12 Questions for a Writer: Nick Efstathiou

Nick Efstathiou is a vet, teacher, historian, and writer. His new book, Killers in Their Youth, looks at war through a child’s eyes as a means of understanding an almost incomprehensible reality.

1. Who are you, what have you written, and why?

My name is Nicholas Efstathiou, and for a long time I’ve primarily written horror and supernatural fiction. I write horror because I’m terrified of everything (seriously, 1950s horror movies with cheesy jump-scares get me every time). I was born and raised in New England, splitting my time between New Hampshire and Connecticut. My hobbies and interests are simple: I enjoy reading, writing, building Lego sets and painting/building models. Killers in Their Youth is something that I’ve been working on for a few years, and it originally started as just combat stories.

2. What is it that draws you to writing?

I don’t know. Writing is really a compulsion. I’ve been writing steadily since the third grade. Writing is something I have to do, even if it’s just a few lines before I go to bed.

3. Tell us about the process you undertook to write/edit “Killers in Their Youth”. That’s a great title by the way. 

Writing Killers in Their Youth started about ten years ago with a couple of stories jotted down. As I became more serious about putting the stories together, I thought about how best to tie them together, and that was through the eyes of a child. I remembered the men that I met as a child and later on as I grew older. There was a lot of fine-tuning, which Jessica Danger guided and focused on at Dead Reckoning Collective. The smooth flow of the book is a result of her hard work.

4. What did you learn in the process, both substantively and personally, and what surprised you?

Writing a novel is difficult, especially when you’re personally invested in it. There is, of course, the workload you put on yourself. Writing a novel isn’t something I can sit down and peck at. I have to set realistic goals and stick to them. Personally, this work was a challenge because I was digging into aspects of my own history. Some of the characters are based on people I knew, people that I was close with. Only a few of them are still alive, and the reminder that they were dead, that I couldn’t call or email them to ask them a question or two, is still hard. I think what surprised me the most was how hard those feelings hit.

5. What is hardest about making a life as a writer?

For me, I can’t make it as a writer. I provide for my family, and I need the security of a full-time job. Maybe later in life, I can take that risk, but right now, it wouldn’t be fair for my family.

6. What do you want people to take away from this book?

I want people to take away the impact that war has on men, women, and children. Not just the immediate impact of violence but the lasting impact. We have a real issue in the veteran community with self-medication. We struggle to maintain our sanity and use illegal and legal substances to try and cope. This has a brutal effect on not only the veterans but those around them. I also want people to understand the challenges children face growing up with a parent suffering from PTSD from their experiences in the military.

7. What advice do you have for aspiring authors/editors?

I don’t have any advice for editors. The advice I have for authors is simple, stick to it. Even when I find myself in a rut, I write through it. I may have nothing worth saving, but something good might be in there, whether it’s a single line or an idea. And rejections are part of the experience. You can’t let a rejection deter you from writing.

8. What is your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck’s voice is amazing, and the truth of his characters is powerful. I read Cannery Row at least once a year. The characters—Mac and the Boys, Lee Chan and Doc—are all people you can know, and there are more than a few characteristics in the men and women I count as friends.

9. With “Killers in their Youth” you’ve undertaken to educate the young adult crowd about war. You even include a discussion guide. I think that’s a noble goal. Why did you undertake it?  

The discussion guide is the brainchild of Dead Reckoning Collective. Since I’m a teacher, and a teacher of history, I get asked about the military and warfare a lot. I want young adults to understand the sacrifices that people make when they join the service. I encourage joining the military but want them to do so with their eyes open.

10. You are an Army vet, a history teacher with a Master’s in military history, and a writer from a horror writing background. That seems a pretty decent resume to write about war, but why did you step away from your usual genre and where did you get the idea for this work?

Writing horror helps me deal with my own PTSD. I stepped away from horror because I wanted to bring these stories to life. The idea came from all the veterans I’ve met and talked to, and from the men who were my father’s friends. When they all got together, they’d get drunk, and sometimes, they’d talk about the war or being in the military. These weren’t rosy stories. Some of them are funny, but even those had a dark note to them.

The title came from talking with the veterans of Korea and World War II. You would see these old men tottering along, and then you’d see the hats they wore. Many people just see World War II veterans and don’t see the rest that’s on the hat. They don’t see the CIB, the battle stars, the purple hearts or the different campaigns. They don’t understand the significance behind the name Chosin or Tarawa. I met one man who had WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. The man had survived Bataan, fought at Chosin, and slogged it out in Vietnam. He was an old man with a cane and hunched over. No one would have known the violence he survived or the violence he dealt.

11. Which writers do you consider inspirations?

There are a few: John Steinbeck, Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Max Brooks and Tim O’Brien. Steinbeck is at the top of the list, and I like to use a couple of his books when I teach US and World History (Of Mice and Men and The Moon is Down). Garth Ennis is a phenomenal comic book writer. If you’ve watched the most recent series, that’s based on his writing of Frank Castle. Same with The Boys and Preacher, and the comics they’re based on are excellent. Warren Ellis writes comics, novels and novellas. If you want a great read, check out his novella Normal or his Gravel comic series. Max Brooks is Max Brooks, so World War Z and Devolution are two brilliant books. And finally, Tim O’Brien. For me, The Things They Carried is the pinnacle of writing on the Vietnam War.

12. What have I not asked that I should have?

Am I nervous about the book’s acceptance? The answer to that would be yes. I don’t worry too much about my horror because that’s for me. I work a lot of crap out with my horror.

Killers in Their Youth is more personal, though. I’m trying to show the reader what these characters have experienced and what they’ve brought home with them.

I think within the military community, there are three basic levels that we connect on. These connections begin broad and then narrow down. The first is having a similar trauma-bonding experience of Basic Training. The second is serving with someone. The third and most powerful is seeing combat with someone. I hope that veterans reading this will make that first connection with the characters, and I hope that non-military readers can make that connection, too, through the main character.

You can get a copy of Killers in Their Youth from our friends at Dead Reckoning Collective.