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Your
new book Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs - in a few words,
what's it about? 50 years ago, a toxic secret sank beneath the waves. Now it’s awake…
and hungry. A field trip turns into a fight for survival as mutated
horrors rise. The island isn’t abandoned, it’s infested. Monsters are real.
And you’re on the menu. Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs
seems to derive its inspiration very much from creature features of old -
so is that at all a favourite genre of yours, and some of your genre
favourites? Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs is very much a
love letter to the atomic age creature features of the 1950s. Films like
Them! with its giant ants,
Tarantula, and
Beginning of the End with those
enormous grasshoppers left a huge impression. There’s something timeless
about that blend of science gone wrong and nature turning against us that
still resonates today. Those films were often rooted in Cold War paranoia
and fears of unchecked technology concepts that still feel eerily
relevant. I’ve always been drawn to how those movies used practical
effects and atmosphere to build tension, even on limited budgets. So yes,
that genre is absolutely a favorite. Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs is my
attempt to channel that retro terror into a modern ecological nightmare,
mutants, mayhem and all. (Other) sources of inspiration when
writing Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs? While the
1950s atomic-age creature features laid the foundation, I’d be lying if I
said Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs wasn’t also inspired by the
wonderfully chaotic world of modern B-movie monster mayhem especially the
kind popularized by
The Asylum. Movies like
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus,
Sharktopus and of course
Sharknado brought back that anything-goes spirit
of creature carnage, just with a more tongue-in-cheek, over the top flair.
Those films embrace their absurdity while still tapping into genuine
thrills, and that balance was something I really wanted to strike. I love
how The Asylum’s movies lean hard into spectacle and camp, unafraid to
throw logic out the window in favor of entertainment. That kind of
unfiltered creativity, where the monsters just keep getting bigger and
wilder, is infectious. So while Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs draws from
the eerie paranoia of the ‘50s, it also has its claws firmly in the modern
era of mutant madness where the rules are simple: go big, go weird, and
make it fun. It’s the mutant lovechild of
Them! and
Sharknado with a bit
more menace and a lot more crustacean horror.
Do talk about your writing style on Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs
for a bit! It’s such a great journey and honestly, a lot of
writers underestimate just how natural it can feel to transition from
screenwriting to prose, especially once you find the right rhythm. For
Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs, my style evolved naturally from that
background. I focused on visual storytelling, keeping scenes tight,
punchy, and cinematic like you’re watching it unfold rather than being
told. I leaned into short, impactful chapters each like a scene from a
film building momentum and dread as the horror escalates. Dialogue plays a
big role too, staying snappy and real, often revealing character under
pressure. But what really surprised me was how much I enjoyed digging
deeper into atmosphere and internal tension. In a script, you leave that
to the actors and crew. In a novel, it’s all on the page, and that was a
fun challenge. And huge credit to Eugene Alejandro, his edits and
encouragement pushed me to shape the rough idea into something more
refined. Sometimes all it takes is one person genuinely believing in what
you’re doing. Once that spark hit, it felt like everything finally
clicked. So yeah, Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs is part retro monster movie, part ecological
horror, and 100% a labor of love born from finally having the time and the
right support to tell the story I’ve always wanted to tell.
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From what I know, Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs started
life as a film script - so what were the main challenges of getting that
script filmed, and what prompted you to make a novel out of it eventually?
Yes, Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs actually began as a
screenplay I wrote over a decade ago. I poured a lot into it, and for a
while, I really believed it could be made. I shopped it around, pitched it
to investors, and tried every angle but I kept hitting the same wall: no
serious backing. The scale of the story, the location, the creature
effects, the ensemble cast was just too ambitious to take on by myself,
and after a while, I had to shelve the idea. That was tough. But the story
never left me. Fast forward to retirement, and with some mental space and
time to breathe, I found myself thinking about it again. That’s when I
decided to try something new, something I’d attempted in the past but never
quite nailed: writing a novel. Turning the screenplay into a novel gave me
the freedom to expand the world, dive deeper into the characters, and
explore the horror at a more psychological and emotional level. The
turning point was my editor, Eugene Alejandro. He believed in the story
right away. His passion, feedback, and encouragement lit the fire I needed
to see it through. Suddenly, the thing that seemed impossible to make as a
film started to thrive on the page. My hope now is that the novel finds
its audience and maybe, just maybe, catches the eye of someone who sees
the cinematic potential I always saw in it. With the right hands,
Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs could absolutely become a modern creature
feature classic.
How closely does Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs the
novel follow the original script, and are there any story elements you've
had to abandon or could finally add due to the change of medium?
It’s pretty close, honestly. The core story, the toxic barrel, the
isolated island, the mutated creatures, and the group of students trapped
in a fight for survival remains intact. But turning it into a novel gave
me the chance to refine and expand in ways the script never allowed. There
were definitely some minor adjustments, mostly scenes or moments that I
couldn’t quite envision filming back then, either due to budget
limitations or technical hurdles. In the novel, I could finally go there,
bigger set pieces, more grotesque creature encounters, deeper emotional
beats. I was no longer confined by what could realistically be shot, so I
let my imagination run a bit wilder. The biggest upgrade was the ending. I
always felt the original finale in the script was fine but now, with more
time and creative flexibility, I was able to craft something more
satisfying, more chilling, and more earned. It ties everything together
with a darker, more lasting impact. So yeah, while the novel stays true to
the original vision, the freedom of prose allowed me to push the horror
further, flesh out the characters more, and finally tell the version of
the story I always wanted. How does writing prose actually compare to writing for the
screen, and which do you actually prefer? Great question
and honestly, I still prefer writing screenplays. It’s what I’ve been
doing for over 40 years, and to me, it’s just more natural. The structure,
the pacing, the visual storytelling, it’s all very intuitive. I can knock
out a full draft of a screenplay over a weekend if I’m in the zone. It’s
fast, efficient, and plays to my strengths. Writing a novel though, that’s
a whole different beast. It takes more discipline, more time, and a
different mindset. You can’t rely on the director, actors, or
cinematography to fill in the gaps. You are all of that. Every emotion,
every sound, every flash of fear or tension has to live on the page in
full detail. It’s more demanding but also rewarding in its own way. Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs took me about six months to complete, and
it tested me creatively. But I’m proud of how it turned out. Still, if I
had to pick one format to stick with? Screenwriting all the way. It’s in
my blood. But I’m glad I stretched those novel-writing muscles, it gave me
a deeper appreciation for both forms, and it let me tell a story I care
deeply about in a way that finally feels complete.
