Five minutes with the three U.K. authors, Barrie Darke, Liam Hogan, and Louis Stephenson, appearing in Shadowy Natures: Stories of Psychological Horror, available everywhere on September 10 from Dark Ink Books.
 

Shadowy Natures is a collection of psychological horror stories. What is unique about psychological horror as a subgenre? What about it appeals to horror fans? Is it a subgenre in which you often write? Why or why not?
 
LIAM HOGAN: One of the forgotten tricks from the age of CGI-less cinema is that things you don't see can be scarier than those you do. Perhaps modern cinema isn't the ideal medium for horror, for that very reason! And perhaps, because cinema means we've all seen what a vampire looks like, a lot of the imagined creature horror is no longer as horrible as it could be. But when the threat has no obvious form, when you can almost convince yourself it isn't real, then the horror isn't a jump shock. It's a cold bath, leeching away your warmth and comfort...
 
LOUIS STEPHENSON: Agreed. A lot of horror requires you to really stretch your suspension of disbelief, but I find the psychological approach is a great tool for things to just go wild and still be effective because acknowledging that it’s all in the mind can give it a stronger sense of reality.  I wouldn’t say I write about it exclusively, but I think every good story has a significant element of the psychological in it because you are creating a character or characters with their own thoughts and feelings, and how they react and are affected by each moment that bears some personal significance to them.
 
BARRIE DARKE: I suppose some horror fans want the horror to be grounded in uncomfortable reality. A psychological element does that nicely, throws you back into the workings of your own misbegotten head.
 
In one or two sentences, tell us what your Shadowy Natures story is about.
 
BARRIE: “The Wolf Gang” is about a man who stays over at a work colleague’s house one night, where he spots something that strikes him as, let’s say, unusual. It’s a long night, and a long morning, too.
 
LIAM: “Cuckoo” deals with half-remembered traumatic childhood memories and a sibling rivalry inspired by what never, ever gets talked about. And what doesn't get talked about turns out to have a much bigger effect than what is.
 
LOUIS: “Itch” should hit everyone a little bit too close to home.  The leading lady of my tale of terror becomes increasingly afraid that she may have been infected by the same ghastly condition as her older brother when he moves back in with the family.

So interestingly, each of your Shadowy Natures stories contains an element of home or home life, one that is upended or is deceptive. How does the setting or theme of “the home” lend itself to the horror genre?
 
LOUIS: It’s one of the most effective ways to unnerve your audience, in very much the same way the villain or threat would your main character, because you are invading somewhere that they consider to be the safest place on earth and turning it against them.
 
BARRIE: “The Wolf Gang” was inspired by a What if? moment I had while watching a film with a domestic setting. While the home is supposed to be your safe haven, most of the terrible things that happen to you, that make you the broken-down wretch you are today, take place in the home. So that contradiction is a juicy one to explore.
 
LIAM: There is something about a home you grew up in that inks it deep into the memory. And with short stories I think you need that familiarity to save pages--world building space is at such a premium. I've written a few stories lately where the secrets the walls hide begin to seep out again. The familiar is not always comforting.
 
 
A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate. Considering the current state of the world today, where do you see horror going in the next few years?
 
LIAM: There will no doubt be a glut of people writing about pandemics, (zombies optional?) but most will go unpublished; who wants to read about a horror they've just lived through? The more interesting questions perhaps are how society reshapes itself afterwards—or how it argues its way back to where it was. Stories about isolation, fear of others, the powers governments decide they'd rather not relinquish...
 
LOUIS: Art reflects poignant moments in history.  How can it not?  There will also be those who sniff out an opportunity.  That said, being locked down is not going to change what a person wants to write.  If anything, it has given some of us more time to work on the stories we want to tell.
 
BARRIE: Maybe the global situation is too big to tackle head on, so horror will dive underground and reflect it on the personal level: mental breakdown stories, life collapses, family horror, the psyche as a battleground. More like The Shining than The Stand.
 
On that note, given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre, why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?
 
