Carmilla Voiez is a proudly bisexual and mildly autistic introvert who finds writing much easier than verbal communication. A life long Goth, living with two kids, two cats and a poet by the sea.

She is passionate about horror, the alt scene, intersectional feminism, art, nature and animals. When not writing, she gets paid to hang out in a stately home and entertain tourists.

​​Carmilla grew up on a varied diet of horror. Her earliest influences as a teenage reader were Graham Masterton, Brian Lumley and Clive Barker mixed with the romance of Hammer Horror and the visceral violence of the first wave of video nasties. Fascinated by the Goth aesthetic and enchanted by threnodies of eighties Goth and post-punk music she evolved into the creature of darkness we find today.

​Her books are both extraordinarily personal and universally challenging. As Jef Withonef of Houston Press once said - "You do not read her books, you survive them."


Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
 
I’ve been writing novels since 2007. Wanting to regain my self-identity post motherhood I went back to university and studied creative writing. I ran a Gothic Clothing before and during the early days of writing, called Drac-in-a-Box, which has since closed down. I had a few pieces of poetry published in zines in my late teens, but I don’t consider myself a poet. I do however love the rhythm and beauty of language for its own sake.

I live with a lot of fear and anxiety and I’m drawn to horror stories as a reader and writer as a way of sublimating that. Supernatural terrors are easier to endure than the shadows at every corner.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
 
I read widely. I consume close to eighty books a year without sating my hunger. I enjoy walking. I am privileged to live in a small seaside town skirted by woodland and find it easiest to tap into my creative side while wandering among trees or staring out to sea.

I’m a working mum. I edit for other writers and I work in a museum and art gallery. For the time being writing cannot provide enough income to cover the bills. And when I need to wind down I cuddle my cats. It’s a quiet life, which I find perfect for my mental health.

Other than the  horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?
 
Politics – I’m a leftie and a feminist. Both colour my writing, probably never more obviously than the short story “Eat the Rich” that will be part of the “Zombie Punks Fuck Off” anthology to be released in 2018.

People – as someone on the autism spectrum I have spent a lot of my life watching how these alien creatures known as human beings behave and interact with each other. As a reader and a writer I am drawn to complex characters who are both good and evil, and how that balance plays out within a story. The stories I write and the books I love best tend to be character rather than plot driven.

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?
 
For those who don’t love horror, it seems to suggest a bleakness that they want to avoid. For those who love the genre we find the darkness life-affirming. I believe horror will always be avoided by those who want to keep their eyes and minds shuttered against the reality of violence in the world. Perhaps the only way to break away from that is to mix horror with other genres they find more palatable.

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?
 
Absolutely, vampires and zombies being great examples of your point. Either horror will reflect the world and entrench itself in Fascist dystopia or end of the world disasters, or it will look to escape the current climate and deal with smaller monsters.

What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?
 
I owe a lot to Clive Barker. My writing has a similar mix of violence, magic and sexuality. From a stylistic perspective Iain Banks taught me brevity and helped me cut the purple prose from my manuscripts. Also Zadie Smith taught me about good dialogue and how to write in a way that reflected without copying the way people actually speak. I don’t think I can point to particular books or films though. My voice has developed slowly.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice of?
 
Eden Royce, a fellow horror writer whose stories are immersed in Southern magic. I’d go as far as to say she might be the Lovecraft of our time.

How would you describe your writing style?
 
Putting the feminine into horror literature and all the rage that entails.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?
 
I’ve had great reviews from Houston Press. On a reader level there have been some very flattering comments that place my work into a pantheon of classical literature and references, although as a working-class lass I am not entirely at ease with such elevation.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?
 
Getting started on a new story. Once I’m “in the zone” I dream about my characters, but until I reach that point it can be a lonely and frustrating struggle.
Promoting myself is tricky as well. I wish there was an easier way to point the right people towards your books without feeling as though you are slowly shredding your soul.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
 
No. But I wouldn’t presume to know anything without researching a subject thoroughly first.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
 
Sometimes I choose names because of their meanings or because they were used in other work and carry that cultural weight. Mostly I just choose names that sound good to my ears.

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?
 
I am more aware of things like info dumping, pace and repetition than I was when I started. I think that’s probably what changed most. I have a great editor who will tell me straight when things don’t work and I’ve learned a lot about style from her.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
 
My pet peeve is unfinished work being published. I think every writer needs an editor, not just someone who will alter spelling or punctuation, but someone who notices holes in the story or lack of continuity. Someone who is strong enough to tell them their work isn’t good enough to sell. We get to close to our own stories at times to notice whether they have value. I think you realise that when you reread work you wrote years before.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?
 
One of Stephen King’s words of wisdom from “On Writing” has stuck with me.  “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open. Your stuff starts out being just for you, in other words, but then it goes out. Once you know what the story is and get it right — as right as you can, anyway — it belongs to anyone who wants to read it. Or criticize it.”

Getting your work noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?
 
I agree with your statement and sadly haven’t found a successful method to date. I blog, I share promotional posters and quotes on social media, I advertise with magazines and websites when I can afford to. I attend book signings and conventions, but so far I remain a unknown cult writer.

To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favourite child, and who is your least  favourite to write for and why?
 
I love Freya, from Starblood. She’s the most broken and long suffering of all my children. From the same series of books I am most disappointed by Paul. I tried to write backstory and give justification to his evil, but I feel that I barely scratched the surface of what made him tick before I killed him off.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
 
The Starblood Trilogy. It’s also the most autobiographical piece I’ve published.

And are there any that you would like to forget about?
 
Yes, but I pretty much have forgotten about them, in any detail anyway. Like those teenage poems.

For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your  books do you think best represents your work and why?
 
The short story collection “Broken  Mirror and Other Morbid Tales” gives a good representation of all the subjects and styles that I delve into deeply in my novels.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?
 
“There is no shame in love, only completion.”

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?
 
