5 Minutes With Michael McMullen
30/8/2013
 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I was born in Portland, OR and now live in Spokane, WA. Besides writing, I work as a photo editor. I like photography, even going so far as to try and do it as a business, but soon discovered that my time and energy was much better spent behind a keyboard than a camera. Though, I still do photography as a hobby. Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction? I prefer Horror. I love Weird and Dark fiction but when discussing it I tend to just default to calling it all Horror. Who are some of your favourite authors? I was recently introduced to Ambrose Bierce and Clark Ashton Smith and they have some amazing stories. A few modern writers whose work I admire are Will Ludwigsen, Douglas Hackle and Richard S. Crawford. Then, of course, there is always Poe and Lovecraft. What are you reading now? I’m going through a couple of collections at the moment. I tend to prefer short stories over novels if that wasn’t apparent from the “favourite authors” question. Poe’s Children, a collection of modern Horror, is wonderful. Also, I’m finally sitting down with The Collected Works of H.P. Lovecraft since I’ve missed a few over the years. How would you describe your writing style? I don’t know, to be honest. I’ve never been sure how to answer this one. It really depends on what I’m writing, or maybe I just haven’t developed a definitive style yet. Ask me again in ten years. Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits? Coffee is always first. If I’m starting a new story, I’ll open up WriteMonkey and just start laying down words. I always try to have the last sentence of the story in mind when I’m writing so I know what to work towards and when to quit. If I’m editing, it’s harder for me to concentrate. I hate editing my own work so I tend to get antsy and try to work through it a quickly as possible. Of course that does nothing to improve the quality of the work which means I have to do more editing. I don’t know if this is unusual so much, but I have to have quiet when I’m working. No sound at all, other than my keyboard and maybe a fan during the summer. What’s your favourite food? Chicken. It goes with anything. What’s your favourite album? Return to Struggleville by Listener. Brilliant and truly original work. What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? The most important lesson I have learned about and from writing is to keep moving forward. Rejection comes in all forms, even from yourself, but the important thing is to wake up, drink your coffee and get back at it. That works for writing, life, your day job, etc. Fame and fortune, or respect? Respect. Fame is dodgy. People can be famous for bad reasons as well as good. Fame and fortune would be nice, but if it came because people didn’t like my work, or me, then I wouldn’t want it. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? I once wrote a story for a contest that didn’t win, in fact it got honorable mention (to be precise, Honorable Motherhumping Mention as the contest was hosted by a comedy website), but the editors said they really enjoyed it. That was the first time I realized that things I put out in the world can have value beyond what it brings to me personally or professionally. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? My latest book is called The Stonemason and Other Tales. It’s a collection of short Horror stories. It’s my first collection, first published book and the stories are my first steps in the world of Horror writing. Currently I am working on some stories for another collection that I’m hoping will be done by next year. There are also some magazines that I want to try to get published in, so I’m making a concentrated effort to get more submissions out. How does the stonemason make such perfect statues?
MAKE YOUR OWN HORROR MOVIE
29/8/2013
 Time for some fun.
