Interview with Matthew Quinn Martin
Tell us about your most recent book.
Nightlife: Night Terrors is an omnibus edition that collects my first novel, Nightlife, as well as the full sequel, As The Worm Turns, and a related novella, Hazardous Material.
Who is the villain or antagonist in your story and what is he/she like?
There are multiple antagonists and forces of antagonism in Nightlife: Night Terrors. But I’ll focus on one for the purpose of this interview: Basil Ross. When we first meet Ross (in the epilogue of Nightlife) we learn that he is a high ranking member of The Division––a corporate-run black ops organization––and that he has been hunting the protagonist of the series, monster-hunter Jack Jackson, for over a decade. In Hazardous Material, Ross’s role and The Division’s agenda is further explored. And finally, in As The Worm Turms, his own back story is revealed.
What do you think are the heroic qualities he/she possess?
Ross is an extremely disciplined and driven individual. He’s an autodidact who grew up under the weight of crushing poverty and has risen to his current level through shrewdness and sheer will. In many ways, he is an exemplar of the “American Dream.” Which, even Ross has to admit, is a fiction in today’s world (and, perhaps, always was).
It’s been said by many writers (most far better at the craft than I am) that no fully fleshed out character is motivated by anything other than what they believe to be “the right thing.” Although Ross is technically one of the antagonists in Nightlife: Night Terrors, from his own perspective he is the protagonist. Of course this is the case with every character in the series (even those that only show up for a single scene).
Is there any respect between this character and the hero/heroine of your story?
Jack and Ross both hold a tremendous amount of respect for each other, as well as a deep seated mistrust. This is one of the anchor points of As The Worm Turns in particular.
What was the most difficult part of writing about this character?
Ross is an absolute joy to write. If there is any difficult part, it’s in reminding myself that “he’s the bad guy.” Just when I find myself thinking, “you know, maybe Ross is OK,” then I know the reader is probably doing the same thing. That’s when I make sure that he pushes against expectations in some way that reminds us all just how amoral he can be.
What kind of antagonist is your favorite?
I really love an antagonist that you can root for…one that you can empathize or bond with. One that is seductive, be it through charm, charisma, ideology, intelligence or something else. Nicki Grant on the television show Big Love is a perfect example of this type of antoginst. You hate her until she makes you love her again…and then she betrays your trust, only to win it back later…and so on and so on.
When a reader develops an intimacy––a co-dependence if you will––with an antagonist, it puts them in the most vulnerable spot imaginable. Standing in a wet nightgown in front of a mindless killer wielding a machete isn’t nearly as terrifying as when a good antagonist gets inside your head and starts moving things around.
Who is one of your favorite fictional villains (can be from a book, movie or television)?
Iago is probably the template for every “thinking person’s villain” that came after him. He really does believe that he’s the hero of a revenge tragedy. And, honestly, so much of Othello is dedicated to his interior life that one has to wonder if that isn’t the case. Coleridge’s claim that Iago is a “motiveless malignity” has always made me wonder if that assessment had more to do with the way the character was portrayed on stage at the time than anything that’s present in the text itself. He has nearly as many soliloquies as Hamlet, for Pete’s sake! And Iago’s DNA is all over Milton’s Satan…which Blake famously stated was the the hero of Paradise Lost. Blake was wrong, of course––as any Milton scholar can tell you––but the fact that such a brilliant mind was seduced by the fictional portrayal of what was the very embodiment of evil in the western world for nearly two millennia is testament to the power of Milton’s genius and his understanding of the human condition.
That said, there is something equally seductive about an antagonist that is motivated by something completely alien to humanity––be that a sentient piece of machinery (ex. the T-1000 in Terminator 2) or a collective intelligence (ex. the Arachnids in Starship Troopers). OK…that’s more than one…but there are just so many to choose from!
To you, how important is a good antagonist?
A well written antagonist can often be the best thing about a book. I don’t think anyone would have been the slightest bit interested in Silence of the Lambs without Hannibal Lecter or Buffalo Bill. That said, I don’t think an antagonist, per se, is essential to the success of a novel (or short story, or movie, etc.).
