Q&A with WORST NIGHTMARES’ Shane Briant

After starring in such beloved fright films as CAPTAIN KRONOS — VAMPIRE HUNTER and FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL, British actor has made the leap to horror novels as well. That effort is WORST NIGHTMARES, one of the best of its genre in many years. Here, Briant talks to BOOKGASM about its genesis. BOOKGASM: What precipitated your move into fiction, especially since you're still a working actor? BRIANT: My father was a novelist, so maybe it was always in my genes. I always wanted to write. Even when I was 5 years old and couldn’t read, I scribbled in a blank exercise book until I had covered every page. Then I told my mother I had finished my first book! BOOKGASM: And why this dark, bleak story? Where did it come from? BRIANT: Well, I don’t see it as bleak. Dark, sure. But dark is often interesting. And remember, it’s a thriller, so most thrillers have very dark characters. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and SEVEN are both dark, but fascinated me. I wanted to go even further. I hope I’ve achieved this. BOOKGASM: Were there any nightmare scenarios that you thought up but perhaps found too gruesome to include? BRIANT: The only thing that would hold me back is bad taste. So, for instance, I wouldn’t go to any nightmare scenarios that Jewish people had about concentration camps. BOOKGASM: Creatively, what do you get out of writing that you don't get from acting? And vice versa? BRIANT: Acting is purely interpretive. Writing is creative and an original art form. That’s why I love it. As an actor, one has to take direction, so one’s choice is limited. The same happens with a screenplay: A director/producer tells you what to do. With a novel, when you have a publisher like Roger Cooper at Vanguard, and a guide such as Georgina Levitt — the associate publisher who looks after me — I can let myself literally fly. It’s great! BOOKGASM: As one who's worked with so many onscreen talents, to whom would you entrust to bring WORST NIGHTMARES to the screen, in terms of a director and actors? BRIANT: Martin Scorsese would be a dream. Also Sam Mendes. Or the Coen brothers! Wow! As key actors, I’d love James Spader and Robert Downey Jr. Also Alex O'Loughlin from the MOONLIGHT TV series. BOOKGASM: What do you have planned for your next novel? BRIANT: The sequel! It’s proving to be the best project to date, which is unusual. Anyone who enjoyed and was drawn to WORST NIGHTMARES will want to know what happened next. So I’m writing it now. I am in Paris for the central section of the book. Again, it’s very dark and scary, but will surprise everyone. That’s my hope. —Rod Lott Buy it at Amazon. OTHER RECENT BOOKGASM AUTHOR INTERVIEWS: • Q&A with CAPITOL REFLECTIONS' Jonathan Javitt • Q&A with SKELETON CREEK’s Patrick Carman • Q&A with SHADOWS IN THE MIST's Brian Moreland