Interview with Author Tiffany Morris
Interview with Tiffany Morris
1. First, congrats on the upcoming publication of your Stoker eligible novella Green Fuse Burning! For readers just discovering this book, can you tell us a little about it?
Wela’lin- thank you, Nico! Green Fuse Burning is a swampcore ecohorror novella about a queer Mi’kmaw artist who goes on a retreat at a remote pond and confronts natural and supernatural threats. The story is structured around the paintings she’s done while on the retreat and we get to see how weird and gory the art gets as her time there progresses.
2. What sparked the premise for this novella?
Our mass culture is very death-denying, and I really wanted to write something that interrogates what that means and how it shows up in the world. I was also developing this idea around grief and swamps. I think that swampcore – while not a full-fledged aesthetic movement just yet – could be a rich field for examining the forces of life and death. Wetlands, including swamps, ponds, et al. are disregarded, but vital – they’re where still waters drain toxins and sustain ancient, primordial ecology. Uncovering and embracing those mysteries is a fascinating antidote to capitalism’s false ideas of eternity – I’m thinking Ice Age bogs versus the half-life of plastics in a landfill.
3. Where there any scenes that were more emotionally taxing to write than others?
Oh gosh, so many – while Rita is not me, we share some of the same trauma experiences, so every flashback scene was difficult. Making up a person where you are both the architect of their misery and someone who empathizes with it in the very process of inflicting it is a wild emotional experience.
4. You also have a horror poetry collection out entitled Elegies of Rotting Stars. Do the writing techniques applied to poetry cross over to your prose, and if so, how? For example, do you find it easier to write descriptive lyrical prose?
Definitely – my writing across genres and mediums tends to be image-heavy and metaphorical, with less emphasis on plot than theme and atmosphere. Writing fiction can be hard for me in this way; I want to be true to my style but leave some room for my reader to breathe. I don’t feel compelled to do that in poetry, as the space is shorter and the expectations for storytelling are different. Mi’kmaw language reclamation is present in both, as well – the process of reclaiming the language and feeling my way through the different ideas that it can express is so important to me.
5. Do you have a favorite short story that has been published?
I’m partial to this flash story that was published in Dose of Dread! The Corpse of Hours – Dread Stone Press. Some new stories and other favorites that are not online will be in my collection coming out from Nictitating Books in 2024!
6. Where can readers find you online?
I’m sticking it out on twitter for the moment - @tiffmorris. Same name on bluesky! Cryptidsarecute on Instagram. Also my website: tiffmorris.com. Wela’lin!
Interview with Horror Author Chris DiLeo
Interview with Chris DiLeo
1. First, congratulations on your Stoker eligible book The Hands of Onan! For those just discovering this story, can you share with us what it is about?
The Hands of Onan is about a writer tasked with rescuing his friend from an all-male masturbation cult. To do this, he must confront his own addiction to onanistic pleasures.
Author Chris DiLeo
2. What was the inspiration behind this story?
Few things terrify me more than religious fanaticism. I’d explored the dangers of cults previously in the book Children of Fire, which is about an ex-detective who must save a child from fire-wielding zealots. Almost as a parody, I thought up the most outlandish and ridiculous cult I could imagine: masturbation worshippers. Much to my delight and horror, I found actual biblical passages to support my imaginary cult. Check out The Book of Genesis (if you dare!).
3. Was there any scene in this book that was challenging to write?
There were many times while writing the climatic (pun intended) sequence at the end when Mike confronts the supernatural power behind this cult when I wondered if it was too gross and repulsive and then I dared to be even more disgusting.
4. What would you say is your writing “brand?” What type of horror do you write?
I write stories that are visceral, emotional, engaging, and even thought-provoking.
5. Where can readers find you online?
I’m everywhere as @authordileo
Interview with Author Stephanie Feldman
Stephanie Feldman Interview
1. Thank you so much for joining me! For those who don’t know you, could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your work?
I’m a Philly-based fiction writer. My first novel, The Angel of Losses, draws on Jewish folklore and history to tell a story about two sisters struggling with their haunted past. My second novel, Saturnalia, veers closer to horror, with alchemy, monsters, and secret societies, and a young woman trying to reclaim the future that was stolen from her.
Author Stephanie Feldman
2. Congratulations on your upcoming release Saturnalia! Could you please tell us a bit about the story and what the inspiration for this book was?
My first inspirations are always stories. When I sat down to write Saturnalia, I was thinking about the conspiracies in Foulcault’s Pendulum and the doomed partygoers in The Masque of the Red Death. I also wanted to write a story that takes place over one night and use Philadelphia (my hometown) as a setting.
The other big inspiration—or perhaps driving motivation—was the uncertainty of the past five or six years. Society began to feel unstable in a way that was new to me. What happens when we can’t trust our institutions and networks, when we’re afraid of what tomorrow might bring? Will we work together or fend for ourselves? Will we strive for survival or will we give into hedonism? These are the questions driving my characters.
3. If Saturnalia were ever made into a movie, who would you like to cast as the protagonist?
All actresses interested in playing my main character, Nina, are welcome to contact me! Nina is a particular person, of course—a mid-20s woman from a humble background, someone who has long struggled with her fear of being left in the background. But I like to think her struggles are also universal—ambition vs. self-doubt, pride vs. shame, love vs. fear. It would be exciting to see an unexpected interpretation of her.
4. Are you a “pantser” or a “plotter” in terms of organizing and writing your stories?
I can’t finish a draft without a plan. For me, an outline is both a critical thinking and generative tool: it helps me consider the heart of my story and brainstorm meaningful and exciting moments for my character. Of course, I always stray when I write, following new idea. Then I create a new outline before tackling the next draft.
5. In addition to writing, you are also an editor. What is one editing tip that you can pass along to writers that you feel is invaluable to writing success?
Editing your own work is tough. I always get feedback from trusted readers—and I listen to it. Sure, sometimes a critique is off the mark, but if a reader is stuck on something, it’s worth sitting with and considering.
