John Palisano - Author

The following interview is with John Palisano, independent filmmaker and author of The Marine in The Beast Within.

Hi, John. Could you start us off with a little info about yourself? We here on the forums are so used to seeing text and avatars that it can be easy to forget there are human beings behind the words. What’s a day-in-the-life-of-John Palisano like?

A: Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb through my head . . . my daily life is usually pretty simple, really. At the moment working a full-time day job, raising my son. These days most of my writing is taking place on my iPhone, believe it or not. I’m a gadget freak, and using the Text Edit program allows me to write in places I’ve never been able to be productive before. During breaks at work, I can squeeze in bursts, and I can lie in bed in the middle of the night, grab this little handheld thing, and not disturb anyone. Of course it takes a lot of cleanup on a traditional word processor, but it’s great.

As a writer of both films and short stories, what is your approach for making ideas a reality?

A: With either medium it begins with a sketch. My stories usually begin with an image sucker punching me. It’s much quicker to grab an idea from the Ethosphere with a quick sketch. Trying to spin images immediately into perfectly descriptive words makes me think too much and important details are lost. From that point I think a lot about the people and creatures in a story. I need to know them before I can write them.

What initiated your interest in the horror genre?

A: One weekend my father let me stay up to watch ‘Night Of The Living Dead’. Ending when the main character died shocked me. Up until then it’d been ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Grease’. We had a fantastic drive-in in Norwalk, and one summer we saw ‘Demon Seed’ with the little metal baby, and then ‘Alien’, which completely changed me. My father brought home the art book and it really captured my imagination.

Any personal experiences where you might’ve felt like a character in a horror novel?

A: Every. Single. Day.

Seriously? Living in New England in a big old house there’s a damn good reason so many horror stories take place here, and why so many horror authors come from this area. It’s just . . . everywhere. Gray. Creepy. Old Death, Old Stories, Old Ones. Seems I come face to face with scary every day.

Given a big studio budget, what actor would you cast for the lead role in The Marine if you made it into a movie?

A: This is tough, as the characters are straight out of the war and are young. I’d love to see some fresh faces who don’t have anything preconceived built in, someone like Usher as Dylan, I can see him as a fantastic bad guy, Leighton Meester as Laurie, and Chace Crawford as Mark would be great examples. If I could go classic, it’d be Grace Kelly, Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood.

Writer’s block strikes sooner or later; are there any home remedies or writing exercises you use to stave off the dreaded curse?

A: Absolutely. The first thing I do is get the hell away from the computer and that environment. Usually just going somewhere new helps. Even if I go to get some food, well, things are happening all around you. A bit of overheard conversation can spark tons of ideas, or reinvigorate a stalled project in mid-birth. Also, breaking out the sketch pad and drawing a story shot of the scene can work wonders for me, no matter how primitive my art skills may be!

Where can we see more of your work?

A: “Outlaws Of Hill County” will be in Graveside’s own ‘Harvest Hill’, as will “The Haven”, which will be in “Horror Library Volume 3″.  Next year brings ‘The Tennatrick’ in ‘Midnight Walk’, about California Firebug monsters and another personal favorite, “Wings For Wheels” which will be appearing in PS Publishing’s ‘Darkness On The Edge: Tales Inspired By Bruce Springsteen’. Each writer adapted a song into a horror or science fiction story. Mine is based on, ‘Thunder Road’!

When the submission call went out for Beast Within, what was the first idea that came to mind? What made you choose the were-creatures in your story?

A: I’ve lived near the ocean my entire life, so much of my imagination and mythology centers near the shore. I’d never seen anything done with people turning into water-based animals, and I thought I could do something different.  I also have a lot of relatives who are military, and there was an attempt here at blending horror with the military. So much military storytelling is large-scale and over the top, and centers on the battlefront. There are reverberations and long-term effects that exploring them seemed interesting. Plus, how the hell could someone put into words changing a human being into . . . without spoiling things, we’ll just say that was a challenge.

Could you give us a non-spoiler synopsis of your story The Marine?

A: When Mark’s ex-girlfriend Laurie shows up on his doorstep, he’s not too thrilled. She’s chosen the worst time to try and rekindle their relationship. There’s a full moon, and he’s feeling a little . . . itchy. Once his Marine buddy Dylan appears and tries to reclaim Laurie as his own, Mark uncovers their hidden secrets, as well as the origins of his own transformative powers.

Thanks, John!

And now, here’s an excerpt of The Marine from The Beast Within:

