Meet Nathan Squiers
Nathan Squiers (The Literary Dark Emperor and the author formally known as “Prince”) is a resident of Upstate New York. Living with his loving fiancé/fellow author, Megan J. Parker, and two incredibly demanding and out-of-control demon-cats, Nathan lives day-by-day on a steady diet of potentially lethal doses of caffeine. When he isn’t immersed in his writing, he often escapes reality through horror and/or action movie marathons, comic books & graphic novels, Japanese anime & manga, and gnarly tunes. While out-and-about, The Literary Dark Emperor can be found in the chair of a piercing studio/tattoo parlor or simply loving life with friends & loved ones. Learn more about Nathan’s work and join The Legion at www.nathansquiersauthor.com.
What is the scariest book you have ever read, and what was your reaction to it?
Oh man, you’re asking me to dig pretty deep into my history now. I’d have to say, and bear in mind I’m taking age into account here, the most scared I’ve gotten from a book was when I was, like, six or seven years old and I climbed to the top of my mom’s bookshelf and nabbed her copy of Stephen King’s ‘IT.’ I’d been reading mostly ‘Goosebumps’ and ‘Animorphs’ by that point, so it was a totally new level of “reality”—elements like cursing and blood and death that were sort of glossed over or outright ignored in what I was used to—that allowed the story to be that much more impactful. I remember I was pretty shaken then, checking under the bed and sleeping with the lights on and such, but I also remember my mom wasn’t upset when she found out because she was too damn impressed I’d read a King novel at that age.
Why do you write horror?
I don’t know that I’d say that I “write horror” so much as I write and horrific things come from it. Fear is one of the human race’s most compelling emotions; it motivates us and cripples us simultaneously. I think, in a world where everyone’s sort of all over the place and, in many ways, unable to relate to one another in many aspects, fear is sort of a universal binder. I’m a major movie lover (the missus and I are ALWAYS going to the movies), and horror movie crowds are always fun because you feel more connected with complete strangers when you realize you jumped at the same scene over, say, laughing at the same fart joke. Fear is a very vulnerable emotion, and I believe that once you expose that nerve—get your audience genuinely FEELING a sense of dread towards what’s going to happen next—then you’ve earned a special place with them. I’m about connecting and telling a story that, monsters or no, people will legitimately feel a connection to, and true elements of horror is one of the best ways to do that.
Since you’re a fan of body art, what’s your favorite tattoo you’ve gotten, and what’s the story behind it?
Err… damn. Okay! Let me have a stab at trying to answer this question for myself first…
So… I guess a rundown of what I’ve got:
-3 tigers (one on left forearm, two on either side of my head)
-A red dragon in the infinity sign around my left wrist.
-A werewolf bust on my left shoulder.
-A vampire bust on my right shoulder.
-A tattoo of Xander Stryker from my Crimson Shadow series on my right forearm.
-A vampire skull on the back of my right hand w/ a quill pen cutting through its eye and running down my pointer finger & an ink-drop tear in its left eye.
-A half-colored tattoo of Deadpool from the Marvel comics on my left leg.
All of these have their own significant meanings to me. The tigers are mostly a symbol of strength and grace as well as an element in my meditation; the dragon represents power and eternity; the werewolf and the vampire are both metaphors of personal demons—rage makes a beast and depression drains your life; the hand tattoo represents my “lifeblood” and my dying vow to keep writing; Deadpool is a symbol of refusing to give in and being crazy-hilarious while doing it). These tattoos all MEAN something to me—depending on the situation, one might mean more than the other, just like how a song might seem fitting for one situation but not another—but I suppose my “favorite” (if I have to use that word) is the Xander Stryker tattoo.
Many people already know that I was suicidal when I started writing the first book of the Crimson Shadow series. I didn’t even plan on finishing it; it wasn’t even meant to be a book. I was just going to write what became the first chapter and then… well, you know. But writing Xander’s story, making him stronger and pitting him against challenges I couldn’t face and survive situations I felt I couldn’t, made me a stronger person. Writing the character changed my path. In many ways, Xander saved my life. I always get the “Oh, you tattooed your own character to yourself”-face whenever I bring it up, but, honestly, it’s hard to cut a wrist that’s got the symbol of your survival etched into it.
What is your ideal lineup for a horror movie marathon?
Depends on the theme of the horror movies, I suppose. I used to have Alien marathons with my buddy where we’d watch every movie in the saga. I’ve also done the same thing with movies like Friday the 13th and Saw and Nightmare on Elm St. and whatnot; basically just binge-watch every movie in a franchise.
HOWEVER, as I’m answering questions as an author and representing my work, I guess I’ll assemble a set of movies that I feel would fit in the theme of the Crimson Shadow series:
‘Blade 2’ (bypass the first and ignore the third; Guillermo del Toro is THAT much of a god); ‘Underworld’ 1, 2, & ‘Rise of the Lycans;’ the anime movie ‘Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust’ (first one’s good, too, but going for theme here); ‘Fright Night;’ ‘Cursed;’ ‘American Werewolf in Paris’ AND ‘American Werewolf in London;’ ‘Constantine;’ and wrap it up with the ‘Hellsing’ anime.
What is your writing process?
