 London native C. C. Adams is the horror/dark fiction author whose work appears in publications such as Turn To Ash and Weirdbook Magazine. A member of the Horror Writers Association, he still lives in the capital. He lifts weights, practises kungfu, cooks - and looks for the perfect quote to set off the next dark delicacy. Visit him at www.ccadams.com Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? Yep. I’m born and raised in the capital and proud of. The older I get and the more I travel, the more proud I am to call London home. I’m a city boy at heart, and it's all here. There’s cultural diversity. Architecture and scenery. Bars and restaurants - I'm a foodie, so that's important. Entertainment: from cinema to live music. I love this city: and I always find something new here. What do you like to do when you're not writing? Eat, for one! I’m a foodie, yeah. I can cook (and bake), although I find it a chore. That said, I don’t mind cooking and baking for other people. I lift weights, I do kung fu (or at least I did – that’s something I need to get back to, after all the busy). I play bass now. The irony was I took up bass to give my fingers a break away from all the typing at the keyboard. I have two basses: a cheap (Encore) one where I write, and a Fender Precision next to my bed. What usually happens is I play the Fender before I go to bed …which keeps me up another half hour or more. Rock, funk, pop, etc. – but something with attitude. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? Good question. I’d say probably the work of Michael Crichton. He wrote Jurassic Park, Timeline, Prey, Disclosure – all personal favourites. From an author point of view, what I liked was that for all the intrigue and kinetic narrative and the visuals? He layered in A LOT of detail: the scientific rationale woven into the story was impressive, and it’s done with skill. Joining an online writing group had also helped: author Kelley Armstrong used to have one on her site. Back then, I would write about a chapter’s worth, then throw it out to the masses for feedback before writing some more. What I found was that it led to piecemeal editing. Of course, I want to bring the best of my craft to the table, but if you edit piecemeal, you might not get to finish the work at all. What I do now is get the first draft down at all costs. Doesn't matter how sloppy – it’s either a finished draft or it isn't. Once there’s a finished draft, THEN you can tighten it up, refine and polish it. 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? From its very nature, horror is something that has the capacity to scare, to terrify. Or at least unsettle – if it doesn’t have that effect on the audience, it at least has that effect on the characters. I love that. As someone who doesn’t actually watch horror films anymore – because they genuinely scare the shit outta me – I’m aware that they’re not all so full-on, not all gorefests. Friends tell me, peers tell me, reviews tell me, etc: I keep my ear to the ground. I feel it gets a knee-jerk reaction. Because when people ask what I do, and I say I write horror, a lot will question whether it's gory or not. Which I find odd, because in a lot of instances, these are people who are watching the likes of The Witch, IT, Hereditary, etc. Or the likes of American Horror Story. They already know what’s doing the rounds in the genre – first-hand. The good thing is that there are these films and TV shows and books that keep the genre alive. Horror is diverse. I think the more it continues, the more people will ACCEPT the fact that it doesn’t have to be a gorefest, that it can unsettle but also be beautifully written, engaging, well-acted, etc. Give the genre its props. 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 think it’ll be more diverse in the mainstream. Horror can mean different things to different people but we can all – as much as we might try and avoid it – experience some kind of horror. We’re seeing the likes of Get Out, which has a black man both in front of and behind the camera. Not a token black man either. You have Women In Horror Month: again, doing its part to champion diversity. The likes of Speaking Volumes, that will champion the work of UK authors of black and minority ethnic origin. Horror has a diverse audience. So yeah, let’s see that diversity among its creators. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? Aidan Chambers’ Book Of Ghosts & Hauntings – that one was my leaving present from primary school when I was 11. That little collection cemented a love of eerie dark fiction. A couple of films from John Carpenter: Halloween, because the monster gets away at the end: THAT, I love. The Thing, because it’s just masterful storytelling. To date it’s my all-time favourite film in any genre. The likes of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park, to show how action, intrigue, and scientific detail can be woven into a solid work. Also for a solid example of prologue: The Bite Of The Raptor. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice of? Define ‘new.’ The first name that comes to mind is Erik Hofstatter. I say this because I read the Katerina novella and thought, ‘ah, okay, this is different.’ And then I read Rare Breeds. Let me tell you, that is a nasty piece of work. This is where you see a macabre sensibility to the everyday: I’d never read anything like it. So, yeah. How would you describe your writing style? Sat very much in the real world, with a nudge or a shove to insidious territory. There are shock and awe moments, gore and such, but played out against a general sense of something eerie, something malevolent. Usually supernatural. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? The first novel I wrote. I sent it to an author friend for feedback. The response was on some, ‘be warned – I’m not joking here. Sure you want to read on?’ shit. Unforgiving. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Probably to finish writing a story in the first place. This is why I write quick and just finish the damned thing at all cost. Once a draft is actually finished, everything’s easier from there. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Yes. Even to say what it is makes me uncomfortable, like I’d be tempting fate. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Oh, the names are important. Most of my stories are set in and around London. So whether it’s people, places or whatever, I want names that sit comfortably in that setting. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? I have a thicker skin, for one. I’ve usually written quickly, but now I’ve developed more of an eye on the big picture. ‘Okay, so I’ve written a good story, so what now?’ I don’t get complacent – just because I wrote a good one, it doesn’t stop there. If anything, the audience will want more. As a result, I write with a mindset of keeping the audience sated, as well as myself. I guess the biggest takeaway is conviction: the faith in yourself and your game. It’s one thing to be a new author, thinking you got a good story on your hands – even when it gets its first rejection. But to have that conviction and see it published after at least another ten rejections? Yeah, that. And the patience and game that go with it. What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? A love for what you do. Can you imagine forcing yourself to do something you DON’T wanna do? An eye for the big picture: you might ‘hate’ to write, but then, you might love to wow your audience, having them clamour for your next book, upset that you crippled a character, etc. A thick skin. A level head. Persistence. Patience. And vision. That one might be the most important one – write the stories you want to write, the ones that speak to you or move you. It’s one of those things I have little patience with in someone referring to an author as the next whoever. Be YOU. That’s what you’re there for. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? Possibly one simple line from Ian O’Neill: “now go write something.” It’s so simplistic but, for me, it sums everything up. Give your audience something new, entertain them, catch them off-guard. Maybe even scare the shit outta them. Anytime Ian says that, I feel all’s good with the world, and I love him for that. Those relatively few moments I actually get to chat with him, that’s how he might sign off. 'Now go write something.' Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject? There used to be a publisher called DarkFuse that I was interested in shopping work to. What they had said was as part of looking at submissions for long fiction, they wanted to see what online presence an author had. Not just the work they put out, but also what their site/pages looked like. This is partly why I answered a lot of open submission calls for short stories: quicker to write, quicker to edit, quicker to sell (best case scenario). The idea was to build up a body of work, start to elevate my name and my brand, as it were. To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favourite child, and who is your least favourite to write for and why? Favourite is probably the antagonist from Sunset Is Just The Beginning, as a character who wants to explore fear, but is just amoral about it. No hatred, no regret, etc. Least favourite? Not sure I have a least favourite. Generally, I have more fun with the villain of the piece. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? Possibly the novella But Worse Will Come, which is due for release in the next couple of months. I remember sleeping with the light on as a result of that. It’s also one of the few works I’ve written where I could divorce myself from having written it, and read it almost as a new reader. And are there any that you would like to forget about? I wrote and submitted a story called Something In The Wood, way back when. The story was rejected as it devolved too much into innuendo and didn’t have enough plot and character development. Now when I think about it, I’m just grateful it was rejected. It starts well, but …oh, man, that was terrible. Trust me on this one. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? I’ve contributed stories to Turn To Ash: Volume 1 and The Black Room Manuscripts: Volume 3. Those are some of the best representations. They’re set in London, something reveals itself from leftfield, the horror is insidious and gradual. Supernatural in nature. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? “Because you’d better be. If you so much as scream, if you look away for even a moment? I will end you,” he said through gritted teeth. “Right here and now.” Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Sure. The last book is was a novella about a pair of newlyweds. What I’m working on next? A tale of a one-night stand. When that comes out and you see the title, you’ll know it’s that one. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? Probably the ‘look away and then look back and see the monster’ cliché. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Last great book? Susan Hill’s “The Woman In Black.” Last book that disappointed me? I’ll spare the author’s name and work. They asked me if I’d peer review it. I gave what I hoped was an honest and constructive review and said I’d understand if they didn’t publicly run with that review. Never heard from them again. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? You know, I couldn’t think of one before, but now I can. It’d be: scares or otherwise, how does it feel to move your readers? And honestly? It’s just humbling and cool. Thanks, people. CLICK HERE TO CHECK OURT CC'S FICTION ALICE IN SUMMERLAND: ALICE IN HELL BY FRANK EDLER
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