience, that can come to the movies in droves if they feel a kindred spirit with the themes in the movie. When I showed the studio the movie, they put more money into advertising in order to reach that faith-based audience. We don’t know what that will mean. It could be the big x-factor that puts us into the stratospheric box office. It could mean very little.

RT: There are people that you work with that know you are a Christian. When they see you working on a project like this, does it ever bring up any conversations or start them asking questions?

Tom: I will tell you the best preaching I’ve ever done is without words. As the saint of all saints, Francis, would say “preach the gospel wherever you can and where all else fails, use words.” I’ll tell you a story about effective preaching: people come up to me all the time and they say “where do you get your energy?” I’m 48. I look younger. I have kids in my company and I kill them all – they can’t keep up with me on a bicycle, on a surfboard, or in a debate about life. So they want to know “what’s going on with you?”

I started riding a bicycle right after Bruce, because the gift of play is a gift and I think we’ve lost that in our culture. It’s about working, working, working – we live to work, we don’t work to live. So I started riding a bicycle. I didn’t preach about riding a bicycle, I just rode a bicycle. I’m in really good shape, I could ride for a hundred miles, I have more energy. And now everyone in my life has a bicycle. I never told them to ride a bicycle, I just rode a bicycle.

I think people are asking all the time about each of us. If they see something worth inquiring about, and emulating, and incorporating they will, but it has to come from our change. I don’t think they care much about what I think of Jesus, I really don’t. I think they care how I embody the Sermon on the Mount or how I greet you. So the preaching is in the doing.

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Garage Doors and Fences (Or, I Like Pie)

I like my quiet suburban neighborhood, but I can't escape the feeling that I'm not being a good neighbor.

People, desperate for any sense of connection, still feel so disconnected. Everyone is mired in their computers, cell phones -- even in bathrooms, they're e-mailing, text messaging or IM-ing. We live in an impersonal world and have experienced a loss of that sense of community. We come home, pull into our driveways, close the garage door behind us, and if we venture outside, it's to the fenced-in backyard that we call our own. We are neatly cut off from everyone else with a hermetic seal of suburban affluence.

Continued on Intake “Garage Doors and Fences.”

By the way, I have been interviewed over on Fear and Trembling: Shadows from the Shadowscape. Check it out if you are so inclined.


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Keeping It Real?

Dear Arbiters of Blackness,

The Blacker than Thou lobby is designed not only to shape and define a people, but also to demand a certain kind of conformity from them - forcing its members to swear allegiance to their side. With that, my new Intake column is up where I question the idea of what it means to “Keep it Real”.

Love,

Maurice (go to my website to direct your hate mail)

P.S.

I was interviewed for a new blog by my friend Lisa Baker that will reflect on various environmental issues, concerns, and events from a spiritual perspective. I was asked about my actual day job, as an environmental toxicologist for Commonwealth Biomonitoring. If you’re so inclined, you can read it here.


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Thanksgiving Announcements

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m thankful for friends, family, my church, my job, my readers, and my health. I try to live my life being grateful every day, so this holiday offers me only the occasion to be thankful for a day off. So rather than do some holiday themed blog, I got a couple of announcements:

1) I got around to having my website updated. By “I” I mean Deena Warner stepped in and bailed out my “the Internet works by magic”, techno-oblivious self. Among the updates, I have finally posted the footage from Mo*Con I, which means you can now see Brian Keene’s sermon as well as a reading and Q&A time. It’s on the photos page of my site.

2) I was interviewed by Taylor Kent AKA the Snark Avenger as a guest for his podcast Snark Infested Waters to talk about ministry and horror and Christian horror and stuff. You can find my interview here. You might as well keep the site bookmarked: next week it’s Angeline Hawkes and Christopher Fulbright.


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Mother Grove Interview

Brad Sprauer, lead vocalist and song-writer for Mother Grove has come a long way since we shared a place and screamed Public Enemy lyrics at one another. Their song “All Right" remains at # 2 on Celtic Radio and their song, "The Ballad of Miles O'Toole," has moved to #4! So I thought that I would poke around in Brad’s brain for a bit.

Tell me a little bit about how you guys got together. What does the name Mother Grove mean?