The last book I released was a short story collection. Works in progress include a dystopian novel “Venus Virus” and Psychonaut the graphic novel – the second graphic novel in the Starblood series.
 
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?
 
Have sex and die.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?
 
The last great horror book I read was “Twenty Days of Turin”, by Georgia de Maria. I don’t want to state which was the last book that disappointed me, but it was a poorly edited one.

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

Can I make your Starblood Trilogy into a series of films? The answer would probably be yes, depending on who was asking.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Sure. I’m a college student graduating in English Literature and currently live in South Florida with my family and two cats. I’ve always loved to write stories since I was five years old, but I didn’t get into horror fiction until I was sixteen. Before that, I was trying to write drama and romance stories, inspired by Sidney Sheldon and Danielle Steele, but they weren’t working out so well. Other stories that I was reading in my early days of writing were the typical urban lit about thugs and being hardcore in the streets. Although they were great stories, as a black female I wanted to do something different and be different. So, once I started reading authors such as L.A. Banks, who was a huge influence for me as a teen as she was the first black female that I discovered who wrote dark/horror fiction, Edward Lee, Stephen King, and Jack Ketchum, I knew that horror was the genre for me and I’ve been writing it ever since.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I love to cook, play video games, watch a bit of tv, hang out with friends, yoga and meditation. Exercise and maintaining good health is one of the things that I love and passionate about that helps to keep me sane when things can get a little stressful, plus a sexy body never hurts when finding a boyfriend in my book.

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

I’m influenced by life and experiences that has either happened to me or others that I’ve witnessed. I was a bit of an introvert when I was growing up, more so then than now, so turning to writing became therapy for me to release negative emotions next to punk rock and heavy metal. I also turn to crime shows, movies, and music when I feel a bit stuck on a certain part in my story which usually helps in creating a new twist or idea for what I’m writing.

What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?

A lot of people have probably mentioned him, but it is the king of horror Stephen King. His book On Writing has helped me a lot in terms of honing my writing skills, made me feel like I was taking an English course with an awesome teacher. Another magnificent author’s novel that has helped me a lot is the late Jack Ketchum’s Off Season. He was amazing at capturing true terror, shock, and horror through his words; once I read that book, it instantly inspired me to write with such emotion, shock, and gripping terror.

How would you describe your writing style?

Emotive, gripping, clear, and concise. When I started writing stories, I was all the all over the place, so over time I taught myself through reading different authors how to produce stories without being over-descriptive and long winded. I’m also a visual person so not only do I love stories that grab you immediately and won’t let you go but I want the reader to feel like they’re experiencing the events in the story and not just reading words.

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

I’ve become more disciplined. I try to have a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1,000 and try my best to not go to sleep until that is accomplished. Yes, lack of sleep and making caffeine a food group has become part of my routine as of late, but I’ve managed to work best at night although there have been times where the second I wake up in the morning an idea for a story would pop up.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? 

On Writing By Stephen King. Also, being persistent, having faith, and being patient with yourself. Oh, and coffee.

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?

In my opinion, America is in a horror story given the way things have been going down as of late, making plenty of material for new horror stories.

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

Dialogue. For a while, it was one of the hardest things to achieve but when I started a creative writing course on dialogue, it has become less of a difficulty.

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

Not really, no. I always try to use different subjects as a challenge and new twist on any story.
For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? 

If I were to pick one, I would say Highway 54. It’s a short story that I wrote for an online magazine in Feb. 2017’s Women In Horror Month for Sirens Call Publications and it was about an unfortunate car accident between a father and his son with an unexpected twist. I feel that story really helped me grow as a writer and really cemented the ‘show and not tell’ aspect of writing. Plus, the reactions to it after people read it are always great, it makes them think and it sticks with them.

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

My last story was called Decency Defiled, it is featured in the anthology ‘Rejected For Content 6: Workplace Relations’, which is available on Amazon Kindle and paperback, and it was about a well-known plastic surgeon named Eric Flynn who was raised to believe that body modifications are disgusting and there’s nothing more beautiful than beautiful skin. So, after years of “altering” his clients’ looks, his office unexpectedly closes down and he becomes unemployed. After spending a year looking for jobs, Eric decides to become self-employed and do whatever it takes to reclaim his name as a well-renowned plastic surgeon. I just recently completed a story called Alternative™, which will be featured in an anthology titled ‘Black Magic Woman’, and it is about a new birth control pill that is being sold but has disastrous side effects and will be available on Amazon on February 14th. I feel honored and excited to be a part of a great anthology that showcases black women that writes horror, something that is long overdue. I’m currently working on a story titled ‘Eat Fresh’, which is about a militant, deranged vegan who became tired of being mocked for having a healthier lifestyle by family and friends so decides to put ethics aside and make homemade pizzas to serve for them. Unfortunately for them, there’s a hidden agenda behind the pizza and the source of the ingredients are pretty sketchy.

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

Jump scares in horror movies. They’ve become so overused and make horror films lazy to me if we need a constant jump to feel terrified instead of letting pure silence and imagination do some of the work.

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

Would you accept this $5 million-dollar check for your writing services? My answer would be of course! Hell yeah!

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Following the release of her Dark Minds novella, Naming The Bones, we catch up with Laura Mauro to talk writing process, influences, mental health, and much more. Enjoy!
 
Gingernuts of Horror: Let’s start with 2017 - how was it for you?
 
Laura Mauro: It was a decent year, all things considered! Probably not my highest output, story-wise, but I was pleased with the things I was able to publish - returning to Shadows and Tall Trees was a particular highlight, as was getting a story published in Interzone. The most exciting thing for me was getting my debut novella out there, though that was also quite daunting - you have nothing to hide behind, no other stories to cushion the blow if yours is a total stinker! So as exciting as it was, and still is, there was also a nagging doubt in the back of my mind that everything was about to go completely pear-shaped and I’d be ‘found out’. (Imposter syndrome, friend to all writers!) The launch at Edge-Lit was fantastic - the Dark Minds team did a brilliant job. I got to share the spotlight with Mark West and helped him launch his collection “Things We Leave Behind”, which was a real pleasure. And of course, Fantasycon was tons of fun. I also started my Masters’ degree in late 2017, so it’s been fairly busy all round.
 