BARRIE: I think most people believe they aren’t very far from being dark, violent and grotesque at the best of times themselves. Whether they actually are or not, of course, is a different matter. Life often feels like it has the potential to be a horror story far more often than a spy thriller, say, or a satire set in a University.
 
LIAM: For me the horror has to be in some way fitting. And that doesn't just mean as a punishment for being bad. In some cases, it's for making decisions that to you and I probably signify nothing. But, to a person in the cellar of a cabin in the woods... Well.
Given that, the best horror (the best stories...) to me have a kind of inevitability. It was always going to end like this. And if you can write that, then however horrible, it's a what if experiment readers can buy into. That said, I've written a couple of stories some of my family members can't read, and I'm still not entirely sure if I should be proud or concerned.
 
LOUIS: Fascination.  We have always been captivated by destruction.  Every genre has its substitute, whether it’s taking out an entire building with an explosion in an action thriller novel, or a bride falling face first through a giant wedding cake in a romantic comedy.  Ours just happens to have a little more blood.
 
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 previous assumptions?

LOUIS: I don’t think that will happen.  But I do think we could try changing our response to criticism.  Stop bloody apologizing for a bit of absolutely harmless fiction, be proud and stand up for ourselves. 
 
BARRIE: I don’t mind it at all. I think it should be heavy, should be off-putting to some; should be the snarling, flick-knife wielding brat of the literary family.
 
LIAM: Thankfully, there are alternative descriptions! Gothic, or dark, or noir. When I see the word horror it's a little like seeing the word funny. I'm going to be reading the piece with a big part of me sitting on the sides asking: “is this scary? Is this working on me?” I'm not overly keen to describe stories of mine as horror, (or indeed, comic), I'd rather the reader made the judgment. But twisted... yeah, I'll happily describe my short stories as that!
 
Writing is not a static process. How have you developed as a writer over the years? What aspects of writing, if any, do you find the most difficult? The most rewarding?

LIAM: I trained myself to write 2000 word stories for submissions to Liars' League, and then had to train myself to write different length stories for other markets (I'm still working on that!). Over the years, I've definitely got better at editing my work. Writing is a deceptively simple activity. You don't need any special equipment, you can do it pretty much anywhere. And yet, perfecting a story is tricky. Sometimes, a story resists polishing. Sometimes, you need to come back to it after a decent spell of time. I have a LOT of stories to come back to, and I always worry I never will.
 
LOUIS: For me, it’s been a process of finding the balance of how much description is necessary in each instance.  More often than not, I will be quite direct and blunt during a violent act as a way of stunning my reader.  Then, hopefully, they won’t know what hit them.  When needed I can paint a pretty nasty picture, but in those cases, the mood will dictate whether what is happening is portrayed as a thing of beauty, or just a gross, mess of fireworks.  A great death is always a reward to write and to read.
 
BARRIE: Recently I’ve been going over stories I wrote when I was just starting out, to see if they could be rewritten, so this has been on my mind a lot. The main improvement is that now I can see through to the point of a story/scene a lot more efficiently. There’s not so much flailing around. Things are a lot tighter and a lot shorter. Endings are the hardest part for me. All those big scenes to orchestrate just when you’re starting to flag.
           
The most rewarding thing is the mix of imagination and craft. Taking these cloudy visions and wrestling them into something solidly readable. Writing isn’t just dreaming, it’s using a hammer and chisel.

For those who haven’t read any of your stories, which of your stories do you think best represents your work and why?
 
LOUIS: I’m hoping that my contribution to Shadowy Natures will showcase my darkness, creativity and some substance.  I do like to leave a lasting impression.
 
LIAM: This is a little like being asked to choose your favourite child, isn't it? Although, this being horror, perhaps like being asked to choose someone else's favourite child... Let’s go with “Feathers,” which I've read out a few times at events and was read out for me at Liars' League. It's short, it's playful, and yet it has the kind of bittersweet darkness that is very much me.

BARRIE: I don’t know–in fact, I hope there isn’t one. I want to jump around, reinvent myself every now and again. 

What you are working on now/next?
 