I always read my own work out loud. That’s not a new tip, but it’s worth repeating, because it’s such a miserable task that we often dismiss it. It’s tedious and sometimes emotionally challenging, but if you’re able, it’s well worth the effort. I hear so many things that my eye misses, from repetition and rhythm to plot elements.
6. There’s a lot of debate in the indie writing world about the value and/or necessity of earning an MFA in Writing. What would you say is one advantage to having an MFA? Are there any disadvantages you’d like to discuss?
I may have an unusual perspective. I don’t have an MFA but I do teach in an MFA program. I see so many benefits for my students: consistent writing and feedback, developing a critical perspective, building relationships within and exposure to the industry. Many students value the program because it forces a sustained practice—submission deadlines, assigned readings—and demands a finished manuscript.
On the other hand, not all writers are born to thrive in an MFA environment, and there are plenty of opportunities to take classes and meet writers outside the academy. I’ve taught amazing students through the independent writing program Catapult and built friendships at conferences.
The other major consideration is cost. Publishing income is fickle and teaching positions are scarce. The return on investment here is personal, not financial (at least, not immediately or dependably). For some writers, it’s absolutely worth it, but for others, it won’t be. And there are MFA programs that offer funding, or tuition-free enrollment.
7. Where can people find you online?
I hang out on Twitter at @sbfeldman and Instagram at @stephanie.feldman. You can also check out my website and mailing list for news on Saturnalia, upcoming events and classes, and coaching and editorial services.
Micro-Interviews for Shiver Horror Authors Stephanie Rabig
Interview with Stephanie Rabig
1. What was the inspiration for your story? (No spoilers!)
A nightmare. Yaaaaay, 2020 dreams!
2. Have you ever had a chilling experience in the cold?
Honestly, a monster could've snuck up on me at any point and when it's cold out, I wouldn't know. As soon as the temperature dips below forty I turn into a pillbug whenever I have to be outside.
3. Would you rather spend Christmas in Antarctica with RJ MacReady (The Thing) or spend the winter with Jack Torrance at the Overlook Hotel (The Shinning) and why?
MacReady, no question. I would die horribly either way, but at least in The Thing I'd have a chance to steal MacReady's glorious hat, and wouldn't that make it worth it?
4. Where can people find you online?
I'm on Twitter and my website is stephanierabig.weebly.com. ((I'm also on Pinterest, Instagram, and Tiktok, but those two are the constant))
Interview with Red Lagoe
1. What was the inspiration for your story? (No spoilers!)
Sometimes I know exactly where I get my ideas from, and sometimes, when I’m writing for a submission call like this, I just let my brain wander through different scenarios until I find a problem and the right character to face it. So there was no specific inspiration for this particular story, other than a trek through my own head.
2. Have you ever had a chilling experience in the cold?
I grew up in upstate NY, where lake-effect snow and bone-chilling winters are the norm. While I don’t have any spooky, cold weather occurrences that I can recall, I have about a dozen scary winter-driving stories. One time, I had to sleep in my car, overnight during a blizzard. Honestly, we could have died if we didn’t have blankets and provisions, but my boyfriend (now-husband) and I bundled up, turned on the engine from time to time, and kept warm until morning when we could shovel the car out.
3. The Abominable Snowman is hunting you. How do you defeat it?
I almost went into the deepest depths of internet research on Yeti folklore to find weaknesses, but instead, I’ll just wing it... I think fire would likely play a role for a quick blazing end. But if I need to get craftier, I’d figure out what it eats, and start feeding him that (hopefully not people. Look out, trekking team). Over time, I’d tame the beast and we would hunt the snowy wilderness together, chasing down violators of the earth and devouring their remains. If the beast is far too abominable to tame, and it continues its attempt to hunt me, then I shall put it down while it sleeps. I’m not a monster, after all. Then, I’d live off its carcass, wear its hide, thus becoming the new Abominable Snowman.
4. Where can people find you online?
I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and Insta. I also dabble a little with Goodreads and have a website. www.redlagoe.com
Horror Author David Sodergren #Interview
David Sodergren Interview
David Sodergren
1. Congratulations on the publication of your most recent book Dead Girl Blues? Can you please tell us a little about it?
Thank you very much! Dead Girl Blues is a violent mystery-horror that takes inspiration from hard-boiled noir detective fiction and slasher films, particularly the Italian thrillers of the 1970s known as giallo films. It’s a tale of obsession, as one woman is drawn into the murky world of snuff movies.
It’s my third novel, and moves away from the more explicitly supernatural elements of my first two into a grittier, more realistic style.
2. You’ve self-published multiple novels. What is something you wish you knew about self-publishing before you started that journey?
To be honest, I’m still learning every day! I think most people are. Some elements — for example advertising — I’ve not even scratched the surface of. Then there are the tiny details, the minutiae that I had never even considered when I first sat down and started writing. For example, what size do I want the book to be? I prefer the smallest trim size, closer to the classic mass-market paperback size, but that means less words per-page, which then means more pages, and ultimately less profit per-book sold, as Amazon charges per-page for their printing costs. But I’ve muddled through with the help of some authors who’ve been here before me.
And Google, of course. Where would I be without Google?
3. For those who want to self-publish, can you share some marketing tips you’ve found successful?
If I knew the answer to this, I’d have sold more books haha! For me, social media is key. I was lucky in that I had a mildly popular Instagram account when I first published, so I had a built-in audience ready to buy my first book. After that, all you’ve really got is word-of-mouth.
Otherwise, just be yourself on social media. Post about your interests, try to be funny. I’ve lost count of the amount of books I’ve bought purely because the author seemed like a nice person who was clearly very into horror. It doesn’t always pay off, but I’ve discovered some of my favourite new authors that way, people like Bradley Freeman, Steve Stred, and Gemma Amor.