GNoH: Talk to us about the Interzone sale! Is that your first foray into science fiction? What do you think are the specific challenges associated with short science fiction writing?
 
LM: I’ve always had a deep fear of writing science fiction whilst simultaneously desperately wanting to write it. I think a large part of that fear stems from the possibility of getting things wrong. With horror, unless you’re referencing real-life events you’ve generally got very broad scope to make things up- the ‘science’ part of science fiction sort of precludes that a little bit (though you could make the parallel argument that the ‘fiction’ part is its own invitation…) With the Interzone story, it was really more a case of having a particular story I badly wanted to tell, which by virtue of its subject matter (Laika, the Soviet space dog) was always going to fall somewhere under the science fiction umbrella. So even though I did initially bog myself down in research, once I started writing I realised that the speculative elements were really the skeleton of the story I wanted to tell; the actual flesh of the story was about the characters. (Though of course, one cannot exist without the other.) I don’t suppose the same will be true of all science fiction stories, but it helped me overcome my fear of getting my facts wrong! (I did find a really cool/morbid website which simulates the aftermath of a nuclear explosion in any given location, which crossed over from ‘fascinating’ to ‘horrifying’ when the possibility of actual nuclear war began to raise its head in real life…)
 
GNoH: Getting on to Naming The Bones, can you recall now where the origins of the idea came from? I assumed when reading it that the opening was at least partly a response to 7/7...
 
LM: I think there were a lot of ideas swirling around at the time I started writing it. I’d wanted to write something about the London Underground for a long time. My dad & I had been talking about ghosts on the Underground, and all the weird stories you hear about strange happenings in the tunnels and stations. There’s so much mythology surrounding the Underground that you can’t help but be inspired by it. And from there it was a bit like sewing a patchwork quilt, except instead of fabric scraps I had bits of ideas, and instead of a quilt I shoved together a basic first draft. You’re right about 7/7 coming into play - as someone who has lived in London my entire life it’s endlessly fascinating, in a horrific kind of way, to consider just how much horror permeates every part of the city - from the Black Death to the Blitz, Jack the Ripper to the 7/7 bombings, from the momentous to the mundane. And the more I thought about that, the more sense it made to me (in fictional terms!) that trauma and horror might be retained somehow. Almost like scar tissue, or perhaps more appropriately, like the emotional and mental scars these events leave on us as individuals. So it started off as a very big idea, which I had to whittle down in order to make narrative sense of it.
 
GNoH: Is that line of thinking what led to the decision to include PTSD in the story? What kind of research did you undertake to help with writing about that subject?
 
LM: I think it was a natural extension to the idea of retained trauma in a geographical sense. When you’re talking about the possibility that inanimate objects might absorb trauma, then it feels strange not to at least mention the way the same thing happens to people. Over the course of writing the story it became an integral part of Alessa’s character - I wanted it to be a part of who she is, but also not all that she is, and I hope I’ve been at least somewhat successful in that. It’s not necessarily about Alessa defeating her demons, but about coming to terms with them - which to my mind is the major difference between Alessa and Casey. As someone with mental health issues which will probably never be ‘cured’, it was important to me to show that you can be ‘broken’ in some way and be no less ‘whole’ a human being. Partly, this involved looking back over my own past experiences of trauma and how this affects me and my experiences today. I read and listened to a lot of interviews with survivors of various incidents, including the 7/7 bombings. I was also fortunate enough that a friend was willing to talk me through some of the scenarios and compare Alessa’s experiences to their own. I learned in the course of doing this that everyone experiences trauma and PTSD in different ways - there is no one definitive experience.
 
GNoH: Naming The Bones is very a grounded story, I felt, that evoked working life in London very well. What techniques do you employ, when writing or drafting, to create that sense of place?
 
LM: I’m really glad the sense of place worked well for you. I like to travel a lot and experience new places, so I try to use that sense of exploring a place in describing and depicting place when I write. I think small details are important, but I also try to be sparing with them; I try to remember what it’s like to notice those things in the moment, so to speak. With London, and Elephant and Castle in particular, it’s slightly different because I know it all so well. The things you love and loathe about a place are the things which make it ‘real’ - so the grubby tiles of the Underground, the abundance of chicken shops in and around the Elephant, the colour of the Thames at night - they’re not important in the grand scheme of things, but they’re the things you notice when you spend time there. If something strikes me about a place, even if it’s a weird or seemingly inconsequential detail, I try to remember it.
 
GNoH: To what degree was Naming The Bones planed out in advance, and how much of it was discovered in the writing?
 
LM: I had a very rough map of the major plot points in my head before I began, but I am generally resistant to planning things in advance - not that there’s anything wrong with it as a technique! I like to know as little as possible about the story except for the bare skeleton, and then piece it together as I go along. So with Naming the Bones, there were the fragments of concepts I mentioned before, and not an awful lot else to start with. I knew it would begin with a bomb, and I knew there would be a monster, and I knew the protagonist would have to find a way to vanquish the monster. Actually, in its earliest stages, the monster was a giant anglerfish type creature which lived in the dark depths of the tunnel and lured people onto the tracks - I was partly inspired by a video by the band Fightstar (which I can’t seem to find anywhere so I wonder if I dreamed it!) in which a strange, monstrous child lures a man onto tube tracks into the path of a train. The anglerfish monster popped up in the final chapter of the story until it was pointed out to me, by some very helpful writer friends, that it basically ripped off the Alien Queen. So, goodbye anglerfish monster, perhaps we’ll meet again sometime.
 
The original draft of Naming the Bones clocked in at around 60k words! It was a very different story at that point in time, with a bigger cast of characters and subplots and all kinds of things. Paring it down to fit the novella length made it a much better story, in my opinion. I tried to fit too many ideas in, when really the story I was trying to tell under all of that was much simpler, much more introspective.
 
