Peter J Welmerink, when not TRYING to write Fantasy or interviewing people who can, can be found at http://highfantasy.iwarp.com, and http://highadventure.iwarp.com and http://mygrandrapids.iwarp.com.

PETER J WELMERINK: Mr. Shrewsbury, I've known you about a year now (if not a bit longer) and within that time have seen, what I feel, is the ball really starting to roll for Steven L. Shrewsbury. You've had a good quantity of written work published in print and electronic media form, self-published a collection of DACK SHANNON tales entitled NOCTURNAL VACATIONS. You've launched a fantastic new website, and recently saw release of a DOUBLE DRAGON E-BOOK publication DEPTHS OF SAVAGERY. And next year you have the expected (anticipated!) release of another Dack Shannon novel BULLETPROOF SOUL by BLACK DEATH BOOKS (btw, is this another batch of short stories or one big fat novel?). What do you make of all this and do you believe this is the beginning of BIGGER things to come for yourself and your work?

STEVEN SHREWSBURY: Well, I'd like to think it is all going according to plan. No, seriously, if the plan is to keep at getting published, I'm on course, I guess. Technically, I didn't self-publish NOCTURNAL VACATIONS. Didn't pay a dime. BULLETPROOF SOUL is another anthology, 20 stories this time around. Rumor is, there will be a "big fat" Dack novel called STRONGER THAN DEATH after this one, but we shall see. Yes, I think this is part of the progression I have in mind to hit the homerun. I have a couple major novels in the works that are much different than what most folks read of my work.

PJW: Do you consider yourself a genre writer and what genre category do you feel your work falls into? What genre do you feel most comfortable writing within? Why?

SS: I write in many genres, really. The Dack Shannon material is suspense, but spills into horror, mystery, and sci-fi at times. I really enjoy writing high or heroic fantasy, I suppose it is called. Heroic fantasy flows naturally from me as if I am dictating it. Occasionally, a science fiction story will pop out, but I do write regular horror stuff, too. I enjoy Lovecraftian terrors as well. I'm not much of a D&D gamer/writer because most of my material blends into history or a mythical realm of our timeline. As far as why that is more comfortable for me, perhaps it's something in my blood.

PJW: When did you first realize you had an interest in getting your thoughts down in print form? Did you find support through family and friends or others, or was it something you just wanted to do for yourself? Do you believe writers are born with a desire to write? Or through literature, other media or from that possessed nun with a yardstick in grade school English, do you believe writers are made?

SS: I tried to re-write Biblical epic battles in my sandbox as a youth, then scribbled these stories down on paper. I was advised against changing the Bible around so I started to create my own stuff. It was fairly dreadful, but fun. I started really early trying to get stories down, about junior high. Most of my family ignored this habit of mine, save for my older brother Mark who always gave me new books to read or ideas. He is the one who gave me a book by Robert E. Howard to read. He took me to see CONAN and CLASH OF THE TITANS as a kid, so he is the one to blame. Luckily, no nun ever had to hit me one to make me a writer. I consider myself a storyteller. I was always sitting in class, daydreaming of tales. The science of technically getting all the commas right, well, that is another beast. But I would like to think I can tell a story pretty well. I would also it seems to be a passion, an inborn NEED to write.

PJW: What was the very first Steven Shrewsbury written piece published? (Story or poem) What kind of feedback did it receive? How did it feel to see your name "in lights" for the first time?

SS: Aside from school newspaper articles, it was a poem in POETRY FORUM in the late 80's called "APART?" It was a thrill to see it, though. Pretty sure my first story was MENAGERIE in GYPSY BLOOD REVIEW, small time thing, but still a very cool sight.

PJW: Your DACK SHANNON character and stories seem to be the objects that first pulled several fans and readers into the Shrewsbury universe. Can you give a brief run-down of who DACK is and what he's all about?

