Please include a brief biography, and any links to your social media pages, website and Amazon author pages, and please attach an author photograph to the completed interview.

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BIO

Cory A. Jones is an independent Writer, Photographer, and Filmmaker from Northern California. While primarily dealing in the Horror genre, Cory explores Western, Noir, Erotic, and Fantasy elements. His background in Screenwriting led to the world of prose with his debut Novel "The Estranged and the Wretched". When not writing, he is usually out somewhere with a camera, or planning his next all night sleazy movie marathon.

WEBSITE LINKS

Website: https://coryajones.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emperorcorndog/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29757472.Cory_A_Jones

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I grew up an only child in a pretty small town in Northern California, and I didn’t really have a whole lot to do since there weren’t many other kids in my neighborhood. So, I spent a lot of time entertaining myself, and making up little games and characters to keep myself amused. 
I spent a lot of time at the Video store growing up. I’d get a little allowance every week for doing chores, and spend it renting movies. First Action films, and later got into horror movies once I was old enough not to still be scared of them. I fell in love with it. 
Later, when I was a teenager, I saw the movie Suspiria (still my all-time favorite film), and that flick changed my life. I decided I wanted to make movies, and actually started making my own little movies with my friends. That’s where all of this really started. Once I became an adult, I discovered that filmmaking is extraordinarily difficult for folks with little money, and I started writing prose as a means to get my stories out there while I am struggling to get that elusive first film made. 
Then I fell in love with reading and writing fiction. I’d always been a casual reader, but writing turned me into a pretty voracious reader.
It’s become such a strong passion, that I honestly feel like this is what I should have been doing all along.

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

There aren’t very many that I would like to meet! But I would probably give that particular distinction to ‘Uncle Jack’, the main villain of The Estranged and the Wretched. I don’t think that would end well for me.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?


Actually, I draw a lot of inspiration from other genres. I rarely write strictly horror. There’s almost always some other element that I blend in with it. ‘Estranged’ has a heavy Action/Adventure current running through it. It’s kind of an Action-Horror hybrid, really. 
My next release, called Deadly Visage is an Erotic Horror story. It has a lot of influence from Dark Erotica, and Gothic Romance mixed in with the Supernatural Horror at it’s core.
I love Noir, Westerns, Fantasy, and Mysteries. I draw a bit from everything I find interesting and cool.


The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations.  What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?


Small minded people will always make assumptions. I don’t think we can do anything except keep creating art that stomps peoples assumptions into bloody smithereens. I’m not particularly interested in influencing people’s thought process other than giving them nightmares.


A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years? 


Horror is a cyclical genre, it’ll go where it needs to. It’ll get hot for while, and then it’ll stagnate and go semi-dormant for a while. Trendy subgenres will rise up, bask in their popularity for a spell, and then peter out again.
The process will repeat itself as it’s done throughout history. Movements come and go, and rarely amount to much outside of public discourse passing through time. 
Horror is a genre wherein challenging ideas are thrown in the faces of people who are afraid of them. It mirrors society in many ways, but it often works in consequence of socio-political climates, rather than in service of them.
In-other words, nobody can really predict where it’s going, but it’ll always be interesting to watch how it unfolds. I’m just hoping to be a part of it for a while.


Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? 


Because it’s survivable, whereas reality is not. It’s therapeutic because it makes our real lives feel a little less stressful when you have a fictional story that is much worse that you can compare your real scenarios to. It’s an escape. It’s a thrill.


What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?


A healthy wave of fresh new ideas. I see a lot of familiar concepts, and throwbacks to bygone renaissances but asskickingly original stories feel like a very rare commodity at the moment.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? 


I really like Tory Tallberg, her debut novel Crowe County Hospital is a lot of fun. Probably the most fun horror novels I’ve read from an indie in a while. 
Outside of horror, I always mention my soul sister from across the puddle, Jo De-Lancey, if y’all want to read an excellent pirate-fantasy novel with a great chunk of British charm, check out her book The Crystal Shore.


Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?


I’m spank-ass brand new to this, so not yet!



What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?


I’m a two-draft kind of guy, but the second draft is the real hard work draft for me. The first draft is the fun, playtime part of the process. The second is where it becomes cerebral, and tedious. But, it’s a balancing act to make a story work for the reader. So as much as I don’t enjoy the second draft, I power through it knowing that I’m making it for the reader, not for myself.


Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? 


I avoid socio-political topics as much as possible. I can’t always, but I try. It’s just too disagreeable for people. So I stick to focusing on stories of humanity, and elements that everyone can relate to. As best I can, anyway. 
I like to think that I’m more of a populist writer, and I write for everyday people. That said, I’m certainly not above expressing my own views and feelings on hot-button topics. I just try to do it in an open, questioning, and conversational way when I feel the need to do it at all.
For example; In my next book, Deadly Visage, I got pretty deep into the elements of sexual politics. Feminism, Misogyny/Misandry, the ‘Queer Horror’ phenomenon, etc.
I didn’t do that to make any kind of statement, though. Nor was I trying to position myself as some kind of ideological renegade. It was all motivated by the story I wanted to tell. In order to tell it in the way that felt most honest, it felt natural to invoke those ideas. 
So, I wouldn’t say it’s a particular subject that I would never write about, but there is that conceited, impressionistic prerogative that I want to steer clear of, so long as I can help it. If I manage to do so, I can pretty well write about anything.





Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

I actually used to think that I was absolute garbage as a writer, and that my place was behind a camera, directing actors. I’ve learned that if you really allow yourself to explore, and do it with humility, you very well might end up surprising yourself with your own capability. 
From there, I’m just trying to learn a new trick every day. Trying to get better at the craft, and find new tools that I can use to make the stories I write a little more immersive.


What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?


Just keep doing it, never stop.



Which of your characters is your favourite?

