Running the Gauntlet: Horror Author and Publisher Barry Hoffman

By: Denise Dumars
Date: Friday, August 04, 2000

Barry Hoffman is the author of several horror and psychological suspense novels, but he might be best known as the editor and publisher of Gauntlet Press, which is dedicated to publishing horror, having sprung out of his anti-censorship magazine, also called Gauntlet.

BORN BAD, Hoffman's current hardcover from Cemetery Dance, is dark suspense, but the author also writes supernatural horror. 'I go through phases,' he says. 'HUNGRY EYES (the first in a series) was strictly dark suspense/psychological horror. However, in the sequel (EYES OF PREY) there is a 'healing forest' that is most definitely supernatural. In the third book of the series (soon to be a Gargadillo signed limited) the forest takes on even greater significance. Actually, the supernatural is in the forefront in JUDAS EYES, as I felt it was a way to keep the series fresh. My latest stand-alone novel, CRUEL INTENTIONS, written with my daughter, also has a supernatural bent.'

In BORN BAD, the 'serial killer' Shanicha, the daughter of a crack addict who died giving birth to her, grows up to be an interesting psych case: she's a sociopath, afflicted with obsessive-compulsive disorder and arachnophobia, and she suffers a schizoid, giving her in effect two personalities. With so many problems, she is almost more to be pitied than scorned.

'That's the beauty of the character,' Hoffman explains. 'I began the book wanting to create a vile character, since in my first two books the antagonist was a sympathetic character. But, I feel characters should be multi-layered. When most [real-life] serial killers are captured the first thing you hear is how 'normal' they were, what good neighbors they were. That's precisely why they escaped capture for so long. What Shanicha does is vile, and I don't know if you or I would want to live next door to her. Yet, she's a complex character, with demons of her own. I want the reader to sympathize with her to some extent. It's what separates this villain from those of too many other novels.'

The protagonist of BORN BAD is Ariel Dampier, a police detective who finds that being bi-racial in our society can be a handicap. Shanicha is black. Hoffman discusses his choice of racial background for his characters and the ramifications race has in the storyline.

'I was a teacher for 28 years, and approximately 75% of my students were black. You write best about what you know, and my kids told me all about themselves. I also met their parents and grandparents. I have 3 stand-alone novels where the protagonist is black. You don't have to be black to write black characters, just as I don't have to be female to write female characters,' he explains. 'As for the bi-racial identity aspect, I've known a good number of bi-racial individuals. No matter how light-skinned your are (unless you try to 'pass') if you appear black, society labels you as black. And man who are bi-racial are forced to decide on one identity, which means denying one of your parents. I think there will be more and more people like Ariel who will refuse to be categorized and will demand that others accept their being bi-racial. Right now people like Ariel have a fight on their hands, and the book addresses the issue.'


The book deals with suicide, in addition to being something of a police procedural, and rape is also an issue, as Shanicha chooses her victims from among a rape survivors'group. Hoffman seems to muddy the waters by including a 'when is it rape and when isn't it' message in the book.

'I think you're definitely misinterpreting the message,' he explains. 'If you're referring to the girls in the rape survivors' group not prosecuting the offender, then this is what actually occurs on the U[nniversity] of Penn campus. It's fact, not fiction. I'm not condoning their policy, just using it as a plot device. Once a rape charge is officially filed, it's out of the hands of the University, and the city police take over. So, for any number of reasons (not all well-intentioned) at Penn the policy is to report a date rape to the city police only after the woman is certain she's been raped and wants to pursue the matter. It allows women to get counseling who might otherwise not report a date rape to the campus authorities.'

Sounds like a typical case of the kind of patriarchal bullshit women have to put up with in order to have justice done. In that sense, then, it gives Shanicha a perfect situation in which to further victimize the women in the counseling group.

'In BORN BAD any of the girls can decide to pursue prosecution of the rapist. At the same time, as Shanicha suggests, not every date rape is actually a date rape. Remember, Shanicha's a cynical character. Victims of rape often blame themselves for not fighting back or leading men on. The counseling these girls get does allow them to come to grips with the rape.'

Lest events in the book become too confused with the realities of life at UPENN, Hoffman clears the air on this aspect of his novel. 'I'm not a believer in novels sending messages. BORN BAD is not a primer on how all bi-racial men and women or victims of date rape should respond. If the options chosen stimulate thought or debate, so much the better, but it's a novel.'

When Hoffman proposed a book signing and discussion of the subject of suicide on the campus of UPENN, he found himself faced with what he had fought against so hard over the years: censorship. His appearance was canceled. 'It's most definitely the suicide aspect of the book that caused the cancellation of my speaking appearance at the U of Pennsylvania Bookstore,' he reveals. 'I was told so in as many words by the person who scheduled the event and then had to cancel when his supervisors ordered him to. It's not suicides, per se, but the University doesn't want word to spread that suicides do occur on their campus. In point of fact, there are far fewer suicides on college campuses than in the general public for that same age group. Even with all the pressures at a college like Penn (for most students it is their first time away from home; few of their friends get accepted; academics are tough, etc.) there are many support mechanisms that lessen the chance of suicide. These options are discussed in the book. Penn just thought it would open a whole can of worms and upset parents if the issue campus suicides were brought into the open.'

