John Saul

BIO

John Saul's first novel, SUFFER THE CHILDREN, published in 1977, was an immediate million-copy bestseller. He has since written nineteen successive bestselling novels of suspense, including THE PRESENCE, BLACK LIGHTNING, GUARDIAN, and THE HOMING. He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling serial thriller THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES, initially published in six installments, but now available in one complete volume. Mr. Saul divides his time between Seattle, Washington, and Maui, Hawaii.

PAST INTERVIEW

July 30, 1999

Thrillers might be John Saul's specialty when it comes to writing, but don't ask him to go see a horror movie --- he'd rather see something a little less scary...like A Bug's Life! The master of supernatural and psychological horror novels admits to his fear of everything horror, including his fear of his own books. TBR's Mary Ellen Gustafson, a die-hard fan, interviewed John Saul and asked him about his new book, THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL, and also found out some very intriguing details about his fear of horror, his book preferences, who he would cast if one of his books became a movie. Don't miss finding out who the real John Saul is in this very telling and very un-scary interview.  

TBR: In many of your books, much of the evil either happens to, or is done by, children and teens.  Obviously these characters have been successful for you, but why do the stories often center on children?

JS: There are many reasons I use children and teens as protagonists and antagonists in my stories.  Most importantly, kids are not considered responsible for their actions which makes it possible to cast them as sympathetic villains.  Children also have very active imaginations.  For instance, if a shadow appears in a bedroom at midnight, to a child it is obviously a monster, ghost, or other kind of apparition, while for an adult it is immediately identified as being cast by a tree branch moving outside the window.  Beyond that, one of everyone's primal fears is that someone will harm our children.  Given that I'm always trying to tap into those basic fears, children make natural foils.

TBR: I just finished reading THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL.  I believe this is the first book where you've come right out and called the evil satanic.  Since all of your books deal with evil in one form or another, what made you decide on the satanic theme for this one?

JS: I'm not sure what prompted this particular story. It's a twist on a very common story thread: what if someone sells his soul to the devil?  In the business they say "it always works" if you come up with a good story line, while if they don't think the story works, they say "it's been done to death."  For me the story works on a very visceral level, and I've added a couple of new twists to the basic story.

TBR: While a good portion of your books deal with the supernatural in one way or another, you've also written many successful novels that have a logical explanation for what happens, such as THE PRESENCE and BLACK LIGHTNING. Do you prefer stories with supernatural or realistic explanations?

JS: I believe my stories fall into three categories: Occult/supernatural thrillers, techno thrillers (where the evil comes from modern science/technology, and psychological thrillers (where the evil lies within the person). In many of my books the protagonist may be just plain evil, stone crazy, or possibly possessed.  I try to give every reader a thread to relate to.  As to which is my favorite --- it's always the one I'm writing at the moment.  

TBR: You've mentioned in previous interviews that one day you will return to Blackstone for another book.  Any idea when that might happen?

JS: The CD ROM game offered me a chance to tell a sequel to that story in a very different format. I'm not sure when I will return to Blackstone.  Right now I have some other stories waiting to be written.

TBR: Is ABC still planning to release a mini-series based on THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES, and if so will you be involved with the film in any way?

JS: The mini-series appears to be dead for the moment, however there is some talk about a regular series.  I have no idea how much involvement I will have with any of my novels that are picked for film.  It all depends on the producer, director and the deal that is struck.

TBR: So far in 1999, many of the horror titles being released reference haunted houses in some way, including THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL. Have you noticed this trend?  Why do you think it's so popular right now?

JS: In all honesty I do not keep up with the trends in my genre.  Since I'm a card-carrying coward, I do not go to horror movies, nor do I read horror books.  I never want to be accused of lifting someone's ideas or subconsciously discarding a good idea because I saw something on TV or in the movies.  So, I can't really tell you what is happening in the marketplace in horror at this time.  As for the popularity of haunted house stories, I think they're always popular.

TBR: If haunted houses are the theme of 1999, while 1998 was the year of the ghost and 1997 was overrun with vampire novels.  What do you think the next horror trend will be?

JS: Hopefully, whatever I'm writing now!

TBR: The horror market appears to be almost dead right now for all but the best-selling authors such as yourself, King, Koontz and Rice.  Do you see the horror market opening up again any time soon, or can we expect to see less and less new horror being released?  Do you think there is a stigma against horror titles?

