Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?


I’ve been writing as a full-time gig and as a side passion for over a decade. I’ve written for various horror sites and even had my own at one point. I tried my hand at screenwriting, going around and around on that hamster wheel for a while before deciding to write my first novel, Devil’s Hollow.

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

There’s a character, a cop in Devil’s Hollow, who is just the embodiment of that uber testosterone with a badge type of guy. I have no patience for that type of person, regardless of occupation, and was super happy that I was able to give that character exactly what he deserved in Devil’s Hollow.

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

Comedy and wordplay. There’s a famous interview with George Carlin where he calls words his “babies.” I feel the same way. I grew up reading Piers Anthony’s Xanth series and while the puns in them seem overt and silly to an adult, as a pre-teen and early teenager they were everything. The way two words can play off each other and mean different things based on the context is fascinating.


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 as a community we’re getting it there. You look at how horror has become mainstream. Look at the cinema. Jordan Peele, James Wan. Blumhouse, it’s box office success after box office success.

Growing up Stephen King was considered “trash” by the literary community. Now he’s considered the modern-day Mark Twain.

The key is to keep doing good work. Push boundaries. Don’t fall back on the same tropes just to make a quick buck.

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 hope it’s not all pandemic stuff. I think we’re going to see a lot of films about the dangerousness of what I call “group think.” I look at what Carpenter did with They Live and how that film was of its time but at the same time more prescient today than ever. I think that type of film will serve as the template for reflecting our current socio/political environment.

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


A couple of reasons. First and foremost I think it allows us to tap into something darker that we can’t necessarily do in our everyday lives. We can indulge through words.

Second, and I think most important, horror challenges you in ways other genres can’t. A romance novel isn’t going to present you with the same moral questions as say, The Stand. I think the average horror reader likes to think about what they’re reading. There aren’t too many “popcorn” horror novels, not any good ones anyway. The best of the genre not only tells a great story but they challenge the way we think about the world around us.

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


The genre is so big at this point that you can find virtually anything, but I guess if I had to pick something I’d like to see a really good blend of Fantasy and Horror. There are some very good books out there that dabble in both, but as someone who grew up on Tolkien and similar fantasy writers as well as King and Straub and company, it would be great to get something like a horror Lord Of The Rings. I’m sure there is a ton of good dark fantasy out there, I just haven’t found that one thing that’s really scratched my itch yet.

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


I don’t know how new or upcoming they are but if you’re a horror fan and you’re not reading Stephen Graham Jones or Grady Hendrix then you need to get on it!

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


“How do you sleep at night? Because after reading Devil’s Hollow, I couldn’t” which was funny because I never dream in “horror.” I always thought that was funny.


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

I said above how much I love words…but I also hate them. Thesaurus.com is NOT my friend! I’ve sat for a half hour sometimes trying to plug in the best descriptive word into a sentence.

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

It’s hard to say. I’ve written about some pretty off-putting things in my books, spousal abuse, drug addiction, and murder (of course). There was a part of the title story to Ghosts From The Ruins that originally culminates in a character getting sexually assaulted. I wrote it, reread it, and immediately excised it. It made me feel disgusting. I’m not saying there aren’t times for that in storytelling, but I felt in that situation I could tell the same story, and get to the same point, without using sexual assault as a plot device.


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

I used to write something, then immediately go back, reread it, and edit to what I perceived was perfection Now, I’m much more of a just go with it and finish. Fix it later. I get my basic story done first, the vomit draft, if you will, then edit the manuscript as a whole.


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

It’s not from one person but the best advice is always. Keep writing. Write every day.

Which of your characters is your favourite?

I have a character in both of my books, Dana. She is a secondary character in Devil’s Hollow but I fell in love with writing for her so much that I wrote a whole short story prequel about just her for Ghosts From The Ruins.

Which of your books best represents you?

Not a complete book, but I love the story in Ghosts From The Ruins called Breaking Down. It’s the story about Dana I mentioned earlier. It’s got a little bit of everything, humor, tragedy, horror. It’s all there.