4. What is your horror “brand”?
I guess it’s a sort-of ‘modern-retro’. All my influences are from the 50s to the 80s, and my work definitely shares a similarly grimy, sex-and-violence packed aesthetic with those books and films, from the covers to the contents. However, I got fed up with the lack of diversity in old horror stories, and in particular the trope of the square-jawed, pipe-smoking professor-hero so prevalent across the genre. Due to this, I try to make my main characters a lot more interesting and relatable to a modern audience.
5. When did you first develop a love for horror?
It goes back as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are watching the 1933 King Kong on TV, as well as Jack Arnold’s fifties monster classic Tarantula. Before I started school I was collecting rubber skeletons. By age eight I had my own glow-in-the-dark replica Jason Voorhees hockey mask. It’s in my blood, and several decades later, I’m still as passionate about the genre as I have ever been.
It helps that horror is in such a healthy state at the moment, especially in literature. It feels like every week there are a bunch of great new releases, and exciting up-and-coming or brand new authors. Critics of self-publishing maintain — sometimes correctly — that it has allowed any old numpty with a computer to publish their garbage. That may be true, but it’s also opened the doors to many immensely talented authors. I find myself reading less and less traditionally published material these days. The fringes are always where you get the most exciting stuff.
6. What are you currently reading?
I’m reading Kill River 3 by Cameron Roubique, the third part of his epic slasher trilogy, and it’s been worth the wait. By the time I finish that, Laurel Hightower’s new book Crossroads should be out. I’m also re-reading Stephen Thrower’s two epic books on the life and films of Spanish erotic-horror specialist Jess Franco.
7. Let’s have a little fun. Would you rather live in the world from A Quiet Place or live in Derry from It?
It would have to be Derry, as I live with a pug who is incapable of staying quiet. If he’s not barking at shadows cast by the trees, he’s slumped across my shoulders snoring loudly.
We wouldn’t last five seconds in A Quiet Place!
8. What’s next for you? Any projects you can discuss?
Next is my Halloween release, a blood-drenched folk-horror tale called Maggie’s Grave. I’m very excited about this one, it’s a return to the supernatural horror of my first novel, The Forgotten Island. After that, I have a collaboration coming up with Canadian horror author Steve Stred, which should be out first quarter of next year.
9. Where can people find you online?
Best to find me on Twitter or Instagram
I use Twitter mostly for discussing old horror films, and Instagram for posting photos of the aforementioned pug posing alongside vintage horror books. I always enjoy hearing from readers.
10. Last chance! Anything else you’d like to say?
Please support independent horror. Like I said before, it’s where most of the really exciting stuff is happening, be it in film or literature. Support diverse authors, read widely, experience the world and other cultures through someone else’s eyes.
Have fun, stay safe, and wear a damn mask!
Horror Author and Poet Sara Tantlinger #AuthorInterview
Sara Tantlinger Interview
Sara Tantlinger is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes. She is a poetry editor for the Oddville Press, a graduate of Seton Hill’s MFA program, a member of the SFPA, and an active member of the HWA. Along with being a mentor for the HWA Mentorship Program, she is also a co-organizer for the HWA Pittsburgh Chapter. Her other books include Love for Slaughter, The Devil’s City, and To Be Devoured (nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in Long Fiction), and she edited the anthology Not All Monsters, out with Strangehouse Books. She embraces all things macabre and can be found lurking in graveyards or on Twitter @SaraTantlinger and at saratantlinger.com
1. Congratulations on your poetry collection Cradleland of Parasites! Can you please tell us a little about it?
Thank you so much! The collection draws most of its inspiration from the Black Death and other ancient plagues, and also from the rumors that have surrounded Plum Island (a federal research facility that has sparked controversy and conspiracy over the years). I started the collection last year before the current pandemic, so while the timing feels weird and spooky, I hope people will give the collection a chance. I love historical horror and meshing fact with speculation, so the poems play a lot with those blurred lines and with storytelling.
2. Without giving away spoilers, do you have a favorite poem from the collection?
One that I’m pretty fond of is titled “Princess Joan”. It’s based off the real story of Joan of England, a daughter of Edward III, who was betrothed to Peter of Castile. The Black Death hadn’t really made its mark in England when Joan travelled to Castile to be married, so she embarked on the journey with such a grand entourage and such a gorgeous wedding gown that I knew I needed to use those details to write a poem for her. She died so young, so unaware of the plague and how it would destroy her. I really wanted to write a poem for Princess Joan -- I had hoped to celebrate the details of her royalty, but the poem turned into a warning song, a plea for her to stay at home and not take the voyage that would end her young life. The plague spared no one, youth and royalty were no exception.
3. Congratulations on your Bram Stoker Award for The Devil’s Dreamland: Poetry Inspired by H.H. Holmes! Can you tell us a little about this book as well as how you celebrated your win?
Thank you so much! The Devil’s Dreamland really paved the way to show me how much I love historical horror. Researching Holmes is something I’ve talked about a lot, so in an effort not to repeat myself too much here, I will say that the book challenged me to do something entirely different than my first poetry collection, Love For Slaughter, and I am really humbled and grateful for the excellent responses The Devil’s Dreamland has received! I celebrated my Stoker win at StokerCon in Grand Rapids with some excellent friends and my publisher (and a few vodka cranberries). It was the absolute best night, and the whole experience was truly unforgettable.
4. When did your love of poetry develop?
It’s a bit of cliché answer, but reading Edgar Allan Poe in middle school was honestly my gateway into poetry, particularly dark poetry. Reading so much of his work inspired me to write, but my love for writing poetry developed the most while studying creative writing in college.
5. You were nominated for a Bram Stoker award for your novella To Be Devoured. Do you have a different research/writing process for developing poetry versus a novel?
I love research, so I am always utilizing it no matter what I write. When I studied literature in college, my favorite part of the process was always gathering my sources, engaging with critics, and using the research to make my essays stronger, so I’ve found that love carries over well into my fiction writing. With The Devil’s Dreamland and Cradleland of Parasites (both poetry collections), historical horror really captured my soul and dominated the process. With a current project I’m working on (prose), I’ve been doing more scientific research and doing my best to study entomology, so I think research is bound to follow me wherever I go.
