Adrian Ludens lives with his family in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Jekyll part of his personality is a radio announcer. The Hyde part of his personality ​has numerous publication credits, including stories in: Blood Lite 3: Aftertaste, Zombie Kong, The Mothman Files, Blood Rites, Darker Edge of Desire, and the Stoker-nominated Slices of Flesh, among others. Adrian won Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine's Mysterious Photograph flash fiction writing contest two consecutive months in 2008, has appeared 3 times in Morpheus Tales, contributed the cover story to the Spring 2012 issue of Big Pulp, and sold a solve-it-yourself mystery to Woman's World. Adrian enjoys horror, hockey, and hair metal. The cracks in the walls of his house give him recurring nightmares. He is glad you took the time to visit!

G.N. Braun is an Australian writer raised in Melbourne’s gritty Western Suburbs.

He is a trained nurse, and holds a Cert. IV in Professional Writing and Editing, as well as a Dip. Arts (Professional Writing and Editing).

At graduation, Braun was awarded ‘Vocational Student of the Year’ and ’2012 Student of the Year’ by his college.

He writes fiction across various genres, and is the author of numerous short stories. He is the past president of the Australian Horror Writers Association (2011-2013), as well as the past director of the Australian Shadows Awards.  He is an editor and columnist for UK site This is Horror, and the guest editor for Midnight Echo #9.

His memoir, Hammered, was released in early 2012 by Legumeman Books and has been extensively reviewed.

He is the owner of Cohesion Editing and Proofreading, and has now opened a publishing house, Cohesion Press.

It was a great honour to be given the chance to interview   Neil Spring one of the bright new talents of British Supernatural Fiction.  Neil is  the author of the rather splendid The Ghost Hunters,   set around the mysterious and haunted Borley Rectory The Ghost Hunters  is a strong contender for supernatural novel of the year.  I highly recommend that you get a copy of this book.  You won't be disappointed.  

Neil Spring is novelist, entrepreneur and Senior Communications Manager for the John Lewis Partnership.

He has a lifelong interest in the paranormal and unexplained. During a visit to the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature at Senate House, Bloomsbury, he discovered a wealth of material which provided the inspiration and basis for his first novel, The Ghost Hunters.

Neil holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Somerville College, Oxford University, where he wrote a thesis on the significance of paranormal events. He is Welsh and lives in London.

Neil’s debut novel, The Ghost Hunters, was recently optioned for TV adaptation by Bentley Productions, part of All3Media, who produce Midsomer Murders.

Neil is currently writing his second novel, based on unexplained events during the Cold War. 

Today's horror author  interview victim is Steve Conoboy.  Steve is the author of the newly released  Macadamian Pliers. 

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

 Year after year of writing novel after novel and then hording the end results have left me with so many stories that for a long time I've had no idea what to do with it all. I was a bit of a writing hermit, doing it for the love and all that hippy junk. Then my wonderful partner told me to pull my finger out and get some stuff on KDP, God bless her. So I did, and now I can't wait to do more.

So, I'm a huge fan of stories, my wonderful partner is due to release her fantastic children's stories any time now, the two girls read voraciously, and the cats like to sit on piles of books and papers as and when they find them. A Bookist house if ever there was one.

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

I love all of them. I think a lot of my own work dwells deep in an underwater cave somewhere within the Bermuda Triangle these three terms form.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

Other than Stephen King, who is the boss when it comes to character, I've got a few authors who really flick my switches. Clive Barker, who really knows how to let imagination off the leash. Philip Pullman for the towering achievement that is His Dark Materials. Terry Pratchett for satirising everything in wonderful sci-fi/fantasy frameworks. And finally Shaun Hutson, for being so crap that I knew I had to have a go at writing myself.

What are you reading now?

I've got two books on the go at the moment, which is an all-time low for me. Lies, the third in Michael Grant's Gone series, is pretty darn good. Gritty, uncompromising stuff. But after three in a row I'm going to need a break, going to look into some random horror selections from the wide, wild world of indie kindle writers next.

