An accomplished and acclaimed writer and novelist, Thorsten Nesch has applied his trade for several years in a variety of genres, often tackling various styles and across numerous published formats as well. Now, in honor of the release of his latest novel Grolar, I talk with him about his early interest in writing, his preparation techniques, and the book itself.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Thorsten Nesch: I was about 13 years old when I started reading pulp fiction horror novels, John Sinclair was a German series about an English ghost hunter (including zombies, vampires, and everything in between). I couldn’t get enough of them. What a world! Eventually, I caught up with the (back then) 200ish episodes, so I looked for something to follow up, and there was an ad in one of them, some American author called Stephen King with his new book “Christine” - that was it.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
TN: When I was 11 I snuck into the movie theater for “Godzilla,” “King Kong,” “Konga,” and alikes (what counts as horror at that age), but then, a few years later, German public Television had a horror movie every Saturday night after 10pm. I was a regular. They showed stuff like “The Exorcist,” all the Poe movies, and “The Fog”! I remember that Sunday after “The Fog,” my buddy and me wanted to go on a bike ride through the woods, but guess what, it was foggy … we both pretended it had nothing to do with the movie we watched the night before but decided to play something inside instead...
Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?
TN: I’m sure I am not letting a secret out here, but Stephen King is a pretty pretty pretty good writer. Do I copy him? No. Who can? And who is writing to copy somebody? The universal trades of good storytelling may be similar though. Quite a few readers compared my “Grolar” novel with his work - I can live with that. The Grolar, too.
Me: What was the starting point to become a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
TN: There was that week I stopped playing with toys, you know, Lego, Playmobil etc., because it just wasn’t what you did at a certain age, and I was probably the last kid in class who stopped playing, and it still was a sad week for me. However, I was reading a lot already, and the very next week I needed another outlet for my fantasy than playing, and I penned my first story “Iguanodon”, I still have it, written longhand by me as a kid, taking place in Canada (although I had no connection to the country I am living in now) about a dinosaur wreaking havoc in the woods around Uranium City.
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
TN: After decades where I had to write when I could—due to all the different jobs I had—I settled as a professional writer into office hours, because I have a family—and frankly, if you shut out the world in the morning nothing can ruin your writing day. After the move to Canada, I am a half-time writer, but I could keep my writing routine up since I work as a janitor in the evenings. Needless to say: phones are off, so is social media and email. And I have a sign on the door “No Solicitor, please,” Canada is polite.
Me: Is there any specific type of genre you prefer writing? Is there any style or format you find easier to get into even without a preference?
TN: No. I write the best idea I have. I am reckless that way. I know I am the nightmare of agents and publishing houses this way. Right now it is a dystopian novel I received a literary grant for by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Me: How did you settle on the plot for your novel Grolar?
TN: I knew about Ligers, half Lions, half Tigers, and they grow bigger than either animal. That I found an interesting fact. When I later heard about the effect, that due to climate change grizzly bears and polar bears run more often into each other and mate, I was like “What if one of those also grows a little bigger…” - you know, the old What-if situation. And I couldn’t shake it off. When I received a paid writer’s residency in Denmark, H.A.L.D., I went for it.
Me: Was there any special significance to making the bear the main focus of the novels' narrative?
TN: My curiosity. The challenge for me as a writer. The question: How would I like that story told? And in the ensemble point of view narration, the Grolar is one of them … I really enjoyed the writing process. I mean, I was creeping up on those gold diggers… I also loved the research writing it, reading up on bears, their instincts, etc.
Me: Was there any part of your real self injected into the characters along the journey?
TN: Oh yeah, I know how it is to be a father with a family and not always be sure how the money comes in to pay the bills. It is tough, and with Jon, I gave guys like him a voice. He tries to do his best, the best for his love, his kid, his life. A woman in his shoes would do the same. Ideally, we all do, but then there are problems (like in his marriage) or - a Grolar thwarting your dreams.
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process to having it published?
TN: It was traditionally published in Germany after my agent sold it. Especially the ebook sales were good and a horror award nomination sure helped. Also, the fact that many of my readers don’t mind reading different genres from me, and I got tons of great feedback about Grolar, not only from the horror fans but also from teenagers and the literary crowd. - Honestly, I am amazed by the open-mindedness of my readers. I tell everybody: Please read the first 2 pages, see if you like the narration voice. Because I have none, the narration voice differs from story to story and narrator to narrator. I am just the medium, a tool of my stories if you will.
Me: How do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
TN: The question is: How do I stop it? - At the end of the day I have a beer, calm down to some music, a book, a movie, or a series - or I just sit in quiet with some candlelight. I have to calm the creative energy down at the end of the day, or I lay awake forever.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
TN: As I mentioned earlier, currently I am writing a funded dystopian novel which I document on my homepage in writing, audio, and video. I would have loved that in the 80s if Stephen would have given me insight into his way to work…
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