LGBTQ+ in Horror [INTERVIEW] | AstraDaemon

The other week I read a horror novel which takes place at a Pride festival, with LGBTQ+ characters leading the story...something not often seen. The fright formula is still a familiar one, but with a perspective which invites readers to get out of their heads and into someone else's. I asked Brady Phoenix to spend some time in the Lair and discuss his efforts to expand the genre...

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How did you become interested in a genre which doesn’t have many LGBTQ+ main characters? Are you deliberately encouraging a change or simply creating characters and storylines you can relate to?

What draws me towards the horror genre are the qualities of the main character/final girl. The grit and determination when faced with adversity that draws me into the genre, which is something that members of the LGBTQ+ community can relate to. Any queer person has faced some type of challenge where their willingness to thrive gets challenged. I love even in horror movies that there are these extremes of character archetypes (geek, jock, fool, leader, promiscuous, etc.) that are spun uniquely in different ways to entertain the viewer, which I want to challenge adding LGBTQ+ ingredients to the recipe. There is also a quality within horror that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is a campy quality that brings you out of the “spook factor” that I enjoy and try to bring into my work. Plus, queer people deserved to get scared too!

The fact that there aren't a vast number of LGBTQ+ characters in horror fiction is something that gets concerning. In a lot of stories, it just feels like at times that there is no acknowledgement of the existence of queer people. If you look in everyday life, you don’t just see straight, cis, white people. There are more people than just them, and I am trying to encourage readers to look beyond the scope of what they think they see in everyday life and put themselves in the mindset of somebody who isn't the same as who they see themselves as or the people they are used to in their everyday lives. My hope is that people who don’t identify as LGBTQ+ can look at the qualities of the characters I create and see a similarity or two that they can relate to, lessening this visible divide between the two groups so that they can treat us with the decency and dignities that we all deserve just like everybody else.

In addition, the characters that do include LGBT+ characters are often perceived as an exaggeration or a caricature, or they are killed off early as the “token character”. There are not many direct influences that the younger queer generation can relate to, so it has been a motivation for me to create these stories that have characters that aren’t viewed as just “gay characters”, which can easily end up placing them into a certain box and should instead be viewed as a “character, who happens to be gay”.

My stories are not necessarily made for myself to relate to, since these characters experience events or encounters that are based on what I’ve lived through and witnessed. I want younger people like me that can look beyond the premise of a masked serial killer and see the similarities and struggles that these people have and relate to them, not feeling like they are not alone and their struggle will end. It won’t be easy, but it will end.

Do you have a specific audience in mind, or are you writing for all horror fans?

I’m writing for new adults as my main target audience, since the moments were inspired by my twenties, but it isn’t exclusive to them since horror is for everybody. I also try to keep a balance to entertain the LGBTQ+ audience while provoking the minds of the straight audiences. My goal is to take the qualities that we all love in 80s and 90s slasher movies and give the reader the experience of watching a movie, just adding a little more diversity. LGBTQ+ audiences will appreciate that they are finally being included in a genre that is loved and underrepresented. And my hope is that anybody who isn’t a part of our community will be entertained by a fresh, new-ish take on the genre that they love.

It is a challenging task to balance. I don’t want to lose my mission to inspire a younger LGBTQ+ generation to feel inspired by my group of “Final girls and boys”. I also don’t want to go too much to the point where non-community members feel like “I am shoving our agenda down their throat.” (side note: I hate it when people say that! They have been shoving their agenda down our throat for decades!). I just hate the fact that there has been an non-inclusive divide in many aspects of society where we just aren’t looked at as normal as they see themselves. And its even worse for queer people of color! I don’t want to turn off the straight audience by overdoing it and crossing over their society built standards.

How do you feel about novels being lumped together under LGBTQ+ instead of simply being placed among their corresponding genres? Do you think it does more harm than good as far as normalizing fiction with LGBTQ+ characters?

This is a double-edged sword. There is a benefit to placing novels in an LGBTQ+ category so that members of our community don’t have to sift through a list of books in hopes that they find what they are looking for, if they desire a good queer read. On the flip side, its divisive and non-members have a list that they can filter out because they don’t want anything to do with queer people or their struggles reflected in literature. It is doing more harm especially now that the divide has gotten worse between the two extremes.

Luckily, there is a middle ground where there are people who don’t identify as LGBTQ+ who have an open mind to give our stories a try without any preconceived judgments or assumptions. Those people are to be recognized and thanked as those numbers continue to grow as the years pass. The LGBTQ+ community needs to keep remaining patient as we have been for many years, and the middle (ally) community needs to keep advocating for us in all aspects. I’m not saying they have to march/rally. They just need to advocate in the face of indifference and educate in the sight of ignorance. I have faith that this will get better and easier for queer books, and I will do everything in my writing career to make stories that will help transition those minds.

Which authors have influenced and/or inspired you and what is it you enjoy about their stories?

I have to of course recognize Stephen King for being a huge pioneer for the horror community. His stories are so out there and they make your spine tingle! I appreciate Clive Barker for doing the same thing! R.L. Stein gave me nightmares as a kid, so I appreciate them as a core foundation for my love of horror and LGBTQ+ stories.

I also love Riley Sager, for the reason that his books are what got my passion for reading and writing stronger. His work gives me the experience of watching a horror movie without turning the television on. I stopped writing for 15 years and gave up on the idea that I could make writing as a career. It was his books that made me passionate for the horror/suspense genre. I owe so much to him!

What are your plans for 2021? Any more titles being released this year?

My goals for 2021 is to keep being safe and healthy both in body and mind. I hope to do my part to keep spreading my message of love and acceptance and bridge the gap between LGBTQ+ people and non members, and also encouraging any person who is outside of the societal norm to express themselves creatively so that their perspective is heard. I want to keep expanding my author platform to as many readers as I can, and even connect with them. I am also in the process of writing my second novel of this series which I hope to release this fall! I won’t spoil anything at this moment, but I am very excited to keep going with what was just a ‘bucket list’ item, and making it bigger than I ever dreamt of it to become!

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Thanks to Phoenix for stopping by!

If you haven't read CARDINAL RULES yet, I highly recommend it, especially if you're a fan of 80s slasher movies.

As always,

AstraDaemon

A Quiet Interview | AstraDaemon

Back in October of 2019, I read an apocalypse story unlike any I have read before or since: A QUIET APOCALYPSE. There are no zombies, nothing supernatural of any kind...only people enslaving other people. After an illness renders most people deaf, the hearing are hunted down to become servants for the newly hearing impaired. Those born deaf are given a much more terrifying treatment, as they are blamed for the virus which causes the loss of hearing.

About a year and half later, I read the sequel: CATHEDRAL. While Book 1 is told from the POV of a Hark, someone who can still hear, Book 2 is told from the POV of a virus survivor who is deaf. Readers are shown how they have adjusted to their condition, as well as the terrifying way they justify victimizing Harks and Harbingers (the slur for deaf-born). I knew the people in Cathedral were irrational, but I had no idea just how truly insane they have become.

