By Lindsey Colley

Joe Lansdale, 56, has been writing for most of his life. Growing up as child in East Texas, he fell in love with writing at age nine, and has been writing ever since.

"He is probably the most famous person in Nacogdoches," Linda Bond said. His ritings have made him famous, and his story has impressed our classroom.

His father could not read or write, but encouraged Lansdale to do so. His mother had an 11th grade education but could read very well, and also encourage Lansdale in reading and writing.

At age 11, Lansdale began following another passion of his, martial arts. This hobby at the time stemmed from his father. Lansdale's father was a carnival wrestler in the 1930s. He jumped from train car to train car stopping at various cities to challenge people in wrestling for entertainment. Lansdale took a liking to this activity and later became an expert in many fields of martial arts.

When television programs began appearing more, Lansdale's creativity began taking off. He could watch films and other programs that would inspire his writing. Then, the introduction of comic books took place. This is something that also caught Lansdale's eye, and he would be involved with these books for years to come.

In high school, Lansdale appreciated three particular classes the most. English, typing, and journalism class were the most important to him, the rest "You could have flushed away," Lansdale said.

He credits one particular teacher to showing him how writing and learning should be.

"You just have fun, and this is where you learn the most," Lansdale said when describing his young, mini-skirt wearing journalism teacher. His teacher would bring in Beatle records and show them how this too was writing. He had fun, and learned more here than any other class. She was later fired for doing these activities in the classroom.

Lansdale attended three universities, but did not stay long enough to earn a degree. He loved to write, and that was truly what he wanted to do.

As a young adult, Lansdale and his mother wrote a fictional story. It was later published in Farm Journal under his mother's name when he was only 21 years old. He also won his first prize for this particular piece.

When working as a crop-truck runner with his mother, Lansdale thought this would be a way he could have extra time to focus on writing. He later found out this was not correct, it took up more of his day then he had hoped. But, Lansdale still found time to write.

Lansdale later began working as a custodian in Nacogdoches. He started at the high school, then the hospital, and then at Stephen F. Austin State University. As he started being promoted at the university, his writing took a turn for the best. He sold a novel, then another, and another, and things began looking great for him.

"Then I quit, and they stopped selling," Lansdale said. He was now unemployed, and book sales had stopped.

Just as Lansdale figured it was time to go back to the university and get his job back, the book sales began again. This time, it was not just a few books. These sales would continue, and be Lansdale's way of living and his only job. Although, Lansdale said, "Writing is not a profession, it's a lifestyle."

As this was not enough, Lansdale became more involved with martial arts. According to Wikipedia, he studied many different types and holds belts in Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu, Combat Hapkido, American Combat Kempo, and Aikido, and others. He also owns and teaches at his martial arts studio. Here he teaches many different types of martial arts, including Shen Chuan, and Martial Science, which he founded.

He has been inducted into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame four times. At least three hours of Lansdale's day is focus on martial arts and his studio, Lansdale's Self Defense Systems.

"It's not for sissies," Lansdale said when commenting on martial arts.

Lansdale writes novels and stories of all genres. Although he has been pegged with being a horror writing, he has written anywhere from Western, mystery, horror, suspense, and science fiction.

"Once you get that label, people forget everything else," Lansdale said.

Lansdale novels have caught interest in many people, including movie directors. Don Coscarelli turned one of Lansdale's writings, "Bubba Ho-Tep," which was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award, into a movie.

Lansdale's writings have brought him many awards, including the American Horror Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Edgar Award, and six Bram Stoker Awards. In 2007, he became the recipient of the 2007 Grand Mater Award for contributed to the field of horror fiction.

Lansdale's writing come from many areas of imagination, and memories from his past. Stories told by his parents, stories of his parents, and the influences he had growing up in the 1960s. Of course his outrageous plots are not stories of his parents, but little things may have been influences on this.

One of his most famous stories, according to Wikipedia, "Hap and Leonard" is that of two men solving unusual crimes in Texas. One man is white working class man and the other is a gay black man. When have been criticized for using things like racism is
his stories, Lansdale said, "this is what I grew up around." He can remember segregation in school and other areas of life, "I have been impacted by that," Lansdale said.

Lansdale has also written several comic books, including Batman: The Animated Series. Lansdale was also chosen to finish a Tarzan book that had been in its creator's vault for over 50 years since his death. This was a huge honor to Lansdale.

At 56 years old, Lansdale is still writing, and still perfecting martial arts. He is a laid back guy, who likes to make things fun and interesting. When speaking, Lansdale wore a black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and untucked from his jeans.

He now teaches three different writing classes here at SFA, including comic book writing.

His daughter, Kasey, who writes songs, and son, Keith, who writes for the local newspaper, are following in his footsteps. He lives in Nacogdoches with his wife, and plans to remain here in East Texas.