The KILLER COWS are here! RUN (to your local bookstore)

So I'm catching up on Twitter the other day and one of Mary Cunningham's tweets grabbed my attention and hurled me into a large grassy field among the grazing cattle. Okay, maybe it wasn't a field, but more like the Echelon Press website. There, thanks to Mary, I discover a book that had the odoriferous smell of awesome all over it. I'm talking about D.M. Anderson's KILLER COWS (2010 by Quake, an imprint of Echelon Press).

D.M. is a 7th grade language arts teacher and newly minted author with a great passion for monster movies, books, and heavy metal. When I read his bio, I said this is a guy I have to talk to. Being a listener to the heavy iron myself instantly bonds us into a brotherhood. Of course I had to know more...

Your debut novel Killer Cows sounds wonderfully creepy and hilarious. Can you give us a little blurb on it and what made you decide to make this your first book?

I have discovered lately Killer Cows a hard book to describe. It’s a young adult sci-fi novel that does indeed involve killer cows (from space, of course), but it’s also about a lonely ninth grade kid who’s trying to fit in, and failing miserably. Things get more complicated when he discovers a flying saucer under his house, left there hundred of years ago by an alien race. It’s eventually up to him (and a few other misfit friends) to save the world. I wouldn’t say it’s ‘creepy’ (though it has a few creepy characters), but I think some of it’s pretty funny. Then again, you might say the whole premise is funny, because it’s so ridiculous. I didn’t consciously intend it to be my first book... it simply evolved into one because I liked the characters and didn’t want to let them go.

I know that a lot of my writing has been influenced by my love of monster movies and books. Were you influenced by these types of stories?

Absolutely, I was influenced by those things. As a kid, I loved monsters, aliens, car chases and things blowing up... in movies as well as books. I loved stories by Richard Matheson and Stephen King, as well as rampaging animal flicks. The idea of "Cows" was definitely inspired by movies like "Star Wars" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still," as well as such movie cheese as "Night of the Lepus," which was about giant killer rabbits, the only animal less terrifying than cows. I thought it would be interesting to combine the type of realistic YA fiction popular today with some of the more outrageous flicks I loved growing up. You know, something different than all the emo-vampires-in-love thing.
 
There are many writers out there trying to get their first book done. What is your writing process? How do you get through that first draft?

Getting through the first draft is everything. I know, because I’ve started more books than I care to count. As for my process, I don’t intentionally begin a story with the intent of making it a novel. Some stories are novels, some aren’t. For me, the only way is to get into the characters and decide if they are worth sticking with. I figure, if I like spending this much time with them, maybe readers will, too. Finishing that first draft also takes a ton of self-discipline; you have to work on it all the time, even on the days when you don’t necessarily feel ‘inspired.’ My routine is that I try to spend at least a couple of hours per day working on my stories, even if it results in me hitting the delete button afterwards.

Can you talk to me about your adventures in submitting the book and the journey getting KC into Echelon's hands?

I’m actually lucky Echelon decided to offer me a contract at all, considering how much I bad-mouthed them in an online writer’s forum I visit. I queried lots of agents and publishers about Killer Cows before Echelon Press asked to see the entire novel. Naturally excited, I sent it to them, then heard nothing for nearly a year, even though I kept inquiring about it. During that time, I got increasing angry that they didn’t bother to respond to a novel they requested to read. I started bad-mouthing them on a writer’s forum website to go to, spouting off how unprofessional they were. Then one day I got an email from another writer on that forum, telling me Echelon Press had been trying to find me for months to offer a contract. It turned out I didn’t include my contact info on my submission, so they had no idea how to find me. Still, despite all my trash talk, Echelon’s CEO laughed it off.

How has being a teacher helped you with your writing?

It has helped me immeasurably. Until I became a teacher, I assumed young adult fiction consisted of all the same old heavy-handed stuff I resisted when I was a teenager. Now, after reading so many modern YA novels and checking out what kids are into, I realize the only real difference between YA fiction and mainstream novels are the ages of the characters and the style in which writers approach the material, which is different than mainstream adult fiction, and a lot harder to do well than most people think. I hate to cite Stephanie Meyer, because I’m not a fan of the "Twilight" series or her writing style, but I’ve got to give her kudos for one thing... not only does she write about teenagers, she remembers what it is like to be one. I think that, more than anything, is why her novels click with so many kids (adults, too). And that’s what’s so cool about young adult fiction. There are no real boundaries, no taboo subjects. I’ve learned that young adult readers want to read about themselves.

Do you write for the age group you teach?

Yes I do, but I do not alter my writing style too much from the more adult-oriented material I sometimes pursue. I don’t remember who said this, but it is totally true...the best young adult novels aren’t simply written for them, they are written about them. Kids don’t want something preachy or dumbed-down. They want characters they can identify with, written by someone who knows what it’s like to be that age, no matter what genre of the book. Look at the Harry Potter series; those books are challenging reads for kids, but they’ve captivated millions, strictly because J.K. Rowling created characters people love (or hate).

Can you tell is what you are working on next and how is the process going?

I’m still trying to place my next novel, "Shaken," with an agent. Like "Cows," it is equally influenced by movie genres I love, in this case, disaster films, only told completely from the teenagers’ point of view. I’m also currently working on "The Dark Ride," a full-blooded horror novel, even though it is still aimed at young adults. I may be biting off more than I can chew with this one, since it’s extremely violent for a YA novel. On the other hand, I know I lot of parents who let their children watch the "Saw" films, and my book isn’t nearly as graphic or violent as those. Considering the YA books I’ve read dealing with suicide, shootings and sexuality, I’m hoping I’m right in assuming most teenagers have read and seen worse. And, like my other books, it is inspired by films I’ve always loved.

In this case, it’s a cross between Disneyland, "Westworld" and "Night of the Living Dead." After that, the good lord willing, I’d love to write a sequel to "Killer Cows." But that depends on how well "Killer Cows" sells. There’s no point in writing a sequel to a book no one reads, so right now, it remains in the outlining stage, so I’ll shameless plug "Cows" by saying you can order it at Amazon or as an ebook at Fictionwise.

Dave, you may want to be careful there! It could be a Killer Cow! Sure the cow is cute, but so were the bunnies in Lepus and in Monty Python (that's how they get you). I want to thank D.M. for stopping by the Asylum and sharing all of this wonderful info with us. We hope that Killer Cows is a great success and there will be more to come.

And lastly,

They say that life's a carousel
Spinning fast, you've got to ride it well
The world is full of kings and queens
Who blind your eyes and steal your dreams