SS: Briefly? Eh...I will try. Dack Shannon, albino agent from covert intelligence cabal Majestic Services, banished to an out-of-the-way environment (Peoria, Illinois) metes out ruthless justice. Through tales of suspense, horror, mystery, noir-science fiction, Dack struggles to sustain the paradox of his ruined life while listening for a superior call. Encountering killers, ghouls, government agents, superior technology, conspiracies, and the deranged, Dack discovers murky realms of the unruly human mind. Six-foot-five, albino, ivory of hair, pink eyes: Dack is lean, mean and cold. Abandoned in a dumpster as a baby, Dack was saved by Sister Elizabeth and raised in St. John's Orphanage in Peoria. Agents combing orphan homes recognized his outsider attitude and, having no family, ingrained Dack into the shadowy world of black ops. For years, he traveled abroad with partner, THOR ALEXANDER, but after a tragic mistake in 1996, Dack was banished to patrol Central Illinois. He is always there, always watching.

PJW: NOCTURNAL VACATIONS published by PUBLISHAMERICA is the first in-print collection of DACK SHANNON tales. How did this collection come about and what are some of the highlights a reader may find within?

SS: When I was off work last year I collected 16 Dack tales and a novella, BURDEN OF CHIC MELANCHOLY, and subbed them for consideration. I selected the tales to introduce folks to the Dack universe. Frequently pubbed tales like BLISS (Dack taking on Goths) appear here. There is something for all tastes. Horror (DESTROYER, WAYFARING STRANGER, HEAVEN SENT, PATTERNS OF OBLIVION); Mystery (FAREWELL LAMENT, WAY BEYOND EMPTY), and Sci-Fi (VIRTUAL DEATH, WRESTLING MORPHEOUS) and many more. Brittany Brennan, a popular character (Dack acolyte) shines in many stories. I guess one cannot keep a good redheaded stripper down.

PJW: NOCTURNAL VACATIONS is a P.O.D. (Print-On-Demand) book. What do you think of the P.O.D. phenomena? Is it for everyone?

SS: One should never enter into it with bestseller aspirations. One should accept that this is a further way to publicize one's work. Some bookstores will take them, some will not. It is a good way to collect tales for someone to read, however, I see a great deal of crap in the marketplace, if I may be so blunt, so buyers beware. That is why I post various types of my work on the website so they can stop by and see if they like my work or not.

PJW: Focusing on your new e-book published by DOUBLE DRAGON, DEPTHS OF SAVAGERY takes the reader into the Shrewsbury universe of heroic fantasy -- more along the lines of dark heroic fantasy with a large sprinkling of real world ancient history ever-so-gently twisted by the mind of the author. I consider it the "BEST OF" VOLUME ONE of your fantasy material. Though a majority of the stories within DEPTHS have been available to the reader in other publications, why did you decide to pull these together for an e-book collection? Is there any significance behind the 13 short stories collected within? Do they relate or are they simply a small cumilation of your fantasy work you wanted to offer to the frenzied masses?

SS: Again, as with PODs, this is a promotional tool. One can easily send or offer such an item as a good collection of one's work. These tales were selected because I wanted to do such a collection, and Peggy Jo at DDP suggested it. The actual tale Depths of Savagery (the last story in the book) is a rare one and those who have read it say it is one of my best. Each tale has changed many times from their original publication spot. Plus, there are a few new ones. BLACK RIBBON OF JOSEPHINE about the Civil War raiders is new. [PJW: BLACK RIBBON is an excellent tale, especially when a good chunk of it is true. Ask Steve for details.] NOT TO BE, the Viking version of HAMLET is new...so...I also wanted to present "my" version of fantasy. Folks tell me it is slightly different than the elves, LOTR, D&D realms. I dunno, I just write what pops out. I guess they harken back to a darker time, more in the vein of Howard than Tolkien. But hey, Howard wrote Conan and Kull long before a Hobbit walked the Earth.

PJW: Your archeologist character DR. ELIJAH BLACKTHORN pops up in a few stories within DEPTHS. He's an interesting character (as most of your characters are). What is he all about and how was he created? And what the heck is psychometry?