JS: All genre writing ebbs and flows over time.  Publishers see that the three or four best-selling authors in a certain genre are selling well, so they purchase the rights for other authors and suddenly there is a rash of novels all in the same vein.  The genre is over-saturated, and though the total book sales stay the same, the copies per title drop radically.  The genre is declared 'dead,' the publishers stop buying new titles, but the bestsellers in the genre keep on writing and selling.  I've witnessed this happening a number of times over the 23 years I've been writing.  However, I must add that this cycle may not always continue, because there are fewer publishers than there were just 10 years ago.

TBR: With Hollywood remakes of several previously released horror films based on books, such as The Haunting and The Mummy along with plans for the Masque of the Red Death and The Bride of Frankenstein, is it possible that those movies may bring horror novels back to the popularity they enjoyed in the '70s and '80s?

JS: Popularity of movies may not necessarily correlate to the popularity of a type of book.  I believe that the story is the most important thing people want to read or watch.  If it works both on screen and on paper it will be celebrated.  

TBR: You have a reputation for your interest in aspiring writers.  What is the market status for new horror authors right now?

JS: I refer you to my earlier comments on trends.  I believe that no matter what you are writing, there is always a market for a good story, well told. That's the bottom line.  

TBR: Do you have any marketing suggestions for people who have already done the writing and are now looking for an agent or publisher?  Or, suggestions for aspiring writers.

JS: My advice for aspiring writers is to write, write some more and when you're done, write some more.  Just don't keep beating on the same dead horse, rewriting the same story until all the life has gone out of it.  Don't be afraid to throw away projects that are not working and start new ones.  Make sure your story idea can be communicated in one easy (non-run-on) sentence.  When you are done with a project contact legitimate agents any way you can.  Many bona fide writers conferences offer an unpublished and unknown author a chance to pitch their ideas and their writings to agents and editors.   

TBR: You've mentioned many times that you enjoy working in the theater.  Are you involved in any stage productions at the present time?  Do you perform, or write, or work backstage, or all/some of the above?

JS: I was a theater major in college and my history as an actor is very slim, indeed.  I've always enjoyed being a playwright and before I began my career as a novelist I had a few small plays produced.  After I started writing books I have had little time to devote to writing plays, however I have written a few plays in my spare time.

TBR: You mentioned in a past interview with us that you don't read horror novels because they scare you.  What do you think is the scariest horror book you've written?

JS: That's a hard one!  Usually it's the book I'm writing.  I am so involved with the world I'm creating that I am actually living in that town and the characters are quite real to me.  Right now THE RIGHT HAND OF EVIL is one of the scariest.  The evil in the story is so basic.  CREATURE and THE GOD PROJECT were also scary books for me, because the evil is so close at hand.  Right after I made up the story, experts indicated that what I hypothesized was not far from what was occurring right then in scientific labs.  A shiver just went up my spine!

TBR: Do you watch horror movies?  If so, which one still haunts you? 

JS: As I've said before, I'm a coward, so I rarely watch horror films. THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE still chills me.  When I went to see The Thing many, many years ago I was scared to death.  However, I recently watched it again and this time James Arness looked more like a giant carrot then a monster. I watched most of The Exorcist from the lobby. Psycho is perhaps the one movie that still affects me.  To this day, I can't use a shower in a curtained tub unless I've checked the door to be sure it's locked. What can I say? I loved A Bugs Life and Babe!

TBR: Which one of your books do you see making a great movie?  And who would you cast as the characters?

JS: A number of them would be great movies: CREATURE, BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES, THE GOD PROJECT, THE PRESENCE, THE UNLOVED. All good movie material. Leading characters? Tom Cruise, Michelle Pfeiffer, Madonna, Whoopi, Mel Gibson. How's that?

TBR: You also mentioned that you began writing horror at the request of your publisher, but you really enjoy reading spy thrillers.  Have you ever thought of writing a spy thriller yourself?

JS: Yes, I have, however my name is associated with a certain kind of book, it just wouldn't be fair to my audience to change what I write.  Plus, the end of the Cold War ended really good spy vs. spy novels.  Nor are there any good Nazis to knock around anymore.

TBR: What are you reading now?

JS: Just finished TERM LIMITS, by Vince Flynn, and the latest David Baldacci.