THE MARINE, BY JOHN PALISANO

“Water,” she said. “You have to have water, don’t you?”
She stumbled in like that?all questions and no explanations. “Laurie? What’s going on?” Mark stepped out of her way as she shoved past him.
“You’ve got a damn bunker out here after all.” She went to his fridge, helped herself to a bottle of water, and guzzled it with her eyes closed.
“Something happen with you and Dylan?”
“That’s not why I’m here.” Laurie wiped her mouth. “I don’t feel so great.” She dropped the empty bottle, grabbed a second, and downed it just as fast. She sunk down in front of the sink and clawed at the front of her head, messing up her shoulder-length blonde hair. “Something’s wrong,” she said. “With me. My body.” All the color drained from her face. “You think you could ever forgive me, sweets?”
“What?” he said, shocked and unsure at what he heard. She’s using that tone on me, he thought. What does she want?
“I asked if you could ever forgive me. That’s what.” She caught her breath.
“You called me sweets?” he said. “You’re wearing your best blouse and you smell like lavender. My favorite.” He couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow and smirk; it was the same face he’d given her that night she’d come on so strong to him, right before they’d made love. Once upon a time. Before Dylan.
Laurie caught his look and glanced away. “I think I have a fever,” she said.
Mark touched her forehead. “Actually, you’re a little cool.”
“We’re right on the ocean here. It’s colder than being inland. ”
“It’s in the seventies and it’s eight o’clock. We’re having one of those October heat waves that won’t quit.” He touched her head a second time. “You’re really cold.”
“I feel like I’m on fire,” she said, her voice tired. “Can I have another water?”
“Sure you don’t want something more medicinal?”
“You’d know what’s best for me right now.”
He helped her to his living room, where she slumped onto his couch.
“You know that inside the womb babies breathe amniotic fluid. They gulp like little guppies. Ever hear that?”
“No,” he said.
“That’s how I feel right now. Like I need to be underwater to get enough to drink.”
He made his way back towards the kitchen. “I can help you with that a little.”
“Everyone starts out underwater, you know?” Laurie asked. “Maybe we’ll end up that way, too.”
“I don’t know,” Mark said as he knelt in front of his wine rack and looked through the labels. Light from the full moon shone through the window and reflected in the glass, an effect that made them appear to glow. Mark stood and looked outside at the sky. The moon’s pallid face loomed over the ocean, casting its light all the way from the horizon to the jagged cliffs below the house. He had a beach, but it was spotted with tons of sharp rocks. He wanted to put a dock below his home, but knew the shore was too dangerous for boating. Mark was glad, though, because the reef of rocks acted as a natural barrier and kept erosion to a minimum.
Mark found a good bottle, popped it, and poured them each a glass.
“What is this?” Laurie asked as he handed her the sparkling-clean crystal. She rolled the wine around the body of the glass a few times and watched how it dripped down the inside. Then she smelled it. “Is this what I think it is?”
“Voignier,” he said. “Sunstone. Two years.”
“Oh, shit,” she said. “You still have some?”
“I found a few at the back of Vendome. Bought the last five bottles.” He sat down next to her.
Laurie looked down at the glass. “I love Vendome.”
He tilted his head back and swallowed the earthy, yellow liquid. “That’s good.”
She watched him.
“Drink up. There’s plenty more.”
She did.
Pressing his hand to her forehead, Mark froze. She must have seen his concern on his face.
“What?” Laurie looked scared.
“You’re even colder now,” he said.
She took another drink. “This should warm me up.”
Mark looked Laurie over. Her temperature is going way down. She’s thirsty. She’s scared and tired and wiped out. Then he looked to the back of his living room. “Want me to take you to the hospital?”
Laurie waved at him. “I can’t get stuck with seven thousand dollars in Emergency room bills if it’s nothing. My insurance is awful.”
“I’ll lend you the money.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Then she looked up at him; her glassy, grey eyes met his gaze. “I just want you to take care of me like you used to.”
Mark sighed. “You know you’re welcome here whenever you want.”
“You’ve always acted so warm and fuzzy to me, sweets, no matter what I’ve done to you.” She nodded off a bit. “My chest hurts and things are getting a little blurry.” He saw dark lines between her eyes and cheeks; her skin was red and flushed.
“Any other symptoms?”
“Feels like fiberglass every time I swallow.”
“Could be a bacterial infection in your throat or sinuses,” he said. “Maybe it’s just the flu. There’s a bad strain this year.”
She shook her head, a rueful smile on her lips. “We both know what’s happening,” she said. “There’s no use trying to find excuses.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
She slid against him, pressing her head to his chest. The feeling of her body against him stirred memories of their past. He wrapped his arms around her.
“How long will it take?”
“It’s hard to say. It might not happen at all this time.”
“I’m scared, sweets.”
“Don’t be.”
***
The Marine Corp’s sonar tests called the monsters up from their deep Mediterranean caves. Dozens of red creatures swarmed towards Mark, each of their eight arms pulsing, grabbing, and pushing. Mark hadn’t seen them when he first dove into the water. They waited until he had rescued the wayward RV Bot to wrap their arms around him. Their suckers clasped him right through his wetsuit. Meanwhile, Dylan had his own problems. The sonar had summoned other creatures up from the deep: long, grey sharks. Mark watched them close in even as he grappled with the squid. They shot out of the murk like silver bullets cutting through the night, and then turned to circle Dylan. Mark screamed into the com-link for him to get away, but then the squids’ tentacles tightened, crushing him silent.
Something nipped at his legs and arms. He could see the beasts entangling his limbs, pulling him toward their mouths. He pictured their horrible black beaks slicing off V-shaped hunks of flesh, or maybe one catching him between the ribs and biting through to his chest cavity. He thrashed to wiggle free. All the while he held the RV Bot. Maybe the ship would be able to re-activate it and pull him up, away from the squid.
What about Dylan? Where was he?
Mark kicked several times. Survive! Can’t die like this!
One of the creatures settled over his head, its fleshy arms slapping down to cover him like a pink shroud. Sucker cups clutched at his facemask. Mark struggled even harder, watching in horror as the thing’s alien mouth protruded from its body, descending over his shoulder. It seemed to happen in slow motion, and Mark howled in agony when the beak finally snapped shut. He felt the needle-like tip pierce the tendons and ligaments of his rotator cuff, the razor-sharp edges cutting skin and muscle.
Then, amazingly, the RV Bot powered back on. He punched the large red button at its center, which sent out a test Sonar signal. The water seemed to implode from the low-frequency blast.
The squid darted away as quickly as they’d come. Mark locked eyes with the one closest to him?the one that had bit him on the shoulder?until it swam backwards and away, into the black depths of the ocean. The RV Bot ascended, taking Mark with it. He looked at his body. There were several nips along his legs, and dozens of criss-crossing cuts across his forearms. He clutched the sides of the RV Bot as it floated to the surface, but blacked out just as the night’s full moon came into view, its leering face looking down on him through the waves.

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