I've been craving a bit of a laugh from a book for a while now, so decided to revisit Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Blasting through 'Equal Rites' on my ereader during the joyful journey to work each day, gives one an excuse to grin amongst all the miserable faces on the train

How would you describe your writing style?

There's an 80's horror vibe to the stuff I'm writing at the moment. A real Gremlins/The 'Burbs type thing. The Devil alone knows where that's come from. My work is also very much character-driven. They make the choices, they steer the story. It's rare for me to plan far ahead in anything I write.

Plenty of comedy can be found in my writing, and I like it quite dark. There's always room for a grim chuckle, I believe.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

There is no typical day. Writing has to fit in around work and family life, although sometimes it sits on top of both in a kind of wrestling death-move. They do say, however, that where there's a will there's a way, and They are wise to say it. My absolute favourite place to write, however, is on our huge sofa with a pad and pen while Karen busies herself with writing or creating beside me, usually with some good music on or a trashy action film. Unusual habits? Well, I can write at any time, with anything going on around me. Chaos, noise, maths questions, I can carry on regardless.

What’s your favourite food?

I bloody love chicken kiev pizzas. And dairylea cheese with Ritz crackers. And Marmite on toast. And cashew nuts. I refuse to choose between any of these.

What’s your favourite album?

At the moment it's The Chaos by The Futureheads. It's got a ridiculous amount of energy, and it's about as good as pop-punk will ever get, I reckon. But all-time fave has to be Automatic For The People by R.E.M. Every song is perfection. Apart from Star Me Kitten, which is crap.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing?

Let the characters tell the story. You don't tell them what to do; instead, they will tell you what they're doing. It all makes a lot more sense that way.

Fame and fortune, or respect?

Any of the above will do me fine right about now.

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

I'm very pleased with my first ebook on Kindle, just published in October, which is a YA horror called 'Macadamian Pliers.' It concerns an unpleasant man with a horrible plan, and an urge to make money at any cost. He sells haunted houses you see, and the really awful thing about it? He made the houses haunted in the first place...

It's a slice of suburban horror with a particularly fragile heroine and a particularly vile man at its core, and it's these two characters I'm most proud of. They began to breathe early on in the first draft, and from that point I could not write quick enough.

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

I've been a bit busy lately. Just finished my next YA horror, entitled 'Make Your Own Monster', which is my demented version of The Monkey's Paw.  It's about a young lad called Cale who finds a way to give life to the creatures in his imagination. It doesn't take long for Cale and his slightly loopy best friend to take themselves down a mad destructive spiral, and when at last they decide to throw the brakes on, the situation proves far too lively to be stopped so easily.

Right now I'm halfway through writing a very dark comedy, which follows the early life of a mad scientist through a series of recorded conversations. What influence do her homelife, her school, her friends have upon her various bad decisions? I won't tell you that yet, but I'm having a hell of a lot of fun with yet another delightfully deranged protagonist. The loopies have the most fun, you know.

Biography

Prologue : My parents met. (Prologues are never much use.)

Chapter One: I am born. The world blinks.

Chapter Two: I toddle. I am introduced to the works of Richard Scarry. The illustrations burn themselves into my tiny mind. This is followed by an intense interest in Winnie the Pooh and the Radio Times.

Chapter Three: Beanos and Dandys and tape recorders enter my life. I read the comic strips aloud, record these performances. Leads to writing my own stories, which are mostly about spaceships or murderous snakes.

Chapter Four: Santa brings a Commodore 64. Writing is forgotten.

Chapter Five: Teenage nerdism strikes. Dragonlance Chronicles are read. An attempt is made to copy them. Results are dreadful.

Chapter Six: Off to university to study ancient history and archaeology. Hat and whip not received. Compaints about this are ignored. University mostly a waste of time, apart from hours spent writing apocalyptic horror-comedy on 386 PC. It's great.

Chapter Seven: Apocalyptic horror-comedy sent out to literary agents. None are interested. Novel not great. Mostly a waste of time.

