 Before deciding to take writing seriously Paul had done many things, printer, caving, the SCA, Brew-master, punk singer, music critic etc. Since then he has appeared in numerous science fiction, and horror magazines and anthologies. Born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, he moved to Appalachia in his 30s for the peace and adventure that can be found there. He has three children, two who live in his native Pennsylvania, and one interrupting his writing constantly at home. Married to his lovely wife Leslie for twenty years, they live in a fairy tale town in nestled in a valley by a river. Author of over 50 published stories, his debut novel “I Never Eat…Cheesesteak” will be in stores early in 2019 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? Well the bio gets a lot of it. But I guess to get to the parts that led to me writing. I had decided I wasn’t going to be a writer when I was a teenager, mainly because everyone said, “I’ll bet you’ll be a writer one day” I’m a natural born contrarian. But being the lead singer of a relatively known punk band, led to be a DJ. Being a DJ led to writing music reviews for Spark Plug Magazine amount other places. By that point I had enough life experience to decide to go for it with writing. What do you like to do when you're not writing? Cave, photograph waterfalls and URBEX… explore really. It’s an interesting world and we’re only here for so long. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? Comedy and 19th Century Russian Lit. I had a, less then ideal childhood. It left me thinking that even if everything is bleak, you should probably make fun of it. The beats, the new wave of sci fi also were a huge influence. Maybe a bit of French existentialism as well. 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? To some degree I try to do just that with my short stories. I was really influenced by the new wave of sci fi, guys like Zelazny and Ballard who really pushed the boundaries of writing itself, let along the ideas in it. I was raised with the classics as far as films, I’ve always believed that horror could and should try to be art if it can. Nothing against a good old-fashioned slasher, but there’s nothing new there. 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 slide politics in, sort of a base idea of “do unto others” but enforced with horrible consequences. Right now it’s hard, you want to write the fantastical, and considering our current President, you tell me, what would fantastical even look like at this point? What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” “Roger Zelazny “Creatures of Light And Darkness” are a couple of books I always slide back to. Films are endless. You remember those big table top pictorial books on horror movies in the 70s? Remember how they would always be checked out? That was because I’d checked them out. It can go everywhere from Bride of Frankenstein, to Dracula Prince Of Darkness, to Henry Portrait Of A Serial Killer, to Dog Soldiers What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? Joseph Rubas, Stephen Hernandez, Gary Murphy, Andrew Snook How would you describe your writing style? I often write plain jane old fashioned horror stories, and my upcoming novel is horror comedy. That being said, the short stories I enjoy of my own are sort of like “new wave of science fiction comes to horror” Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? Negative reviews sting for a minute, but you have to let those goes. What with selling your book to publishers, rejections of shorts yadda yadda, you have enough to deal with. As far as positive, I think I would be fine with this on my tombstone. “The most enigmatic of the bunch, about the erosion of old ways of life by "progress." Equal parts Ballard and Carver.” What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Being your own agent. That is a major time drain with lots of mental beatings for your effort. Editing can be a drag, you go over something three times, and there’s still a typo. Enough to make you pull your own hair out. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? I’d like to say no. As a writer your supposed to write about life, but I haven’t TRIED to write about everything yet. Maybe there is something I’ll hit a brick wall on. I don’t know I’ve been able to slide real emotions from my own childhood and that was pretty brutal, so…. But you never know, there might be a wall someday. How important are names to you in your books? I try to put a lot of effort in to them, but of course, the way to know you got that right is if it sounds like it just boringly slots in to place right? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? I check the age of my character, the part of the country they’re in, then I go and research what were the popular names at that time. After that, the one I look at and go, “That’s him/her!” Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? Well you learn your craft as you go. You shave off all the bad habits if editors point them out to you (you could always tell when I was REALLY excited at an action sequence, proper nouns went out the window) You become a better editor of yourself. You know your craft well enough that you spend less time struggling to describe what you see in your head. Your process becomes more professional. What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? Word. Seriously, there are all kinds of editing software that’s available, but Word is probably the most trustworthy. When I started I used an open source word processor program (actually I still like it to write with) and then try to edit with Grammarly. It turns out Grammarly misses a TON of stuff. Just get Word if you can afford it. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? Really, this sounds trite, but the editor of Aphelion caught the pronoun/ proper noun issue. Once I saw it I was just like, “I’ve been publishing stories for over a year now like this?” It may sound silly, but it isn’t. Also points to my publisher at 50/50 for figuring out why the one chapter wasn’t working. Sometimes it’s just nuts and bolts stuff that matters. Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject? Write a LOT. One editor called me one of the hardest working writers in the business. Always go for new markets, new readers, don’t be afraid of rejection when you do it. Your stories aren’t going to appeal to everyone, you’ll find the right editor eventually. But if you’re always publishing for the same readers who already know you, you’re going nowhere fast. 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? I liked writing Al, in my upcoming book. He’s kind of everybody in their early 20s, drifting through life with no real clue what he wanted to do, or what he wanted out of life. He feels like a fully formed human. The lead character in “Heart of The Town” which was in Schlock.UK is a total prick. It was cathartic to write as a complaint about modern life, but I hated the guy’s guts every bit as much as the reader is supposed to. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? Probably something nobody but I got. Joke, maybe, sort of. I kind of forget things once they’re done. “From the Very Clay He Made Us” in Blood Reign Lit this year is quite good. “Last of The Ashiptu” made third in Editors and Preditors poll. I’m really proud of an emotional catharsis piece “Komodo Dancer” that was just in Schlock. And, yeah, I have a novel coming out soon, and I’m pretty proud of “I Never Eat…Cheesesteak” it’s funny and has a few good creeps in it. And are there any that you would like to forget about? Already forgotten about them. There are some typos that out there that if everybody could pretend never happened, yeah, that’d be swell. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? They were silent for a second, before James said, “I wonder, when we do get lucky. I wonder what I'm just waiting to become.” “What does it matter? I'll love you however you look, so what does it even matter?” He leaned over, and quickly kissed her, “Nothing, it matters nothing at all.” Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? “I Never Eat…Cheesesteak” is a horror comedy. I like horror-comedy for a full length. I prefer short story as a format for pure horror. In this case it was an homage, to both my hometown of Philadelphia, and the no longer loved, the no longer the hero, the mighty vampire hunter. Oh, and there are enough Philly Punk history Easter eggs in there to fill a basket. The book that’s written that I’m editing is more of the same style wise and called “The Cult Of The Gator God” , it is my revenge for having to live in Florida for a year of my life. Hopefully I’ll have a collection out at some point that will just be more or less pure horror. With over 50 stories published in one format or another I have more than enough material to choose from. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? Only one huh? The double clutch ending. Dude just let it end, nobody is surprised any more and at this point a successful conclusion is more satisfying then the twist “The End…or is it?” stuff. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Catherine Jinks “The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group” which was a fun piece of fluff. OK, I will try to avoid hitting any author who still has smallish sales here, the last two that really did would be there. The last BIG author to disappoint was when I finally got around to reading the Dead Zone. The dialogue was just SO hokey it was distracting. And hey, he’s not hurting for money, so me talking smack means nothing. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? “Do you miss being in a band” “Sometimes, but really, my wife puts up with enough of my crap already.” TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PAUL PLEASE FOLLOW THESE LINKS Photography Page: https://www.redbubble.com/people/paullu?ref=account-nav-dropdown&asc=u editor: Long Live The Horror https://www.facebook.com/LongLiveTheHorror/ A Touch Of Evil www.facebook.com/touchofevilhorror/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulLubaczewski webpage: https://www.facebook.com/lubaczewskiearlsonrevpaul/ 
