Wakeful Children is a collection of highly imaginative and inventive short stories written by S P Oldham. You will be unwittingly taken on a journey to witness the twisted brutality of Joe Gallows, the weird dream-scape of The Sandman, the ice-cold grasp of The Face of the Gale, the elemental horror of an ancient, evil entity in Devil's Drop. You will visit some of the residents down a darkly troubled street in Absorption; watched over by a beautiful, malignant presence all the while.
These and other tales make Wakeful Children an extremely unusual, compelling and refreshingly different read in this genre. One that will leave you thinking of it long after you have turned the last page... 1) As a female horror writer what do you bring to the table in terms of what of you write? I write horror across a broad spectrum, from graphic gore and strange speculative fiction, through to more subtle and understated ghost stories and eerie tales. My love of horror comes from – and remains well within – the written medium, i.e. books. I rarely if ever watch horror on screen, although I do like a good ghost story or a supernatural tale. There seems to be a modern view that to be a ‘true’ horror fan, and thereby in order to write horror well, you have to be a fan of horror films and on-screen gore. I disagree. When you look at some of the classic names in the genre – Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, they all pre-dated on-screen horror either partially or completely, yet their stories remain abiding horror favourites. Their imaginations alone fed their writing. They didn’t need to watch increasingly graphic, explicitly violent films as a means to keep the creative juices flowing. I think that this perhaps also brings a freshness to writing, in that it is less influenced by the dictates of horror films and more true to the horror of one’s own mind. That said, if someone ever expressed a wish to turn one of my stories or books into a film I would be over the moon! 2) Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre? Possibly. I know of one or two, though if I am honest, if asked to think of horror authors I would probably come up with male names first. I don’t think that is rampant sexism on my part, they just happen to be the ones I know and have read. Is that because the industry is more geared towards promoting them, or society more conditioned to accept them? I really don’t know, but they are interesting questions. 3) Tell us about your book(s) I have two short story collections, ‘Wakeful Children: A Collection of Horror and Supernatural Tales,’ and ‘Hag’s Breath: A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness.’ ‘Wakeful Children’ is a compilation of short stories embracing the spectrum of horror I previously referred to, in that some of it, such as ‘Joe Gallows,’ is graphic horror, whilst other stories, like ‘Absorption’ or ‘Devil’s Drop’ are more supernatural in nature. ‘Hag’s Breath’ is a collection of stories centred around witches, some more traditional than others but, in the words of one reviewer, “if you think these are your standard black hat, black cat witches you’d be very wrong!” In addition to these two collections, I also have two books in what will eventually be a series of three, based on a zombie/apocalyptic theme. These books are called ‘Sleep, Think, Die’ and its sequel, ‘The Undertaking.’ I am working on a third and final book in this series, as well as a stand-alone horror book on a different theme. Wakeful Children will be available on paperback sometime in the New Year. At present, the other books are e-books only. 4) Why is horror writing important to you? I think it is because of all the genres out there – and I have dabbled and continue to dabble in a few – this is the one I find the most satisfying and which has the most to offer in terms of possibility and richness of imagination. When writing horror, or speculative and dark fiction, you can really let yourself go. There is such scope for vivid imagery. There is a whole wealth of legend, myth and folklore from which to draw inspiration. You can feed in to the most basic and elemental needs and fears that exist within yourself, an inherently human aspect and one no one can rid themselves of entirely, however hard they might try. The challenge is to tap into that and if you are very lucky, bring it so to life on the page that your readers want to turn away, or turn out the light, but they just can’t bring themselves to do it… 5) Is the future of horror female? I would hope the future of horror is neither male nor female, but something genderless that allows readers to decide what they want to read not based on the author’s gender, but on their ability to write, to captivate and to thrill. That said, I do think it is important to showcase and to highlight female horror authors, not so that they can ‘take over’ the genre, but so that they can be seen as equals and accepted as such. As I said before, if there is an imbalance in representation, then initiatives such as this one are very important. About the Author: I am 48 years old, happily married to Adam for the last 28 of those years. Together we have two grown up sons and a spoilt Cocker Spaniel. We live in the Sirhowy Valley in South Wales. I have been writing stories and poetry since childhood. My first success was a poem called ‘Pegasus’ which I was thrilled to have accepted for publication by the village newspaper at the age of 12. Since then I have been published in more than thirty anthologies, various calendars, eBooks and eZines, greetings cards and other media, as well as having a short story broadcast on Rutland Radio’s Sunday Night Story. I only ventured into the world of Self-Publishing in February 2015. I write primarily in the Horror and Speculative Fiction/ Supernatural genre, though I also write Historical Romance under the pseudonym Lillian White. I currently have three horror fiction books available on Amazon and am in the process of writing a fourth. I also have two historical romances on Amazon and am writing a third. I am an avid dog lover and have also published a book based on life with my beautiful Golden Retriever, Roman. Shadows are often benign, nothing to truly fear, and yet our minds create from them. We see them twist and form into something sinister, something eerie, something that makes our skin crawl or our heart race. As the fog manipulates the landscape, so does it change the shadows. With our minds, we further pull from the blurry images and a tale is formed. From vengeful women to those that welcome death to haunting moments, these stories are a mixed bag of random dark tales from the mind of Amanda Leanne. Written over the past decade, this is a small compilation of stories pulled from the shadows in the fog.