You are in charge of making a new "real" Horror movie, and you need to cast the victims of the crazed killer, who likes to come up with fiendish and appropriate methods of death. So who would be your five real victims and what would be their method of death? And yes that would be one of my choices. Lowri Turner. Comment below with your cast and methods of death PLEASE KEEP THIS LIGHT HEARTED 5 Minutes With Michael Penkas
29/8/2013
 DEAD BOYS COVER Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I’ve lived in Chicago for the past decade. If you’ve attended open mic events in the area, you’ve probably seen me. I have over a dozen stories published. Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction? It depends on the particular story. When describing my own stories, I’ll tend to use “Horror” over “Weird” or “Dark” simply because “Horror” is the term more generally understood. The two sides of the genre problem is that readers need standard labels to understand the sort of story they’re getting; but many times the standard labels don’t really give an accurate description of the work. So you’re stuck with either giving a book an inappropriate label or using a new term that most readers won’t understand until they read the book and see what the author was trying to achieve. Try explaining “weird fiction” to someone who’s never heard of H.P. Lovecraft (it’s a bigger demographic than a lot of people seem to think). I know people who still don’t understand the meaning of “steampunk” or “slipstream”. So I’ll call stories that deal with ghosts “Horror”, even if they’re not always particularly scary. Who are some of your favourite authors? Jonathan Carroll, Thomas Ligotti, Kathe Koja, Harlan Ellison, Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K. Dick, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Moore and Alan Moore are the first ten names that come to mind. What are you reading now? A lot of what I’m reading now is small press stuff being written by people I know. There’s also a lot of innovative stuff being produced independently. That said, the book currently on my nightstand is On Writing by Stephen King, probably the un-smallest press author out there. Also, lots of comic books. I just finished Witch Doctor by Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner. How would you describe your writing style? Probably as a drift between horror and comedy. Dead Boys is a collection of my four earliest published stories, so people who’ve heard me read my recent works might be surprised by how much sadder these early works seem. The problem with so much horror out there now is that we’re aware of all the tropes. “Realism” tends to be synonymous with “Dark”, so that we have an unending string of serial killer philosophy novels and cultural decay zombie parables. For me, “realism” is the fact that we tend to adjust to even the most horrific situations with alarming ease. That seems to be something that could be both horrifying and humorous. Here’s a set-up for an example: I’m watching a show about a handsome, down-to-earth serial killer trying to raise a family in Florida. This is a popular show. Millions of people watch it and find the serial killer to be a charming fellow because he only brutally dismembers bad people. Never mind that his interpretation of “bad people” can be a bit elastic. So why not start interviewing real serial killers on talk shows? Sure, there will be protests at first; but the ratings will go through the roof. And once serial killers get talk show interviews, how long before some executive gets the idea of having a serial killer host a television show? It can be done via video-conferencing from prison. Again, there would be protests, but they’d come to nothing as long as ratings stayed high. And, at that point, how long before serial killers start getting agents? Sure, they can’t keep any of the money themselves; but they can probably hire agents to broker the book/television/film deals. Is a world where serial killers become celebrities, where victims are chosen based on how the public will react, where twisted men have their delusions of grandeur sustained by media attention … is that world horrific or humorous? That’s the sort of middle ground between genres that I like to play with. Also, I suppose a lot of my stories end up dealing with taboo topics. “Parable of the Lazy Rooster” deals with the religion. “Cold Comfort” has an explicit sex scene. “Wet Dog Perfume” deals with suicide. “Midnight Cappuccino” deals with the even more controversial topic of assisted suicide. A lot of it is disturbing; but if you look at it too long, you start to laugh. Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits? The day usually starts with a trip to a coffee shop. I’ll journal for a few pages, maybe read something off my Kindle, then plan out the rest of the day. After that, I’ll handle any editing work that comes to me, do any other work-related stuff, then get to my own writing. I generally don’t start my own writing until I’ve finished with all of the other obligations of my life. For instance, I’m filling out this questionnaire before I start in on my next novella. No unusual writing habits. I usually have a cup of coffee beside me and one of my hundreds of CDs playing as I write. What’s your favourite food? Again, nothing special. Probably burgers and pizza. Although I’ve always thought I make good lemon pepper chicken. What’s your favourite album? Hard to say. It might well be “Hormonally Yours” by Shakespear’s Sister. But then that ignores how big a fan I am of Alice Cooper, Ani Difranco, Blue Oyster Cult, The Cocteau Twins, David Bowie, Lita Ford, Laurie Anderson, Joan Jett, Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Miles Davis, Roky Erickson, The Ramones, The Velvet Underground, Sarah McLachlan, The Stooges, Led Zeppelin, Lydia Lunch, The Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, The Lords of Acid, The Bangles, The Cramps, Hole and Kirsty MacColl. I listen to different music as I write different stories. And a lot of times, it feels like whatever album is helping me get into the right creative mind-set is my favorite album at that moment. What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? That piece of crap story that got finished is always going to be better than the utterly brilliant story that never got started. Fame and fortune, or respect? A harder choice than it might seem. I suppose I’m curious why it’s an either/or situation. Many of us get none of these things. If someone has the perseverance to write a complete story, no matter how derivative or badly structured, that gets my respect. If that someone then reads that piece to a crowd, whether strangers or friends, that gets my respect. If that someone then submits the work to a publisher or decides to personally publish the piece, that gets my respect. My respect wouldn’t depend on how famous or wealthy a writer becomes; but I’d hope I wouldn’t begrudge someone’s success either. The question seems to imply that fame and fortune somehow requires the loss of respect. If it came down to Fame, Fortune or Respect, it will probably piss off a lot of people to hear that I’d choose Fortune. At some point, you do this work because it’s important to you; not because it will make other people like you. And Fortune would give me the time to do more writing, even if some people thought what I was writing was crap. Now, if by respect you meant self-respect; then yes, self-respect trumps fame and fortune. It has to, no matter what line of work you enter. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? It’s hard to say. Basically, it’s like picking which one of my stories is my favorite, a task made more difficult by the fact that many of my favorite pieces are ones that have never been published anywhere. But then, pride isn’t always about which stories I think are best. Even though Dead Boys contains some of my earliest work, I’m proud of the fact that I managed to self-publish it. I wrote a series of reviews on the Red Sonja comic book series that got published on Black Gate. That series ran every Tuesday for thirty weeks (including a review published on Christmas Day) and I’m proud of never missing a deadline on it. I’ve stood up in rooms full of strangers and read stories about religion, sex, abortion, suicide and any number of other controversial topics and I’m rather proud of that (even when there were walk-outs). Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? The last book is also my first book. Dead Boys collects four of my earliest published stories. “Parable of the Lazy Rooster” is about a mother who can’t deal with the death of her son and the priest who offers a different kind of solution to her dilemma. “Cold Comfort” is about a prostitute hired by a priest for a very special kind of service. “Wet Dog Perfume” is about a suicidal man meeting a crazy woman in a dog park. “Midnight Cappuccino” is an argument on the morality of assisted suicide between representatives of the living and the dead. I’m currently working on several novellas and short story collections that I’ll begin self-publishing next year. I’m going to take the lessons I’ve learned from publishing Dead Boys and use them to improve both the stories and the publication process for future books. So let me know what you think of the first book. Even bad reviews will help me improve future books, so it’s all appreciated.  Michael Penkas Author Bio Michael Penkas has lived in Chicago since 2004 and is a regular participant at the Bad Grammar (Chicago) reading series, the Gumbo Fiction Salon (Chicago) and the Tamale Hut Cafe (North Riverside) reading series. When not writing, he's worked as a software editor, research librarian and desktop publisher. He currently works as the website editor for Black Gate. DEAD BOYS They're not hard to find, if you know where to look. In the back of a pub after happy hour. In a dorm room between semesters. In a dog park after sunset. In a hospice room on Christmas Eve. Dead boys. Michael Penkas brings you four stories about the dead who refuse to leave and the living who refuse to let them go. Parable of the Lazy Rooster - A priest offers consolation and the most exotic drink on Earth. Cold Comfort - A prostitute visits the scene of a tragedy in order to render her own brand of absolution. Wet Dog Perfume - A lonely man mourns the death of one friend as he makes another. Midnight Cappuccino - Christmas Eve brings together a family separated by more than miles. Buy Dead Boys On Amazon
5 Minutes With William Stacey
27/8/2013
