What first attracted you to horror writing?
We didn’t have a TV until I was in the fifth grade, and even then, we were limited to an hour a day. So I grew up reading – a lot – and my favourites were always darker sci-fi and horror. I’ve written most of my life, taking creative writing courses, and drawing and writing my own comics since I was fourteen. I even wrote a full novel when I was in the fifth grade (I’m sure it sucks now!) and I did a bunch of interior illustrations for it. It was a hard decision to go for just art in college, but I had no money, was working two jobs and getting around on a twenty year old motorcycle, and I couldn’t really afford a double major!
What is your most notable work?
My current work! I wrote a dark sci-fi/horror novel, and am now working on my fifth horror short story. Many more people have read my short stories than the full novel, but they all have given me great feedback, and many of them were very complimentary.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a horror short story (well more like medium story, it will be around 8,000 words) based around a soldier – stuff in the trenches in World War one. I like to extensively research all of my stories, and I’ve gotten books about the trenches in World War one to give me some insight. My last story took place in Scotland, and I waited until I went there, to get a feel of the place, to write it. My full novel has a big part in Mexico, and I vacationed there to get a real feel for what I was writing about.
Who do you admire in the horror world?
That’s hard, do you mean in art? Writing? Directing? I’m a big fan of all the older horror movies by George Romero, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, David Cronenberg, Sam Raimi, and Peter Jackson. Some of my favourite writers are H.P. Lovecraft (my all time favourite), Richard Matheson, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, early Anne Rice, and early Clive Barker. George Orwell, Cormac McCarthy, Bret Easton Ellis, and others have written awesome horror stories, even though it is not their main field. I recently got turned on to James Herbert and I really like his work so far. Art wise, John Totleben (a very underrated artist), Bernie Wrightson, Basil Gogos, H.R. Giger, Mike Mignola – all do good horror, with many more like Frank Frazetta, John Harris, Mike Kaluta, Donota Giancolo doing great work that is sometimes horror related.
Do you prefer all out gore or psychological chills?
Psychological all the way!
Why should people read your work?
I think I have a different perspective. Being an artist, I really like to focus in on the scenes. I write first person, and narrate the tale like the reader is seeing the horror unfold all around him through his own eyes.
Recommend a book.
At The Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis is awesome as well. Oh, and 1984 by George Orwell! I can continue this all day….