I decided to invite the author, Dave Jeffery, to the Lair, in order to discuss his unusual pandemic nightmare...

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Did you ever expect so much interest in A Quiet Apocalypse?

First of all, a huge ‘thank you’ to AstraDaemon’s Lair for inviting me along to chat. I love your site and feel honored to be here. In terms of your question, I knew that the idea was unique, but never thought it would be so well received on that basis. The book itself was conceived as a short story, and I never thought beyond that, if I’m honest. I got to a first draft and the file was somehow wiped from my old laptop during its Windows 10 upgrade and I thought that it was an omen the story wasn’t quite finished. I dusted down my notes and rewrote the draft again, but this time with the thought of a longer piece in my head.

The current Covid-19 situation has, to my total surprise, galvanized people into buying the book based on its realistic premise. Far from shying away from post-apocalyptic fiction during a very real pandemic, readers appear drawn to A Quiet Apocalypse’s realistic style.

Why choose loss of hearing as the post-apocalyptic trait? Do you have a personal connection to deaf culture?

The concept originates from my work with the culturally Deaf back in the 90s. I was a mental health professional for over nine years, working solely with Deaf community, and fluent in British Sign Language (BSL). A hearing person made a statement that they would be terrified of being deaf, and this got me thinking about a story where all people in the world became deaf. The more nuanced material in the story, that of culturally Deaf people being wrongly blamed and victimized for the disease, came as the story development progressed. It took a good ten years before I realized that I had something in terms of a viable story. I don’t tend to rush these things, not when you have a premise as original as that of A QUIET APOCALYPSE, you have to get it right from the off.

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease, a condition that affects the inner ear. I only have 35% hearing in my right ear and wear an aid. I used to consider the real possibility of losing my hearing, although this is now unlikely as I have lived with the disease for over 10 years and it only affects one ear. Yet, and this is the truth, I have never feared going deaf as I know there is a vibrant community to which I would be able to turn for support.

Is this series a way to include a new POV in the apocalypse genre, or is this your way of showing how history repeats itself – especially the dark parts?

The first person POV is a deliberate device to isolate the protagonist, and consequently the reader, so that it reflects the sensory loss in the story. This has its advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is that you are trapped in the world of a single person, interpreting it through their eyes, experiencing it first-hand, giving the whole situation a claustrophobic, almost suffocating, lens. A disadvantage is that some readers struggle with the notion of not being able to know everything there is about the world outside. This has drawbacks in that they may make assumptions of what the world is about, and consider this a failing of the story when they may have misinterpreted what is going on as they only have the perspective of one character. A QUIET APOCALYPSE is a series, and I can assure those readers that burning questions will be answered, but over time, during the course of the series.

Thinking of it as a TV show that you can’t binge-watch is the best way to approach the series. Each book may well be self-contained, but the universe is on a continuum and the patient reader will be rewarded with answers. Honest!

Have you had any feedback from deaf readers? If so, what do they think of the horror you’ve created?

Not as of yet. I look forward to reading their thoughts, though. Such feedback would help shape future stories for sure.

You began the series with an enslaved-hearing man, then switched to a stricken-deaf resident of Cathedral for your second installment. In both, the characters born deaf have mostly been used to precipitate a major plot point or to reflect the insanity of the afflicted. Will readers be given an entire book from the POV of a naturally deaf person?

Without wanting to give the game away too much, there may well be a reference point that uses this scenario. It is likely to be in book 4, where we have a coming together of various storylines, but in a novel way. I know this seems ambiguous, but that’s deliberate as I want this to be a surprise for the readers.

Is there any chance of Chris and Sarah crossing paths with one another before the series is over?

I wouldn’t rule out anything purely based on the road ahead. The joy of the series is that readers can envisage the stories running in parallel, or being concurrent, or happening in two different decades. Until the final story is told, I guess we’ll never quite know, but we can consider how things will pan out but, much like life, not all plans come to fruition.

You also have another series gaining in popularity: Frostbite. Please tell readers a bit about the storyline.

FROSTBITE (SEVERED PRESS) is a very different genre. Basically, it is my take on the yeti mythology but with a twist. One thing I never want to do is tread the same path as other writers, so I try to put my own spin on it. How many times have we seem people lost on a mountain or in the wilderness, stalked by savage creatures determined to wipe them out? As thrilling as that scenario may be, as a writer I find it personally tedious.

My tale is set against the backdrop of a secret alien invasion. A group of mercenaries duped into the rescue of a professor’s son find themselves on the slopes of the Himalayas for nefarious purposes. As they deal with a double-cross, they also face both mythical yetis and extraterrestrial beings who have wiped out the yeti population to use them as war machines. The yetis are victims of the invaders, with their own culture and mythos. I have deliberately moved away from the idea of these incredible creatures being mere monsters, devoid of empathy or civilization. The story is no-hold-barred and very left-field and unashamedly pulp in its approach. Fans certainly love the dynamics between Knowles, the foul-mouthed mercenary and Sully, her yeti sidekick. BOOK 2: LABYRINTH was released a few months ago and the response has, again, been very positive. BOOK 3: EARTHFALL will be released in 2022.

What can fans expect from you in 2021?

The third A QUIET APOCALYPSE book will be released this year. It is called THE SAMARITAN and is currently with my publisher, Dean M Drinkel at DEMAIN PUBLISHING. I am also writing the sixth Beatrice Beecham supernatural adventure/mystery book (THE DEVIL DEVICE) for CROSSROAD PRESS and a sci-fi horror novel called HYMNS FOR DEAD STARS, again for DEMAIN PUBLISHING. I’m lucky enough to be very busy, with more titles planned for release next year and beyond. I just want to say that I’m genuinely grateful to anyone who invests time and money into what I do. This, of course, includes AstraDaemon’s Lair! It is appreciated very much.

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I am a huge fan of Dave Jeffery, so I also recommend his werewolf novel, TOOTH & CLAW (Grinning Skull Press), which also has a sequel on the way.

As always,

AstraDaemon

First INTERVIEW of 2021 | AstraDaemon

At the end of December, I read THE CHILDREN OF RED PEAK by Craig DiLouie. The story centers around four people who survived a mass suicide as children. They are not strong enough to keep the door closed against their memories, and their various coping mechanisms are no longer working. The four soon realize they are still technically part of the Family, and the Spirit of Red Peak is waiting for them to return. The ending reveals a terrifying secret about the doomsday cult.

This is not the first time DiLouie has ventured into this particular sub-genre, so I brought him into the Lair for the first interview of 2021...

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Tell us about your journey from Tooth and Nail to The Children of Red Peak. How did you transition from one type of horror to another, and what took place between?

Great chatting with you again, Ursula! Before Tooth and Nail, I’d been a struggling small press writer. That novel, which was the first dedicated solely to how the U.S. military would respond to a zombielike disease, was wildly popular and essentially launched a subgenre in zombie fiction. I was very lucky with that novel to be in the right place at the right time with the right book, and it led to more opportunities.