 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I pretty much grew up in the army. I’ve been in uniform, in one capacity or another, since the age of 13. I’m a husband and a father and consider myself incredibly lucky to be both, as I never really expected to be either. I’ve been shot at by Bosnian Serbs, rocketed by Pashtun insurgents, and catapulted off an aircraft carrier (in an aircraft, of course). I have always loved reading; there is no better reward in life than losing yourself in a book, and I consider myself blessed to be involved in the process of creating fiction and telling stories. Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction? I’ve always liked horror, but I also enjoy the term dark fiction. I know horror has a bit of a bad rep these days, but I think it’s undeserved and unfortunate. Horror is where we go when we want some titillation, when we want to be frightened and excited at the same time. Long live horror! Who are some of your favourite authors? Let’s start with the masters: Graham Masterton, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.R.R. Martin, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Steven King, David Morrell, Joe, R. Landsdale. But there’s so many more as well: Ramsey Campbell, Tom Monteleone, Jack Ketchum, Neil Gaiman, Bernard Cornwell, Charlee Jacob. What are you reading now? I’m all over the place. I tend to read about five-to-ten-books at the same time. I know, I know. I’m not bored with any of them; it’s just that I can’t decide what I want to read at any one time. It’s a sickness. Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson; Seal Team 666, by Weston Ochse; Draculas, by Jeff Strand, F.Paul Wilson, Jack Kilborn, and Blake Crouch; Murder as a Fine Art, by David Morrell, Knightly Arts of Combat, by David Lindholm and Peter Svard, and Guises, by Charlee Jacob. How would you describe your writing style? Sparse, fast-faced, easy to follow, and easy to get into. I want to tell a fun story, not create deathless prose. Don’t get me wrong. Sentences, paragraphs, pages, and chapters need to be as perfect as you can get them, but my goal is to put the reader into the story and stay out of the way. Story is king. Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I wake up at 2AM and get to work. Bum in chair, coffee in hand, by 5AM, I’ve usually written about 2-3,000 words. I do my best work while the rest of the house is asleep, and I always start my day with the creative process—I hit the most important stuff while my brain is fresh. Then, I’m off to work for the rest of the day. I always go to the gym or go for a run. Exercise is critical and even when there’s no time, I make time. Then, I come home and work on the business of writing: marketing, social media, taking care of my daughter, perhaps saying hello to my wife. By 7PM, I’m usually in bed. This is a hard schedule to maintain, but I’ve done it for years now. Nothing in life happens without discipline, and things get done by people who get up early and do them. What’s your favourite food? Lone Star Fajitas. Is there anything in life better than Tex-Mex? What’s your favourite album? Bat out of Hell, by Meat Loaf. What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? Writing is discipline, and discipline is a mountain that you must climb. Every. Single. Day. Fame and fortune, or respect? Fun. The worst day of writing is still a pretty darned good day. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? I’m particularly proud of my first published book, Black Monastery. It’s not my first book—not by a long shot—but it’s the first one that I felt was good enough to present to the world. I love redemption stories, where flawed heroes come back from the brink. I have to believe that everyone can do the right thing... maybe sometimes we just need a little push. In Black Monastery I tell a story about a man who, like all of us, started off well enough but let life and fate twist him into becoming a person he didn’t particularly like being. Sometimes you just feel trapped within yourself. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Well, we just talked about Black Monastery. It’s a redemption tale with demons, ghosts, and Vikings—all you really need in life. I’ve gone out of my way to avoid the typical clichés: the hero has issues, he’s not handsome, and he’s not a particularly nice man—in fact, he’s committed some horrible crimes—but he wants to do the right thing, and fate gives him the opportunity. Sometimes that’s enough. Life isn’t black and white, so why should heroes and villains be stereotypes? Check it out; I promise you’ll have fun, think of a bastard love child between Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft. My work in progress is the first book of a four-part series, tentatively titled The Breached Earth War. When the military accidentally opens a rift between our world and a world where magic and mythical monsters exist, we open ourselves up to an invasion of legendary creatures. Modern technology and magic go head-to-head—and don’t assume technology has the edge; you might be surprised. Rocket launcher doesn’t always beat fireball. The protagonist is Cassie “Starlight” Rogen, a young woman who becomes one of the first Mag-sens: a human who can suddenly draw upon and use the forces of magic that have been released into our world through the rift. Cassie is recruited by a shadowy military organization (that may be responsible for the rift in the first place) to help hunt down the Basilisk—a giant six-legged lizard that turns people to stone—in the forests of northern British Columbia. But what Cassie and the other members of this