In Estranged, it’s my girl Jenna-Marie. I fell in love with her when she first popped into my mind. She’s really the avatar for my spirit in many ways, and I put a lot of effort into making sure she connected to the reader in the same way. I think readers are really gonna like her.
In Deadly Visage, I found a unique situation where the supporting character/love interest is really the spiritual protagonist. Her name is Jonelle, and I think she is the most genuine character I’ve ever come up with. She’s the one who’s always speaking the truth, and trying to make sense of madness. She’s got a great attitude, and sense of humor. I feel like she’s the most multi-dimensional character I’ve produced.
So it’s a battle between those two, and in all honesty, I can’t choose between them. You can’t make me.


Which of your books best represents you?


The Estranged and the Wretched. I’ve got several more books in development, but I still think this first one is the most me.


Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? 


Oh man, yes indeed. It’s tough to narrow it down to just one little tidbit, but here’s one that comes to mind from Estranged. It’s where the main human villain, ‘Filthy Phil’ Stanton is talking to a captured prisoner he has trapped in a cage:
“Y’know, that look on your face tells me that you just don’t understand. That’s okay. You’re not meant to understand. This world doesn’t want you to understand. It wants you to bleed . . . And so you will,” He continues:
“I see everyone here wants some kind of revenge for past wrongdoings. Some kind of restitution . . .” Phil said. “You know them. They want restitution. They want a restitution in blood,” Phil said, his voice becoming more ominous with each syllable. “Because that’s how it is around here.”


Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?


Well, I’ve said quite a bit about Estranged and Deadly Visage already, but here’s a quick rundown on each.
The Estranged and the Wretched is a tangled web of a yarn about people who are either lost themselves, or have lost someone, into this bizarre, demon infested place called ‘The Outland’. It’s a story of people who will fight straight into the mouth of hell to rescue their loved ones from being swallowed by evil. The best moments are when these people find each other, and their bonds are formed by their common mission. It’s a hyper-gory, high-octane rollercoaster ride, but it’s about loyalty, perseverance, and redemption at its core. It releases on April 21st for the Print and e-book versions, and the audiobook will be out later in the summer.
Deadly Visage is a much more personal, and psychological piece. It’s a novella, so it’s a short read, but it’s a slow burn. The horror comes in strong near the end. I make you wait for it, but the payoff is worth it. It’s about a young woman who is tormented by abusive relationships in her past, and has developed some serious emotional turmoil. As she’s laboring to sort this out, her fears and anger begin to manifest in the form of a horrific Incubus that visits her in the night. I won’t say any more, but I’m so stoked for people to read to the end. I had an absolute blast writing it. It comes out in October.
As for what’s next; I’m currently writing a revenge thriller called Sutter Road. This is an old story from my back catalogue that I’ve dusted off, and given a new coat of paint. This is another novella, but much faster paced than Deadly Visage. I classify it as a thriller, but it’s an extremely brutal thriller. So it fits in the horror genre quite comfortably. It’s adapted from an old short film I made back in 2007, but I feel like it’s even more relevant today given the aforementioned cultural climate. It’s a nasty, mean-mofo of a book. I’m excited to unleash it next year. 
I’ve also got my second full-length novel Black Apostasy, in the works. I won’t say much about it right now because it’s still in its early stages, but it’s by far the most pure-horror project in the pipeline. It’s sick, it’s twisted, and it’s very, very dark.


If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

Clichès are actually kind of important because it helps guide us writers toward newer, fresher ideas. They wouldn’t exist if so many people didn’t find them to be good ideas at one time, but they age out with repetition. 
So I’m usually grateful for them, but if forced to eliminate one cliché then I’d say the casting of stupid teenagers as our protagonists can be retired now. 
I’m surprised at how often I still see horror films with dumbass teens, or college age kids as the people I’m supposed to care about. These are the hardest characters to care about for me personally. Maybe it’s because I’m in my late 30’s now, and I just don’t have the patience for them anymore, but I think most people just find them annoying and hard to care about. 
I want stories about intelligent, responsible people who have real lives facing the horrors that threaten them. Give me some grown adults who are resourceful facing insane danger, and have to overcome insurmountable odds. I love Nancy Thompson, and Kirsty Cotton, and the great teenage final girls we’ve had before, don’t get me wrong, but let’s see something new.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?


Hmmm, Keeping it relevant to Horror I would say the last great one I read was Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin. Yes, it’s spelled correctly. It’s a fabulous Vampire Tale set on a Steamboat in the 1850’s. What a great setting, and it’s just so well told. I’m not huge on Game of Thrones, and all that, but Martin killed it with this one. Highly recommended.
As for disappointing; I hate to say it, but I think most of Stephen King’s recent output has been pretty disappointing. A lot of people put The Outsider over strong, but I thought it was just okay. Apart from that though, I think the last really good one was Doctor Sleep. I remember being excited for Sleeping Beauties, and man was I bored to tears by that one. I think that was the most disappointing read for me recently. For the most part, I’ve been on a pretty good roll of winners lately.

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do?  And what would be the answer?


Question: Would you like a whole bunch of free Food, Beer, and Sexy Women to party with?
Answer: Why, yes. Yes, I would.

You wake up and find yourself in a horror franchise, what franchise would you prefer to wake up in and why?

Oooo, that’s a tossup between Poltergeist and Nightmare on Elm Street. I think I’ll have to go with Poltergeist. I grew up in a haunted house, not as crazy as the movie, but there were similar elements: TVs and lights going on and off, strange footsteps, knockings, a sense of something ‘other’ living with you in the house. So given that I’ve gone through it before and survived, somewhat intact (jury is still out on that one), I’ll go with Poltergeist.



You find yourself as the “Final One”  which monster / villain would you most like to go up against ands why do you think you would survive?


I’m going to go with the Preacher in Poltergeist, aka Reverend Kane This entity with a wide brimmed hat is loosely based on an actual phenomena that people experience called the Hat Man. (Freddy Krueger is also inspired by this apparition).  People usually see this oppressive spirit/entity while they’re falling asleep.  Little extra fact about me, I’m also a psychic medium and yes, I see dead people. I had a client whose daughter was plagued by this malevolent ‘Hat Man’ and together, we were able to banish it, preventing it from further tormenting her.  A bit of white light and some extra magic ingredients and poof! he was sent packing.