GNoH: Could you talk a bit more about that whittling process? That sounds to me like you lost somewhere between 40 - 50% of the word count between D1 and the published story…
 
LM: Yeah, I ended up dumping quite a lot, which was heartbreaking at first! I’m actually glad I was forced to do that as it meant I had to jettison a lot of unnecessary padding. There was another character in the first draft who, in hindsight, was a distraction to the dynamic between Alessa and Casey. In the end, it was a matter of asking myself what story I was trying to tell, what the important waypoints were in that story, and what didn’t fit within that framework. Kind of reverse planning, if you like! I lost a fair bit of backstory for Alessa’s parents, which would have worked fine if I’d been writing something longer, but as it stood, bogged down the story with narrative diversions that just didn’t need to be there. Alessa’s parents weren’t the key to the story, but Alessa was. They got dropped down the same hatch as the anglerfish monster.
 
GNoH: I’d also like to ask about Strange As Angels from Great British Horror Vol. 1, if I may. I found this to be an incredibly effective short story, with a lot packed in, in terms of both incident and emotional content. Give your preference for not planning, how do you approach writing a short story as opposed to a longer piece? Do you have a good idea of length before you start, or do you let the process of discovery drive you?
 
LM: Thank you, I’m pleased you enjoyed it! That story sat around for about six months as just an opening scene before I knew what I wanted to do with it. I generally have no idea how long or short a piece is going to be unless I’m working to brief (and in those cases you do have to be slightly more disciplined about planning the story, because it can very easily get away from you and develop a life of its own if you’re not strict.) I originally thought of Strange as Angels as being maybe 2-3k words until the subplot with Jimmy emerged, and that grew quite organically out of my own dislike for him, given his behaviour and demeanour in the opening scene. I think the best way to describe it is that the moment I realise what story I’m trying to tell is the moment when everything else falls into place. For Strange as Angels, that was the realisation that Frankie finding strength through experiencing genuine (albeit unorthodox) love was at the centre of the story, and that everything else would feed directly from that point. I think a short story requires a degree of focus - not necessarily a tight plot, but something recognisably central to the narrative. You can meander with a novel, or even a novella, but the short story form doesn’t usually allow for much in the way of deviation. (That’s not to say it can’t be done. All rules are there to be broken!)
 
GNoH: Talking of Jimmy, one of the things I think the story does very effectively (and this resonates even more in the current #metoo environment) is deliver a warts-and-all portrayal of a toxic relationship with a ‘nice guy’...
 
LM: I’d been thinking about this for a while as it’s been a recurring theme among my female friends, who all seem to have experience of this in some way or another. And I’ve had similar experiences, so when people finally started talking about the inherent toxicity of the ‘nice guy’ attitude it was almost a relief to realise that this was a real thing, and that we weren’t being hideous human beings for feeling wary of men who behaved like this (and, I know, not all men, but…) And in thinking about the kind of person Jimmy was, especially in relation to Frankie’s vulnerability and dependency, I drew on those experiences - someone whose help and care has strings attached. And that’s a thing which scares me too - the notion of ‘owing’ someone ostensibly because they treated you like a human being. You see this presumption borne out in so many scenarios, from the notion that immigrants must contribute something special in order to be worthy of a place here, to the behaviour patterns of abusive people.
 
GNoH: Another theme in Strange As Angels is the claustrophobia of poverty. Is that a subject you feel strongly about, and do you think it’s a theme you’ll return to?
 
LM: I think it’s probably a theme that already recurs throughout my writing! I do feel strongly about it, not least because I grew up poor, and I grew up in a part of London in which poverty was pretty ordinary. Anyone who knows me will know I’m a bit of a lefty, and that I tend to wear my politics on my sleeve. But also, I write what I know, and that’s probably why I do tend to write a lot about working class people and places, or as Tom Johnstone once put it, ‘people on the fringes of society’. I don’t think enough people are telling stories about working class people, especially working class people who don’t quite fit, so it feels important to me that I try to write stories from that perspective, or at least considering that perspective.
 
GNoH: Finally, can you let us know what 2018 holds for Laura Mauro? What's coming out, and what are you working on?
 
LM: I don’t have an awful lot upcoming to be honest, which is largely due to university. I do have a short story coming out in an anthology which I am thrilled to be a part of - I can’t say anything until the ToC has officially been announced, but I am appearing alongside fellow GNoH alumni Kit Power which is really exciting. My short story ‘Sun Dogs’, originally printed in Shadows & Tall Trees 7, has been selected by Johnny Mains for Best British Horror 2018, which is a huge privilege. And as to the rest, well, I should probably get my backside into gear and start writing - hopefully there’ll be more to come yet!
 
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​Anthony Watson has placed short stories in various indie press publications including State of Horror: Louisiana, Sanitarium magazine, Far Horizons and Morpheus Tales.  He has also seen publication of his war/horror novella Winter Storm in a six author collection Darker Battlefields from The Exaggerated Press, and Stitches for Smiles in a new horror magazine Worlds of Strangeness as well as a story in The Beauty of Death Volume 2. Forthcoming is an appearance in The Black Room Manuscripts Vol 3.
​
His weird western novella The Company of the Dead made up a double-header with Benedict J Jones’ Mulligan’s Idol in Volume 1 of Dark Frontiers. Work has begun on Volume 2.
January 2018 saw publication of his novel, Witnesses, by Crowded Quarantine Publications.
As well as writing, and – until recently - being one half of Dark Minds Press, he runs a horror review blog “Dark Musings” (found at: http://anthony-watson.blogspot.co.uk/).



Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I live in a very beautiful part of Northumberland with my wife Judith and our two dogs. I work in Newcastle in the pathology labs of one of the hospitals there – which sounds a lot more interesting than it actually is.
I’ve been a fan of horror since I first discovered it as a callow youth and after a brief dalliance with writing back in the nineties which produced two and a half unpublished novels, I started again about ten years ago, joining a forum where writers could post up and critique stories. It was there I first encountered Benedict J Jones, a very fine writer who has become a very good friend and the dark and mysterious entity known as Ross Warren with whom I went on to set up Dark Minds Press.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Reading. I’m a chain reader and can’t remember the last day I didn’t spend some time reading. Other than that, taking the dogs for walks in the beautiful countryside around us. We’re in a beautiful part of the country with both beach and countryside to choose from.

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


The bulk of my reading is horror but other genres I enjoy are crime and westerns. I’ve yet to try my hand at a crime story but have dabbled in weird westerns with a couple of novellas finished and one nearing completion.
I never really connected with history at school – the path I took was the science one – but I love it now and it’s fair to say that the majority of my output is horror set in the past. I’m slightly obsessed with World War One and it features in many of my short stories as well as the novel and two novellas but I’ve also written stories set in British Empire India, the Congo Free State of the 1850s, Russia in the sixteenth century and 1800’s Missouri and three weird western novellas. I think I find it easier to couch horror in the past, the suspension of disbelief which is often required is harder in a contemporary setting – for me at least.
 
 
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’m not sure the connotations are that heavy, there does seem to be a lot of snobbery around horror though, and it’s easily dismissed (by those who don’t read it) as trashy or without literary merit.
Which, of course, is bollocks.
With regards breaking those assumptions - I’m not entirely sure they need to be. Horror is a broad church with a multitude of sub-genres within but I’m not sure there’s a need to try and convince those who choose not to read it of its merits. Of course I’d love to see authors whose work I admire being able to make a living from their writing, and to garner success after success but there’s another part of me that likes the fact that the horror genre is, on the whole, in a good place at the moment with some excellent writing being produced by small, independent presses run by real enthusiasts. I’d take small scale and passionate over corporate and indifferent any day.

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’ve joked on my blog that the sub-genre of post-apocalyptic fiction is in danger of becoming reclassified as “contemporary horror” and that may still be the case…
The best horror fiction holds up a mirror to society but when society is quite as horrible as it is right now I’m not entirely sure what we’ll see in there. Fear of “the other” seems to be a common theme in today’s world so maybe that will be the trope which develops in the years ahead.
Or, I don’t know - more zombies.

What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?

I guess I was fortunate in that at the time I started reading horror, Stephen King had not long started writing it and I’ve been a Constant Reader since Carrie hit the shelves. The double whammy of The Shining and then Salem’s Lot changed my world completely – I re-read both fairly recently and was just as blown away by them again.
The book which probably affected me most profoundly was The Survivor by James Herbert. Until I read that, I hadn’t been properly scared by a book but whoa, that one literally kept me awake at night. I re-read that too, a couple of years ago and found it just as powerful. Some of the set-pieces in it had stayed with me for the best part of forty years and exposing myself to them again brought back all those emotions which had kept me awake when I first read them.
With regards film, the double bill of horror that was shown on BBC2 on, I believe, Saturday nights came at just the right time in the development of my horror appreciation. It was usually a combination of old and new films and I will forever be thankful to it for my first viewing of Night of the Demon which remains one of my favourite films ever.
I saw both An American Werewolf in London and The Thing on their original theatrical releases within a year of each other, both of which confirmed that monster movies were still incredibly cool. Probably as a direct result of those two classics, a lot of what I write is old-school with monsters aplenty.
And then there’s The Exorcist. But I don’t talk about The Exorcist…

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

Rich Hawkins writes some incredible stuff and should really be reaping the benefits of his undoubted talent. Real horror but real emotion too.
The aforementioned Benedict J Jones – whose clipped and tight prose lends itself wonderfully to the crime, western and horror stories he writes.
Laura Mauro seems on the brink of greatness and I’m confident she’ll get there very soon. Intelligent, thoughtful and emotional writing.
A writer new to me who I think will be destined for great things is Liam Ronan whose debut Novella Creeping Stick blew me away with its imagery and imagination.
James Everington is a writer I admire greatly and I’m looking forward to what Phil Sloman will produce in the years to come.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Philip Fracassi is writing stories which are never short of brilliant – something I can say for Ted E Grau too.

How would you describe your writing style?

Haphazard.
Before I start any piece of writing I’m full to the brim with literary intent. All the best authors have a distinctive style, that’s what marks them out and that’s what I’m going to achieve.
Except then the plot kinda takes over and my pulpy heart takes control with the narrative dragging sketchily drawn characters behind it in its wake.
If I’m being kind – cinematic. I like to set my stories in dramatic, or interesting places. Landscapes and weather usually play a big role in most of what I write. Possibly because I believe flowery descriptions of mountains, sunsets and snow = literary genius.

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

It’s not a massive pool to choose from but I was chuffed that my story in Forever Hungry was chosen as one reviewer’s favourite out of twenty eight and a review of my novella Winter Storm by DLS reviews was very complimentary and a massive boost to my confidence.

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

Exposition. If you don’t know what that is, let me explain…
Seriously. I always hit a brick wall when I have to drop in some exposition. I think it’s because these moments are crucial, this is where you’re telling the reader what your story is all about, asking them to take that leap with you and invest – or not – in what you’re trying to say.
And doing so using believable dialogue that doesn’t sound forced or contrived…
I once wrote an extra 2000 words in a story to delay having to write that scene.

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

There are. Which isn’t a censorship issue rather than my lacking the skill – and confidence – to write them in such a way that wouldn’t seem exploitative. Fiction, particularly horror fiction, should be able to confront any issue but there are some subjects where great care is needed.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?


Names are second on the “difficult” list after exposition. They are important though and I spend a ridiculous amount of time working them out. Most of the names I come up with are little in-jokes, often lifted from real people linked, however tenuously, to the subject matter of the story.
I have a story whose characters are all named after the cast and crew of King Kong and a novella where the names are variations on the characters in All Quiet on the Western Front translated into English.
It’s quite sad really.
 
Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? 

I think I have become pulpier, concentrating on plot above other aspects. Despite the self-deprecation which comes easily to me I know I am a better writer now than when I first started (just reading some of my earlier stuff is ample proof of that).
I’ve also found that I tend more towards longer pieces now, I’ve bashed out five novellas in the last three years and am 22,000 words into what is going to end up as a novel.
I think now I’ve also taken the pressure off myself. I’m not going to make a career from writing so I can indulge myself and write the kinds of story I would like to read myself. I have written themed stories specifically for submissions but on the whole I write what’s in my head.
I’ve also realised that I have to write – just to get all this stuff out of my head. It’s a different kind of “have to” to someone who does write to earn money and I’m very aware of how lucky I am to be in my situation.
I write because I want to, and enjoy doing so and will continue even if I never have another story published. (I’d obviously prefer it if this remains a hypothetical scenario).

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?         

A good imagination.
An enquiring mind.
That said, I love my chainsaw too.

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

Not specifically about my own writing, but: Don’t wait for the muse. Write even when you think you haven’t got anything to say. It works.

Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?

The whole idea of self-promotion is one which makes me deeply uncomfortable. (And yes, I’m aware if the irony of me saying that in an online interview about myself). Getting yourself noticed is probably easier now than in days past with access to the internet and social media but the fact of its availability means that there’s a huge amount of competition and standing out from the crowd is becoming increasingly difficult.
I started my review blog at a time when the ideas for stories weren’t coming as thick and fast as they are now as a means to keep on writing but also by way of support and appreciation of the writers whose work I admire. Whilst I’m still little more than a seagull chasing the wake of the mighty Ginger Nuts of Horror trawler, the blog has given me a certain amount of recognition in the horror community (and brought me into contact with some very talented people) – which is lovely but the reviews were always meant to be secondary to my own writing.
Quality always finds a way but I guess a lot is down to luck – having a reader connect with something you’ve written and then actively seeking out other pieces.

To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favourite child, and who is your least favourite to write for and why?

My western novellas which are being published in the Dark Frontiers series which I created with Benedict J Jones feature the same protagonists, ex Confederate artilleryman Nate Lee and his companion Wolf, a Cherokee Indian. They’re probably my favourites to write and I always really enjoy myself spending time in their company and writing them into trouble.
I don’t have a least favourite as such but the character I found most difficult to write was Dilly Chambers, one of the cast of characters in my novel Witnesses. The difficulty arose from my having a Y chromosome in place of an X – and trying to write a realistic female character without coming across as superficial or stereotypical.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?


It has to be the novel. It’s a highly competitive market in which to get a short story published and to manage that with a novel is even harder – so massive thanks to Adam and Zoe at Crowded Quarantine for taking a chance on Witnesses.
It’s an ambitious novel, with seven main characters in four different time periods and countries but with a central narrative connecting them all. There were times I thought I’d bitten off more than I could chew but I persevered and managed to produce something I truly am proud of.
I’m excited – and a little anxious – to see what people make of it.

And are there any that you would like to forget about?

Honestly, no. I’m not a perfectionist by any means but I never have – and still wouldn’t - persist with something I knew wasn’t going to work or which I realised was just plain awful.

For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why?

Probably my novella Winter Storm which features most of my “trademarks”. It’s set in the past and features not just one but two world wars along with a proper monster – and lots of snow.
It can be found in the Darker Battlefields anthology which has a massive added bonus of containing five other brilliant novellas.

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

From Witnesses, and presented entirely without context:
“You’re called Colin! What kind of name is that for the Devil’s envoy?”

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


Just published is my novel Witnesses which is my take on the end of the world. Its inspiration is the Book of Revelations and the prophecies around Armageddon contained within. Just for fun I thought I’d try writing the story in a variety of narrative voices and set it in four different locations across the world in four different time periods.
The plan was to take the reader on a journey of discovery, uncovering the mysteries of the story alongside the protagonists – but having an edge over them by being involved in all of the stories rather than just one.
Currently I’m working on edits to another novella set in World War One which will hopefully be published next year in a follow up collection to Darker Battlefields. My new work in progress is another novel which is set both in the Russia of Ivan the Terrible and the Second World War onboard a ship in an Arctic convoy. It began life as a novella but when the “prologue” ended up 22,000 words long I realised it would work better as a novel…
Also, I’m working with Ben Jones again on a series of stories which combine both our passions for horror and the Second World War. We’ve created a special operations group – DAMOCLES – whose role is to combat the occult machinations of the Nazis. We’ve plotted out the operations which we’ll send the team on and which will span the course of the war and are busy writing the stories now.
 
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

I’m actually fond of clichés – if handled correctly they can bring a pleasing flush of recognition and a sense of familiarity. I get annoyed when I see open submissions stating “no zombies, vampires or werewolves” as they are some of my favourite things and I love seeing original takes on the respective mythologies.
If we’re talking film, I’d love to see a blanket ban on jump scares. It’s a cheap trick and takes little to no skill on behalf of the film-maker – usually it’s the accompanying noise that makes you jump rather than the visuals. They’re just annoying. There’s a vast difference between getting a fright and being frightened.

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


My chain-reading tendencies bring many brilliant pieces of writing before my eyes. A sign of greatness, in my opinion, is still thinking about a book long after you’ve read it and that’s certainly the case with Adam Nevill’s Last Days. It’s a seriously scary piece of writing, one that made me actually put the book down and stop reading because it was so intense. To evoke such strong emotions by words on a page is an indication of great skill and it’s something Adam achieves in all of his writing.
I’ve struggled through a fair few less than brilliant books too but I think real disappointment comes from having high expectations only to have them dashed by the final product. Such was the case with The Scarlet Gospels, a book I found to be truly dreadful – but not in a good way. Clive Barker remains a literary hero of mine but this was atrocious.