TBR: For all of us John Saul junkies, can you give us an idea when your next book might hit the shelves?

JS: I'm finishing SCENT OF THE KILL right now.  It will probably be available sometime next summer.

TBR: What are your thoughts on the Millennium?

JS: I think it's exciting. I'm planning to be some place where the electrical grid is small enough that if it malfunctions at the stroke of midnight, it won't take long to fix it.  I feel very lucky to be alive to witness the change. Who knows?  I may even stay up 'til midnight!

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PAST INTERVIEW

August 13, 1997

On August 13, TBR welcomed back John Saul, author of the BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES.  Interviewing for TBR were BookpgMarL and Bookpg NM.  Our host for this well-spent hour was Marlene T.

Marlene T: Hello, Mr. Saul and MarL. Good evening!

John Saul: Good evening.

BookpgMarL: Good evening.

BookpgMarL: Now that the final part of THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES has been out for a few months, what kind of reaction have you had from your peers and your fans, and what's your own opinion regarding the series?

John Saul: It seems like everyone is pretty happy with it.  I've had fun writing it, and I think most everyone that's read it has liked it.  As for how I liked it, I think BLACKSTONE is my favorite of all places I've written about.

BookpgMarL: I see that the BLACKSTONE website is still up and active. Will this continue until you decide to visit BLACKSTONE again in another novel?

John Saul: The BLACKSTONE site is going to remain active on a permanent basis. I'll be writing more BLACKSTONE, but don't know if it will be a series.

BookpgMarL: So far, THE PRESENCE has received great reviews, Chapter One has been the number one download from The Book Report since the MEN IN BLACK invasion, and entered the NY Times Best Seller list at #12. Were you expecting it to take off like this?

John Saul: I didn't know it was on the NYT list already! Great news!

BookpgMarL: LOL! Congratulations!

John Saul: As for the reviews, I'm starting to feel like an institution. But I guess after 20 books in 20 years, I'm sort of becoming one.

BookpgMarL: Since THE PRESENCE just came out a week ago, I don't want to get into too much detail, but there were some definite departures from your previous novels -- like using real locales and introducing the Outer Space element. What headed you in this direction?

John Saul: I was taking a walk one night on Lopez Island, and speculating on the meaning of life and pollution, when I wondered if maybe our true reason for being is to pollute the planet. Out of that: THE PRESENCE. Anyone who has no idea what I'm talking about has to go read the book! :)  

Question: Why do you write about children and teenagers so much?

John Saul: Kids speak in short sentences and have limited vocabulary, so I get away with a lot of blank space. :)  Actually, I have a good time working with the imagination of children. Also, a child can do truly awful things, but not be held responsible, which makes an author's life much easier.

Question: Are there any other books like THE SECOND CHILD?

John Saul: I'm not sure how to answer. All my books have certain similarities, but I hope they're all different, too!  

Question: Will ABC buy any more of your books, like NATHANIEL?

John Saul: I don't think ABC is going to buy NATHANIEL, but I've heard they're going to do THE GOD PROJECT.

Question: When will THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES be televised?

John Saul: Last I heard, ABC is going to do six hours in May of '98.

Question: I've read some of your books and I think they're great. How do you get your ideas?

John Saul: Ideas come from lots of places. The idea for CREATURE came off the evening news one night when they were doing a story on the uses of human growth hormones, so in the future we can all have designer bodies. As for THE GOD PROJECT, that came about when someone walked through my agent's office. I asked him for a book idea, and he said "recombinant DNA." Twenty minutes later, the whole plot for THE GOD PROJECT was done.

Question: Have you ever written anything that scared you?

John Saul: Everything I write scares me, partly because I figure if it doesn't scare me, it won't scare anyone else, and partly because I'm a card-carrying coward, and everything scares me!

Question: Who is your favorite horror writer?

John Saul: I don't read horror (see remarks above), but of the little I've read, I have to go with Stephen King. I still think CARRIE is one of the great scare books of all time.

Question: THE GOD PROJECT is a truly frightening book. Do you plan to write more about that topic?

John Saul: I'm not sure. The problem with that sort of techno-thriller is that technology moves so fast now that by the time the book is printed, all the things I've speculated on have already happened. With GOD PROJECT, I was doing a talk show on which the hostess had brought in a genetic engineer to trash me and the book, but it turned out that all he did was name the various labs around the world that were doing exactly the kind of thing I was specualting on. Great for me, but the talk-show hostess hated it!