And which creature would you least like to go up against?


I’m going to go with a Skinwalker. These beings terrify me. They are akin to the movie version of the Predator. They are shapeshifters from another dimension, they’re smarter than we are, more technologically advanced than us and there’s no way I’d stand a chance against one of those.  By the time you see one, it’s too late, your toast.


You find yourself in Scooby Doo, which character are you, and who would most like to have as the other members of Mystery Inc?


I think I’m more like a modern version of Daphne, post damsel-in-distress. I, like her, use my intuition, am a black belt and a former journalist. We can see things for what they truly are and have a healthy balance of openness and skepticism.


And I am already part of a Scooby Mystery Gang of sorts. A group of five psychic mediums, including myself, work as psychic detectives, helping to find missing people or uncover the mystery around a strange murder or disappearance. I would take my gang of five with me anywhere. In fact, we have traveled internationally together to work on cases. We just need to get a cool van, then we’ll be all set!



Pinhead pops round for an evening of fun, what are you pains and pleasures?
​
Oh, so good! I love and am haunted by all things Clive Barker. Let’s see, for pain, anything involving poking the eyes, i.e., pins, toothpicks, thumbtacks, anything sharp and pointy, going into the eye would send me straight to crazytown.  Pleasures, hmm, anything being removed from the eye after being inserted into it.

The Wishmaster gives you three wishes

1.  You can wish to write in any franchise
2. You can wipe on franchise from the minds of everyone
3. You can date your horror crush

What do you chose?

1. Well, it’s not technically horror, but there are definitely horror elements: I have always wanted to write Batman, in any shape or form, and preferably with the Joker who is arguably one of the scariest creations in modern time.


2.  This question feels like I’m being asked to jump into a shark tank with a bleeding leg. How can I possibly wipe out a franchise that might be beloved by so many? Let’s just say for me, personally, the whole Paranormal Activity franchise was a miss. I don’t like mockumentaries especially when the real thing exists and is way more terrifying. The scares felt cheap and predictable. Sorry if that’s someone’s favorite but it was a ‘meh’ for me.


3. That’s easy, Johnny Depp before he gets swallowed up by the bed in Nightmare on Elm Street.


Thank you, that was fun! Here’s a bit more about me and my upcoming book:



  ​

​“The tales in Francesca Maria’s They Hide are brief but intense, revealing the monsters hidden at the corners of everyday life. The author’s lifelong love of horror shines through here. Make sure to check the warnings and read in the daylight lest you become too unnerved.”
—Christi Nogle, Bram Stoker Award®-nominee and author of Beulah

"... a solid collection, with stories ranging the full spectrum of horror, from grim and grisly, to suspenseful, to dark humor, and one true heartbreaker. All your classic monster tropes are represented here, and all done really well. ...Whatever your taste in horror, I'm sure you'll find something in They Hide that you'll enjoy."
—Ben Monroe, Author of The Seething

"...a humanistic approach to the horror that makes it somehow all the more terrifying...That may be the key to her storytelling. The people and things that populate these tales are relatable, whether they be monsters or human or somewhere in between...If you like short stories that bring new perspectives to things you thought you already knew, you’ll want to check this collection out."
—Jay Bechtol, Author of The Great American Coward

"Francesca compiled a fantastic collection full of stories that cover so many different eras and things that go bump in the night, and it kept me on my toes from start to finish."
—Sinister Scoop


Who are we if not for the monsters that we keep?

They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark collects thirteen chilling tales that weave through the shadows, exploring the nature of fear, powerlessness, and control.

- A series of murders in a New England colony
- An untamed beast in pre-revolutionary France
- A mysterious stranger who invades 18th-century Ireland
- A traveling circus that takes more than the price of admission
- A gathering of the Dark, telling tales on the longest night of the year, and more.

Come play with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, ghouls and the devil himself. Make sure you check under the bed and don’t turn out the lights.

Bio:
Francesca Maria writes dark fiction surrounded by cats near the Pacific Ocean. She has been penning horror stories since she was able to pick up a pen and write at the age of six. This fascination with horror was spurred by her insatiable quest to uncover what was haunting her childhood home, a quest that continues to this day.
You can find her award winning work in Crystal Lake's Flash Fiction Series, the Death's Garden Revisited anthology, Black Cat Chronicles and her upcoming debut release of her short story collection: THEY HIDE: SHORT STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK. 

OH NO T.L. BODINE IS STUCK IN A HORROR

You wake up and find yourself in a horror franchise, what franchise would you prefer to wake up in and why?

I think I would do quite well in The Purge world. Hear me out. One night a year, all crime is legal, right? No one specifies that it has to be a certain type of crime. I would simply spend the year learning some elite hacking skills. Then, a little before purge night, I'd pack it up and head out to some property my family has in rural northern New Mexico. There's really no reason for anyone to come all the way out there to bother me. All I'd need is a generator, a laptop, and a mobile hot spot and I'd spend purge night using my newly acquired hacking skills to go wipe out student loan debt, empty corporate bank accounts, blackmail billionaires...I don't know, some kind of mischief. It's all legal for the night, and everyone else will be too busy killing each other to notice, right?



You find yourself as the “Final One”  which monster / villain would you most like to go up against and why do you think you would survive?


I don't really have a Final Girl constitution. I think I embody much more of the “wise-cracking friend who gets murdered late in the film” role, or else the “walk-on role with esoteric yet helpful information” role. That said, I feel like I can take on Chucky. He's crafty, he's persistent, but...come on. Look at him. I'm pretty sure I can punt him before he does too much damage.


And which creature would you least like to go up against?


The Thing. Look. I'm predisposed toward paranoia already. And I've played enough Werewolf to know that everyone always finds me suspicious no matter what I do in these types of situations. I'd be in trouble before the alien even got close to me.


You find yourself in Scooby Doo, which character are you, and who would you most like to have as the other members of Mystery Inc?


