Interview - David M. Salkin

A celebrated author with work in various genres, including military espionage, crime, horror, science fiction, action-adventure, and mystery, David M. Salkin has left a strong impression with his work, receiving numerous accolades and awards over the years. Now, in honor of his latest release, "Little Things Big," being released by Crystal Lake Publishing, I talk with him about his early interest in writing, the book itself, and upcoming projects.

Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films or books specifically got you into watching horror movies?

David M. Salkin: Thanks for the opportunity, Don. I love talking to readers and writers.

As a kid, I watched a few horror movies that scared the living crud out of me. Probably watched them a couple of years too early! The Exorcist, The Omen, John Carpenter’s The Thing (still a favorite), Halloween… the ‘80’s were full of quality horror movies, not just silly slasher stuff. I remember reading the book “Alien” over one summer, and I was glad I was reading during the daylight hours. It was terrifying, and so vivid. Now, as a writer, I try to create cinematic novels that the reader “can watch in their brain”.

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?

DMS: My taste in reading is like my taste in music…extremely varied. I loved classics like Paradise Lost (John Milton), Rudyard Kipling, James Mitchener, Ken Follett, Nelson DeMille, Michael Crichton, Lee Child, and Robert Crais.

During my career, I’ve had three separate and unrelated editors tell me I write like Michael Crichton. I take that as a huge compliment. I don’t hold myself up to his genius, but I think we’ve picked some similar story ideas. LITTLE THINGS BIG is definitely a story he might have written had he gotten around to it. I was also a huge fan of Nelson DeMille, who we recently lost. I’m happy to see his very talented son is picking up where dad left off. Tin Men was their collaboration and a great story. I think in some of my books, my main characters have a little of DeMille’s sarcastic wit, which I always loved.

Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?

DMS: Some years back, when our mom passed, I was cleaning out old boxes she had saved. She had that green three-lined paper that little kids learn to make letters on. I found a short story I had written on that paper. I was probably five. So, to say I’ve always been a storyteller is pretty accurate. I like to think of it as providing mental vacations to my readers. A little escape and entertainment.

Me: Is there any specific genre you prefer to write? Is there a style or format that you find easier to get into, even if you don't have a preference?

DMS: I’m a thriller writer. I like fast-paced stories, short chapters, and cliffhanger chapter endings that propel the reader to stay up way past bedtime. I do write in several genres—military espionage, crime, science fiction, and horror. I just finished my first historical fiction this year, which may eventually see the light of day. For me, I just write about whatever I think is interesting. The style is always me – fast paced, sometimes funny, and horrific in the same story (like life). I think my enthusiasm over a subject translates to the reader, whom I’m trying to pull into my imagination.

Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?

DMS: When I start a manuscript, it’s only after researching and thinking about a topic for a long time. By the time I sit down at the computer to type, I’m ready to go. I am a terrible typist! If I could type faster, I might have five more books out!

When I’m in the middle of a project, I often wake up still half dreaming about the story. I watch the movie in my head, then try to type it as fast as I can. I think the reason my books could easily be movies is that I’ve just watched the movie in my head and described it to my readers.

Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?

DMS: It might be as simple as reading the news. The most recent finished project is called THE TRAVELERS, and is a science fiction story about space and time. I studied quantum physics, string theory, and multiverse theory for a year before I started writing. Insanely interesting and almost impossible to comprehend, but I loved it. Hardest book I ever wrote, but so fun. I’m hoping that gets picked up soon.

Me: That brings us to your latest project, “Little Things Big.” What can you tell us about the book?

DMS: Well, a lab leak isn’t the most original idea in the world in our post-COVID world, but I think the story is fun and fast-paced. It’s also based on enough science to be “almost” plausible. Right now, at this very moment, there are microscopic organisms living on our eyelashes and in the pores of our skin. These tiny mites are harmless. But what if they were the size of large beetles? Animals that feed on human skin for a million years might behave a little differently if they became several orders of magnitude larger.

