Interview with dark fiction writer Micheal Grin

A dark and bloody Reviews and Interviews handshake extends to dark fiction author Micheal Grin today. (Yes, that's the correct way to spell his name). He chats a bit about his freshly released book from Damnation Books.

Notice: This interview talks about the darkest side of dark fiction, so is not appropriate for everyone. It isn't graphic, it just touches on topics that some may not want to read about.



Bio:
From a young age, Micheal Grin always knew what he wanted to do: write. He’s on a personal quest of enlightenment, always searching the deepest depths of his imagination to see what horrors he is capable of conjuring. Satisfaction lies for him in the cesspools of sexual torment, deprivation, and the worst of humanity. His is a crusade to understand just what lengths a man can push himself to until he no longer has hope, fear or reason.

With his wife, Evelyn, Micheal Grin currently resides in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Micheal, please tell us about your current release, Princess Nonomi.
Written through the eyes of the title character, my book follows Princess Nonomi, an escapee of a mental institution who believes herself to be a real princess, on her travels to what she conceives is her future home; a castle in the mountains. Along the way, she recalls the story of her life, from growing up in a home where her father repeatedly abused her sexually to when she brutally murdered her parents. We learn of when she lived in a foster home and attended an all-girl Catholic school. We follow Nonomi as she leaves a trail of violence and sexual exploits on her mission to reach the castle and of her love for the doctor who mistakenly gave her the idea in the first place.

What inspired you to write this book?
The idea came to me shortly after reading both Bret Ellis's American Psycho and Marquis de Sade's 120 Days of Sodom. It started as a simple short story in which Princess Nonomi was in an apartment, carving a word into a female victim's forehead. Then the story just kind of grew from that point as I started to wonder what kind of person would do such a think. The character, Nonomi, then evolved into something more, into a girl truly lost in a world of her own. Third person became first when I stared to explore her mind and before I knew it, I was up until three in the morning each night expanding her history.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Currently, I'm a little torn. I've had a fantasy trilogy stewing in my mind for the last couple of years but I'm focused on drawing out a few more single novels first. I've got a completed erotica that I wouldn't mind fleshing out titled The List, which explores the limits to the idea of “friends with benefits”. However, I still feel I need to dig deeper in the dark corners of my mind and create something even darker than Princess Nonomi. Something which would leave even myself feeling I might have gone too far. It's the story of my life; I'm constantly pulled between sex and violence.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I don't really consider myself to be a writer, to be honest. I think that by that definition we are all writers. We all have a story to tell. I just decided to type mine out. Really, I think as myself to be nothing more than a passing storyteller. A guy with something to say. If anything, I see myself as a sideshow, a twisted freak with a taste for blood, bondage and the surreal.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I would love it if I wrote full time. Nothing would make feel more fulfilled and complete than if I could just hide myself away from society and type my life away. Unfortunately, I currenty run a small dead-end business that means less to me than my goal. If I could get out of that and write full time, I would feel accomplished.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Obsession. One night while writing Princess Nonomi, my wife came out into the living room, asking me why I was still up. It was three in the morning. I'm not sure if that could be considered a quirk, but when I really get into it, the world around ceases to exist. I become the story. That, and never read what I'm typing from over my shoulder. I am very protective of my work until it's complete.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer. When I was younger, nothing ever really appealed to me but I did enjoy writing. It took a while to consider it as a career, however, because I always thought that my ideas were too unmarketable. I was limited to my access of books and was not aware at the time of such amazing authors like Ellis, Palahniuk, The Marquis, Edward Lee, and Fowles.
Turns out I was wrong. There are people out there that would love to read about sex and violence.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
There is violence and horror happening in our world everyday. It happens in our cities, in our parks and in our backyards. We can all embrace the scary things in life but let's not forget that every person on this planet deserves the right to live and be happy.

Let's keep our monsters for the fiction artists, shall we?

Feel free to visit my website, blog, or follow me on Twitter.

Thanks for visiting, Micheal. Yes, let's keep the monsters in fictionville. :)