I don’t know which meal you’re getting ready for wherever you happen to be, but here at Eating the Fantastic world headquarters, it’s time for lunch at the Mountain Branch Grille & Pub with Thomas F. Monteleone, a five-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, who’s published more than 100 stories since his first one appeared in Amazing back in 1972.

My first fictional encounter with him, though, wasn’t until 1975, when his first novel, Seeds of Change, became the debut title for the famed (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) Laser Books science fiction line, and in this episode you’ll get to hear all about the serendipity which made that sale happen.

He’s accomplished so much since those early sales that last year, the Horror Writers Association honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He’s also a highly opinionated guy, as is proven by his ongoing no-holds-barred column The Mothers And Fathers Italian Association, a collection of which won the 2003 Bram Stoker Award for Non-Fiction …and is also proven by this episode.

We discussed the tricks he teaches to transform writers at his famed Borderlands Bootcamp, the 200+ rejections he received before he finally made his first fiction sale, how Theodore Sturgeon helped him realize it was possible for him to become a writer, why he ended up as a horror icon after his big start in science fiction, which horror writers you want on your team when you’re choosing sides for softball, the reason his live readings have become legendary, how Peter Straub reacted when Tom put him on his list of most overrated writers, how a challenge from Damon Knight changed his life, and much more.

Here’s how to join us for some shrimp and grits—

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Here’s what Tom and I shared as we chatted over lunch—

Cream of potato bacon soup

Fried green tomatoes
blackeyed pea salad, smoked tomato mayo, and crisp Virginia country ham bits

Shrimp and grits
smoked gouda stone-ground grits, tasso ham gravy

And—as promised in the episode—here’s Tom giving one of his legendary live readings, which I captured several years ago at a World Fantasy Convention.

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to support my mission to break bread with creators of the fantastic while letting you take a seat at the table, there are several ways you can help—

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And I recently added a new way you can support the show — by buying me a cup of coffee. Head on over to https://ko-fi.com/eatingthefantastic and you can send me the funds to cover the cost of a cup of joe—though to tell you the truth, it’ll more likely go to buying dessert for one of my guests. It’s a new way to fund creators, and—because I can’t afford to do this alone — I plan on trying them all until I find the one that’s right for you.

I hope you’ll join me two weeks from now when I chat with David Mack—no, not that David Mack, the other David Mack—the prolific novelist whose latest book The Midnight Front crosses Harry Potter with WWII.

Thanks as always for listening!