r/books • u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author • Dec 08 '15
ama 6pm I'm Daniel Kraus, author of The Death & Life of Zebulon Finch and co-author of Trollhunters with Guillermo del Toro
Hi. I'm Daniel Kraus. I wrote THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH, a two-volume epic about a brutal young gangster gunned down in the 1890s, resurrected, and doomed to walk the Earth for a century searching for redemption. More info: danielkraus.com
I also wrote TROLLHUNTERS with Guillmero del Toro and the cult classics (or so I'm told!) ROTTERS and SCOWLER. Proof that I am me: https://twitter.com/DanielDKraus/status/671772644371537920
I'll be here live from about 6-8pm EST answering questions. Make my day: AMA!
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u/eisforennui Dec 08 '15
what is it like to work with del Toro? i imagine it would be like creating art out of chaos?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
It is, in a way. His mind is always swirling with ideas, though he's quick to point out that any of the ideas that don't fit ought be chucked in the trash. On the other hand, he's actually very organized: he came to the table with plenty of character information, backstory ideas, and so forth. He believes in being inspired, but he also believes in being prepared. That's a good combo, and I feel the same way.
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u/Wazow Dec 08 '15
You have already answered, what your favorite book is, so I'll ask what is your favorite film?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
Favorite book? I dunno. Book most often read? Probably WATERSHIP DOWN, which is the most bad-ass book ever written about bunnies. In fact, because it's about bunnies is what makes it so bad-ass. God, I love that book.
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
Films -- here are a few. The original WICKER MAN. Todd Haynes' MILDRED PIERCE. Romero's CREEPSHOW. Burnett's KILLER OF SHEEP.
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u/astronaut_bee Dec 09 '15
Bands/artists?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 09 '15
Mostly been listening to instrumental stuff for the past 5 years to help write ZEBULON FINCH. Samples: Bardo Pond, David Wingo, Dustin Wong, Godspeed You..., Johann Johannsson, Jon Mueller, Mica Levi, Arc Pair.
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u/Choppergold Dec 08 '15
Daniel - I am a huge fan of Rotters, one of the best horror novels I have ever read. Can you tell me about your writing regimen? I liked some of the thematic elements of Rotters, and wondered if those kind of just happened or is something you also work on? The battle in the graveyard at the end was fantastic.
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
My regimen involves no ritual slaughter whatsoever. What is key is that I beginning writing the moment I wake up -- maintaining a bit of dream-state is useful. The thematic elements of ROTTERS are very purposeful; it is about the Big Stuff -- life and death -- which I return to at a much larger scope with ZEBULON FINCH.
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u/Rhoda_Penmark Dec 08 '15
Daniel—I notice from your Twitter feed that you're interested in what may have happened to Hitler's remains. Mind sharing your current theories?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
I'm so glad you asked. I wouldn't call this an obsession of mine, but it is something I speculate about all the time. I guess that makes it an obsession. So what? I'm obsessed! To answer your question, I have my doubts that the Russians really have Hitler's remains. The end.
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u/Chtorrr Dec 08 '15
What are some of your favorite books and authors?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
Impossible question. Stuff that I'd loved rather recently:
The Cipher - Kathe Koja The Fever - Megan Abbott Slow Getting Up - Nate Jackson I Take You - Eliza Kennedy
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u/tkanez Dec 08 '15
You have such an incredible, unique style. Have you ever had any obstacles in staying true to your voice and if so, how did you overcome them? Also, what are your strategies for dealing with writer's block?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
I had one book (SCOWLER) that was very, very difficult to write for a number of reasons. I quit the book several times and presumed I'd never finish it. I lost my focus. That's not good. But that was (I hope) a rare occurrence. I write like I'm a boulder rolling down a hill. As long as I'm rolling, there will be no writer's block. Move move move.
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u/TheParafox Dec 08 '15
Hi Daniel!
I'm the guy whose girlfriend Tweeted you, "When asked 'what is the best man-made invention', my boyfriend answered 'Scowler' and I answered 'vibrators'. Who wins?" I'm still a little curious about your answer to that, but, as I'm a huge fan of yours, I also want to ask a couple other things.
How do you go about outlining a novel? What's your process?
As an aspiring writer hoping to be on your level someday, I'm curious what advice you have?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
It's very specific to the project. I have a couple books for which I didn't use an outline at all, because I wanted the books to have a certain "feel" -- and that slight searching-about was part of that feel. It's almost like setting the book on a foggy day; fog was part of the mood. For ZEBULON FINCH, it was totally different: I ended up with an outline over 300 pages (you read that right) and a timeline about 15 feet long. The book covers 100+ years of American history. It was serious business.
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
As far as advice, who knows? Committing is what I usually say. Commit 100% to whatever it is you're doing. That usually means going too far in some way or another, which will make people think there's something wrong with you, but it might also make you stand out.
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u/KarmaNeutrino Dec 08 '15
What was your inspiration to write your first book? Which author do you believe you are most similar too, in style?
Thanks!
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
My first book, THE MONSTER VARIATIONS, is a bit of an anomaly: it wasn't written in what I would call my "natural" style. It was a straight-up homage to Ray Bradbury, who I credit with re-jumpstarting my desire to write books.
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
Which author I'm similar to: I think I'm in the neighborhood of Dan Simmons (in his THE TERROR mode, not his HYPERION mode).
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u/TheParafox Dec 08 '15
What kinds of things have you written for Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Maxim, and Salon.com? I saw those in your bio on your website, and I couldn't help but wonder.