Asked him about the message of BORN BAD, Hoffman responds, 'There's no message. Issues are raised and discussed. BORN BAD has a strong black lead (bi-racial, but Ariel doesn't deny her blackness). Her ex-husband is complex character. And Shanicha is just plain BAD. Keep in mind, too (without giving away the plot) that the Shanicha wannabee is white and not nearly as accomplished as Shanicha. Ariel's boss is white and an ass. The campus police commissioner is white and isn't a fool.'

BORN BAD will soon be out in paperback from Leisure. Hoffman's most recent Leisure title is EYES OF PREY, part of a series which began with HUNGRY EYES. 'The first book deals with the impact of victimization. I took a real case (most of my books are deal with real life situations, which I then turn inside out and upside down). An 11-year old in New York was kidnaped by her next door neighbor and held in a bunker for 11 days. The police searched his house three times before finding the bunker. She also came from an abusive home and was put in foster care after she was rescued.'

Hoffman essentially extrapolated on this horrific real-life story as a basis for the novel. 'What HUNGRY EYES does is take this premise, fast-forward 12 years and delve into what someone who experienced this trauma might become. An alcoholic or drug addict? A victim of spousal abuseor an abuser herself? With counseling would she lead a normal life? Or might she become a serial killer? The book takes off from there, while with flashbacks, we learn of Shara's past. While the police feel they're hunting for a male serial killer (since most are male) a reporter, who befriended Shara after her ordeal, knows who the killer is and tracks her down.'

Why begin with a predator who was also prey? 'I think it's fascinating to get into the minds of victims. In the Jonesboro school shooting, everyone focused on the teacher who was killed protecting a student. My first thought was how this would impact on the student. And look at Columbine. Since the shooting, there have been all kinds of repercussions including a number of suicides. I find the ramifications of victimization fascinating to explore.'

EYES OF PREY mines some of this same ground, only with a supernatural twist. Since I feel that Douglas Clegg set the bar for female serial killers in his novel BAD KARMA, Hoffman has a
lot to live up to. 'I have to admit I haven't read BAD KARMA, and Lysette isn't a serial killer. She's far more complex, and I don't mean for her to be scary. Now, the man she fears who killed her family, he's scary. Lysette is unique in that she sets herself up to be victimized (due to events of her youth triggered by an event that traumatized her in Chapter 1) and only when attacked does she defend herself by shooting her attacker. It's far more like vigilante justice than a serial killing. Lysette doesn't stalk. It's actually Shara (from HUNGRY EYES) who is more of your typical serial killer (she gets off on the stalking). I think there is certainly room for more than one female serial killer in fiction!'

As for the series, well...'I never intended this to be a series. I wrote HUNGRY EYES and my-then agent felt because of the ambiguous ending a sequel was needed. Thus, EYES OF PREY focuses on an entirely new character. Other characters from HUNGRY EYES are developed more fully, and the main character of HUNGRY EYES is a secondary character until the last quarter of the book. She just happens to have a habit of taking over. She writes herself, so to speak. I wrote several stand-alone novels after EYES OF PREY, but Shara kept tugging at me as if her story was incomplete.'

'The series focuses on Shara and her coming to grips with her past and getting on with her life. New characters are added in each book, and in the fourth book (which I'm now starting) one central character will be killed off. This is the way it is with real life. The killing off of a series regular is not gratuitous but becomes integral to the plot of the book and the further development of Shara. And with the third book (JUDAS EYES), there's a definite mythology dealing with the healing forest. That's the beauty of being an author. I never intended the healing forest to become pivotal, but it took on a life of its own. And the forest is not necessarily benevolent. Book four will answer a lot of the questions dealing with the mythology of the series.'

Hoffman's decision to write came from his experiences as a teacher, when he told stories to his students and later used them as characters in his fiction. 'I then wrote 5 plays as part of my curriculum. I hired a professional composer to write an original score with my students' poems as the lyrics. I caught the writing bug then and there, about 15 years ago.'

What's in store for the future? 'More novels. I have written a number of short stories and had my share of sales, but I enjoy being able to delve deeply into characters, and you can only do that in a novel. There has already been some cross-pollination of characters from stand-alone novels and even the EYES series. The novel I just completed with my daughter has Ariel as a secondary character and two characters from EYES OF PREY (though no Shara yet). It allowed me to stretch some secondary characters from the EYES series in ways that would not have worked in the series. And Ariel is such a neat character (and has a nemesis of her own in her boss) that she's perfect as a secondary character.'

Gauntlet Press is a specialty press that horror fans will want to check out for special editions of classic novels. Hoffman explains its genesis and purpose: 'I was censored by my principal (one of the plays discussed above). I wasn't invited to produce a play the following year. I had free time on my hands. I was interested in publishing. So, what better than a magazine on censorship? Fast forward 3 years and I also got the itch to publish books. PSYCHO was one of our first, and Bob Bloch passed away just before our signed limited edition was published (though, thankfully, he saw everything). It made me realize there were so many classics by the likes of Matheson and Bradbury that hadn't been published as signed limiteds and this seemed to be the perfect niche for me as a publisher. I try to publish the definitive edition of a book (with lots of added material and author input) to make our books unique. As to what the word Gauntlet stands forit's running the gauntlet of censors who want to pound you into submission.'

Hoffman invites readers to check out sample chapters of all the books mentioned at the Gauntlet website at www.gauntletpress.com. 'And if you purchase BORN BAD from me directly,' he adds, ' you'll get a free chapbook which is a 'Further Epilogue to Born Bad.' Guess what? It introduces a supernatural twist!'