By the end of this particular interview, I compared Nick to a machine that always keeps going, no matter the obstacle on the way. As a compliment, like. He struck me as the kind of person who just keeps on powering through, right through, towards his goals. Sometimes, the passion that someone has for something, is clearly evident, and so seamlessly a part of them. There are people who like something and they talk about it and apply it to their lives, and try hard to make sure they are seen in a certain way. But then, there are people who do not have to try. They are the thing they love to do. I think Nick is one of those people – he is so wholesomely the books he reads and writes.
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Nick, one of the more surprising things I found out about you, was that you were a professional basketball player. You come from northern Minnesota, America, and you played professionally in Australia and New Zealand, and New Zealand is where you now reside and work as a physics teacher. I have to ask- which was in your life first – sport or the magic of words?
I’ve had three dreams in my life. Playing professional basketball, teaching, and writing badass pulp novels.
Of the three, writing has been my longest goal, but also the one I believed least attainable. Imagined worlds were my first true love. Neither of my parents were athletes, but both were and still are voracious readers. My favorite games as a kid were inventing and drawing monsters with my friend Colin and playing “guys”, in which we’d imagine ourselves as badass warriors taking down the monsters we’d made up.
I discovered books when I read The Hobbit in 4th grade, then I discovered Stephen King when I bought The Stand at my elementary school book fair. Since that moment I’ve had my nose in a book every single day (I literally carry a book with me at all times, even at parties).
I was forced into basketball because I was extremely tall, and hated it at first. I was a skateboarder and nerd at heart, into comics and books and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but when I found success and admiration on the basketball court I became obsessed. I spent the next thirty years putting everything I had into the game, but during that entire time I was reading and writing and dreaming of one day being an author.
I think you are a great example that no matter what it is you always dream of being or doing, you will get there eventually. It will happen. Sure, not out of thin air, boom, one day, you have all you ever wanted, but with a little nudge of the fate and recognizing the opportunity and working for it, things can really make a full circle and fall into place, so to speak.
I have to ask. When you bought The Stand – do you remember how long it took you to read it? That book is a freaking doorstopper.
It took me about three months to read The Stand. So long the book literally dissolved in my hands. But I taped it up and kept going. The coolest part is I still have it! One of my prize possessions. Check this out:
That is impressive! King should see this picture, it’s clearly a book that has been loved and read and resuscitated. Also, love the hammers on the pic, and a copy of The Sledge in the background!
Clearly you have had stories cooking up in your head for decades – I make it sound like you’re 80, haha – but what about Sledge? Is Sledge Vs. series something that has been simmering away all these years, only now coming to fruition? Or, was the first Sledge story like lightning from the clear sky, a fresh bolt of inspiration that finally set you on the publishing path?
Sledge has been smashing around in my head for pretty much my entire life, but he has his start in two clearly defined moments. First, my buddy Logan Howard had one of those classic American basements you see in the movies with this den area where there was a big TV and cushions and bean bags. His dad had THE VHS collection with all the best rated R movies we were forbidden to watch. So, of course we snuck down in the middle of the night and binged them. One of the tapes was a triple feature of Predator, The Running Man, and Commando, and another had Conan, Terminator, and Bloodsport. I love all six of those movies to this day, and each has had a huge influence on Sledge, a larger than life pulpy action anti-hero.
The other moment that is crystal clear in my head has to do with a place. The North Shore of Lake Superior is a truly magical place. The landscape is dramatic, with waterfalls and caldrons and cliffs and creeks all terminating in the world’s scariest lake. Lake Superior is beautiful and deadly, so cold it can kill you in seconds if you fall in, even in summer. One weekend my friend Colin and I were up there with our parents, staying in a cabin and adventuring in the woods. We entered an eerily silent forest, all the trees were covered in this white lichen, and found this creepy tree growing straight out of a rock and hanging over Lake Superior. We later learned that it was The Witch Tree, a sacred Ojibwe tree that used to be given offerings for safe passage upon the lake. On this same trip, Colin had brought Mortal Kombat and his SEGA Genesis, so after discovering this creepy tree we dueled to the death all night in the cabin with the lake crashing outside. I didn’t really put it together until recently, but this combination of creepy Lake Superior locations and brutal fights to the death are the definition of Sledge.
Speaking of Sledge. I noticed something. Sledge’s name is Einarr Laukkanen… there is also Kiira… and SISU Press… These are Finnish inspired names? Estonians and Finns are practically ‘brother nations’ so I have to ask, what’s the story here?
Minnesota is home to many Scandinavians, because the land and climate is very similar to Scandinavia. I made Sledge Finnish (he’s technically half Finnish on his father’s side) because my favorite single concept in any language is sisu. Sisu is the Finnish soul-word that defines their culture. It means the refusal to give in, even when faced with insurmountable odds. Sledge is sisu personified.
