Ten Questions with Mark Cassell

To celebrate the release of the short story collection Fiends: Ten Tales of Demons, edited by Rayne Hall, I'm interviewing author Mark Cassell today.  Mark is the author of the novel The Shadow Fabric, and he has an exceptionally eerie story included in Fiends called "Disturbed."

You discuss the inspiration for "Disturbed" a bit in FIENDS.  Can you elaborate on the origins of the story just a bit more?

One night around a campfire, my friend and I discussed ancient evils and pictograms.  I already had seeds for a story based around camping and confronting a demon, but I had no idea how to execute it.  We spoke of history's evils and the power of sigils and glyphs as the campfire dwindled to embers.  And it was that glowing red that finally made me grab my pencil!

There is an intensely unsettling atmosphere throughout "Disturbed."  The ending of the story is certainly a scene that should linger long in readers' minds.  Is unnerving the reader your primary goal with your writing, instead of going for the shock or the gross out?

Whether movie or book, I've always preferred the supernatural over the slasher.  I'm a sucker for subtlety and creepiness as opposed to a gore-fest.  So my work naturally comes out that way.

"Disturbed" is a part of the mythos surrounding The Shadow Fabric.  What's it been like, creating an entire mythos?

When writing The Shadow Fabric I never knew it would become something this large.  A long time after I completed the novel my notebook hummed with untouched elements, so what better way to explore them than by writing more stories?  It's been fun taking the concept of the Fabric to another level.

Do you see The Shadow Fabric mythos continuing indefinitely, or is there a conclusion you're aiming toward?

In truth, it's evolving without an end in sight.

What scares you more than anything else?

Cliched perhaps, but I'd say death.  I have so much to do, to say, to write.  And the clock always ticks.  At any time, without any notice, we could be snuffed out.  The end.  I guess that's why I lean heavily on the supernatural.  Maybe it's my way of dealing with that fear, hoping perhaps for something beyond.

Who has had the greatest influence on your writing?

I'll say this simply: my wife.  She kicks my arse and I write stuff.

How do you feel about writing short stories as opposed to novels?  Are there certain creative advantages or disadvantages to either form?

I've written just one novel so who knows how I'll feel after a few more.  We live in an age where every one of us is on a mission to get where we're going.  Fast.  Short, sharp tales, whether 300 words or 3,000 can fill those brief moments of respite between the accelerator of modern-day life.  There's an advantage in that.

Some have suggested that the horror genre is beginning to fade, or be devoured by other genres.  What do you think about the future of horror?

Genres always fade.  And they always return.  It's a natural cycle.  Sadly, horror itself is with us in many guises: war, famine, aircraft disasters, personal atrocities.  Whatever level of horror, including supernatural or slasher, we as a species will always seek to be entertained by it.  We're a strange bunch, us humans.

Who are some other writers whose works you enjoy?

I grew up on a diet of James Herbert, Shaun Hutson, and Stephen King.  Also Brian Lumley and Clive Barker.  They have all inspired me somewhere down the line.

Are you at work on a new novel?  What should we look forward to concerning your fiction?

I write for a Sci-fi eZine, and I'm looking to release a collection of the episodes so far.  As for something larger?  I'm currently plotting a steampunk novel and yes, the story has a supernatural element.
This Halloween, however, sees the release of Sinister Stitches, a collection of short horror stories in the Shadow Fabric mythos.

Fiends is available on Amazon.com.

Visit Mark Cassell's website.

Mount Arkansas

Another Colorado summit gained!  This one was, appropriately enough, Mount Arkansas, a 13,800' summit that sits near the headwaters of the Arkansas River.

My dad and I left Arkansas for Colorado at four in the morning on Thursday, July 30.  We made it to Leadville in time to catch a heck of a sunset and a couple of beers at the Silver Dollar Saloon.  

Friday morning, we were heading up toward the Climax Mine area, and we parked at the Mount Arkansas trailhead by 6:00.  

No need to get TOO much of an early start, we thought, as Arkansas was (theoretically) going to be a warmup hike for La Plata and Blanca.  After all, I’d read it was only about 2 or 3 miles one way.  Nothing too bad.  

It didn’t exactly turn out that way, but I’m not complaining.  Arkansas is a very fun mountain.

We followed an old railroad bed for approximately a quarter of a mile, the distance recommended by 13ers.com, and then cut up into the trees and started south into a forest.  I think we wandered a bit too long in the trees— instead of making a straight line toward the saddle, we attempted to follow a few trail segments, and I suspect we made things more difficult than they had to be.  Note to those who might do this mountain: Just head south.  I DO recommend avoiding the marshy willow thickets.  Otherwise, just go south, and to heck with trying to follow trail segments.

Either way, we made it above the trees and found ourselves just below the saddle in a very, very beautiful area.  

After a moment or two of debating whether or not to head up to the saddle or cut up the grassy slope immediately to our left, we decided to do the latter.  The ridge looked pretty friendly, after all.  

The slope was a bit steeper than it looked, but the rocks made solid footholds, and it didn’t take too long to gain the ridge.

From here on out, the ascent up Arkansas was a fairly straightforward ridge walk/climb, in which you ascend up one pile of rocks and boulders after another. No trail, not really, but there’s no way in the world to get lost.  

At the ridge intersection (where you’ll find a pole jutting up out of the rock) just make sure you cut to the right toward Arkansas. 

It’s not far down this final stretch of ridge that you’ll finally get a view of the actual summit, just beyond the crux towers.

A few notes on this final stretch of ridge: several sections of it are pretty darned narrow— nothing dangerous if the weather is decent and you’re aware of what you’re doing, but narrow nonetheless.  Also, where we cut down off the ridge to circumvent the crux towers, for a few feet, there was significant exposure on both sides of us, and using both hands was an absolute must.   Perhaps we waited too late to descend off the ridge.  I suspect so.  Just note, the class 2 on this ridge seemed a bit more demanding of your attention than, say, the tops of Massive or Harvard, and in a place or two was approaching class 3.

Anyway, so yes, Mount Arkansas was more involving than I’d expected, and my dad pointed out to me a few times that he’d expected something a bit easier….  But I will say this: Mount Arkansas is a lot of fun and very beautiful.  Woo Pig!