basics
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biography
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Marion wasted no time trying to work the devil out of Jimmy. He was five now. Old enough to know better. Old enough for it to be clear that behavior like running around inside and not doing your chores on Saturday was not tolerated. There were two special places for little boys that didn't listen. One was called Time Out, just like on Oprah. Grandma Marion would lock him when she needed to learn him. The door to that hallway closet had a lock on the outside, and once he was in and it was latched the preacher on the radio would start talking about sin. He was wicked. Jimmy knew 'cause sometimes grandma would yell, "Hear that, boy?" Of course he heard it. That's how he knew the other special place was hell. Jimmy's heart would beat so fast. Jimmy didn't know this wasn't normal. Jimmy just knew time out, with the foam heads from when momma wanted to be a hair dresser someday, and the scritching of rodents just the other side of the rotting walls, and the one beam of light under the door which made it seem like everything in there was monsters. It was like that 'til he was nine or so. That's when the ambulance came for grandma. Jimmy wasn't sure how long he'd been in time out, but he sure was hungry. Things got better once James left Taliaferro County. Since there was no parent or guardian who could properly provide a safe and nurturing environment for a child, he became a ward of the state. Thankfully, it didn't take long for James to be placed into a foster home in Augusta. The Rance family was incredibly kind to him, and showed him a love and support James had never experience. And school! James never went to school before Augusta. He was an excellent reader, but not very good with number. But he was bright, and he was determined, and he caught up in a few years. Not that school was all that easy, either. He was tall and skinny, and once people found out he was a foster kid, teasing was not far behind. But with a loving and supporting home, and loads and loads of therapy, he was able to find some semblance of peace. An important part of that peace was finding an outlet in writing. His writing began while in high school. James was drawn to movies and television he was finally allowed to watch, and that interest was strongest in the horror genre. He loved it all, from classic black & whites of classic Universal monsters, to the latest B-movie flop. There was something empowering about facing fears and coming across the other side unscathed. This love of horror gave voice to his dark imagination, imagination that without an outlet and without a supportive home life might have manifested outward. So he wrote. They were short stories at first, full of symbolism and dark intent. They grew longer and more involved. Truly dark things were kept away from his foster parents, as he wouldn't want them to worry. James had his heart set on attending Emory College, but he had above average but far from exceptional marks, and he didn't interview well. He cast a wide net on his applications, though, and received not only an acceptance letter but also a modest scholarship to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. MCLA. In college, James flourished. He truly became comfortable in his own skin, and with his place in the world. He became active in environmental groups and helped found the campus Humanist, Atheist and Agnostic Society. He majored in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Psychology. He read everything he could on the psychology and biochemistry of fear, true crime, and mythology, all in an effort to truly reach the primal corners of his readers' imagination. And he discovered girls. Or was it that girls discovered him? He led a perturbed, introverted, sheltered life and college was an awakening. He was attractive enough, slender, and a sensitive artistic type who became very popular with a subset of the campus population. His social life included lots of trips to Albany and, every so often, Boston. A city whose vibrancy he came to love. After graduating with his bachelor's, he made the move to Boston. James found a roommate in Dorchester, got a terrible retail job at Hot Topic, and got to work on his writing. It was a difficult first year there, going hand-to-mouth on a pittance of a paycheck. While at work at Hot Topic, he'd had the idea to make a year-round haunted house. He pulled together loans and maxed out credit cards, and created The SLaughter House. The concept was a derelict children's amusement park called The Laughter House, where an 'S' had been added in graffiti. Shoddy animatronics. Lifeless doll eyes. Pastel colors that appeared to be rotting from age and moisture. Local theatre students committed to scary the holy hell out of people. It was fantastic, and James decided he never wanted to work for anyone again. He would write, he would scare the ever-living hell out of people, and he would love life as it came. 2010 was a banner year for James. The "Escape Room" movement had been picking up steam over the last few years, and it struck a chord with him. It was an ability to experiment with fear in a much more structured, cerebral way. He could have much more control over the environment, and fewer random variables meant he could better ratchet up the excitement. Shock Treatment was born, and still operates to this day offering a rotating set of escape rooms. They are considered some of the most challenging, most terrifying rooms in existence and it has become a destination visit for die-hard fans. 2010 was also the year he was first published. His freshman novel, Echo Chamber, charts the tale of a young man fighting to retain his sanity as he hears and interact with the voices of demons inhabiting the people around him. It was nominated for a Bram Stoker award, though he did not win. The subsequent novels in the series-- Bellwether, Immolation, and Nadir-- have become critical and financial successes. James has been in Boston over a dozen years now. Sure, the apartment is much nicer and he no longer lives with roommates. Girlfriends have come and gone. The businesses are more successful then he could have imagined. His books are now popular enough, and he prolific enough, that he could survive on advances alone. He's loving what he does, even though from the outside looking in it seems dark and macabre. |
comicverse
 CV TIE-INS ⤑ RAISED IN RURAL GEORGIA ⤑ MOTHER AND GREAT-GRANDMOTHER SHARE FIRST NAMES ⤑ SUBJECT TO FEAR-BASED ABUSE AS A CHILD ⤑ STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGY; FOCUSED INTEREST IN FEAR ⤑ TALL, LANKY FRAME UNLOCKED ITEMS 🔓 GENIUS-LEVEL INTELLECT (CV) 🔓 ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGY KNOWLEDGE (CV) 🔓 ADVANCED CHEMISTRY KNOWLEDGE (CV) 🔓 TOXINS IMMUNITY (CV) 🔓 FEAR TOXINS (CV) 🔓 ENHANCED AGILITY (AU & CV) 🔓 ENHANCED HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT (CV) LOCKED ITEMS 🔒 ADVANCED PSYCHOLOGY KNOWLEDGE (AU) 🔒 ADVANCED CHEMISTRY KNOWLEDGE (AU) 🔒 FEAR TOXINS (AU) 🔒 TOXINS IMMUNITY (AU) 🔒 ENHANCED HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT (AU) 🔒 SCAREBEAST TRANSFORMATION 🔒 MEMORIES OF GOTHAM 🔒 MEMORIES OF ARKHAM ASYLUM |
storylines & connections
⤑ PORTIAA friend he liked enough to move in next door to, thereby substantially increasing property values for the neighborhood. They're a thing now. He's smitten.
⤑ ROXYSelf-proclaimed biggest fan. She's his main source of technical information when a psych topic is too advanced for him. She's his best friend.
⤑ MARAThe first woman he ever truly loved. They lived together, but she hit the road just before he proposed. She blew back into his life only to leave again.
⤑ GREGA friend he really got to know doing field research on sexism, carnal desire, and transactional relationships. Plus boobs are jubbly. I mean... science?
⤑ JUSTINHis cop friend. If there's ever a brilliant member of the police force with an edge of danger James' writing, Justin will be the inspiration.
⤑ TOMThat friend where you don't really know how you became friends. Except they have a bunch of friends in common, so not that big a mystery.
⤑ JACKCo-owner of In Another Castle, one of his few public social outlets. Jack's always got fantastically terrible escape room ideas. Also Roxy's man.
PB Matthew Gray Gubler • CST • 3rd Person Past • Adult Scene or FTB friendly