Tag: author interview

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Dana Fredsti

megHan

Meghan: Hi, Dana. Welcome to Meghan’s House of Books. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Dana Fredsti: Oh jeez, I think my bio combined with the answers to the rest of the questions gives a great sampling of who I am. ☺

Meghan: What are five things most people don’t know about you?

Dana Fredsti: Erm… I’m pretty upfront about cats, wine, and swordfighting. Let’s see…

I learned to surf in my late thirties after a lifetime of being afraid of the ocean. When I was a relatively little kid, my first memory of the ‘big wave beach’ (as opposed to Shelter Island Cove, where there were only waves if a motor boat—or even better, an aircraft carrier– went by) was standing there, holding my dad’s hand, and seeing this big honkin’ wave headed my way. I’m sure it was only a couple of feet, but… at the time, so was I. I screamed and hauled butt back to my mom and our beach blanket. I don’t surf well, but there is a joy in overcoming that kind of fear and wow, is it fun!

I’ve had a full-grown leopard sit on my feet, wanting to get his butt scratched. He’d growl whenever I stopped. It was both exhilarating and absolutely terrifying.

When I was two years old, I used to dip pretzel sticks in the gutter run-off water from people watering their lawns. I figure I’m set if there’s a superflu resistant to antibiotics considering all the germs I must have ingested.

When my ex and I took a trip to Norway and England, along with another like-minded friend we dressed up in musketeer garb (which we took with us because…why not?), climbed the closed and locked gate of Richmond Castle in Northern England, and sword-fought. We did not get caught. Considering what a law-abiding person I’d always been, this was definitely a deviation from my normal behavior.

The reason I’ve always been so law-abiding is because when I shoplifted a box of Milk Duds at the age of… five, I think… I felt so guilty after I ate them that I buried the empty carton under a pile of horse manure, sure that my mom would find it and KNOW that I’d stolen that candy. I would not make a good criminal.

Meghan: What is the first book you remember reading?

Dana Fredsti: The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis. I remember sitting in my favorite rocking chair in the living room of our old house in San Diego, basically minding my own business, when my older sister Lisa came up with the book, dropped it in my lap, and said, “You need to read this book.” I was a good little sister and promptly started reading it. I think I was… jeez, maybe in first grade then? I know I read other books before that one, but it stands out in my mind as my official ‘first book.’

Meghan: What are you reading now?

Dana Fredsti: Revival by Stephen King, and one of the Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle. Er… and a non-fiction book about wine, Wine Wars: The Curse of the Blue Nun, the Miracle of Two Buck Chuck, and the Revenge of the Terrorists by Mike Veseth.

Meghan: What’s a book you really enjoyed that others wouldn’t expect you to have liked?

Dana Fredsti: Since I’ve always read in multiple genres, I don’t know that there is a book that fits this description. The only one I can possibly think of is The Girl with All the Gifts, and only because something bad happens to an animal and I have a real problem reading or watching anything where a cat or dog is harmed. A lot of writers seem to use this for shock value, but for me it adds nothing to the table. I’ve stopped reading books midway because of this. It’s my hot button/line that can’t be crossed. SO… The Girl with All the Gifts is one of the only books I’ve read/finished where, while it didn’t make me happy that an animal died, it didn’t feel gratuitous and it more or less served the story. It’s also a beautifully written book. But… you notice the first thing about it I remember is that an animal was harmed .

Also, the Betsy/Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace might surprise a few people, given that most of what I write is heavily based in horror with bad things happening to people who don’t necessarily deserve it. Whereas the Betsy/Tacy series is about as wholesome as you could imagine. Lots of bobsledding, making homemade fudge, etc. Not a zombie in sight and not one of the characters meets a horrific end!

Meghan: What made you decide you want to write? When did you begin writing?