1) As a female horror writer what do you bring to the table in terms of what of you write? I would like to think I bring diversity to the types of stories and my own personality into my books. I am a dark person, but I'm also rather sarcastic and a bit of a smartass. At the core, I am actually a softy, but that's rarely something that comes out in my writing. I tend to get a little deep and a bit vague, which can be difficult for some readers. I like to rely on logic, intelligence, and then the unexpected and weird twists. I am a student of psychology, neurological psychology to be exact, and I think this is reflected a lot in my writing. I want my readers to think. I want them to have to go back and reread something to see if it was there all along. I'm not sure what that says about what I bring, but that's my perception on it. 2) Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre? As someone who has been a fan of horror since I was a young girl, yes, I think so. The only one that comes to mind immediately is Anne Rice, and some of her stuff isn't exactly horror. I'm not sure if it is the psychology of writing such books or the way that women tend to tell a story, but there doesn't seem to be a plethora of Mary Shelley's at the door. 3) Tell us about your book(s) The first book I published was actually about one of the medical conditions I suffer from, and what pinned me at home and got me hooked back into writing. From there, I released my second book this year, Shadows Through the Fog, a compilation of several short horror stories I have wrote over the last decade. Each story is very different from the others. It has different points of view, different subgenres of horror, and different flavors, so to say. In the majority of them, you can almost see the hardships I was dealing with at the time of the writings. The first story, "The Day I Danced with Death," is a somber start. A young woman in pain, suffering, and she has a crush on death. The story is definitely not subtle, not like some of the others, in regards to what was going on there. It had to do with my internal fight with suicidal thoughts during some of the harder days of my health issues. Other stories delve into killers, ghosts, and obscure horrors. I almost refer to some as more eerie than horror. In January, Sever the Circle makes its debut. It is my first full length book published under my name. I say my name as I spent years as a ghostwriter, writing over 60 books for other authors before focusing on my own work. In this book, a family of witches lives in the woods outside of a town in the colonial era. The family has gifts, albeit dark ones with a hell of a price. A mother and daughter are only alive simultaneously and the elder dies at the birth of the younger's daughter. Every two decades or so, the elder picks a male for the younger to woo, be impregnated by, and then to birth a daughter. It's a strange basis but it is only the skeleton of the story. The town is controlled, basically, by these Wood Women, as they are called. And so they have this idea that they control everything and this is their life and this is how it is, but they end up realizing that is far from the truth. Dark things get involved, things that play with the witches as much as they play with the humans and it all spirals out of control. It's dark, and a bit of a psychological soup at times. You're not really sure what's actually going on, who is who and what is what. My hope for Sever the Circle is for it to be the first of a line of horror books that revolve around a mock romance idea that is quickly tossed out the window and set on fire. A second one is already planned after the first. Along with these books is a huge series I am working on. I am creating a whole universe, so it is taking quite some time. It's a mythological, supernatural, crime, thriller thing with many elements from many genres. There is already six books planned for the series, two of which are stand alones that give a historical encounter of a great event in the universe. The N.I.C.D. File will be the main series, the entire collection will have a name I haven't quite pinned down. 4) Why is horror writing important to you? I have an interesting theory about horror and what it does for me. I had a difficult childhood and have dealt with depression and insomnia (mine as well as that of my family) for a good amount of my life. Books became a staple for me at an early age. I learned to read when I was four, thanks to a determined uncle who saw my young fascination for books , and had read my first horror by the second grade. My mother loved Stephen King and Anne Rice, and so those books were quite plentiful. With insomnia, mom would be up late watching horror movies on one of the old random channels that played classics. And so the reading and watching gave me an early introduction, respect and love. With horror, I feel it is more relatable to life. I'm not, nor ever have been, a fan of happy endings. I feel that if something goes horribly wrong, it can never be completely righted. I also feel that horror can embody issues worse than my experiences and fears, thus giving me proof of a darkness much bleaker than any I have dealt