 Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? I am a nurse, a wildlife rehabber, and an award-winning author of over thirty published novels. When I’m not at my computer, I’m taking care of orphaned and injured wildlife in Southeast Louisiana. 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. I would choose Alarik, the head of the blackcoats pack in Sister of the Moon. He is sinister and shadowy, and his evil oozes from the pages. I’d hate to run into him in a dark alley. I’m sure he will have a few heated recommendations on how to write his character in future installments. Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing? Thriller and suspense genres. I love these storylines because of the multi-faceted layers and the psychological complexity of the characters. It’s also fun to keep guessing how the story will end. 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? We can move away from horror’s “heavy” mantle with more comedy and lighthearted characters woven into storylines. Family themes, as opposed to individuals fighting a killer, could also help broaden those horizons. Pushing the limits redefines any tradition. The more we explore new ways to create horror, the greater our chance of redefining what constitutes the genre. 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’m sure readers will want to read more spins on plague and disaster stories since they feel more connected to these events. Perhaps everything we have learned from living in the time of Corona will change how we approach such works. We could see an evolution of the zombie sub-genre from mindless creatures to people made outcasts by a plague, which has turned them into carriers feared by the uninfected. More horrific plagues based on diseases that can or do exist. As a nurse, I have seen quite a lot of these. Or monsters created by vaccines meant to save humanity. In addition, I see horror novels taking on more subject matter like Get Out and A Quiet Place. Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it? Horror offers readers a way to explore the rush of confronting what scares them without suffering through the trauma. You are never truly alive until you are absolutely terrified. And who doesn’t love to curl up with a scary book at night, especially around Halloween. What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre? My only complaint is the lack of tangible and compelling characters. I find this more so in movies than books, but I still feel so many authors are mired in getting the graphic details right, they forget the most terrifying aspect of any story—making their characters disturbingly real. If you could meet this person on the street, if they become real to you as a reader, that is more frightening than all the blood and gore. What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author? All the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Ghost Story by Peter Straub, The Shining and Pet Cemetery by Stephen King, and of course, The Witching Hour by Anne Rice. Films such as The Exorcist, Halloween, The Lost Boys, Psycho, The Mist, The Birds, Return of the Living Dead, Rosemary’s Baby, The Others, The Thing (1982), Fright Night (1985), and anything with Vincent Price! Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? The bad ones stay with me more than the good, and I use those constructive comments to better my writing. I believe authors listen to what readers tell them. Criticism is how we grow, but the brutal reviews do give you pause. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Editing. Putting the story together and fleshing out the characters is the challenge, but editing can sometimes make you question your work as well as sanity. How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? I struggle with names. Sometimes I lift names from things I see around my office or from the spines of other books. I once gave a character the last name of Propel after my water bottle. I usually worry more about the names after I have the characters down and become familiar with them. My agent tortures me over character names. lol Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years? I believe we are always evolving, and I have learned so much about the craft and my voice. How I put stories together has changed dramatically. I feel I have become more succinct and learned how to say the most by using the fewest words possible. But that could change over time and is dependent on the genre of book. What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing? Never stop writing. The more you write, the better you will get. For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your books do you think best represents your work and why? The St. Benedict Series co-authored with Lucas Astor, which includes Death by the River and the upcoming A River of Secrets, are some of my favorites because of the suspense, character development, and horror aspects. Also, the upcoming YA horror/thriller Have You Seen Me?. The characters and plot are some of my best work, and it was also so much fun to write. Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us? “A witch is what men call a woman they cannot control.” ~Sisters of the Moon “The thick, heavy convent door shut, sending a thud reverberating throughout the columned hall. Durra shuddered. She’d heard that sound many times during her years of slavery. It signaled the end of her freedom.” ~Sisters of the Moon Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? Sisters of the Moon is a new take on the werewolf genre inspired by a lesser known mythology with a religion and female-centered theme. I expand the lore, create a hierarchy that will be explored in upcoming books, and build a world where these dark creatures live. Set in medieval Bavaria, historical figures are woven into the tale and add a unique twist. This holiday season, I have a romance with a supernatural twist called The Christmas Spirit. I can never get too far away from my horror roots and blending the otherworldly with a light-hearted Christmas tale was a thrilling challenge. If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice? The damsel in distress. Please, let’s start writing more kick-ass women who save the men for a change.  Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, PhD, is a multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, advanced practice registered nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers Association, Weis writes supernatural, horror, mystery, and thrillers. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals. WEBSITE LINKS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralexandreaweis/ Webpage: http://www.alexandreaweis.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexandreaweis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandreaweis/ Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alexandrea-Weis/e/B0028OJO6C/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_3?qid=1433989356&sr=1-3 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1211671.Alexandrea_Weis  On an island in Lake Obersee, where The Sisters of St. Gertrude abide, a destitute Moor named Durra arrives. Sold for taxes, she and her two companions tend to the nuns and their collection of cats. At night, she combs the library for details on the order, the remote island, and the beasts howling outside her window. But when a prank reveals the sisters’ gruesome secret, Durra is forced to accept a new fate. Bestowed an unearthly power, she must choose between life as a nun or living among the monsters beyond the convent walls. Her path is about to change the tide in the ultimate war. The war between good and evil.   Comments are closed.
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