I am definitely the Velma of the crew. If I brought along my dachshund, my husband, my best friend, and her spouse, we would basically perfectly replicate the Scooby Gang, except with creakier knees. We're a little old to be meddling kids, but I would enjoy living in a world where evil rich scammers could be unmasked and face some kind of consequences.



Pinhead pops round for an evening of fun, what are you pains and pleasures?
Whatever they are currently, I'm quite sure I'll discover plenty of new ones before the night is over.


The Wishmaster gives you three wishes

1.  You can wish to write in any franchise
2. You can wipe on franchise from the minds of everyone
3. You can date your horror crush

What do you chose?

1 – I would love to do something new with Gremlins. That was a really formative horror franchise for me as a child, especially Gremlins 2, which I watched a lot and probably imprinted on like a little baby bird. It's such a deep thematic well to draw from! Responsible pet ownership, cultural appropriation, capitalist decay...


2 – It's not really my place to go obliterating anything from the canon or robbing folks of their pleasant experiences with media that even I find unpleasant. But I wouldn't be opposed to sneakily wiping out The Conjuring franchise. I adore James Wan but I think the Warrens are...not the kind of people who deserve to be celebrated.


3 – I mean, you did say a certain Hellpriest would be visiting...if you'll excuse me, I think there are some sights for me to be shown.​

Tell us:


Who are you?

Brianna Malotke – mainly a horror poetry and fiction writer.

Your signature style:

I’m not sure that I have a signature style just yet. But for horror writing, I do lean towards writing pieces with female killers and more body horror pieces.

Toot your own horn:

I recently turned in my completed manuscript! My debut horror poetry collection, inspired by deadly fashions, will be released this summer (2023) with Green Avenue Books!

Books read:

This past month I’ve read Dracula’s Child, Meant to Be (not horror), and Holiday Leftovers.

Movies watched:

I think this past month I’ve only watched Dracula (the 90s version). I’ve been playing catch-up on tv shows and have barely made a dent.

Games and/or music played:

A lot of MCR and Fall Out Boy has been played this past month. Outside of those, just a big mix of Florence + the Machine, Blue October, AFI, Lana Del Rey, and Orville Peck. It may seem really random, but I made a playlist for an airplane trip that felt pretty eclectic and now it’s my go-to playlist.

Words written:

I finished an 8k short story, so about 2k works on that and maybe another 1k worth of poetry. A lot more editing than original writing was done this past month.
Future stuff:

I’ll be on a few different horror podcasts this coming March & April including the Panic Room Radio Show & Bubble Bath with Baph. I also have some poetry coming out in The Nottingham Horror Collective and HorrorScope (a zodiac inspired anthology).
​
Brain worms:
Not 100% sure what to write here, but I’ll just say I’m starting to believe that orange cats do indeed only share one brain cell.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?


I’m Ryan Harville, and I’m from the southern U.S., and when I’m not writing horror, I’m that big, bearded dad you see driving a minivan and blasting metal on the way to pick up his kids from school.

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

I’m going to stick with characters from my (incoming shameless plug) new collection Red Rains Down, and out of those I’d say the long-haul trucker from “The Middleman”. He has a Randall Flagg-esque kind of glee to his work that’s disturbing, and also has a penchant for a bit of the old ultraviolence.


Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?


Music, definitely. I’m a metalhead at heart but do branch out to other genres as well. I still love the grunge I grew up with, and have even gotten into synth-wave over the last few years. Most of the stories in this new collection were probably written with Zeal & Ardor blasting in the background.


The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations.  What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?


I don’t believe that we will ever truly break away from the negative connotations, just due to the fluidity of the genre. For every “elevated” horror movie or book, Get Out or Hereditary, for example, there’s going to be a Terrifier.
I could show someone Midsommar and they may walk away with a new appreciation for the genre, or I could show them Terrifier 2 and cement all of their negative preconceived notions of horror. Both good movies, both horror, but on the opposite ends of the spectrum. As with most things in life, you can’t please everyone, and that’s totally fine.


A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?


I honestly don’t know, but I believe minority filmmakers and authors are going to lead the way. Jordan Peele, Stephen Graham Jones, Agustina Bazterrica, Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I mention them specifically not only because they’re excellent at what they do, but I believe they will be the influencers of the next generation horror creatives. Is that a term? I may have made that up, but you get the idea.


Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?

“Horror” to me is one of the myriad ways that we come to terms with our own mortality. An example I like to use is watching someone in a comedy slip and fall, or get hit in the crotch. You laugh because it’s amusing but, on some level, you’re also relieved because it’s not happening to you.

What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?


Maybe not missing, but I’d definitely take more time travel and/or time loops. Triangle, Coherence, The Endless, The Shining Girls. I’ll take everything you’ve got!

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?

I really enjoyed Max D. Stanton’s collection A Season of Loathsome Miracles. All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes was excellent as well.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?


Someone in an Amazon review called one of my first published stories “both heartbreaking and horrifying”. And that has always stuck with me because it means I made them feel something beyond just being scared. It’s a great feeling.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?


I have ADHD and various other issues I won’t get into, but for me writing is a waiting game. I must wait for one of the golden moments where the stars align just right, and my brain decides to get to work. That usually means spending three days on a writing binge and cranking out ten or twelve thousand words, then nothing for two weeks. I chose to stop fighting that process a long time ago. Forcing myself to sit in front of the keyboard never works. If my brain isn’t ready, it just isn’t ready. So, I’ve embraced it. When I know it’s time, I crank up the music and get to work, if not, I go read what someone else is doing.


Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
I haven’t found one yet but I’m sure it’s out there. I can say with certainty that fatherhood has made me much more sensitive to anything involving kids in dangerous situations.


Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?


I believe I’ve finally gained the confidence to trust myself and to stop all of my second-guessing. Imposter syndrome is a very real thing, and it can get into your head if you let it. My first published story was in an anthology alongside stories by Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, and Jack Ketchum. So, the questions quickly became “How the fuck did I get here? Can I do it again? Were those the only good ideas I’ll ever have?”