After two more successful zombie novels, I was able to get an agent and work with big publishers like Simon & Schuster and now Hachette, which released my horror and speculative fiction novels Suffer the Children, One of Us, Our War, and my latest, The Children of Red Peak. Between these releases, I’ve done a lot of self-publishing, mainly dime-novel series of WW2 adventure stories that have also done very well.

Overall, my writing career was a long, hard road that ultimately led to a very happy level of success, a gratifying and humbling journey. I feel like I’m a very lucky man. And I’m very happy to have known you since the beginning!

What was the creative process for this novel? Is this something you thought of while writing Children of God?

The Children of Red Peak is a psychological horror novel with cosmic horror elements about a group of people who grew up in and survived the horrific last days of an apocalyptic cult. Years later, when one of them commits suicide, the other survivors reunite to confront their past and the entity that appeared on the final night. Solving the mystery of what happened will lead them back into very dark repressed memories and ultimately back to Red Peak.

My fantastic editor at Hachette was looking for a horror novel that had a literary feel to it. I’d done Children of God, a collection of poems written by the survivors of a suicide cult, and thought it could be expanded into a novel. I’d invited author Jonathan Moon to come in the poetry collection with me, and he was graciously cool about me doing the novel, so I went ahead with it. My aim was to examine the trope of an apocalyptic cult through a realistic lens and then examine its consequences by showing its survivors coping with the trauma of what they experienced. The result is a story that feels familiar in some ways while being very character driven, well informed, and offering a fresh take.

A religious scholar once said, “One man’s faith in Jesus is another man’s faith in UFOs.” Do you think this is relevant to your characters in any way? Is their biggest struggle with faith, external or internal?

That is an excellent question and cuts right to the heart of the novel’s theme, which isn’t an attempt to evaluate any specific beliefs but instead study the nature of belief itself. Belief is ingrained in the human species and is sometimes considered a survival trait. Billions of people believe that an all-powerful entity or entities exist and hold dominion without empirical evidence of their existence.

This belief has led to some of humanity’s greatest accomplishments but also some of its worst atrocities. I was curious about the slippery slope that can lead from one to the other. How a great evil could be done with good intentions and from a great love. A big inspiration for the novel came from a reading of Genesis, which has the story of God telling Abraham to take his son Isaac to a mountain, bind him, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Abraham obeys, but God stops him at the last minute. One can look at that story as a wonderful testament of obedience to God. Me, I looked at it and thought: What would that story sound like if told from Isaac’s point of view?

Certainly, as adults, the characters struggle with faith as part of their trauma. In some ways, they regard belief as dangerous and best left alone, and they earned that opinion the hard way. Yet they also long for it, particularly due to a core mystery of what happened at Red Peak: the incredible things they saw or thought they saw, and the fact the bodies of the Family of the Living Spirit were never found. People look at chaos and mystery and will always try to have it make sense, and that often requires belief. We’re all prone to this, and it’s the basis of religions; what cults do is ultimately use belief to harm their members and their communities.

I found Beth’s storyline the most interesting. She almost seems to have traded one cult for another. Were you trying to be ironic or just using Beth to highlight how the mind will do anything to survive trauma?

For each major character, I did a lot of planning to get them right. Each required me to define their personality traits, and then show how their dominant childhood trait is now taken to the limit as a crutch in adulthood. This trait and their response to what happened to them form their character arc, their professions, and the choice they make at the end of the novel when the mystery is revealed.

As a teen, Beth loves the warmth and family of the religious group she lives with but chafes at its restrictions; she wants more control over her life and constantly negotiates to get it, and the idea that the world would end soon, before she tasted all of life’s joys, terrifies her even as it excites her. As an adult, she is a psychologist who has a highly regimented and ordered world, and she’s tamed her trauma with plenty of therapy and finding the exact words and psychological theories to describe it and the fantastic things that she saw the last night—another religion of sorts, as you point out, one of the mind.

By the end, she will have to decide whether to keep control and have a life that’s hardly being lived, or surrender control again as she freely did as a child, and take a chance on the unknown.

Can readers trust the ending to be what really happened or is that just how one of the characters perceived events? I might be over-thinking it, but I also wondered if the child survivors truly survived or if they imagined their adults lives while remaining on the Red Peak.

One of the most rewarding things for me about writing the novel is various interpretations readers have come back to me with. I love this one. It was not my intention as the author, but it’s an awesome interpretation, and that’s the point, which is there is plenty of room for interpretation. The novel is fairly clear about what happens at the end, though at the same time believing it is also an act of faith. This was my main intent as the author, which was to engage the reader directly in interpretation and belief.

Will readers be seeing another cult-themed novel from you anytime soon?

Right now, I’m wrapping up a two-book series about a carrier pilot fighting a near-future war against China in the Pacific. This series will be self-published, though a major publisher is picking up the audiobook rights, which is pretty exciting. Meanwhile, my editor at Hachette has asked for ideas, so I’m currently working out what my next big project will be. I’m not sure I’ll come back to cults as I like to roam around, but I may certainly come back to it, as cults are just so darn fascinating.

Thank you for including me in your creative journey. Looking forward to reading SUFFER THE CHILDREN in February.

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DiLouie has always been one of my favorite authors, so I strongly encourage horror fans to check out his website for more info.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Last INTERVIEW of 2020 | AstraDaemon

Author Christy Aldridge is another discovery I made through Instagram. Someone shared a photo of her novel SETH, and the description really grabbed my attention. (You can read my review here.) Basically, Seth is an evil POS who makes Damian and the Corn kids look tame by comparison.

I couldn't wait to bring Aldridge into the Lair...

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Where did the idea for Seth come from?

I know a lot of people get ideas from random places, but Seth’s entire storyline and character spawned from an art piece by Stefan Koidl. He’s one of my favorite artists, and the picture he drew had a child in front of a church with a paper bag over his head and crows circling overhead. I couldn’t get my mind off of it, wondering what was going on behind that paper bag, and thus, Seth was born.

Do you consider yourself a horror author or do you let your stories decide the genre?

I think I definitely try to let the stories determine. I honestly don’t like the labels. I’m just me, writing books that I love and want to read. I’m not a horror writer. I’m not a female horror writer. I’m just Christy and I happen to write books, and I think, that alone, is pretty cool.

Who or what influences your writing, and how would you describe your storytelling style?

I know the standard answer to this question is usually to list off a couple of writers that really inspired you, but the more I think about it and grow in my craft, the more I realize that isn’t the case for me. My surroundings tend to influence me a lot. I live in the backwoods of Alabama and that definitely seeps it’s way into everything I write.

However, the people I know, and the ones I don’t, seem to make the biggest difference for me. My family, my boyfriend, my cats even. And I think they also help determined my style a long time ago. Character driven, real people often dealing with the demons inside themselves more often than the supernatural ones causing chaos. I like books about people. I like writing books about people.

Are you working on any new projects? What can readers expect from you in 2021?