BARRIE: I’m currently polishing a collection of short stories, which should be out at the end of October. There’s a lot of genre hopping, a lot of variety, but I hope it’s still cohesive–there’s been a lot of swapping stories in and out, a lot of shuffling of the running order.
 
LOUIS: I’m straddling two projects at the moment.  One is a collection of short horror stories, and a novella in which a paramedic who lives on a small island comes to the realization that he is the main focus of a maniac that leaves young men by the side of the road for him to rescue from death.
 
LIAM: Short stories, as per usual! A number of them, which will either be finished or discarded by the time this interview is released. But by then, there will be a number more I'll be working on... I'd like to cobble together a collection or two, Sci-Fi and something in the general area of Shadowy Natures - somewhat dark but not requiring explicit fantasy or Sci-fi elements. That'd “complete” a trilogy with my existing dark fantasy short story collection, Happy Ending Not Guaranteed.
 

Today we welcome Steve Urena to the site to talk about his new comic book creations Slow Pokes.

Written by Steve Urena, Drawn by Juan Romera (IDW, Monkeybrain, Comics Experience) and lettered by Sean Rinehart, (Grief, The V-Card, Dead End Kids) this sloth horror-comedy is a bloody thrill ride you won’t be able to take your eyes off of.

​London James is a rebellious high-school teenager ready to move on to the next phase of his life. The only thing standing in his way is a request from his best friend Karate Carlos…oh and a bio engineered sloth who is now freakishly fast and out for blood.

 Hey Steve, how are things with you?

Hey Jim! Considering what’s going on in the world, I’m feeling good. Just been working and hanging out with the people I love the most when I can. Just trying to stay positive and stay busy.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Sure. My name is Steve Urena and I am a 31-year-old comic book writer publishing my first original comic book this Halloween. I’ve been a writer for over 15 years dabbling in journalism, copywriting, sports writing, and other writing endeavors. I love horror, I love comics, and I love making people laugh whenever I can.

Out of all of the creative mediums, why comics, what is it about them that appeals to you over say straight prose writing or movies?

I have always wanted to write a comic book since I was a kid. I was sick in the hospital and my dad brought me an entire stack of comics. I loved the cartoons on TV, so I quickly flocked to them. Comics provided an escape and I just fell in love with it. The art, the storytelling, the pageantry, it just has everything you could ever want. I remember making my own comics as a kid and just getting lost in them.

The first job I ever wanted was to be a comic book artist, but when I put pen to paper it was not to be. My drawings are horrible ha!  I did not get the artist gene, however once I found out I could write, I always had in my mind that I wanted to write a comic. I have written commercials and jingles and articles, so I thought if I could write those things, I can probably write a comic book. It is scary to go after something you want, but getting over that fear and giving it a try has been nothing but an exhilarating experience.

How does an independent comic book writer get started? Are there many outlets that publish indie comics, or is the do it yourself approach a more common option?

I was incredibly lucky in finding Andy Schmidt’s Comic Experience. I’m from New Jersey and I looked for a comic book writing school but couldn’t find any. A lot of schools are mostly about the art, so I gave up on my search. Last year I got the itch to write a comic and searched online to see if there were any online courses. I found Comic Experience, took a few courses and here I am.

In terms of publishing Slow Pokes myself, I just knew that I wanted to do this my way. I felt like self-publishing was the way to go because It’s all on me. If it’s a success its on me. If it’s a failure its on me. Regardless of the outcome, it sounded like a challenge and an outlet where I can be creative, and I can be me. I’m sure there are tons of great outlets that publish indie comics, but I just wanted to get Slow Pokes out into the world and go from there. This is my first time, so I don’t really know if any publishers would have entertained this idea. I think they would have looked at me like I had two heads.

There is still some snobbery in the book world about self-publishing writers, is this something that exists in the comic world?

I was prepared for snobbery ha, but I have not come across any so far. I figured real comic book writers who have been doing this for decades would think I’m not taking this seriously. Luckily, everyone has been supportive. The horror community, the comics community, friends and even strangers! The whole experience has been positive, and I hope that continues.

I used to be addicted to comics, and I mean addicted, to the point where I haven't bought one for close to 30 years, has there been much change over the years, is it still bloated with massive crossovers and huge breasted women?

