Sociopathica: An Interview with Shane Ryan Staley
Conducted by Dustin La Valley

You may know Shane Ryan Staley as the founder of the small press publisher Delirium Books, which has published work by the likes of many great horror writers such as Jack Ketchum, William F. Nolan and Brian Keene, among many other talents. But what you may not know is that Shane himself is a very disturbing and entertaining writer. With unsettling collections such as Luster, I’ll Be Damned and Psychotica, and many stories placed in numerous publications, Shane has proven that he is a gifted artist of shocking literature.

DLV: What is the earliest memory you can provide involving horror as amusement?

SRS: Crawling out upside down from the birth canal and coughing up blood on the doctor. Now that was funny!

DLV: Who were the authors you first read, admired, and drew inspiration from?

SRS: I was initially drawn to horror the same way many other authors were: through the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The first stories I wrote were actually Lovecraftian, then I developed my own voice, which has always been a little twisted.

DLV: Do you remember the first publication to accept one of your stories? Any tales of editors or fellow writers that exposed complete disgust towards your material?

SRS: I had a whole cluster of zines accept my work after a few years of writing. Don’t really recall, but it might have been a defunct zine called Frightmares or the excellent long-running Outer Darkness.

As for editors or fellow writers showing disgust towards my writing, I’m sure some do. Of course, I don’t often hear such comments, but every now and again, I’ll get an angry email from someone saying they think my work is distasteful. I file those letters under “Fan Mail.” One of my latest novelettes, “Swan Lake,” is perhaps my most adventurous trip towards pissing a lot of people off. But, in my mind, no one should take the content of some of my extreme stories too seriously. They’re written for fun and should be read for fun, or not at all. The saying “If it’s not your cup of tea then don’t drink it” should be applied here.

DLV: Your writing brings forth some of the most grotesque premises and images in the field while still holding the elements of entertainment. What inspires these perverse tales?

SRS: I honestly don’t know where it comes from. That’s just my sense of humor. I’ve often tried to write stories without something sick or twisted happening, but, sooner or later in the story, my perverted creature of a muse pokes its ugly little head out and lays down the law.

DLV: How did Delirium Books come about? What were some of the trials and tribulations Delirium Books has gone through from conception to the present?

SRS: I started Delirium Books in 1999, after several years in the small press as an author. I just wasn’t happy with the state of the small press and how most publishers weren’t taking chances on fresh, new talents. Delirium quickly changed that shortly after its startup.

Trials, tribulations? Computer crashes, floods and mastering the horror market come to mind. A flood destroyed the majority of Delirium’s stock of books. Most recently a computer crash caused a few months worth of delays. In between, just the typical doldrums of any small press publisher: collecting money, dealing with a few genre assholes and balancing the overall workflow. Delirium has always been run by myself with little outside help, so I basically wear all the hats. It gets overwhelming at times. But all very much worth it.

DLV: Working with some of the top horror writers, could you name a few of your favorite Delirium releases?

SRS: Now if I did that, I’d have some authors upset at me. I’d say the majority of authors I’ve worked with I call friends, so I always avoid questions like this in interviews.

DLV: There are many independent publishers in the horror field today. Some have been here for a while and released some noble pieces of work, and some have come and gone without notice. How do you manage to keep Delirium Books up to such a top-notch company?

SRS: My goal has always been to please my customer base, who are mainly collectors. I’ve carved out a small niche in the market and am passionate about what I do. That passion drives me to succeed, both for myself and for the readers and collectors. Another thing that is so important, in my mind, is to treat your authors the way you would want to be treated yourself. And from my experience as an author, it’s a pretty damn simple concept that many failed presses never learned.

DLV: How about naming some of your favorite small press publications? Be they electronic or print.

SRS: Most of the ones I admired are now out of print, such as Deathrealm, Outer Darkness, Grue, and Lore. These days I seldom read small press publications or any other publications. My reading time is consumed with Delirium-related projects and scouting books for possible future consideration.

DLV: Some highly respectable writers have given you some noble praise: greats such as Michael Laimo, Garret Peck and Mark McLaughlin. What do you think of the admiration?

SRS: As an author, that’s the biggest honor you receive. I’ve had praise from authors I admire and you can’t beat that. Most notably with my latest short novel, The Cleansing published by Bloodletting Press, Jeffrey Thomas signed on to do the introduction and Greg F. Gifune commented that it was an exceptional piece of fiction. I feel both of those authors are among the elite of this genre, along with Brian Keene, who has done a few introductions to my books in the past as well, most recently Psychotica published by Shocklines Press.

DLV: Your novel The Cleansing was released in May of 2005 by Bloodletting Press, how about a bit of information on the foundation of this book. Do you prefer the novel to the collection?

SRS: The Cleansing is definitely my most personal piece of fiction I’ve written to date. It takes place in a campground and features characters that are based on my own personal friends and acquaintances. I camp most of the summer with my two boys and my wife, and the campground in this book is set in a fictional equivalent of the real campground I haunt all summer.

Short story collections are fun to read and write, but I actually prefer longer fiction. I’d rather work in novella-length over novel-length. I think that’s the perfect size of a story for me at least, as a reader and an author. More character development occurs than in a short story, but it’s not a piece of fiction you’ll have to invest a large chunk of time into, which is nice because you can finish it in one or two sittings.

DLV: A collaboration of Mark McLaughlin, Brian Knight, and yourself has produced the collection At The Foothills of Frenzy and Other Freakish Forays. Tell us a little about this book and how it was working with the two authors on the project.

SRS: Mark and Brian were working on that project for a year, I think, and then decided to ask me to come aboard. They needed a little over-the-top extreme fiction to balance out Mark’s quirky humorous style and Brian’s more subdued nature, so I said yes. I really dig both authors’ work, so it was an easy decision to make. We pretty much did our own thing, then collaborated on the title story. There wasn’t a lot of interaction going on. Except us laughing at each others’ stories and the extremely original and perverse twist on the Lovecraftian title story.

DLV: The online bookstore Shocklines has dedicated a page to your work. How do you feel about receiving such a symbol of respect?

SRS: Great. Shocklines, in my opinion, is definitely at the top of the independent bookseller list in this country, and there’s no better exposure in the small press than to have a dedicated section.

DLV: Speaking of symbols of respect, how does it feel being recommended for the Bram Stoker Award for the collection I’ll Be Damned?

SRS: It was funny to see that book get a nod. Don’t get me wrong, I think it was one of the best story collections I could have ever written, but the content alone really sets it apart from anything that has been seriously considered before. “Blasphemous” has been used a number of times by others to describe it. I just say it’s “damn funny.”

DLV: What future endeavors are there to be expected from Shane Ryan Staley and Delirium Books?

SRS: Well, I hope to finish off a few more novellas this year. With Delirium, I’m in the midst of launching a super secret new book series for both readers and collectors. You’ll see the return of a few paperback titles again and one hell of a limited edition hardcover lineup for 2006!

For more information on Shane Ryan Staley and his projects, visit him at www.shaneryanstaley.com.