Always, it seems. Only this year, I’m also working on some non-writing related ones. I’m planning to bring back my YouTube channel, as well as start a podcast. I’m really excited about that, but I’m very excited about the novel I’ll be releasing this year. I think it’s just the dark and disturbing thing we all need after the last year. So definitely stay tuned for that announcement as well.

Where can fans follow you on social media?

I’m on most of the platforms, even if I rarely use them.

Twitter: ChristyA_horror
Instagram: christy_aldridge
Youtube and Facebook: Christy Aldridge

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If you haven't added SETH to your reading list yet, I strongly recommend it.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Halloween Reading: Consumption Week | Vilestone Interview | AstraDaemon

CREAM OF REVENGE SOUP by Victor Vilestone is NOT a recipe. This is a short story about a man who discovers his wife has been keeping secrets from him. He decides to take her advice and cook something organic.

The author begins with suspense, and delivers an ending so graphic and brutal, readers might want to keep a barf bag nearby. The grand finale shocked me...I don't know what I expected, but it sure as hell wasn't anything I could imagine. Vilestone has finally lived up to his name with this one.

After this story, I decided to invite him into the Lair...

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How did your writing career begin?

I first had an interest in becoming an author in the late 90’s when I purchased a typewriter and enrolled in a creative writing correspondence course. As with most things in my life though, I started but never finished. For the next two decades I dreamt of being a bestseller, sitting at my desk all day working on stories, but did very little about it. The closest I got was jotting down a ton of ideas in an old notebook and getting a few letters published in a British boxing magazine. In the spring of 2020 the dream and desire came to the forefront once again, but this time I took decisive action and haven’t looked back since.

What do you think sets your stories apart from others? What can readers expect from your creations?

They say you should write what you know about, and I think that is excellent advice. The vast majority of my characters are bang average, leading dull and predictable lives. Until the shit hits the fan, that is. Another trait to my work is I don’t believe in censorship. I’m not the most gory and disgusting author out there, far from it, but I won’t hold anything back in the name of good taste if I feel it’s appropriate to help tell the story. You only have to read about real historical events like the holocaust to realise nothing my twisted mind can spurt out into a piece of fiction can be as horrific as humanity has been in the past and still is today.

Have you ever frightened yourself with your own stories?

Every evening at around 11pm I drive to an isolated wood to walk my two dogs. The location is ten miles from town and three miles to the nearest house. When I am there it’s just me, the hounds, the stars above, my imagination and whatever lies in the darkness. I often write when walking and have stumbled into bushes and bumped against trees many times when not paying attention to where the footpaths are. Once I was writing a scene where a guy was outside in the wilderness and could hear screams in the distance. As I typed, I realised where I was and it sent a shiver down my spine. I rarely get frightened by horror books and movies (real life is a lot scarier) but on that occasion I startled myself, if only briefly.

Where did the idea for CREAM OF REVENGE SOUP come from?

I’m a massive fan of the Death Wish movie franchise starring Charles Bronson, which influenced me to write violent revenge short stories. I was in the process of researching a non-bloody way to seek vengeance for my next tale when I came across poisoning. There I discovered the Roman emperor Claudius died from suspected death cap poisoning, a mushroom which that grows in the wild throughout Europe. The controversial ending to this story certainly wasn’t planned and only occurred to me during the writing process. Initially, the antagonist Geoff was going to lie on the bed and hold his wife, waiting for the fungi he had eaten to kill him, but one thing led to another, and he thought of other ways to spend his final hours with the corpse.

Why do you choose to write within the horror genre?

I recall enjoying watching Hammer Horror films as a boy with such greats as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in starring roles. Then as a teenager I read all the Stephen King, Shaun Hutson and James Herbert books available at my local public library. I’m uncertain what attracted me to horror in the first place, but I believe our characters and interests stem from both nature and nurture. My earliest memory of writing a story outside of school lessons was when I was around eight years old. I wrote it by hand in a Star Wars notebook, and it was about a pair of siblings who had to live with their grandfather after their parents were bludgeoned to death with an axe in the woods near their home. God knows what my mum must have thought when she read it, but as I said before it was always in me.

Are you working on any new writing projects? What can fans expect from you in 2021?

I have a plethora of ideas stacking up, so as long as I don’t burn out, I should have plenty of content coming out soon. My debut novella The Jinxed Juniper Tree will be released on 9th October 2020, followed by The Letterbox in November, and a Christmas themed story in December. I feel 2021 will be an even busier year for me, starting with the release of two or three more novellas. After that, I plan to complete my first novel length work, which will be a prequel to my short story The Drain. If I get any spare time between all that lot I will send out short stories to anthologies and may even target traditional publishers to see if they are interested in one of my novellas.

Thank you for stopping by!

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Keep your eyes open for more Vilestone stories this year, after October. As always, AstraDaemon

Clark Roberts | INTERVIEW | AstraDaemon

In the movies or TV shows, horror authors are often portrayed as creepy-looking folks who lack social skills, get excited about murders, and have hidden rooms devoted to worshiping some ancient evil. In real life, horror authors are often the people you least suspect of having terrifying creatures roaming around in their heads, plotting another apocalypse scenario. They walk among us, baking bread, painting happy trees, knitting, etc., while listening to 1980s rock and drinking locally brewed beer.

CLARK ROBERTS is one of those authors hiding among us, looking as if he is preparing to film a fishing show for PBS. I stumbled upon his short stories randomly on Amazon, while searching for new terrors. After a few small conversations with Roberts, behind the scenes, I decided to bring him into the Lair for a proper introduction to readers...

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How did you first get into writing, and why did you choose the horror genre?

Along with sports, reading was a big part of my childhood. My mom always made sure there were plenty of books on hand to pick up when I was a child. She encouraged me to read without limitation, and I think the most important thing is she let me read what I wanted. When I wanted Sports Illustrated, she purchased a subscription; when in middle school I carried around Clive Barker’s The Books of Blood she didn’t scream and wrestle it from my hands. Then, when my teachers called home to discuss some of the possibly alarming shit I’d written in class, she didn’t pull her hair out and scream. Instead, she bought me a word processor and said, “Have at it.” I don’t mention that to dog on those teachers, because really they were only doing their job and showing concern is not the same as censorship. Anyhow, Mom’s acceptance gifted me a lifelong love of reading and writing.

Then I remember my dad giving me his beat up copy of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s collaboration The Talisman. To this day I can still smell the pages from when I first cracked that book; I’d bet all book lovers know the familiar smell I’m talking about. I stared at the cover, and knew right then I wanted my own cover some day. Man, I love that book.

I owe a lot to my parents. They’ve always been good to me even at times when I was a prick in my twenties. I don’t thank them enough for the love and support they’ve given over the years. Not only that, but they’re also great grandparents.

Why do your stories always seem to involve children?

It’s funny, because I never recognized that connecting thread in many of them. It’s true all of the stories I’ve published as singles on Amazon up to this point do have children as major characters, but my collection Led By Beasts contains many stories devoid of children. I guess I’m not sure how to answer that other than mentioning kids are a part of everyday life for many of us.