A couple of years ago I had a story published in an anthology alongside Brain Keene, an author whose work I love. I tweeted about imposter syndrome shortly thereafter, and Mr. Keene commented something like “For what it’s worth, I dug your story.”

It was then I decided to stop questioning myself and just write whatever I felt like writing. It’s a great feeling.

And if all of that seemed like self-serving name-drops, I wouldn’t totally disagree with you.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?


My creative writing professor in college was Carolyn Haines, who I believe has published something like fifty books at this point. She pointed out multiple sentences in the story I was working on and said something to the effect of “These are really nice, and paint a beautiful picture, but they don’t serve the story, and they’re dragging down the pace. Get rid of them.”

I always try to keep that in mind. Is this serving the story? Is it moving things along? If the answer is no, I kill it without hesitation.

Which of your characters is your favourite?


From my new collection, probably Maddie, from “Branches and Bones”. She is resourceful and unrelenting.

Which of your books best represents you?

Now, I only have the one book available, but it definitely represents me as a writer and as person. If for no other reason that it’s set in my part of the world, with characters like the people I see and interact with every day.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?


I wrote a brand-new story for this collection, and it begins with the line:
“Jesus returned to Earth about the same time I was pulling into my driveway.”
It’s extraordinary and mundane, and that’s why I love it.


Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?


I have another collection that’s about to go out to my editor here after the holidays, probably for a Spring release. I’m also working on my first novel, which is going well at the moment.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?
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No more ghosts and monsters popping up behind people’s reflections in mirrors. I just die a little inside every time I see it.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?


Philip Fracassi’s Beneath a Pale Sky was the last great one. I’d rather not say the last disappointing book, because as a new author on the scene I need all the friends I can get!

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do?  And what would be the answer?


Do you have a tattoo from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower?
And the answer is yes. Yes, I do.

Ginger Snaps: Mini Interviews with Bite!


Who are you?  Maureen Clancy Thibodeau from New Hampshire, USA
Your signature style:  Casual, out-doorsy…jeans and flannel kind of girl
Toot your own horn:  Did my first book signing (at a local winery).  SO FUN!  Sold some books, met some new friends who asked lots of great questions and was invited back for another event in July.

Books read:  Dean Koontz’ “Velocity”

Movies watched:  “Ouija: Origins of Evil”, “Jungle”, “The Impossible”, “The Ice Road”

Games and/or music played:  Skiing and snow shoeing.  Love me my 70s music!

Words written:  50+ pages of my sequel book, “The Afterlife of Dr. Peter Bailey”

Future stuff:  Sequel to “The Trophy Hunter”, teaching myself how to write a screenplay

Brain worms:  Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart”

Where to purchase eBook or Paperback version of “The Trophy Hunter”:  The Trophy Hunter: A novel of pure terror and paranormal eeriness that will haunt your dreams. Read it if you dare!: Thibodeau, Maureen Clancy: 9798987125403: Amazon.com: Books
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Other fun stuff:  As a Certified Aromatherapist, I am developing a line of aromatherapy products to compliment “The Trophy Hunter”.  Each signature scent will be based on book characters’ personalities and energies.  All-natural products available will be soaps, lotions, personal scents and oil blends! ​

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?


I’ve been a horror fan since a small boy watching late-night Saturday horror movies on television with my Dad. Teen years spent on Hammer Films. I’ve written a lot of horror-themed theater and poetry.


Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

All of my vampires, actually. They’ll drink you in a heartbeat!


Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?


The Lost Generation of writers: Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Stein, etc.


The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations.  What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?


That’s a tough one. I think because of the proliferation of bad horror movies, and torture porn disguised as horror, a lot of people shy away from anything labelled “horror.” Yet when I bring up 1930-1940 Universal Horror, and Hammer Horror those same people tell me how much they loved them. So when I say I’m a horror writer I mention those (which to me, is horror).


A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?


Honestly? I have no idea!


Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?


It’s a kind of catharsis, I think. It’s also fun!


What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?


There’s a lot of good things going on in horror, both film and literature. You just have to dig for it.



What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?


Besides me? Seriously, I’ve not read any Grady Hendrix yet, but I hear he’s great. I read a novel by TJ Payne Intercepts and I really liked that.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?


At the risk of sounding cocky, so far all of the revues I’ve been getting have been terrific. I’m still new enough at this game for all of them to still be with me.


What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?


Getting started. I write all my first drafts (plays, or novels) in long-hand, and I’ll stare at the blank page forever!


Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?


Politics.


Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?


Maturity brings a lot of lessons. Also, trial and error shapes one. I’ve learned to be very close-cropped with words (I’m also learning not to use words like “very” the way I just did!)


What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?


As cliché as it sounds: Keep writing.


Which of your characters is your favourite?


In Blood Ending one of the main characters is an alchemist, Praetorious Biederbeck. He is a haunted man who, despite his powers, is very much human and flawed in many unfortunate ways. There are two tragic characters in the novel, he is one of them. He discovers far too late what he has brought on himself and attempts, at the end of his life, to make the best of his terrible situation.

Which of your books best represents you?


Blood Ending is my first published novel, so I will have to go with that.


Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?


The very first line from Blood Ending: People made way for the crawling filthy thing.
The line pretty much pulls every reader into the story.


Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?


I’m working on a ghost story titled Within These Tainted Walls. Abagail Cross put a curse on the Weatherly Family, and, well, it’s not going as planned.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

Either the black cat that appears from out of nowhere, or the aunt/uncle/old person used as comedy relief.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?


Sorry, I can’t give a definitive answer to that one.  My brain isn’t currently working on that level!

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do?  And what would be the answer?


I’ve not done enough interviews to be that savvy.

THE FIRST HORROR BOOK I REMEMBER READING 


Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Still creepy all these years later! I loved the gruesome pictures in it even more than the stories.

THE FIRST HORROR FILM I REMEMBER WATCHING


A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. I watched them all out of order but Freddy scared the hell out of me as a kid. Sleep was supposed to be a refuge—here was a demon man who used it to kill you! It seems cheesy now, like most things I loved in the 80s, but at the time I liked the idea that you could give yourself a super power in a dream to fight evil.


