Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello, everyone! I’m Josh Stricklin. I am from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. For anyone not from the U.S. it is the state that looks like Bart Simpson looking to the left. That should narrow it down. I’m interested in things. I really enjoy football, and comics. No, that’s not typical. I like movie theaters. I think they’re a great place to escape. I love Stephen King. Without a doubt, he’s my favorite writer. Some people would even call me a bit of an author. I have a couple books out now. My newest book is a creepy little thing about Voodoo called The King of Evil, but for the purposes of this interview I think I’ll keep it to the first I wrote. That one is called Those Who Are Left.
Tell us about your most recent book.
The most recent book I finished in The King of Evil. Like I said though, for this we’ll be talking about Those Who Are Left. Of course, it couldn’t hurt to say the name of the other one, the one about a voodoo spirit called the King of Evil, an extra time thought. The King of Evil. On the other hand, Those Who Are Left is one of those post apocalyptic zombie-style tales that take place in the South, specifically the area the weather channels calls “The landmass between New Orleans and Mobile.” It’s a bit violent and vulgar—I know “but which one isn’t”—but I also believe, and have been told, that it’s also really funny. It follows the story of Derrick Martin as he tries to cross the landmass from Mobile to find his wife in New Orleans. It’s filled with corruption, and sin, and all the things young kids love.
Who is the villain or antagonist in your story and what is he/she like?
There is a villain in the story besides the zombies-like. One of the names he goes by is Adam, but throughout the novel he uses multiple names, but for the most part, everyone just calls him “the boss”. He’s a very charming, but shifty. He has manipulating a small group of survivors who have holed up in a movie theater, waiting out the chaos. He’s a brutal leader, and uses his rule over his young, impressionable followers to establish a small community in the theater. I like him a lot. I think he’s pretty easy to hate.
Is one of your main characters a supernatural creature that is traditionally considered “evil?” If yes, how does this character break that traditional stereotype?
The zombie creatures are obviously supernatural, but they do have their own twist on conventionality. Instead of eating your brains and moping about, these guys are aggressive. They don’t slug through the streets, they tear through them like a football team through a homecoming banner. And when they get to you, they’re not looking for brains, they’re looking to tear you apart. The interesting thing about them is that they have enough self-awareness to communicate with one another, however they can’t hear to be able to do so. Another problem for them is, they still can’t talk, so they shriek for the other “screamers” in the area. I feel like it’s a pretty interesting thing to watch.
What do you think are the heroic qualities your villain/antihero/supernatural creature possesses?
There aren’t a lot of heroic qualities of the screamers. I mean that have pretty good offense. If you’re getting into a fight, you’d definitely want to be behind them than in front. Adam though, he’s a different story. He’s very resourceful. He’s starts with literally nothing and creates a small civilization with only what’s in the theater, and the things the people brought with them to the theater. Despite all his flaws, he is a very good leader.
Is there any respect between this character and the hero/heroine of your story?
Of course. Derrick is an outsider for the people. He’s from Mobile, and the bulk of the story takes place in Mississippi, and Derrick doesn’t know anyone other than the two people he journeys across the state with. Because Adam is the leader of the community, Derrick has to stay on his good side to make sure the people don’t turn on him. It’s a very stressful situation where the antagonist possesses all the power.
What was the most difficult part of writing about this character?
I don’t know. I actually enjoy writing the villain more than the heroes. Maybe that’s crazy, but they’re the ones creating all the chaos and discomfort. It’s easy for me to create something what someone would do to make things worse, but coming up with the solution is much more difficult. For Adam, the only real challenge was allowing him to do all these terrible things behind his followers’ backs without having them find out, or create a bond strong enough for the one’s who do find out, to not care or even find justification in his actions.
If you could give this character one piece of advice, what would it be?
“Just let them go, dude.”
What kind of antagonist is your favorite?
I think the best kind of antagonist is one where you can understand where they’re coming from. It’s important to be able to relate to any character, and I think it helps your villain if you can sympathize with what he wants, even if you don’t sympathize with what he doesn’t to get it. I feel like that’s the most important thing to do for a character.
Who is one of your favorite fictional villains (can be from a book, movie or television)?
The Joker (Batman), and Eric Cartman (South Park) are very clearly the most heinous characters in fictional history. Their reputation, I’m sure, speaks for themselves. I would say my favorite villain outside the classics is Big Jim Rennie from Under the Dome. He is a human trying to keep the status quo. He is also very manipulative, and does incredibly shady things to get his way. The version in the TV series really takes away from the things a like most about him. I think that’s just because everyone in the TV show has a good and bad side. It’s much different from the book. The book version of Big Jim is fully evil.
To you, how important is a good antagonist?
To me, it’s the most important aspect of the story. I believe the story is only as good as the bad guy/thing.
Who is one of your favorite fictional antiheroes?
Deadpool is a great antihero. Even if he plays the part of villain, he’s still funny. I can appreciate that. I think my favorite antihero outside the comic book world is Dan Lambert from Robert McCammon’s Gone South. He’s a definite hero in this book, but he does a few pretty bad things. Much like with every truly great character, you understand why he does them. In this instance, I caught myself not only sympathizing with his actions, but wanting it to go even further than he does.
What is one of your favorite paranormal creatures and why?
Probably the Wendigo. I’ve been wanting to do something with those things, but I haven’t quite gotten to them yet. I think I may soon though. They’re kind of terrifying. Cannibal spirits. I like them a lot because they aren’t very consistently depicted. The thing about zombies or werewolves is that you don’t have to try very hard to picture them. Vampires and ghosts less so but when someone mentions them, you’ll probably come up with a similar idea to what I do. But with the Wendigo, it’s an open field. I like the idea of doing something that’s very loosely established.
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Josh Stricklin is an American author and musician with degrees in English literature and advertising from the University of Southern Mississippi. His first novel, Those Who Are Left, made its debut in 2015. The terrifying follow up, The King of Evil, is available from Silver Leaf Books. He’s currently hard at work finishing his first series…or more likely reading comic books and wearing a Seahawks jersey.
About the Book
Title: Those Who Are Left
Author: Josh Stricklin
Genre: Horror
Thinking back to when everything changed, Derrick can never pinpoint if it was the pickaxe swinging toward his own face that alerted him or if he knew moments earlier when he saw the weapon hurtle toward the barn cat. Either way, he quickly realized that the man he was facing—a farm employee he knew well—was not only no longer a friend, he wasn’t even human any more.
An apocalyptic tale that surprises you with humor when it’s not terrifying you with horror, Those Who Are Left follows Derrick as he and two strangers venture through the major cities of the South in search of family and safety. But not all the human factions can be trusted, and if the trio can’t figure out what’s driving the different groups they could end up with enemies on all sides.
But even in a chaotic world of murderous screamers and posturing humans, there’s always time to play a few games of bowling before the slaughter begins…right?