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!