  Holly Rae Garcia is an author and photographer. Her short work has appeared online, and her debut novel releases on March 27th, 2020 from Close to the Bone Publishing (UK). Holly lives on the Texas Coast with her family and three large dogs. Author Website: https://www.hollyraegarcia.com/ Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Rae-Garcia-Holly/e/B07XY6J9T3/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HollyRaeGarcia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyraegarcia/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HollyRaeGarciaAuthor/ Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I’m definitely the clichéd writer type (introverted/socially awkward/pale), though I do love a good pub crawl or reading a book on the beach. I’m down to one child at home so I have a lot more time to write than I used to. My daughter will be 21 this year, and my son is 17. To get the ball rolling and get everyone relaxed, here is a hopefully lighthearted question to break the ice, 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. Oliver Crow, the four-year-old with four death scenes in my book, Come Join the Murder. He probably doesn’t like me very much. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? My mother read a lot of True Crime when I was growing up, so these were the books I would pick up when bored as a child. This is probably what influenced my desire to read and write mostly human horror instead of ghosts or vampires, etc. Man is the most horrific creature I can think of. 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’m not sure it’s our responsibility to hold the hands of others when it comes to appreciating horror. The die-hard fans have always been fans, and those who frown at the term “horror” will probably not like most of what’s inside. And that’s okay, not everyone can handle it. 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 see more climate-change and apocalypse-related horror coming out in the next few years. The US is extremely divided politically so possibly more stories highlighting the extremism of each side. Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? It’s a safe place to get close to horrific things/situations but still maintain control. You can close the book at any time. It’s like that condition where people have an urge to drive off bridges but don't. They toe the line of that self-preservation instinct because they know they’ll always bring themselves back from it. But flirting with it, and with horror, releases endorphins and excitement much like a real-life situation would, but in a controlled environment. What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre? I don’t think anything is missing from the horror genre, there’s such a wide breadth of sub-genres and styles to choose from. Is horror its own worst enemy? What do you think keeps horror from being regarded as a valid genre by the public at large? I think, by definition, it’s a boundary-breaking and emotionally charged genre. Most people like to play it safe or have a happy ending, and horror doesn’t always do that. As for why traditional publishing houses don’t consider it as often as they do other genres, I have no idea. But seeing the passion for the genre in small and Indie presses is exciting. The sub-cultures will always be the torch-bearers for horror. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? I saw Flowers in the Attic in the theatre when I was eight-years-old and I fell in love with that feeling you get from watching a tense horror film. Though technically I think it was considered Psychological Thriller at the time, it was horrific to this eight-year-old. For books, I made my way through most of the Christopher Pike and R.L. Stein novels when I was younger. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? The first draft is the most difficult and the most rewarding. I can stare at a blank page for an hour, starting and stopping ten times, before finally letting myself get into the story. But once you’ve finished that first draft, you’ve created a world and people that weren’t there before, and it’s extremely satisfying. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? As a parent, it’s difficult for me to write about sexual abuse of minors. I touched on it for a few paragraphs in Come Join the Murder, and it was the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever written. Aside from that, I try not to place limitations on subject matter. Anything goes. 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 tried to make sure each main character had a name unique enough that it didn’t sound like another’s (that’s confusing sometimes as a reader). I also pored over baby-name lists and US Consensus lists. My main character’s name, Rebecca, was pulled from the Daphne Du Maurier novel of the same name. It’s one of my favorite books. I also look up popular names in whatever setting the book takes place in. I don’t take it as far as looking up the meaning of a particular name, but instead choose based on how it sounds/looks/fits in the region. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? It’s okay for the first draft to be a giant ball of shit. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Come Join the Murder is one of those twisted, dark thrillers about a mom who is seeking revenge for her son’s death. Told in both her perspective and that of the killer, the chapters dance around each other until the two finally meet. As the novel progresses, we see Rebecca’s downward spiral as she obsesses over her mission. I’m currently working with my husband on a Bigfoot horror novella tentatively titled, “Easton Falls Massacre.” I love sci-fi or cryptozoological horror, even the cheesy B-story stuff. I realize Bigfoot is very different from Come Join the Murder, but the dark themes are prevalent throughout both. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? The Final Girl cliché What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? I really enjoyed The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay. He is a master of tension. As for disappointment, I would have to say The Alienist by Caleb Carr. The plot was fantastic, but pacing was too slow and overly descriptive. Normally I wouldn’t talk ill of other novels, but this one was such a success that I’m sure my opinion won’t count anywhere. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? I’ve never been asked about my dogs. We have a one-year-old Great Dane named Jager who is 130 pounds of lap-dog and slobber. Then there’s the one-year-old Black Lab named Lucy who is obsessed with frisbees, water, and anything else that means she gets to run. Our older girl Maggie is a mutt we adopted, and she’s pretty cranky most of the time but she’ll do anything for a biscuit. Come Join The Murder by Holly Rae Garcia "This is a novel I would read and reread and recommend to others. Fans of vigilante and desperado revenge will delight in this horror story." — Horror Tree. Rebecca Crow’s four-year-old son is dead, and her husband is missing. Divers find her husband’s car at the bottom of a canal with their son’s small, lifeless body, inside. The police have no suspects and nothing to go on but a passing mention of a man driving a van. Guilt and grief cloud Rebecca’s thoughts as she stumbles towards her only mission: Revenge. James Porter knows exactly what happened to them, but he’ll do anything to keep it a secret. James didn’t plan to kill Rebecca’s son, but he’s not too broken up about it, either. There are more important things for him to worry about. He needs money, and his increasing appetite for murder is catching the attention of a nosy detective.   Comments are closed.
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