Interview with Brennan LaFaro

Brennan LaFaro is a horror writer living in southeastern Massachusetts with his wife, two sons, and his hounds. An avid lifelong reader, Brennan also co-hosts the Dead Headspace podcast. You can find him on Twitter at @brennanlafaro or at www.brennanlafaro.com.

Where are you from and when did you first start writing?

I have lived all my life in New England, mainly southeastern Massachusetts, which makes the amount of time I’ve spent writing in the weird west a little… well, weird. I started writing in 2019, writing most of my first novella and a couple short stories with pen and paper. I’ve always loved stories and I’ve always been reluctant to remain a passive participant in art. I can listen to music for only so long before I pick up an instrument. In the case of writing, it felt like there was a certain set of tools a writer needed before they could be a writer. Nearly five years on, I can say, sure there are, but they come along the way, and they exist secondarily to putting in the work.

What drew you to the weird west genre?

If I had to pick a catalyst, it would probably be the splatter western series of books that Death’s Head Press puts out. The horroriest of horror, but set in an unfamiliar and unforgiving land. Before that, it was the movie Tombstone, which does such an incredible job at portraying these larger-than-life, iconic, almost mythological characters and still keeping their humanity. When I sat down to write Noose, that’s what I wanted to do, and I hope to a degree that I have.

What kind of research goes into writing a weird west story?

I’m a big believer in story first, so when I’m writing in the world of Buzzard’s Edge, the first draft mainly depends on broad history and things I’ve learned for other stories set in similar time periods. When I’m unsure of the etymology of a word (a real common issue in historical fiction) or whether something had been invented yet, or the like, I’ll leave myself a note in the margins to verify and expand during revisions. The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West by Candy Moulton has been an incredible resource for everything from cost to clothing to firearms and happenings during a given year. It lives on my desk.

Besides all that, this is the weird west. I always include an author’s note to say I’ve taken liberties with geography, time (within reason), and in the next book, the use of American Sign Language as it pertains to the 1890s.

When writing, do you find yourself pulling heavily from your own life, or do you find yourself trying to escape it and write something completely different?

A little from column A and a little from column B. I love writing as a journey of self discovery. It wasn’t until my third book or so that I realized how often found family played a big role in my writing, and by extension, what the idea meant to me. I believe in the mantra that every character you create, good or bad, has a little piece of the writer living inside them. By no means does that mean I’m considering boarding a runaway train and robbing the passengers before leaving them all for dead like the titular villain in Noose, but he also has some insecurity that he hides behind an arrogant, violent exterior. I’m not a violent or, I hope, arrogant person, but we all wear masks to some degree.

I read in your bio that you grew up an avid reader. Was the transition for avid reader to writer a seamless one, or did it have more obstacles than expected?

I wrote the first words to the book Slattery Falls at thirty-four years old, loved it and didn’t look back, except on occasion to say I wish I’d started earlier. On reflection, though, I think that every story, every book I read was me preparing to shift gears, that maybe I had to wait until I was ready to be a writer.

One of the biggest obstacles was overcoming the idea that I wasn’t any good. Before I tried sending my fiction out into the world, I’d already made some connections as a book reviewer and as a co-host of the Dead Headspace Podcast. So don’t get me wrong, when I started, the rejections came and they came regularly, but when the acceptances came, especially from a venue I had spoken with before, it wasn’t hard to convince myself I’d simply who-you-know’d into some early luck and my writing wasn’t good enough. Truthfully, it’s still something I think about. I just don’t let it bother me. I’m telling the stories that live in my mind, the way I want to tell them, and I’m doing everything I can to get better at putting them on paper.

Is it comforting to write in such an esoteric genre, or do you feel the pressure of the “weird west” aficionados?

It’s absolutely daunting at times. With the weird west, firearms can be overwhelming. I am not a gun person, and I never have been, but the inclusion of pistols, revolvers, and rifles is just about essential to the sub-genre. I’ve learned what I can from books and articles, enough to write competently, but I also try to focus on what I, as a reader, would want.

Action. It can be so easy to get wrapped up in the details and forget that although there are aficionados, the average reader doesn’t want to spend paragraphs sifting through a guns ’n ammo shopping list. They want motion and emotion. Knowing how many bullets a revolver can hold is more important to creating tension than to showing off what you know.

Tell us a bit about the Dead Headspace Podcast and how that came about?