with. When I write horror, I get to control that. I am in control of the darkness. I decide how deep it can go, what it does , if it is able to be overcome and what it will leave behind. I can create worlds worse than any depression I have had and yet at any time I can tilt it another direction. Horror is also necessary, in my opinion, to show the depths of depravity the human mind is possible to have. It also allows us to indulge in the faux pas aspects of being human in a lawful world without breaking any morality or personal vindications. You can delve into the mind of a cannibal or sympathize with a real monster and its okay. In horror, you can face your fears or bask in the darkness and close the book at the end without changing your place in the world. Horror allows us to confront and embrace so much on our own terms. 5) Is the future of horror female? I don't think horror is female or male. I don't think any gender of writer or protagonist will rule or fade in horror. I think more people are becoming more desensitized and able to enjoy horror compared to before. You see a lot more people experiencing horror on a casual level. It's no longer something that is banned from shelves or theaters for being against one religion or another or too extreme. I think it simply gains more attention overall as people become more willing to indulge in their own dark interests, despite their gender. Will more female horror authors start to appear? Maybe. The writing world is becoming quite saturated with new blood, and having any one name rise to the top is becoming more difficult. I think there will be more of a change of quantity of people of horror becoming a thing more than any specific type of person. About the Author: Amanda began reading at a very young age and has been writing since grade school. She is a prolific reader, book collector, and writer with an interest in all aspects of art. When she isn't writing, she designs and makes clothing and jewelry, paints, crafts eclectic decor, plays and listens to music, and plays video games. She currently lives with her spouse (Kris), her son, and their menagerie of animals in the mountains of Northern Alabama. Every woman needs a man who will love them to the end of time. A man who puts her needs before his. A man who takes her breath away with a single glance. A man who will do whatever it takes to have a last goodbye kiss.
What happens when a trio of ghosts from the 1800s and a skateboarding angel team up to help a newly-dead young husband spend one final goodbye night with the young wife he left behind? And what if a storm of the century threatens to get in the way? 1) As a female horror writer, what do you bring to the table in terms of what of you write? First, I bring a unique spin to my novels. My story lines are fresh and fascinating. I like to take common items and give them new uses. For instance, in A Love Haunting, my ghost can become visible to the living after he sucks up electricity by sticking a straw into an electrical outlet and sucking on it. Second, I am a writer who likes to surprise. Not only do I want to surprise the reader, I want to surprise myself. I prefer that my characters tell me what is going to happen. While I am responsible for organizing that information, I’m never sure what is going to happen until it does. Third, I like to delve deep inside my characters and display all their flaws. My preference is to take everyday circumstances and then insert characters who are common, every day people. I want my reader to relate because that guy on the pages is just like their brother. Then, I take that circumstance and twist it inside out, upside down. I find that the right amount of flaws makes the character more relatable and easier to either hate or love. Fourth, I bring a different perspective to my male characters. I insist they look at things and situations from different angles than they normally would. I’ve been told by my readers that my male characters are realistic and so believable that they have even fallen in love with a few of them. They forget that a female wrote them. I also have a unique take on my bad guys. I feel that almost every bad guy has a soft spot, once I find that spot, I like to exploit it to make them more vulnerable and less predictable. For instance, I have a character – Carl Royce. He is an enforcer for the Devil’s Lieutenant. He is beyond cruel, except when it comes to tiny dogs. He is so obsessed with small dogs that he’ll snatch them right out of yards if he thinks they are not getting the attention they deserve. Carl stalked and tried to kidnap the son of Mikael Ruskoff, who is a homicide detective. Instead, of arresting him, Mikael totally blew my mind when he went to Carl’s house and threatened Carl’s little Yorkie. I won’t tell you the rest but it is shocking and not in Mikael’s character at all… or so I thought until Mikael told me otherwise. And fifth, I don’t do guts splashing on the floor horror, I do horror that creeps up on you as you climb into bed with nowhere to go. The kind that whispers your name from behind as you double lock the door to keep the boogey-man out. I told you I like surprises. 2) Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre? In terms of fame, yes, definitely. I think that many readers feel that a woman isn’t capable of instilling true fear in their reader’s heart without resorting to excessive gore or some other desperate grab at attention. I know they would be surprised if they took a chance and read some female Indie horror authors. I know that I have been told that I changed people’s attitude about horror and females writing it. I’ve even converted people who swore they’d never read a horror novel. That pleases me to no end. 3) Tell us about your book(s) I have five books on Amazon at the moment. Four are fiction with three Supernatural Horror Crime Fiction novels (in The Devil’s Due Collection) and one Paranormal Romance/Ghosts novel (the first of The OBX Hauntings series). I have several WIPs for both the collection and series. The Devil’s Due Collection contains Death Most Wicked, The Devil’s Lieutenant, and Scorn Kills. Death Most Wicked The Devil’s Due Collection - Book 1 When the King of Hell plays a serial killer like a puppet, bad things happen. Soon the lives of more young girls are at stake, forcing cops to do whatever it takes to save them, even if it means sacrificing their own souls. The Devil’s Lieutenant The Devil’s Due Collection - Book 2 This is the tale of two cops who join forces to battle the greatest evil there is. But they are not alone, an angel comes to aid them in the form of a young girl, MaryBeth. As the war escalates, the King of Hell ups his game and sets his sights on their loved ones to force them to back off. Is it even possible to win? Scorn Kills The Devil’s Due Collection - Side Book 1 “Adulterer… debaucher… fornicator,” a menacing voice growled at me from the dark corner of my bedroom. I immediately thought the voice was Mr. Romano’s, but that was impossible. We had buried him six feet under just three weeks ago. Dead men stay dead, don’t they? In The OBX Hauntings series: A Love Haunting (Genre: Paranormal Romance/Ghosts) Every woman needs a man who will love them to the end of time. A man who puts her needs before his. A man who takes her breath away with a single glance. A man who will do whatever it takes to have a last goodbye kiss. What happens when a trio of ghosts from the 1800s and a skateboarding angel team up to help a newly-dead young husband spend one final goodbye night with the wife he left behind? And what if a storm of the century gets in the way? 4) Why is horror writing important to you? I grew up on horror. My mother took me to the drive-in as a young child for horror marathons. As a result, it runs in my veins. Every weekend, I begged her to take me to another movie. Since she loved the big screen, and I shared her love of horror, she was happy to take me. Others might say she should have been more selective about my viewings but truthfully, I’m glad she took me. As I grew older, I began to read horror. I can remember hiding in my closet with one of my mother’s true crime magazines, soaking in every word. While they weren’t horror in the true sense of the word, they were close enough. They influenced me to the point that True Crime plays a major part in my horror novels. Then, when I finally got a library card, I moved on to horror books. Ahhhhhh, that was heaven. And then I began to write, I was under eight when I wrote my first story. I’ve never looked back. And so, horror writing is important to me because it has been always been a part of my life. No matter what was going on in my life, I could count on horror. It kept me distracted from reality. It kept me interested in every book, movie, magazine, etc. And as I matured, I began to realize that writing horror is no different than writing anything else. If it makes you feel an emotion, it’s a good thing. 5) Is the future of horror female? I would say female horror writers will be entertaining readers long into the future. We bring a unique twist to the game and I think our characters tend to be more identifiable, as a whole. I think our stories are fresh and exciting. But I also think the horror world is big enough to be ruled by Kings and Queens. I’m the Queen of Scream. How about you? About the Author: I love to write horror thrillers with intense personal relationships between characters. I started reading earlier in life than most of my friends and spent many hours hidden in closets and under beds, sneaking in just another ten minutes of whatever book I was reading. As soon as I was old enough, my mother would send me to the library to pick up books for her. This delighted me because it opened up a whole new world of books not available in school. I read everything I could get my hands on but was drawn to sci-fi, horror and thrillers. As I matured, I would say my main influences became Stephen King, Dean Koontz and William Faulkner. My writing definitely reflects those influences. I can honestly say my twitter bio describes me to a T - Write, scare myself, turn all the lights on, write some more. Take a break, play pool, kick butt/get butt kicked, go write more horror, double lock door. Hadley Price, the formidable Vampire known as the Guardian Angel, was used to dealing with inconveniences caused by Humans who got in her way.
