His original publisher actually dumped him! On the other hand, I knew - even more than Ballantine - that I was taking a risk with OFF SEASON. But look what happened to Ellis' AMERICAN PSYCHO. The written word ought to be an open forum. Shouldn't the book, and the author's subsequent works, be supported despite a publisher's personal opinion of the material? It seems there was both critical acclaim and commercial success for the book. Either way, it brings two questions to my mind.ġA ) What is your opinion of this, or any kind of censorship? As far as I have been able to gather the entire run of Off Season sold out (400,000 copies), an unexpurgated edition is doing well now, and a sequel did well too. It almost seems as though they were either trying to get even with you for sliding the first graphic one by, or were simply afraid to continue to support work at that level of intensity. Unfortunately, many other very good subsequent novels by yourself suffered due to the publishing industry's refusal to publicize or even print many copies of them. It was a story that pushed the limits of graphic horror, with its inclusion of cannibalism and raw terror, and has become one of your most well known books. Thanks for coming in! Read, post questions and enjoyġ ) I am curious about the book Off Season. His stories are collected in The Exit At Toledo Blade Boulevard and Broken on the Wheel of Sex.' His short story The Box won a 1994 Bram Stoker Award from the HWA and he has written ten novels, the latest of which are Stranglehold, Red, and Ladies' Night. He personally disagrees but is perfectly happy to let you decide for yourself. His first novel, Off Season, prompted the Village Voice to publicly scold its publisher in print for publishing violent pornography. He is also a former flower child and baby boomer who figures that in 1956 Elvis, dinosaurs and horror probably saved his life. Jack Ketchum is the pseudonym for a former actor, singer, teacher, literary agent, lumber salesman, and soda jerk. Here's a blurb from his homepage to introduce him: Jack will be stopping by next week to answer them. He has several new projects underway, but has taken the time to answer a few questions for us.īelow, I have some headings where you can post further questions. He is ever the voice of victims, and his stories see that they get their due. Well, here's an interview I am sure everyone will enjoy! Jack is a very straight forward guy who deals with some of the toughest topics out there.

Ladies' Night by Jack Ketchum