What is necessary is that the work has a fully developed forces of antagonism that directly relate to the protagonist’s arc (or if we are dealing with a “traveling angel” character, the central problem that s/he is seeking to remedy). These forces are fuel for the engine of plot. They are what carry the protagonist from the “place of disorder” at the beginning of the story, to the “restoration of balance” at the end that readers so deeply crave.
The characters in “The Open Boat,” for example, all fight with each other, but there is no clear antagonist. The uncaring nature of the sea, and the mens’ recognition of their ultimate meaninglessness in the face of such a vast and ancient thing, is about as good an example you will get of a perfectly matched arc/realization and force of antagonism.
Ultimately, the forces of antagonism only exist in a story to act as bulwark to the dramatic question. An antagonist that walks and talks can give a writer a nice handle on this, and an easy way to present those challenges the protagonist faces directly and openly. The danger, however, is that the writer will simply use the antagonist as a plot device and not honor the full breadth of that character’s own existence. That’s how you end up with cardboard villains who simply want to further an “evil” agenda.
At the end of the day, “evil” is nothing more than a mental construct that someone projects onto another person (or ideology, or race, or what have you). It’s a way to define them, to control them, to make sure that they are no longer a “unknown quantity” in the projector’s own personal narrative…and doing that might be one of the most evil things of all.
Title: Nightlife: Night Terrors
Author: Matthew Quinn Martin
Genre: Horror
Release Date: July 7, 2015
“Doesn’t get any darker than this; you can actually feel the blood spatter…” –Hugo & Nebula winner James Patrick Kelly
Enter the world of Nightlife, where the streets crawl with unimaginable demons, and a monster can lurk behind every friendly face…
Matthew Quinn Martin first terrified horror fans with Nightlife, the captivating story of two unlikely monster hunters determined to save the city of New Harbor from the Night Angels—bloodthirsty creatures that feed on the forgotten. Jack Jackson and Beth Becker are among the few who can see these creatures for what they really are, but as they hunt the creatures, a mysterious organization known only as The Division is hunting them.
In the novella Hazardous Material, we get a glimpse of The Division’s origins and aims, when a young man stumbles onto a long-abandoned video arcade—which three decades ago was the site of the largest mass shooting in New York history—and unwittingly uncovers a relic of unimaginable power and mind-altering terror.
And in the never-before-released As the Worm Turns, Jack and Beth are back, along with their faithful dog, Blood. For months they’ve been keeping just one step ahead of The Division, whose enigmatic leader has been pursuing them with the single-minded obsession to capture them by any means necessary. But as Jack and Beth continue their quest to rid the world of the creatures once and for all they find themselves facing off against something even more terrifying than the Night Angels––something that could hold the key to humanity’s salvation…or its doom.
Three amazing horror stories in one chilling bundle…the only thing you won’t fear is the price!
Reviews for the first book:
“Thrilling, edgy, and scary as hell, Nightlife is an outstanding debut and one of the most original takes on the vampire novel I’ve ever read.” – Jason Starr, International Bestselling Author of The Pack
“Nightlife completely creeped me out. Martin is a master of suspense. Keep me up all night again soon!” –Nancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling Author, The Wicked Saga
“Doesn’t get any darker than this; you can actually feel the blood spatter. Nightlife is the gutsiest debut I’ve read in a long time.” – James Patrick Kelly, Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Think Like a Dinosaur.
“An incredibly riveting, edge of your seat plot that was equal parts spooky mystery and gruesomely tragic horror novel.” – All Things Urban Fantasy
“Whoa! This is like the ultimate Vampire book! No fluff here. This is not your modern, sexy, ‘I wanna get laid by a vampire’ book – this was some scary stuff.” – Wall to Wall Books
“I don’t think I’ve actually read anything like it!” – Bibliosanctum
“If you like your fantasy urban and dark, give this book a try. If you want to see vampires restored to a fearsome glory, give this book a try. If you just want a creepy good story for the Halloween month, give this book a try!” – Badass Book Reviews
“Nightlife is the perfect story to read if you like to get a good scare on!” – Jersey Girl Book Reviews
“Have you been wanting vampires that are mean, nasty, eating machines? Tired of the glitter and sparkle and angst? Well, check this book out….a perfect blend of action and pathos that most readers of horror should enjoy.” – Now is Gone
“The vampires Matthew created are nothing like I ever read before. They are scary and creepy!” – Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks
NIGHTLIFE excerpt:
Beth was alone. She looked down at the wallet still in her hands. Behind a scratched plastic window was a picture of her and Ryan, both of them smiling at her from happier times.
