DRC: A cliché question perhaps, but I must ask it. What factors made you want to become a writer? Who inspired you the most from an author standpoint?
 
RY: I loved books from the time I was very young. They were my escape and my refuge. I got bitten by the writing bug early, around fourteen, and I’ve been scribbling stuff ever since.
 
DRC: Describe your work atmosphere.
 
RY: I love to write to soundtracks and some opera. Great orchestral music inspires me to be great.
 
DRC: What’s your favorite horror movie?
 
RY: The Exorcist.
 
DRC: Describe your writing process.
 
RY: I begin with a general idea and then go right to character. Character creates plot. Sometimes I have to go back and fix things, but outlining bores me and does not come naturally. Sometimes that gets me into big trouble from a time management standpoint.
 
DRC: In your Monstrumologist books, Pellinore Warthrop and Will Henry are some of the most interesting, mind-bending characters I have ever read about. Their relationship is very intriguing. Do any of these characters represent a little of yourself? 
 
RY: All characters do, because characters are supposed to be human and we all have things in common.
 
DRC: Did you inject some of your own personality into these characters or do you try to stray away from that? 
 
RY: I’m boring.
 
DRC: Clearly. A lot of people will notice the nods to history in your works, such as including the whole Jack the Ripper mystery within the realm of the Monstrumologist. How much of a fan are you of history? Is there a certain era or event you like the most?
 
RY: Well, I am fond of the 19th century, one of the reasons the books are set in that era. Ancient Rome isn’t bad, either.
 
DRC: How did the idea of Monstrumology, or writing about Monstrumology, strike you?
 
RY: I thought monsters might scare the shit out of people.

DRC: As a fan, I would say The Monstrumologist played more on the physical gore while The Curse of the Wendigo played more on the psyche. Was that intended? Why did you decide to go that route with the second book?
 
RY: You can only take eating people so far without it becoming something like slasher-porn. I wanted to explore the Wendigo as metaphor as well as a scary beast.
 
DRC: What can fans expect from your upcoming novel “The Isle of Blood”?
 
RY: To be frightened out of their freakin’ minds. Also to laugh more and, I hope, cry more. It’s emotionally brutal.
 
DRC: What can fans expect from Rick Yancey after “The Isle of Blood”?
 
RY: I am currently seeking employment because of the paucity of fans.
 


Thank you again to author Rick Yancey! Check out “The Monstrumologist,” “The Curse of the Wendigo,” and, coming this autumn, “The Isle of Blood.”