 I live in rural Cumbria, England, with my partner Ann, a mad spaniel, two cats and four fish. I've also inherited two daughters and a grandson. I've had a varied career, having been a journalist for ten years, and also a designer and a retail manager in my time. The Jesus Man is my first novel, written throughout 2016 and based upon an idea I devised just under thirty years ago. Inspired by such luminaries as H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and H. G. Wells, I aim to deliver stories in a classic vein, but with a contemporary slant in both style and content. I aim to remain entirely independent too, producing my works my own way, without interference from traditional publishing houses. Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? Six foot, Sagittarius, likes Thai food … nah, just fucking with you! Erm, I have a mischievous sense of humour, a deep thought process and a drive to push the envelope where I can. In many ways I'm old school and have a DIY ethic. I don't want anyone telling me something has to be done a certain way. That's their ego trip and they're welcome to it. Also, I don't do rules and regulations very well, very much the square peg, round hole anomaly in society which has been the fuel that's propelled my goals (basically, a pain in the arse, lol). What do you like to do when you're not writing? In my spare time, Ann and me indulge our shared love of the mountains by scaling the many peaks of the inspirational Lake District National Park. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? In truth I'm very open to any kind of story. For me, it's all about a story well told. Provided it delivers and does what it's meant to do then I'm sold. Trouble is, I don't come across that very often, so that's a constant quest. 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 think now is actually quite a rich time for growth and development in this area. There's an abundance of new talent out there which is exploring the very limits of the genre and creating exciting new ways in which to present it. To some extent it's working, but like everything it depends on the game players. Some of them bring us some fascinating material and others produce results which, for me anyway, fall short of what they could've been. By that I mean great ideas that are badly executed. My own personal feeling on the term is that it's something which can play a part in lots of different works, not just a 'horror story/film' per say. I think in order to go beyond assumptions then I think creators have to make people think. Make them be immersed, not just shocked or repulsed. 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? That's a very tough question to give any kind of definitive answer to, at least for me anyways. Obviously, art does mirror life and some has been resultant of certain socio, economic and/or political factors, but it isn't always so. One could think 'hell, the population is getting huge, the climate and resources are under massive strain' but that might not necessarily filter into the general creative psyche. On the other hand it might, just as easily, but in a certain sense as much as 'bad things' can be an influence they can also be things that drive a need for escapism too. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? Oh fuck, now that's a list that could easily take up the rest of this interview! Shit, where do I start? As I said before I'm pretty old school so that goes directly back to my early teens where I would watch VHS films with a pal of mine down the road. You see, he got every new thing on the market, computers, colour TV, games etc. He was an only child and I was the youngest of three in a poor area of the North East (England). It was cool for me though because his mum got him 18-rated videos from the local store and we watched them at like 14/15 at the time, so I saw stuff like The Thing, Alien, The Terminator and tons of other cool stuff like Blade Runner, Mad Max and The Exorcist. It was the storytelling behind all these which struck a chord with me. I read Wells, Poe, Lovecraft and Orwell and knew back then their works were pioneering creations which really spoke to me. There are so many more examples I could cite, which include inspiring actors and directors, but I'll leave that for another time. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? American author K K Edin is a sure-fire success in my eyes before he's even had any success. That's simply because his debut The Measurements of Decay is an effortless piece of exciting literature. His style and tone is accomplished and the delivery is clever. It's not a work of horror, but it's fantastic sci-fi. How would you describe your writing style? Left field. Mine is like Marmite, you'll either love it or hate it. If you enjoy it then that's great, I've done my job. If you don't, that's really ok too, but in truth I don't give a fuck because I'm not out to write diluted mainstream piss designed to please the masses. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? To date it's been about 99% positive. But I read the reviews to try understand what worked and what didn't for the reader. I think it's important to know that and see it from a different perspective, otherwise you'll just be absorbed in your own mindset. Can I say it will make me write any differently? I doubt it. It will simply make me realise that you're not meant to be a fan of my writing if you leave a negative review, and I really don't have a problem with that. I've never been the most popular person in the room, so I'm not about to start in my late forties, lol. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Those days where you've simply got to grind it out. When inspiration is totally elusive. It becomes work then but you can't shy away from that because it's part of the process. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Probably politics … yawn, I just nodded off at the thought of it. It does, however, amaze me that the least interesting people in the world get so much media coverage. If you were at a party with these drips you'd be drawing on their foreheads, pouring the contents of ashtrays down their pants and just generally giving them the kind of short shrift they deserve. I'm sure there are a minority amongst them who have genuine aims with a social conscience but, for me, I can't see them as anything other than self-serving rats in suits. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Names are very important because a reader has to have a kind of comfort with that. I'm more inclined to choose a name based upon the way it sounds as opposed to its meaning. I think the ultimate aim is to create a memorable character so, inherently, a name is part and parcel of that. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? I've developed 'off grid' so to speak. I waited a long time to get the right set of circumstances to put out my first novel. So, I feel I was fully developed as a writer by the time I did that. I haven't, like many, put out work and then used the critique as a way of improving. I waited until I was developed in most aspects before showing people what I can do. I find a lot of it comes naturally to me anyway, but I think a good approach is to not be in a rush to get to market. What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers? A deeply creative mind, good solid insight and a drive to be the best you can be. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? An old school teacher from way back told me recently, after he read my debut novel, to 'keep my unique voice' as I pen new works. I understand clearly what he means and intend to do just that. Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject? There's quite an exhaustive list of things I've done to bring attention to my debut. It's been entered into competitions. But only a select few in truth. I've emailed agents who represent famous actors. I've also emailed the production companies of well known movie directors (Ridley Scott and John Carpenter for example). I did get a reply from Mr Carpenter's assistant, but that was a 'polite no thank you, he can't accept material for legal reasons' – whatever that means, lol. I've had interviews and articles in local media. Approached independent book shops to see if they'll stock my hardbacks or paperbacks (an ongoing process). Most of all I've simply tried to connect, on a genuine level, with folk on social media. I think that just being myself and being honest is the only real way of doing it. 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? Christ, some of these questions are tough! Well, at this point, I've only got one completed novel and I'm about halfway through my second so it's early days. I'd have to say I don't have favourites or, by the same token, a least favourite character. To me, they all serve their purpose and their interactions and what they bring to the story are what's important. I do enjoy creating them though and making them come to life with their own agendas and reasons for being integral pieces of a story. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? It could only be my debut The Jesus Man. When I've got six novels under my belt I'll maybe have to re-evaluate that. And are there any that you would like to forget about? Not yet. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? See above, lol. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? Damn, another hard question. There's quite a few lines and whole passages I'm rather proud of and, in truth, sort of dropping them here (or indeed anywhere) kind of puts them out of context, so it's not easy for a reader to feel their impact. I think it best just to say they'd be better enjoyed for what they are, which is part of the whole experience of reading the story. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Well obviously the last one was the first one and it's a post-apocalyptic horror story. The breaking of the world was long ago and those who live in what is left of it have a very different daily existence. There are colonies here and there, but slowly, over decades, they've all fallen by the hand of an unearthly horror which has waged its celestial strategy in the pursuit of Earth. The last surviving colony must now face this evil, which unravels its society from within and lays low the last of men with a crushing malediction, which will claim their souls, their homeworld and ultimately their Godhead for all time. My second novel, and current WIP, is titled Nexilexicon. A young Dutch aristocrat embarks on an expedition to the Amazon interior in 1847. For this, he engages the services of an Italian skipper who has recently ran a shipment to Amsterdam. With additions to the crew, the 'Eva Contessa', a three-masted schooner, puts to sea only to suffer a string of strange occurrences en route. Eventually landing at Macapá, Brazil, the surviving crew are now fractious and close to mutiny. The smaller expedition party heads up river where eventually they meet an indigenous tribe that grants them time among them. During their stay, the aristocrat records aspects of their rituals in his journal and makes hand-drawn copies of the tattoos applied to the chosen males by their shaman. On the return journey, the Eva is captured and the fate of her crew is established. The journal is taken, along with other possessions and valuables and eventually lost. The time line jumps to the 1960s and wreck hunters discover the book on a Caribbean island. It is taken to America and eventually sold as a historic artefact. Subsequently, a friend of the buyer is shown its contents and, being a physicist, recognises the meaning of the tattoo designs copied in the journal. It makes no sense, atomic equations penned, albeit in a disjointed manner, in a 19th Century expedition journal. In a series of events, including murders, the book disappears once again, only to surface inside a secure facility in 2012, as the heart of a covert black op titled: Nexilexicon. A team, a particle accelerator and the upper echelons of government are about to punch a hole through to another dimension. What could possibly go wrong? If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? Zombies. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Last great book: A Scanner Darkly – last disappointment: Strange Weather What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? What would you like to be when you (finally) grow up? Answer: Lifeless, in a pine box. Thank you for giving me the chance to prattle on, it's much appreciated. Keep doing what you do Jimbob, there's a great number of folk out there respect what you do ;)
 BOOK REVIEW: DEATH WITCH BY NICK CATO
 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
APEX PUBLICATIONS ASK YOU TO DO NOT GO QUIETLY AN INTERVIEW WITH JASON SIZEMORE AND LESLEY CONNER
27/8/2018
In 2004, publisher Jason Sizemore suffered an early mid-life crisis at the age of 30. Stuck in a go nowhere city job supporting risk management software, the need to do something interesting and exciting overcame him. For better or for worse, he wanted to make a mark on the world.
