An Interview with Greg Chapman

Greg Chapman, in case you didn't know, is one of Australia's great horror fiction scribes, and his new novella, The Eschatologist, is being released today. Greg kindly agreed to answer a few questions for you, my dear readers.

Thanks for agreeing to answer my questions about your novella, The Eschatologist. Let’s start with the obvious. For the uninitiated, what does the title mean?

An Eschatologist is a person who is concerned with the final days – or the end of the world. In the case of my novella, this person is known as Amos, the primary antagonist of the story. Someone who will do anything to fulfil what he believes is God’s final plan for humanity.

This is your fourth (?) published novella. How is it different from the others in terms of theme, characterisation, setting, and style?

It will actually be my fifth after Torment, The Noctuary, Vaudeville, and The Last Night of October. The Eschatologist is different mainly in the fact that it’s my first post-apocalyptic piece of long fiction. The style is the same as my last two novellas, but it is told by a number of narrators – namely the central characters of David Brewer and his wife and daughter, and Amos. The setting is what remains of the earth after a biblical scale apocalypse (think floods, firestorms, tornadoes and earthquakes). They’re walking around on dust and between scorched trees. There’s really nothing left of the old world.

What do you have planned for 2016? What are your goals?

I have a haunted house novel that I finished towards the end of last year that I am shopping around to a few publishers. I’d like to write another novella and a novel-length sequel to my 2011 novella The Noctuary. I recently re-acquired the rights back to it and Torment and I’m very keen to stretch the mythology of The Noctuary into darker territory. Other than that I’d love to write my short stories and create more art.

You are gaining a reputation as one of Australia’s biggest Halloween fans. Do you have any new ideas for this year’s spooky display? Where can we find photos of last year’s display?

I think our Halloween display is going to grow, but slowly. This year, I really only managed to create a new zombie, but I’d love to do something with animatronics. We’ll see how much time I have.

Most importantly of all, where can we buy The Eschatologist and find out more about your work?

The Eschatologist is available in digital and print formats from Voodoo Press.

For more info on my writing visit www.darkscrybe.com or my art page at www.darkartiste.wordpress.com