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


They’re all so good. Just kidding.
“Scotch, the drink, not the tape.” is a line I think is pretty clever. Maybe not, but it makes me chuckle,

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

My latest release Ghosts From The Ruins is a collection of seven short stories of varying length that all touch on death and the consequences of dying. I didn’t set out to create a thread in the stories, it happened organically. I didn’t realize what I’d done until I’d finished and started content editing. One of those happy little accidents, but it really helps the collection coalesce into a complete work.
As for what’s next? My next book is tentatively called All The Bodies and is a dirty little novel about two serial killers and the nastiness that ensues when they start hunting the same territory.

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

I’m a little tired of the whole 6 teens in a remote place deal. I get it’s generally cheap and easy to do, but it’s all just some kind of variant on Evil Dead or Friday the 13th. If you’re going to go down that road, try to do something different.

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


The last great book I read is kind of a cheat since I just read ‘Salem’s Lot for the umpteenth time. For first-time reads? I think about Stephen Chbosky’s Imaginary Friend a lot.

As far as disappointments? I generally don’t go down that road. As a reader, I understand not everything is for me. Writing is art, and art is subjective. So I’d hate to disparage something and have someone else choose not to read it because of my feelings towards it.

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

Question: “Is this Joshua Martin? Hi. We’d like to give you this wheelbarrow full of money for the rights to your book. Would you take it?”
Answer: “Yes. Yes, I would.”

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

Something lame, like Leprechaun or Chucky. How hard could it be to outrun a toy? I’ve always found the idea behind Chucky stupid. Once you get past the original surprise that a toy is a homicidal maniac, then it’s pretty easy to deal with.


Think what would have happened if it was possessed Lego instead of a doll? That stuff hurts if you step on it anyway – imagine if it had teeth and a bad attitude?



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

Jaws. Just don’t go in the water. Simples.


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


The Cybermen from Doctor Who have always scared the beejesus out of me. It was that whole you can only kill them with gold. I’m from the Welsh valleys and when I was growing up in the seventies and eighties, I always thought ‘where the hell am I going to get gold from?’


Also, the Alien. The whole - it grows inside you - thing, with acid blood. Horrific.


Anything from Event Horizon. That is one terrifying film!


One more, because I’m being greedy, the Cenobites. Just holy shit, no….


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


I’d probably be Shaggy, trying to hide but getting into trouble anyway.


CC Adams would have to be Scooby as he’s never too far from food, and it takes him to his happy place.


Tim Lebbon would be Fred as he has the physique…! Maybe CC for this one too. Hmmm.


Kit Power for Velma, because he’s so damn clever and sees things others don’t.


Phil Sloman would be Daphne, just for the legs.



Pinhead pops round for an evening of fun, what are your pains and pleasures?

No clue, I’m too busy running like hell.


The Wishmaster gives you three wishes. What do you choose?

1.  You can wish to write in any franchise

Star Wars. Not a very horror answer I know, but I have adored the Star Wars films since I was a kid, watching it all on a big screen when I was about 7. Obviously the prequels dented that enthusiasm, but that whole universe is just outstanding.


I get annoyed with some of the direction they’ve taken with the TV shows – Book Of Boba Fett was fairly pants and I was also disappointed with Obi Wan in the end. People kept saying it was worth sticking with because of episodes 5 and 6. It really wasn’t and highlights the problems with prequels. There is no peril if you know the characters survive and every single character (bar one) in the final episode crops up in later films. It all looked spectacular, but that’s irrelevant if you aren’t made to care. I found it really boring, but appreciate I might be in the minority here: the whole series was a wasted opportunity.


Give me a new story, with previously unseen characters – like the Mandalorian – then you can move a story in a different direction. I’d love to see a horror story set in Star Wars (on screen) or a detective or a love story (don’t give me that prequels were a love story nonsense. There’s no way Padme would have fallen for Anakin).

2. You can wipe one franchise from the minds of everyone

Any of those cheap cash ins that are supposed to be funny, like the Scary Movie franchise. Consistently hitting a low bar for ‘humour’ for its entire run time. Dreadful, insipid and unfunny.

3. You can date your horror crush

Ripley or Laurie Strode from Halloween. Both of those would probably get the seal of approval from my wife.