Thus happened Apex Publications! What started as a single quarterly print magazine of dark SF short stories (the well-regarded Apex Science Fiction & Horror Digest) has turned into a busy small press with over 40 titles in print and the monthly ezine Apex Magazine. Along the way, Apex has had the opportunity to publish some of the most exciting and interesting writers in speculative fiction: Brian Keene, Damien Angelica Walters, Douglas F. Warrick, Nick Mamatas, Jennifer Pelland, Lavie Tidhar, Chesya Burke, Chris Bucholz, and many, many more. Lesley Conner is a writer, social media editor and marketing leader for Apex Publications, and Managing Editor for Apex Magazine. She spends her days pestering book reviewers, proofreading, wrangling slush, doling out contracts, and chatting about books, writing, and anything else that crosses her mind on the @ApexBookCompany Twitter account. Most of her nights are spent with a good book and a glass of wine. Her alternative history horror novel, The Weight of Chains, was recently published by Sinister Grin Press. To find out all her secrets, you can follow her on Twitter at @LesleyConner. They are currently running a Kickstarter for Do Not Go Quietly, an anthology of victory in defiance edited by Jason Sizemore and Lesley Conner. Resistance. Revolution. Standing up and demanding to have your space, your say, your right to be. From small acts of defiance to protests that shut down cities, Do Not Go Quietly is an anthology of science fiction and fantasy short stories about those who resist. Within this anthology, they will chronicle the fight for what is just and right, and what that means: from leading revolutions to the simple act of saying “No.” Head over to Kickstarter now to help them reach 100% funding and bring Do Not Go Quietly to life! They have fantastic lineup of authors contributing stories that includes such writers as A. Merc Rustad, Rebecca Roanhorse, Maurice Broaddus, Nayad Monroe, Karin Lowachee, Brooke Bolander, John Hornor Jacobs, Laird Barron, Brian Keene, Cassandra Khaw, Sheree Renée Thomas, Catherynne M. Valente, Seanan McGuire, Fran Wilde, Rich Larson, Sarah Pinsker, Tal M. Klein, and J.F. Gonzalez (co-writing with Lesley Conner). But we're looking for more! To help promote the campaign Matt Brandenburg sat down with Apex publication overlords Jason Sizemore and Lesley Connor to talk about the anthology and 
What was the spark that set this anthology in motion?
Jason – For several years Lesley and I have wanted to edit an anthology together, but finding the right project turned into a challenge. Funding an anthology via Kickstarter is a massive undertaking, therefore when you decide to launch a Kickstarter project it better be for something that you love or believe in passionately. About a year ago during a typical day of work, we started discussing the news of the day. The usual assortment of nonsense was happening. Trump being Trump. Alt-right assholes causing trouble. Blatant disregard of law and decorum by McConnell and Ryan. It was all a bit much. I shared with Lesley my aborted attempts to become involved in social and political discourse on Facebook (it was disastrous). Soon after, the idea of forming an anthology encouraging and celebrating defiance and resistance via literature coalesced. We had hit on our passion project! - Why do we need Do Not Go Quietly? in our world today? Lesley – I think that it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed and as if nothing you do is really going to make a difference in the world we live in. I feel like a lot of people are beaten down and ready to tap out and give up. Our goal with Do Not Go Quietly is to inspire people to stand up and make the change they want to see in the world. … And also to feature amazing stories about resistance and revolution. Why did you go for a Science Fiction/Fantasy setting and not present day? (Interview note: I know Apex is Science Fiction/Fantasy, but was that the only reason you went with this genre? Lesley – Dark science fiction, fantasy, and horror is what Apex does. But choosing the science fiction and fantasy genres for the stories in Do Not Go Quietly is more than just “it’s what we do.” Genre allows writers to play with metaphor. It allows them to create worlds that are similar to ours, that may be going through a lot of the same things, but that are far enough away that they can bend the rules or change things to fit their narrative. Basically shifting the stories that the authors in Do Not Go Quietly will be telling out of our present day reality and moving them into the realm of science fiction and fantasy gives the writers a whole bag of tools they can use to create the story they want to tell. It broadens what they can do. And that’s something I’m really excited to see. Why did you decide to use Kickstarter for Do Not Go Quietly? Jason - There is no better platform for crowdfunding literary projects than Kickstarter. GoFundMe is great for social and medical projects, but Kickstarter has a long history of funding anthologies. And from a practical standpoint, I’ve had experience helping manage and run three previous anthologies via Kickstarter for Apex. What have you learned from your previous Kickstarter campaigns that helped you with this one? Jason – A professional, front-facing Kickstarter page is a must. Lots of nice graphics. Clean copy. A nice video. If I’m running a Kickstarter asking for $20,000, I should come across as professional and capable (“I” means the entity running the Kickstarter – Apex, in this case). You also must have your ducks in a row before you start. Otherwise, you’re underwater by day three. The TOC is an amazing list of authors, is there one you were surprised to get? Anyone you might have wished you had? Lesley – Thank you! I am thrilled with the TOC that we’ve been able to build so far, and I’m hoping we find even more amazing authors once we start going through open submissions. There isn’t one author that I can say I was particularly more surprised that we could get than others. Honestly, I’m surprised several of our authors—Catherynne Valente, Seanan McGuire, John Hornor Jacobs, Fran Wilde, Brian Keene to name a few—had the time in their schedule to write something for us. We recently announced that Tal M. Klein (the author of The Punch Escrow) is joining the TOC, which is amazing! As for an author I wish we’d have gotten, that’s easy. Nisi Shawl originally was going to contribute a story, but unfortunately she had to back out due to deadlines. She had a new, really awesome project come up (I’m not sure she’s officially announced it, so I don’t want to say what it is) and that had to come first. Obviously, we don’t blame Nisi at all—I’m really excited about the project she’s working on!—but I am sad that she won’t have a story in Do Not Go Quietly. Jason – Virtually everyone we invited accepted. I was blown away by the response. A handful of folks declined due to work deadlines, including my top choice: Jacqueline Carey. She’s a fantastic author, a big name, and she can pen a fierce story when she’s in the mood (See “Suzie Q” in Apex Magazine). I’m most surprised that Brooke Bolander accepted the invitation. I’ve been trying for ages to get her into Apex Magazine with no luck. Brooke has confessed on Twitter about not being the fastest of writers, and she is in high demand due to the quality of her work. She has the perfect authorial voice for Do Not Go Quietly and I’m delighted she’s part of the anthology. Can you talk a little bit about having a J.F. Gonzalez story in here? (I know I was excited to see his name in the TOC) Is it a brand-new story? Lesley- Having a story by J.F. Gonzalez in the anthology means a lot to me personally. J.F. was my writing mentor, and he was instrumental in helping me find the perfect publisher (Sinister Grin) when I was looking for a home for my novel The Weight of Chains. I miss him a lot. When Jason and I were first talking about who to solicit stories from, I mentioned J.F. and Jason was really supportive of us including him. So I reached out to Brian Keene, who is managing J.F.’s literary estate, and asked if it was at all possible that there was an unpublished story that would fit our theme. Brian responded that there were a few partial stories that needed to be completed, and he encouraged me to read these pieces and see if any jumped out at me, saying he knew J.F. would be proud to have me finish one of them for the anthology. And that’s what we’re doing. I have the beginning of a story he was working on when he passed away. No notes, no outline, but I’ve been turning this story over in my mind for a long while now. I know how it ends, and I’m excited to my words with J.F. and create something together. What type of story are you hoping gets submitted when you open for submissions? Jason – I can give some tips. Lesley loves historical fiction. I’m a big fan of transhumanism and singularity works. We both want to see a speculative element in your work. We love subversive fiction. Keep it shorter if you can. If you’re a reader of Apex Magazine, then you’re a big step ahead of everyone else. You know the type of voice and plots we like. Read the essays that Sarah Waites wrote for us. They can be found at http://donotgoquietly.wordpress.com. Most importantly, adhere to the anthology theme. Victory in defiance. Can you go a bit into the process of joint editing an anthology? Do you both take a part of the stack? Or is it more collaborative? Lesley – A few of our first readers from Apex Magazine have volunteered to be our frontline for Do Not Go Quietly. What they recommend will probably get split between us. Jason and I have been editing Apex Magazine together for nearly four years. We have very similar tastes in fiction, so if one of us feels a story isn’t a good fit, the other isn’t going to question it. Once we make it through this second round, we’ll both need to read everything, and then I’m sure there will be lots of discussion and story dissection.
Jason – We’ve worked together for so long, that Lesley virtually said everything I would have.
