Guest Post: David Bernstein and "A Little Bit About Some Shit"

A Little Bit About Some Shit

First, I'd like to thank Frank for inviting me to write something on his blog and for taking his time to read and review my newest novel, Episodes of Violence.  I come from a time when the greatest, trashiest, most gore-filled and outrageous movies were made.  I gobbled them up to no end, nothing ever too nasty.

With Episodes of Violence, I wanted to go back and relive those glory days of 80s movie magic in book form.  I made sure to push the ridiculous, but also make it believable as if it could be based on a true story.  (Hey, you never know).  Episodes of Violence is a mix of Toxic Avenger meets Justified or Hell or High Water.  In other words, it's fucked up young adults with no morals wreaking havoc in small town USA with a revenge tale looming and blooming like a building storm.

Episodes is a real-world novel.  I wouldn't exactly say it's horror, but I wouldn't say it isn't.  It's what could, and has happened, in the world we live in.  I find this kind of writing more intense and scary than vampires, demons and other such monsters.  This book is more like The Unhinged and different from my other novels because it isn't a straight to the bone horror novel.

Well, enough about that.

I have a one-year-old daughter and since she was born I haven't felt the need to write.  I haven't written in over a year and a half. (Well except for a short story for the C.H.U.D. Anthology which I certainly could not pass up).  I'm not sure if it's just me or if you have to experience having a child to know what I mean about not needing to write.  I want to spend as much time with my daughter as possible and soak it all in because everyone keeps telling me it goes so fast.  So I've put the writing aside for a bit.  It's like I don't need it.  (Not to mention the bullshit I went through and am still going through with publishers—closing down, not paying... I consider myself lucky though.  I've worked with great people and publishers and came up with some great authors who I call friends.  It was incredibly smooth sailing for a while there, but I guess like all authors sometimes shit just blows up and then you have to pull yourself together and get back on the horse).

I've recently found the inspiration to write again and bring the horror back into my words, including extreme horror.  But instead of taking time away from my family, I will simply watch less tv and stay up later to get the writing done.

So there are ups and downs in a writer's life and I went through a long stretch and I was worried I wouldn't get back into it, but alas I have.  I wrote my first short story when I was in kindergarten so I should have figured once a writer always a writer.  But it's scary when you spend so much time writing and getting books published and then it seems like its all over.  (Especially when publishers go under that you did well with).

I know this post has two completely different topics, but fuck it, it's my guest post!  Hopefully, you've enjoyed it and learned a little more about me.   

Frank here - Thanks for taking the time to put together the guest post.  I, for one, am excited to see you writing again.  Look for my review of Episodes of Violence on Saturday.  Just a suggestion, David.  Don't EVER let your baby girl read this one.  E-V-E-R!!!