In Laymon's Terms

Ryan Harding

WAS FIRST EXPOSED to Richard Laymon through the book Flesh, and I can remember the exact moment when he hooked me. A frustrated horror movie fan had a nude picture of a woman who’d gotten the best of him. As he replayed the conversation in his head, he took a pair of scissors and mock-stabbed her picture between the legs. Such a mean streak of humor offered a lot to someone like me. It was like handing a serial killer a copy of The Collector.

Along with the black humor, wanton violence, and unpredictable character deaths (remember Endless Night?), I particularly admired Laymon’s narrative techniques. The aforementioned Endless Night, for instance, where Simon’s half of the story is told through a tape recorder, and most notably Island, to which “Development” owes a great deal.

I got to meet Richard Laymon and his family at the 1999 World Horror Convention, and again in 2000. He was incredibly friendly, sincere, and approachable. I clearly remember how shocked I was on February 14, 2001 to hear he had passed away. I sat there for maybe an hour, trying to compose an email of condolences that was all of two paragraphs. Despite getting to meet him, I never really got to tell him how his work influenced me (I hope it was apparent to some degree), but I hope “Development” corrects that oversight. His wife and daughter are still good friends, thankfully, and the last WHC was like a family reunion. I wish he was still around for these conventions...and for all of us.