{image1}Horror novelist Peter Straub is the author of 16 books, including the bestselling "Black House," co-written with the biggest name in the game, Stephen King. Straub is a Milwaukee boy and as he prepares to return to town, we decided to check in with him.
OMC: Many people know Peter Straub's work, but don't realize you have Milwaukee ties. What is your connection to the city? Has Milwaukee ever figured into one of your books?
Peter Straub: I was born and raised in Milwaukee, I went to school in Milwaukee, I was married in Milwaukee, and my only full-time adult job was as an English teacher at University School of Milwaukee. Is that connection enough? I've put the city into lots of my books, most directly in KOKO. The novel MYSTERY was set on the fictional Caribbean island of Mill Walk, where the streets had names like Calle Burleigh and Calle Humboldt. After that, I invented a version of Milwaukee called Millhaven and located it in Illinois, just to avoid being completely obvious. I must be obssessed or something.
OMC: You come back to introduce Milwaukeeans to nearly all of your books these days. Do you get back here otherwise to see family or friends?
PS: The answer is yes, or maybe yeah. My wife and I are on the Board of Visitors to the English Department in Madison, so we generally turn up in Wisconsin twice a year and spend some time in Milwaukee before going to Madison. We have good friends in both cities.
OMC: Once you've shut the book and signed the last autograph, what do you enjoy doing in Milwaukee?
PS: Just hanging out, really. I like eating in that restaurant underneath The Pfister (Celia), the name of which has vanished into an Alzheimer-ish limbo, going to the spectacular new wing of the art museum, and just walking around. Sometimes I go to North 44th Street and look at my earliest, most distant past.
OMC: Some have referred to your latest book, "lost boy lost girl," as "smart horror." Do you think the genre is becoming a little more respected these days, even if only by literary types? We'll assume that lots of people respected it anyway, since the books sell quite well, I think.
PS: That's, um, a tough question. If there's a category known as "dumb horror," are we allowed to like it? Stephen King gives Harold Bloom the hives, we know that, but according to me they're both literary types.
OMC: What do horror writers do on Halloween?
PS: This one stays inside and watches horror movies both smart and dumb on the TV. When my kids were small, I used to march them around trick or treating, but back then we lived in Connecticut. Now that we live in Manhattan, no one goes around ringing bells, except in apartment buildings, where every transaction is rigorously monitored by the in-house chapter of Mothers for Padded Playgrounds -- you know, the MPP. Once you get around these people, don't even mention jungle gyms, they'll tear you apart. As for little bags of candy, forget it, they'll have you up for reckless endangerment.
Peter Straub visits Schwartz Bookshop, 17145 W. Bluemound Rd. in Brookfield, Thurs., Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. to read from and sign copies of his latest book, "Losy Boy Lost Girl."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