Mother Grove came together at a Christmas party back in 2000. I was working on shopping a demo of my originals to form a standard rock band and met Gary Booth. He said, "I'm a bagpiper" to which I thought "Oh yea? Uh, that's nice". He proceeded to fully educate me on the merits and originality of Celtic rock including handing me a fistful of Celtic Rock CDs. After the first listen I immediately heard my songs with the Celtic instrumentation. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The name, "Mother Grove" is a Druid reference. Druidism (or Druidry) is an ancient religion of the Celtic Isles, specifically Ireland and Scotland. A "grove" of druids is basically a group, or a congregation. The "Mother Grove" is a more modern word meaning a gathering of several groves who work together. I suppose it's like an archdiocese. The name evokes the ancient Celtic but yet sounds cool enough to work in the modern age. So many Celtic bands try to name themselves some Gaelic word that looks cool and has some cool meaning, but is impossible to pronounce, which is like #1 in the list of 101 worst marketing ideas.

Why Celtic rock? What led you down that musical vein?

I’ve always wanted to do something a bit different. The typical rock outfit has been played out for me. I’ve always like bands with different instrumentations outside of the “standard approved rock instruments”. It really allows you to be more creative and think outside of the box a bit. Bagpipes are loud, in your face and unmistakable in sound. Who needs a screaming electric guitar when you have bagpipes?! No one can deny their presence. The energy they lend to the music is awesome. Fiddles are more of the yin to the pipes yang. They’re beautifully melodic and really balance out the energy of the music. Plus they’re versatile. Many bands have violins/fiddles but the styles of the players and the songwriting lend themselves to fit in with any song. We’re an original rock band first and foremost, and then we’re a Celtic rock band.

You write a lot of your own music. What drives you to write? What is the passion that drives you?

The passion is the drive to create art, to make the listener “feel”; no matter what feeling that is, just evoking emotion. When someone tells me a particular songs moves them or touches them in a certain way, that’s success to me. It’s wonderful to know that something I created can make someone happy or feel any number of emotions. It sounds a bit selfish, aye? It’s actually quite the opposite; I see it as a gift to give away. Once a song is out there, it’s not mine anymore. It’s like a child, you help create the child, help her grow and eventually she goes off to live her own life.

The way I explain the need to create, is pretty simple; just like everyone needs to eat and breathe to survive, I need to create. It’s not really an option. If I couldn’t create I’d be locked up or in a nice cozy padded cell somewhere. I’ve learned over the years that it’s at the core of many issues in my life. If I go too long without writing, I get very cranky, disoriented and sometimes even become physically ill. The Buddhists say: “speak to the mind and the body will listen.” It’s very true for me. Music, writing, creating is the ultimate therapy…and much cheaper.

My method of song-writing is probably a bit different than most. I can’t sit down and say, “Today I’m going to write a song about…” it just doesn’t happen that way. I like the song to evolve and appear on its own. Sort of like automatic writing, but the catalyst is the music. I’ll start playing chords and just humming or scatting random words or phrases and eventually I’ll come up with a line or two. Once I have that foundation, the rest of the song sort of writes itself. You won’t hear many storytelling songs from me; it’s mostly like free verse poetry with a very loose theme. It’s all about the metaphor. 10 people can listen to the same song and get 10 different meanings out it and they can all be right.

Occasionally the song will be about an event or a topic; for instance; the song “Kiss You Goodbye” was written just after 9/11. But I didn’t want to make this “rah rah, kick ass USA” song or some sappy, sad ballad about loss. I wanted it to have different perspectives; the victims, the perpetrators and the soldiers. I wanted to make it human, to make people think beyond the knee-jerk, “us against them” mentality. So that song is an exception. Love songs are another exception, even though they’re more often metaphorical, they are inspired and written specifically for my wife…who by the way is my ultimate muse. I’ve written more songs since meeting her than I can remember.

Oh, and magnetic poetry. Some crazy stuff has been written with the help of those little guys. I keep them on a big cookie sheet so I can take it from room to room with my notebook and spread them out without losing any words. I have like 4 sets that I rotate in and out.

There do seem to be a lot of spiritual themes in your music. In your live shows you perform a verse of Amazing Grace. Is this a "bagpipes are expected to play 'Amazing Grace'" thing or is there a greater meaning behind this? Can you talk a bit about your faith?

