Q&A with author Sam Lang

First, let me say thank you for the opportunity. I do not venture outside much, so this is an occassion for me.

It's an absolute pleasure Sam, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed!

Name one book that made you think 'wow'? Why did it have such an effect on you? 

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. There are so many good things about this book. I loved the way it explored the human soul.

Who is your favourite author and why? 

Good or bad, I have been a Stephen King junkie for as long as I can remember. Gore and frights were my main sustenance as a teenager.

Name one of your all-time favourite book covers? 

Interesting. Let me think, oh yes. I have managed to hold onto a book from my elementary school days. "Alfred Hitchcock's Monster Museum" is a collection of short stories from the likes of Idris Seabright, Jerome Bixby and Ray Bradbury. The cover is a dark assortment of characters staring out at the reader, partly inviting them in, partly warding them off.

If you could have a dinner party with any authors from any time in history, who would you choose and why?

Could you imagine a debate between Edgar Poe, Stephen King, Umberto Eco and Bram Stoker? I am sure I would be relinquished to opening wine bottles and listening in awe.

Who, or what, inspires you? 

A long stretch of country highway late on a fall night. Strange noises when you are home alone.

Where is your favourite place to write? 

At my desk, sitting in my big black leather chair.

What is your favourite film that was based on a book? 

Would you count a mini-series based on a graphic novel? If so, then The Walking Dead. If you won't count that, then I will go with Coppola's Dracula. It came very close to the book.

What is your book about? 

Reprisal is about the town of the same name and the people that live there. It examines lies and the truth and how it affects everyone involved. The town is haunted, so to speak, by a mysterious shadow that visits every so many years. In this particular story, a prison transport is set to bring a varied collection of murderers directly through the temporarily evacuated downtown. Of course, we would not have much of a story if the bus doesn't break down and everyone escapes. The history and future of Reprisal will be explored in coming stories.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the main characters? 

Eddie would have to be a young unknown. All eyes should be on Chief Matt Canton. He would have to be somebody that could be both instantly likeable and also gruff. I think James Garner would already be too old. Maybe a different turn for Steve Martin? Then again, Tom Selleck would have the right amount of edginess.

Tell us a random fact about yourself. 

I prefer to be alone.

Tell us something interesting about the area where you live. 

It is continuously dark and there are frequent lightning storms.

Winter or summer? Winter
Ebook or paperback? paperback
Favourite food? Steak
Sporty or couch potato? Couch
Cook or be cooked for? Cook

Link to your website, blog or both: http://langsreprisal.blogspot.com/ andhttp://www.facebook.com/LangsReprisal

Thanks for such an intriguing and honest interview Sam!