Dustin LaValley was unable to attend the black-tie gala to receive the SUNY Parnassus Award for Creative Writing, as he had a fight in New Hampshire the same night, where he brought home gold. He’s had several books published, and as a screenwriter several scripts produced. His psychological thriller novella The Deceived, has been optioned for film.
He lives in the Adirondacks of New York, where he’s a practicing Sensei of Seito Shito Ryu karate and Okinawan jujutsu.
KR: Could you tell me a little about yourself please?
Author, screenwriter, comic book creator. Outside of that, Sensei of Seito Shito Ryu karate, Okinawan ju-jutsu, and Judo.
KR: What do you like to do when not writing?
Music, movies, martial arts.
KR: What is your favourite childhood book?
Not sure the title, but a young boy and girl steal a car and get trapped by an overnight blizzard and fight over cookies.
KR: I’ve no idea what this book could be. Any ideas readers?
KR: What is your favourite album, and does music play any role in your writing?
Angel Dust by Faith No More. It does, it can help create a proper atmosphere for me to extend to the page or juxtapose what’s on the page. The meat of H/armed was written to a lot of fast, heavy thrash while the front and tail ends were written to slow stoner tunes like Weedeater and Sleep.
KR: Do you have a favourite horror movie/director?
For director, David Cronenberg.
For movie… Funny Games.
KR: What are you reading now?
Head Games, the graphic novel.
KR: Who were the authors that inspired you to write?
Jack Ketchum, Ed Lee, Joe Lansdale, Chuck Palahniuk, Jerry Stahl, Eric Miles Williamson, Steve Erickson.
KR: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?
Anything long form, most usually outlines. Shorter, most usually no outline, but a basic idea.
KR: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
A few months (Spinner) to a few years (H/armed) of reading, contacting those involved if based on true events, conducting interviews or chats on the phone or in person.
KR: Describe your usual writing day?
I’ve never been able to write during the day, too much else to do such as the dojo. Nights, perhaps 1am to 11am would be the most common.
KR: Do you have a favourite story/short that you’ve written (published or not)?
“In Strides” from A Soundless Dawn. It’s pulled directly from my time studying social psychology under the late Dr. Longo.
KR: Do you read your book reviews?
I do, yes.
KR: Any advice for a fledgling author?
Find an agent with connections and start kissing their ass from the start.
KR: What scares you?
Whole brain emulation. Do we have freewill, are we stuck in a single server on a rack somewhere?
KR: E-Book, Paperback or Hardback?
Paperback. Bring it with you wherever, let it get beaten up by time, usage, storage. Hardcover for collectors, ebooks for when you run out of shelf space.
KR: Can you tell me about your latest release please?
July 1st, Sinister Grin Press will be releasing 12 Gauge: Songs from a Street Sweeper. It’s a collection of three novellas. Spinner, H/armed, and The Deceived.
Also very recently, my comic book with artist Daniele Serra from SST Publications was released as a limited edition signed hardcover. Entitled BEETLES! it’s an homage to the atomic scare/big bug films of the 1940s and 1950s.
KR: What are you working on now?
A somewhat extranoematic novella manuscript that’s growing into a novel outside the genre(s).
KR: You find yourself on a desert island, which three people would you wish to be deserted with you and why?
You can choose…
a) One fictional character from your writing.
White Tail from H/armed, she seems like good company plus her hunting and survival skills would be handy.
b) One fictional character from any other book.
Alan Grofield from Richard Stark’s series, for his entertainment value.
c) One real life person that is not a family member or friend.
Ashley Graham…
KR: Thank you very much Dustin.
You can follow Dustin on Twitter @dustinlavalley
To find out more about Dustin please visit his official website www.dustinthevalley.com
You can check out Dustin’s author page here
(12 Gauge) Songs from A Street Sweeper includes three white-knuckled novellas.
Spinner
A prison escapee leads law enforcement on a chase through the Adirondack Mountains, where they encounter a reclusive elderly man with a dark secret.
H/armed
An ultra-violent satirical commentary on societal norms, cliques, and obedience.
The Deceived
A criminal pair invade the home of the wrong man on the wrong day.
You can buy (12 Gauge) Songs from A Street Sweeper from Amazon US & Amazon UK
An asteroid has collided with Earth, manufacturing giant, alien beetles and thrusting mankind into an all-out-war in this homage to classic science fiction films of the 1950s.
And within the destruction, a lovestruck couple maneuver the battlefield terrain, seemingly unaware of the death surrounding them. Through their innocence, they give hope that humanity will come together and prevail.
You can buy BEETLES! from SST Publishing
Praise for 12 Gauge: Songs From A Street Sweeper
“Spinner is a thriller, a horror story, and an adventure narrative. It’s also a lot of fast, bloody, violent fun.” – Gabino Iglesias, Horror Talk
“LaValley creates a non-stop, adrenaline ride of violence and mayhem, in a setting Americans know all so well. H/armed is a bloody, relentless and visceral assault on the senses. Wickedly entertaining.” – Paul Hough, writer/director of “The Human Race”
“The Deceived is equal parts thrilling, creepy, and downright brutal. A wonderful tale.” – Ronald Malfi, author of Floating Staircase
If you would like to review 12 Gauge: Songs From A Street Sweeper or feature Dustin with an interview or guest article for a media publication, blog, or author blurb, please e-mail Erin Al-Mehairi, publicist, at hookofabook@hotmail.com.
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