THE GREATEST HORROR BOOK OF ALL TIME

I was tempted to go with IT or The Dark Tower by Stephen King, but then I remembered that I Am Legend by Richard Matthewson exists (published in 1954) and it really kick started several viral strains of what is now modern horror, including my favorite genre: post-apocalyptic alcoholism. 


THE GREATEST HORROR FILM OF ALL TIME

We have a dead tie: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and The Thing (1982, John Carpenter version). Patton Oswalt has a great bit on how The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a great title because it paints a picture in your head and your sense of dread grows with each word. The Thing has all the ingredients I love about a good horror movie or story: isolation, distrust, madness, weird shit suddenly happening.

THE GREATEST WRITER OF ALL TIME


Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Chapter 11 in Part Four in The Idiot is one of the great horror endings. Crime & Punishment was one of the first and perhaps still is the greatest murder thriller of all time—a book that I’ve read three times and have felt a feverish excitement each time through. Classic Russian lit can definitely be stuffy, dense, and at times boring, but they do reward a patient reading.

THE BEST BOOK COVER OF ALL TIME 


The original first edition cover of The October Country is creepy and unique. Bradbury was lucky to have several great, intriguing covers for his work.


THE BEST FILM POSTER OFF ALL TIME 

It's hard to beat Jaws for its raw, simple power. That swimmer is about to have a really bad day.

THE BEST BOOK I HAVE WRITTEN

Perhaps it’s And the Hills Opened Up, my only horror-Western. There’s something so strange and primal about that book that I now look back at it and wonder exactly where it came from. “When the Dennison Mining Company tunnels too far, a bloodthirsty creature is set loose upon the isolated mountain town of Red Earth, Wyoming. If a reluctant alliance of outlaws, miners, misfits, and whores cannot stop the Charred Man, everyone in Red Earth will be dead by morning.”


My new novel Claw Heart Mountain has the tightest plot and one of the creepiest settings.

THE WORST BOOK I HAVE WRITTEN

It was a literary novel called The Cobalt Legacy. It was about a young man who inherited a castle in America (turns out there are more than you’d think) and a legacy of family violence. I wrote it right after 9/11 while a senior in college studying abroad at the University of East Anglia. The book just never found its legs and it helped me gradually realize I was never going to be a fancy “literary” author like F. Scott Fitzgerald. 


I tend to learn more from my lesser, unpublished books than the relative few that see the light of day.

THE MOST UNDERRATED FILM OF ALL TIME

There’s a movie called Last Night (1998) that Wikipedia calls a “Canadian apocalyptic black comedy-drama film”. I haven’t seen it in a long time, but I remember loving the bittersweet tone and feel the movie captured as the world ended. It got me thinking about non-obvious apocalyptic narratives and perhaps planted the seeds for the suicide plague in my first novel . . .

THE MOST UNDERRATED BOOK OF ALL TIME 


I don’t know what books are rated, much less know the all-time rating stats, but a book I love that could use more attention is Girls by Frederick Busch. It's a literary thriller about a 14-year-old girl who disappears and the brutal experience of a Vietnam vet named Jack who is searching for her in upstate New York. 


Fred Busch visited when I was in grad school at Hamline University and I was lucky enough to interview him about this book, which had a profound effect on me, and I also had a whiskey with him. He died a few months later, suddenly, at 64. This was back around 2005-2006 and I still think about him. I’d just sold my first novel, The Suicide Collectors, and he told me never to believe the good reviews because then I’d have to believe the bad. This turned out to be great advice.

THE MOST UNDERRATED AUTHOR OF ALL TIME 


I misread this question as “The Most Undeterred Author of All Time,” which would be an even better title to hold. I won’t name any names, but I’d like to give a shout out here to every creative writing student I ever taught who really loved writing and who understood that thoughtful constructive criticism was a truly valuable gift—they didn’t waste time pouting, they got right to work on the next draft. They understood that writing is a grind.


THE BOOK THAT SCARED ME THE MOST

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski was scary, in parts, but what I really dug about it was how unsettling it was and how realistic it felt—somehow the idea of a house with an interior that goes on possibly forever strikes a chord inside me. I have a friend who won’t allow the book in her house.


THE BOOK I AM WORKING ON NEXT 


I’m working on a horror-thriller set outside of Decorah, Iowa. The challenge I set myself for this book is a lack of supernatural elements. Human beings can be monsters all on their own.


THE BOOK I AM PROMOTING RIGHT NOW

My new novel Claw Heart Mountain was just released by CamCat Books. It is a horror-thriller set on an isolated mountain in Wyoming. On their way to a remote mountain cabin, a group of college friends discover fifteen million dollars in an abandoned armored van. They take the money, unaware that a killer is after the cash and a legendary creature called the Wraith haunts the mountain. Soon they must fight for their lives.
 
A fun coda for this book: my previous agent told me he didn’t think he could sell it. We parted ways soon after and I found a new agent who sold it to CamCat Books and now here it is, lumbering into the world against all odds and getting generous reviews. Yar!

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?


I’m a middle-aged American living in Canada, a father of two, and an author of thriller and horror fiction, with notable works including Suffer the Children, One of Us, Our War, The Children of Red Peak, and my newest from Hachette, Episode Thirteen.


Which of your books best represents you?


Probably Suffer the Children. In this horror novel from Simon & Schuster, a parasite kills the world’s children only to bring them back to life three days later. The parents learn if they give their kids human blood, the children will reanimate exactly as they were before death, but only for an hour or two; and then they need more, and more, and more. So the question for the parents becomes: How far would you go for someone you love? The children are basically vampires, but the monsters in the novel are the parents who go all the way, willing to do evil out of the purest love in the world.

I think this novel best represents me for several reasons. One, a lot of the horror is psychological, and the reader is placed in the story by being invited to confront the premise: What would you do? And possibly learn something new about themselves in the process. I certainly did, writing it.

