What first attracted you to horror writing?
I think it was a natural progression really. I’d always enjoyed reading from a very young age and I was always drawn to the darker side of fiction. From as young as seven I was reading abridged versions of Edgar Allan Poe (I still have that book somewhere).
I was still at primary school when I wrote my first slice of horror. It was a story called The Radioactive Cream Cake. As the title suggests the cake is mutated and goes on a killing spree before being hunted down and destroyed.
Over the years I continued to try my hand at writing but never felt happy with anything I wrote. In this time I was devouring horror, on the page and on the screen.
By the time I was ready to start writing on a serious level horror was pretty much under my skin, I had very little choice in the matter.
What is your most notable work?
It all depends on what you mean by most notable. In the big picture I don’t feel I’ve been around long enough to have any work that could be tagged as notable.
If you mean the most read it would be very close between Heaven’s Falling and Shredder. But that is nothing more than a statistic. I don’t feel it equates to being classed as notable.
At the end of the day I’m happy to have people read and enjoy my work. Come back and ask me when I’m eighty and we’ll see if I have an answer for you.
What are you working on now?
The start of 2011 has been busy and it’s taking me away from novel writing. I have ventured into the world of screen writing and these are taking up much of my time. They have also helped me take a step away from horror and write pieces of a lighter nature and I’ve found this experience to be a very pleasant one.
That doesn’t mean I’ve turned my back on horror. Only this week I’ve written a music video for an experimental short for the bass player from the Black Metal band Carpathian Forest.
Who do you admire in the horror world?
Anyone who strives to write a story, be it a short, a novella or a novel. I admire each and every one of them who sits down and attempts to create a tale that will scare. Writing is not an easy task for everyone, yet they still continue to try.
Do you prefer all out gore or psychological chills?
I like to see both used, preferably in the same piece of fiction. But I can quite easily sit and enjoy a gore splashed slice of fiction just as much as I can a sly little mind fuck.
Why should people read your work?
Only if they want to. I would never force anyone to read my work or have the audacity to tell them they should.
Recommend a book.
Tooth and Nail by Craig DiLouie… Best horror novel I read throughout 2010.