What is the preferred drink of the editorial team? Does it change depending on the story? Lesley – While working, coffee. But after hours, Jason and I both enjoy an Angry Orchard with a shot of Fireball. Yum! Jason – While working, coffee. When I’m spending long hours in the editing chair, I might sip on a Red Bull or a diet Mt. Dew. Yes, I know, very unhealthy. But shit has to get done. When I decide to have some of the devil’s water, I go for bourbon and coke much of the time. Which pledge level has the best perks? If you each had to choose a level, which one would you choose? Lesley – This is a HARD question, but I do have an answer. If I were backing Do Not Go Quietly, I’d get Hardcover Resistance, because I want a hardcover copy of Unwelcome Bodies by Jennifer Pelland. Apex published Unwelcome Bodies before I was part of the team, and it is the book that made me want to work for Apex. So, yeah, a hardcover copy would be amazing! Jason – The Cooking with Cass reward. It’s so demented. So delightful. Just like Cassandra Khaw. If someone was to pick the Dinner with the Editors pledge level, how dressed up should they get? Jason – The other day a Sunday morning news show was highlighting what they called modern dad fashion. It was all clothes I wear! I never felt so cool. That was sarcasm, btw. You can wear anything you want. I only ask that you follow restaurant guidelines: shirt and shoes required. Addendum: Pants (or shorts) also required. Addendum Two: Lesley will try to say pants (or shorts) are not required. She is wrong. Addendum Three: Lesley will probably wear stretch tights with some weird pattern on them. I must make another guideline that only Lesley is allowed to wear something like that. Otherwise, I will probably tease you. Addendum Four: Try not to wear the same thing I’m wearing. That would be weird. What do you hope a reader gets out of the anthology? Lesley – First and foremost, I hope a reader gets that satisfied feeling you get from reading really outstanding fiction, but I hope they also feel inspired. There are a lot of things going wrong in our world right now. We need people to stand up and fight for common sense and good. We need to vote. We need to lift up each other and quit feeling threatened by anyone who is different or has a different opinion. We need to be better. I hope that after reading the stories in Do Not Go Quietly, people will be inspired to be better. 
BOOK REVIEW: THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT BY DALE ROBERTSON
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| Outpost H311 was a top-secret base used by the Nazis in World War II conducting experiments into paranormal activity, on a desolate island in the Arctic circle. An oil exploration team are plunged into a nightmare when their plane crashes on the remote island. The survivors soon discover that they are not alone, and a supernatural evil released by the Nazis’ experiments inhabits the island. With no way of calling for help, no chance of escape and zombie Nazis on the rampage, the team find themselves locked in a desperate race for survival. This scary, atmospheric, ice-cold supernatural thriller by Sara Jayne Townsend will chill you to the bone.  |  |
BOOK REVIEW: AHAB'S RETURN: OR, THE LAST VOYAGE BY JEFFREY FORD
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.
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ALICE IN SUMMERLAND: ALICE IN HELL BY FRANK EDLER
FIRST LOOK AT JARED MASTERS’ MANNEQUIN MOVIE ‘AGALMATOPHILIA’
BY JONATHAN THORNTON
Paul Tremblay is the author of the critically acclaimed horror novels A Head Full Of Ghosts (2015), Disappearance At Devil's Rock (2016) and Cabin At The End Of The World (2018). His thought-provoking and deeply disturbing stories are both engaging character-driven horror thrillers and witty metafictional meditations on horror as a genre. They have been praised by everyone from Stephen King to Nina Allan. Paul Tremblay was at Edge-Lit Festival in Derby, and was kind enough to speak to Gingernuts Of Horror about his writing.
Your latest novel, Cabin At The End Of The World, is out now with Titan Books in the UK. Can you tell us a bit about it?
Sure. The novel opens with two men who are married, Andrew and Eric, and they have an adopted daughter named Wen, she's about seven or eight years old. And they decide to rent a cabin in Northern New Hampshire, purposely remote, cause they're urbanites. They want to unplug from Wi-Fi and cellphones. For this book I needed that set up for a horror story! And while they're there these four strangers sort of show up and demand to be let into the cabin because they say that they need the family's help to help prevent the end of the world. And then it goes from there.
It's a very intense novel. At any point in the book did you feel, is this going too far?
The book is my take on the home invasion genre. It's funny, when I had the idea for the book, it was sort of a challenge, because that is typically my least favourite sub-genre of horror. There are some home invasion stories I like. It's a truly terrifying concept. So that's part of it. But too often I think the Hollywood treatment of the home invasion story is dependant upon almost torture, and I don't think it's done well in that way. So there's certainly violence in my book but I tried to treat the violence with what I would call respect. What I mean by that is, I treat both the victim, whether or not he or she survives, but also the people who witness the violent act, even who perpetrate that violent act, to try to respect that experience, that they're forever changed by it. So with the home invasion story it's sort of unavoidable that there is violence. Without being spoilery, neither of my publishers pushed back on it. So hopefully that means that even though some bad things happen I sort of treated it in an OK way.
It's very claustrophobic, almost entirely set within that cabin.
Yeah. I'm no playwright but with that book, I tried to envision that this could almost be written like a stage play. Which I thought would help make it more intense and horrifying because it is such an enclosed space. It was fun to have the cabin, this really enclosed space, surrounded by this expanse of wilderness. So it's a neat little dichotomy, that even though they're in the middle of all this big stuff, it's all contained in this tight little place.
This book sees you play with home invasion and cabin in the wood tropes, and A Head Full Of Ghosts plays with both possession films and reality TV. What is it that attracts you to approaching these horror tropes in such a distinct way?
I'm a lifelong horror fan, and particularly movies was actually my first love, before I got to reading and writing a little bit later. To me part of the fun of horror, or any genre, is that when I'm writing a horror story I'm joining this decades long conversation. And hopefully when you write a horror story, if its successful enough, not only do you get to be in conversation with a previous work, maybe now the previous work gets looked at slightly differently. To me that's part of the fun and challenge of it. Like, how would I do a home invasion story? That was like a fun challenge. Obviously you want to have like a few twists to it. If you're going to be in the horror genre you might as well use it right? I don't think the tropes should be avoided, I think they should be embraced and maybe, if not reinvented then at least tweaked or looked at in a different way.
Your books also play with ambiguity. Cabin In The Woods could be read as an apocalyptic tale, or it could be a bunch of crazy cultists invading a house. Similarly A Head Full Of Ghosts is all about that bit - "Why is my sister's schizophrenic breakdown not enough for you?"
That line that you quoted, I'm happy to hear. To me I feel like that's, if there was such a thing, the thesis statement for the book. Ambiguity is something I've always been attracted to. I feel like that reflects our existence. Our existence is a lot more ambiguous, when we think about it a lot it starts to make us feel uncomfortable, or at least it does for me. As a horror writer I just think that's an endless territory to explore. And I thought for A Head Full Of Ghosts and Disappearance At Devil's Rock and now Cabin, that it made a nice way for those three books to make this arc, sort of fit together. I can't do the same thing for every novel, the next novel I'm going to try to do something a little bit different, but I thought it was kind of cool to have all three novels be about families in crisis, all three novels have this maybe ambiguous supernatural element.
And as you say, they're all linked by the family experience.
Absolutely. So many of my stories, not all of them, but even some of the short stories, are about either kids or parents being parents for the first time. Sometimes flipping the point of view. Again like ambiguity I think it's like a limitless thing to explore. Being part of a family is one of the few almost universal experiences that we all have. People like to relate to that in a story.
A Head Full Of Ghost plays around with ideas around memory and perception.
Yeah. I lob memory and identity with our sort of ambiguous existence. Because there are so many studies out there, we know our memories aren't perfect, and they change over time. And your identity is so reliant upon your memory, so how malleable is our identity? When you think of that in terms of a horror story, or me it gets the wheels turning.
All three novels are in dialogue with horror, but A Head Full Of Ghosts is particularly in dialogue with The Exorcist and the Catholic guilt and misogyny that crops up in so many of those early possession stories.
That was definitely my initial reaction to the idea of writing a possession story. Cause I grew up in New England, it's a very Catholic area. And I was Catholic up until the age of seven or eight. I still teach actually in a Catholic school, which is weird. So I've been around it my whole life. But that was actually a big part of it because the classical exorcist tale, the Blatty story relies so heavily, not only concept but almost the belief in it. With A Head Full Of Ghosts, my first idea was, no I'm going to write a secular, sceptical exorcist story. And as it morphed it became more about the ambiguity but I still wanted to criticise the historical treatment of women who were obviously just mentally ill but they had to suffer through these exorcism attempts, particularly in the 1800s and early 1900s when it was really bad. And how it's treated in the film where the priests show up and obviously they're the good guys who save the day, whether or not there's like a twist at the end. I wanted to have the priests show up and make things worse.
You describe the house in A Head Full Of Ghosts and the cabin in Cabin At The End Of The World in a lot of detail near the beginning. It's almost like the magician setting up a trick - nothing in this hand...
That's funny, I didn't even realise I did that but you're right. In the first couple of pages of A Head Full Of Ghosts that's right, there's a big description of the house, in Cabin it's like early in the second chapter. Thank you for telling me that! That's sort of the fun part of writing sometimes. The idea of trusting your subconscious. You put stuff in in a certain order and sometimes I can't fully explain why it just feels right. That's the sort of big leap I think you have to take, is to trust your subconscious. You'll figure it out in the end, or even if you don't it's just right cause it sort of works.