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

I could give a very cheap answer here. For example, choosing something like Jaws doesn’t put me in a different environment, and all I have to do is avoid the water until Chief Brody kills the shark. I will, for the purposes of this interview, try not to be boring. I would have to go with the Saw franchise. Believe it or not, I think this would be the easiest to survive. So many traps have work arounds and ways to escape without seriously maiming yourself.


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

This is tough. I’ll be honest: I fit the stereotypical criteria to be a final girl in a horror movie, but I think I would probably die pretty fast. I can’t run and I would probably freeze up and panic when trying to deal with a real life threat. Assuming that I somehow miraculously avoided these two factors, I would choose Ghostface. Unlike most horror villains, he is not a supernatural entity. More often than not, he’s just a person. People can be killed, supernatural entities can not. I could also probably pull a Randy Meeks with horror knowledge too, so I would figure out the rules pretty easily.


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

Probably Cujo. I would highkey let the dog kill me, as I would never want to hurt a dog.


Another answer would be Chucky or Pennywise. They feed right into my automatonophobia.



You find yourself in Scooby Doo, which character are you, and who would most like to have as the other members of Mystery Inc?
​
I’m Velma. Allow me to share the evidence.
​

This was my friend group’s Halloween costume in 2018! Also, when I was a baby, the Scooby Doo gang was my imaginary friend. I would probably keep around the whole group for nostalgic reasons, but my friends are cool, too.


Pinhead pops round for an evening of fun, what are you pains and pleasures?
​
Oh my, what a question. I am going to keep this PG for obvious reasons.


Pains: I really can’t stand rude or arrogant people.


Pleasure: I love animals. I have three dogs, a guinea pig, a fish, and a bearded dragon. I also volunteer at an animal shelter. My favorite thing to do is probably to spend time with my dog, Kona. She’s my best friend. I also love writing, reading, learning jiu-jitsu, and coloring.


So I guess Pinhead is making me witness Karens in the wild?


The Wishmaster gives you three wishes:

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

What do you choose?

1. The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling is one of my horror idols and the series is a huge inspiration to me. Yes, I know I am a bit late to meet Serling, but Jordan Peele runs it now, and I love his work!
2. Jeepers Creepers. You know why.
3. R.J. MacReady from The Thing or Dewey from Scream.

OH NO I’M STUCK IN A HORROR 
 
This is a new, hopefully fun short interview template, where you imagine you are trapped in a series of horror books and films, it’s meant to be a lighthearted way to talk about the thing you want to promote without directly talking about it.  As with all of the other templates, please include a biography, the product you want to promote, any social media links or links to purchase your stuff at the end of the article and please attach a profile picture that we can use in the article. 


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


I´m torn between the Scream films and Insidious. Scream is my all-time favorite slasher and because it’s based in a non-magic world, I think I could stand a chance at surviving, however, Insidious is a world I just cannot resist. I want to travel through the Further so bad! I´d most definitely would get lost but I´d still go exploring.
In the end though, I think I´d go with Scream. Those films just have an atmosphere that I think I´d thrive in.



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


 
Since I picked Scream, I guess I´d be going up against Ghostface and in that case, it´d be the person behind the mask that I´d be talking to. They´re always unreasonable, but that´s okay. My father suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and I used to get woken up at 3 am to be told that a man named Andy was outside my window with a gun, if I sat up, he´d shot me in the head. I´m used to unpredictable situations and talking to someone who can´t seemingly be reasoned with. I like to think I´d be somewhat prepared for whatever Billy Loomis and Stu Macher knock offs come my way.
 
Anyone who has seen Scream, any of the five movies, knows that Ghostface is a human in a mask, and most importantly, a human that can be injured. I may not be all that skilled, but I think if I was prepared, I could take on a Ghostface. Tripping them with their robe would be my first step. How could any of them run in that thing?



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


I have an intense fear of sharks, galeophobia, and a fear of the open sea, thalassophobia. So, any kind of shark or creature bound to the water, would be a nightmare for me. Just the idea of floating in open water makes me break out in a frightened sweat.



