I started writing as soon as I started reading.

Horror and supernatural novels give you a lot of what you look for in a crime novel, just with a twist that was very fresh for me as a reader.

Band of Skulls is joining Cage the Elephant as my new musical caffeine.

I started writing as soon as I started reading.

Stephen King, by far, is the standard-bearer. I think anyone who writes suspense fiction and says that King isn't an influence is either lying or being foolish. I read his book 'On Writing' before I read pretty much any of his fiction.

I think if you looked at the kind of ebb and flow of supernatural fiction and horror fiction, it does seem to be more popular in times when were hammered over the head daily with threats from all angles, very real threats.

You should be writing for the love of the story, and when it comes time to return to the manuscript, everything else belongs behind a closed door.