Chapter Eight: A long period filled with much writing and many submissions and plenty of rejection letters. Decide I can't stand prologues as they're never much use.

Chapter Nine: Short stories accepted by Polluto, Voluted Tales and Kzine. Prompts a vigorous interest in Kindle Direct Publishing. First release is Macadamian Pliers, YA horror with an emphasis on creepy, spooky and other ooky things.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Cherry’s heart crammed into her throat. She was alone with Mr. Pliers. Nobody to hide behind. She turned to see him filling the threshold of the room. He resembled a grotesque ill-fitting door carved into the shape of a black-suited golem. ‘The room,’ he clarified. ‘It’s the one I would have chosen. You have taste similar to mine. Lucky you.’ He turned and tilted so he could get into the room, an obsidian monolith with the power of movement. The top of his head brushed the ceiling. Suddenly the bedroom didn’t seem anywhere near big enough. ‘It’s the view, isn’t it?’ He chuckled then, a sound which made the ends of Cherry’s bones grind together. Phlegm and rust and sparks: these are the things she thought of when she heard that laugh. ‘I would gaze out of the window for hours, imagined I could pick up the little people as they went about their days and place them anywhere else if I wanted to. Drop them from a great height if it pleased me.’ He mimed the action with nimble pinching fingers, plucking a distant imaginary figure from a sidewalk and flinging them off towards the horizon. In Cherry’s mind there was a tiny scream. ‘I think you’re going to have quite a time in this house, Cherry. Don’t you?’ 

Macadamian Pliers is an unpleasant man with a hideous plan. He’s just sold a house to Emmet’s Peak’s newest family, and they’re about to find out it’s haunted. He made it that way. 

In the first volume of a trilogy, Cherry and Frank Raine find themselves in a battle of wits and nerves against both the ghosts in their new home and the man who put them there. Cherry, physically and emotionally scarred by a car crash, must draw from within herself the strength to confront her fears and save her family. Frank must choose between taking responsibility for once or being led astray by firebug Jack, a local boy with a dark sense of fun. As the haunting escalates, Cherry discovers that other homes have been affected by the strange-shaped and evil-hearted Pliers, but what chance do a couple of kids have against such a man? 

Today's horror author interview is with Michael Wehunt.  Michael's stories have appeared in such publications as Diabolic Tales, Shock Totem, and One Buck Horror .  

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I grew up quietly and still live quietly in the lost city of Atlanta, where I do various freelance writing and editing. And, of course, fiction. If I have a spirit state, it’s Vermont. There is so much majesty in the northern part of Vermont, where the slow, gentle crawl of life and the mountains seem to murmur in a sort of familiar harmony my native Appalachians have never held for me. But I promise I’m not a hippie. I enjoy the drone of the city too much.

I began this crazy journey of being a writer about two years ago. It’s something I’d always dreamed of, but aside from a few short stories in my late teens that I never let anyone see, I allowed my fear of rejection and failure to prevent me from even trying to write. Too many years went by with my dream buried in dust in the back of my mind. Let this be a cautionary tale to anyone who’s young and wanting to write: Try it out. Don’t wait for life to fill you out before you start. As you go along, you’ll experience regular old life, emotion, loss, love, everyday bitternesses and joys. Your writing will grow as you do, and you’ll have an immense head start compared to my own path.

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

I waffle a lot between these terms, because when you tell someone, “I write horror,” certain stigmas and preconceptions immediately arise in the mind. That person might assume your work contains severed limbs and bloody rapists, while you might actually veer more toward insular, low-key, literary horror. The other two terms also have their own preconceptions and parameters. But “dark fiction” seems best to me. It’s a bit more open-ended and can cover a lot more ground, including that shadow in the corner over there. What is that, anyway?

Who are some of your favourite authors?

I’ve loved Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Algernon Blackwood, M.R. James, and the like for most of my life. In recent years I’ve been drawn powerfully toward two authors: Laird Barron and Cormac McCarthy. The former writes dark fiction in a league of his own. I can honestly say that his is the only fiction I have ever been able to truly and consistently call “creepy,” which isn’t a word I use lightly. The latter is probably our greatest living writer. The things he can do with words astonish me, always and endlessly. Another author I very recently discovered is Nathan Ballingrud. His collection North American Lake Monsters is full of literary tales that contain small tears in the fabric, where weird fiction leaks through.