Two, it’s pretty grimdark and shocking at times, as my stories find their own identities that tend to shy away from the familiar and challenge the reader, often in a disturbing and uncomfortable but always visceral way.

And lastly, a lot of my own blood is in that book, as in the writing I confronted my midlife crisis and existential fears as a father. It’s a brutal read, and it was brutal for me to write it. Almost a decade after its publication, I’m still proud of it, and it is still producing consistent sales.


Can you tell us about your latest book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?


My latest horror novel is Episode Thirteen, published by Hachette and now available in bookstores, libraries, and online booksellers. A “found footage” novel made up of documents like journal entries and video transcripts, it tells the story of a ghost-hunting reality TV show crew that investigates a notoriously haunted house, only to discover way, way more than they bargained for—things that not only challenge what they know about ghosts but their concept of reality itself. The result is what starts as an entertaining reality TV episode about hunting ghosts becomes a nightmarish documentary of obsession, madness, and terror.

I’d never done an epistolary novel before, as I think it’s a challenging format for hooking the reader, but I’d watched enough found footage movies to develop a sense of what worked and didn’t for me in the form, and so when my editor expressed interest, I really went for it. I’m happy I did, as I love how it turned out. At its heart, Episode Thirteen is a found footage horror story, but it goes much farther with an inside look at how reality TV shows get made, how ghost hunting is done, and how science regards the paranormal. Emotionally, I played a ton of Phasmophobia, a really amazing ghost hunting game, with my son, and bottled the dread.

As for my next, I just signed a deal with Hachette for How to Make a Horror Movie. In this story set in horror’s slasher era in the 80s, a director makes a horror movie with a cursed camera that kills anyone he cares about. The scream queen he loves wants to survive the night. Together, director and Final Girl, they’re about to make movie history. This novel really dives deep into horror as a genre and what makes it tick, and how movies get made. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for readers, especially for fans of horror movies and in particular 80s horror. A book reviewer once said I never travel the same ground twice as an author, and I hope other readers agree with that. While my work has particular trademarks, for me, every novel I write must have its own distinct voice, style, and flavor.


The term horror, especially when applied to fiction, always carries such heavy connotations. What is your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

When I tell people I write horror, there is sometimes an awkward moment, and I can picture them saying, as if they’d just discovered while watching the news that I turned out to be a serial killer: “Craig is such a nice, quiet guy, I would never have guessed he wrote horror.”

I think the problem is that for many people, horror is a place you might visit, not where you should live. Another is that horror is a big tent, and the genre’s most notorious representatives involve torture or extreme gross-outs. As a result, when it comes to movies for example, critics tend to judge horror based on preconceived notions. If they don’t like the genre but like a particular work, they simply call it something else. I know people who say they’d never read horror, but they love Stephen King.

I’m not sure anything really needs to change. If you’re an author and want to try to be more mainstream, you might brand your book a “paranormal thriller” instead of horror, for example, and write a mainstream story with horror elements rather than the other way around. Thematically, you can explore metaphor or hit on a social trend to elevate the work’s impact. But in the end, there is a fundamental human emotion that is horror, there are many people who love it, and there is a community of creatives who serve them. How far horror permeates into the mainstream comes and goes and depends on a lot of things, but there must always be that passionate core to keep the genre alive and evolving.


Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?


Back to my zombie fiction days, I’ve always been fascinated by the psychology of humans in crisis. Ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations where we see what they’re really made of. The potential to hold up a fractured mirror to humanity to reveal some dark truth. This led me as a horror author to explore the psychology of what freaks people out, so I could maybe gain insight into how to do it better.

When I started Suffer the Children, for example, I asked myself what scared the absolute shit out of me. The answer was if something bad ever happened to my kids, and so the novel was born out from the classic parental brag they’d put their arm in a thresher for their children. I thought, okay, good, but would you put someone else’s arm in a thresher for them? How many arms, exactly?

Similarly, when I started The Children of Red Peak, which is about the survivors of an apocalyptic cult that committed mass suicide, I started with the Biblical story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac, only to stay his hand at the last moment. I thought, okay, good, but what if God didn’t stop him? And: What was it like to be Isaac that day and all the days that followed? What followed was a deep dive for me into the psychology of grief, trauma, memory, and how even conventional religion contains aspects of cosmic horror.

So looking at what makes horror and why people would want to literally suffer it, I started with the fundamental desires of sex and death and its deep human drives of lust and fear. Out of all human fears, the biggest two are fear of the unknown and the fear of something preying on them. Really, it’s all about fear of dying. I think people are attracted to confronting this in fiction for the same reason they go on roller coasters; to gain a momentary, reassuring feeling of importance. To symbolically face death and vanquish it, experiencing a cathartic sense of immortality. And that all of this has rules, a sense of moral justice: The good survive, and the bad ones get what’s coming to them. These unconscious ideas are primal and archetypal, and they’re embedded in story.

A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?

While storytelling has enduring forms and elements that go back to the first story, its expression is often a reflection of the times we live in, which is great. It makes the story resonant and relevant. Horror is no exception, keeping in mind it’s an emotion, not a rigid set of rules defining what it must be.

In the next ten years, I think we’re going to see more horror elements expressed as metaphor, for starters. We’ll definitely see more tech horror such as AI, smart homes, synthetic biology, and the like. As social justice has a lot of energy behind it, we will likely see more horror around these themes, and as the horror community is becoming more inclusive, we’ll likely see many more works from a diverse range of perspectives. As income inequality worsens and becomes more visible, we may see more horror around economic justice themes.

One thing that is particularly worrying is artificial intelligence, which is currently impacting book cover designers in a big way. In the next few years, we may see many tools that empower writers to be more efficient and prolific. I could see publishers replacing slush readers with an algorithm to automatically vet incoming works as being worthwhile for an acquisitions editor to review. In the long term, however, AI may wind up good enough to compete directly against us as writers. The future may bring basically the equivalent of social media influencers—very likeable manufactured personalities—as human brands fronting AI-generated works. As an author, I can tell you this is my idea of horror!


What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?