So, Sledge is said to be the ultimate anti-hero, but will readers get to see a softer side of him? A nice side? Perhaps even a weakness? Or, is it all very black and white with him?
Sledge was enslaved and forced to fight to the death for the entertainment of rich and powerful assholes. This has left a permanent scar on his soul and transformed him into a monster. He is fueled by revenge and is willing to die to take down all the powerful people in the world who enslave others.
Beneath his brutal exterior he is a tortured man gripped by the knowledge that he should have died a long time ago. He just didn’t. Sledge hides his hurt behind nihilism and dark humor. Life is meaningless. Right now is all you get. So do whatever you want. Just don’t be a dick. Or he might come find you.
Sledge is clearly a standout character and hardly one to fret over offending someone, but is there are topic or a theme, or a trope that you can never see yourself writing? Does author Nick Horvath have a taboo topic? What do you shy away from, even in fiction?
Nah. These days people make it their mission to get butt hurt by pretty much anything, so no matter what you do you’re probably gonna piss some Karen off. You can’t worry about it. It just turns out that whiney Karens have the loudest mouths. I write pure pulp escapism. Sledge is gonna kick ass and take names. Karens beware.
That sounds like a very intriguing character to me, and story generally. We have the revenge plot to take down the assholes, and you used the word nihilism – I mean, just so you know, you’re ticking off a list of my favourite things here, no joke – so, nihilism… Are you much of a philosophy kind of man yourself?
I’m definitely a philosophy man. One of my favorite books is Sophie’s World, which is a novel and history of philosophy all in one. I’m also a physicist, and I see the beauty in the laws of the universe, but also the stark terror in entropy, the universe’s tendency toward cold and chaos.
What about horror: what is the most important element of horror genre for you – is it the physical pain, or is it the psychological aspect?
I love horror for the physiological response it gives me while watching/reading. It’s a safe and exciting way to look death in the eye. As far as what I find more effective, mental or physical, psychological or visual, definitely the psychological aspect. When a movie or book looms out of the screen or page and bites you in the fear center is such a rare and thrilling thing. The movies Smile and Talk To Me did this to me recently. It’s not the violence and gore that’s horrifying, it’s the idea that true evil exists . . . and wants to get you!
What kind of a writer are you? Are you organized and methodical, do you think things through before you put words to paper, and break apart each section and chapter as you go? Or, do you just attack it, lock down on it, focus and get it done!
As far as what kind of writer I am, like Sledge, I am a battler. I’m slow, grueling, but unrelenting. Writing does not come easy to me. I write a very lean style, where every word counts, and much is inferred or filled in by the reader. To do this well, the one or two “true” details need to be written, and it’s very hard to find the right ones.
In the live interview with Matt the Beard of Darkness you described this writing thing with the words ‘valley of despair’. And you didn’t mention this to complain about the act of writing itself, it was more like a matter of fact, this is your process… so why is that? Is it because Nick Horvath is an over-thinker and perfectionist who wants to get every word just right? Or, is it, that you have so much happening in your mind and your vision that it takes a bit of effort to pick our the best that your creativity has to offer?
I agonize over each word. I wish they just fell out naturally but often it simply doesn’t happen that way. My prose style is hugely influenced by Hemingway, who spoke of the majesty of the ice berg in that most of it is below the surface. And of writing truly. Once I truly know the characters and places and I’m living inside the story I can pick the one or two “true” descriptors that allow the reader to fill in the rest of the themselves. This looks simple, as the style is sparse, with simple declarative sentences and lots of dialogue, but it’s so hard to achieve. But when I get it right it’s the best feeling in the world.
I’ve spoken with a handful of indie authors over the years and one thing that always gets mentioned is, and it’s actually generally a thing apparently- the lull after the high. So, let’s talk about success. I think you’ve definitely done something right with marketing Sledge Vs. series… You and Sledge have kicked down the door and arrived to the scene, so to speak. And it’s amazing to witness, there’s a vibe, I can see a vibe! 😀 So, as an experienced sportsman and someone who appreciates the philosophy in life, you are surely familiar with the lull after the high. There is a period of quiet after the roar of celebrations. It’s such a human thing… you’re in the middle of something huge, but then it stabilizes out to a hum and sometimes the vacuum is jarring. So, have you thought about how you will deal with the lull? What’s your approach to dealing with the lows after the highs? Or, are you just there – sledgehammer at hand, ready to break some rules and unwilling to bend to the norm, so to speak?