Dana Fredsti: I’ve always wanted to write. I can’t remember a time when this wasn’t something that defined me. We’re taking back when I first learned how to string words together. Somewhere my first attempt at a novel still exists. It’s called The End of the Sun. It goes: One day the sun came out. The next day the sun did not come out. It was the end of the sun. A beginning, a middle, and an end. Hah!

Meghan: Do you have a special place you like to write?

Dana Fredsti: I have an idyllic spot with a desk overlooking an ocean view, a meandering path through a wild English garden strewn with lavender, an ergonomic chair, and an ever-percolating coffee pot.

This, of course, exists only in my wistful imagination so I make do with a rocking chair and my laptop on a little adjustable desk, fending off my various cats who all want to sit on my lap when I’m working. I like going to coffeehouses occasionally – the white noise does seem to help me focus in a way I can’t always manage at home, but I get antsy after a couple of hours.

I find that dictating into my iPhone while I walk our dog on the beach is a good way to shake things loose when I’m not exactly sure where I’m going next with the story.

Meghan: Do you have any quirks or processes that you go through when you write?

Dana Fredsti: Not anymore. I used to be oh so very specific about the hours during which I could write, the candles I’d need to light, the perfect music, etc., but the busier I’ve gotten with other work (I do cat sits and dog walks, as well as work as an assistant to another writer), the more I’ve had to learn to just grab whatever time I’ve got and throw words down on … well, not on paper anymore, but on the computer screen.

Side note: Do you know how weird it is to start running into expressions that are no longer really relevant? Like throwing words down on paper. Carbon paper. White-out. Hell, taping a show! We record it, but we don’t tape it anymore. VCRs and record players? Hah! Of course, at the speed with which technology is obsolete these days, I don’t know how anyone keeps up with anything. Get off my lawn, ya damn whippersnappers! ☺

Meghan: Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

Dana Fredsti: Everything is challenging when you’re having a bad day and everything is easy when you’re in the flow. I still don’t like outlining, and it doesn’t come easily to me, but I don’t kick and scream when asked to at least turn in a page or two letting my editor know what I have in mind for an upcoming book.

Meghan: What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve written so far?

Dana Fredsti: Oh man… that’s like asking me which of my cats is my favorite. There are parts of all of my books and stories that I love, and that have satisfied different parts of me, whether it’s because I managed to finish something particularly challenging, or because something made me cackle maniacally because it was so much fun to kill a particular character. I guess right now I’d give Blood Ink the prize for completing it because it was a hard book to write for me, coming off of double hip surgery and my mom’s death. I love it, though, and I think the pain I was in both physically and emotionally made it a better book. That being said, I’d prefer to achieve my inspiration less painfully in the future.

Meghan: What books have most inspired you? Who are some authors that have inspired your writing style?

Dana Fredsti: Ah jeez louise… that’s tough. As far as inspiration, I could give you a mile-long laundry list of authors I’ve read over the years that made me want to be a writer. Literally dozens, and I keep discovering more authors I love so the list just keeps growing. Any book I’ve enjoyed has been an inspiration because I want my books and stories to be a source of enjoyment to readers in the same way.

As far as inspiring my writing style… I really don’t know. I’ve been inspired by a lot of authors in that reading stuff I love/enjoy/that makes me laugh/scares me makes me want to keep improving/refining my own voice. I mean… Stephen King’s early work made me want to write horror and Elizabeth Peters taught me the fun of suspense combined with humor. Er… that’s as much of an answer as I can come up with for this one.

Meghan: What do you think makes a good story?

Dana Fredsti: Characters that the reader cares about. You don’t necessarily need to like them all, but you have to be invested in what happens to them one way or another. And I personally like characters with shades of gray. I love it when an author can take a villain and make them, if not likable, at least compelling or relatable. If I like the characters, they can sometimes overcome a weak plot and make the book enjoyable.

Meghan: What does it take for you to love a character? How do you utilize that when creating your characters?