special force’s team don’t realize is that the Basilisk is only a decoy for the real threat. This one is going be a blast! Read Williams Guest Post On Medieval Sword Fighting HERE A former soldier, William Stacey served his country for more than thirty years, including multiple combat tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan. William loves exercise and all things martial and is a black belt in karate. Black Monastery is his debut novel. Beware the foe behind the strange threshold. In 799 A.D. Viking warband leader Asgrim Wood-Nose sails his prized longship Sea Eel south along the coast of Frankia to raid the island of Noirmoutier—the Black Monastery. Banned from his homeland following a night of rage-filled murder, Asgrim has been declared outlaw. Unless he can raise a princely blood debt, he will never see Denmark again. When a Saracen merchant brags of a great treasure hidden deep within the monastery, Asgrim realizes fate is offering him a chance to go home again. But Asgrim has led his men into a trap: somehow, the monks of the Black Monastery have released a dark supernatural force, an eastern demon that wears the skins of its victims. Hunted by this monstrous evil and tormented by the ghosts of those he has slain, Asgrim’s only ally becomes another lonely soul, a Frankish woman abandoned by her people under suspicion of witchcraft. The Viking north clashes with the supernatural east in an epic historical fantasy tale of heroism and redemption in the face of unimaginable horror. Voted 'Outstanding in Genre' by Red Adept Select. Purchase Black Monastery on Amazon via the links below
5 Minutes With Theo Vigo
26/8/2013
 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? Hi everyone! My name is Theo. I'm twenty-six and live at home with my mom and brother in Toronto, Canada. I've been a pretty casual reader throughout my life. I would mostly read what I was assigned in class and a few books for leisure on the side. During late high school and college, I spent most of my time in song writing rather than literary works. My reading habit truly blossomed after my dad passed away in 2006. I started reading spiritual books, then business books, books about life and a random collect of fiction. I also started to do a lot more creative writing that eventually lead to the completion of my first full length zombie adventure novel, Our Undead. Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction? I prefer Horror. It just sounds right, and I think it’s a much more powerful way to describe the genre. Instead of using two words, one that maybe isn't descriptive enough and one that is a given, just use one distinct title. Horror. Boom. Perfect. Who are some of your favourite authors? I don't so much have favourite authors as I do favourite books. In my current collection, I am most likely to re-read "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss, "The Monsters Of Templeton" by Lauren Groff, or "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. Some of my favourite stories growing up were Great Expectations, Goosebumps and Archie comics. What are you reading now? Right now I am reading a book called, "A Treatise On White Magic" by Alice Bailey. According to Wikipedia, it was published in 1934 and is a fun esoteric text, which Bailey said was dictated telepathically by the Tibetan Master, Djwal Khul. So far it's pretty entertaining and educational. I figure if we all lived in the Star Wars dimension, I would most likely be a Jedi and not a Sith Lord, so white magic has caught my interest. How would you describe your writing style? As I said earlier, my understanding and skills in song writing grew stronger before that of my creative writing skills. That being said, I think that my writing style is on the lyrical side. It is very descriptive and sometimes poetic, probably because I'm so used to writing lyrics for songs. But it's hard to judge myself. I'm not quite sure, so you tell me. Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits? When I was in the process of writing Our Undead, I was truly an author. I wrote everyday. I had to write everyday, because I had set a goal that I had to accomplish, that being to finish writing a book before 2012 came to an end. I started in May of that year and finished the first draft in October. When I started writing, I was naïve about the amount of work it takes to release a finished written piece, and strenuous editing and revisions followed the completion of the first draft, so I didn't get to release it before 2012 ended. However, I did get to release it in February this year, and it came down to getting up everyday and working on Our Undead with every free moment I had to spare in the day. I would always have my laptop with me, always close. There was no secret to it, just hardcore, straight up, writing and revising everyday like an obsessive little writing nymph. It's almost frightening to think that I'm going to do it again. What’s your favourite food? My favourite food is… urgh… if I have to choose JUST one, like last meal type thing, I choose… spaghetti with sweet ground beef tomato sauce. What’s your favourite album? Another hard one this is… Okay. Desert island. I can only take ONE album… I would take The Red Album. It's a compilation album of The Beatles songs from 1962-1966. I feel like I can get a little piece of every genre from them. It’s a two-disk set with 26 tracks, but