Satire and suckers: A conversation with G.A. Finocchiaro

“From bachelor party awkwardness to blood-soaked mayhem, Suckers takes a familiar setup and twists it into something wild and wicked. With vampires, satire, and a club themed around the seven deadly sins, Suckers is a genre-bending ride that refuses to follow the rules—much like its creator, G.A. Finocchiaro.”

In this interview, we talk dread, defiance, and the art of writing for your toughest critic: yourself.

Your new novel, Suckers, has just been released. Can you tell us a little about the story?

Suckers is a horror comedy about a man named Carlos who was invited to a bachelor party for his ex-best friend. He and his old buddies haven’t seen each other in some time due to a mysterious event that drove a wedge between them. What ends up happening is more than any of them bargained for as they receive an invite to a prestigious underground (literally) club called The Sin Emporium, where every room is themed for a different deadly sin. And then, you know, vampires happen. 

As you were writing, what scene was the most difficult to write and why?

Comedy comes easy to me. Writing something that instills the proper dread I want to instill within a scene has always been difficult. Specifically, the scenes where a certain troublemaker is attacked by a horde of vampires, I couldn’t quite get the proper edge that I wanted, so I ended up rewriting it several times. I think with Suckers, tying all the threads together into one big scene at the end was troublesome, but also rewarding, as I wanted everyone to play their part in equal weight, and I think I was able to do that. 

How do your personal experiences influence character development in your writing?

In most cases, my books are filled with personal experiences I repackage and attribute to my characters in abstract ways. I think in Suckers I put the least amount of my personal self into. One of my favorite scenes in Suckers is when King Cant and Dizzle, the unwitting proprietors of the Sin Emporium, are caught on the Gravitron—an old amusement park ride from my childhood. I placed my own childhood trauma from riding that horrific ride into their experiences and I think it paid off with a truly hilarious and gory scene. 

What's your perspective on writing rules? Follow them, bend them, or throw them out the window?

I think this is all about developing a personal style. I believe in grammar and spelling and adhering to standard rules for crafting a novel. I do not believe in the typical story arc. I have found it's too formulaic. I really enjoy authors like Joe Hill who writes meandering tales that weave in and out of foreshadowing so well, that when the twist comes you have the "ah-ha!" moment that makes it all worth it. 

One thing writers deal with is hard—and sometimes harsh—critiques. How do you handle feedback and criticism?

I learned at a young age that not everyone will like you. I think carrying that mindset into all we do is important. I also went to art school, and if there's one thing that you develop in art school is titanium thick skin. I remember walking out of portfolio review with people in the hallway crying their eyes out after their review and didn't have the strength to leave the scene of the crime. You tend to find the silver lining.

That said, some criticism is undeserved. People don't get satire these days, and I am waiting for someone to read the part of Mr. DeLuca and think they are somehow related to my own personal views. They are not. Villains should be villainous. 

If you were going to give aspiring writers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Write stories that you would want to read. Write for yourself because you will always be your harshest and most excited audience. Write for you, and finding fans will make it that much more rewarding. 

About G. A. Finocchiaro

G.A. Finocchiaro (psst, it’s pronounced “Fin-oh-care-oh”) was born and raised in South Jersey. He is a self-described goofball with a taste for bad jokes and good burgers. Finocchiaro currently lives in the Philadelphia burbs with his imaginary friend, Ichabod.

Inspired equally by Neil Gaiman, John Carpenter, Stabbing Westward, The Great Gonzo, & John Cusack, he has as a constant soundtrack running through his head consisting of old commercial jingles, TV show themes, and all eras of good music.

His books include The Knightmares, Grace Falls, The Raptor, The Omega, Masked, The Pale Demon, Suckers, and My Best Bud, Beelzebub (all part of the Scales Sequence), as well as two short stories, Bogey and Quibbles. He’s also in the process of launching Not Dead Yet Press which is coming soon with more books, games, and other announcements.

Find out more about G. A. on his web site: www.GAFino.com. (You can find his socials there, too, but he'll admit that he's not on social much.)

What is the Scales Sequence?

The Scales Sequence is an overarching series of books all sharing the same universe. It is a sprawling tale of cosmic proportions, spanning realms far and near, items powerful and diverse, and the brightest good opposite the darkest evil. Each book can be read in order or separate (with exception to individual series). Start with The Knightmares or start with The Raptor—it doesn't matter—they are all connected. The Cosmic Scales must always be balanced. Good and evil, positive and negative furies and polarities, all answer to the SCALES and its proprietors, the Fates.