I’ll say this, there are only a handful of stories I’ve written intentionally with a kid in mind. “The Whole World in Their Hands” which is published in Led By Beasts at its core is about my daughter, and I think it’s the best story I’ve written to date. “Fire Tires” which can be purchased as a single on Kindle is about my son, and I think it’s the most fun story I’ve written. My son is a pretty fun kid. “Costumes”...another story appearing in Led by Beasts is about both of those rascals. People look at me a little funny when they hear that, but I shrug and think “Ehhh… it’s a story.”

Are any of your stories based on a childhood experience or personal fears or are they just products of your imagination?

Not to date, but there is one in my mind that I haven’t yet written that my younger brother and a few of my childhood friends will recognize when I finally put the ink to paper. “Yellow Eyes” will be a dark story and it will essentially be about me, my brother, and the neighborhood kids I ran with and sometimes fought with.

Who or what influences your writing style?

Stephen King, Bentley Little, Laird Barron, Peter Straub, Clive Barker. I devoted a section of Led By Beasts to each of those horror Gods and explain the impact they had on particular stories. Led By Beasts Volume II will pay homage to Kealan Patrick Burke, Andy Rausch, Neil Gaimon, and Dennis Etchison.

Do people ever try to stereotype you when they find out you write horror stories?

Not that I’m aware of, but they do stereotype me because I’m Irish. Now excuse me while I go drink this fifth of whiskey and get angry.

Are you working on any new projects? Where can fans find out more about you and your creations?

To find more about me just friend me on Facebook or follow me at my Amazon page.

Currently I’m revising/editing a crop of stories for Led By Beasts Volume II. I have to wait for publishing rights to revert back to me on a handful of stories before I can collect them all into one volume, but it’s gonna be one helluva ride when I can publish that book. I’ve also started writing a sequel to my kid’s horror book Halloween Night on Monster Island. Part 2 is tentatively titled Independence Day on Monster Mountain.

There are also a couple projects I’m very excited about, VERY EXCITED, but right now don’t want to mention.

...pssst, alright I’ll let you guys in on my little secret but you have to promise not to say anything. Pinky promise? Alright, good. In my backyard shed I’ve built a time machine, and I’m planning to reverse all the negative effects man has had on our great Earth. Sounds nuts, right?

Haha! Just kidding. I haven’t stored a time machine in my shed. How crazy would that be?

It’s actually a nuclear warhead.

Thanks for stopping by the Lair! *pushes him out and locks the gate*

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I encourage horror fans to check out this author's stories for themselves...Roberts has already shown quite a range within the genre.

As always,
AstraDaemon

First INTERVIEW of 2020!!

Karen A Foster is a short story author from the UK. I stumbled upon her work in 2017, and I've been a fan for the last three years. HELLD is the thrilling crime-drama which first put Foster on my reading radar. I continued enjoying her ability to use drama and suspense to create some seriously shocking fiction. When I read her anthology, TWISTED, with everything from family issues and spiders to astral projection and murder, Foster became one of my favorite storytellers.

NOT MY BROTHER'S KEEPER (Foster's best work!) proves she is more than just a writer dabbling in horror. Unfortunately, Foster hadn't released anything new in so long, after releasing her first novella, I feared she had given up creating new stories.

Imagine my delight when the author published THE MAN IN THE GARDEN at the very end of 2019. A family moves to a new area, only to have a neighborhood child turn up dead. When another child goes missing, and more murders occur, the family finds itself on a downward spiral into hell.

While it's not nearly as good as NOT MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, and the setup is rather long, the second half is fairly sinister.

In any case, I thought it was time to bring Foster into the Lair...

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How did you get into writing? Did you deliberately set out to create horror stories, or does your work just naturally fall into that genre?

KF: When I was at school, possibly Year 8 or 9, my English Teacher believed I had a talent for writing. She asked me to go away and write her a long story and, in return, promised not to give me any homework. I began to write the story, but, because I was young and wanted to go out and play with my friends, I never did get the story finished. Years later, I thought about what my teacher had said and how she had put her faith in me. She was the inspiration for my first story, ‘Insignificant’. I guess I wanted to prove to myself that I could actually complete a piece of work that, hopefully, others would enjoy reading it.

My work does naturally fall into the horror category. I guess it is because that is the genre which holds my attention. I like stories that take you on a journey into the darker side of life. I don’t think the world is altogether a pleasant place and I think my work reveals this. I made a half hearted attempt at writing a frothy girlie book, but, I have to admit, it bored me silly.

Why do you your plots tend to have a crime-drama theme? Do you get your inspiration from news headlines?

KF: As I mentioned earlier, the world isn’t altogether a pleasant place. There is so much crazy stuff going on behind closed doors and we only get to learn about a fraction of it. The media highlights certain cases, but this is only a very small percentage in relation to the amount of bad stuff that is really happening all around us. When I do read about these atrocities, they fill me with horror. They do, I suppose, inspire me to write about things I find distasteful. My story ‘HELLD’ was most certainly inspired by true events.

Do you have more success with readers in the UK or the US, or do your stories go over well on both sides of the pond?

KF: I would say I have roughly the same amount of success with readers from both the UK and the US. However, most of my reviews come from readers in the UK. Reviews are always gratefully received as these get my work noticed. God knows, I am trying to get noticed.

Do you prefer to write with realism or supernatural elements?

KF: I prefer to write with realism rather than supernatural. However, some of my short stories have elements of the supernatural in them. To be honest, I think some of the terrible things that people are capable of are, to the majority of us, hard to believe. Therefore, they are supernatural.

Which one of your stories was the most difficult to write and why? Which one flowed the easiest?

KF: The story I found most difficult to write was probably ‘Not my Brother’s Keeper’. This is because I wrote it with a deep southern dialect and, as you know, I am British. I do prefer writing for an American audience though and most of my stories are set in the States. ‘Insignificant’ was probably the story which flowed the easiest. This is because I had the story in my head for a very long time. Once I began writing, it just flowed very quickly onto paper.

What can readers expect from you this year? Are you working on anymore projects?

KF: I am currently working on a compilation of short, twisted stories. I also have a couple of longer stories on the go, which I keep going back to. Maybe one day, I can dedicate myself to becoming a fulltime author and flood the book industry with my dark tales.

Thank you for stopping by!

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If you haven't already, check out Foster's short stories on Amazon Kindle.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Meet S.O. Bailey [Interview]

I discovered author S.O. Bailey playing short story roulette on Amazon, and found THE WHITE MAN. His writing style appealed to me, so I went on to read BARE BONES, which is currently one of my favorite Bailey stories. Continuing with stories such as JOGGER, RUBBERNECKERS and TERRALING, the author proves his comfort with a variety of genres, while demonstrating a knack for good ol' fashioned storytelling. MALDITO is no exception...and also the reason I decided to invite Bailey into the Lair...

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How did you get into writing?

