HORROR AUTHOR INTERVIEW : ALYN DAY
15/4/2014
 Alyn Day is an active member of the New England Horror Writers living outside of Boston, MA. She is an avid horror enthusiast with an inclination towards zombies. Publications include So Long and Thanks for All the Brains, Daily Frights 2012, Women of the Living Dead, Zombie Tales, Here Be Clowns, Horror on the Installment Plan, Zombies For a Cure, Quick Bites of Flesh, Phobias, Let’s Scare Cancer To Death, and the upcoming Daily Frights 2013 and Mirror, Mirror.  Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I’m 30. I’m a techie by day (I work in IT, build computers, and play video games like there’s no tomorrow) and a horror writer by night (Or lunch break, afternoon slump, whenever I have the time) and contrary to popular belief, I’m a relatively shy homebody who’d prefer to be snuggled up on the couch with my boyfriend and our dogs than just about anywhere else. I’m obsessed with sharpies, socks, and glittery nail polish. I’m a Libra. My favourite color is cerulean. I could probably eat my own weight in candy corn. Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction? Horror. It’s a classic. Who are some of your favourite authors? Brian Keene, Mary SanGiovanni, Kelli Owen, David Snell, Christopher Golden, Jonathan Maberry, Chuck Wendig, Tom Monteleone, Joe Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, Peter Straub… I should probably stop now. Which fictional character would be you perfect neighbour, and who would be your nightmare neighbour? Harold Lauder from The Stand would be my perfect neighbour. I think we’d get along swimmingly. As for nightmare neighbour, I’d have to go with Ned Flanders. What do you think of the current state of the genre? There is a lot going on at the moment – Self publishing, the proliferation of zombies in pop culture, TV shows like Under The Dome, Hannibal, The Walking Dead, and American Horror Story dominating the airwaves, Horror itself is in the public eye more than I can ever remember prior, outside of the month of October. Some of these things are good, others maybe not so good… but in general, anything that brings people joy and brings more exposure to the genre I love so much can’t be all bad. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Mary SanGiovanni’s The Fading Place was really excellent. It’s been a long time since I’ve been truly disappointed, but it was by a book called When a Second is Forever. How would you describe your writing style? Eclectic. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? Not exactly a review… but I got a rejection letter once. Your standard form letter, but the editor had taken the time to write a little note at the bottom. It said “Completely lacklustre and unimaginative.” The fact that he felt the need to tack that on, as it wasn’t constructive or helpful in any way… it just stung. What’s your favourite food? Sushi. My kingdom for some fresh (Not frozen!) Hamachi. Who would be on the soundtrack to your life story? The Moody Blues, Alan Parsons, Radiohead, Fountains of Wayne, and Black Sabbath. What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? That you have to actually do it. Butt in chair. Rain or shine. Whether you feel inspired or not, you have to just set aside time and do it. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Writing anything longer than a few thousand words is a big challenge for me – even moreso if I don’t want it to sound like a short story crammed with unnecessary filler. How do you think you’ve evolved creatively? I’ve come a long way from the girl who wrote stories in secret just to get them out of her head. Most significantly, I think I’ve found a more adult voice. What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author? “Write when it rains.” Who is your favourite character from your book and why? She’s actually the protagonist from my current WIP… Her name is Endurance and I love her to bits. There’s a lot of me in her, but a lot of what I want to be someday, too. How about your least favourite character? What makes them less appealing to you? The main character from my short 78154. She put herself into a bad situation. She lacked forethought, went against security procedures and the advice of others and it ended… badly for her. Fame, fortune, or respect? At first, I wanted to say respect… but screw it. Gimme the money and I’ll buy some. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? The first story I ever had published, 78154. And are there any pieces that you would like to forget about? Yes. A two part story originally titled Rejuvenation/Rejuvenated. That’s the story that was oh-so-famously butchered by Tony G. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? My last work is a short story called Of The Dead, which appears in a charity anthology called Let’s Scare Cancer To Death from May December publications. I’m currently working on a novel about (what else?) zombies. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? “Would you sign this for me?” FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ALYN FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE GREAT INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW HORROR AUTHOR INTERVIEWSHORROR NOVEL REVIEWSTHE HORROR WEBSITEComments are closed.
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