Q & A: An Australian werewolf (lover) in London

By Gary Kemble. Posted: Thursday, June 8 2006
Published in Articulate


Australian horror writer Martin Livings, whose short stories have appeared in a variety of publications since 1990, is about to launch his debut novel Carnies. Articulate asked him about his research mission in London, the state of Australian horror, and things that go howl in the night.


You seemed a bit miffed that the publisher decided to mention the word 'werewolf' on a proof version of the cover. Were you hoping to keep that as a surprise or were you inspired perhaps by George Romero and the way he avoided using the word "zombie" in his Dead films until Land?

Both and neither, I think. When I wrote Carnies, I was trying to find the right time to throw the "w" word into it, a spot where it'd seem natural to talk about it, but as the book progressed, that time never arrived. I wrote "The End", and realised I hadn't mentioned the word once in the novel. It wasn't a conscious decision, just one that grew organically from the book and the characters. If I'd mentioned them by name, it would have stood out like a sore thumb. So I decided not to try and use the word.

Luckily, the final cover doesn't have the word "werewolf" on it, so I can relax and let the readers work that one out for themselves. But I'm only half-jokingly suspecting that the sequel will have to be called something like Werewolves, Werewolves, Werewolves!.


Where did the inspiration for Carnies come from?

Carnies was a very long-term project for me. In fact, in my biography for my 1992 story in Aurealis magazine, "Shifter", I mentioned my plans to write a werewolf novel combining psychology and extreme violence (with apologies to the Young Ones!). The book came out of a lifelong obsession with werewolves, combined with numerous caving trips in the Margaret River area of WA's south-west. I'm not certain where the carnival itself came from, possibly from my own crippling fear of clowns. Or maybe Howling 6. But the heart of the book is the concept of loneliness and alienation, and the desire to be loved and to belong. And really, that's about the oldest story there is!


Were there some worrying moments for you when Hachette Livre took over Lothian?

I'd have to say yes. There was a period of about a week where it could have gone either way for all of the authors picked up for this line. I wouldn't have blamed Hachette Livre if they just cut their losses, paid out our contracts and never published the books, it would have probably made good economic sense. But they went ahead with the books anyway, with excellent results, and I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity they've given me and the other authors. I just hope sales are good enough to validate their decision.


What are your feelings about the future of horror writing/publishing in Australia?

Unfortunately these books are a one-off now, due to the cancelling of Lothian's adult line, so when it comes to novel-length works, there still isn't really a market for adult horror. Of course, young adult and children's horror books are fine, just not for grown-ups. I don't really understand that, considering the recent resurgence of horror in the cinema; you'd think there would be a corresponding surge in the popularity of horror novels. But unless your name is Stephen King, horror novels just don't seem to sell.

Short fiction, on the other hand, has never been healthier, with local markets like Shadowed Realms and Borderlands regularly printing some beautifully dark work, plus there's the upcoming Macabre anthology, which should be a stand-out collection, judging by the preliminary list of contributors.


I understand you're currently living and working in the UK, thanks in part to an Australia Council grant. How did that come about and what are you working on?

It was pure synchronicity and serendipity, all rolled into one. My girlfriend's work contract was running out at the end of 2005, and she asked if I'd like to take a year off my job and go to London, which had always been her dream. I said sure, and applied for a year's unpaid leave from my work at Edith Cowan University in Perth, which I was given. Then I applied for a grant from the Australia Council, explaining that I'd written a novel, Carnies, which at that point had not been accepted for publication, and intended to research and write a sequel to it in London while living there. It was the first time I'd ever applied for a grant, and I really didn't expect to get it, so when I got the letter telling me I'd gotten it I was shocked. Everything was pushing me towards the UK, and who am I to fight fate?

Ironically, now that Carnies has been published, I'm no longer working on the sequel, though that will come later. Instead I'm working on a near-future science fiction thriller, Skinsongs, set in London. As usual, I can't choose what I write, it chooses me. The best laid plans of mice and men...


How has living in the UK affected your writing, if at all?

I don't think it has yet. It takes a long time for cultural experiences to seep through me, so at this stage I'm still writing the same way as I always have, albeit with some new sights and sounds to describe. But I'm sure it will have a profoud effect in the future. Coming from Perth, which is so isolated and quiet, London is an enormous change of pace for me. The intensity of it, the crowds and noise and smells, plus the amazing history that's in front of you wherever you turn, it's overwhelming for a small-town boy like me! Also, living in a flat that's smaller than one bedroom in our house in Perth is a shock to the system. I think that the combined senses of agoraphobia and claustrophobia are definitely going to surface in my writing in the next six months to a year.


It must be hard, having to launch your book from the other side of the world?
I have to admit, if I'd known that Carnies was going to be published this year, I may have thought twice about leaving the country. It's very frustrating to be so far from home during its release, being unable to attend the launch or signings and the like, or even to see the book on the shelves at a book store, a dream of mine since I can remember. Luckily, my book isn't the only one being launched at that time, so I've been able to help coordinate the launch from here with the authors behind the other Lothian June horror release, Prismatic by Edwina Grey. I designed the launch flyer for them, and have arranged for another writer of dark fiction, Australian Shadows award winner Lee Battersby, to stand in for me. So hopefully it will all go off smoothly without my having to actually be there.

The book will be launched at the Conflux science fiction convention in Canberra on Saturday June 10 at midday, or about 3am London time, so maybe I'll be there in my dreams. Or nightmares. That would be more appropriate.