I consumed many books --mostly science fiction-- as an adolescent, but I didn’t realize that I wanted, and would become, a writer, until I was twenty-three years old and attending Weatherford College in Texas. By that time I had been in the Army Reserves for five years as an Intelligence Analyst, and held odd security and correctional officer jobs. I point this out because there is daily report writing involved for those types of positions, and I often found myself in charge of editing everyone’s reports before being submitted to the official record. I knew I excelled at report writing, but that’s miles away from fiction. Fast forward back to college again »» I had a couple fantastic professors that were also writers--Miss Erwin for English and Miss ICan’tRememberHerName for History--who told me that I had a good “writer’s voice”. Miss Erwin challenged me to submit an editorial I had written for class to the local newspaper for extra credit. I did and it was published. Then I did four more times, and all five were published. I didn’t know exactly how, but I knew absolutely that my new passion for writing would be a part of my career. After a bit of life and crap jobs, I began writing short stories at thirty years old.

Did you deliberately choose the horror genre, or is that just the natural direction of your stories?

Horror is fun isn’t it?! I think that’s why most of my stories are naturally more macabre. Reading a little bit of Stephen King didn’t help either. I don’t intend to adhere to any particular genre though, I have stories waiting in line at many different aisles. The horror line is the longest, however, and those customers are impatient, and some hold weapons that I fear they’ll use if I leave them waiting too long.

Your writing style has a strong folklore influence. Does this make storytelling easier or are you trying to breathe new life into a classic construct?

You know, I honestly had no idea I was doing that. I just use the voice I have to tell stories the way I like them to be told, with hopes that a few other people will enjoy them too. To be even more honest, you guys and gals--the readers--are much better than I am at categorizing the fiction I write, and I like it that way. I love reading the different interpretations. So, I’ll keep tossing the stories out there and let y’all (Texan) decide where they settle. Perhaps my Irish ancestors are a bit of my influence.

Unfortunately, we often hear about tourists vandalizing sacred spaces. Is MALDITO based on any particular headlines or are you trying to warn people not to be dicks when traveling?

The idea behind MALDITO is an easy one to explain without giving away any spoilers, because, like most of them, it turned out completely different than I imagined it would. My wife Ashley and I were in Mexico on a company paid vacation (like in the story) because (like in the story) she’s a badass saleslady and always makes the President’s Club. That’s pretty much where real life ends in the story, the characters weren’t based on us.

One evening, we were in the back of a taxi that was returning us to our resort, and I thought, What if the driver keeps driving past our hotel? Where would he take us? What would I do? “What if” is how most of my stories begin. My imagination took off and I envisioned a tourist main character who choked the driver from the backseat (a freakin’ hero), causing the taxi cab to wreck, and the death of the driver. The police arrive and ultimately the main character is arrested and thrown into a Mexican prison. I thought of how interesting it would be to research Mexican jails, and really put the hero through hell during his stay at one.

If you’ve read MALDITO, you know that it’s nothing like this at all, and I couldn’t tell you how I made the gigantic leap from the story that never happened to the hell that Eric got himself and his wife Nancy into.

To answer your question, after I made the leap, Eric was a necessary “dick” and the warning was a byproduct of the story. It’s always frustrating to see tourists disrespect local customs and superstitions.

While MALDITO is my current Bailey favorite, BARE BONES is a close second. Without giving away any spoilers, where did you get the idea for that story?

Although BARE BONES eventually progressed as naturally as most of my stories, it had the least natural inception. After completing THE WHITE MAN, TERRALING, and JOGGER, I simply decided that I wanted to write a monster-in-the-woods kind o’ story. I had no idea what, or who, the monster would be initially, and my pen didn’t hit the paper until the (How did some of the reviewers put it?) sinister and grotesque relationship between Walter and Maynard came to mind. The odd couple seemed original, and perhaps shocking, which are two very important goals I attempt to achieve whenever writing in the horror genre. I have much more fun with the antagonist characters, which lends to your first question, and probably why most of my stories are currently in the horror vein.

If you had the opportunity to option one of your short stories into a movie, would you? Which one?

Hell yes. As much as I would love to see Walter and Maynard on the big screen, MALDITO needs to be a movie.

Any chance of a full-length novel in the future?

For sure. I’ve written about 20,000 words of what should be my debut novel, Shadow Grove, where you’ll meet the Loggins family. They’re an awful bunch on the outskirts of Esel, TX, who live by their own laws, and may be connected to some of the city’s most heinous crimes. I’ve set it aside for now while I work on my short stories, and I may have a couple collections released before the novel, but I’m excited to get back into the ring with some of the nastiest characters I’ve ever created. My fingers are crossed for the end of 2020, but I won’t rush it.

What can readers expect from you in 2020? Do you think you might make an appearance at one of the Texas conventions?

My first short story collection, Love Letters, will be released in the beginning of 2020. It will include some already published stories, and plenty of new ones. Then, I plan to use that same approach and trickle out a handful of short stories (and/or novellas) leading up to my follow up collection. After that, I may or may not be ready to release Shadow Grove. I won’t make any of the 2020 convention dates, but you can look out for me in 2021!

Where can fans follow you?

- @sobaileygram on Instagram is the best place to follow me. Maybe someday I’ll get back onto Twitter and Facebook.

- www.SOBaileyBooks.com for somewhat of a blog.

- You can also follow my Amazon author page: Amazon.com/author/sobailey.

One last question: did you ever solve the mystery of the moving cement blocks?

It’s funny you should ask. I thought that it may have been my neighbor’s teenage daughter, using the blocks to help her hop back over the fence, and sneak back into their house; it turns out she’s out of town. Also, it’s the strangest thing, every time I replace the blocks behind the shed where they were, they end up on the opposite side of the backyard again. It doesn’t matter if I go back inside the house for one hour or one minute. The blocks move. As I sit and provide answers to your questions, I’m staring out of my bedroom window, and the blocks are there, mocking me.

As always,

AstraDaemon

Halloween With Blood and More [Interview]

We’ve discussed monsters throughout this month, but the reason for the season is Halloween. Some folks get old-school and celebrate Samhain, while others celebrate All Saints Day. Of course, there are those who not only celebrate all three, but also get into the dark holiday spirit as soon as Autumn begins.

I thought I’d bring back Ruth Miranda, author of the Blood trilogy, to discuss the holiday most horror fans live for…

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When do you begin celebrating, and how do you celebrate?

I actually don’t quite celebrate Halloween - shocker! - in the common sense. I do put up some witchy decor because I love marking the seasons this way and I love to surround myself with evocative reminders of the seasonal changes, we occasionally bake pumpkin pie for dessert on the 31st and we do tend to have a bit of a celebratory dinner between the 3 of us. But most of my celebrations happen inside me, does this even make sense?