But when Hadley’s daughter, the young Vampire Svetlana Magnovska, is put in danger, Hadley and her Vampire lover, Nathan Hughes, uncover a threat to Vampires that spans across the Seven Worlds. Now Hadley is poised to take revenge on the interplanetary Human cabal called Torch. No one messes with the family of the Guardian Angel. 1) Tell us about your main character In Tales of the Vampire Hadley Price books, my main character, Hadley, is a petite, red-head. Sexy. Down right cute. But that carefully cultivated facade conceals that she’s a Vampire of great power. A superior of her kind. Hadley is merciful with those who deserve it and brutal with those who don’t. She is a proper lady, sometimes to the point of being a snob about it. And she has a particular disdain for rude behavior. Hadley’s brand of justice has made her well-know in the Vampire community where they refer to her as The Guardian Angel. The Guardian Angel is also a family woman. For the last two hundred years Hadley’s been in a monogamous relationship with Nathan Hughes- a Vampire who is one hundred fifty years her junior. They are absolutely faithful to each other and they have given me no indication that they want to be anything other than that. So this is not a cliche Vampire story where the main character is involved in some sort of love triangle. Hadley and Nathan are a couple who are doing everything right- on an eternal scale. Svetlana is the young Vampire who is Hadley and Nathan’s ward. They are a Vampire Family but this is not a Disney film. They are Vampires. They drink blood. They really enjoy sex. And the occasional violent mutilation. Nathan and Svetlana are always at Hadley’s side in her adventures across the Seven Worlds. 2) Do you think females are underrepresented in the horror genre? Representation is not the issue. The issue is the opportunity to present great stories by people of either gender who have the talent to create a great end-product that features either gender as characters. Mary Shelley is recognized as the author of the very first science-fiction novel. “Frankenstein”. That, of course, went on to be more popularly known as one of the great horror stories. Her gender was irrelevant. If she didn’t have the writing chops, she couldn’t have written such a masterpiece. And that’s the point. Who is or isn’t represented in the Horror genre should reflect those who have the talent and the interesting characters to present the public with enjoyable entertainment. The gate keepers of that would be wise to welcome talent and interesting characters into this genre, not because of a gender, but in an indifference to it. Do you have the chops (a little horror double entendre there) or not? Gender should be irrelevant. 3) Tell us about your book(s) The Tales of the Vampire Hadley Price are books with the same continuing characters. There is a greater story arc and I do know the conclusion to it all. In Hadley’s books, there has already been implications that she has a specific destiny. Her books are adventure stories as she slowly discovers her greater mission. 4) Why is horror writing important to you? Writing is important to me. Telling a good story is important to me. People having a good time reading what I write is important to me. After it’s all said and done, creating a quality end-product for the reader is what it’s all about. Get your ego out of the way and create that great end-product. I’m never more content than when Hadley takes the spotlight and I’m in the background. It just so happens that the stories I write use horror as a literary device. Most of my characters, after all, are Vampires. And in that, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. So I combine horror with humor. Look at it this way- which is better? Alice Cooper or Marilyn Manson? Now I’m a bit biased on this because I grew up with Alice Cooper. But, to me, Alice is better. Why? Because he can scare the hell out of you one moment, then the next moment, he’ll make you laugh. Marilyn Mason is just relentlessly dark. There is no interesting variation. Now I know there are those who will disagree with my choice here. Each to their own. It’s just that I’ve always kind of liked the horror/humor mix in the movie “An American Werewolf in London” and the TV series, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. The humor is that much more funny and the horror is that much more horrific because there’s a contrast. Besides, I write about a cute little hottie bad-ass who is an immortal blood drinker. Her husband is romance novel book cover model handsome and her daughter is supermodel perfect. And they’re all Vampires. That’s scary as hell. And damn funny if it’s not taken way too seriously. The most interesting stories are character driven. True horror can’t be achieved without relating to the characters, without caring what happens to them. Everything else is just torture porn. And that’s fine if that’s what you’re into. Each to their own. But one of the best ways to identify with a character is through humor. And horror writing is important to me because horror is the best foil to humor. And the both of them, together, make for a much more textured story. 