For poetry, to borrow a phrase from the great Linda Addison, it comes more “organically.” It never feels forced, and I don’t have to create as strong of a plan or outline when I dive into poems as I do for prose -- but I am learning to enjoy outlining for novels/novellas more and more these days!
6. What are you currently reading?
I just finished Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which was an excellent work of literary horror. I think it would be such a strong book to teach in the classroom. I’m always reading way too many books at once, so right now I’m reading poetry (Cries to Kill the Corpse Flower by Ronald J. Murray) and Worst Laid Plans, an anthology of vacation horror edited by Samantha Kolesnik!
7. Let’s have a little fun. Would you rather watch the tape from The Ring or have to say ‘Candyman’ in front of a dark mirror?
Oh definitely Candyman. Children terrify me in general, especially vengeful ghost children, so living in The Ring is something I would not handle well.
8. What’s next for you? Any projects you can discuss?
I am currently working on some short stories and a very vague outline for my next novella! There’s always a lot going on behind the scenes, so I am hopeful I will have some new projects out before the year is over.
9. Where can people find you online?
My website and Twitter -- you can also find me on Instagram . My Amazon author profile has all my books listed here: https://www.amazon.com/Sara-Tantlinger/e/B06X6GBXZB
10. Last chance! Anything else you’d like to say?
To my fellow writers, embrace the writing community and support each other! Remember to celebrate the success of others and that anyone else’s success does not negate your own hard work.
Dark Fiction Author Mark Anthony Smith #Interview
Mark Anthony Smith Interview
1. Congratulations on your upcoming release Keep It Inside and other weird stories! Can you please tell us a little about this collection?
Hi Nico. Thank you. ’m really pleased to be here. Yes. ‘Keep it inside and other weird tales’ is my third book. It’s published by Red Cape publishing. Some of the stories have appeared in their ‘A – Z of Horror’ series. But there’s bags of new content too. I’ve reread them several times and they raise my eyebrows. I must have been in a very deep meditative state when I wrote them – or did I take hellish journeys? I’m not going to say much other than I can’t wait to unleash these terrors.
2. Without giving away spoilers, do you have a story from the collection?
There’s a few. In fact, they all show my dark side. Did I mention apophallation and method acting? Ouch! I’d love to see that as a film.
3. What would you say your “brand” is? In other words, do you consider yourself a specific type of writer or write for a specific niche?
Mmm! I’ve written poetry and ‘mainstream’ fictions. They’ve appeared in The Cabinet of Heed, Spelk, Nymphs, Penumbric Speculative Fiction magazine and many others (listed on my Amazon page). But a lot of them are dark. I like to start with something fairly mundane and every day then turn the world on its head – with lots of teeth.
4. When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
I loved Shaun Hutson, James Herbert and Clive Barker in the late ‘80’s. ‘The Rats' by Herbert made me sit up with pointy ears. I’d say reading ‘Black dogs' by Ian McEwan finally clinched it for me. Sparse, exact, relevant and beautiful. The sense of mounting menace…
5. Let’s talk a little about your poetry. What is the most challenging part of writing poems?
Gosh! Yes. There’s ‘Hearts of the matter’ and several reprinted poems in ‘Something Said’ (Wolven Moon). Poetry can come in a flash, of course. But that is rare. I love the meditation of writing. It’s a higher state. I think the hardest part is not losing the original vision. By this I mean allowing the piece to evolve but not becoming too distracting by flowery lyricism. Poetry is language made strange. But there has to be some sort of shape or completeness too. Not the whole world. Just the whole world through a focused lens.
6. Are any of your poems autobiographical?
I don’t think you can write without experience or feeling. So, some started with a feeling or thought but finally became universal. There’s are glints of my own life in several yet I didn’t want to blind the reader with anything too personal.
7. Do you have a favorite author or poet?
I have lots of favourites: Adam Nevill, Richard Laymon, P J Blakey-Novis, H P Lovecraft… I have to say Phillip Larkin as I come from Hull (he’s amazing) and…and I’ve definitely left someone out. I recommend ‘The A – Z of Horror’ Anthologies by Red Cape publishing and Demain’s ‘Short Sharp Shocks!’ series for sure.
8. What’s next for you? Any projects you can discuss?
I’m writing my fourth book. It’s a second book of Horror. I’m also writing short stories with a view to giving ‘Keep it inside…’ an ugly sister.
9. Where can people find you online?
My brand new website is: www.markanthonysmith.com . There’s links to YouTube etc. from there. You can find me on Twitter: @MarkAnthonySm16
10. Last chance! Anything else you’d like to say?
Yes. Thank you for having me. Check out free reads and amazing art on my website. Support Indie Authors, eat your greens and definitely “Keep it inside.”
Horror Author Sola Cordis #Interview
Sola Cordis Interview
1.Congratulations on the release of Anhedonia! What inspired this plot?
Thank you so much I'm very proud of all the work I put into this book. The idea came around because of that old mother goose thing, "Rub-a-dub-dub, Three men in a tub, And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, And all of them out to sea".
I was just thinking about those three people and sort of daydreaming. It also occurred to me that there are certain monsters you just don't see in many forms of media, so I wanted to find a way to use them and make them really dominant.
I also wanted to show different forms of villainy. People don't always choose to be evil. It's just the path they wind up going down, and it happens without realizing. Sometimes the nature of a thing is just that- its nature, you know? It;s only evil when you feel like the victim much of the time. The relationship between the two main characters was important too because I myself was in a relationship that I was beginning to realize was...troubled. So, I imagined what something good could be like. The relationship that you see reflects a lot of my own.
