Q: If you could have a fantasy pet, what would you have and why?
A: I’ve always conceptualized frogs and amphibians as avatars of the unconscious (or, the dream world) because they exist in two entirely different mediums, land and water. They are, by nature, a surreal creature. I’m often moved by surrealist literature and movies and art. So, I’d probably have a large, well-dressed frog as my pet, or power animal.
Q: What type of music best describes your writing?
A: Punk rock and violins.
Q: Tell us about your writing office/space and why it’s special to you.
A: I write in my bedroom with the window shade drawn, rather than open. I need to write lying down in bed because my back bothers me when sitting for long spells. There’s otherwise nothing special or mandatory about my writing space. I could just as easily write in an anonymous South Dakota motel room.
Q: What is your favorite piece of visual art that has inspired a story or two?
A: ‘Christine’s Word’ by Andrew Wyeth has always had an eerie charm. I think some of the best visual art of the 20th Century and forward is found is to be found in genre films; Noir, horror, westerns. B-movies are a treasure trove of spectacular visual art. Moody sets and bizarre lighting.
Q: If you didn’t write full-time what would your day job be? Is writing a hobby for you?
A: Writing for me is a hobby and a job- one of several jobs.
Q: What is your writing schedule and how many words do you write in a sitting?
A: I begin something- a story or a novel- when I feel like it, which is to say when it feels ready. When I’m revising something that’s already been drafted, I stick to a schedule, usually two to three hours of uninterrupted writing a day.
Q: How do you celebrate publishing a new story?
A: Smile and give myself a pat on the back.
Q: How do you balance your outside life with your writing life?
A: Carefully.
Q: Write your eulogy in three sentences.
A: You came to a graveyard alone? Bad idea. Turn around.
Q: What project are you most proud of completing?
A: The last book, ‘Madeline’s Cane’, which will be released soon by Unveiling Nightmares, took me close to five years to compose. It’s very much the book I wanted it to be and intended it to be and a writer can’t ask for much more than that.
Q: Do you have any projects you would like to tell your readers about?
A: For fans of psychological thrillers, dark romance and crime, check out my novel, ‘Madeline’s Cane’. For fans of pure, action-packed horror with a Lovecraftian motif (or the films ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘The Wicker Man’ and ‘The Hitcher’), check out my novella, ‘Night of the Star Demon’, also by Unveiling Nightmares.
Q: Who is your favorite character from any of your stories and why? If you had to choose a popular author to continue writing this character in another book, who would you choose and why?
A: Boss Man Frank from ‘Madeline’s Cane’, and Miss Thing from ‘Night of the Star Demon’. Both are secondary characters in their respective books and bring great energy and comedic relief to the otherwise intense and harrowing proceedings. Another writer to carry them forward? Marisha Pessl (author of ‘Night Film’) might do a good job of it because she has a history of handling dark, quirky, enigmatic characters of a similar age quite well. And Bret Easton Ellis as well, for the same reason.
Q: Where can your readers find you on social media?
A: https://twitter.com/iamthatami
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18176243.Todd_Zack.
Bio: Todd Zack is a social worker, writer, and musician living in southwest Florida. His journalism and fiction pieces have appeared in Thrasher Magazine, Red Fez, Crimson Streets and numerous genre anthologies. His first novel, ‘Madeline’s Cane’ and novella, ‘Night of the Star Demon’ will soon be released by Unveiling Nightmares. He is a lifelong skateboarder, compulsive traveler, trivia nerd, coffee fiend, and co-founder of the alternative rock bands, Tape Recorder 3 and Pank Dux. Look for him on Goodreads and Twitter.
She Writes Fast 
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