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

Q: Would it be okay if, rather than going out to work, you stayed at home but we paid you the same?
A: Yes.
 
 
 

 
I’m Christopher Ritchie, a writer/editor/musician/designer based in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey. I’m 42. I started out with my first horror novel, ‘House of Pigs’, in 2013 following a very strange dream. It’s a tale of missing identities, forgotten memories, and nasty murderous beings. Immediately after that I wrote ‘The ordinary’, which furthers that mythology but on a grander scale, taking in sex trafficking, pornography, drugs, and of course nasty murderous beings. That won a silver award in the Horror category of the IndieFab book awards. After that I wrote ‘Stop The ‘Pocalypse! I Wanna Get Off!’ – a satirical horror/sci-fi that imagines a world 100 years after Donald Trump blew most of it up. I released that book in five episodes, in parts using Trump’s presidential progress to inform the plot. Now, I’ve gone back to straight horror with my new episodic series, ‘This Is Where We Go When We Die.’ It’s set around south London in the late 1800s and follows a private detective as he finds himself drawn into a seedy, sick world of prostitution, child abuse, and dirty, low-down occult nastiness. But it’s not all doom and gloom! Also, I’m perfect for this site because I have ginger hair. Perfect.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
I’m a 42-year-old man with the positive mental attitude of a child; that is, I manage to largely ignore how terrible everything is in favour of an eternally optimistic outlook. Which is why I write horror books. I’m generally daydreaming, imagining ghastly scenarios and concocting plots and characters I can weave around them. I’ve been a journalist for 20 years or so, working on trade and consumer publications, and have worked as a celebrity interviewer and writer for a large chunk of that time. I have a lovely wife and two children who keep me rooted in reality, although really I’m far more at home in dreams and dark imaginings. I started writing stories as a young boy, but never went as far as publishing anything. In 2012 I was introduced to a publisher, who liked the three chapters I’d sent a friend months before, of what turned out to be my first novel, ‘House of Pigs’. Since then I’ve written five books and have lots more in the pipeline. I write children’s books under the name ‘Leonard McQuingQuong’. No, really.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I like to write and record music. My first two novels have soundtracks I composed and produced (available at Bandcamp). I’m working on another collection now. When I’m not doing that, I’m probably wrestling with my son or teaching my daughter naughty rhymes. I’m told that I’m a manchild, staying up late and playing on my PS4 or dancing around the kitchen like a loon. I’m a pretty nifty drummer, twang a guitar every now and then, and enjoy walking my dog twice a day – the ideal time to fertilise plots.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?
I’m most inspired by characters – people I observe when out and about. The format of TV is very influential too – the drip-feeding of information, quick cuts from scene to scene to keep the reader turning the page… music, too, is very inspirational in terms of pacing, peaks and troughs, emotional resonance, and so on.


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 think the trouble with any genre is that by definition it is narrow and confining. Horror exists all around us; the news media broadcasts it 24 hours a day at various levels, but most people wouldn’t recognise that as the horror they read in books. It’s the same stuff, just with different set dressings. In my second novel, ‘The ordinary’, the superficial and supernatural horror elements sit atop the true villain of the piece: the human race. What we’ve done to ourselves is far worse than any vampire could ever do.

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 think it’s definitely going in that direction and will continue to do so. Horror is becoming less about phantasmagoria and more about individual experiences and reactions to what’s going on in the world. I’m far more scared of hooded crack-addled chavs in sink estates than I am of ghosts or zombies. Horror is becoming more allegorical, less overt; more about what people can be capable of.

What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?
‘Twin Peaks’ and the other various works of David Lynch; he presents his subjects very matter-of-factly. There’s no pretentiousness to it. He leaves the viewer to make their own mind up. I read a lot of Stephen King as a teenager; again, he doesn’t get carried away with setting up scenes that are supposed to make you feel a certain way. He gives you space to interpret stuff. Show, don’t tell is the best thing I’ve learned from these people. Tim Burton’s films are wonderful as well. I love all the psychedelic stuff from the Sixties and Seventies too. In some ways those films, and shows like ‘The Prisoner’ and ‘The Avengers’, were much more daring – and imaginative – than what we get today.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?
Unfortunately, I have spent way too much time writing and hardly any reading. A colleague of mine, Derek E. Pearson, is an incredible writer. I’ve read his books because I’ve edited a few of them too. If you’re after something really epic, clever, horrifying, and utterly brilliant, check out his ‘Body Holiday’ trilogy. That man runs a fine line in grisly death!

How would you describe your writing style?
I deliberately try to write in the style of a TV show, and again, following the general rule of ‘show, don’t tell’. I visualise my characters as actors and put myself in their shoes. It’s important to me to strive for that level of authenticity. You want readers to assign certain attributes to them, so they have an image of that person and an idea of what they might sound like. The author’s job is to present enough detail to enable that level of interpretation. It’s not like, ‘Hey, this character looks like Jack Nicholson.’ In the grisly bits, I’ve been told it’s ‘treacly’, that is the pacing slows down and envelops you in the scene. You feel the nastiness, the thick atmosphere of dread and grim discovery.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?
Yes – in particular one review of ‘House of Pigs’ which went against the grain of all the positive reviews alongside it. ‘Trying for random and disjointed for the sake of it,’ said the reviewer under the title ‘Terrible’. But naturally his or her single star is treasured. They all help.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?
If I’m finding it difficult, I scrap what I’m doing. I only ever write when I am inspired and motivated to do so, which means I often spend weeks and perhaps months not writing anything. Most writing sessions tend to yield a few thousand words. Of course it’s not an easy process; completing a novel cohesively is a tricky task for anyone, but when the plots all tie up and the characters stay true to themselves, you’ve won. My novels each took over two years to write. My children’s books are shorter and were much quicker to do. My episodic series format is good because it forces me to keep working on the next episode. I find it very motivating.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
No – nothing is taboo. There’s stuff I can never imagine myself writing about, simply because it just doesn’t interest me. I doubt I will ever find myself getting enthusiastic about baking or needlework.