5) Who is your favorite female horror author? Hmm...there’s so many good ones out there right now. I’d have to go with Laurel K. Hamilton. Again, her Anita Blake books have that true horror and true humor that I like. Speaking as a writer, not as a reader, I’d have to include the early Poppy Z. Brite stuff. It’s so existential. I wish I could write with that kind of intensity. I mean, I can and do. But I couldn’t maintain that brilliance of a gritty darkness for a whole novel like she/he did. (Maybe that’s why I fall-back to humor.) The writing is amazingly good. Yes. Granted. It lacks the humor I prefer, but damn, Poppy Z. Brite could write. About the Author: Warren Onufer a.k.a. W. J. Onufer has been a lifelong fan of science fiction and Vampire fantasy. His first full-length novel, Beckman's Folly: Tales of the Vampire Hadley Price was published in the fall of 2015. And now with the new full-length novel, Torch, the Tales of the Vampire Hadley Price saga continues. Warren’s professional history includes employment in commercial radio and as a movie reviewer for The Entertainment Review Magazine. He is the co-host of the Grace and the Author Podcast and a contributing writer and contributing voice talent for the popular online audio drama series The Byron Chronicles. Warren is a coin collector and a knife collector. And of course he haunts libraries and bookstores on a constant quest for the old and the new in books of all genres. He lives with his three imaginary Vampire friends in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Warren is available for guest author appearances, seminars and book signings. 1. As a female horror writer, what do you bring to the table in terms of what you write?
I bring many things to the table for horror writing. I love blood and guts as my alter ego is an Operating Room Nurse. I love leading people down a path and then, I leave them standing there by themselves wondering what happened. I love to twist ordinary things around so people see them in a different light. Sometime the most mundane things can take on another personality if you let them. 2. Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre? I used to think this, but I don’t any longer. There are so many females getting into the genre that I think it has become almost equal in footing between the sexes. I do have favorite female and male authors. However, it is wonderful to have another female author as a mentor and guide you through the many streets you need to cross as an author. (Shout out to Pamela K. Kinney) 3. Tell us about your books. I have one short story in Nightmares & Echoes I, II, & III. I also have a non-fiction piece in the Virginia Writers Club Centennial Anthology. I am looking forward to seeing my non-fiction book come out in the fall of 2018 titled Haunted Charlottesville and Surrounding Counties here in Virginia. I am currently working on another haunted book toward Western Virginia, and I have several short stories and two novels that are in production. Please visit my website, www.susanschwartzauthor.com, or my Facebook author page for more details and happenings. 4. Why is horror writing important to you? As I answered before, it is taking mundane things and making them come to life in a way that is not expected. It is holding the reader’s attention and getting them to follow you down that dark and creepy hallway. I think use of fine details also help to draw a picture of many different colors. All of this leads to a great story and most importantly, a shocked reader. I fell in love with Stephen King at an early age. My first story was Pet Sematary. It pulled me in and gave me a sense of what I wanted to write. Since then, I have read most of King’s books as well as some from Bentley Little. Both are masters at their craft. I think it is important to keep carrying the tradition forward and create more fans of the genre. 5. Is the future of horror female? I think there will certainly be more and more female authors stepping into the genre. When I go to conventions, I see a lot more female authors than males. I was surprised to see some guys in the romance realm. However, I think that is where we are headed now. We have crossovers of different sexes in different genres. What was once an all male genre is now opening up to female authors. It paves the way for those of us who want to share our own scary stories with the unsuspecting public. Haunted for years by dreams of death and mysterious rituals, Jess Young travels to Ireland in search of answers. Her search becomes a race against time when her friend is abducted by Celtic Druids bent on resurrecting the Morrigan; the Celtic goddess of war and death.