I think comics have changed a lot since I was kid because there’s so much to choose from. There’s something for everybody in the comic medium and I think that’s cool. There are problems in any medium of course, but I think the good stuff always stands out.

Which comic book artists and writers do you admire, and who would you kill to work with?

I want to work with anyone who wants to work with me. There are so many talented writers and artists out there. Writers I’ve always loved that would be a dream to work with include the likes of Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Tom King, Sean Murphy, just to name a few. In terms of the art side, I need to do a deeper dive into who’s out there, but I remember loving Alex Ross and Frank Miller growing up.

Comics more than any other form of writing allow for a massive suspension of belief, why do you think that is?

Comics are a beautiful medium. You got art, you got writing and when both works well, it’s magic. So many things could go wrong, but instead they go right. I love long term storytelling and comics are the perfect place for that. Anything can happen in a comic book and I love that feeling.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I’m Robert P. Ottone, horror and YA author from New York.

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life and have them complain at you about they way you treated them in your work.

I would say the character Royce in my collection Her Infernal Name & Other Nightmares. She’s entirely too manic and intense, not to mention, the fact that she has a dark side might be problematic.

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

Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, and having parents who believed in me watching and exploring a wide variety of film and art. I didn’t know many other kids my age who grew up watching The Shining, reading Jurassic Park, or enjoying Toho’s Godzilla movies.
 
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 love when people think a show like NCIS or CSI is horror. It is, in some respects, gory, but these are cop stories, not horror stories, so, it’s interesting to see so many other genres lift from horror for their storytelling.
 
I don’t know how we can break past these assumptions. I think mainstreaming more names in horror might help, so that the first and only person people have to reference isn’t Stephen King? There are plenty of other authors who could use the love, too, so, pushing new authors, which I think is what folks are trying to do with Josh Malerman, with Birdbox being everyone’s favorite Netflix movie a couple years ago, is key.

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 was in this great children’s literature conference over the summer, and they referenced the idea of ignoring the pandemic in your writing. There’s been discussion about that in the horror community, too, and I know, personally, outside of a comedy story I wrote that has absolutely nothing to do with horror, I won’t be writing about it.
 
Unfortunately, I think this means more pandemic stuff in the immediate wake, followed by potentially tone-deaf adaptations of said material.

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

Do they, though? I know folks who run away from spiders yet love true crime nonsense, where there’s never any payoff, unless the person is already in jail.
 
George Romero used to call his fans “trolls” in the nicest way possible, and I think that remains true today. There are trolls like us, people who seek out horror, whether it’s an escape or a doorway into a world more interesting than our everyday, and there are the normies who like their true crime stories of dead people where the offender is safely tucked away behind bars.
 
The hardcore will always seek out the next big thing. If we’re lucky, there’s some crossover to the commercial world giving the work some love, like in the case of Birdbox or the works of Stephen King.

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

I think there’s more than enough room to get a little weirder. Where’s the Clive Barker resurgence? Is that going to happen with the reimagining of Candyman? Can it, please?
 
There’s more than enough room to get a little weirder with crossover horror lit. Let’s shine a brighter light on folks taking horror into stranger, darker places, because that’s where the fun is.

In the past authors were able to write about almost anything with a far lesser degree of the fear of backlash, but this has all changed in recent years.  These days authors must be more aware of representation an the depiction of things such as race and gender in their works, how aware are you of these things and what steps have you taken to ensure that your writing can’t be viewed as being offensive to a minority group? 

There’s certainly value in seeking the attention and aid of sensitivity readers. I, personally, love and adore the First Nations belief system, even though I’m a boring white guy from New York. To that end, if I want to write a story or novel that incorporates concepts from the tribal nations here in the United States, I’m going to do exactly that, but with the guidance and watchful eye of those I’m writing about.
 
It’s always been important to write correctly when writing a character of a different gender or race. I asked for two women of very different backgrounds to read a story about a character I didn’t want defined by her femininity for Her Infernal Name & Other Nightmares, and the feedback was different but helpful.