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
If I followed my heart, all my characters would have ridiculous names. What actually happens is I tend to mash other people’s names together. Work colleagues, friends, family… I’ve never struggled to come up with a name. I imagine them – their demeanour, their mannerisms, their image and voice, and tend to ‘hey presto!’ a name up just like that without any difficulty.
 
Writing is not a static process. How have you developed as a writer over the years?
With the episodic format, I’m finding it’s much easier to frame each one like a feature-length TV episode. They run to about 15,000 words each, which the reader would chomp through in maybe 90 minutes to two hours. All the time, I’m thinking ahead to the next episode, so planting seeds and opening up new avenues while closing others. Certainly my writing has become more considered – ‘House of Pigs’ was rather breathless with only short, sharp dips in the pacing. I’m giving more consideration now to telling the story in a way that will compel the reader to stick with it.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?         
Apart from a brain capable of imagination, plus something to physically ‘write’ on, I don’t see anything as an essential tool.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?
To keep going, but take your time. If you lose interest in it, scrap it. Forced writing comes across as just that.

Getting your work noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve. How have you tried to approach this subject?
It’s awkward when you’re always banging on about your books to people, so I tend not to. I’ve written articles, occasionally updated a blog, and attempted to connect with people who I think would be interested in what I’m doing. I’m with a small publisher who does a lot of work for a good number of authors. His time is spread thinly. So, if I want people to read my books I have to put the effort in too. I’m working on that.

To many writers, the characters they write become like children. Who is your favourite child, and who is your least favourite to write for and why?
A favourite ‘child’ would have to be Marty Molloy in ‘Stop The ‘Pocalypse! I Wanna Get Off!’ He was a joy to write. He gets his words mixed up and describes things uniquely. I can’t relate to the second part of that question. It’s my job to keep all of my characters interesting and compelling, and I feel that I’ve largely succeeded there. No least favourites.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
Probably ‘The ordinary’, because it achieved what I hoped it would: painting a grim picture of humanity on the brink of self-destruction. It’s grown-up, pretty horrifying, and captured the world view I wanted it to have.

And are there any that you would like to forget about?
Nope.

For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why?
Again, ‘The ordinary’. It’s a modern parable where the world’s media has spread so much fear that it makes the world sick. I think that’s where we are now. But it’s a pitch-black comedy in some respects too. For a good thriller, with some grisly deaths, guilty laughs and a really nifty line in ‘treacly’ horror, you can’t go wrong with this book.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?
Two examples from ‘Stop The ‘Pocalypse’…
“They’d known it was coming, every one of them. They’d seen the writing on the wall for years. How could anyone not have foreseen this being the final outcome? Dangerous leaders of populations too inert and passive to stop them; dangerous individuals spreading hate and poison on the internet; religious slaughter in the name of gods who would never allow such; a rampant global media casting fear and distrust into all corners of the Earth; and ultimately, the creation of weapons of mass destruction reaching their full potential and fired upon their very creators.”
That’s the serious one. Now for something more amusing:
“He had me over a barrel. If I did anything except bring him the angel, he’d blow the biggest joint in the world. But if I did give her up, that would consign the whole human race to his rule of tyrannised testiclism. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, with Thump’s balls resting in my eye sockets.”

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?
‘Stop The ‘Pocalypse! I Wanna Get Off!’ was my last book, which I started by a swimming pool in Cyprus just as Donald Trump began his Presidential campaign trail and finished when he took office. It’s about a man who, 100 years in the future, is given the chance to come back to our time and prevent Trump from destroying the planet. It’s a comedy with a lot of horror elements, but mainly asks the question: is humanity worth saving?
The new one is five episodes of ‘This Is Where We Go When We Die.’ I’ve just published episode 1. It follows private detective Norton Brand who witnesses a ritual murder but then sees the chap alive and well the next day. Investigating deeper, he’s drawn into the rather nasty underbelly of south London and ends up being taken to a realm which dredges up his past. Might sound a bit clichéd, but it’s more of a throwback to the old Penny Dreadful style in my typical ‘treacly’ manner. Grisly, unpleasant, nasty stuff. Oh yes.
Next up I plan to finish another children’s book and then perhaps complete my long-running novel project, ‘Nuclear Rock.’ I’ve got another comedy in the works too, plus a screenplay to crack on with.
 
If you could erase one horror cliché, what would be your choice?
I’m not that bothered about anything, but I think vampires and zombies are way overdone. Slasher flicks bore me too.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?
The last ‘great’ book would be David Kimberley’s ‘Galahad Suns.’ Disclaimer – I edited the book! But that’s the only time I get to read these days. If I really want to read something, I offer to edit it. I honestly can’t recall a book I found disappointing. If I don’t like something, I just forget about it entirely and move on.
 
What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?
“Hey, Christopher, would you like us to make films out of your books and pay you handsomely?” Answer: yes. Please. Now.

A world where nothing is as it seems

House of Pigs is a 2013 INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist (Horror).

"This brain-twister of a novel, by horror author Christopher Ritchie, has won plenty of acclaim and deservedly so as he takes the reader on a frightening, disturbing journey that tests the imagination, pushing it beyond the limits of 'normal'.

When officer Joe Gullidge is sent on a routine police call, the situation rapidly descends into a sequence of horrifically unsettling events that eat into the very depths of his soul. As 'Gully' is dragged into a reluctant search for the truth, his conscious mind struggles to separate reality from the suggestion of a parallel world. Is Gully's journey a metaphor for the deeper reality of an inescapable past - or is the explanation more straightforward than it initially appears?

House of Pigs doesn't fall into the 'easy read' category given the complexity of its ideas and multiple layers of interpretation - but these are strengths not weaknesses. This is a grippingly surreal novel with an edgy narrative and visual touches reminiscent of Stephen King's The Shining."
SURREY LIFE magazine (UK) Sep 2015 (p. 109), Juliette Foster ​