Had he gone missing the same as Zoë? What was happening? She shook her head. Maybe she’d finally gone around the bend. Could she really have just seen a man get shot, bleed white, and then liquefy into nothingness—and all because of a box of salt?
“Get a grip, Becker.” She reached for the nearest bottle, not even sure what was in it, and poured herself a full glass. “You’re seeing things.” She was about to take a sip when she heard the sound of footsteps from the shadows. She turned to spot a faint outline form in the blackness, almost as if it was born from it. It was a man, and the slightest flicker gleamed from his eyes as he moved into the light. Beth’s glass slipped from her grasp, shattering on the floor as she saw just who it was. “Ryan!” she called out, rushing over. “Oh, my God, Ryan!”
But something about him made her stop just shy of the slick spreading out on the floor where the corpse had been lying only minutes before. She looked at Ryan. Something wasn’t right. His hair was different, longer, the way he wore it back when they’d first started dating. He was dressed in clothing he’d thrown out years ago. The same clothing he’d had on in the photo in her wallet. His gaze landed on her, and in that moment, Beth had never wanted him more. Those eyes—so inviting, so mesmerizing, so . . . hungry. He shifted closer. He had yet to speak a single word.
“Ryan,” she said. “I was so worried.” But even as she spoke the words—even as she felt that if she’d just let him take her in his arms, all her troubles would disappear—she knew something was terribly wrong. She started to inch backward. “Ryan, why don’t you say something? You’re scaring me.”
He sniffed the air, almost gulping at it. Then he cocked his head at an angle that didn’t seem natural—or even human. Suddenly, he leaped for her, covering the three yards between them in a single bound.
She dodged. He missed her by inches. But he now stood between her and the door, cutting off any possible escape. He moved closer, hands grasping for her. Beth ducked around a table and shoved forward with all her strength, crushing him against the wall. Ryan screamed. It was that same high-pitched wail she had heard coming from the man who’d been shot. The one Jack said was “hardly a man.”
Ryan pawed at the table, sending it flying end over end as if it was made of papier-mâché. Planks splintered against the brick wall. Beth swept up a board. She hit him hard, right across the face. The board cracked in half, and her hand sang with a dull thwack. It did nothing. He simply shook it off and stepped forward, closing the gap between them as he pegged her against the bar. His hands clamped down on her. His grip was like quick-drying cement. She couldn’t move.
Beth’s knees began to give out as a heady brew of terror and desire overtook her. She felt the hard press of his hand pushing back her head, exposing her throat. She felt herself giving in. She wanted to go where Ryan had gone, to see what he’d seen, to become whatever it was he’d become.
Author Bio
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, it wasn’t until Matthew moved to Manhattan that he realized he was a writer. These days, he lives on a small island off the North Atlantic coast of the United States where it gets quiet in the winter…perhaps too quiet. . .
Links
http://www.matthewquinnmartin.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewqmartin
Buy the book:
Buy the Book on S&S Publishing: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Nightlife-Night-Terrors/Matthew-Quinn-Martin/9781476746906
Buy the Book on B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nightlife-matthew-quinn-martin/1120790644?ean=9781476746906&itm=1&usri=9781476746906&r=1
Buy the Book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DPM7TFY?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00DPM7TFY&linkCode=xm2&tag=simonsayscom
Buy the Book on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/nightlife-night-terrors/id668396060?mt=11
Buy the Book on GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9781476746906&c=books
Thank you so much for hosting!
My pleasure, Majanka!