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

Ever seen that Scooby Doo crossover with Supernatural? In my fantasy of Scooby Doo I´d like to be another type of talking dog, not Scooby because no one can replace Scooby, that is adopted into the gang. Then cartoon Sam and Dean show up and they all join in. That´s my Mystery Inc. Fred can beat it, so it´d be me, Scooby, Shaggy, Daphne, Velma, and then Sam and Dean.
 
 

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


Pains are anything to do with eyes and skinning (shivers), and my pleasures are…I have no idea. Sitting in the dark and listening to the Sinister soundtrack, staring at Hannibal Lector´s drawing of the “Wounded Man,” maybe just having a bowl of lychees or having a movie theater all to myself. I don´t really have a good answer for this.


The Wishmaster gives you three wishes

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

What do you chose?

One day after a bad day at work, used to work for RGIS, I imagined a Saw type of game for the worst of my coworkers. I was quite proud of it actually.
The game was the workers would wake up in a store with different types of devices on them. Similar to Amanda´s reverse bear trap, but none are the same, and the key to unlocking them all is in a single safe. Unfortunately, the only way to get the combination is to correctly count every piece of inventory in the store, no summarizing, lying or skipping. Everyone has a section, and the combined numbers would be the combination. If you get three wrong tries, someone’s device will randomly go off.
 
I often imagined this scenario because hardly anyone at RGIS counted the inventory properly. Once saw a coworker look at an entire self of peanut butter, well over 15 jars and just shrugged and typed 8 in their device while I was taking the time to move the jars around to separate crunchy, smooth, hazelnut, etc., and actually counting them. So, Scream is my dream, but I think I´d have fun writing for Saw. Would be therapeutic.

​

An author and poet living in South Florida. A graduate of the University of South Florida with a Bachelor's in English and a Certificate in Creative Writing, she's written for several horror anthologies and literary journals including 101 Horror Proof, Pandemic Unleashed, and Darkness Wakes. Ramblings of a Madman is her debut poetry collection and Undead Redhead: The Girl in the Mall is her debut novel. Usually, she's just watching horror movies

https://rachelwinterroth.wixsite.com/website​


The book I wish to promote is my novel, The Undead Redhead: The Girl in the Mall. Here is the Amazon link
The Undead Redhead: The Girl in the Mall

​Her love has endured for over 2,500 years without signs of waning as she gathers cast-off children to call her own. The undead redheaded girl living in a Tennessee mall is something the world has not seen before or since. She turns the unwanted and the unloved into a family of the undead.

Follow her drawing of three disaffected and abused teens into her world. In a dark code of justice, they feast on the abusive and oppressive while fighting off all who get too close to the truth with ruthless savagery.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?


Sure. I’m originally from Central Massachusetts, and in about 2019 I moved with my partner of about 15 years to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I love cats, horror, gallows humor, and general weirdness. I am also owner and editor of Nictitating Books, which I’ve been running since 2020.
 
Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

Oh, jeez, tough call. I got some real bastards. I think for now I’m going to say the zombie from my new novel God Damn Zombie Chainsaw Murderer. He (as is vaguely hinted at in the title) has a chainsaw he likes to murder people with, in very gruesome ways. He’s more or less a familiar for a witch who uses him, this undead ex-serial killer as a sort of rotting murder machine. I’d say The Man in the Suit from D3M0N, except he’s actually pretty sexy, so at least you could have some sexy stuff before he killed you in some creative way. 

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


Not to be too heavy but trauma, social ostracization, growing up with a learning disability and depression, nearly choking on a fireball at 3, apparently long enough my face turned blue and I very easily could have died. A nearly two decade addiction to speed. Clean now, thank you.

So, generally, life experience, and philosophy gained from lots of difficult times. Also, oddly enough, comedy.  


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?


We will never break past the assumptions by the general masses that horror is just brainless slashers (and I even love them). I think we fight so hard to try to get past the assumptions, we come up with clever new terms like “elevated,” or “weird,” or “thriller,” or whatever the hell to try to somehow avoid the connotations, but the simple fact is we will never get past them any more than a man who writes fantasy will get past people thinking he writes about dragons exclusively, or a writer of crime fiction only does police procedurals. There’s no way to really change what the non-genre fans think, so the best thing is to write for the fans, and just accept there will be absolute morons out there, and it is their loss.

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?