I’m what my wife calls a “method writer” (like a method actor, but, y’know, with writing). When I write I’ll start emoting—making expressions and gesturing in to replicate what the characters I’m writing are doing—and she’ll always know when I’m in a zone when my face starts moving a lot (during scenes with a lot of dialogue or multiple characters I guess it looks pretty hilarious). I’ll also begin to match the mood of the characters, which, given my subject matter, doesn’t always make me happy or social, so I tend to tuck away into a private corner with a playlist of Japanese heavy metal (I can’t write to English lyrics—mucks up my head) and keep to myself until I’ve finished and can gradually “return” back to reality.
What does your family think of your work?
I suppose the same thing any family thinks of any other member’s work when they’re an artist of some kind: some love it, some hate it. At the end of the day, though, it’s what’s kept me going this long, so any opinions that aren’t positive aren’t worth dwelling on.
What inspired the Crimson Shadow series?
Pain. Pain and loss and anger and a great deal of self-hatred. I wanted to kill either myself or somebody who had hurt me and my mother, and they’d done me the disservice of dying a year after we’d gotten away. I figured writing was a great way to get some morbid fantasy out, maybe even stumble across some closure and personal satisfaction towards why bad things have to happen to people.
How is this series different from other works involving vampires?
I can’t really make claims since I haven’t read EVERYTHING, but I think there’s more LIFE in my books. Vampire stories are usually pretty straightforward in their delivery and execution (one of the reasons I love them, mind you), but it always sort of feels like it becomes all about the vampires. Just like how a werewolf story always becomes about the werewolves. I really wanted to create a world where the creatures felt real. I spent a few years with my now-wife (Megan J. Parker, also an author) researching and developing these “monsters” so that it was simple for both us as the writers and the audience to “believe” they could exist, but with the exception of their abilities I wanted them to be just as easily portrayed as human as they could be monsters. Because so much of book #1, ‘Noir,’ is focused on just how awful and monstrous humans can be, I liked playing with the notion of a character who needed to become a monster just to find his humanity again. I love horror and action movies and I grew up on comics, so the supernatural/paranormal elements in the books are really me indulging my inner geek while I weave stories of revenge and redemption and romance. The number one complaint I seem to get is that I don’t hold back on topics that are deemed as “dark”—probably why my colleagues gave me the “Literary Dark Emperor” nickname—because I think it’s wrong to sweep topics like abuse and rape and bullying under some rug and make it all about Vladimir ripping some fainting blonde’s throat out.
What has been your favorite scene to work on so far in the Crimson Shadow series?
“Favorite” is a dangerous word to use in regards to my writing the Crimson Shadow series. The first book took me ten years to write due to the amount of stressful material I wove in, and I wound up in the hospital three-or-four times a year for each one of those ten BECAUSE writing/revisiting those scenes was so painful. The other books in the series are all pretty much the same; not in that they took as long or hurt as much to write, but just that I delve into places with those books that aren’t personally pleasant (again, “method writer”). However, I will say this: early on I introduce a character named Estella who is a childhood friend of Xander’s with whom he had a falling out. Years pass, and, after he’s turned into a vampire and begins his new life of being a badass, he starts to rekindle with her. Once I’d brought Estella into the equation I knew I wanted to bring them together romantically, but I wanted Xander to solve his self-destructive dilemma in book #1 before pushing any real love story between them (it seemed wrong to convince readers that this character who couldn’t even love himself could love another person the way a person deserves to be loved). So while the first book isn’t romantic—though I might go so far as to call it a “gothic love story”—it allowed me to construct a character who was ripe for romance in the second. The second book (and every book since) has had this budding romance that I’m really quite proud of come into being; the sort of relationship that feels real and organic and truly makes you connect and love the characters as a couple. Like any romance, there’s the tough times and the moments you don’t really enjoy (people tell me I’m mean to my characters, but I call it life :-p ), but I’ve always found myself smiling and feeling that euphoric sense of strength that comes from a good romance when I write about Xander and Estella. I guess a good example is a scene in book #2, ‘Sins of the Father,’ when Xander comes across Estella while she’s sleeping. Around that time I was in my fifth or sixth year with my now-wife, and I found myself just vicariously speaking through Xander, having him say to Estella what I wanted to tell her but could never seem to come up with when I was around her. It seemed fitting to have Xander in that same awkward “I wish I could say this while you were awake, but I know I can say it better at this moment”-moment as I always found myself in, so I just core-dumped all the romance and sap in my heart towards Megan into this monologue. When it was done, I went back and trimmed out the parts that were irrelevant to Xander and Estella’s relationship/history and add details of their own to make it personal to them, but it wound up carrying the same message. In the end I always know that something’s going to show up to ruin the happiness, but I suppose the love scenes are my favorite parts to write.
What are you working on now?
A lot.
And a lot of that “a lot” I can’t really legally discuss (though that should offer some hints towards what it all pertains to). However, I can say that I’m working on book #5 of the Crimson Shadow series as well as the sequel to another novel, ‘Curtain Call: A Death Metal Novel.’ I’m also working with the wife on a few collaboration projects—one for her own series (a spin-off to the Scarlet Night trilogy) and a few more that are totally original for both of us. I’ve also got some comic book scripts that I’ve had sitting around for a few years that I’m hoping to establish an artist for in the not-too-distant future…
Like I said: I’m working on a lot right now. lol.
Get the first book in the Crimson Shadow series for FREE on Amazon.
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