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.