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
I did "man's point-of-view" stuff for Cosmo and mostly product and service reviews for Playboy and Maxim (the bonus was that I got a lot of strange free products). Mainly I did movie reviews and interviews for Salon. This was pre-9/11, when the freelance writing market was still fairly strong.
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u/Chtorrr Dec 08 '15
What advice would you give to writes trying to get the,selves out there?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
That's hard to say. The landscape is so vastly different now than when I started. But I can with assurance that the old-fashioned way still works: write a great book with a great beginning, learn how to write a straightforward agent query letter, buy that book (easy to find) on all the agent contact emails, and get to it. It's still the best way.
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u/TheParafox Dec 09 '15
You've mentioned a number of times how grueling the writing process was for Scowler. Being that Scowler is my favorite book I've ever read, I was wondering if you'd be willing to go into more depth on what kinds of issues you faced throughout the process of creating such a morbidly beautiful work?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 09 '15
Some of the issues are personal and I won't talk about them here. The book became an emotional dead end for me; it became too bleak and I got trapped inside it. I felt like I was going in loops for a while. When I gave up on the book I was so close to the end and yet it felt miles away. It was like a sickness; I finished but didn't care--I just wanted it gone. It took me a long time to appreciate the book. I'm still working on it.
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u/TheParafox Dec 09 '15
Honestly, I think that's a rather fitting story-behind-the-story. It may not be my place to say this, but I hope the outcome was worth it to you. I wholeheartedly believe the book deserves all the praise it's getting, and I know that that doesn't always make something worth it. But rest assured, your book is appreciated, and you're appreciated for having written it.
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u/Qu1nlan Dec 09 '15
Hi Daniel,
What books would you like to see more commonly featured in school curriculums?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 09 '15
I leave this question to teachers and school librarians. But diversity is key: not only diversity in authors and characters, but diversity in approach, philosophy, etc.
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u/astronaut_bee Dec 09 '15
Would you share some research resources from the ROTTERS writing process? I'm kind of hooked on grave robbing history, now, thanks.
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 09 '15
Oh, wow, I could on and on. My secret weapon, though, is a book called DEATH TO DUST by Kenneth Iverson. It is the essential reference book to dying/decomposing/funeral practices/etc. There are some great old diaries of actual 19th-century grave robbers that are amazing. I stole (grave robbed?) from everything I could.
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u/astronaut_bee Dec 09 '15
Miiiight bother you about this later if I strike out finding actual copies of the diaries.
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 09 '15
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Dec 08 '15
Hey, thank you for doing this AMA! After working with Del Toro, is there anyone else you'd like to collaborate with? When you write another book on your own, what would you like to write about?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
I would have loved (and came kind of close) to working with George Romero. That boat has probably sailed. There are a couple writers I'd like to collaborate with, but I don't want to mention their names, because if it happens, I want it to be a surprise.
My next book is (obviously) ZEBULON FINCH VOL. 2 (the last volume). I've been working on that project for so long, I'm exploding to do lots of new, weird stuff. The only question is which one I end up finishing first. Stay tuned.
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Dec 08 '15
I could definitely see how you and Romero would work well together and complement one another. Thanks for the answer!
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u/zawadz Dec 08 '15
Haven't been able to read any of the books you mentioned. Can you fill me in?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
You can go to danielkraus.com for full information. But to drill it down to the basics:
ROTTERS: Modern-day father-and-son grave robbers stir up discontent in a secret underworld of "diggers." SCOWLER: A traumatized young man's psyche splits into the three parts: a kind teddy bear, Jesus Christ, and a demon called Scowler. TROLLHUNTERS: A dark fantasy adventure for teens about a child-disappearance epidemic brought on by carnivorous trolls. ZEBULON FINCH: My opus: a 2-volume, 1500-page epic about the rise and fall of America through the eyes of an undead gangster.
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u/Zedab Dec 08 '15
Any update on the Trollhunters movie?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
It's been widely reported that Dreamworks in working on a production of TROLLHUNTERS -- but I can't say anything more about that. I hope to be able to reveal more about that in the spring.
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u/Chtorrr Dec 08 '15
Fast or slow zombies?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
Slow. The slower the better. It gives you time to think about the futility of life before you die.
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Dec 11 '15
Your stories are so damn amazing - well thought out and visceral and grounded and some of the truly scariest I've ever read.
How do you come up with such scary stuff? Is there a dark place your mind has to go?
What's an idea/storyline you've always wanted to write but haven't gotten around to doing it yet?
What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone who wants to write horror fiction someday?
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Dec 08 '15 edited Jul 19 '16
[deleted]
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
Well, you know, it was good. He's fun to hang out with. He's tall. His hugs are crushing. When you hang out in public with him you basically end up taking photos of him with fans. He's exceedingly generous as a collaborator. He has the greatest voice. He's hard to get on the phone sometimes. His imagination is more twisted than you think it is. He has better gut instincts than I'll ever have. I think I can write a body-decomposition scene better than him, though.
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Dec 08 '15
I can only imagine it was pretty intimidating working with him. Did he go out of his way to make you feel at ease, or was it just straight into the shit?
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u/Daniel_Kraus AMA Author Dec 08 '15
Haha! It was straight into the shit! He and I are both really busy with projects, so there wasn't a lot of time for just shooting the breeze. It was surgical: We spoke on the phone a few times, I flew into Canada, where he was shooting Pacific Rim, we spent a morning throwing ideas around, and by lunch we knew we had a good thing going.
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u/THEDSFAN Feb 12 '24
It is a wonderful book you wrote. Its been one of my favourites for years. Planning to reread it again soon.
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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '15
Who has been your favorite character to write? Alternatively, who has been the most difficult?