Question: Do you see yourself ever stopping your writing career? Please say no!

John Saul: Okay, "No!"  The truth is, I don't doubt that as long as I think up tales, I'll be writing them. On the other hand, sometimes rotting on the beach on Maui seems like a good idea.

BookpgNM: How did you get into writing horror? Are you really as scared of it as you say?

John Saul: I got into horror because Dell was looking for someone to compete with Steve King (as if anyone could). Anyway, I got the job, and have been happily at it ever since. And I really don't read horror. My favorite reading material was always international spy thrillers, but since the end of the Cold War, that whole area is getting pretty thin. Guess I'll have to change my reading habits.

BookpgMarL: Do you think your style is changing some, away from the more supernatural vein of your earlier novels to the more "real" nature of your last few, especially THE PRESENCE?

John Saul: I'm not sure. I know I've been having a good time with the techno stuff, but I think I'm starting to feel a ghost story coming on. Also, I'm dying to find out what was going on in Blackstone when the Asylum was being built 100 years ago, so I guess I'll have to look into that. Seems like there should be some Victorian creepiness going on there, doesn't it?

BookpgMarL: I think so!

Question:  Are there any actors/actresses you have in mind for the TV version of THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES?

John Saul: Not really. For some reason, I don't get too many clear visions of who should play who, although I've always thought Tom Skerritt might make a good Oliver. Right age, anyway. And I think Lee Meriwether should play the banker's wife (her name escapes me at the moment), but that's because Lee's a good friend. Also, Whoopi Goldberg wants a part. Anyone got any ideas?

Question:  Do you know Stephen King, since you are competitors?  If so, how does he feel about your series and you about his?

John Saul: As it happens, Steve and I do know each other, and I consider him a friend. He was very supportive of the CHRONICLES. In fact, he sent me a dozen roses the day the first one came out.

Question:  I liked SHADOWS and BLACK LIGHTNING. How did you get the ideas for these books?

John Saul: SHADOWS came about from a dinner party conversation with an expert on gifted children. (She had been one herself, or at least so she said!) At any rate, the interesting comment she made was that there was a higher suicide rate among gifted children than among those in the normal intelligence range. I instantly assumed that they weren't killing themselves at all, but that someone was stealing their brains! Twenty minutes later, SHADOWS. As for BLACK LIGHTNING, the premise for that was the old story about Nijinsky thinking someone else was getting inside his body. I postulated that someone had a near death experience, and when they came back, their body had been occupied by a serial killer. And there was BLACK LIGHTNING!

BookpgMarL: I'm going to change the subject for just a moment. I saw on your website that you've also been involved in a gaming project that is supposed to include elements from several of your novels. Is this still going on, and when is it expected to be released?

John Saul: Okay. The formal announcement is about to be made, so here's what's going on. Mindscape is going to be doing a CD-ROM version of BLACKSTONE, in which going though the asylum will be the adventure. It's due out for Christmas of '98. I'm not terribly involved in the construction of the game, but am looking forward to playing it.  

BookpgMarL: Have you ever written any short stories that have been published?

John Saul: Only one. It was a Christmas story and appeared in the Los Angeles Times last Christmas Eve. An odd little tale, about a man who finds himself drawn into one of those little balls filled with a village in a snowstorm. All my other "short stories" seem to wind up a large novels. Guess I talk too much.  

Question:  Can we find your short Christmas story anywhere now?

John Saul: I don't know. Maybe the archives of the LA Times? Are they online? Hello?

BookpgNM: You were involved with the Maui Writer's Conference, so I wonder what advice you would give to young writers.

John Saul: I really have only a couple of bits of advice. The first one is that writers should write. Anything. Just put words on paper. The other bit is that if you want to write fiction, write about things you don't know about. I know all the writing teachers say you should write about what you know, but that's nonsense. When I wrote SUFFER THE CHILDREN, I'd never been to New England at all, but that didn't keep me from writing about it!

BookpgMarL: I take it that means you won't be writing any "How To" books any time soon? :)

John Saul: No chance! All the teachers would stone me!

Question: I have read your book CREATURE and I am about to read the book BRAINCHILD. Can you tell me what your favorite book you wrote was and why?