What are you reading now?

I’ve just started Come Closer, a very short novel of demonic possession by Sara Gran. Recently I finished Room, by Emma Donoghue, which really surprised me. It’s simple, effective, and more psychologically and emotionally astute than I expected.

How would you describe your writing style?

That’s tough. I’m fascinated in finding evocative beauty within the dark. Stories that search for that. In my secret, most ambitious thoughts, I dream of writing stories the way Terrence Malick films movies: weaving the beautiful into the everyday and the everyday into the beautiful. Malick will focus on a tree in sunlight while the central action or dialogue of a scene is occurring a few feet away. His cinematography is gorgeous regardless of what’s going on around it. The trick is finding that visual balance—managing to enhance the scene rather than falling into pretension (like this answer has)—and the written word has to go about it in a different way. It’s something I’ll always strive toward and perhaps one day tap into. It’s on my bucket list, so to speak. But I also very much want to creep you out.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

Really I just write when I can. I spend too much time finding little pockets of free moments to develop any unusual habits. One day I hope to have an array of talismanic objects arranged on my desk, every one of which will be essential for the words to come to me.

What’s your favourite food?

Sushi. Although I celebrate every short story sale with a house burger at Young Augustine’s in Atlanta. Pimiento cheese, jalapenos, bacon, a fried egg…it’s become a tradition.

What’s your favourite album?

The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid by Stars of the Lid. I love all sorts of music, but ambient and classical are what I always come back to in the end. And this band blends both of those genres in the most amazing ways. Gorgeous waking dreams.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing?

No matter what your strengths are, you will always have room for improvement in some aspect of writing. Probably more than one aspect. In this way, rejection is your friend in the early going. It teaches you your strengths as well as your weaknesses. The process of craft is a neverending education.

Fame and fortune, or respect?

I’d have to choose respect, although already the line between the two sides has blurred for me. It’s actually that grey middle area I find myself drawn toward. The ultimate dream would be to write fiction full-time, with no other source of income. To reach that rare and lofty goal, one needs to at least veer toward fortune.

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

Of my published work, I’d choose the short story “Pretend,” which is featured in One Buck Horror, Volume Six. It’s a quick one—only 2000 words—and I feel like it comes close to distilling everything I love about dark fiction into its simple frame. There’s another story of mine due out in spring 2014, in Shadows & Tall Trees. It’s called “Onanon” and there’s a chance it will dethrone “Pretend” in my heart. It’s perhaps the strongest dose of “weird” I’ve written yet.

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

I have yet to even begin work on my first novel, although its premise and, more importantly, what I want it to be, are pretty fleshed out. I hope to type “Chapter 1” before the end of the year. All I’ll say is that the novel involves a nice young man who has no idea who his father is. And Dad’s not very nice.

Diabolic Tales III is the most recent book to feature my work. My story “Have a Blessed Day” hangs out in the middle of a great-looking paperback (out on Halloween). I’ve just begun reading my contributor’s copy and it’s great so far.

Please welcome Paul Freeman to this continuing series of rapid interviews with horror authors.   Paul  is from Dublin, Ireland, where he works, plays and writes. In the past he has lived in Germany and America but is now content to keep his roaming to the worlds he creates and writes about.

Tribesman is his first published novel. Season of the Dead is a zombie apocalypse novel written with three other authors, Sharon Van Orman (lykaia) Lucia Adams (Vein Fire) Gerald Johnston (Dropcloth Angels) He has also published a short story in the steampunk anthology, Strange Tales From the Scriptorium Vaults. Book two in the Tribesman series is due to be published soon.

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Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

Hi, I am from Dublin, Ireland. I am a fantasy and horror author. My epic fantasy novel, Tribesman is published by Cogwheel Press. I am also co-author of the horror novel, Season Of The Dead, a zombie apocalypse novel written from four perspectives by four authors in three different countries writing about the same event.