SS: Pscyhometry is the ability where if one holds an object they can see or experience the past of that object. I heard a tale of a woman holding a vase they found in the ocean beyond Spain and saying it came from Atlantis. You see, none of it can be proven, thus, Blackthorn is a prisoner to his ability. He can prove other facts surrounding the event he sees associated with an object, etcetera, but his ability cannot be proven by science. Elijah strolled into my mind one day and, I don't know why, I wanted him to be partially American Indian, but very tall with a Nordic background. There are a series of tales yet to be told where he discovers such things. He is appearing in the upcoming paperback anthology DEATHGRIP in a tale called ZENITH OF THE TOTEM. He will also be in TWIST OF CAIN, a tale in CyberPulps GHOSTBREAKERS anthology. Also, I wanted a way for a modern character to travel in the past and see various things. This was as good of a way as any, I guess.

PJW: A lot of the stories in DEPTHS revolve around characters from Celtic and Norse backgrounds along with a dabbling of their representative ancient culture and/or myth. (I think I know what I am trying to say here.) With the existence of ancient history and mythology within your works it makes the reader "believe" in the world and characters expressed in the stories within DEPTHS. Even in NOTHING SACRED, which seems to take place on another planet but with the same barbaric theme, the characters and setting are life-like and believable. How did you stumble upon the idea of taking ancient cultures and creating these interesting works of fiction?

SS: Simply, I write them to live a little in those times. I find the times interesting. A young guy at work said to me, "Ya know, I never thought history was interesting until I read HEED THE CALL!" [Also included in DEPTHS - PJW] The possibilities are limited only by my time to write these tales. I see a time-frame and ask myself, "Wouldn't it be cool if..." There are so many stories not told in history, like "Weren't the parents of the kids killed in Bethlehem, in Herod's attempt to kill Jesus, angry?" If there were ever a catalyst to assassinate Herod...or Jesus himself, there is a story. Plus, history is only written by the winners of wars. I like to think the real picture is bent a little. Louis L'amour wrote a book, JUBAL SACKETT, where a fella first into Kentucky finds redheaded mummies in a cave. This is based on a true story. Later in the book, we see a mastodon. Now, some say that couldn't have happened that way. I say, just because a person is primitive doesn't mean they lied to deceive a scientist 500 years later. For example, many say Moses made up the first 5 books of the Bible. Why? Was he intent on mind control for 7000 years? Somehow I doubt it.

PJW: NOTHING SACRED is an interesting tale that reads like a good R.E. Howard story. It's got all the elements of a classic barbarian tale ... sword-swinging protagonist LUCAS, strange religions, exotic locale, sentient snake-people, and bizarre artifacts. You spring some surprises on the reader with a person very close to Lucas. Can you explain Lucas and the idea behind NOTHING SACRED? It doesn't take place on Earth but Lucas's world seems strangely familiar ... a bizarre mirror image of a fictional age of ancient Earth. Are there more tales to be told regarding Lucas? There seems to be further potential to really flesh out the character(s) and world opened to the reader in NOTHING SACRED.

SS: You can blame Chris Heath of HEATHEN ORACLE for NOTHING SACRED...well, I was set to be in his GRIMOIRE DE SOLACE collection, but kept getting pushed off the earth or out of the realm in which I am comfortable. I did it as a challenge, sort of setting a crusader realm on another world. Lucas is a flawed barbaric warrior and I had some fun with the world I created. More than one person has requested I return to this place, although, off hand, I am not planning such a journey. By the way, most of the names were taken out of the INDEX of RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH. I used obscure ones and had fun with it all.

PJW: And speaking of Robert E Howard, best known for being the creator of CONAN THE BARBARIAN, someone compared you to the late Mr. Howard in terms of writing style and feel. What do you think about that? Do you concur? Is there anyone else you feel your writing emulates? Of course, it's nice to be noticed for having your own voice (which I would definitely say YOU DO) but it's also an honor to be compared with some of the great writers of our time, you think?

SS: I am honored to be mentioned in the same breath as Robert E. Howard. The comparison is there, I guess, but I don't know if it is accurate. We share some of the same interests, drive and bizarre quirks...some of which I learn about more and more. If indeed I write like Howard, well, that is great. I don't know if I do. It is NOT something I try to do, honestly. It all flows out. A pagan pal of mine says he [Howard] is channeling through me, but I doubt it. Mind you, at times, it is like there is a muse SCREAMING at me to let a story out. If he is around, he appears harmless, for now. I am not worthy of the comparison. Howard was a great storyteller and that is all I try to be.