John Saul: I have several favorites, for different reasons. I'm very partial to SLEEPWALK because of where it was set and its Native American themes and images. I spent a lot of summers in Arizona working on an archaeological expedition when I was in college, so I love that whole area. I'm also fond of BLACK LIGHTNING because I had a good time trying to keep the reader from figuring out what was going on too soon. BRAINCHILD was difficult, since I put myself into a corner by deciding to write about a kid who had no emotions or feelings at all.

Question: Most of your books have a message in them. Do you plan that or does it happen naturally?

John Saul: It just happens. I'm very much of the Noel Coward school of thought, which says that entertainment is entertainment, and you shouldn't slap the audience in the face with the message. But if the message is there, it will get through. (At least I hope so.)

Question: First of all, I'm a long time fan. I've enjoyed reading your books since I was a young teenager. (I even wrote you a "fan letter" and received a response back) :) My question is: How do you feel about your works being turned into screenplays?

John Saul: My feeling is that when you sell a book to Hollywood, you pretty much give up the right to complain, no matter what they do to it. As for trying to work on the screenplay myself, I've known too many writers who have gotten fired off their own books to even contemplate it.

BookpgMarL: Now that THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES and THE PRESENCE are finished, have you already started another novel, or are you taking a break?

John Saul: I've been on break for a couple of months, but I'm starting to think about what might be next. Maybe a BLACKSTONE, but there's also an idea or two for bigger books. We'll see.  

BookpgMarL: Congratulations on THE PRESENCE, by the way -- an excellent book!  Very imaginative story line!

John Saul: Thank you!

Question: What is your next book going to be about?

John Saul: I have no idea what the next book will be about, but even if I did, do you really think I'd tell you? Where would the surprise be then?:) Actually, I don't talk about books that I'm working on for a very strange reason:  If I talk about them, I feel I can't change them, and then I start hating the whole idea, and then throw it away.

Marlene T: I'm afraid we're out of time for the event tonight, Mr. Saul.

John Saul: It's been a fast hour. I've had a lot of fun, and thanks for joining me.

BookpgMarL: Thanks, John!

John Saul: Thanks for having me.

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PAST INTERVIEW

May 28, 1997

>A fierce bidding war for miniseries rights to John Saul's six-part BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES was waged long before a single installment had actually been written. The author's track record as a creator of chilling suspense novels spurred ABC-TV to pay $300,000 for the option to film the series (the network will pay a whopping $1.7 million when it completes the purchase).

Since January, once a month, John Saul has been delivering a "serial terror in 6 parts" to an anxious public -- each novel interwoven with the rest. Part 4 just hit the newsstands to wild popular acclaim.  

On Wednesday evening, with Marlene T. as host, Saul spoke with TBR's BookpgMarL about BLACKSTONE, the book and the website.   He also weighed in on some other topics, including children, writing and his mentor Stephen King.    

Marlene T: Hello, Mr. Saul and MarL.  Good evening!

BookpgMarL: Good Evening!

J Saul 97: Hello, Marlene and BookpgMarL.

BookpgMarL: Right now, the novel foremost in everyone's mind is THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES, especially since Part 6 will be released soon.  You mentioned in the intro to Part 1 that the serial novel format gave you the perfect platform to tie together the characters and the town of Blackstone that you've been thinking about for years.  Does this mean you plan to do future serial novels?

J Saul 97: I haven't decided yet to do more serial novels.  But I'm sure I'm not done  with Blackstone.  I can't help but think that when the asylum is converted into Blackstone Center something strange will happen to people stupid enough to rent space in that building.

BookpgMarL: The Blackstone website is really quite thorough and informational.  Do you think the site has helped in promoting the series, as well as your other novels?

J Saul 97: I think the Blackstone website has added a whole new dimension to the Blackstone experience.  I think that the site has made Blackstone very real to a lot of people, including myself.  People have enjoyed going there in their own minds and living a life there.  By the way, the website address is http://www.randomhouse.com/blackstone.

Question: I'm happy to be involved in the development process for the adaptation of THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES for ABC.  Just curious -- who would you cast in the key roles?

J Saul 97: I have been thinking about that, but haven't come up with anything brilliant. If anyone has ideas, I would love to hear them.  The movie is currently scheduled for May of next year, a 6-hour miniseries on ABC.  Please e-mail me at AuthorJS@aol.com for your picks on who should be in the movie.