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

For me each term would conjure something different, therefore I believe all are acceptable and relevant depending on the story it is used to describe.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

Stephen King, George RR Martin, Bernard Cornwell, Sebastian Barry, Richard Matheson and of course my co-authors Lucia Adams, Gerald Johnston and Sharon Van Orman.

What are you reading now?

I’ve just started Malice by John Gwynne, an epic fantasy novel, supposedly the best thing since sliced bread, I haven’t got far enough into it to judge it yet. I’ll let you know.

How would you describe your writing style?

Thank you for assuming I have a style. I try not to think about it to be honest. I write from the heart and from the gut, sometimes even from the head.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I have a pretty busy schedule. I generally try and write in the morning when there is some peace and quiet in the house. I tend to get distracted easily and there is nothing more frustrating than being dragged kicking and screaming from the zone.

What’s your favourite food?

Beer… wait that’s not food… liquid bread.

What’s your favourite album?

What only one?! I think Nevermind by Nirvana would just shade it.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing?

Choose carefully who you listen to and what advice to take.

Fame and fortune, or respect?

I suppose if I find one without the other I’ll probably want the one I don’t have.

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

I’m proud of it all to be honest. Tribesman was my first published novel and mixes two of my favourite things, fantasy and Celtic myth. Season Of The Dead is such an unusual project, a novel written by four separate authors all writing about the same apocalypse from their own part of the world, four separate threads that ultimately merge. It was not only a challenge to write in an unfamiliar genre but to collaborate with other authors, getting the continuity right, always bearing in mind what others are writing and how they will fit into your story. It was a great project to be involved in.

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

Sure, my last book was the one I’ve just spoken about, Season Of The Dead. It is about a group of survivors during the season of the dead. Lucia from Pittsburgh, USA, is a chemist who escapes from a furry conference wearing a bite-proof squirrel costume – Sharon, a zoologist from Nebraska, knows all about the virus that has infected the entire world turning men, women and children into mindless zombies – Gerry escapes from a prison cell in Ontario Canada when the guard transforms into a zombie before his eyes – And Paul, thinks he’s safe locked away in his apartment in Dublin, Ireland, until the virus crashes into his world forcing him to face reality.

Four separate threads, one apocalypse.

My latest book is the sequel to my fantasy novel, it’s called Warrior and is due for publication later this month. And yes, I’m very excited!

Banished from his homeland, a warrior of the Northern Clans grows weary of life in a harsh alien land. With the dark god Morrigu haunting his dreams, Culainn a warrior and champion sets forth on a journey north in search of a merchant's daughter abducted by clansmen. With a desert princess as a companion he will travel through a land baked by a scorching sun, where bandits roam free and dark beasts stalk the night. An ancient evil is rising from the desert. A Benouin myth of a ghost city inhabited by the souls of their ancestors, a bridge to the Underworld is unleashing demonic creatures on an unsuspecting world. Culainn and Persha, warrior and mage stand alone against a tide of darkness. All the while, Morrigu, the dark war god of the north seeks to use Culainn as her own tool, her own champion.

Today's victim in this series of horror author interviews is George Daniel Lea.  Whose debut collection Strange Playgrounds  is now available from Dark Moon Books.  

Click Read more for a fascinating interview with the man himself.  

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

My name is Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, I'm married and live in the heartland of the U.S. I work a regular job during the day and consider my daily life to be rather boring. My stories are an escape into worlds I want to explore, and I hope they're as enjoyable for my readers.

Oh, and I’m a Ginger too...

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

Honestly, it depends on what I'm writing. I tend to use Horror as the catch-all term, but "The Bloofer Lady" is more accurately Dark Fiction.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

Ray Bradbury and G. K. Chesterton stand at the forefront of a very long list that also includes H. P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman, Charles Williams, and many, many others.

What are you reading now?

Robert R. McCammon's The Wolf's Hour

How would you describe your writing style?