Many books and movies romanticize couples in rather violent or abusive relationships. I think it's weird how stalking someone is considered romantic. I just wanted a romance that included respect. I wanted to do so much. Honestly, a great deal of the small domestic scenes got scrapped because they didn't really move the story forward. I'm still unsure if I should have pulled them. They were things that, to me, seemed like those trivial things that make life worth living. The original draft was actually much longer, but I had to pull the parts that didn't move the plot.
2. Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how do you combat it?
Writer's block is something that happens when you don't know what happens next. So about halfway through this book I decided to actually write out an outline of the story. That allowed me to smooth out a lot of kinks and helped me sort of steamroll forward. Yes, writer's block can happen but I guess at that point you can just look things over to make sure what you have so far is cohesive. Well, that's what works for me, and also a good playlist of course!
For this book, I listened to a vast list of tavern-style music and some of that old 'chant' music.
3. You’re a self-published author. What tip do you wish you knew ahead of time, before
entering into the self-publishing world?
Editing is way more expensive than I thought it would be. I wish I would have started saving money for a really good editor as soon as I started writing the book. A good editor is worth every penny. At this point, I did manage to find an editor that I could afford, but I didn't pay very much. As a result, a few things were missed, and that's my fault for not saving up ahead of time; however, it is a lesson I did learn well. Since I've started writing my second book, I've been putting some money aside and looking around for good editors. I want the next book to be more polished.
Even though I do intend to hire an editor, I still need to brush up on grammar and for myself. That and outlines. I spent six years 'pansting' one story that still isn't finished, so if I could go back and tell myself something it would be to stop being a brat and just outline my work.
That's really the biggest thing I've learned.
4. We all know that authors have, um, unusual search histories. If the FBI were to search
through your history, what would that find that is totally, complete for “research?”
I don't even know where to start with that one, especially right now. I mean how much research on cults can you do before they flag you? I was researching scarification and blood loss and you know for a writer it's all pretty tame stuff i suppose.
5. When did your love of all things creepy and eerie begin?
One day, I wanted to be a vet. Then, I wanted to do comic books, and I have absolutely no idea at what point I fell in love with beasties and all the lore that follows them. I guess it just crept up on me, but it is really wonderful. I love being able to explore fantasy and fairy tales in a different light. I love the concept of mermaids as maneaters. These things are meant to be ugly and repulsive. They're excuses for why bad things happened when people couldn't explain why tragedies happened. Monster and ghost stories are what many mothers would use as a warning for why children and people should behave because if you didn't you might change and become something else or something wicked might reach out to take you away. Some foolishness like that. So many monsters were and are like strange guardians of a sort. I love monsters. I love them most when they're not the villain or don't see themselves that way.
6. Do you have a favorite author?
Gerald Brom. He wrote the Child Thief and Krampus and few other books. He does such spectacular paintings to adorn his writing but honestly even without the art his worlds are visceral and substantial. He took Peter Pan and made him ominous for a very different reason than one might think. He wrote a first page so hurtful that I had to close the book and brace myself for the rest. The man is absolutely amazing
7. What book(s) are you reading right now? At the moment, I'm adjusting to a new work schedule so I mostly read my friend's fan fiction on the bus rides to and from work.I used to write a lot of fanfics myself too. It's kinda funny now.
8. What is next for you? Anything in the works?
I have one manuscript that's nearing a close. I'm almost finished writing the 1st draft, and I have another planned to start after that. For now, I'm trying to focus on the 1st draft of what I think might be more thriller than horror. The one I have lined up after that s definitely going be a fantasy type horror.
9. Where can people find you online?
I don't know anything about manning a website but boy am I trying. Check it out here. I'm also on twitter but it's under @aleushadrake because I have no idea how to change that handle.
10. Thank you so much! This is your chance to say anything that wasn’t asked. Closing thoughts?
I'm afraid i must get back to my writing now. This was an absolute pleasure. I hope one day to do it again!
Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasty Author Stuart Conover #Interview
Stuart Conover Interview
1. Let’s start by getting to know you as an author. What would you say your “brand” is?
That is a rough one! If you had asked me this when I started writing I would have responded with zombies. Later it would have been horror. These days I've been branching out to focus also on science fiction and fantasy. Genre work is the easiest answer but I like to pen stories that either put the characters in difficult positions, be part of something larger than themselves, or have a more poignant message included.
2. You have a lot of experience writing and success in the publishing world with short stories. I scrolled through your website, and the amount of publications you have in anthologies is inspiring! What is one tip you would pass on a newbie who wants to get a short story published?
Author Stuart Conover
I feel there are two key tips to help out. The first is read the submission guidelines. They are there for a reason. If you skimp out on following directions the editor is likely going to toss your story in the trash before finishing it even if it is the best thing they've ever read and a perfect fit for the collection. The second is, either find someone who can edit your work or really read up on self-editing. It is extremely easy to miss mistakes in your own work. You can't rely on tools like Word or Grammarly to find these mistakes (though they will find some!) and when you self-edit your mind knows what you meant to put and you have to find tactics. A few easy examples are taking time between writing a story and editing it as well as reading it out loud as you edit.
3. You write drabbles. I LOVE drabbles! Does your writing approach change when restricted to only 100 words?
Vastly so! Pounding out 100-words to say something is easy. To find a way to throw in character development, a twist, a reveal, a complete story, or something worth reading really makes you focus on what is important. I feel this has expanded my overall writing process to keep it clear of clutter.
Also, it helps to keep focused on longer works. You do a one-off drabble every few chapters and it seems to lessen the temptation of stopping working on whatever short story or longer tale that you're trying to complete for the latest idea to pop into your head.
4. We all know that authors have, um, unusual search histories. If the FBI were to search through your history, what would that find that is totally, complete for “research?”
All of my searching is done in logged out browsers, in incognito modes, over VPNs, with a few more techniques mixed in for privacy. I'm in the clear!
Seriously, I'm not sure. I've searched for so many random topics that I can't even imagine what would stick out the most. I'm sure we've all looked into various ways people die (what temperature do bones burn at, what temperature is too cold to survive, how long can you survive without oxygen, etc) or hiding evidence that we're all likely on multiple lists at this point!