You know, I’ve been through an incredible, wonderful ride with my spirituality. Right now I’m in the most comfortable place I’ve ever been spiritually. I was raised Catholic and was immersed in non-denominational Christianity for many, many years and it served me very well for those times in my life. I have nothing but fond memories of my spiritual growth as a Christian. But now I feel I’ve moved beyond any religion. I can read any sacred text, sit in any temple or church, participate in any ritual and gain an immense amount of peace and spirituality from them. I take the good, the common elements and teachings from every path and incorporate it into my daily life and personal philosophy. The biggest thing is, I’ve removed any need to answer the unanswerable questions (I have four of them: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go when we die? Is there a god?). On a day-to-day, live your life, interact with others world we don’t really need to pontificate on the origins of the universe, the validity of any particular deity, or the proper way to worship him or her. It’s really unnecessary. It really forces me to focus on the things we have in common as human beings; we all feel love, anger, frustration, sadness, loneliness; each and every one of us. I know that it feels good to have someone smile at me, or hug me, or tell me they love me. It doesn’t matter if they believe in God, Krishna, Buddha, or a rock that keeps away zombies. All that matters is we’ve connected as human beings and learned to live in peace; period. Adding the supernatural, the focus on the unanswerable, eternal salvation (or damnation) only serves to keep us further apart as humans. Most of the songs on our last 3 CDs deal with this kind of spirituality. If you look at the lyrics to our first CD “Listen to Your Mother” they were all written when I was a devout Christian. I even performed most all of theses songs in churches long before Mother Grove came about. But even then, they’re pretty metaphorical. By the time we recorded the CD, I had moved beyond the Christian themes of the songs. I was asked if I wanted to re-write the lyrics to reflect my new stage of spirituality. That was unthinkable. Those songs are snapshots of where I was at that time and there was no way I was going to take away the message and the sentiment behind them. Especially if they could help someone gain inspiration or insight into their own path…no matter what path that may be.

This is spirit in which we perform “Amazing Grace”; togetherness, everyone knows the song and is moved by it in some way or another. Plus Laura our fiddler can belt out the tune like nobody’s business. It’s like a tent revival every time we perform it. She’s a preacher’s kid and very strong in her Christina faith, so with all the eclectic spiritual and pagan themes in our music, we’re all about balance, diversity and equality.

And yes, there’s some sort of unwritten law that if a bagpiper is present, Amazing Grace must be performed.

How does your faith impact your music?

I think music is my faith. At the core of faith is trust. Music has proven herself trustworthy to me. I know that after a performance I’m going to feel spiritually high. I know that after I write a song, I’m going to feel peacefully satisfied; I know that I can communicate with anyone through the language of music. Music is at the heart of humanity, so there is really no difference between faith, spirituality, religion and music. It’s like the Native American way; everything is religion and religion is everything.

What message do you want to convey to audience? What do you want your audience to go home thinking or feeling?

Pure joy. I want to bring a crowd to their crescendo, then take them a little higher, then leave them smiling and satisfied. When a crowd is responsive and there’s this exchange of energy, it’s truly spiritual. Call it what you will, but THAT’S religion to me. I just want to know that what I’ve just given them, makes them happy, or makes them feel, or think or just forget about everything else for awhile and live in the moment, the music and sharing in the collective joy.


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Interview with Shia LaBeouf

Okay, this is a bit of a hold over from the press junket that I went on for the movie The Greatest Game Ever Played, since the movie opens wide this week, I thought the timing is still okay. I put the interview with the writer, Mark Frost, and the director, Bill Paxton, over on my Hollywood Jesus blog, but I thought that I’d put excerpts from our conversation with Shia LaBeouf over here. The full interview can be found on my message board.

Jodie Foster once noted that there are some people who just have the personality where they can be child actors and not flame out and become adult actors.. Shia LaBeouf has one of those personalities. Frankly, unlike his co-star, Josh Flitter whom we had just interviewed right before him. I could see Josh having some Gary Coleman/Macaulay Culkin type issues in the not too distant future. I wasn’t real familiar with Shia’s resume before this film. He had a part in Constantine (and I, Robot was forgettable as a whole), but I never saw Holes or any of his other Disney grooming that is the bulk of his career.