At the centre of all of the books is this adult fear that something is happening to your kid and you can't help them.
No absolutely. It definitely reflects my anxieties as a parent, about my children. It's funny, I first got serious about writing right after my first child was born. For a few years before that it was more like just a hobby. In a weird way though I was super busy now cause I was a parent, it really gave me a lot of inspiration to work through this new world of being a parent which to me is still kind of bizarre. The different milestones you go through as a parent, my son is a year away from going to college. It's depressing and blowing me away and it's exciting but how old he's become, and how old I've become!
Both A Head Full Of Ghosts and Cabin At The End Of The World have been optioned for film.
Yeah. It's my first time. I have no official say in the goings on, which is fine, but A Head Full Of Ghosts has been optioned by Focus, there's two producers and it's been like a much longer process. They've had it for three years, but it still sounds like they're excited about making it. and they have actually have hired a director, Oz Perkins, and he directed The Blackcoat's Daughter, and I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In This House - the second film is on Netflix. He's actually the son of Anthony Perkins. So I'm very excited. Nothing official yet but fingers crossed, it sounds like things are starting to move a little bit forward. With Cabin it's very early in the process but I did actually just recently when I went to Washington, went to hang out with two gentlemen who worked on the screenplay. They were very nice and sort of seemed like well thought, deep thinking kind of guys and it was wonderful talking to them. They were asking me lots of questions about Cabin and it sounds like they want to keep me in the loop, which is nice. So I'm super excited, hopefully it happens.
And definitely with Cabin you could almost stage that...
Yeah. I mean nothing is easy to adapt, I don't think, and even with that there's a lot of interior stuff going on but yeah, movie-wise all you need is a cabin. And maybe some of the stuff on the television but you can work your way around that.
As well as writing, you're a juror on the Shirley Jackson Award.
I haven't been a juror for a while. The first few years I was a juror, but I basically just help run behind the scenes. Cause we get new jurors every year or so. So actually I think this is our eleventh year, which is kind of hard to believe. It's a lot of work at times but it's also a really sort of wonderful experience, to find how many people have been inspired and affected by the work of Shirley Jackson, which is really cool. Really different kinds of authors that you wouldn't necessarily expect.
Has that experience on the critical side fed into your writing?
Yeah it all helps. I can be fairly described as a magpie kind of writer, I like to take little bits of ideas from a bunch of different things and try to put them together and make a new thing. So all that goes into the stew of inspiration.
Your first three books aren't in print in the UK yet.
Right yeah. The first two were crime novels that were with Henry Holt, no British publisher. So the Titan books are the only ones in print in the UK.
Any plans to change that in the near future?
I'd love to, believe me, it's not up to me it's more up to a British publisher. I'd love to have the Holt crime novels come out again, I'd love to have the rights back to that too but it's still with Henry Holt. Maybe someday!
Did you feel a big shift changing from writing noir crime to horror?
Well it's funny, when I started writing it was all exclusively horror, and mainly short fiction. When I first tried writing novels, the longer stuff tended to be still dark but more humorous. And I think horror and humour are kind of related, right? Our absurd life, you're either going to react to it with horror or laugh. So it was actually more that I felt like an outsider when I was doing the crime and it felt nice to come home and write these horror novels. And I was really excited for A Head Full Of Ghosts, because it's the first time I'd written a long form horror piece.
You've written a lot of short fiction as well, do you still write them whilst working on the novels?
I do, it's hard to squeeze them in. Actually I find it harder to write short stories now, just for me, after being in novel mode, because they're two different forms. The people who have mastered the short story and it takes a long time and is hard to do, and I found my short fiction has gotten longer now I'm writing novels. I sort of miss the days where I could write a 3,000 word short story. And some of those weren't great cause it was my first stuff that I wrote. But yeah I usually squeeze in one or two a year. Last year I probably had like four just because I had no novel that would stop me. This year i really I have to work out what the next novel is this summer, so this next year of writing is going to be pretty much that novel, whatever it is.
What's next for Paul Tremblay?
So next summer is a short story collection, that will be both with the US publisher and Titan Books, and it's called The Growing Things And Other Stories. As of now I submitted it with 19 stories. We'll see if an editor trims one or not. But two of them are not previously published, just for the collection. One's a novella in the UK, a novelette in the US, based on how you use your word count. So the novella, it's like this fun metafictional thing that has a small connection to A Head Full Of Ghosts, but a much bigger connection to Disappearance At Devil's Rock. And the other original that I wrote, called 'The Thirteenth Tower', will be the last story in the collection. I wouldn't call it the sequel to A Head Full Of Ghosts, but it features Merry, after the book on her life has come out, Merry is at a convention, a big one like San Diego Comicon, and she's confronted by a fan afterwards, that's the frame of the story. And she decides to tell the fan a Marjorie/Merry style story. So that was fun to go back and be with Merry for a few more pages.
So would you ever write a sequel to any of your horror stuff? I know you wrote a sequel to the crime one...
I don't think so, no no. I kind of was forced to write a sequel to the crime one, I really had no design on writing one, they wanted two books and the second one had to feature the same characters. That was really hard for me actually. That was one of the harder things I've written. And I'm very happy with the book, but it was hard for me to find a way into it.
You almost tend to use up your characters...
Yeah that's a good way to put it. Even as a reader I tend not to read a lot of series, maybe I'm a little ADD in that way. I like going from story to story instead of series. Those are more my interest, that's where I tend to go as a reader.
Thank you for talking with us Paul Trembly!
  | The Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts adds an inventive twist to the home invasion horror story in a heart-palpitating novel of psychological suspense Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake, with their closest neighbours more than two miles in either direction. As Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young and friendly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologises and tells Wen, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault”. Three more strangers arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.” So begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are intertwined. The Cabin at the End of the World is a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay. |
Darren J Guest was born in London in 1970 and currently lives and writes in Suffolk. His debut novel Dark Heart is a psychological supernatural chiller set in the fictional town of Mundey, but also a written account of one man's quest to find the answer to the eternal question that haunts all men of a certain age: Who is the best James Bond? His latest novel Through the Eyes of Douglas (read our review) is a moving supernatural suspense that is as heartwarming as it is haunting.
Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
DG: I started out originally as a professional snooker player back in the nineties, and that’s where I saw my future… until my sponsor went bust and I had to get a real job as the tour was just way too expensive for me to go it alone. But living out of a suitcase allowed me to get through a lot of Stephen King novels, and I suppose, whetted my appetite for a new career.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
DG: Reading, obviously, but I’m obsessed about food, cooking and nutrition. Basically do the opposite of what the government guidelines tell you to do, and you’ll be okay.
Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?
DG: I read everything, and borough from everything, but I’m heavily influenced by film too – I think it’s why I love writing dialogue so much.
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?
DG: I must admit I was guilty of this myself in the early days. A friend suggested I read a book called The Tommyknockers by Stephen King, and I said I didn’t read horror. The book completely changed me and my perception of the genre, but it was a tough sell and it took a friend I trusted to make me try it. I don’t think there’s anything “Horror” can do about its image. Readers need to read the educated reviews and realise it’s all just fiction, good and bad.
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?
DG: The mainstream will follow the trends, as it always does – be that publishing or filmmaking, and horror will take the backseat until something breaks out and starts a new trend. Then the mainstream will rebrand it and call it something else, and back-a-the-bus horror goes once again.
What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?
DG: William Goldman’s Magic was a biggy for me, as it was one of the first horror novels I read that wasn’t Stephen King, and I loved Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles, up until she actually lost the plot. And films that play with timelines never fail to please me. Memento, Donnie Darko, Triangle. Love a twist.
What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?
DG: I’m sorry to say that I only seem to read the dead guys these days.
How would you describe your writing style?
DG: Somewhere between Stephen King and Cormac McCarthy, and by that I mean my prose is easy-ish, leaning towards King, but I try to stay out of my characters’ heads as much as possible, like McCarthy, and let action and dialogue reflect their thoughts and feelings, rather than having them tell you. It means the reader has to do a bit of heavy lifting, but I hate being spoon-fed, so I have to assume the reader won’t appreciate it either.
Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?
DG: I had a number of reviews for my first novel that said the plot was complicated, and I took that onboard for my second novel, as best I could. The best compliment I ever received was from Rodney T Smith, the Pulitzer-nominated poet and editor of Shenandoah , a literary publication in Virginia that has published works from Pulitzer and Booker prize-winners. Rodney bought a Sothern Gothic horror short story of mine, and when I sent him my payment details he came back and said there was a tax problem and he would have to send me a cheque. When he’d bought the story, which is set in the 1920s Deep South, he’d thought I was American.
What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?