Question: What book did you find was the hardest to write and why?

J Saul 97: Oh, probably the one coming out in August, THE PRESENCE.  It was very difficult in terms of a complex plot that takes place on Maui, which means there has to be a certain amount of accuracy in terms of locales and customs.

BookpgMarL: Will you give us a hint about THE PRESENCE, beyond what's in the back of the BLACKSTONE books?

J Saul 97: Ha!  Not very likely.

BookpgMarL: In discussions of your work, many people are upset by the fact that the bad things almost always happen to children.  Is there a reason children are the ones that get haunted, possessed, hurt, or killed?

J Saul 97: Well, of course, they are nasty little creatures to start with (ha ha)... but aside from that, kids make terrific victims and they also do horrible things and may not be held responsible because they are children.

BookpgMarL: Your writing seems a bit darker than other horror writers -- more like Poe.  Your books often end on more of a down note.  Is this because you're giving the readers a "reality check" rather than wrapping everything up in a neat little bundle?

J Saul 97: Yes.  Also, I have an editor who always likes evil to go on forever. I fight for happy endings... she fights for dark endings... she oftens wins.  I have some happy endings coming up.

Question: I know you probably get this a 1000 times, but since I've never asked you before I'm gonna go for it.  Where do you get your ideas?

J Saul 97: I have no idea.  They come out of the atmospehere, the news, friends, comments at dinner parties...

Question: What was your inspiration for the BLACKSTONE series?

J Saul 97: The whole concept of an abandoned insane aslyum and the terrors that might be locked up inside it and what might happen if the terrors got loose in town just fascinated me.

Question: Are you saying Part 6 won't be the end?

J Saul 97: Ha ha ha.... Part 6 will wrap up the BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES; I don't think it is the end of Blackstone though.  Hopefully, it will leave people wanting to come back for more.

BookpgMarL: You've covered about every area of supernatural and psychological horror except one... vampires.  Do you ever see yourself writing a book on that subject?

J Saul 97: No, because I have never been able to convince myself that vampires exist.  If I don't believe it, no one else will believe it when I try to write it.

BookpgMarL: Have you always written in this genre, or was it the original request from Dell to write a psychological thriller that pushed you in this direction?

J Saul 97: It was the request from Dell.  Left to my own devices I would still be writing comedy murder mysteries and starving to death.

Question: How old were you when you started writing?

J Saul 97: I started writing seriously when I was 21.  I had it in my mind to be a writer when I was in 7th grade though.

Question: Does the town of Blackstone kinda exist somewhere?

J Saul 97: I hope not!  As it exists in the book, it is purely in my own mind.  If it does exist somewhere, then I have not seen it.  I have created other towns though that turned out to exist.  Neilsville, Washington exists.  I have never been there, but people said I described it exactly in PUNISH THE SINNERS.

Question: Was THE SECOND CHILD based on anything true that you have encountered or witnessed (the relationship of mother and daughter)?

J Saul 97: No, SECOND CHILD was basically an evil stepmother book.  The only person I knew with this relationship was my mother and her stepmother and they were not EVIL.  I don't know any evil stepmothers.

BookpgMarL: Your personal website is very good.  One of the more informative ones around.  The bio on your site says you're interested in theater, both acting and writing.  Do you get many opportunities to participate in the theater?

J Saul 97: I wish I got more.  I haven't acted since I was 25 or 30 and I would love to do more writing for the theater, but I just don't have time.  I started out as a playwright and ended up a novelist.  Many years ago, some of my plays were produced by small companies.

BookpgMarL: Personal website: http://www.johnsaul.com

BookpgMarL: The picture on your personal website shows you inflating a hot air balloon.  Is this a sport you enjoy participating in?

J Saul 97: Actually, the only balloon ride I have been on I loved.  I would love to do it again.  There are those who say I was filling that balloon with my own hot air.

Question: When you aren't writing, what do you enjoy doing?

J Saul 97: Thinking up things to write about.  I like to play tennis, but I'm no good at it.  I like to play bridge and I like to read.

BookpgMarL: Do you think reading improves your writing?

J Saul 97: I wish it did.  Every time I read someone else's work, I say why does everyone write better than I do...?

BookpgMarL: You're known for your encouragement and dedication to helping develop new writers.  Anything you'd like to say to would-be writers in our audience?

