Suspense, Mystery, Horror and Thriller Fiction - Suspense Magazine
Suspense, Mystery, Horror and Thriller Fiction - Suspense Magazine
Suspense, Mystery, Horror and Thriller Fiction - Suspense Magazine
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his wife, S<strong>and</strong>ra <strong>and</strong> daughter, Ella. <strong>Suspense</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> is honored to bring to you this month’s<br />
Contributor’s Corner with one of our contributors Scott Pearson.<br />
<strong>Suspense</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> (S. MAG.): What got you started in writing?<br />
Scott Pearson (SP): I have a vague recollection of being in the sixth grade when a friend said she was<br />
writing a novel. I thought that sounded fun—having always been a big reader—so I figured I’d give it<br />
a try. By the time I was in seventh grade, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I was the stereotypical high<br />
school geek scribbling science fiction <strong>and</strong> fantasy stories. I started submitting them to magazines<br />
right away. I was too young <strong>and</strong> naive to realize I had no idea what I was doing. I pity the readers<br />
who picked my early stories out of the slush pile. Of course, they probably never read past the first<br />
page.<br />
S. MAG.: How did you get started in editing for Zenith Press?<br />
SP: I needed a job! I’d been a stay-at-home dad for five years, but my daughter was starting kindergarten <strong>and</strong> it was time to add<br />
to the family income. I’d been doing some freelance editing while I was at home, which helped my résumé when I applied for a<br />
copyediting job with MBI Publishing. I think I’d been doing that about a year when I became an associate editor at their Zenith<br />
Press imprint. I kind of stumbled into it, really. And now I’ve been editing non-fiction, primarily World War II history, for almost<br />
eight years. We do a wider range of subjects now, however. I just finished editing an illustrated retrospective of the space shuttle<br />
program, <strong>and</strong> I’m working on a book called “That’s What They Want You to Think” about various conspiracy theories.<br />
S. MAG.: What brought you to <strong>Suspense</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>?<br />
SP: Somehow I got notified of an open call for reviewers; I can’t remember if a friend pointed it out or if I just staggered across<br />
it online. I thought it would be a good chance to read some genres that—although I’ve always liked—I’d been neglecting. I’ve<br />
enjoyed most of the books I’ve read so far <strong>and</strong> discovered authors I would go back to, even though I probably never would have<br />
picked them up in the bookstore on my own.<br />
S. MAG.: Do you have any plans to write a full-length novel?<br />
SP: Definitely. I have over a half-dozen ideas in various stages of development as I try to narrow it down to the one that has the<br />
best shot at getting published. They run the gamut from so-called literary fiction to mystery to science fiction to fantasy. Marco<br />
Palmieri, who was my acquiring editor at Simon & Schuster for my last two Star Trek stories, is now at Tor, so I hope to work<br />
with him again sometime soon.<br />
S. MAG.: You seem to be associated with all types of genres. Which one is your favorite to edit <strong>and</strong> to write? Why?<br />
<strong>Suspense</strong><strong>Magazine</strong>.com<br />
SP: As much as I’ve enjoyed working on World War II history—<strong>and</strong> I’ve gotten to work with a veteran<br />
who l<strong>and</strong>ed on Omaha Beach on D-Day <strong>and</strong> another who was captured by the Germans at the<br />
Battle of the Bulge—I’m trying to develop some science titles. I read a lot of nonfiction, <strong>and</strong> it often<br />
has some sort of science angle. It’s been fun <strong>and</strong> sad working on “The Space Shuttle” as the program<br />
comes to an end. I’ve always been a science geek; one of the first books I ever bought (through the<br />
Scholastic program in grade school) was about dinosaurs. As far as writing, I always consider myself<br />
just a writer—nothing in front of that—so I write whatever idea hits me, regardless of genre. I’ve<br />
always been a devoted reader of science fiction, so, obviously, I like working in that genre, but my<br />
first published story was about an old farming couple, <strong>and</strong> over the years I’ve gone back <strong>and</strong> written<br />
several more stories about them. They’re like family to me. The bottom line is I just love to write.<br />
We consider ourselves lucky having Scott working with us. We look forward to continue<br />
working with him <strong>and</strong> wish him success <strong>and</strong> joy with his writing. If you’d like to see <strong>and</strong> read<br />
more about this talented man, please visit him on the web at www.yeahsure.net, www.facebook.<br />
com/yeahsure <strong>and</strong> http://scottmpearson.wordpress.com. �<br />
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