that counts right?? What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? Two things. First, I have learned that you must sit down and write. The hardest part is sitting down, making the time and quieting your mind long enough to let the ideas start flowing. You really have to get all of the extra noise out of your mind, and then just write what comes. The second big thing I learned is that YOU ALMOST CAN'T REVISE ENOUGH. Seriously, it's like, intense. If you are writing you're first novel, you'll see what I mean, and anyone who has already written one knows. Fame and fortune, or respect? Neither choice is really good without a little mix of the others, but since I must choose between the two, I choose fame and fortune. Why? I guess I'm just hoping that the fortune part makes up for the lack of respect I'd be getting. Plus, it kind of sounds like more fun. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? I'm most proud of the first work I've completed, Our Undead. Breaking it down, in that project I am most proud of the characters I was able to develop. It's weird. I've spent so much time with them in my mind that I feel like I have been getting to know them, much like any new reader would. I think I'm most proud of that, that I've created a living world with characters that have and continue (in a way) to take on a life of their own. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? "OUR UNDEAD: Abe" is my debut eNovel. Available for sale in the Amazon Kindle Store and other online retailers. It's a dark but fun(ny) story for young adults and those who enjoy action and adventure with a zombie twist. It's got 28 juicy chapters and was really fun to come up with and re-live. I hope it is just as much fun for others. I have a strong sense of what I am going to do next when it comes to another project in literature, but I don't want to get into it or give anything away. Just know that I am casually working on something. At the same time, I'm letting my inner musician resurface, so if you like some of that good old pop-punk music, keep an ear out for some new music later this year. Thank you GNOH for having me, and thank you all for reading! Purchase Our Undead On Amazon via the links below
 Hello folks and welcome to the first in a special two part interview featuring the authors of this fantastic brand new Horror Anthology. So if you have ever wondered what happens when eight of the UK's biggest selling independent authors get together for an interview, now is your chance.
In July 2013, eight of the UK’s biggest selling independent horror authors had an idea. Each of them would provide a complete novel or novella for a limited edition omnibus collection, that would be available for a limited period of time only. All of the proceeds from this book would go to Centrepoint, a charity that supports homeless children and young people, and gives them a chance to get their lives back on track. This book is released on Kindle TODAY. It will be available as a free download for the first five days, to give it maximum exposure, before returning to it’s normal retail price. The book will be available for a 3 month period only, at which point all royalties earned will be donated to Centrepoint. The line-up for this book is pretty amazing, but we need the help of all our fans to make this a success. Spread the word, download the book when it’s free, and if you can, please donate the cover price of the book via our Just Giving Page. - See more at: Horrific Tales  Great British Horror Cover Hello folks and welcome to the first in a special two part interview featuring the authors of this fantastic brand new Horror Anthology. So if you have ever wondered what happens when eight of the UK's biggest selling independent authors get together for an interview, now is your chance.
In July 2013, eight of the UK’s biggest selling independent horror authors had an idea. Each of them would provide a complete novel or novella for a limited edition omnibus collection, that would be available for a limited period of time only. All of the proceeds from this book would go to Centrepoint, a charity that supports homeless children and young people, and gives them a chance to get their lives back on track. This book is released on Kindle TODAY. It will be available as a free download for the first five days, to give it maximum exposure, before returning to it’s normal retail price. The book will be available for a 3 month period only, at which point all royalties earned will be donated to Centrepoint. The line-up for this book is pretty amazing, but we need the help of all our fans to make this a success. Spread the word, download the book when it’s free, and if you can, please donate the cover price of the book via our Just Giving Page. - See more at: Horrific Tales Horror Author Interview Terry M West
8/8/2013