PJW: Out of all the stories in DEPTHS, what is your personal favorite and why? From the feedback you have gotten on all the works in DEPTHS, which one would you say is a "fan favorite" and why?

SS: Perhaps my fave is the tale DEPTHS OF SAVAGERY itself. I really put alot of emotion into that one years ago. The scene at the end where the oilman sings "Yellow Rose of Texas" as he goes down swinging, fighting the Quasi-Zulus; I think it is some of my best material. A few folks like this one, but I get comments about tales featuring Elijah Blackthorn a great deal. GENERATION CLASH was a fave online and proves to be here as well.

PJW: Can fans of the Shrewsbury universe and/or the interested reader expect to see DEPTHS in paperback? Is there a potential for this? If not, is there a way to gently prod the publisher into moving DEPTHS into a paperback format?

SS: If we sell enough e-books, hey, maybe, I was told. Write Deron Douglas at DDP and ask for one. I would be more than happy to contribute a few more tales for a paperback and thus, pad the length out some. Maybe that would be a good selling point. I think I have more requests for the paperback because so many are not online. Many who have read NOCTURNAL VACATIONS are demanding a paperback of DEPTHS.

PJW: Will there be a DEPTHS OF SAVAGERY 2, or do you just plan on developing all the interesting characters and settings into their own books down the line? And what can we expect next from the mind and pen of Steven L. Shrewsbury?

SS: Not to be called DEPTHS 2, but I would guess someday there will be another barbarian collection. I am certain there will be a collection of just Blackthorn tales, plus, I have synops for two Blackthorn novels. However, the next thing from me can be read soon from DDP entitled SCRIPTURES OF THE DAMNED. It's an anthology, which I think is a paperback, and the tale is called "In the Heathen Grove." Some barbarian elements in that one, even if it is in Oklahoma. Thor Alexander shows up in the DDP antho "SCARY" in the Veteran's Day tale "LOCKED AND LOADED." I will be appearing in a slew of anthologies after this year. Blackthorn turns up in GHOSTBREAKERS in the tale "Twist of Cain" and in Walt Hicks' awesome DEATHGRIP publication in "Zenith of the Totem." HISTORICAL HARDBOILED just accepted my Viking murder-mystery story "Meriting Bliss" and LABOR POOL accepted "Light Bearer" as well. Another barbarian tale, "From Darkness Abysmal" will pop up in the KINGS OF THE NIGHT anthology [CyberPulp Publications]. Novel-wise? I have a good editor friend working on my epic barbarian novel GODFORSAKEN as we speak. Aside from the Dack Shannon books forthcoming from BLACK DEATH BOOKS, I have even more material in the works on a number of topics.

PJW: DEPTHS OF SAVAGERY was published by a fairly new (2001) yet well-known (and seemingly professional) publisher DOUBLE DRAGON PUBLISHING. What has been your experience with the publishers you have worked with so far? What do you think of the whole POD and e-book experience in general? Would you recommend POD and e-books the way to go to filling out a writer's starter portfolio while working on breaking into the major publishing houses?

SS: DDP have been very good to me. I would like to see DEPTHS as a paperback, but I know the score at times. I recommend one investigate any POD and chose wisely. I think eBooks and PODs should be used as further promo tools for your work. They are also a tangible way to show folks your work. Also, it gets one some experience in preparation for the BIG DANCE. The prices of certain PODs are a major problem for alot of folks. Not everyone orders online, either. However, if I order alot of my books and walk around with them, I can unload them FAST.

PJW: I thank you for the opportunity to pick your brain, Mr. Shrewsbury. Is there any PARTING SHOT you'd like to leave for readers and writers alike?

SS: For other writers, keep trying and swimming upstream. If you want it bad enough, something will give. To the folks who read my work and write such great letters, thank you. I am just getting warmed up. Thanks Peter for the questions and the keg. [Keg? Is that what I owe him for this interview? lol - PJW]

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