 Luke Walker has been writing horror, fantasy and dark thrillers for most of his life. His new novels, The Unredeemed and Dead Sun are now available as is the novella The Mirror Of The Nameless. Hometown is published by Caffeine Nights in print and ebook. Die Laughing, a collection of short horror is also available. Ascent and The Dead Room will be published by Hellbound Books in 2018/9. The Day Of The New Gods will be published by Kensington Gore. Several of his short stories have been published online and in magazines/books. Luke welcomes comments at his blog which can be read at www.lukewalkerwriter.com and his Twitter page is @lukewalkerbooks. Sign up to his newsletter at www.tinyletter.com/LukeWalkerWriter He is forty and lives in England with his wife and two cats. Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I’m a horror writer (yet another one) who also writes dark thrillers and dark fantasy. I started out with short stories and wrote my first book when I was about 21. It was utter crap as were the few that followed it. Eventually, I worked out what I wanted to say and what I’m best at, so I’ve been focusing on dark fiction since then. I’m now 40 and have written another 18 books since that first one. A few have been published along with several short pieces and I’m always working on something. What do you like to do when you're not writing? I’ve got a 9-5 so that obviously takes up most of my day. Outside the job and the writing, it’s time with my wife and friends, reading good books and watching (usually pretty ropey) action or horror films. To be honest, even when not actually writing, I’m kicking about ideas for plot problems or character issues. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? Music definitely has. I’m a big fan of industrial acts like Nine Inch Nails and Ministry as well as atmospheric work such as the soundtracks to John Carpenter’s films. Outside that, it’s people, events in the news or something as simple as a sudden change in the weather that can spark off an idea. I don’t look for inspiration, but when it comes, it’s always nice. 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? Horror gets a bad rap. I think it’s the most maligned genre alongside erotica. In the same way a lot of people see all erotica as exactly the same as hardcore or violent porn, horror to those same people is nothing but one of the Saw films – unpleasant, gory and just an excuse to kill people in painful ways. There’s nothing laudable about it. I don’t think it takes much to see there’s a lot more to horror than that and to understand how horror can hold up a mirror to reality as well as showing people at their absolute best. After all, it’s when the situation is the worst that we are often at our best. 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? Horror really needs the big publishers and agents to support it in order to get it noticed again. At the same time, it needs the writers and film makers to keep on treating it honestly and with the respect it deserves. So what if it goes into unpleasant places? Real life is always worse than any fictional terror. I think over the next few years – if the global situation continues down the same path – horror fiction will become more grounded in reality. I can see supernatural horror being taken less seriously as time goes on. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? I read Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado and a few of Lovecraft’s short stories when I was a kid which opened my eyes to adult horror. Ditto James Herbert’s first novel The Rats which (at the time) was modern and familiar and very British. It could have been happening in my city and that definitely set me on a course to writing my own fiction. The original Night Of The Living Dead had a similar effect along with the first Elm Street film. And, of course, Stephen King’s books – IT being the main one. I read it when I was 12 and knew writing that sort of horror was my goal. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? I’ve recently read Rich Hawkins’s The Last Plague which was great. Christina Bergling’s The Waning; anything by Kealan Patrick Burke; David Owain Hughes; Kit Power; Bracken MacLeod; James Brogden; Cate Gardner; Simon Bestwick; Alison Littlewood and Gary McMahon. There are so many people writing superb stuff at the moment. I’d advise anyone to check them out. Go and look for recommendations online or in a library. How would you describe your writing style? I come up with a basic plot outline before I write a word and try to do as much research as I can. Both help to keep me focused. Often, the plot and characters go their own way which is fine, but I do need that outline as a guide. Writing is a second job, so I have set times and aim for a certain number of words each session – usually about 2k. Some days, it’s more which is fine. Less pisses me off so I always aim for that goal. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? A review of my first novel Hometown mentioned the emotional core at the centre of the story which was nice as the group friendship in that book was important to me. A negative review focused on the supposed military horror aspect of another piece which was a surprise as there wasn’t a military aspect. When it comes to reviews, I’d rather get a load of negative ones than nothing at all. Always better to know the book has been read and not just ignored. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? I often struggle at around the halfway point mainly through a lack of energy but also because that’s when I start thinking about whether or not anyone will like it. Obviously, the only way through that is just keep going and keep focused on the story, not the publishing side of things. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? I’m not sure. It’s never really come up. I’ve killed men, women and children without much thought; I’ve wiped out the universe and given people a hell of their most personal making. I’m not a free for all, anything goes type of writer. I know when to hold back, but I don’t really consider something being too much as long as it’s honest. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Funny you should ask. I’ve recently decided to change a character’s name because it just doesn’t feel right. Most of the time, I figure if it fits their background and age, then that’s fine. And when I’m stuck, I’ve been known to combines names of people I know. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? Speed-wise, I’ve improved. A draft now takes me about two months instead of two years as it did in the beginning. I also know (most of the time) what not to say as well as what to say. I try to leave out the boring bits. I don’t take myself seriously, but I do take writing seriously. What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? An interest in words, writers and stories obviously. Ditto an interest in people and their stories and personalities. The ability to listen to feedback on their work. Determination. A supportive family or friend network. Attention to detail especially when it comes to submitting stuff to publishers and agents as well understanding that everyone gets rejected and the publishing world owes you nothing. You owe it your best tale. Getting your work noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject? A social media presence is essential. On Twitter, I follow a lot of people in the publishing world and try to be myself while bearing in mind the importance of being professional. I also pay attention to markets and opportunities and make sure I’m available to push myself when needed. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? My recent novel The Unreedemed is up there for me. I nailed the main character – a total bastard who knows what he is and is fine with it – and think I did a good job of balancing the horror with the everyday. I’m also really happy with my novella The Mirror Of The Nameless and its upcoming prequel The Day Of The New Gods because they’re both pure story which is what I wanted to achieve. And are there any that you would like to forget about? Several short stories failed so I didn’t send them anywhere. My first couple of books are awful. Thankfully, they’ll never see the light of day. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which one do you think best represents your work and why? I’m not sure if it best represents me, but I’d suggest my first – Hometown. Action, horror, violence and a lot of heart. A dark fantasy, Dead Sun, shows my less horrible side. Which is rare. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? From The Unredeemed: “If I killed a man who provided for his family, then the family had no income. They starved, maybe to death. Perhaps the children would have become thieves or worse. Anything to survive, after all. Perhaps they would have become great writers and thinkers. And if they did survive, they grew up in a family without a father. They were marked by that. It affected their friendships and relationships. They might have had their own children and been a worse parent for it. If they died young, they wouldn’t have been there to change life in their own tiny ways. The people they would have influenced, the mark they would have left on the world, however small, it’s all gone. Just by killing one person, the knock-on effect is huge. You can’t measure it. And it’s all because of my actions. It’s all down to me. That’s power.” “You’re. . .” Cooke’s voice dries up and he raises his fists. I lift a hand to pacify him. “What I did wasn’t just random acts of violence. I chose my kills carefully. I decided whose death would have the utmost impact on the world. Businessmen; prostitutes who serviced the clergy; farmers who made the food the people ate. When I took them out of the world, then there was no way of knowing how far the effects would go. Even now, four hundred years after my death, who’s to say the effects aren’t still being felt? I kill a man all those years ago, his family are left without a husband and a father. His children, they have their families, and those families have their children. All the way down to now. And all those descendants in some way touched by my actions four centuries ago. So many years between now and then. More time than the human mind can understand because it dwarfs the average life. More time than the living have any chance of understanding, and it’s mine. That gives me a tiny bit of forever, Cooke. Think about that. I perform one action, one little murder, and that takes a single person out of the world.” I hold up my index finger. “A solitary person; a knife in the throat as quick as you like or a rock right here.” I tap my forehead. “No work at all. Not really. But the effect. . .well, that’s beyond reckoning. It’s beyond time. I killed for that time, you see. I killed to last in time. My own little piece of forever.” My pause spins out between us. “Of course, others I killed just because I could.” Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? The Mirror Of The Nameless is my most recent. It’s an action horror novella which goes into a Lovecraftian world that meets Mad Max. There will be a prequel novel next year which takes place in the mid 80s. I’m very happy with how both turned out. Next is a fresh draft of a futuristic thriller which is sort of 1984 meets The Purge. No idea if anything will happen with it publishing-wise, but I think it’s a strong book, so fingers crossed. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Songs Of Dreaming Gods by William Meikle was extremely impressive. And while I don’t like to publicly slate books, I have to admit to being disappointed by two recent novels – The Girl With All The Gifts and Bird Box. For me, both were a little overrated, but I’m in the minority. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? Why don’t big publishers and agents give horror the energy and investment it deserves and the readers want? As for the answer, I don’t have a clue, sadly. Hopefully, things will change soon. www.lukewalkerwriter.com @lukewalkerbooks www.instagram.com/lukewalkerwriter/ luke@lukewalkerwriter.com https://www.amazon.co.uk/Luke-Walker/e/B007A3033E https://www.amazon.com/Luke-Walker/e/B007A3033E  CLICK TO PURCHASE FROM AMAZON  COVER REVEAL: THE HOUSE OF FROZEN SCREAMS BY THANA NIVEAU
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