In my view, the big thing that is missing is confidence among bookstores that horror is a well-defined, profitable genre and that it has a big enough fan base for it to warrant its own dedicated section with many diverse authors, including the best of small presses. In many stores, you go in and if it even has a horror section, there’s Stephen King and Dean Koontz on half the shelves and a few titles on the rest. Then you have works that are arguably horror not even placed in the horror section but instead in general fiction. For horror to grow, it should be defined, understood, and promoted as a sought-out category at the bookstore level. We can’t rely on Halloween as that one time of the year horror gets its due attention.


Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative, that have stayed with you?


Reviews are funny things, and they’re dangerous for authors. Nietzsche once said a single sentence can change your whole world. Similarly, a single review can invigorate an author to write another book or consider giving up. The conventional wisdom authors like to preach insistently and loudly at each other about trolling reviews is to grow a thick skin, and they’re right, it’s just a part of the business, but we’ve all been there at the end of a horrible review, hating life.

I recently saw a review of one of my works where the reader got a free advance copy, read 10% of it, hated the approach, and then pronounced it objectively unfit to read with a one-star. I could hear Ralph Fiennes in The Menu, not a chef now but an author, saying, “People like you have sucked all the joy out of reading and writing books.”
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Then I read another review, a good review, not just good but that one perfect review where the reader completely got exactly what I was trying to convey, and I thought, okay, I’m going to go through all this again, I’m going to give hundreds of hours of hard creative lifting, I’m going to write another book, and this one’s just for you.

Craig DiLouie is an American-Canadian author of thriller, horror, dark fantasy, and other speculative fiction. Notable works include Episode Thirteen (Redhook, 2022), The Children of Red Peak (Redhook, 2020), Our War (Orbit, 2019), One of Us (Orbit, 2018), and Suffer the Children (Gallery Books, 2014). He is a member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers.

OH NO I’M STUCK IN A HORROR MOVIE




This is a new, hopefully fun short interview template, where you imagine you are trapped in a series of horror books and films, it’s meant to be a lighthearted way to talk about the thing you want to promote without directly talking about it.  As with all of the other templates, please include a biography, the product you want to promote, any social media links or links to purchase your stuff at the end of the article and please attach a profile picture that we can use in the article.


You wake up and find yourself in a horror franchise, what franchise would you prefer to wake up in and why?
I’d have to go with The Conjuring, simply because it’s such a frightening franchise. The first installment about the infestation in the Peron house is the scariest of the three so far – and has one of the best “opens” of any horror movie I’ve ever seen – the Annabelle story. Plus, Ed and Lorraine Warren were just fascinating people (and were based not far from where I grew up in Connecticut) who had such a mastery of their chosen field, demonology.

You find yourself as the “Final One”. Which monster / villain would you most like to go up against and why do you think you would survive?
I’d like to go up against a xenomorph from the Alien franchise, but only if I’m armed with a Colonial Marines pulse rifle, flamethrower and motion tracker. Why? Because they’re at the top of the food chain in terms of lethality and the ability to induce terror. And they’re super smart. They’re the “perfect” organism.

And which creature would you least like to go up against?
Easy. Pazuzu. Why? The Exorcist is the scariest movie ever made, in my humble opinion, that’s why. There’s something profoundly terrifying about the idea of a foreign, malevolent force invading and taking over my mind and body. I’ve had recurring Exorcist-themed dreams ever since I first saw the movie in my college dormitory at the age of 19. A short, funny side story: That same summer, I was working in a small restaurant in Cannondale, Connecticut, and a woman and her friend sat down in my section for lunch. She was so familiar to me, yet I could NOT place her. When I went back into the kitchen, my boss said to me, “You know who you’re waiting on? That’s Linda Blair!” Then, he whispered, “Don’t put too many croutons on her chicken Caesar salad, I don’t want her head to start spinning around!” TRUE STORY!



You find yourself in Scooby Doo, which character are you, and who would most like to have as the other members of Mystery Inc?

Oh, good one! I’d probably want to be Velma. She was the brains of the outfit. She always remained calm, cool and collected. I have to believe she was always thinking, “Hey, guys – we’ve seen this before. It’s not really a ghost / vampire / werewolf / monster! It’s an old guy in a suit who’s gonna curse us out around minute 18 of this telecast!”


Not sure who I’d want in the group with me. Can we pick someone NOT in the Mystery Machine group? I’d have to go with Batman (he is, after all, the World’s Greatest Detective, and he actually was a frequent guest star on the show) and the Harlem Globetrotters, who I also think made guest appearances on Scooby Doo.

Pinhead pops round for an evening of fun, what are you pains and pleasures?
Pains:

The sound of people eating or talking with their mouths full of food – mastication.


The sound of people with a stuffy nose.


Pleasures:


Two fingers of Glenfiddich 12-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch


Pinhead plops down on the couch with me to watch the latest season of Evil.

The Wishmaster gives you three wishes:

1. You can wish to write in any franchise
2. You can wipe on franchise from the minds of everyone
3. You can date your horror crush

What do you chose?

I choose door no. 3 – date my horror crush, which would have to be Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Who else could it be?
Biography: Ambrose Stolliker lives in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States with his wife, son and their family dog. His new supernatural horror novel, The Strange Nighttime Journey of Father Stephen Marlowe, was released in May 2022 by indie publishing house Muddy Paw Press and is available in paperback and eBook format now on Amazon.


Mr. Stolliker is the author of two previous horror novellas – Old Hollow (2017) and The Death Chute (2019), both from indie publisher Aurelia Leo. His short stories have been published in Stupefying Stories Magazine, WEIRD CITY, the Tales to Terrify podcast from District of Wonders, Creepy Campfire Quarterly, Ghostlight Magazine, Sex and Murder Magazine, Hungur Magazine, Sanitarium Magazine, The Tincture Journal, Charon Coin Press’ State of Horror: Louisiana, Volume II anthology and DAOwen Publications’ horror anthology Muffled Scream I: Corner of the Eye. Mr. Stolliker is a former newspaper reporter and magazine journalist.


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