What first attracted you to horror writing?
Having grown up in a house in a cemetery I guess I was never going to be writing Mills and Boon stories. But horror is the one genre that has always appealed to me. It focuses on our fears and I like trying to scare people or get underneath their skin. I guess I’ve always been strange like that.
What is your most notable work?
As it’s recently been turned into a film, it has to be The Kult, the story of which is in the vein of films such as Saw and Se7en. But like an onion, the book has many layers, from crime, thriller, horror and mystery:
What are you working on now?
I’ve been going over another novel featuring Prosper Snow, the protagonist from The Kult that once again puts him in a whole lot of trouble. I’ve also been working on a new novel but I don’t like to say too much about works in progress because talking about it seems to ruin the magic.
Who do you admire in the horror world?
I admire anyone who can make a living at writing horror.
Do you prefer all out gore or psychological chills?
I don’t have a preference, because each can have its place. Some stories work well when the horror is only hinted at, other times the story needs that extra bit of gore. A mix of both works well for me, then shake it up and see what happens.
Why should people read your work?
People should read my work because if they don’t they’ll never know what they’re missing.
Recommend a book.
Of my own work, it’s got to be the The Kult. If it’s another author’s work, I’d have to go with Stephen King’s The Stand. A book that works on so many levels.