I try to write what I call "haiku fiction" -- fiction that is stripped down, clean, even simple, but one where I hope readers find deeper resonances beneath the surface simplicity. Stories small in scope but big in impact.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I tend to write in snatches of time assembling drafts into something better on my days off. I do enjoy writing my first drafts on old-fashioned pen and paper. I feel that the limited technology slows me down in such a way that I can better capture the story.

What’s your favourite food?

My wife's lasagne, followed by pizza.

What’s your favourite album?

Just about anything by The Decemberists, but I especially like their The Hazards of Love.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing?

Persistence. The only way to get better at writing is to apply butt to chair and write.

Fame and fortune, or respect?

Why not all three? Seriously, not many people get rich writing. I hope that if I write stories that I enjoy, other people will like them too. So, I suppose I'm in it for the respect.

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

"The Bloofer Lady" is an excellent example of what I mean by haiku fiction. I'm very happy that it's appearing in Dying to Live. But I'm always striving to get better at this writing thing.

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

I'm brainstorming a couple of novel ideas, trying to pick one to work on for NaNoWriMo, and I always have a few short stories in various stages.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I live in North Hills, California with my wife Mina. Our son just graduated from UC Berkeley. He’s not following in my foot-steps thankfully, writing is hard way to earn a living; his goal instead is to become a doctor. I started out as a newspaper reporter and then switched over to public relations and media relations. I am the former spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. After the Great Recession hit and I found myself without a full-time job so I transitioned to freelance work and creative working. It gave me a chance to re-connect with my childhood passion, “The Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits.”

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?


I probably fall under the category of Dark Fiction. I tend to stay away from too much graphic gore and stress concept, plot, suspense and  character development.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

Stephen King and John Grisham.

What are you reading now?

Stephen King’s anthology “Just After Sunset.”

How would you describe your writing style?


Dollops of straight forward journalism sprinkled with Rod Serling, and occasionally a pinch or two of Alfred Hitchcock.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

Sometimes the freelance work prevents me from writing on a daily basis, but when I am able

No more than two to three hour straight in front of the computer, otherwise my creative juices come to a grinding halt. That’s when I go for a bicycle ride or long walk to get reinvigorated. Also, having my two beagles, Max and Kimmie, at my side inspires me. Why? Who knows. They’re sleeping the whole time.

What’s your favourite food?

Any type of  chicken. My wife says that’s why I have skinny legs.

What’s your favourite album?

Can’t say I have a current favourite album, but I do love the Rolling Stones and Beatles, which kind of dates me.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing?

Rejection only makes me stronger because just like love and romance there’s someone in the world for everyone and that holds true for stories too. If the story is written half-way decently and it has something to say, it will eventually find a home. Also, by all means, join an online or in-person critique club. I belong to the California Writers Club (San Fernando Valley branch) and would not have been as successful without them.

Fame and fortune, or respect?

As far as I know, I’ve already experienced my 15 minutes of fame; if it happens again, that’s fine, but that’s not my goal. A far greater goal is just to be happy with yourself and enjoy the process of getting down something on paper.

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

I wrote a short story last year based on my mom titled “Bubbe to the Rescue.” It caught her good sides and not so good sides, but it was also humorous above all else.

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

I am not working on a book per se at present. I enjoyed writing the short story “My Gym,” which appears in Diabolic Tales III, because it gave me a chance to vent at the outrageous things I witnessed at my health club, which was becoming not such a great place to work out. I reached the conclusion that the members and management deserved to be classified as zombies. I’m of course not a member of the club anymore. They didn’t appreciate the free publicity. I am presently finishing a short story about the president of a meat-cutters union who is about to be executed by the mob. It’s called “Big Frank.”