5. When did your love of all things creepy and eerie begin?
It was actually quite early. I watched most of 'Alien' on HBO when I was pretty young one night after my parents had gone to bed and I couldn't sleep. Nightmares for weeks but I feel that my love for both horror and science fiction can be traced back to that moment.
6. Do you have a favorite author?
Yes, no, it depends what I'm reading and what mood I'm in. The easy answers are Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Herbert. They've all written what fall into my top favorite books. However also falling into this category are Ania Ahlborn, Lauren Beukes, Joe Hill, Chuck Palahniuk, Susanna Clarke, and William Gibson among so many others!
Conover’s work is published in this amazing anthology.
7. What book(s) are you reading right now?
Due to handling reviews for multiple outlets, I always have a ginormous To Read pile. (I'm sure I would even if I wasn't a reviewer!) At this time, I'm just about to start in on a release coming from Titan Books later this month – 'Alien: Phalanx' by: Scott Sigler.
8. What is next for you? Anything in the works?
I've got a few projects in the works at the moment. I'm quite close to finishing a novella and am probably about 40% into a second one which I'm working on with another author. On top of this, as the editor of Horror Tree we put together two "Trembling With Fear" collections each year that are both almost completed. Finally, I have work coming out in another couple of drabble anthologies which are soon to be released by Black Hare Press and a horror western anthology called 'The Dark Frontier' by Wild West Press.
9. Where can people find you online?
Thanks for asking! You can find me on my homepage over at https://www.stuartconover.com/
Socially, I'm most active on Twitter over at https://www.twitter.com/stuartconover and try to check in on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/StuartConoverAuthor when new releases come out.
10. Thank you so much! This is your chance to say anything that wasn’t asked. Closing thoughts?
For those who are wanting to get to know me better, here is an influx of a slew of random facts!
I live near Chicago and equally love to include the Midwest in my stories or go way out of my comfort zone and do research of other areas. I have a family who takes top priority in my life and a day job working as an IT professional in the Finance industry which comes in as a close second.
On top of that, I write for multiple websites and am the owner of the author resource Horror Tree which was founded in 2011. I'm a freelance writer for Science Fiction and have been writing there since 2012. I'm not a Vegan but I have a plant-forward diet and probably only eat meat once or twice a week at this point and honestly don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
Finally, most of my works take places in three separate universes. One infested by a zombie apocalypse, one which features cosmic horror with something larger than humanity or our planet as a distinct otherworldly threat who mostly has no care for Earth, and finally a fantasy world.
Horror Author Kit Power #Interview
Kit Power Interview
1. Okay, I’m curious. When I put out the call for interviews, you mentioned a crowdfunding campaign for a non-fiction horror book. What is the book about and how can people get involved?
Oh hey, thanks for asking! The project is a non-fiction book called My Life In Horror Volume 1. Essentially it’s an essay collection representing the best of the first three years of my writing for Gingernuts of Horror as part of that series, every month I write about a childhood experience that I consider horror and that had a lasting impact on my imagination and/or personality. I had always intended to pull the content together into a book at some point, and with the series projected to finish this year with 60 essays total, I realised that I would need to produce it in two volumes.
*Then* I was talking about this last July at EdgeLit in Derby with good friend Neil Snowden, who is also the editor of my first non-fiction book, Tommy , and he said ‘you know, that’d be a perfect book for a Stokercon 2020 launch.”
Fast forward to January 2020. I’ve crunch-written a novella, which was… an experience I have now had, and I’ve assembled MLiH Vol. 1, revising and expanding every single essay, adding in some cracking bonus material, and rearranging the essays in the order I first experienced the subjects; turning a series of blog posts into a half-arsed autobiography via the medium of pop culture. The book’s in good shape, but the couple of publishers I have approached can’t take it on - both love the book but, it turns out, have big plans for Stokercon :/ .
Fair enough.
So I realize I have a choice - shelve it for now with a view to doing more shopping out of the manuscript post Stokercon, or try and crowdfund the editing and cover art and get the sucker out.
I opted for trying to get the sucker out.
So the IndyGoGo campaign launched on 25th January. It’s an all-or-nothing campaign, meaning it’ll only fund, and people will only be charged, if I hit the funding goal. Basically, it’ll be a way to pre-order the book, and if enough people want to do that, the book will happen. I will also be offering two limited edition hardbacks as part of the campaign. Both editions will be signed and numbered, with cover designs exclusive to this campaign, and the deluxe edition will feature an essay that will only ever be published as part of this print run. Ebooks and paperbacks will also be available, and other perks will allow you to get me to record an audio reading of an essay or short story for your exclusive use.
I have the editor, formatter, and cover designer on standby, and they’ve all assured me they can move on the project fast if it funds.
2. Is this your first nonfiction project and will you be doing more of this in the future?
It’s my second nonfiction book. The first was a (very, very) extended essay on the Ken Russell/The Who rock opera Tommy, which came out last year with PS Publishing . Whilst I’ve always considered myself a fiction writer first and foremost, I’ve found the non-fiction work has become more important to me as the years have gone by. I think what I’ve come to realise is that in both cases, I am writing to try and make sense of the world, and wrestle with the things I struggle to understand. Writing is a cathartic experience for me, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.
I’ll certainly be doing more - My Life In Horror has 7 essays left to run (at which point I’ll be assembling Volume 2 for publication), and I have a separate long term non-fiction project with Gingernuts, reading the works of Brian Keene in order of publication, the vast majority of them for the first time. I’m ten books in to that project, and so far it’s an absolute blast - Keene is a top rate pulp horror writer, and it’s fascinating watching him develop and grow as a talent book to book.
Beyond that, I have a couple of Midnight Monograph books at proposal stage, and I’d really like to pull together a series of essays about the recent Joker movie; I saw it three times at the cinema, and I still find myself haunted by it, it’s an exceptional piece of art and I’d really like to spend more time digging into why it affected me as deeply as it did.