Jess must seek help from an ancient Order of Christians and some unorthodox Catholic priests before time runs out for her friend . . . and the world. Whom can Jess trust while being hunted by the Celtic Druids of our time? If Jess follows her destiny, is the fate of mankind safe in her hands? 1) As a female horror writer what do you bring to the table in terms of what of you write? I’m not afraid to delve into the extreme violence a reader many cringe at reading. Even as a woman, I can detach myself from the story so it doesn’t affect me, leaving me to be as gruesome as possible. I also try to add relatable characters that have a realistic past and funny anecdotes. I have filled my stories with the anecdotes I have experienced myself, even if they do seem a little wacky e.g. setting my trousers on fire or falling off a bus and grabbing at an innocent man’s trousers… yep, these are true stories hahahaha. 2) Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre? Women are a requisite of the horror genre these days, as more and more women are entering the genre with their eyes open and blood dripping from their keyboards. Gone are the days when men had readers biting their nails and sitting on the edge of their seats … this is now the work of women, too; allowing us to bite our painted nails and scrunch up our mascara with uneasiness. Many forget the first sci-fi horror novel was written by a woman - Mary Shelley. However, there were many women writing ghost and supernatural stories before that, like Ann Radcliffe, and around the same time was Charlotte Riddell, but with pseudonyms to disguise their identities. 3) Tell us about your book(s) My love of Irish mythology gave me the idea for my first novel. I grew up with stories of the Banshee which terrified my friends and me. I’d read that a terrible crime had been committed against her and she cursed the families responsible, from this the story just developed in my head. Similar has happened with the other stories I’ve written, again all based on either mythology, Irish locations, or both. My second novel is based on a very famous heritage site in Ireland, called Newgrange. I’ve visited this place many times and dreamt of the events that would have taken place over time, which led me to write the dark thriller/horror, giving some background and bringing to life the monument it is today. This is the one I was most nervous writing … an extreme horror called Red; a novelette full of gore and violence. I’ve written about abuse and violence before, but nothing like the sexual torture I did in Red. The uniqueness of the story is that it is written in 1st POV from the perspective of the serial killer - so you’re inside his mind, seeing from his eyes, feeling the pleasure of the kill. This has disturbed a few readers that were not prepared for the content. I am working on the sequel, which has made my followers very happy to hear. I have always tried to include small amounts of comedy in my stories, typically by adding funny characters, which is difficult to mix with the horror genre. I wrote a quick Newgrange spinoff and decided to write it as a comedy horror due to the main character being a little unorthodox - Father Jack; a smoker, a whiskey drinker, and full of foul language, is at an exorcism with his posse of priests. I’ve covered a few subgenres from the horror genre. What I will get around to, eventually, is sci-fi horror, which is my favourite subgenre to watch. I have multiple horror stories in my head just waiting to come out … all I need is the time to write them. 4) Why is horror writing important to you? I grew up reading horror. I asked my older brother for something to read, he handed me a Stephen King book which opened my eyes to gruesome stories. Yes, I had seen many films of this genre, but I’d never read horror before. I devoured horror books after that, and the library gave me my reading material for many years. What I love about Stephen King is that his best stories have females being the one true horror, e.g. Carrie and Misery. I also grew up watching The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits; this has influenced my writing and the twists I cannot help but add to the end of my stories. I have so many stories in my head, I have to get them out… to write them down until I’ve enough room in my brain for more. I think that will be for a very long time. 5) Is the future of horror female? I don’t think we’re the only future but it would be nice to be treated equally and not need to have gender neutral names or use our initials to hide our gender. We’ve hidden in the shadows for far too long. Women are now expressing their gory side and spilling our guts out on a page. About the Author: DJ Doyle is the author of multiple horror and thriller novels and short stories from extreme horror to comedy horror. She was raised by pot smoking hippies and spent her days worshipping pagan deities in the HellFire Club, and her nights watching horror movies. She now lives with her family in a treehouse, preying on unsuspecting travellers, and where she likes nothing better than coming up with ideas for new stories and plotting her next novel. Some of this might have been made up. Death comes calling and decides to stay. A selection of dark fiction for lovers of gothic horror. Pull the shutters and bolt the door. Keep the fire burning and the candles lit. Something is coming. Listen for the knock at the door but whatever you do, don't let it in.