The same place it has always gone. Horror has always been political. But like, what subgenres, or themes? Likely more body horror, and themes of loss of freedom, or control. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out, we did go back in time in the United States.  

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


The same reason people like to whistle through the graveyard. We are currently alive, one day we will be stone dead. It’s coming to grips with death, and the fear of disease, sorrow, pain, the end of the world.

Dress rehearsal for the void.  

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


Most of them. I’m a big fan of Paula D. Ashe, Tiffany Morris, BR Yeager. I mean, ideally me also, l-o-l.  

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


Yeah, some guy did a 5 minute video take down of my first chapbook and I will not elaborate on what I’d enjoy doing.

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


This will sound obvious, but the actual butt in the seat, typing the words part. I have, like, a good 8 novels plotted out in my head, it just takes the drive and the energy, pushing past the fact I don’t have an enormous amount of readers yet. Pushing through apathy, basically.

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


Probably not child molestation, at length. Or bestiality, at length.

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


I am so much better. I don’t even know what else to say. I’m actually readable, now. My early stuff was, wooo doggy, bad, bad, bad.

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


Take all pieces of advice with a grain of salt. Go with your gut.

Which of your characters is your favourite?


Probably Detective Lucky Bryne. She’s getting her own book: book 2 of my series (whenever I actually write it, maybe late 2023?).

Which of your books best represents you?


Good lord I hope none of them represent me. But if you’re asking which ones are the ones that show my writing and the diversity of it, likely Screaming Creatures, my full length collection.

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


This is from the last story in Screaming Creatures. The title story.


“We knew the cost of what we had done. We tried to pretend like we didn't... but we all knew. In an effort to make our lives easier, more comfortable, we destroyed entire ecosystems. We deforested, and dumped chemicals onto our plants and into the air. We drove cars that not only fucked up the atmosphere, but murdered countless animals. 

What was it all for, really? We didn't just kill our world slowly, we killed ourselves. All to have things quicker, more efficient. Why? It was never fast enough. We always needed it to be better. We were never satisfied. 

The crux of the problem was we would never change. Not really. All the famous actors having fundraisers in the world wouldn't get rid of our baser natures. Because we liked to be lazy, and we liked to be greedy, and we liked to be violent. Words would never stop these desires. 

We didn’t give a shit. We went ahead and did it all anyway. All for us. Me, me, me. Narcissism was our undoing. 

We all knew one day we would die. Just, out, a blink, a breath, and then darkness. Forever. 

At the back of our minds, we knew future generations would be left with the husk of a planet we discarded, the world that we used up and spit out. 

Our planet wouldn’t let us go out peacefully. It would not let us leave the party without a fight. 

There is a trauma that never ends. The pain becomes a feedback loop, and the illusion that the terror stops along with the event itself is a fallacy. No matter where you go, or what you do, the trauma follows, and replays. You never really leave that bedroom, you never really leave that car crash. You never really leave that assault, and you never really leave that hospital room as you watch your loved ones die. Part of you stays there, in that place, stuck, unable to leave. Haunting the scene. 

The idea we get over trauma, that we are able to simply move past it, this isn’t true. 

What happens then? Are we finally okay with what occurred? Do the moments singed into our soul, that left behind the burn scars, do they simply heal? No. The burnt skin dies and falls away, taking a piece of us with it. 

Such is the nature of madness. And when you understand that this trauma that does not end is life itself, is the moment of birth as we become the screaming creatures thrust into this place without any say, then you understand the one unquestionable truth about us. About all of us. 

We are born insane, and we die insane. 


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


Last was a 90s slasher, with some surprises. Current is a sea monster novel. Won’t say much more than that.

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


I wouldn’t erase any of them. People think clichés are the devil, but they became these trite things because people really like them. To erase them would be like getting rid of cliché phrases like “I love you,” or “I’m sorry.” It’s never what you do, but how it’s done.

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


No comment, no comment. You are trying to get people in trouble, tricky, tricky.

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

That’s a hard one. I could give you some sarcastic answer, but that seems fairly needless.

But I’m going to do it anyway. The question would be why are you so amazing, and the answer would be jeez, I guess it’s just in my DNA, and because everything I do owns.