J Saul 97: One word:  Write.  Two more:  Write... write.  With writing, practice really does make perfect.

Question: I have read all of your books.  My favorite would have to be NATHANIEL.  Do you plan on doing any sequels to any of your books?

J Saul 97: I knew that was coming... always NATHANIEL. I can't make a sequel to SUFFER THE CHILDREN since I killed off the lead character in BLACKSTONE.  I don't think I will write a sequel because in most of the books I write almost everyone is dead at the end.  BLACKSTONE has endless possibilities though.

BookpgMarL: Is BLACKSTONE the most successful of your books?

J Saul 97: If it's one book, yes it is.  It has gotten me many new readers and lots of e-mail from new readers who say they love it.

BookpgMarL: What are your favorite books you've written?

J Saul 97: BLACKSTONE is my favorite.  SLEEPWALK is another one... everyone else hates it.  NATHANIEL everyone loves... I don't understand it at all. NATHANIEL was the most successful until BLACKSTONE.

Question: Your work has been compared to King's in the respect of the BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES.  Did you have the idea before him, or was he first?  Also, do you read any King?

J Saul 97: The idea for the BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES has been around for years, but without Stephen King writing THE GREEN MILE, I couldn't have written BLACKSTONE in the form they really needed to be published in.  I've read King for years.  We met once face to face years ago.  He sent me a dozen roses on the first day of publication of  BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES... that was very nice... and said "I hope you sell 40 million copies."  I told him, "Sure, as soon as you buy the first 39 million!"

Question: Will you have a small part in the movie, like Stephen King does in all his movies?

J Saul 97: I haven't thought about it.  I haven't been asked to do it, but it might be kind of fun.  Maybe I could be the dark figure...

Question: How many hours a day do you spend writing?

J Saul 97: I'm generally at the word processor four hours a day.  Actually, typing is the smallest part of the job.  When I am working, I work 24 hours a day, thinking about the book as I go to sleep.  When I get up, I'm still thinking about it.  I don't think about anything else.  I try not to do research.  I am a paid liar.  When there is research to be done, I do it myself.  I use the Net... friends all over the country.

BookpgMarL: After waiting 15 years for your first novel to be published, how does it feel now to know that number 21 is about to be released?

J Saul 97: I feel so OLD.  I look at the list at the front of the book and I can't believe I typed all those manuscripts.  The first two books were done on an IBM Selectric. Switched to a Linear no-problem word processor -- all it did was very primitive WP program.  It cost $15,000.

Question: You made a reference to children in a not-so-positive way.  Do you have any children of your own?

J Saul 97: I was kidding...the LOL thing, remember!  I don't have any nasty little rugrats...

Question: Who are your favorite authors?

J Saul 97: My favorites of all time are John O'Hara and Noel Coward... I actually wanted to be him.

BookpgMarL: Have any of your other books been made into movies?

J Saul 97: CRY FOR THE STRANGERS was made into the worst made-for-TV movie ever done about 15 years ago.  GUARDIAN is in development and THE GOD PROJECT is in development.

BookpgMarL: Will there be a sequel to GUARDIAN?

J Saul 97: I thought of doing a sequel to GUARDIAN because I always thought it would be lots of fun if Joey, who is still alive in the mountains, ran into the hero of CREATURE, who is also in the mountains, surviving a few hundred miles to the south.  I didn't plan that, it just worked out that way.  And they might end up finding Allison.

Question: Do you have a booksigning schedule?

J Saul 97: At the moment, no signing schedule because there was so much work in writing THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES, which were not finished when the first one was published.  Way too busy to sign books.  I don't know if there will be a book tour for THE PRESENCE.

BookpgMarL: When you wrote THE BLACKSTONE CHRONICLES, did you already know how it would end?

J Saul 97: There was a detailed outline, but with all detailed outlines things go awry.  I did know how it would end because I worked from this outline.  I changed a few things though.

Question: Will we get to see a book with a happy ending? (Hopefully!)

J Saul 97: YES.  Actually THE PRESENCE may have a happy ending.  Of course, it depends on what your definition of happy ending is...  BLACK LIGHTNING had a wonderful happy ending.

Marlene T: Mr. Saul and MarL, thanks so much for being here tonight!  We're out of time.  We hope you return again, and soon!

J Saul 97: Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to talk to you here.

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