 Terry M. West is a well known author, filmmaker and actor. He has written several books in the young adult field (most notably the graphic novel series, Confessions of a Teenage Vampire) and he has also authored several horror stories as well as the novel, Dreg. His short horror work has appeared in FrightNet, Scream Factory, Agony In Black, Lacunae, Jackhammer, House of Pain, Dark Muse and Moonletters. He was a finalist for the 1997 International Horror Guild Award for a short story (The Night Out) and he made the 1999 Bram Stoker Awardpreliminary ballot for a piece of long fiction (Hair and Blood Machine). He was also mentioned on the 1997 TV Guide Sci-Fi Hot List. His film works include his debut film Blood for the Muse (based on his comic book of the same name which was a finalist for the 1998 International Horror Guild Award for a comic) and Flesh for the Beast. He has acted in the filmsThe Blood Shed and Gallery of Fear (both directed by Alan Rowe Kelly) and had a starring role in Joseph M. Monks debut film, The Bunker. Upcoming projects include: a revised edition of Dreg, What Price Gory?,Fear and Lesbians in New Jersey and Dead Aware. West currently lurks in southern California with his wife Regina and son Terrence.  Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I am Terry M. West. I am a horror author and filmmaker. As a director, I guess I am best known for the film Flesh for the Beast. As an author, I was active in the young adult and adult horror market. My most notable YA title was Confessions of a Teenage Vampire from way back in 1997. In the adult horror market, I published some short stories. I was the founder of Dark Muse magazine and the creator of a horror comic series called Blood for the Muse (which I would eventually develop into a horror film of the same name). My debut horror novel, DREG, was published in 2003. I am currently doing a revised edition. Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction? Horror. All the way. Who are some of your favourite authors? Theodore Sturgeon, Rod Serling, Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Jack Ketchum and I am a huge fan of Edward Levy. What are you reading now? Actually, I just reread THE BEAST WITHIN by Levy. It’s a great read. How would you describe your writing style? I had a reviewer (Lisa DuMond) once say that my prose was “spare, powerful and packs a nasty sucker punch”. I think that sums it up. I will try to experiment sometimes. My stories A PSYCHO’S MEDLEY and THE NIGHT OUT were experiments that succeeded. And I only say they succeeded based on the feedback I received for both. THE NIGHT OUT was a finalist for the 1997 International Horror Guild Award for a short story and A PSYCHO’S MEDLEY was accepted into an anthology that, sadly, never materialized. Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits? Well, I have to separate the days into actual writing and promoting myself and my work. I have only recently gotten back into the game. It has been nearly a decade since I offered my work. It’s a challenge to find the audience I had before and bring them back and cultivate a new one. It’s a daunting task, but I love it. What’s your favourite food? Hot dogs. I have always been a fan. What’s your favourite album? The one that spoke to me the most was PINK FLOYD’S THE WALL. What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? That it takes a HUGE amount of time to perfect a work, and it never really feels completed. You can walk away from a project for a long time but you’ll eventually look at it again, with more wisdom and talent, and cringe. Fame and fortune, or respect? Well, I would love all of the above, but for the sake of my family, I would have to take fortune. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? My son, Terrence M. West. A close second would be my recent collection, A PSYCHO’S MEDLEY, but more for sentimental reasons that the actual work. It’s the first thing I have offered in a long time and it’s the perfect starter course for anyone who hasn’t read my work. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? A PSYCHO’S MEDLEY is a collection of my fiction that focuses on psychopaths, serial killers and lost souls. It includes two never before seen stories, A PSYCHO’S MEDLEY and MORSEL, as well as THE NIGHT OUT, WAITING FOR THE THUNDER, TRAITEUR and my expanded novelette, HAIR AND BLOOD MACHINE. A PSYCHO’S MEDLEY is on Amazon Kindle right now, with a print version on the way. I am currently working on a revised edition of my novel DREG. I have another collection of stories on the way. That one is called WHAT PRICE GORY?. There’s more, and you can keep track of it at www.terrymwest.com A PSYCHO’S MEDLEY "This book is a read that will never be forgotten. It’s a true exploration of mental, and physical torture, with an element of bounteous apprehensions..."... Wesley Thomas, Horror Novel Reviews  The writer is not the infamous Stephen King antihero Mort Rainey, but the far more nefarious author of the novels Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark (with Elizabeth Massie), Balak, The Lebo Coven, The Nightmare Frontier, Blue Devil Island, and The Monarchs (forthcoming from Crossroad Press); five short story collections; and over 90 published works of short fiction (for a complete bibliography, click the button in the left-hand frame that says "Bibliography" and then run like hell).
 Brendan Detzner lives, works, and writes in Chicago. His work has appeared in Chizine, Pseudopod, Edge of Propinquity, Ruthless Peoples, Untied Shoelaces of the Mind, and the Book of Dead Things anthology, as well as elsewhere. His short story collection “Scarce Resources” is available at his web site. Brendan has also been featured at the Twilight Tales and Reading Under The Influence reading series in Chicago and runs his own reading series Bad Grammar, which takes place every 2nd Friday of the month in the Chicago Arts District.
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