 Gray Williams is the author of supernatural thrillers The End of the Line and Strange Ways. Born in Glasgow and raised in Southampton, he studied Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and has had short stories published in Abyss and Apex, Electric Spec and the Something Wicked 2013 anthology. He devours both crime thrillers and fantasy, so naturally wanted to combine the two in his writing. He now lives in East London with his wife (who fell in love with him after reading an early draft of one of his short ghost stories), where he writes, works (very different) and always gets his haircut three weeks later than he should. WEBSITE LINKS https://twitter.com/gray_books https://graywilliamsbooks.com/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gray-Williams/e/B07V7FYWK7/ There are whole panoplies of folktales, myths and legends we know little about or are misinformed on, having re-interpreted them through Western viewpoints. I’d love to start seeing more stories with other ways of looking at the world from people who have grown up immersed in those cultures or experiences. Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? Hi, I’m Gray Williams and I’m the author of two supernatural thrillers, The End of the Line and its sequel Strange Ways. Both are set in the real world with one crucial difference, magic is real, widespread and illegal in the UK. My books follow heist-artist, Amanda Coleman, as she deals with terrible demons, magic-wielding criminals, warded cops and hex-dealing politicians. I live and work in East London and I’m a big fan of horror, fantasy and SF in all its forms. And I’m happy to be here! Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real? That’s an easy one. Reeves, the demon in my first novel, The End of the Line. Even in chains he’s horrifying. When I set out writing him I had one central concept ‘what if Hannibal Lector had psychic powers that he could use from within his glass cell?’ Safe to say the answer was terrifying. I loved writing him, with his mocking, uncaring malevolence and I relished coming up with gruesome outcomes for those who crossed his path but in real life I’d hate to think of how quickly he’d go through a lot of people. Unsurprisingly, mind control related deaths aren’t actually at the top of my bucket list. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? I’m a huge fan of crime fiction. I’ve been reading mysteries, procedurals, thrillers and whodunnits for as long as I can remember. There’s so much fun in the ‘detective with a case to solve’ model of story telling. The world starts with something wrong and our hero seeks to follow the clues to bring criminals to justice and order to chaos. It’s a great and satisfying frame work for a plot and detectives get to travel through all walks of life from penthouses to slums. Though, of course, when I started writing my books, I wanted to focus on the other side of the divide. Literature already has its Harry Dresdens, Peter Grants and Felix Castors, I wanted to write about the people who give those characters headaches. I wanted to write about the criminals who cause the chaos. 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 is like every other genre, there are great examples, there are terrible examples and there are different flavours for a variety of moods. There are horrors we go to for a proper scare, some we go to because they make us think and others because we want to sit back and have a laugh at the dodgy acting and the visible strings. Horror, for me, is all of those things and they all have their place. But the great ones, the ones that stick with me, are the ones that externalize a human struggle. Whether its grief, racism, greed, whatever, when they’re done right, the writing is top-notch, the acting, the atmosphere, wow. But that said, during virus lockdown here in London, my wife and I have taken to having a drink of a Saturday night where we sit back and watch some of the most recent Nicholas Cage films (his ongoing post-2017 ‘I need the money, I’ll do anything’ period). They might not be perfect but isn’t that the point? They make us smile! There are those who dismiss horror, who dismiss it all as crass, and when they think of it, they only see Nick Cage and splatter gore. How do we break past their assumptions? I say to hell with those people. We don’t need to please them. Even when a work comes out that does impress those people, they turn it around and say ‘well if I like it, it must not be horror’. They just appropriate it into another genre they do like. Who has time for that kind of snobbery? Horror is about reflecting the world back on itself and about having a good time and it doesn’t necessarily have to do both simultaneously. Every horror writer out there should just do their best and make the art they want to see in the world. Let the haters hate. Why do we want their approval anyway? 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? There are a few facets of today’s societies that I think we’ll be seeing more of (and I’ll be fully welcoming). We’re having more horror that looks at racism, Get Out was great, Lovecraft Country is on the way to HBO and the trailer looks incredible, and I think that’s a good thing. Though not all writers of colour should feel the need to write about racism, those who do are a valuable voice and their perspectives should be welcomed. There’s the poverty gap and privilege. I think we’ll be seeing more interest in the wealthy and the way they look to the rest of us as disposable. That dehumanizing we’re seeing from them is already terrifying to witness on the news (‘human capital stock’, anyone?). We love to see rich people be naughty, now, with their forcing people to go out and work during a pandemic to protect their bottom line, I think people will want to explore this mentality of sacrificing the many for the sake of the few. Also, cults. We’ve seen a lot of groups in the news and on social media who ignore rigorous scientific evidence and who whole-heartedly throw themselves into conspiracies about 5G, vaccinations, the flat earth and Deep State. I think we’ll be seeing more of that in horror. Protagonists facing villains or groups who cannot change, or refuse to, despite our efforts, and evidence, continue down destructive paths, blinkered to the consequences. Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? Because stories, if they are anything, are playgrounds. They allow us to explore hypotheticals without any real danger. Lots of people are picking up Stephen King’s The Stand again because they want to inhabit the idea of what the world might look like if a virus outbreak hit biblical proportions and consider how they themselves might react. Isn’t that why The Walking Dead was so successful? Haven’t we all had that conversation about what we would do, where would we go, if zombies happened? What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre? As I said earlier, we need more writers from different backgrounds, whether that’s in regards to race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity or anything else. There are whole facets of the human experience that have only been written about at several steps removal. There are whole panoplies of folktales, myths and legends we know little about or are misinformed on, having re-interpreted them through Western viewpoints. I’d love to start seeing more stories with other ways of looking at the world from people who have grown up immersed in those cultures or experiences. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off? I’ve just enjoyed Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I’d loved her previous book, Gods of Jade and Shadow. Mexican Gothic is set in 1950s Mexico where a young woman must visit a secluded mansion to investigate the poisoning of her best friend. The prose was immaculate and the settings and themes were great. It was a book that I could really sink into and a great addition to gothic fiction. I also recently discovered P. Djèlí Clark and his story A Dead Djinn in Cairo and I’m super intrigued. Steampunk, supernatural, Egyptian noir? Sign. Me. Up. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? I try to avoid reading reviews. The crushing disappointment I feel at a bad review is always far worse than the elation of a good one. So I try to stay away from it altogether. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? That’s a tough one. The elements I take the longest over are human responses, I think. When I’m dropping a character into a situation, revealing some devastating new piece of information to them, I always have to give their reaction serious thought. I try to think about their background, their upbringing, how they see the world and how their experiences have shaped them. Then I try to apply that looong thread to the present moment. Would they be angry? Tearful? Shocked? Suspicious? And how would they deal with those emotions? Would they hide them? Deflect? Let them show? Humans are complex creatures and getting that reflected on the page is a delicate operation, but when you get it right, it pays dividends with the reader. Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Sexual violence. Just no. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? There were years when I was writing and only I and a few close friends were reading my work. That was when I developed my voice, my style and decided what subjects and themes I wanted to write about. Then I met my agent, who is a narrative genius, and she helped hone my stories to make my tales into novels. She helped teach me how to better bring out my ideas and make them better understood, more compelling and more entertaining for readers. Now I’m a published author and I’m starting to see for myself how readers react to stories in a new light. They’re a harder bunch to please then you think! So I’m still learning and developing. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? Just try your best to describe the picture you see in your head. Do that well and you’re almost there. Which of your characters is your favourite? I like writing my main character, Amanda. She gets to say things and react in ways that I don’t have the nerve to do in real life. Plus, planning a job or a con for her to get involved with is fun. Which of your books best represents you? I’ve no idea! I’d probably say my latest, Strange Ways. In some small ways it has its feet set more firmly in what’s going on in the world today and holds a bit more of my feelings toward them. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Strange Ways follows on after The End of the Line. I decided that if I was writing about criminals in a world filled with magic, it was only fair to explore the idea of sending them to wizard prison. This book starts with Amanda in regular prison having been caught during a botched bank job. She’s quickly blackmailed by someone on the outside who has evidence about her involvement in the events of the previous book. To assuage them, Amanda must get herself sent to Coldwater, the notorious island prison for magic-users, in order to assassinate one of the inmates. It’s a proper thriller and there’s a lot of weird magic and action from start to finish. I’m playing with a few ideas for my next project, but I imagine it’ll be a while before you see the results! Let’s just say I’m writing a scene with a very interesting monster rampage at the moment. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? Characters splitting up or wandering off alone. I’ve played so many RPGs with friends and I’ve never had a party split up when things get scary. There’s strength in numbers, people! You got some other pressing engagement you need to be at? If something bad happened to me, if I needed to visit a haunted house or something, I’m bringing my closest twenty or thirty friends. Who, especially when they’re scared, would let themselves be alone? What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? I’ve already talked briefly about Mexican Gothic. I also really enjoyed The Fisherman by John Logan. It was a very American tall-tale, and the novel said and did so much in so few pages. Gorgeously weird, it tapped into some great elements of horror. It’s about two fishermen who go to a secluded creek that, rumour has it, puts people in touch with the dead. Weird things happen. It was great. Loved it. I’m afraid I don’t talk about the books I don’t like. I certainly wouldn’t like it if someone did it to me, so I don’t do it to other people. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? Can I buy your book in both ebook and audio? The answer, friends, is yes.  No magician has ever escaped Coldwater Prison.But that is exactly where Amanda Coleman, heist artist and Abra-killer, must go. Somewhere in London, a mysterious blackmailer has enough evidence to put Amanda’s head in a noose and ensure her only remaining daughter, Michaela, is right alongside her when it happens. To save Michaela, Amanda must assassinate one of Coldwater’s most infamous residents. But the only way in is as an inmate. But a notorious Abra-killer like Amanda can expect a few old enemies in a prison full of mages, and they have their own plans… A fast-paced thriller filled with magic and suspense, perfect for fans of Lauren Beukes and James Oswald. Praise for Strange Ways‘Strange Ways is a thrilling ride into a world full of dangerous magic that feels all too real. Williams is truly a master of story-telling’s darkest arts’ Mike Shackle, author of We Are the Dead ‘Different and cunning, fast-paced and thrilling, a hugely entertaining story from start to finish’ Edward Cox, author of the Relic Guild trilogy   the heart and soul of horror promotionComments are closed.
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