Today, we’re visiting with Joe Landsdale, one of the most versatile and prolific writers around.  Joe has written everything from comic books to novels, from TV scripts to movie scripts.  This New York Times best seller  has won so many awards, including an Edgar, I can’t fit them all in here.  And just last week, even the New York Times took note of his latest book.  So, let’s just get into the personal life of Joe Landsdale.

Jim:  You write and you have your own martial arts school.  If money were no object, which would you rather do?

Joe:  Exactly what I’m doing.

Jim:  Okay. Always nice to be able to say that.  I know you’re in both the United States and the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame.  Tell us a little bit more about your interest, and history, in martial arts?

Joe:  I’ve been doing it since I was eleven. Actually, I didn’t start with formal martial arts but trained with my dad in boxing and wrestling and self-defense. He got me interested, and then almost three years later I began to study more formal arts, and I’ve studied a number of things since then, mostly because the people I was studying with kept moving off. But, fortunately, someone was always there to take their place, and the times they weren’t I trained myself. I formed the system after many years of being a martial artist, and once martial artist I respected began to recognize what I was doing. I didn’t know it was a system. A friend and student of mine finally convinced me to formalize it.

Jim:  Do you do much of the teaching at the Shen Chuan school, or do you – now – mostly administer it and have others do most of the teaching?

Joe:  I teach every week. I only teach a private class now, and have formed a new division of the system and turned over the original Shen Chuan to Coy Harry, who now bears the title Grandmaster, though we don’t go around calling ourselves that. The students mostly call us Professor or Joe or Coy.

Jim: Let’s switch to your other passion.  How did you get into writing?  Was this always your career or did you come to it after some other endeavor?

Joe:   I never wanted to be anything but a writer, and later a martial artist. But I entertained many ways to make a living in route, and thought I might end up writing part time and teaching at a University. I never got the degree. I got the writing career. It wasn’t an accident. I worked for it, but I also knew it might never happen.

Jim:  You write in many genres.  Do you have a favorite and if so which one is it?

Joe:  Not really. I go through stages. I like lots of things. Historical bases stories interest me right now.

Jim:  Eight Bram Stoker Awards!  That must be a record.

Joe:  Actually, it’s nine. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT is also a Stoker. But hey, who’s counting? Me, I guess.

Jim:  You’ve accumulated a lot of different awards.  Do any of those have any special meaning to you?

Joe:  I got a Golden Lion Award from Edgar Rice Burroughs fans, and he is the one that really got me excited about being a writer when I was a kid. I already wanted to do it. He made me feel I had to do it.

Jim:  You are a Writer in Residence at Stephen F. Austin University.  Tell us what that involves and what caused you to take on that job along with all your other work.

Joe::  I like teaching. It’s a paying position. I only teach when I can have a semester to do it, and then with the understanding I might have to miss a few classes. They are very helpful and kind. I usually teach one semester a year, though for awhile I taught two. This year I’m going to skip as my work load is just too heavy. I’ve been doing it for years.

Jim:   You’ve had some of your books made into movies.  Give us a little insight into that.  Did you write or work on the script?  Did you serve as a “technical consultant?”

Joe:  I have written and sold scripts based on my work, but none of those have been filmed. The others were written by someone else. Only CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAD did I have any input in, and mostly in production matters. My son wrote the script. My friend Terrill Lee Lankford directed.

Jim:  I know you’ve written for comics.  And you had several episodes of Batman – The Animated Series.  Tell us, first how you got into writing comics, and then how the animated series work differed.

Joe:  I grew up on comics, and someone read a Batman prose story I was asked to do, thought I could do it, and they asked me too. My friend Bob Wayne who works there is the one who introduced them to my work originally, so in a way, he got me the job. The difference. One moves, the other doesn’t. It’s both about beat the clock or beat the page count. A novel can vary in length, but seldom can these other forms of entertainment. I love them both. I really like writing animation, because I love it. Hell, I love comics. They are what got me reading, and along with encouragement from my mother, they led me to my love of story and writing.

Jim:   You are so prolific.  What writing schedule do you maintain?

Joe:  I usually work about three hours in the morning, but that can vary in time. Seldom more, sometimes less. I try and write at least three to five pages a day. If I get more, I’m fine with that. I try to polish as I go so I only have minor revisions when I finish. It doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s the plan, and it mostly does. I do it five to seven days a week. I do take time off from time to time, less these days. I have written a lot lately.

Jim:  Anything you’d like to add, or any advice for writers who have yet to win one award?  (I’d like to win just one Edgar.)

Joe:  If you want to be a writer, sit down and do it. Just put your ass in a chair and write. And read a lot.

Jim:  Thanks, Joe, for taking time to share a bit about your life, both as a writer and a martial arts expert.  Readers, you can find more about Joe Landsdale and his books by visiting Amazon at:  http://amzn.to/YeSKNr

And leave a comment if you have a moment.  Thanks for visiting.