Dead Headspace is a show that focuses on creators in dark fiction, be it horror, crime, noir, etc. It’s Patrick McDonough’s baby, thus he serves as engineer and producer, while I just show up and shout about books while trying to sound like I know what I’m talking about. Recently, Candace Nola, phenomenal author and one-woman publicity team, has joined us and become an indispensable part of the team.

Over the last four years, we’ve had the honor of featuring some incredible guests like Peter Straub in his final interview, Don Winslow, Dennis Lehane, Owen King, Tananarive Due, Karin Slaughter, David Morrell, and about 230 more. We strive for a blend of promoting whatever the person is putting out into the world, while also digging into the nuts and bolts of writing fiction and what scares us. In other words, it’s a show for readers, writers, or just people who like to hang out on the dark side of the room.

What inspired you to write Noose (The Buzzard’s Edge Saga)?

Earlier I mentioned the Death’s Head Press Splatter Western series. They commissioned something like twelve books and called it the first season or series. I’d had so much fun reading them that I sat down one evening and wrote Noose: A Splatter Western at the top of a document. I wrote the majority of that book in about a month, losing the “splatter western” subtitle once I got about ten thousand words deep and realized it wasn’t doing that. There’s plenty of violence and blood, but perhaps not up to the splatterpunk standards of Death’s Head. No, this was a revenge story with some supernatural elements and a loudly beating heart. It’s also got a little Batman to it. I realized that early on and opted to lean into it rather than steer away, using the inspiration to craft Noose’s gang of rogues and Rory Daggett’s eventual sidekick.

Andrew at DarkLit Press read it and loved it, and the rest was history. Thankfully, it not only found a great home, but a publisher willing to let me keep on writing and writing in this weird world.

What can we expect from the next book in the saga, The Demon of Devil’s Cavern?

The Demon of Devil’s Cavern picks up about six months after the end of Noose. Rory and his mute adopted daughter, Alice, have settled in, even if they do keep their ears to the ground. There’s a language that’s developed between the two and it made the book an absolute blast to write. They communicate via American Sign Language, but also the unspoken stuff is vital to the story, as well. In chapter one, there’s a knock at the door and Rory has to size up the new sheriff, who tells a hell of a tale, then catches a bullet between the eyes on the way out the door. It only goes further off the rails from there.

I am immensely proud of this book, and though I think all my work has characters that live in your heart and remind you of friends, Rory and Alice are extremely dear to me, and early reader reactions have led me to believe I’m not alone there.

DarkLit will also be releasing a collection of stories set in the town of Buzzard’s Edge in Fall 2024, including a few stories that first appeared in horror western anthologies, a few originals, and a brand new novella featuring Rory and Alice. It’s tentatively titled Where the Daybreak Ends: Stories From Buzzard’s Edge.

Weird west isn’t your only genre. Do you have a few genres you like to stick to, or is it a genre free for all?

It’s such a cop-out to say I just write whatever the story leads me to, but it is what it is. Clichés always contain a certain amount of truth. I feel a certain obligation, although it’s not one I mind, to keep writing in Buzzard’s Edge for the readers who it really resonates.

My favorite horror to write, however, is ghosts, and they tend to find their way into most things I write. My Slattery Falls trilogy (Slattery Falls, Decimated Dreams, The World You Loved) is a New England ghost story taking place in modern day Massachusetts with some jaunts to other NE states and some real-life haunted locales. My standalone novella Last Stay is a slasher that just couldn’t get away from the supernatural.

Even my short fiction that seems to steer clear of the paranormal often hinges on themes of being haunted, not to mention creepy buildings. The idea of ghosts is fascinating, and like the X-Files, I want to believe. I can see it being a theme in many more works to come.

What are you working on next?

I’ve got my first full-length novel coming out next year called The Denizens. That likely won’t be all I’m doing in 2025, but I am preparing to roll out the red carpet for this one. I pitched it as Salem’s Lot meets Dawn of the Dead with a dash of Rachel Harrison’s Cackle. It’s southern-tinged grief horror with a unique and interesting cast of characters.

I just finished the first draft of a book called Daisy, which I’ll spend the next few months rewriting, revising, and shaping into something palatable. No plans for release on that one yet.

Then later in the year, I’ll be setting aside some time to head back to Buzzard’s Edge, maybe see what Rory and Alice are up to.

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