Meet Samuel Sattin author of “The Silent End”

One of Tapas’ favorite stories on the upcoming app, launching Feb. 29th, is “The Silent End.”

If you read our previous article ( http://bit.ly/20C53Di ) where we discuss our top ten picks then you understand why Sattin’s book should be a treat to look forward to.

However, we want you to get to know Sattin more in-depth before you’re exposed to his delectable story snacks on the app. Enjoy!

1. When did you know you wanted to be a storyteller?

When I was twelve, I wrote my first of what would become many uncompleted manuscripts. It was called The Ring of Shanalacas, and was basically a facsimile of “The Sword of Shanara,” by Terry Brooks, remixed with surface elements from the “Lord of the Rings.” I thought I was quite clever at the time…though what I was truly was a scoundrel with a dream gone afoul.

Originally posted by dreams-in-metaphors

That said, I think learning how to steal is one of the first things writers have to do. Steal badly at first, then steal better later–Nabakov said that, right? (Nope!) So in effect, I think that I probably learned I wanted to be a storyteller when I realized that I had a natural inclination towards prose. The exact moment when this occurred I have a hard time pinpointing, but I became serious about the profession in my early twenties, when I attempted to rewrite “The Counterlife” by Philip Roth. Which, as you may guess, ended poorly, but led to me beginning to discover my voice, and write what I wanted to read.

2. Who are the authors you looked up to?

As a youngster, J.R.R. Tolkien, CS Lewis, Anne McCaffrey, Loise Lowry, Ursula K. Leguin, Philip K Dick, Stephen King, Annie Dillard, JD Salinger, Brian Jaques. As an adult, all of those, plus Margaret Atwood, Sherri S Tepper, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Lethem, Victor LaValle, Cormac McCarthy, Patrick Ness, Etgar Keret, Ryu Murakami, Yasunari Kawabata, Katerine Dunn, Bernard Malamud, Mary Shelley, Donna Taart, Haruki Murakami, Natsuo Karino, and many, many more. And that’s just pertaining to novelists! My comics creator list could go on for biblical lengths.

3. We LOVE “The Silent End” here at the office, more specifically the characters. How did you come up with their personalities and stories? Were the similar to any friends you had in your childhood?

I’m so glad to hear it!

I think the characters in “The Silent End” are amalgams of myself and people I knew and continue to know today. Eberstark is somewhat a picture of me…or a grainy photo of who I might have been. Gus, a combination of a childhood and adult friend. And Lexi, my wife, Melanie, minus the eye patch, and maybe a a slight modicum of rage. Other characters, like the father, for instance, are certainly derived from their real life corollaries…though remixed with what I might call wishful feelings on my own behalf, alongside measures of absurdity. I don’t think any character I’ve created is someone I don’t know, though after they become fully realized, they do seem increasingly foreign. I’m not sure if the following makes much sense, but to me, everyone in “The Silent End” is a familiar stranger.

4. Thanks for the awesome playlist for the novel! Do you use music to get you in the zone to write stories or do you tend to play music that reflects the mood of the story you’re working on?

My pleasure! And to answer your question, I think a little bit of both. Music is definitely something I require to write, though usually in terms of preparation. I listen to certain kinds of music while I actually write for atmosphere and tone, but that material tends to veer into instrumentals and ambient sound. Lyrics tend to muddle things up, as they make their way into whatever I’m working on whether I want them to or not. Though while editing, I’m game for anything.

5. We read horror movies were your therapy. Tell us about some of your favorites.

Videodrome is one, because it’s Cronenberg at his best, by which I mean it’s bizarre, disgusting, artful, and decades ahead of its time. The Fly is this way as well, though maybe not to the same degree.

Pan’s Labyrinth is my favorite of Guillermo Del Toro’s films. It actually dares to offer up a heartrending ending at the threat of offending the sensibilities of viewers. It’s a dark fable that truly lives up to its promise.

Originally posted by lupercos

The Descent, because it’s probably one of the most genuinely terrifying films I’ve ever seen. And the original ending takes no prisoners.

Funny Games, for similar reasons as the Descent, if you replace the terror with pity and depraved psychological manipulation on behalf of the director. It’s a far heavier precursor to meta-narratives like Scream and Cabin in the Woods (another favorite). But it’s far, far meaner. Out for blood, to be sure.

Carrie, because of how deceptively straightforward it is. Also, Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie are incredible. The last thirty minutes get me every time, and speak to the inborn cruelty of youth.

The Thing and Alien/s, both for similar reasons…they play with ideas of the grotesque, and are filled to the brim with body horror. Geiger’s creature design are basically walking arch-phalluses. And the Thing in Carpenter’s film is a marvel of pre-CGI imagination. Also, the stories themselves are fitted with ingenious settings. The cobbled together dirty metal future of the Alien films became a keystone of science fiction and science horror. The Thing’s frozen north, abandoned and cruel, sets a wondrous stage for a conflict between mankind and his own distorted image. Also, both of these films/franchises bear immense influence upon “The Silent End.”

Also, a brief shout out to Asian horror, like A Tale of Two Sisters, Ju-on (and Ju-on 2), Dark Water, Audition, I Saw The Devil, and many others. I could go on about those for days.

6. What is your favorite comic?

Oh my, I don’t know that I have one. There are so many amazing books to choose from. MW by Osamu Tezuka is up there. I’m a big fan of Pride of Baghdad, Black Hole, We3, Locke & Key, The Sculptor, Fun Home, Rat Queens, This One Summer, Nausicaa, Akira (I have to stop myself because as you can see I get carried away). I really loved Nimona by Noelle Stevenson and Fantasy Sports by Sam Bosma this last year. And some of my favorite ongoing series are Wytches, Descender, and the Autumnlands. Oh, and I’m a big fan of Junji Ito, surprise surprise.

7. What is your favorite comic from Tapastic?

At the moment I’m digging “Monsters” by Francesca Da Sacco. Really wonderful work.

8. Tell us about your new comic “Legend.” We heard it’s “pretty dang awesome.”

Well I’ll be danged indeed, thank you. Legend is what I like to describe as a post-apocalyptic Watership Down. With dogs instead of rabbits. Plus monsters. The artist and co-creator, Chris Koehler, is quite phenomenal, and we can’t wait to show everyone more.

( via samuelsattin.com)

9. Would you ever want to takeover our social media for a day? Because you are hilarious on your social media (i.e Trump pinatas and “The Fog” action figure)…Yes, we stalk you.

I admire your business plan! What good company doesn’t stalk its patrons? You guys probably have a hidden camera in my bedroom, too ha ha ha–wait. You guys don’t have a hidden camera in my bedroom, do you?

I’d be delighted to take over your social media for a day. Though I cannot promise I won’t wreak havoc and somehow usher in the apocalypse.

10. What do you like most about living in the bay area? More specifically, Oakland. Are you a native?

The food! There are a lot of wonderful things about living in the Bay, like mild weather, diversity, art, etc. But if you love to eat, this is where you need to live.

I’m a Denver native…which is probably why I’m this enamored with Bay Area food. Denver isn’t known for its proliferation of delicious eateries as much as it is for chain restaurants and (with a few notable exceptions) bad Mexican food.

11. Why are you excited to be on Tapas?

I love the idea of turning reading into somewhat of a game. I believe we think a little narrowly about how we read, and gain access to books. Particularly in societies where people are often on the go (and reading on the internet). I think Tapas is developing novel ways to keep readers in touch with writers and their words.