October is a month that means family to me, from start to end. My father’s birthday was in October, so is mine and my husband’s. My niece and nephew too, some of my best friends along the years have October birthdays, so to me this is all about honouring the hearth, the family ties that don’t always have to be blood ones, and the ancestry running in my veins. My grandfather passed away on my 13th birthday, so I feel a deep connection to his spirit, his heritage, as deep as I felt the connection with him while he was living. I find myself thinking about my ancestors a lot during this month and finding traces of them in my children, my sister’s children, so I celebrate this link, this tie to the past, to those who came before me and made me who I am. I cherish and honour their lives and their memory, but it’s something that happens inside me.

You are currently residing in Portugal. How is the European view of Samhain/Halloween different from the American view?

Wouldn’t know about what happens in the rest of Europe, to be honest, only here. Portugal is a MASSIVELY catholic country, but it’s also a place so prone to fall under what’s commercially sold. Halloween was NEVER a thing round here when I was growing up, though I knew it from watching American films and Peanuts - best Halloween ever! - but here people celebrate All Saints’ and the 1st of November tends to be sombre and sad, folks going to the cemetery to place flowers on their departed ones’ graves.

Imagine my surprise when my kid started school and I was suddenly drowned by Halloween parties and the need for a costume for all those parties… Of course I would never deny him the experience, so he did celebrate a few Halloweens like that, but he has never celebrated All Saints because we’re not catholic. I think the religious weight has been lifted off the date a lot with the younger generations, but the older ones are still frowning upon such a pagan party as Halloween...

Do you know of any unusual Halloween traditions, such as matchmaking or soul cakes?

All I know are certain Samhain rituals...

Do you think the horror community keeps Halloween relevant or do you think Halloween gives a boost to the horror industry?

Neither, actually, for me Halloween goes beyond horror and I don’t view it as an horror prone date, but I do confess to watching a horror film or ten on Halloween!

What do you think of people trying to change the date of Halloween?

Why would they? It’s silly. Then again, the 1st of November is a bank holiday in Portugal, maybe that’s why I find it stupid that people would change the date. We get to party hard - and I sure did, back in my 20s, 30s! - and rest the day after.

How do you think the preternaturals in your stories would celebrate? Or do you think they’d find human customs ridiculous?

There’s a Samhain celebration occurring in Avalon Hall complete with a little ritual as well, and seeing that the story is set in the same preternatural universe as my previous books, I feel that a lot of the characters would celebrate in a similar manner. Except for Rune Sanderson and his gang, that is, he’d been out and about hunting witches for their blood back in his younger days!

Do you think you would ever write a story which takes place around this holiday?

Like I said, Avalon Hall reaches its climax during Halloween!

Will you come back later this year to discuss your new fantasy series?

Would love to return and talk about the Heir of Avalon Trilogy!
https://indiepublishauthors.wixsite.com/ruthmiranda

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Tomorrow I announce the winner of the Kody Boye giveaway, and I have a special review planned for Halloween, so keep checking back this week.

As always,
AstraDaemon

Aliens, Undead and Terrorists [Interview]

Kody Boye is the author of many series such as When They Came, The Daylight Cycle and The Beautiful Ones. His monsters range from aliens to zombies to terrorists. The author has always had a special talent for taking relevant social issues and stirring up discussions about those real-life problems using a combination of horrifying creatures, complex characters and dystopian storylines.

Being no stranger to the Lair, I thought Boye would be a perfect guest to chat about the relevance of monsters in the horror genre, as well the significant role horror plays in the celebration of Halloween.

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Why do you think people enjoy reading stories with monsters?

I think people enjoy reading stories with monsters because it gives them a chance to escape the realities of the real world. With aliens and zombies, there’s a certain disconnect that allows us to enjoy the fear “safely.” The fantasy of it is fascinating because most super apocalyptic events, such as zombie uprisings and alien invasions, aren’t likely to happen. 

Many readers think people are the most frightening monsters because of the evil humans are capable of inflicting upon one another. Do you agree, or do you think “bad guys” are just easier to accept than aliens or supernatural creatures?

I think people can easily be the most frightening monsters. When we look at history, we see that it is people who have committed some of the greatest acts of cruelty. That isn’t to say periods of famine or disease aren’t terrifying (consider the height of the Bubonic Plague for instance,) but it’s far easier to trust people than we lead ourselves to believe, which leaves our ability to be hurt by them even more unsettling.

What do you consider the most frightening aspect in your series, The Beautiful Ones?

I think the most unsettling aspect of The Beautiful Ones is the eugenics program the girls are selected for. We’ve always had stories of “Perfect” or “Master” people, and we’ve even had versions of them throughout history (Hitler’s “Perfect Race” is one I can reference quite easily.)  So, to think that in a dystopian future, people—especially young people—would be selected based off any number of physical traits is terrifying. It lends to the elitist idea that some people are better (or more important) than others, which is a sad and startling strand of thought.

Tell us about your latest series, The Plague Bloom. How is it different from any other undead series?

The Plague Bloom begins with A Deadly Bloom, and tells the story of a young woman named Bryce Song, whose people are journeying to a Promised Land to escape a deadly bloom whose spores raise the dead. It is my return to the high/dark fantasy genre, and is unique in that the undead return to life by way of pollen inhalation rather than viral infection.

The horror genre seems to be more prominent in the last year or two, as far as books, TV and film. Could this be because horror is also a commonly used element in other genres?

I feel that horror is experiencing a resurgence because it is a common element in other genres. People love to be scared (so long as it’s in a safe environment.) They love the rush of adrenaline in their veins, the what ifs? in their minds. Fact is: most of the subgenres of horror are safe to enjoy because they’re not likely to happen.

Is science fiction becoming the new horror?

I think science-fiction has always been a gateway to horror. Movies like The Thing are prime examples of how science-fiction concepts can be terrifying without being explicitly “horror” films. Ideas rooted in reality, or at least touching on reality, are always scary, which is why it’s not uncommon to see the two genres mashed together.

Do you think the horror genre has become commercialized like Halloween, or do you think the darker aspects are making a comeback?

I think anything that can be commercialized can and will be. I do, however, think that darker aspects have been making a comeback as of recent years, especially as it becomes more acceptable to like horror movies.

Why do you think people enjoy Halloween? What do you enjoy about the holiday?

I think people enjoy Halloween because it allows them a sense of escapism, the same as horror movies in general. For me, I personally enjoy the mainstream acceptance of ‘the dark’ things in life. Plus, there’s candy, AWESOME decorations at all most of the major chain stores, and dressing up!

Any more new releases coming in 2019? How can readers keep track of your new projects?

The last project(s) that will likely see release in 2019 will be the final Beautiful Ones novel, called The Battle Within, as well as a re-release of my second Kingsman Online novel Alt Control Save. Readers can always follow me on social media (Facebook is my primary social media haunt.) Or, if you prefer to just get release news, you can subscribe to my mailing list on my website, KodyBoye.com.

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The Lair is giving away autographed paperbacks of the first two books in The Beautiful Ones series. To enter, just leave a comment below. A winner will be chosen on Halloween.

The Dark of Knight [Interview]

I often discover new authors through Instagram. This past year, I stumbled upon K.B. Knight, author of the Greenwood series (featured in May 2019)...and I've since learned he goes hardcore at Halloween. His home decorations are better than some haunted houses I've visited.