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Do talk
about your writing process as such! I can’t just sit down
and force words onto the page either. I have to feel it. For me, writing
starts long before I actually type anything. I need to be in the zone, and
that means having a clear vision in my head. Sometimes it comes from a
dream, a strange headline, a real-life event, or just a sudden "what if"
moment that won’t let go. That spark is crucial, without it there’s no
point in even opening the laptop. Once the idea grabs me, I let it simmer.
I visualize scenes, hear bits of dialogue, and picture the mood or tone
I’m going for. I walk around with it for days sometimes weeks until it
clicks into something I can structure. Then, when the moment feels right,
I sit down and write. With Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs, I already had
the bones from the original script, but even then, I had to reconnect with
it on a deeper level. The atmosphere, the isolation, the dread I had to
re-immerse myself before I could translate it into prose. I’m not someone
who writes every day just to write. For me, inspiration has to lead. The
writing follows. And when it hits? That’s when the real work and the real
magic happens. The
$64-question of course, where can Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs
be obtained from? You can get the novel form or Kindle
version on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/3trkjVA Anything you can tell us about
audience and critical reception of Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs
yet? It’s still early days, since Invasion of the Horseshoe
Crabs just dropped this past Friday, but the initial response has been
really encouraging. People have been excited and incredibly supportive.
Friends, family and fellow genre fans have been grabbing copies, and
while most are still working their way through it, the feedback I have
gotten so far has been really positive. What’s been especially cool is
hearing how surprised some folks are not just by the horror elements, but
by the heart of the story. I’m known more for slashers, so diving into a
sci-fi creature feature was a shift. But readers seem to be really
enjoying that change of pace, especially the blend of retro monster-movie
vibes with modern ecological themes. I’ve had a few people tell me it
plays like a movie in their heads, which is the ultimate compliment given
my screenwriting background. The monsters are hitting the mark, the
suspense is landing, and the concept itself is grabbing attention. I’m
hoping as more readers dig in, word will spread and maybe even catch the
eye of the right people in the film world because that’s still the dream, to see these monstrous horseshoe crabs wreak havoc on the big screen. Based in your experiences writing Invasion or the Horseshoe Crabs,
will you ever write another novel?And/or other future projects you'd like
to share? Absolutely I’ve got the bug now, no pun intended!
Writing Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs was a real turning point
for me. As tough as the novel writing process was compared to
screenwriting, it opened up a whole new way of telling stories, and I’m
definitely not done yet. Right now, I’ve got two projects already with my
publisher awaiting the greenlight: Survive the End, an
apocalyptic survival thriller, and Stingrays: Tides of Terror,
another creature feature, this time diving deep into oceanic horror.
Beyond those, I’ve got four other novels in the works, some in the writing
phase others being polished up with my editor Eugene Alejandro, who’s
been an incredible creative partner throughout this whole process. His
input has really helped shape these stories into something special. Each
project lets me explore different shades of horror and sci-fi from end of
the world chaos to nature striking back in grotesque and unexpected ways.
So yes, Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs was just the start. I’ve got a whole universe of
monsters, disasters, and survivors waiting to crawl out of the shadows.
Stay tuned. Your/Your book's website, social media,
whatever else?
Right now, promotion is pretty grassroots. The book’s mainly being
advertised through myFacebook:
https://www.facebook.com/phil.herman.969
Amazon:
https://a.co/d/efn0cxy
Raven Publisher:
https://raventalepublishing.com/home
I don’t have a dedicated website or official social media pages for the
book yet, but that’s something I’m definitely considering as things pick
up steam. For now, I’m relying on word of mouth, personal connections, and
the horror community to help spread the word. If you’re a fan of creature
features, retro sci-fi, or survival horror, and you’ve enjoyed the book,
sharing it really helps. Every post, every review, every recommendation
goes a long way in building momentum. And who knows if enough interest
grows, maybe Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs will get its own little
corner of the internet… along with some monstrous sequels. Anything else you're dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask?
Honestly, I think you’ve covered just about everything but if there’s one thing I’d
love to add, it’s this: While Invasion of the Horseshoe Crabs marks my
official entry into the world of novels, I’m still a filmmaker at heart.
That hasn’t changed. I’ve got three big films in the works Jacker 3: Road
to Hell, Actor’s Curse: A Tale of Twisted Fate
and Phil Herman’s A Soldier’s
Descent. And coming next year, the long-awaited Crowbar, along with a
brand-new horror anthology, which has become a yearly tradition with my
team. So yeah this novel might be a new chapter, but it’s just one piece
of a much bigger horror legacy I’m continuing to build. Whether it’s on
the page or on the screen, I’m still telling twisted stories, still
collaborating with passionate people, and still chasing that next scream,
shock, or gasp from the audience. If you’re into creature features,
slashers, or psychological horror stick around. There’s a lot more on the
way. Thanks
for the interview! |
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