3. Congratulations on the release of your novella The Finite! Can you please tell us a little about the plot?
Thank you! The Finite is set in modern day Milton Keynes, and concerns a father and daughter in the immediate aftermath of a nuclear explosion. The story follows their efforts at survival in a drastically changed landscape, and is at its core about how parental responsibilities play out in a situation with few if any good choices to make.
4. What is your horror “brand”? What type of horror do you love to write? (Supernatural? Slashers? Psychological? Ect)
Great question! I think I lean more towards non-supernatural horror, so a lot of my work has crossover with dark crime or psychological thriller genres. Picking up from my last answer, a lot of what interests me as a writer are exploring scenarios where the protagonist has no good choices, and seeing what happens. Other thematic preoccupations are the end of the world, and liminality; the moments when a situation or event forces a character to confront their world view and figure out what they really believe. That preoccupation means my work often ends up in some extreme places.
5. Are there any horror tropes you refuse to write about?
No. The test for me is if the narrative feels compelling, if the characters feel real, if the idea disturbs me. I am aware some subject areas require sensitivity, and I certainly support the idea of using trigger warnings or content notes, where needed, to allow people to make informed decisions about what they read. But if something keeps me awake for long enough, I’ll probably end up writing about it.
6. What book(s) are you reading right now?
Right now I am reading King’s Firestarter for the first time, since I got The Institute for Christmas, and Clickers II by Brian Keene and JF Gonzalez, as part of my Keene project for Gingernuts, and Scenes of Mild Peril by David J Court , which I am really enjoying - Court has a fresh voice and a really surefooted comedic touch that’s pretty unusual in the genres he writes.
7. If you could co-author a book with any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Stephen King, I think. I’d love to try and match his prose style and I feel like I would learn so much from the experience. Though I am super happy with the piece I’ve been working on with James Murphy, which we’ve almost gotten to a finished first draft. That one I am very excited about, I think the core conceit is the best idea I’ve ever had, and James has absolutely made it into a narrative I’d never have thought to tell.
8. What is next for you? Anything in the works?
Always! :) Right now my priorities are finish the crunch novella edits and the D1 of the project with James, then get this campaign off and running. One of the Midnight Monograph proposals is a co-authored affair, and I should be breaking ground on that very shortly. Then it’s knocking the novel with James into shape with critical readers and editors, getting My Life In Horror finished, getting a couple of short stories finished, polished, and out to market, and working on my next solo novel, which is currently about eight thousand words in and going well so far. I find I work best when I have *way* too much to do.
9. Where can people find you online?
For a firehose of politics and various pop culture warm takes, you can find me on Twitter. I have Facebook, Amazon, and Goodreads Author pages - Kit Power in all cases, easy to find. And if you want early access and behind the scenes insight, for as little as $1 a month on Patreon you can get weekly updates containing new material - anything from essays to short stories to novel extracts to podcasts, often weeks or months ahead of official publication, with even more perks available at higher tiers .
10. Thank you so much! This is you chance to say anything that wasn’t asked. Closing thoughts?
Thanks so much for the invitation to talk :)
BUY THE FINITE HERE!
Multi-Talented Author Ephiny Gale #Interview
Ephiny Gale Interview
Author Ephiny Gale
1. Books, short stories, poetry and plays! You are very busy! Let’s start at the beginning. What inspired you to become a writer?
I don’t think I can remember a time before I wanted to write! My parents were enthusiastic readers and definitely passed that passion on to me; I was one of those small children who often climbed my school’s stairs while reading. It seemed perfectly natural to write the kind of stories I enjoyed consuming; I started writing fiction as soon as I was physically able to write.
2. Where did you love of science fiction and fantasy evolve from?
What an interesting question! As a child I was captivated by science fiction and fantasy because they presented such an endless range of possibilities and adventure. I loved the sense of magic (either through actual magic or technology) and glimpses into more exciting and vivid universes than our own.
During my teen years I became somehow convinced that I didn’t, in fact, enjoy speculative fiction because I didn’t particularly like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. I had to re-discover my love of science fiction and fantasy by learning that it comes in many different forms, and that they can still be my favorite genres even if I’m unlikely to be excited by space opera or high fantasy.
3. Congratulations on your collection of short stories Next Curious Thing! What is your favorite story from the collection?
Thank you! I’m fond of lots of stories in that collection, but my favorite is probably ‘The Secret Death of Lane Islington’. It’s a story about a misanthropic singer who pulls her doppelganger out of a portal to an alternate universe, and then teaches said doppelganger to take her place for the events she’d rather not attend. Like many of my pieces, ‘The Secret Death of Lane Islington’ explores the roles we play within society and in relation to other people, but this is a favorite because it does so in a such a fun way.
4. You’ve had several short stories published. What tip would you give a newbie writer who is looking to submit to an anthology or literary magazine?
For anyone new to submissions, I would recommend becoming familiar with Duotrope (paid) or The Submissions Grinder (free). My understanding of and success with the submission process increased immensely once I was introduced to Duotrope. These websites are both excellent resources for learning about potential markets and recording your submissions. Once I’m ready to submit a piece I log into Duotrope, do a search by the piece’s genre and length (e.g. science fiction, 3000 words) and Duotrope generates a list of all the markets that might be interested in a piece with those parameters.
If you’re new to submissions, I would also advise you to take story rejections as par for the course. They’re not just happening because you’re new; writers who regularly sell stories to professional markets at professional rates still get plenty of rejections in the process. It’s not unusual to receive 10 or even 20+ rejections before you sell a story – but once it’s sold, all of those rejections won’t matter!
5. If you could write and produce any play you want, what would it be about?
Anything I want? I’d thrill my childhood self by writing and producing a new Xena: Warrior Princess musical! Failing that, I’d love to write a sci-fi jukebox musical using Sia songs. But if we’re talking straight plays, I’d be keen to adapt Catherynne Valente’s Refrigerator Monologues for the stage; I saw very clearly how I’d direct that when I was reading it.