In a nutshell, a Big Ag corporation decides to super-size animals to feed the world and make billions. Their earliest gene sequencing experiments were on the tiny skin mites because they were less complicated to work on. Eventually, they moved on to cattle, sheep, and pigs, but the mites were still in the lab. A break-in inadvertently releases these horrifying creatures, and the fight for humanity begins.

Me: How did you settle on the plots for your writing?

DMS: The world is an interesting place. Writing cross-genre means I’ll never run out of ideas. For example, I wrote Necessary Extremes with Penguin Books over twenty years ago. If you watch the news in Iran, you’d think the book was written last week. Hard Carbon was a science fiction crime thriller when I wrote it. By the time it came out almost ten years later, it wasn’t science fiction, just a crime story. I think my observations of the world around us give me my ideas, and they sometimes go from fiction to non-fiction. Let’s hope Little Things Big isn’t the case!

Me: With the story employing ecological terror, corporate conspiracy, and creature feature elements, what type of prep-work goes into making sure it fits into the appropriate format?

DMS: Like I said, I do a lot of research. I learned more about raising cattle than I ever needed to know, but I wanted it to be correct. I think if a story is believable enough, we can bend rules, but I do try to stay in the lane of plausible. There are a million news stories that could inspire the eco-terror group, the corporate conspiracies, etc. My goal was to weave it together to make it familiar enough to be real, but the “creature” element should be terrifying. Because it’s based on actual organisms on our skin, I think it makes it even more horrifying. Now go wash your hands and face…

Me: Is there anything while writing the characters that you were surprised by in telling their stories?

DMS: Not really. I’ve seen and known so many different types of people. Dad always said we learn from everyone. What to do, and what not to do. I hope the “good guy” characters seem real enough. In other words, flawed and imperfect, but redeemable. Some of the young folks in the group of bad guys are clearly manipulated, and I think we see a ton of that in today’s “protests”.  This book, in particular, doesn’t have a glaring “good guy” like some of my other stories. There are more shades of gray here, and I think that’s okay with this story.

Me: What made the flesh-eating parasites the perfect creature antagonist for this story? Was there any special significance to this being the creature for the book?

DMS: I was just looking at microscopic creatures. Electron microscope pictures. I took some entomology classes in college (geek alert) and have always been fascinated by nature. Parasites in particular have always grossed me out. Being covered with these things is totally disgusting, but here we are, oblivious to their existence. Until we’re not.

Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?

DMS: Ah, yes, the anguish of being an author. You’d think after fifteen published novels, it would be easier. It isn’t. People think writing a book is very difficult. The truth is, writing a book is the fun part. Editing, getting published, trying to find an agent or publisher, marketing… those are the hard parts. My stack of rejection letters is thicker than my books. I don’t give up on anything. The harder I work, the luckier I get. I remember one day getting a rejection letter from an agent, then a few hours later, getting an offer from a publisher on that same book. It’s an insane business. Definitely not for the thin-skinned.

Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?

DMS: It’s fun. My brain never stops. The hardest part is making the time in a busy life, but when I’m on a roll, I get it done. Traveling, hobbies, reading the news, living my daily life… I never know where the next book will come from, but there’s always a next one. I love writing, and I truly feel so rewarded when someone reads a book and tells me how much they loved it. That’s really what it’s all about – providing some fun for people.

Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you for your time!

DMS: Just finished THE TRAVELERS. The premise of the book is deep-space travel. Humans can’t travel at the speed of light, and even if we could, it would take twenty million years to get to some of these galaxies. But what if we didn’t need our bodies? DARPA finds a way to release the human consciousness to travel into the quantum universe. The human soul can travel instantaneously and can also move through time.  It was a fun mental exercise and required deep thinking (and LOTS of crazy research.) This is one of my favorites. I hope it finds a home!

Thanks for the interview!

Dave