1) As a female horror writer what do you bring to the table in terms of what of you write? I would like to think that I bring a taste of old style gothic horror, bringing back the ghost story, which is in my opinion the most perfect kind of horror story. I like to build suspense through description, clever story-telling and atmosphere. Basically, I write the type of horror I like to read myself – dark, twisted tales I would like to think are akin to Poe and Lovecraft or Joyce Carol Oates. I do believe that my work is more nuanced as a result of my being a poet and a woman, that my stories are lyrical and rather more descriptive and visual. 2) Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre? Not at all. Horror is filled with amazing female authors – Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe, Marjorie Bowen, Shirley Jackson, Anne Rice, Joyce Carol Oates, Daphne du Maurier, Kate Mosse and Susanna Clarke, just to name a few. 3) Tell us about your book(s) I have included several horror short stories in my collection – The Lights Went Out and Other Stories (written as Fiona Cooke Hogan), several dark faery tales about the Irish Banshee, changelings and abduction, and a psychological thriller. I have two collections of horror short stories under the name F B Hogan – Death Comes Calling and The Nightmare. These two books contain a mix of gothic and contemporary horror and contain stories such as “Our Friends Electric” – a bittersweet story, vampiric in nature set in an Irish music festival, “This Won’t Hurt a Bit” – a demon soul gatherer masquerading as a doctor, “The Nightmare” – a teenager’s imagination manifests her worst nightmare and “Dragon” – a case of there’s something nasty in the playhouse. I am currently writing a psychological horror set in the South of England that moves between Victorian and contemporary times and involves possession. 4) Why is horror writing important to you? Horror writing is my favourite genre to write. I am obsessed with all things horror, having scared myself silly from a very early age and being ridiculously obsessed with the occult. Last October, I spent two weeks binge-watching horror short films and the product was my latest horror collection – The Nightmare, mentioned above. I grew up on a diet of Stephen King, Robert McCarron, Peter Straub and the old greats, Edgar Allan Poe and H P Lovecraft. My favourite short story is W W Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw. I live, breathe and dream horror. My favourite possession is a skull I bought off a man in a top hat with a rat on his shoulder in Camden Market, London in the 1990’s (it’s a copy). I write horror to ensure that there will always be enough to go around! 5) Is the future of horror female? That’s a difficult question to address, I would like to say, yes, the future of horror is female as in Me. I like to think that I’m bringing my love of the old gothic form back from relative obscurity. But, to be honest, gender means nothing to me regarding horror, I don’t particularly look for female or male authors - I look for the best horror writers, both traditional and Indie. I want to read a tale that scares and excites me and makes me want to be a better writer, like the works of John Connolly and Neil Gaiman. I look forward to reading more undiscovered Shirley Jackson works and hope that the excellent Susanna Clarke (author of Jonathan Strange and The Ladies of Grace Adieu) writes another collection of short stories. I’m always on the lookout for new, great horror authors both male and female, lead me to them. About the Author: Fiona Cooke Hogan is a writer and blogger living in rural Ireland. She is greedy and refuses to be tied to genre. The Lights Went Out and Other Stories is her first publication and is a collection of quirky fiction. What Happened in Dingle is a romantic fiction novella set in wild, windswept Dingle, Kerry, it follows the shenanigans of Ruth who comes to Dingle for her wedding anniversary. Fiona's latest novel - Martha's Cottage will be available to buy in February 2018, yes, it really will be. She realises she has been saying this for a long time but you see, she had to get it just right for her readers. Thankfully, she is happy with it now. She also hopes to publish her work in progress - a psychological horror, in October,2018. Women in Horror Month (WiHM) is an international, grassroots initiative, which encourages supporters
to learn about and showcase the underrepresented work of women in the horror industries. Whether they are on the screen, behind the scenes, or contributing in their other various artistic ways, it is clear that women love, appreciate, and contribute to the horror genre. WiHM celebrates these contributions to horror throughout the year via the official WiHM blog, Ax Wound, The Ax Wound Film Festival, and with the official WiHM event/project database in February. The database (http://womeninhorrormonth.com/events)—in conjunction with the WiHM social media fan base-- actively promotes do-it-yourself annual film screenings, blogs/articles, podcasts, and any other form of creative media with the ultimate goal of helping works by and featuring women reach a wider audience. This inclusive and positive movement is open to everyone, just as we believe the horror genre should be. From Mary Shelley to Anne Rice, female horror writers have been around for generations. This month is all about celebrating female horror writers and strong female leads in horror stories. We hope you enjoy what we have to offer and hopefully, you will find a few new books to add to your collection. Below is our schedule for the month. |
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About the Author:S. K. Gregory is an author, editor and blogger. She currently resides in Northern Ireland. “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” Archives
April 2024
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