 Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel’s short fiction has appeared in a number of publications over the past decade. Spirits, her first novel, is out now from Haverhill House Publishing. She lives in the Northeast with her fiance, the writer Matt Bechtel; her three children; and two lapdogs––a 70-pound German shepherd named Nya and a 10-pound Chihuahua named Kai. www.sherisebastiangabriel.com @SheriSebGabriel https://www.facebook.com/sheri.sebastiangabriel https://www.amazon.com/Sheri-Sebastian-Gabriel/e/B07P15VKMH/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I started making up stories when I was about seven. My teachers frequently admonished me for staring out the window or for scribbling bits of fiction when I should have been listening to their lessons. I suppose I’ve always been a daydreamer. To get the ball rolling and get everyone relaxed, here is a hopefully lighthearted question to break the ice, which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life and have them complain at you about they way you treated them in your work. Tori Garrett, the protagonist (or is that anti-hero?) of Spirits, is not a particularly nice person. She’s very selfish. I’ve had other people tell me she’s a tragic figure, but I kind of enjoyed putting her through the nightmare scenarios she experienced in the book. She needed to learn some hard lessons, but I can’t imagine she would appreciate that. I suspect she’d spend a lot of time painting herself as a victim. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? I grew up reading science fiction and comic books. I don’t think my parents appreciated that very much. I started reading Ray Bradbury when I was in third grade, and my junior high and high school years were defined by writers like Michael Bishop, Andre Norton, and Harlan Ellison. Writers like Bishop and Ellison, who frequently wove in and out of the horror lane, inspired me to pick up works from writers like Charles L. Grant, Jack Ketchum, Rick Hautala, and John Skipp. I read a lot of Stephen King in my teens. 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 the heaviness associated with the term “horror fiction” probably comes from people who don’t read horror. I think the assumption is that horror fans are weird or disturbed or get off on seeing people mutilated, and I don’t think that’s a fair assumption. But I don’t think euphemisms are helpful. I would never categorize Spirits as a “psychological thriller” or a “suspense” novel. It’s horror. And I’m proud of that. I think the best way to break past the assumptions is to proudly embrace horror as a genre that has merit and nuance. I think most people who enjoy horror or write horror like being scared in a safe environment. The world is a pretty scary place, but we have little control over real-world horror. Horror fiction allows you to experience thrills and fear with no real threat. You put down the book or turn off the movie, and your life hasn’t changed all that much. 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 subversive horror is important in the current socio/political climate. I really enjoyed “Loaded” from Joe Hill’s collection Strange Weather. It was harrowing and important. But I’ve seen a lot of weird one-star reviews of that collection, and it really makes you wonder. Most of the complaints are that the stories within are “too political.” Art has always been political. It will never cease being political. Writers and artists are humans with opinions. I suspect dystopian themes will emerge as well. I’ve been most privileged to read the stories in the forthcoming anthology Dystopian States of America because I’m sleeping with the editor. No, really. My fiancé, Matt Bechtel, has put together an amazing collection featuring dystopian stories from writers like Jonathan Maberry, Bracken MacLeod, Elizabeth Massie, Chet Williamson, and Linda Addison; and oh, by the way, I have a story in there, too. Humble brag. Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? Again, I think it’s a safe way to feel terror and fear. I think it’s important to experience fear in a safe way. What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre? I think diverse voices are finally emerging in the genre, and that’s so important. Straight, white men have long dominated the horror genre, and we’ve heard their stories. Women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people have something to say as well, and having those diverse experiences makes for really compelling stories. In the past authors were able to write about almost anything with a far lesser degree of the fear of backlash, but this has all changed in recent years. These days authors must be more aware of representation and the depiction of things such as race and gender in their works, how aware are you of these things and what steps have you taken to ensure that your writing can’t be viewed as being offensive to a minority group? I don’t necessarily think it’s a matter of being afraid of offending anyone. I think the real issue here is being sensitive to other people. Sensitivity readers are essential. Jeanine Cummins, author of American Dirt, is being taken to task because her book doesn’t ring true to the very people she’s writing about. Does horror fiction perpetuate it’s own ghettoization? For example Julia Armfield’s latest collection Salt Slow has a cover that most horror fans would walk past in a book shop, and is one that probably is not marketed as horror, does the genre’s obsession with horrific covers cause harm than good? I mean, I think if anything, horror’s covers are indicative of the genre’s in-your-face earnestness. People who do not like horror are probably not going to be swayed just because they picked up a rather mundane-looking book if the elements within don’t appeal to them. As a young person buying horror fiction, those creepy, over-the-top covers were a big selling point for me. Today, social media buzz has certainly changed things, and I would definitely grab a book that has been well-reviewed and widely recommended, even if the cover concealed its genre. What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice of? I’m already a huge fan of Gabino Iglesias. Go buy Coyote Songs. It will make you uncomfortable, and that’s a high compliment. Look for work by Cat Scully. Her YA novel Jennifer Strange is also part graphic novel. Kyle Rader has been on my radar for a while. If you like funny horror, you should check him out. I’m also a huge fan of Michelle Renee Lane. Invisible Chains is an important book. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? The Shining, both the book and the movie, were hugely influential, but they’re so different. I would never call the movie a King adaptation, but I enjoyed it as a Kubrick film. The works of Charles L. Grant also really inspired me. I’ve always had a preference for quiet horror, and I think Grant’s work is the best example of that subgenre. Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? Cemetery Dance compared Spirits to The Shining, which was insane in the most amazing way. I mean, imagine getting that kind of comparison. But I recently received a review that compared it to another King work––Thinner. It never occurred to me while I was writing it, but I can definitely see that. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? The business aspect of writing is the toughest for me. I’m an introvert, like a lot of writers. The creative aspect is fun. Even editing is enjoyable. Self-promotion is really difficult. I’m getting better at it, but I can’t help but feel like a snake-oil salesman. I’ve learned to use readings as performance opportunities. I find it easier to perform than to just read. I love pulling people in. I think there’s real power in that. I drew this place. Won’t you come into this world with me? Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? Writing explicitly about child abuse would be difficult. It’s inferred in one of my works, but I don’t have it in me to draw those scenes out. I’m not writing for people who would enjoy reading about such 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? Names are crucial. Tori from Spirits is named after one of my closest friends. When I told her my protagonist was a trainwreck of an alcoholic, she laughed her ass off. But I named the character Tori because she is such a strong woman, and I admire my friend so much for her strength and courage. Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? I’ve learned to use all five senses. I try to put myself in my character’s skin so I can more authentically write what they experience. I want to drag my readers (sometimes screaming and kicking) through those characters’ lives. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? Keep going. Writing is a tough, sometimes soul-crushing business. But if you keep writing and keep improving your craft, you’ll be successful. To many writers, the characters they write become like children, who is your favorite child, and who is your least favorite to write for and why? Do parents really have favorite children? I think of it this way. My characters are all flawed, just like my kids are flawed. I love them anyway. There’s not a single character in Spirits who isn’t flawed at the least or fundamentally fucked up at the worst. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? Spirits is my first novel, even though I’ve had a lot of short fiction published. I think it’s pretty indicative of my style. It is quiet horror populated by flawed humans. I like to play with reality and perception. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? The last line is my favorite, but it gives a lot away! My advice would be to buy Spirits, read the entire thing, and get to the end. Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Spirits follows Tori Garrett, a woman who is struggling. She accidentally hit and killed a teenage girl with her car, and she copes by drinking. The girl’s mother is distraught and filled with rage that Tori didn’t receive stronger repercussions for killing her child. She exacts a very peculiar sort of revenge on Tori. Tori’s addiction grows worse, and before long, the lines of reality and the supernatural are blurred. I’m working on a few things right now, but I can’t say much about them. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? Helpless women. Fewer helpless women in heels running through the forest at night and more Laurie Strodes saving the day. Here’s to Girl Scouts. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Lightning Wears a Red Cape from Errick Nunnally was superb. I prefer not to make negative comments about books. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer? I wish someone would ask me about my sheds. (RIP Terry Jones.)  Tori is a haunted woman. She accidentally hit and killed a teenaged girl with her car, and her guilt has driven her to the bottle, costing her her job.Tori isn’t the only one who’s haunted. Carla Perez wants Tori to pay for killing her daughter. She stalks Tori relentlessly, eventually cornering and threatening her in a bar.Horrified by this encounter, Tori decides it’s time to get out of town. She seeks solace in the one place she found happiness as a child––Cape May, N.J. It’s the off-season, but she believes she can dry out and reassemble the tattered remains of her life.Kind-hearted Amelia Warren, owner of the Seaside House Bed & Breakfast, is happy to take Tori on as the only winter guest at her establishment. Lonely and broke after her husband’s death, she believes she can find friendship with her boarder. Instead, she is trapped with a woman whose sense of reality is rapidly unraveling, degraded by an unyielding thirst for alcohol.Chris Silver is a superhero in his own mind. Tortured by his past, he keeps trying to save the damned and endangered in a bid for redemption. He’s desperate to save Tori from herself, but can he do so without putting himself in danger?As Tori descends into alcoholism and madness, the people she relies on the most find themselves on a collision course with the bottle. Will her spirits, both real and imagined, lead Tori to drink herself to death? Can she defeat her demons before she destroys herself and everyone around her?“Sheri Sebastian-Gabriel’s chillingly intimate SPIRITS is a deft, haunting tale that reminded me in all the right ways of earlier horror masters like Rick Hautala and Charles L. Grant. It’s a pleasure to turn the pages, and I can’t think of a higher compliment for a debut novel.”—Christopher Golden, New York Times bestsellingAuthor of ARARAT and THE PANDORA ROOM"Sebastian-Gabriel has created a deep, dark blend of real-life horror and chilling supernatural terror that you won't soon forget." -- Elizabeth Massie, Bram Stoker-winning author of SINEATER, HELL GATE, and the Ameri-Scares series.   Comments are closed.
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