I was immediately impressed with him, not because of his Hollywood charm (he bounded into the room, shook each one of us with the patented Bill Clinton double clasp hand shake, and got each of our names) but because he was so self-aware about the process. And, yes, he does possess an inherent amiability.

What do you think that (transition) personality is? You seem to have it, since you haven’t flamed out yet.

I haven’t sold out yet either and I think that’s a big reason people flame out, having cashed in. I don’t know what it is. If I could bottle it up I would probably sell it. I don’t know what it quite is. I know what it isn’t: it isn’t making films you know are bad. It isn’t making a movie with a plotline that’s garbage just so you can get a four million dollar paycheck and live really nice. If you’re making art, make art. If you’re going to be an actor, be an actor. If you’re going to make an album, make an album. If you’re going to do everything at once, you’re going to be terrible at all of them. I stick to my guns. I’m trying to make art. I’m not trying to cash in. I always say, if I cashed in I would probably have a really nice bed but I wouldn’t be able to sleep in it, because I wouldn’t respect myself and I would hate myself. It would be terrible, I would be depressed. It would cost me more money with psychiatrists than if I never went in.

All of these steps – Constantine, I, Robot - stuff like that that were these money films, slightly sell out kinds of things, brought me here. I wouldn’t be able to helm this film if I didn’t do that type of stuff. Nobody gets to just jump in and helm a film like that. You got to pay dues. So mostly everything after Holes has been kind of paying dues, and brought me here so now I’m able to do this.

Do you have a grand plan for your career?

After Dustin Hoffman became famous with The Graduate he flipped it and then played like a 90 year old woman in a movie. I’m just trying to flip things as much as possible, but in today’s film world you have independents that aren’t quite independents. You have big huge production companies making small movies with big actors. It’s hard to navigate this puzzle right now. It’s a tough business, this film business.

Now you’ve got this 2929 situation where they’re going to change distribution completely, where they’re going to release the film and the DVD and put it on cable all at once. That changes filmmaking completely. There’s going to be less money made by these studios, which means less movies are going to be made by these studios, which means there’s less opportunity to make great film. It’s all changing, man. I’m just trying to catch it right now, but I’m not going to make Cody Banks 5 or any garbage like that. It’s not what I’m trying to do.

How do you go about choosing your projects?

I read it and sometimes I go, ‘That’s not me, I can’t do that!’ So I have to go do it. It’s challenging yourself, it’s getting to a place you don’t feel comfortable. The minute you feel comfortable on a set, you’re working on a piece of crap. You know it right away. You can feel it. The minute you’re not struggling to get through the film, you’re not doing anything. There’s no work being done. They call it phoning it in. That’s fine, lots of actors do that. There’s nothing wrong with it. Robert DeNiro – amazing actor. What’s going on with the last couple films, you know? [Shia puts his hand to his face to make the phone call.] That’s what happens. But he’s still Robert DeNiro; Raging Bull is still the best performance put on film. But everybody does it. It just goes to show you that it happens to everyone. The goal is to never do it, but that goal is rarely reached. Daniel Day Lewis does it, but does he live a happy life? I don’t know. It depends on what you want. I’m OK with being happy and doing things I love.

[Another thing that struck me about Shia was that so often what he says sounds like he could be speaking for Francis Ouimet, his character in The Greatest Game Ever Played, as well as himself. After awhile, even he starts mixing his pronouns, saying “I” when referring to Francis. He goes on to discuss the movie, working with Bill Paxton and other famous actors. You know, the usual Hollywood marketing stuff that boils down to “we made a good movie. Please go see it.”]

What do you think the public perception of you is, and do you think it’s correct?

It’s never correct. It’s never accurate. You guys are meeting a representative. This isn’t Shia, this is the guy I’m presenting to you.

What is Shia like? Can the rep tell us?

So not Disney, I guess. I’m not Disney. Sometimes it does come out, but I’m not Disney. And I think Disney is kind of like that; they’re trying to reinvent themselves as well. They realize that old Disney doesn’t work. Ice Princess? Come on, get out of here. You’re going to make Ice Princess and try to market that to a bunch of 13 year olds who all play Grand Theft Auto? They don’t want to see Ice Princess. They want to see Pulp Fiction