6. When you’re not writing, what are you up to?
I work full-time as a digital project manager, which can be all-consuming at times. When I’m not working or writing I’m probably having a passionate philosophical discussion or low-key adventure with my spouse (who is also a writer), out at the theatre, or playing board games with friends.
7. What book(s) are you reading right now?
While I’m not in the middle of any books right now, I recently finished Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, which I loved. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting from the publicity, but I really enjoyed what I did get: exploration of a gothic palace, a deadly magical competition, and a complex murder mystery. Also, a terrific and unusual authorial voice.
8. What is next for you? Anything in the works?
I currently have 3 half-written short stories to finish (broadly about AI, witches, and aliens, respectively), which is more than I usually have on the go at once. I know exactly what happens in each of them; I just have to sit down and actually write the endings.
9. Where can people find you online?
The key places would be my website or Twitter
10. Thank you so much! This is you chance to say anything that wasn’t asked. Closing thoughts?
Thank you so much for having me, Nico, and for your generous and thoughtful questions. It’s been a pleasure!
BUY NEXT CURIOUS THINGS HERE
Dark Fantasy Author Austin Case #Interview
Austin Case Interview
1. Congratulations on the 2019 release of your book Wild, Dark Times! Can you tell us a little about the plot?
Thanks so much, Nico! Sure thing. So, the story takes place in the summer of 2012 and follows Elizabeth Megalos, who’s a failed art school grad working as a bank teller. One night, a possessed coworker attacks her and she’s saved by a roguish wizard named Eddy who drags her and a skeptical occult scholar to Europe. The group goes to Europe and meet up with Eddy’s celebrity sorcerer pals to help stop a creature from Gnostic mythology from fulfilling the apocalypse set out in the Book of Revelation. They take drugs and do rituals to learn more about how to stop Armageddon, and try to stay clear of supernatural creatures after Elizabeth.
2. When it comes to your writing process for Wild, Dark Times, what did you develop first – the plot or the characters?
For WDTs in particular, I seem to recall developing the plot and the characters pretty much at the same time. I drew on quite a few of my experiences during grad school in Europe studying esotericism and mysticism, as well as the friends I made during that time to develop the book. My initial outline incorporated early sketches of my characters.
3. Are you a pantser or a plotter?
For fiction, I’m definitely more of a plotter but for my poems I’m a definite pantser: I like to write stream-of-consciousness poems. I do also incorporate that style in my fiction from time to time. For WDTs the sections where they ritualistically take psychedelics were all written initially as stream-of-consciousness (with extensive editing later for cohesion, flow, etc.) But for WDTs as a whole, I definitely plotted out the principal points of the narrative.
4. While browsing your website, I noticed you have a Master’s Degree from the University of Amsterdam in Western Esotericism and Mysticism. That’s so cool! What is something you learned from that degree that you use with your writing?
Thanks! It was a pretty cool time: it felt like Hogwarts but with sex and drugs (a big part of why I love Lev Grossman’s The Magicians series so much). There were lots of little things sprinkled throughout that came from learning things at the UvA. References to the Golden Dawn, Gnosticism, Aleister Crowley, and John Dee come to mind. One class we had investigated the incidence of altered states of consciousness within the Western Esoteric tradition and that definitely was influential. The whole Eleusinian Mysteries possibly being ancient Greeks having ergot/LSD infused porridge and the group in the book building a ritual around that came straight from that class.
5. Where did you love for the dark fantasy genre come from?
I loved reading fantasy as a child (C. S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, J. R. R. Tolkien). Those books were all foundational, but I became less interested in fiction as I got older until the end of grad school and I started working in a public library. I got back into fiction and dark fantasy in particular, since so much of that genre incorporates ideas about magic or the occult, and often in bleak or cynical ways. Studying magic from a scholarly perspective really takes a lot of the shimmer and mystery out of the world, but (at least in my case) the interest in the subject never dissipates. Urban fantasy, occult horror, and postmodern takes on the mystical all appeal to this sort of tense relationship that I have with the magic and esotericism.
6. Do you have a favorite author?
Neil Gaiman. The first book I read when I got back into fiction after grad school was
American Gods, and it satisfied the malaise I discussed earlier so thoroughly that I tore through the rest of the works he’d written. It also showed me a path that ultimately led me to become an author: incorporating the academic knowledge of fanciful things into story. I never had a background in creative writing so I had to learn (and continue to learn) the tricks of the trade on my own. I owe my writing profession to American Gods, and for that I’ll be forever grateful to Gaiman.
7. What book(s) are you reading now?
My partners bought me a copy of The Poetic Eddas for Christmas. I’ve been enjoying reading those, even though they’re saturated with so much misogyny (admittedly, par for the course for pretty much everything written more than half a century or so ago). It is kind of interesting to see an ethos and mythical framework that almost reads as though it were written by Ron Swanson and Tolkien.
8. What is next for you? Anything in the works?
My current WIP is a postmodern adaptation of The Epic of Gilgamesh which will, undoubtedly, be the most hubris driven task of my career. Writing this has been daunting as fuck. WDTs came out pretty easily, but this one is like pulling teeth. I do think it’s a solid premise though – the deities are movie stars and celebrities and Gilgamesh is a former action star turned governor (playing off of the demi-god status of the original) and it rips into our countries fetishism with celebrity, Scientology, our corrupt political climate, etc. It may be the death of me…
9. Where can people find you online?
Here’s some links to my author’s website, my Twitter page, my Goodreads page, and my Facebook page.
10. Thank you so much! This is your chance to say anything that wasn’t asked. Closing thoughts?
Thank you! I really appreciate you interviewing me and was thrilled to let you know a little bit about me and my writing!
BUY WILD, DARK TIMES ON AMAZON HERE