DG: Sitting down, and just generally getting the first draft finished. Composition is nothing short of hard labour.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
DG: If it served the story, no, but anything can be written tastefully.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
DG: I agonise over names, and try to pick them in such a way as to convey a personality type – a first impression that I can build upon or subvert, but something that the reader can instantly relate to, just not in the way that Dickens does it.
Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?
DG: I think I write quicker these days, because I don’t feel weighed down by the musicality and cadence of sentence structure. My ears seem attuned. That’s down to reading a lot and writing a lot, and listening to better writers telling me when a paragraph chimes like an old piano falling down a flight of stairs.
What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
DG: Empathy and wine.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?
DG: Not necessarily advice but a lesson I learned. Somebody tried to tell me once that my writing was just a hobby because it didn’t earn me a living wage. I learned to keep my mouth shut when non-writers try to give me their opinion on what it is to be a writer.
Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?
DG: In the time-honoured and thoroughly British way: apologetically and embarrassed.
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?
DG: Douglas Duffy, the main character in my latest novel, is a tragic and complicated mess of a man-boy, and it was sometimes tough putting him through the shit he has to go through, but I suspect he’ll always be my favourite because I know him the deepest. The first draft of all of my characters earn my scorn at some point though, because there’s the unavoidable period of not knowing them. If I still don’t know who they are by the end of the second draft, I regrettably have to say goodbye to them.
What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
And are there any that you would like to forget about?
DG: Through the Eyes of Douglas is by far my proudest piece, and not that I would want to forget about Dark Heart, but it’s flawed and unfortunately was published before it was ready. I recently had the rights returned on that book, so I may wipe its arse and put it back out there.
For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why?
DG: Through the Eyes of Douglas is all me. I strive for emotion above all else, and I think I get there with Doug. But I also got lucky with the story idea and was struck midway in the first draft with genuine inspiration, there’s no other way to explain it, it just came out of nowhere. It cost me a hefty rewrite and probably added another year onto the writing of it, but it became this other, beautiful thing, and I hope readers agree.
Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?
DG: ‘Sweet!’ JJ said. ‘We have a basement, Doug – I mean – you have a basement, Doug. Promise me we’re not gonna cram it with shit. Nothing but fine wines and dead bodies.’
Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?
DG: I’ve just completed a time-travelling post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy called The Outcast Gully Morgan, which is the first novel in a planned trilogy and tells the story of Gulliver Morgan, a biologically cloned robot with responsibility issues who is sent back in time to retrieve six others of his kind and return them to the future. The full manuscript is out with a few agents at the moment, so the life of the next two novels in the trilogy is in their hands. Meanwhile I’ve been working on a crime thriller, tentatively titled Hyper.
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?
DG: That ghost stories have to be short to be effective.
What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?
DG: Both the same book, actually: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Reading it was like listening to Jessie J – I could see the brilliance at work, but I just wasn’t moved by it.
What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?
DG: Q. Can I buy you a glass of wine, Darren? A. I’ve had far too much already, but thank you anyway.
Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
DG: I started out originally as a professional snooker player back in the nineties, and that’s where I saw my future… until my sponsor went bust and I had to get a real job as the tour was just way too expensive for me to go it alone. But living out of a suitcase allowed me to get through a lot of Stephen King novels, and I suppose, whetted my appetite for a new career.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
DG: Reading, obviously, but I’m obsessed about food, cooking and nutrition. Basically do the opposite of what the government guidelines tell you to do, and you’ll be okay.
Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?
DG: I read everything, and borough from everything, but I’m heavily influenced by film too – I think it’s why I love writing dialogue so much.
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?
DG: I must admit I was guilty of this myself in the early days. A friend suggested I read a book called The Tommyknockers by Stephen King, and I said I didn’t read horror. The book completely changed me and my perception of the genre, but it was a tough sell and it took a friend I trusted to make me try it. I don’t think there’s anything “Horror” can do about its image. Readers need to read the educated reviews and realise it’s all just fiction, good and bad.
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?
DG: The mainstream will follow the trends, as it always does – be that publishing or filmmaking, and horror will take the backseat until something breaks out and starts a new trend. Then the mainstream will rebrand it and call it something else, and back-a-the-bus horror goes once again.
What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?
DG: William Goldman’s Magic was a biggy for me, as it was one of the first horror novels I read that wasn’t Stephen King, and I loved Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles, up until she actually lost the plot. And films that play with timelines never fail to please me. Memento, Donnie Darko, Triangle. Love a twist.
What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?
DG: I’m sorry to say that I only seem to read the dead guys these days.
How would you describe your writing style?
DG: Somewhere between Stephen King and Cormac McCarthy, and by that I mean my prose is easy-ish, leaning towards King, but I try to stay out of my characters’ heads as much as possible, like McCarthy, and let action and dialogue reflect their thoughts and feelings, rather than having them tell you. It means the reader has to do a bit of heavy lifting, but I hate being spoon-fed, so I have to assume the reader won’t appreciate it either.
Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?
DG: I had a number of reviews for my first novel that said the plot was complicated, and I took that onboard for my second novel, as best I could. The best compliment I ever received was from Rodney T Smith, the Pulitzer-nominated poet and editor of Shenandoah , a literary publication in Virginia that has published works from Pulitzer and Booker prize-winners. Rodney bought a Sothern Gothic horror short story of mine, and when I sent him my payment details he came back and said there was a tax problem and he would have to send me a cheque. When he’d bought the story, which is set in the 1920s Deep South, he’d thought I was American.
What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?
DG: Sitting down, and just generally getting the first draft finished. Composition is nothing short of hard labour.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
DG: If it served the story, no, but anything can be written tastefully.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
DG: I agonise over names, and try to pick them in such a way as to convey a personality type – a first impression that I can build upon or subvert, but something that the reader can instantly relate to, just not in the way that Dickens does it.
Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?
DG: I think I write quicker these days, because I don’t feel weighed down by the musicality and cadence of sentence structure. My ears seem attuned. That’s down to reading a lot and writing a lot, and listening to better writers telling me when a paragraph chimes like an old piano falling down a flight of stairs.
What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
DG: Empathy and wine.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?
DG: Not necessarily advice but a lesson I learned. Somebody tried to tell me once that my writing was just a hobby because it didn’t earn me a living wage. I learned to keep my mouth shut when non-writers try to give me their opinion on what it is to be a writer.
Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?
DG: In the time-honoured and thoroughly British way: apologetically and embarrassed.
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?
DG: Douglas Duffy, the main character in my latest novel, is a tragic and complicated mess of a man-boy, and it was sometimes tough putting him through the shit he has to go through, but I suspect he’ll always be my favourite because I know him the deepest. The first draft of all of my characters earn my scorn at some point though, because there’s the unavoidable period of not knowing them. If I still don’t know who they are by the end of the second draft, I regrettably have to say goodbye to them.
What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
And are there any that you would like to forget about?
DG: Through the Eyes of Douglas is by far my proudest piece, and not that I would want to forget about Dark Heart, but it’s flawed and unfortunately was published before it was ready. I recently had the rights returned on that book, so I may wipe its arse and put it back out there.
For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why?
DG: Through the Eyes of Douglas is all me. I strive for emotion above all else, and I think I get there with Doug. But I also got lucky with the story idea and was struck midway in the first draft with genuine inspiration, there’s no other way to explain it, it just came out of nowhere. It cost me a hefty rewrite and probably added another year onto the writing of it, but it became this other, beautiful thing, and I hope readers agree.
Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?
DG: ‘Sweet!’ JJ said. ‘We have a basement, Doug – I mean – you have a basement, Doug. Promise me we’re not gonna cram it with shit. Nothing but fine wines and dead bodies.’
Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?
DG: I’ve just completed a time-travelling post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy called The Outcast Gully Morgan, which is the first novel in a planned trilogy and tells the story of Gulliver Morgan, a biologically cloned robot with responsibility issues who is sent back in time to retrieve six others of his kind and return them to the future. The full manuscript is out with a few agents at the moment, so the life of the next two novels in the trilogy is in their hands. Meanwhile I’ve been working on a crime thriller, tentatively titled Hyper.
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?
DG: That ghost stories have to be short to be effective.
What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?
DG: Both the same book, actually: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Reading it was like listening to Jessie J – I could see the brilliance at work, but I just wasn’t moved by it.
What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?
DG: Q. Can I buy you a glass of wine, Darren? A. I’ve had far too much already, but thank you anyway.
READ OUR REVIEW OF THROUGH THE EYES OF DOUGLAS HERE
BOOK REVIEW: THROUGH THE EYES OF DOUGLAS BY DARREN J GUEST
BRACKEN MACLEOD WELCOMES US TO ALICE COOPERS NIGHTMARE
FIVE MINUTES WITH BRYCE WARREN
10/7/2018
Bryce Warren was writing stories and drawing pictures at age five. At thirteen he read The Stand by Stephen King and knew he wanted to be a writer. He has a B.A. from Northern Kentucky University in Literature and Writing, an M.F.A. from Western Michigan University in Creative Writing, and an M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching) from Northern Kentucky University in English Grades 8 – 12. He lives in Northern Kentucky and is currently at work on his next book.
Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
I grew up drawing and writing stories. When I couldn’t draw my own invented superheroes well enough to create a comic book, I would write short stories about them. I always liked creating stories in my mind, but I didn’t think about writing seriously until I was thirteen. At that age, I saw the movie The Dead Zone and loved it. It made me seek out my first book by Stephen King. Instead of choosing something shorter, I was compelled to read The Stand which was longest novel at the time. That book made me decide that if Stephen King could write books like that, books that were thoroughly enjoyable and fun to read, then I wanted to do that too. That started my love for reading and writing that continues to this day.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
My favorite thing to do is reading fiction. I don’t always read horror, but when I look for something else to read it usually ends up being something with a dark bent. I like watching horror movies, and of course movies with dark aspects, but I watch drama and other types too. My most favorite activity, besides writing, is going to bookstores! Love spending time browsing and looking for something to grab my attention.
Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?
Early on, when I was in high school, I was interested in spy novels—especially James Bond. I wrote short spy novels in the spring and summer, and then I wrote short horror novels in the fall and winter. In college I discovered Joyce Carol Oates when I read “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” From that point on she has been a favorite author of mine, and I read as much of everything she writes as I can.
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 still like to use the term “horror” because it can occur in any type of story. What I don’t like is that people tend to assume that horror is only about slasher films, and they tend to wrinkle their noses at that. I have started telling people that I write horror AND supernatural suspense or ghost stories. That seems to ease them into what I mean by horror.
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?
The state of the world seems to drive what people write about and what readers want in horror. We’ve seen a lot of zombie apocalypse books because of this. I think the trend will be toward more stories about societal breakdowns and the fear of things being out of control.
What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?
The Stand by Stephen King started my love of writing horror fiction. I went on to read Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Wicked This Way Comes and The October Country. Fahrenheit 451 solidified my love of books and my interest in “transgressive” or “forbidden” books. I made certain to read the books that I was interested in even when they seemed taboo or appeared on censorship lists. I also read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle since Stephen King had mentioned her as a great writer. Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart by Joyce Carol Oates spoke loudly to me because of its coming of age depiction of bullying and forbidden love.
What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?
Ania Ahlborn is one of my newest favorite authors who deserves to become a household name. Everything she writes turns to gold. I especially liked The Devil Crept In. She has a Gothic sensibility and applies it to contemporary settings. Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts took me by surprise and surpassed my expectations. I’m looking forward to reading his latest The Cabin at the End of the World, which is a habitat that could do with the services of house cleaners in Louisville
How would you describe your writing style?
My writing style is very simple and straight forward. Like Joyce Carol Oates, I’m more interested in telling the story than focusing on style. In college, my writing instructors were more in love with style than anything else. However, I decided to stick with what I did best and kept the writing concise and easy to read.
Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?
One of my favorite reviews of my work Waverly Hills Incursion was one that stated: “This was like reading The Amityville Horror or Hell House for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed Waverly Hills Incursion. It is one of the best ghost stories I have ever read. It has this strange and mysterious mix of characters and setting that drive this book. Bryce must be from Louisville. His astute ear can discern the various accents of Louisville, and he clearly has a love for the area that is infectious (except for the part about moving into Waverly Hills). DO NOT MOVE THERE! Read this book instead.”
A negative review that sticks with me is one that mentioned the “creep factor” in Waverly Hills Incursion. It stated that sometimes less is more. I really don’t think that Waverly Hills Incursion went too far with the “creep factor” or that it should have been more subtle. I think the fact that it got under the reader’s skin is actually a good thing.
What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?
Getting started is the worst for me when I’m writing a longer work. Even when I know what I want to write about and know how to start it, actually sitting down to write is difficult. I always try to find something else to do first. I always think I should read more before starting. Or maybe I should draw some more before I get into writing. Once I get down to it, I tend to stick with it until the end.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
I can’t write a romance novel. I tend to have romance in my work, but it goes along with dark subject matter or the supernatural. I could never write a Harlequin Romance under a pseudonym. I can’t think of a subject that I would never touch. I would try to write about anything that obsesses me.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
Sometimes I choose names based on the meaning, but not always. I definitely choose names on liking the way they sound. For example, if a female character is dark and sensual, I would use a name like Serena Banister (The Wretched). The name Serena suggests someone sexy.
Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?
My writing has certainly become better over the years. I always decided that I would give myself ten years to become a better writer and a better storyteller. After those ten years went by, I always gave myself another ten years to improve. Then I quit counting.
What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
First of all, you have to read constantly. Read everything—don’t just stick your favorite genre. But also read well in your chosen genre to know what others before you have done and read current work to see where the genre is going. Learn the rules of English and writing. When I knew I wanted to write, I paid special attention to my English classes and focused on grammar, vocabulary and literature. That’s where writing and storytelling gives you a foundation. Then you can also read the stuff that excites you.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?
The best advice was to read the kind of work that you are trying to write, and to write the book that you wish you could read. Create the book that you would love to find out there and the one you would be most excited about reading.
Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?
It’s very difficult to find readers. I’ve been using social media to find my readers, and I’ve been branching out to places in social media that I hadn’t considered. I’ve hired a marketer to help me find more places and venues so that I can reach the people who would want to read my books. I’m going to do public readings and book signings at local bookstores and libraries to get my work out there. I’m also planning on attending horror conventions like Horror Hound Weekend and Scarefest.
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?
My favorite character is Serena Banister. She’s an aspiring writer and a lover of all things dark. No least favorite yet.
What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of Waverly Hills Incursion. I went to the real Waverly Hills Sanatorium, an abandoned former TB hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s been featured on many ghost hunting shows. Using many details from the history, the stories of various entities, and the actual building gave me everything I needed to support a story I had already written eight years previously that wasn’t quite working yet. It’s also been my most popular book.
And are there any that you would like to forget about?
No.
Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?
“We may feel wretched, but we are not wretched.” This is something Serena Banister tells the main character Paul. It’s about how artists and writers, people who are creators, feel sometimes when they are struggling with their art and their place in the world.
Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?
My most recent book is The Wretched (the Chronicles of Covedale Book 1). It’s about four college students who move into an old Gothic Victorian and decide to create their own entity by thinking it into existence. The setting has a hidden past that is hinted at and that helps to invoke their wishes to come true. However, things don’t turn out the way that they expect them to. They each end up creating their own personal entity which is based on their subconscious desires.
I am currently working on the sequel to The Wretched, which involves a male and female character who work for a super-secret government agency that wants them to investigate the Gothic Victorian house of The Wretched. The agency doesn’t offer much information on the situation or on how to investigate, so they find themselves in an awkward and difficult situation. They begin to unearth some of the secret mysteries of the home’s malevolent past.
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?
Right now, the biggest horror clichés are stories about zombies and vampires. I wouldn’t eliminate them, but these stories should rely on originality because the clichés have been done to death.
What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?
Ania Ahlborn’s The Devil Crept In was awesome! It may not be for everyone, but I loved reading it. She took a cool concept and ran with it. It relies heavily on suspension of disbelief, but if you can handle that it works really well.
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero was disappointing. It had a great hook: the kids are like the characters from Scooby Doo. The story didn’t deliver.
What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?
What excites you the most about horror fiction? My answer is that I love it when I’m reading a story that grabs ahold of me and makes me forget the world. I love it when I can be completed immersed in the story and taken to another world.
Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
I grew up drawing and writing stories. When I couldn’t draw my own invented superheroes well enough to create a comic book, I would write short stories about them. I always liked creating stories in my mind, but I didn’t think about writing seriously until I was thirteen. At that age, I saw the movie The Dead Zone and loved it. It made me seek out my first book by Stephen King. Instead of choosing something shorter, I was compelled to read The Stand which was longest novel at the time. That book made me decide that if Stephen King could write books like that, books that were thoroughly enjoyable and fun to read, then I wanted to do that too. That started my love for reading and writing that continues to this day.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
My favorite thing to do is reading fiction. I don’t always read horror, but when I look for something else to read it usually ends up being something with a dark bent. I like watching horror movies, and of course movies with dark aspects, but I watch drama and other types too. My most favorite activity, besides writing, is going to bookstores! Love spending time browsing and looking for something to grab my attention.
Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?
Early on, when I was in high school, I was interested in spy novels—especially James Bond. I wrote short spy novels in the spring and summer, and then I wrote short horror novels in the fall and winter. In college I discovered Joyce Carol Oates when I read “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” From that point on she has been a favorite author of mine, and I read as much of everything she writes as I can.