What a prescient question! That lull you speak of is something I was not expecting, but it’s definitely a real thing. There was such great hype and so much fun up to and on the release. I am a Halloween nut and every year in our house we make our hallway into a pitch black haunted maze and terrorize the neighborhood, so this year it was all Sledge themed. So that was soooo much fun with book coming out and this amazing headline article on the national news and a ton of hype and great reviews and heaps of people from my past getting in touch to say how much they enjoyed the book and it was all so amazing, a true dream come true.
I was reminded of the feeling I got after winning a championship when I was playing basketball, which I was lucky enough to do four times. You work so hard for so long for that one big moment and then you get it and it’s like . . . okay, now what? It’s great, but there’s the next day, and the day after that. And with this writing gig you’re then faced with marketing, which is this endless abyss and it hits you that there are SOOOO many books out there and how on earth will my ONE ever get seen and man, it’s pretty overwhelming. I’m learning as I go. Just trying to enjoy the ride and loving the little victories as they come. For instance doing this interview! It’s so cool to be given a platform to share my pulpy art. It’s my lifelong passion finally being realized, and the journey is just beginning! Thank you so much for being a part of it.
And then it was all over.
In the interview with Matt, you also talked a lot about influences and inspirations and I love how you are excited about books both as a reader and a writer. Like, I imagine, you see a book and your eyes start to shine. It’s infectious! So, as a writer, how much do you worry about originality?
I look at Sledge as a loving homage to all his influences. He’s Conan meets Batman meets Sin City meets The Juggernaut, and I loving lean into that. But there’s no one out there like him. As I said, I’ve been looking for Sledge my entire life and couldn’t find him, so I had to write him!
What advice would you give to your younger self based on your life experience? And, looking back on the years the story and book publishing was cooking up in your head, what advice would you give to writers out there?
The advice I’d give to my younger self is that you are what you consistently think. So tell that self-doubting asshat in your head to fuck right off and envision the you that you want to be.
My advice to writers is the same advice I have to constantly give myself. Write the book you want to read, not the book you think others will like. Yes, having others enjoy your book is nice, but the true joy comes from the creation of the book itself, not the reception of the book by others. It’s not about sales or popularity, it’s about creating the art that makes you stoked. I’ve been looking for THAT book my entire life. A mixture of noir mystery and creepy horror with a larger than life badass anti-hero. I couldn’t find it, so in the end I had to create it. And I couldn’t be more proud of what I’ve done.
What’s next? What do you have in plans for your readers? And while we’re on topic, let’s address the pressure of the follow up. Do you feel like with the next book a lot more is on the line? That it’s harder, somehow, to write?
It’s like you read my mind with these questions! I’ve been tackling this exact thing for weeks now. I’m writing the follow up to Sledge vs The Labyrinth, currently titled Sledge vs The Wendigo, but the going has been rocky ever since I released Labyrinth. I think much of it is pressure I’ve put on myself and fear of not being able to write a second book as good as the first.
The second book syndrome appears to be a very real thing. I set a very high standard for myself in everything I do and I refuse to release a book that is anything less than the book I’ve always wanted to read. I’ve scrapped a terrifying number of words and the daunting thought of starting over AGAIN hits me like a train sometimes.
Regardless, I refuse to quit. Sledge is sisu personified, and I write him the same way. He’s coming . . . I just don’t know when!
Nick Horvath is the author of the SLEDGE VS. action-thriller series.
A native of northern Minnesota, Nick studied Physics and English at Duke University before embarking on a 12-year professional basketball career. Over that time he transformed himself from a timid finesse player into a rugged rebounding monster, much like his savage anti-hero, Sledge Laukkanen.
Though he has yet to bludgeon anyone to death with his bare hands, anyone wishing to date his daughter should consider themselves forewarned.
He draws inspiration from 80’s action and horror movies, Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Frank Miller’s Sin City, and hard-boiled noir mysteries.
He is currently living the dream in New Zealand with his wonderful woman and awesome children.
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PS! Sending my thanks to Nick for being a standout guy as I was grilling him over TwitX DMs over multiple days and telling him weird stories about a SISU truck. I have to admit, I don’t know much about Conan, but I freaking loved Sin City movies for the noir vibe and I am also rather partial to Jack Reacher movies for an afternoon’s entertainment, and thus I am beyond excited to read Sledge vs The Labyrinth very, very soon. I have leafed through the book like a kid without control with an advent calendar of chocolates and what I have seen this far has been building that fire to proper dive into the story. Also, if you know me, you know I LOVE a damned good anti-hero on a path of revenge. Bring it on!
PPS! And for the love of all that’s holy (like revenge and power tools and beer, maybe…) check our Sledge Vs. website. It’s badass and you can now go and choose your victim! *taps nose.
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