Interview with dark comedy novelist David S. Grant

Today's guest author, who is touring his newest book Blood: The New Red, is dark comedy novelist David S. Grant.

I do want to put an advisory here for readers, certain words make this is PG-17 content, and not for everyone. There's humor, though!

Welcome, David. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m the author of ten books, including Corporate Porn, Bleach|Blackout, Hollywood Ending, and Rock Stars. My latest novel, Blood: The New Red, is now available. I live and write my weekly rock, travel, and NBA columns from New York City. You can follow me on Twitter @david_s_grant.

Well, okay! Please tell us about your current release.

Blood: The New Red begins at an after party where Mickey, and ex-adult movie star turned supermodel, is aligning himself with one of top Designers of Seventh Avenue.  While trying to land a job on the runway, Mickey is thrown into the center of a scene where sex is often the motivation, the wine is served by year, and cocaine is back in full force. Juanita, Mickey’s girlfriend, is having difficulties staying sober, fully clothed, and off of her famous boyfriend.

Mickey goes to work for Fashion icon Paul Johnson, one of the two top Designers in NYC. The other is Sandy Johnson, another Designer who will stop at nothing including murder to guarantee victory. A runway exhibition has been scheduled for the two to compete in and find out who truly is the best Johnson. Mickey will be Paul’s top model, and Sandy has found a homeless person nicknamed Kung Fu Master to show his line. 

In addition to getting his new line in place, Paul Johnson is also buying chain saws, the louder the better, to put the special in this special event.

Did you know that you can’t be sentenced to prison if actively seeking help at a mental facility?  Paul Johnson knows this.

Somewhere between the girls, counting Vicodin pills, and show preparation Mickey has grown a conscience and no longer likes what he sees. He believes (and his psychiatrist agrees) that he has the power to change what’s happening around him.

Days before the show, Kung Fu Master turns up dead and there is an attempt on Mickey’s life. After a brief period of unconsciousness Mickey is back, is told that Juanita and brother Cheeks are now also dead, and that he must continue with the show. After all, what would Steven Tyler do?

The night of the show is laced with celebrities and models on the runway as well as one particular popular day-time talk show host that may or may not be murdered on the runway.

In the end, only one Johnson will walk away, although this is temporary as Mickey has the last word.

Right before he pops his last Vicodin.

What inspired you to write this book?

The story of BLOOD: The New Red really starts with one of my first books titled Corporate Porn that featured a model, named Mickey, turning to the adult movie industry for work. 

After other writing projects I started thinking about Mickey and what if he was the main character, the narrator, and what if he came back to New York to regain his career as a model? Is this interesting? It was for me. Throw in fashion week, a pair of competitive designers, and Oprah on the runway and I was all in! Given the initial through that went into this tale the story wrote itself, at times I felt more like a ghost writer than I did an author. This also explains the break-neck speed of the book, moving from neighborhood-to-neighborhood and psychiatrist-to-psychiatrist, bridged only by drugs, low morals, and chainsaws!

  

What exciting story are you working on next?

I continue to write rock columns (MetalUnderground.com, SleazeRoxx.com), travel narratives (TravelMag.co.uk), and an NBA column (ProBasketball-fans.com) on a weekly basis. I am also working on another novel titled The Devil Wears Black Leather as well as a couple non-fiction works centered on rock bands and fear and loathing travel.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I don’t know that I to this day consider myself a “writer” per se, but at the same time we live in a time where most of us are “writers” in the sense that we write emails, status updates, website updates, and blogs on a daily basis.  Writing books and my column is my therapy. I consider myself fortunate to have channels to publish my work and get it “out there”, wherever that may be.

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?

Writing for me is a hobby, so no, I do not write full-time. However, I can always find time to write. My process starts with taking notes and putting together an outline in my head, so other than the actual “writing”, I don’t need to be in a particular place.  Whether at home, at an airport, or on a train, really the only consistency to my writing process is always having a notebook with me: you never know when you will have a good idea!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Good question, probably that I will not start writing a story unless I have a plot defined. This is my “out” in case the story doesn’t take me to the unexpected. Of course, I have yet to use the initial plot, instead, let the story go where it needs to, which often changes the original course of my outline. For me, when starting to write a story I’ve already spent months taking notes and developing an outline. Given this commitment, it would be too much anxiety to start a story without my “plot crutch”, it provides motivation in the early chapters. 

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

That varied a lot! At a very young age I wanted to be The Incredible Hulk. That didn’t work out. Next, I wanted to be a baseball player, and in hindsight, I probably had a better chance at being The Hulk. Writer was never an occupation, but more something I always enjoyed, even at a very young age. As I grew older and starting reading a lot more, I knew this was something I wanted to do. Over the past ten years I have worked hard to write what I want as well as a develop a unique style that balances humor with dark undertones and (hopefully) entertaining stories.

  

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

THANK YOU for having me. BLOOD: The New Red is a quick read that explores a dark side of New York City and hopefully makes you laugh. You’ve got the fashion industry, an ex-porn star turned model, and Oprah on a runway with chainsaws. I mean, what else do you want?

You're quite welcome. Your writing is different than any I've come across - the mix is different. Glad to add that variety to my blog. Happy writing! 

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