 Writers have blind spots – that’s why we can read the same typo a hundred times and not see it. Sometimes we make mistakes. This is why it’s so important to have beta readers and editors who are at the top of their game, and why we need to listen to their feedback. BIO Christopher Stanley lives on a hill in England with three sons who share a birthday but aren't triplets. He is the author of numerous prize-winning flash fictions, the darkest of which can be found spreading misery and mayhem in his debut collection, The Lamppost Huggers and Other Wretched Tales (The Arcanist, June 2020). He’s also the author of the horror novelette, The Forest is Hungry (Demain Publishing, April 2019). Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I’m married. I’m a father. I have a degree in Economics and an Advanced Diploma of Proficiency in Internal Communication. I work full time in internal communication. Writing fiction is my first love. Writing, recording and performing songs is a close second—they kind of trample over each other. And horror is my favourite genre. Obviously. 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 think it would have to be Carl, the nuisance neighbour in my novelette, The Forest is Hungry. Carl believes the rest of the world exists to serve him. He doesn’t care for social norms or for thinking things through. I’m sure he would test my patience very quickly in a work environment. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? I’ve lost track of the number of people over the years who’ve said there’s music in my writing. I don’t whether that’s true – or if it’s still true – but I suppose it comes from the amount of time I’ve spent writing songs. Perhaps I have an ear for rhythm. I don’t know. I discovered flash fiction (stories under 1,000 words) when I joined my writers group, Bath Company of Writers, and that’s been a big deal. Partly because after the twins were born, I had neither the time nor the energy to write anything longer, and partly because there are so many great opportunities to publish flash in this increasingly digital world. 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 know of horror writers who are uncomfortable talking about what they do. I think the conversation usually goes something like: “What do you do?” I’m a writer. “Cool! And what do you write?” Erm… I try not to worry about it. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Haunting of Hill House, The Turn of the Screw—horror has a place in literary history that no one can take away. I also think we have a duty to keep championing the excellent work being done by current and emerging horror writers—while at the same time, promoting diverse voices—and accept that until the world bothers to pay attention, we’re the lucky ones. 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’m sitting at my desk in the fourteenth week of lockdown and I honestly wouldn’t want to make any predictions for the state of the world next week, let alone in the next few years. I suppose we might see the emergence of a niche genre in the form of ‘lockdown horror’, as I suspect writers will be tempted to adopt and explore the lockdown setting, even if the story isn’t founded on a global pandemic. We might see a rise in apocalyptic fiction. And perhaps we’ll see a few more stories, like Jaws, where politics and science collide. At the same time, I think there’s still plenty of room for horror to explore tensions around race relations, sexuality and gender, wealth inequality, religious and state oppression, and our impact on the environment. These topics aren’t going away. Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? People enjoy horror because it’s great! I think people read horror because they want to escape, they want to see their fears borne out in a way they can control (it’s always possible to put a book down, even if we don’t want to), and because they want to know they’re not alone in their fears. A lot of horror is also thrilling—it’s immediate and visceral, like a roller-coaster for grown-ups. What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre? As with most things, the horror genre needs more diversity. To keep horror rich and alive (or undead, at least), we need to hear the best of voices from around the world and from all corners of society. I wouldn’t say it’s missing from the genre, but I certainly wouldn’t take it off the agenda. 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? This is a terrific question, which taps into one of my greatest fears as a writer. I want the characters in my stories to be diverse. I want to test them—to put them in risky, challenging and uncomfortable situations, to find out how they respond. And I want to avoid stereotypes. But…this is easier said than done. Writers have blind spots – that’s why we can read the same typo a hundred times and not see it. Sometimes we make mistakes. This is why it’s so important to have beta readers and editors who are at the top of their game, and why we need to listen to their feedback. Does horror fiction perpetuate its own ghettoization? Labels, like ‘horror’, are useful in steering readers towards the books they’re most likely to enjoy, but they also encourage readers to neglect other genres. In this sense, does horror fiction perpetuate its own ghettoization more than, say, romance or science fiction? My answer to that would be…possibly. I used to run a club for people who were afraid of public speaking. The first rule of ‘Talk Club’ was that you have to talk. Lots of people experience a fear of public speaking and lots of people signed up to attend to the club…but not many came along. I think we have to accept that a lot of smart and rational people will steer clear of things that frighten them, and that’s what the horror genre is famous for. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? I started reading horror again about five years ago, so I’ve had the joy of discovering many fantastic authors who are new to me…but I doubt they’ll be new to horror fans. That said, I read Lucy McKnight Hardy’s Water Shall Refuse Them and Andrew Cull’s Remains last year and both novels are written with such skill and assuredness, I’m excited to see what they publish next. Also last year, I was asked to provide a blurb for Nial Giacomelli’s debut, The Therapist—a haunting and exquisitely-written story about—you guessed it—a mysterious epidemic sweeping the globe. As a horror fan, I can honestly say I was gripped by every page. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? So many books, so many films—where do I start? Danielewski’s House of Leaves was the book that made me want to be a horror writer, more so than any book I’ve read before or since (although King’s The Shining is a close second). I don’t think either book defines me, but they certainly got under my skin and inspired me. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? The writing community is tremendously supportive, especially for a relative newcomer like me. The last review I read was for my debut novelette, The Forest is Hungry, in Kendall Reviews. The opening paragraph was “Demain Publishing has put out so many stunning releases with their stellar Short! Sharp! Shocks! series that you’d be hard pressed to pick out an absolute best. Saying that – what I read with ‘The Forest is Hungry’ would be a strong contender in that category.” This sort of feedback makes it all worthwhile. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Everything after the first draft. Developing the characters, choosing the locations, creating the plot, crafting the language—it all seems impossible until it’s finished, and when is a story ever really finished? The first draft is the easiest thing to write, and it’s also the least satisfying. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Semolina. I read a horror story about semolina as a child and I’ve never eaten it again since. I wouldn’t do that to anyone else. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? I tend to throw in any old names when I write the first draft and then change them all to something completely different in the final draft, so the story feels fresh. It’s a great way of creating distance, which helps me be more objective when I review the story. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? The best advice I’ve had wasn’t specifically in connection with my writing but it certainly helped. And it’s simple: always try to be better. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? I’m lucky in that people often quote lines of my stories back to me when they’ve read them, and it’s always a pleasure to see what lines have captured their imaginations. I don’t have a favourite line or passage but, back in May, I finished fifth in the latest Molotov Cocktail contest with a story called ‘After the Ghosts’. If you don’t mind, I’ll quote a line from that: “In horror stories, we’re taught that ghosts are anomalies—lost and lonely, limping down dimly lit corridors, scraping nails across chalkboard walls, faces twisted in pain, mortal wounds visible for all to see. In reality, they were young and vital—friends and families restored to their prime.” The rest of the story is available to read for free here. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? The Lamppost Huggers and Other Wretched Tales was published by The Arcanist on 1 June 2020. It’s a collection of my darkest and weirdest flash fiction stories from the past five years, including several competition winners. Flash fiction is a fantastic vehicle for horror because it’s possible to play with all-kinds of ideas that perhaps couldn’t be sustained in the longer form. I’ve just started writing my first novel—a horror novel—although it’s way too soon to say much about it yet. I’m aiming to have a first draft completed towards the end of the year, but who knows whether the world will last that long...? I’ve also had a mini-collection of short stories accepted by Demain Publishing—I can’t say any more about this at the moment, except there will be announcement in due course. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? I’ve read some fantastic books this year but I think A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay and Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley top the list. I’ve also been enjoying Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year series. I’m not going to talk about disappointing books—everyone has their own tastes, and it’s so damned hard to get anything published, authors deserve support and encouragement.  The man trying to make sense of his life now that his demon has been exorcised. The woman who knows her son has been taken, even as he sits by her side. The scorned professor who’s found a missing work from The Planets Suite. Christopher Stanley’s debut flash fiction collection, The Lamppost Huggers and Other Wretched Tales, boasts an impressive assortment of characters trying to make sense of a world gone horribly wrong. The darkness here is home to vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts—but it’s the monsters you’ve never heard of that should worry you the most. READ OUR REVIEW BY BEN WALKER HERE THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR PROMOTIONComments are closed.
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