I was wondering how you picked Russell County, VA as the scene of your best redneck tales. I know Luntville, etc. are fictitious places (googled em) but I was surprised that Russell County was a real place. I was wondering if you had ever been there or if it just seemed like a cool place to set a novel? I was actually born in VA (VA Beach, not exactly horror fodder) and know that some of dem' thar' hills would make an excellent horror novel setting.

Actually, I drove through part of Russel county 20 years ago with an ex girlfriend and I guess the corner we hit was not the cream of the crop; I was scared shitless by the redneck there. Then I read an article about backwoods life in Virginia. W. Virginia, and KY i NAtional Geopgraphic just before I began writing The Bighead and simply ripped off names and areas cos they sounded cool (Like the name Iree, and the Boone National Preserve, plus there was an article about "sewing shops" where poor women got work.) I apologize for any insult I may have gestured toward the real Russel County!

Best,
Edward Lee