Does horror fiction perpetuate it’s own ghettoization?

For sure. It’s unfair to say it doesn’t, because this happens to every genre. For every beautiful, honest, thought-provoking romance novel, there’s the counter. For every brilliant spy thriller, there’s the cheesy knock-off.
 
Just as there are garbage-tier B-level horror movies, there are garbage-tier B-level horror novels, and mine are probably there, too, but there’s an audience for all of it, which I think counters the notion of “ghettoization” to a point.
 
Who doesn’t love a direct-to-video schlockfest from time to time? It can’t be all A24-level horror all the time, we need The Asylum once in a while.

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

Michael Jess Alexander is an amazing horror author whose collection I just published via my indie label Spooky House Press. I’m biased, but his work reminds me of Brian Evenson, an author I adore.

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

I’ve been waiting my entire life for this question.
 
Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves is probably my favorite horror novel of all-time. I’d have to list Brian Evenson’s Songs for the Unraveling of the World on there, too, along with Stephen King/Richard Bachman’s Thinner. John Saul’s Suffer the Children is a close second to House of Leaves, too.
 
Movie-wise, Jaws is top-five horror for me. Zodiac, Halloween, The Thing (both/all three), Dogs Don’t Wear Pants, The Droving, Black Christmas. Blue Velvet is the movie that made me want to try to write in the first place. Same goes for Day of the Dead.


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

Not so much with me, in terms of negative, but my editor, Louis, was angry at a 3.5 rating on Goodreads. I’ve been very happy with the reactions to my work, so, I have no complaints. What a boring answer that is.

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

Nothing, I enjoy every second of it. Writing YA is more daunting than horror, because I have to worry about getting too weird or too dark, because you don’t want to lose the audience.

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

I wouldn’t want to limit myself in any way, so, no. The novel I’m working on goes into some very uncomfortable places, for example, and I thrive in that space.

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

Not very important. In a lot of cases, I forget the names of my characters once the story is done. Maybe that’ll change as I get older, but overall, I choose names that I like, in that moment, or choose them as an homage to something or someone else.
 
The lead in my story “Elevator of the Dead” for example is named after a character in one of the Silent Hill games.
 
Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

I think by absorbing so much from mentor texts has been invaluable. Bret Easton Ellis is my hero. I worship the ground he walks on, and by reading his work, that started my thirst for reading when I returned to the written word in high school.
 
I think by trying my hand at writing like him, taking in more from other genres, and exploring the power of word choice, I feel like I’m developing into something better than when I was just stealing Ellis’ style in my younger days in college.

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

I attended a reading of Imperial Bedrooms in the Hamptons when it came out and Ellis talked about dialogue. His words of wisdom were essentially to listen to how people talk and converse with one-another. This has changed so much these days, due to shorter attention spans and the constant allure of our phones, but it remains true, we can gain a lot by eavesdropping on conversations.


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

My favorite is probably Ebba, this dreamlike pixie-goddess character I’ve featured in one of my novellas and in a follow-up story. She’s just interesting because of her background being more or less a void, and her future remains wildly uncertain.

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

My latest work, Her Infernal Name & Other Nightmares is a good cross-section of the sandboxes I like to play in. I’ll say that, until the next one comes out.

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

“Eventually, Royce’s face emerged fully from beneath a sheet of thick meat.”
 
Pretty gross. Pretty creepy.
 
Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

My last book is a collection of short horror fiction called Her Infernal Name & Other Nightmares and plays with a lot of fears I have as an everyday person. It was written at a stressful time in my life, and served as an outlet for those stressors, in many ways.
 
The next thing I’m working on is a horror-mystery young adult novel influenced by tensions on Long Island, where I’m from.
 
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

I like all the clichés, but I’d love to see some more “final boys” in horror.

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

The last book that disappointed me was The Thousandth Floor, and the last one that knocked my socks off was The Girl in the Video.

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

“Hi, I’m Guillermo Del Toro, would you like to spend the next ten years building an At the Mountains of Madness franchise with other talented writers and filmmakers, a la Avatar?”
 
Fuck yes, I would.