Withersin’s Damned Interview with:

Michael Pignatella

Michael Pignatella lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children, and is currently working on his Master's degree in English Literature.  His works have been published or accepted for publication in such venues as All Possible Worlds, Wicked Hollow, Aiofe's Kiss, Dark Corners, Nanobison, Modern Magic, Tales of the Unanticipated, Withersin, and Wondrous Web Worlds vol. 4.  He is currently working on a novel.

In your own words, define Withersin.

Withered. Sinful.  Maybe a bit of both...

If you were a sideshow act, what would you be?

The monkey boy.

What is your greatest non-literary influence?

All my influences seem to be literary.  I need to get out more.  Does Spiderman count as a non-literary influence?

Describe your most irrational fear.

Going to bed without checking that the garage door is shut.

How about your most guilty pleasure?

Fantasy baseball.

Name the most disturbing nursery rhyme/fairy tale you can recall.

The Pied Piper -- the vision of all those children being lured away at the end...

Do you eat meat?

Yes.  Unashamedly.  In fact, I'm eating raw hamburger as we speak.

What were the skies like when you were young?

Filled with scary clouds.

Name your favorite garden tool.

Big, sharp hedge-clippers.

Name your least favorite color, first job and worst job.

Orange, paperboy, pizza-delivery boy.

Favorite:  Author, Movie, Music Group, Song, and Quote.

Authors - Stephen King (surprise), Jeffrey Ford, Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Carroll, Charles Dickens.

Movie/Music - changes daily.

Quote: "Life isn't a support-system for art.  It's the other way around" - Stephen King.

If you were a loaf of bread what kind would you be?

Marble rye.

Weirdest news you have read in your local newspaper:

It's all weird.

Why horror?

I've always liked to be scared, as long as it's vicariously through books.  Horror allows both the reader and the writer to experience "bad" things without having to face the reality.  Horror is uncomfortable, and at its roots it questions the stability of our existence, and why we're here.  That's not a bad thing to reflect on every once in awhile.

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