Gary Wosk works as a freelance public relations specialist and is always looking for new challenging assignments. He a serves on the Board of Directors of the San Fernando Valley branch of the California Writers Club in Calabasas, Calif., After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Northridge, he became a newspaper reporter for such dailies as the Newhall Signal, special sections editor for the Los Angeles Daily News, and then went on to become senior communications officer/spokesperson/editor for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Los Angeles and media relations manager of The ALS Association in Calabasas, Calif. Previously published short fiction stories in the genre of sci-fi/horror and fantasy include “My Gym,” “Bubbe to the Rescue,” “The Unnatural,” “Weather Vain” and “Sugar.” Wosk and his wife Mina live in North Hills, Calif.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I'm a production manager by day, a writer by night with a penchant for the off-kilter and weird.  I lead a very boring and uneventful life, which is one of the reasons I write, and watching paint dry is more enjoyable than listening to me talk about myself. 

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

 I don't prefer any term more than the other as labels are fine for canned goods, but I don't think they necessarily work well with my own understanding of my work.  I mean, if I say, "The Regeneration of Myron Mitchell" (my short story appearing in Diabolic Tales III, unabashed plug) is 'horror', but someone else says it's 'weird fiction', who's right? 

I write and leave labels and opinion up to others. 

Who are some of your favourite authors?

I find myself revisiting the short form masters, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Ramsey Campbell, Joe Lansdale, especially when I know the writing's not going well and I don't know what the hell I'm doing, 'cause you read them and you say, "That's how it's done." 

I do have to say, though, that the best short story ever written is Tobias Wolff's, "Bullet in the Brain".  I will not argue about this. 

What are you reading now?

 Rereading Black House by King and Straub, which is a nice reminder that I'm not the only one who has POV issues.  I'm also reading, Full Upright and Locked Position, by Mark Gerchick, which is non-fiction horror or an expose of the aviation industry, depending on one's point of view.

How would you describe your writing style? 

I'll be bold and say Hemingway-esque, or Faulkner-like.  I have a tendency for the run-on, but I'm not good with adjectives and I like to get to the meat of it, which can leave my fiction somewhat cold and detached.  But that's exactly how I like my women, so it works out for me, I guess.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits? 

Because Amex expects to be paid every month, I have a day job so I write when I can.  I spend a lot of time thinking about it, then a sudden burst of activity, followed by an extreme fear that what I've done is no good.  Much like my approach to sex. 

I don't think I have any unusual writing habits, but, then again, they really wouldn't be unusual to me even if they were unusual, would they?  I tend to stand a lot when I write, put the laptop on the counter and type away, which allows me to pace around and pretend I get exercise.

What’s your favourite food?

Pizza.  From Amante's.  Another subject I will not argue about.

What’s your favourite album? 

What's an 'album'? 

Honestly, I don't remember the last time I bought a whole album or CD.  Probably the biggest influence on me, as far as albums go, has to be Pink Floyd's, The Wall.  Which probably says more about me than I'd care to admit.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? 

Persistence.  Persistence beats out talent 999 times out of 1000.  If you're that 1 out of 1000, good on you, but most of us fall into the 999 category so we've gotta keep at it, even when they say we suck.

Oh, and the worst thing to tell a writer:  "Love your writing, but..."  That just means they didn't love it enough, and they may as well have just put a stick in your eye and twisted 'cause they might think they're helping...but they're not.  No, sir, they are not.

Fame and fortune, or respect? 

Respect.  Fame and fortune may keep you in drugs and women, but respect is the only thing that'll last when you're moldy in the clay. 

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

I wrote a short story about a man and his love affair with his cat that I really like, but no one else does.  My mom, of all people, liked it because it didn't have any cursing in it. 

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

"The Regeneration of Myron Mitchell" is currently available in Diabolic Tales III.  I've got another short story, "Blind Date", coming out on Fictionvale on Nov 15, and "So Long I Screamed" will be in Bete Noire Magazine in January, 2014.  Be sure to tip your waitress.

Richard K. Weems (www.weemsnet.net) is a former bouncer, novelty item salesman, furniture mover and general gopher. He is the author of Anything He Wants (2006, Spire Press), finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. His stories have appeared in North American Review, Other Voices, The Gettysburg Review, Mississippi Review, Beloit Fiction Journal, and many other publications. He currently lives and teaches in New Jersey.