Gordon's Post:
I got the writing bug back in 1990 and started writing a comedy novel, until I found out that comedy wasn't selling unless you were an already established writer like Jay Cronley (Funny Farm, Screwballs). I'd heard that horror was a closely related cousin to humor, so I started thinking I could take on the big boys like Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Well, let me tell you, it was no easy task.
Sitting at the dining room table, I stared at the proverbial blank page I'd jammed into the old electric typewriter for several minutes, never coming up with even an opening line I liked. I had no plot, no hero, no villain in mind, but I wanted words on paper.
About to give up, the family pet ferret came bounding around the corner from the living room. "Jezebel," I said aloud, "ferret from Hell!"A tiny ferret just wasn't threatening enough to center an entire horror thriller novel around, so I went back to work, trying to conjure up a larger, more frightening villain. I think I came up with a really good one.
I'd been fascinated by how really sweet and timid the Great Danes I'd been around were, yet, how imposing and menacing they can look, and would be if any should ever "go bad".
So, I had my villain for a horror thriller called Jezebel - a huge, black Great Dane. But making her the antagonist in the story was too easy. How about making her the victim of someone seeking revenge - make her the sweet, benign dog that I knew most Great Danes to be, but have her and dozens, maybe even hundreds of other dogs forced into doing terrible things they don't want to do. Now, I had a plot.
But I needed a good hero to deal with all these dog attacks and to get to the bottom of this wild story of revenge. Who better to throw into the middle of a bunch of vicious dogs? How about...the dog catcher! How about the head dog catcher of a Midwestern city, who's going through a midlife crisis and being tempted by his seductive young and beautiful assistant? Wow, I was about to have great fun writing this one!
Jezebel was my first novel. I researched heavily and spent considerable effort in peopling it with deep, realistic characters that readers will feel like they know. There are no superheroes in this book. They have flaws, they are you and me.
I wrote Jezebel before I knew how to write. Yet, it's a timeless story and may be my very best. I guarantee it will frighten you!
For a sample of JEZEBEL, go to: http://www.amazon.com/JEZEBEL-ebook/dp/B0053Y1JFI/
For a look at Gordon Kessler's other work, check out his blog at: http://GordonKessler.com