Naturally, I needed to bring him into the Lair to discuss his work and his love of this holiday...

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Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

Yes. In seventh grade my teacher, who loved reading, allowed us to write short stories for extra credit to help out grades. She loved my stories so much she signed me up in a writing competition called Young Authors Future Success. I placed third place and second place the following year. I knew someday I'd be a great writer. Fast forward some years, I read my first book, MISERY, and wanted to be S. King ever since.

Who or what has influenced your writing, particularly your choice in genre?

Stephen King, after reading Misery.

Do you prefer to write stand-alone novels or series?

That's a hard question to answer. I don't believe there is a definite one-or-the-other answer. I love stand-alone novels, but sometimes an idea is so good you simply cannot leave it at one book. Sometimes a story is so great it would tear your heart in two if you ended it on one book.

However, sometimes a story is so great it would be a crime to continue it on. You struck gold with it, leave it be; don't tarnish it with a second or third that could bomb in the worst way.

I dragged this longer than it needed to be. I guess BOTH would be my answer.

Have you ever used personal experiences or news headlines in your work?

Yes, the Greenwood Abductions… Three stories total within that book. Two of them were experiences a few members of my family and I were part of. One was from my childhood friend.

Do you plan to stick with horror, or do you see yourself writing in other genres in the future?

I don't write exclusively horror. Being a one-trick pony limits yourself and your abilities to gain fans/readers from all walks of life.

I wrote a drama book, and an apocalyptic book. I've started a fantasy fiction book a few years ago. I wrote 27 chapters in it before I placed it on the back burner...for now.

Based on your Instagram account, Halloween is your favorite holiday. Why is that? What does Halloween mean to you?

The same feeling/thrill one looks for and embrace when climbing aboard a menacing roller coaster is the one I feel with all things spooky. I was like that since the beginning of my memories.

What can readers expect from you in the next year or so?

Possibly the completion of my Greenwood Series, part two of Kelsey's Playground, and my first book of short stories.

How can fans find out more about you and your stories?

My website: www.kbknightauthor.com

My Instagram: www.instagram.com/kb_knight_author

(Currently making a second Instagram page that will have nothing but my flash fiction stories)

 My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxmCA3g2CwEOX7fvX-aabw (or type KB Knight Author in YouTube search. There you will find my audio flash fiction stories)

Thank you for stopping by!

As always,
AstraDaemon

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In addition to the Nurse Blood giveaway this week, I am also giving away autographed copies of both Greenwood paperbacks. To enter, just leave a comment below. The winner will be chosen on October 27th.

Run For Your Life [INTERVIEW]

LAB ZERO by Brandon Lee Hayes is a short story about a lab intern who wants to know what is in the basement of his building. As soon as he realizes what has been going on behind closed doors, the doors are torn apart, and the intern is facing a life and death situation.

Hayes does a great job of combining terror and suspense by including the internal dialogue the intern is having. Rather than stay in self-preservation mode, he remains determined to figure out what escaped from the laboratory.

Hide and seek...and try not to die.

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Even though I've only read a couple of stories by this author, Brandon Lee Hayes, his horror creations have already made quite an impression on me. I decided to invite him into the Lair to discuss bears, hunting and Halloween:

Let’s get right to it…where did you get the idea for I’M ALL ALONE AND IT’S GETTING DARK?

The title popped into my head one day and I felt like I had to figure out what this story was about. Usually it’s the complete opposite for me. I have ideas that I write out, struggling to find a good title.

I opened up my journal with all of my story ideas and thought to myself “when is it scary to be alone?”.

The first thing that came to me was that it’s terrifying to be alone as a child. I also feel that an event from my childhood leaked into this story without me even realizing until this question was asked.

When I was very young, armed robbers broke into my house, pistol whipped my father and tied him up. They threw the phone down the basement stairs and rummaged through my house.

The whole intruder in the house and phone in the basement thing sounds a bit like I’m All Alone and It’s Getting Dark.

I have a blog section called “Why I Wrote” on my website that explains in greater detail where the ideas behind my stories come from if you’re interested in an even more in depth answer.

Is there any chance of seeing Roosevelt in another story?

It’s definitely possible. As of right now I think it would be as more of an easter egg rather than a main character in the story. I will say that my stories take place in the same universe, so anything is possible.

I have another story that isn’t completely written yet but the idea came before “I’m All Alone and It’s Getting Dark”. These stories originally were completely separate from one another but I decided to make them connect.

While this story isn’t written yet and doesn’t even have a title, I have a lot planned for it. Right now it’s just labeled “Rain”.

If you look at the photo of the newspaper article at the end of “I’m All Alone and It’s Getting Dark” you will notice there’s another article being covered by the main article. This may be a hint for how these two stories are going to connect. It’s a bit like an easter egg for something that hasn’t even been written yet!

So far, your stories include being isolated and hunted. Is it just a coincidence, or do you find this theme more terrifying than other horror scenarios?

I definitely find this theme incredibly scary. I absolutely love stories where monsters are on the prowl. I do want to make my stories a bit more diverse and I certainly have ideas for different themes.

That said, there are definitely more stories with the theme of being hunted coming soon.

How did you get into horror in the first place?

I watched a lot of horror movies as a kid. Alien, The Thing, The Shining etc. I don’t really like watching movies anymore but I have a soft spot for a good monster movie.

When it comes to reading or writing horror that was much more recent. A few years ago someone I worked with introduced me to The Dark Tower by Stephen King. I fell in love with the story and started reading all of his other novels, which introduced me to the world of horror fiction.

I loved it all so much I decided I wanted to write it too.

Halloween is around the corner…are you planning anything for the holiday? Maybe another story?

I do have some more horror stories on the way. I’ll have 2 more out by Halloween, hopefully 3.

I haven’t really thought of any Halloween themed stories though. I would like to make one of my stories Halloween themed and have it released on or around the holiday. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t make sense for any of my stories that I’m writing and editing right now and would feel forced if I just threw in the fact that it’s Halloween.

I do have one story that I thought of more recently that can take place on Halloween but I’m not sure if I’m going to get around to writing it in time. I have a lot of other stories that I’m really itching to write at the moment, as well as stories that are already written and I’m working on editing and publishing.

Do you think you might write a novella or full-length novel in the next year or so?

It is one of my goals, definitely. Over the next year I’d like to publish the 12 or 13 short story ideas I have, make a short story collection and write at least one of three novel ideas I have. Ideally I’d get two novels out but that’s probably a stretch.

I also have a story that is currently written and being edited called “Journal of a Missing Man”. It was originally a short story idea that turned into more of a novella now that it’s roughly 13,000 words. I’m still editing it and I’m not sure exactly when this one will be out.

Where can readers find out more about your new releases?

My website, www.brandonleehayes.com, has all of my stories and blog posts about my writing. I also have Instagram, twitter and litsy which can all be found through my website.

Thanks for visiting us in the Lair!

As always,

AstraDaemon