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 still like to use the term “horror” because it can occur in any type of story. What I don’t like is that people tend to assume that horror is only about slasher films, and they tend to wrinkle their noses at that. I have started telling people that I write horror AND supernatural suspense or ghost stories. That seems to ease them into what I mean by horror.
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?
The state of the world seems to drive what people write about and what readers want in horror. We’ve seen a lot of zombie apocalypse books because of this. I think the trend will be toward more stories about societal breakdowns and the fear of things being out of control.
What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?
The Stand by Stephen King started my love of writing horror fiction. I went on to read Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Wicked This Way Comes and The October Country. Fahrenheit 451 solidified my love of books and my interest in “transgressive” or “forbidden” books. I made certain to read the books that I was interested in even when they seemed taboo or appeared on censorship lists. I also read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle since Stephen King had mentioned her as a great writer. Because It Is Bitter, and Because It Is My Heart by Joyce Carol Oates spoke loudly to me because of its coming of age depiction of bullying and forbidden love.
What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?
Ania Ahlborn is one of my newest favorite authors who deserves to become a household name. Everything she writes turns to gold. I especially liked The Devil Crept In. She has a Gothic sensibility and applies it to contemporary settings. Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts took me by surprise and surpassed my expectations. I’m looking forward to reading his latest The Cabin at the End of the World, which is a habitat that could do with the services of house cleaners in Louisville
How would you describe your writing style?
My writing style is very simple and straight forward. Like Joyce Carol Oates, I’m more interested in telling the story than focusing on style. In college, my writing instructors were more in love with style than anything else. However, I decided to stick with what I did best and kept the writing concise and easy to read.
Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?
One of my favorite reviews of my work Waverly Hills Incursion was one that stated: “This was like reading The Amityville Horror or Hell House for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed Waverly Hills Incursion. It is one of the best ghost stories I have ever read. It has this strange and mysterious mix of characters and setting that drive this book. Bryce must be from Louisville. His astute ear can discern the various accents of Louisville, and he clearly has a love for the area that is infectious (except for the part about moving into Waverly Hills). DO NOT MOVE THERE! Read this book instead.”
A negative review that sticks with me is one that mentioned the “creep factor” in Waverly Hills Incursion. It stated that sometimes less is more. I really don’t think that Waverly Hills Incursion went too far with the “creep factor” or that it should have been more subtle. I think the fact that it got under the reader’s skin is actually a good thing.
What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?
Getting started is the worst for me when I’m writing a longer work. Even when I know what I want to write about and know how to start it, actually sitting down to write is difficult. I always try to find something else to do first. I always think I should read more before starting. Or maybe I should draw some more before I get into writing. Once I get down to it, I tend to stick with it until the end.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
I can’t write a romance novel. I tend to have romance in my work, but it goes along with dark subject matter or the supernatural. I could never write a Harlequin Romance under a pseudonym. I can’t think of a subject that I would never touch. I would try to write about anything that obsesses me.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
Sometimes I choose names based on the meaning, but not always. I definitely choose names on liking the way they sound. For example, if a female character is dark and sensual, I would use a name like Serena Banister (The Wretched). The name Serena suggests someone sexy.
Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?
My writing has certainly become better over the years. I always decided that I would give myself ten years to become a better writer and a better storyteller. After those ten years went by, I always gave myself another ten years to improve. Then I quit counting.
What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
First of all, you have to read constantly. Read everything—don’t just stick your favorite genre. But also read well in your chosen genre to know what others before you have done and read current work to see where the genre is going. Learn the rules of English and writing. When I knew I wanted to write, I paid special attention to my English classes and focused on grammar, vocabulary and literature. That’s where writing and storytelling gives you a foundation. Then you can also read the stuff that excites you.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?
The best advice was to read the kind of work that you are trying to write, and to write the book that you wish you could read. Create the book that you would love to find out there and the one you would be most excited about reading.
Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?
It’s very difficult to find readers. I’ve been using social media to find my readers, and I’ve been branching out to places in social media that I hadn’t considered. I’ve hired a marketer to help me find more places and venues so that I can reach the people who would want to read my books. I’m going to do public readings and book signings at local bookstores and libraries to get my work out there. I’m also planning on attending horror conventions like Horror Hound Weekend and Scarefest.
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?
My favorite character is Serena Banister. She’s an aspiring writer and a lover of all things dark. No least favorite yet.
What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of Waverly Hills Incursion. I went to the real Waverly Hills Sanatorium, an abandoned former TB hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. It’s been featured on many ghost hunting shows. Using many details from the history, the stories of various entities, and the actual building gave me everything I needed to support a story I had already written eight years previously that wasn’t quite working yet. It’s also been my most popular book.
And are there any that you would like to forget about?
No.
Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?
“We may feel wretched, but we are not wretched.” This is something Serena Banister tells the main character Paul. It’s about how artists and writers, people who are creators, feel sometimes when they are struggling with their art and their place in the world.
Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?
My most recent book is The Wretched (the Chronicles of Covedale Book 1). It’s about four college students who move into an old Gothic Victorian and decide to create their own entity by thinking it into existence. The setting has a hidden past that is hinted at and that helps to invoke their wishes to come true. However, things don’t turn out the way that they expect them to. They each end up creating their own personal entity which is based on their subconscious desires.
I am currently working on the sequel to The Wretched, which involves a male and female character who work for a super-secret government agency that wants them to investigate the Gothic Victorian house of The Wretched. The agency doesn’t offer much information on the situation or on how to investigate, so they find themselves in an awkward and difficult situation. They begin to unearth some of the secret mysteries of the home’s malevolent past.
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?
Right now, the biggest horror clichés are stories about zombies and vampires. I wouldn’t eliminate them, but these stories should rely on originality because the clichés have been done to death.
What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?
Ania Ahlborn’s The Devil Crept In was awesome! It may not be for everyone, but I loved reading it. She took a cool concept and ran with it. It relies heavily on suspension of disbelief, but if you can handle that it works really well.
Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero was disappointing. It had a great hook: the kids are like the characters from Scooby Doo. The story didn’t deliver.
What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?
What excites you the most about horror fiction? My answer is that I love it when I’m reading a story that grabs ahold of me and makes me forget the world. I love it when I can be completed immersed in the story and taken to another world.
FILM REVIEW: MY MONSTER (DIRECTED BY IZZY LEE)
HAWKINS, JONES AND CLARK (NO IT'S NOT A REBOOT OF LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE)
FIVE MINUTES WITH FRANCES FORSTER
2/7/2018
Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?
Hello, I am Frances Forster a young married adult. I have loved horror and halloween ever since I was a child. I won an award back in grade school for the best story written on a field trip I didn't go on. Ever since then I have been into writing.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I love to watch horror movies or play video games, especially horror games.
Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? The love of writing, I can't get enough of letting my imagine run free.
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 really cannot determine that but the way the world is going "horror" will be at a higher state of scary. I believe as the world goes on the world becomes more "scary" than it was years ago.
What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?
Stephen Kings books have helped me as well as his movies.
Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?
I have many good reviews of previous work that will always be cherished. I have had some reviews that help me shape into a better author.
What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?
I find myself sometimes with writers block and trying to stay focused on one story other than trying to go onto something else.
Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?
I am not really into life situations such as writing about personal life and having everybody to read. I also am not really into romance. I have never gotten into chick flick sorta things.
How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?
When writing and planning names the names just pop into my head like they're suppose to be there. For my upcoming books some of the names I got from in-laws.
What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
A computer, binder, paper , pen and planner!
What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?
Never fix errors when writing a book just keep going until you have finished. Then go back and fix the errors.
Getting your worked noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?
Interviews, social media, word of mouth and giveaways.
What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
All of my work is something to cherish. I believe you should cherish all of your "babies".
And are there any that you would like to forget about?
Umm, not yet!
For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why?
Trick Or Treat, which is coming out this Halloween. I believe it shows the true meaning of what I can write and what darkness comes from my imagination.
Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?
"Something is always lurking in the dark."
Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?
My last book is, Hell Hound. It is about a elderly lady name Mary, who loves her precious farmhouse to bits but Mary can't live forever so she casts a spell on her beloved hound dog, Spike. Which makes him lurk the farm with a itching craving of human flesh.
I am currently working on, Trick Or Treat. It's about two brothers who love the spirit of Halloween so they decide to play a prank on a man who lived nearby. Needless to say they regret it. Now 30 years later the towns legend is coming to life and kids are vanishing one by one.
If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?
I would erase, every girl running into the woods as an escape route.
My website- https://sandiesbookstore.wixsite.com/author
Hell Hound- https://www.wattpad.com/568773675-hell-hound
BOOK REVIEW: THE RESERVE BY JORDON GREENE
THE WAR IN THE DARK BY NICK SETCHFIELD
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