Dana Fredsti: I generally find I love characters more if they have some quality I can relate to. A first person narrative with humor also will win me over. And antagonists are so much more interesting if they’re not just cardboard villains. So when I’m creating characters, I try to make them multi-dimensional and, if possible, sympathetic to some degree. Although now and again it’s just fun to create a totally evil character and let the readers enjoy hating them.

Meghan: Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?

Dana Fredsti: According to some of my readers who have known me for a while, all of my female protagonists remind them of me. This would probably be the sarcastic sense of humor that is part of my narrative style and my personality, and since I write in first person a lot of the time, there’s a certain overlap. I also utilize some of my own life experiences in some of my books, like the swordfighting and love of wine and craft beer. ☺

Connie in my first novel Murder for Hire: The Peruvian Pigeon really is partially based on me, though. My best friend and I used to have a murder mystery themed theatrical troupe and we decided to fictionalize some of our experiences when we wanted to kill someone we had to work with on one of our shows.

Meghan: Are you turned off by a bad cover? To what degree were you involved in creating your book covers?

Dana Fredsti: I try not to be, but yeah, some covers just lead to an expectation that the book isn’t going to be great because it looks so amateurish. Others are misleading (a lot of books written by female authors are given the ‘twee chicklit’ treatment even if they’re actually gritty suspense novels). I also wonder if every single female protag in the Urban Fantasy genre really wears leather and uses a katana.

As far as what degree I’ve been involved creating my covers, it entirely depends on the publisher I’ve worked with. All of them have at least asked for my input, and I’m really happy with the Titan covers. I also absolutely love the cover that Fox Spirit Press did for their re-release of Murder for Hire: The Peruvian Pigeon (my very first published novel, a “cozy noir” mystery). It’s so gorgeous!

Meghan: What have you learned creating your books?

Dana Fredsti: That writing is hard work. No joke. It really is, even when it’s a joy. I’ve also learned that no matter how difficult the writing process can be during each novel, I’ll eventually get the damn thing finished. And I’ve learned NEVER to compare my wordcount with anyone else’s because therein lies madness.

Meghan: What has been the hardest scene for you to write so far?

Dana Fredsti: I had to kill a main character at the end of book 3 in a series and I SO didn’t want to do this. I argued with my editor about it. I tried to figure out a way to make it work to keep this character alive. But… I reluctantly came to the conclusion that there was no real way to do it and stay true to the story and to the character’s arc. I did what I call a “Joan Wilder” (for you Romancing the Stone fans) and cried when I wrote the scene, though. And it’s a damn good scene. But a reader who’d loved the first two books was so upset she told me she wished she’d never read my books. Talk about feeling like you killed someone’s puppy… I still feel crappy about that.

Meghan: What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

Dana Fredsti: My experiences and background inform my writing in a way that is unique to me. I think the same can be said about any competent writer. I also have a pretty active sense of humor and it tends to sneak through in odd places.

Meghan: How important is the book title, how hard is it to choose the best one, and how did you choose yours (of course, with no spoilers)?

Dana Fredsti: I did not choose the titles for any of the books that I’ve written for Titan. I originally called Plague Town “A Plague on All Houses” ‘cause I was going for the whole Shakespearean thingee. I think that Titan’s decision to change that was probably for the best, even if I was grumpy at the time. And I think Plague Town, Plague Nation, and Plague World are three good titles for a trilogy. If I get to do a fourth novel in that universe, it’s SO gonna be Plague Ground.

My working title for Spawn of Lilith was Fall Gal (named for Fall Guy, the series about a stuntman starring Lee Majors). And my working title for Blood Ink was Tramp Stamp. I still love my working titles (the whole idea for the plot of Blood Ink came from an observation on my part that a lot of tribal tramp stamps look like these gals have Cthuhlu crawling out of their butt crack), but Titan thought both titles were a little insular.

Meghan: What makes you feel more fulfilled: Writing a novel or writing a short story?

Dana Fredsti: Well, a few years ago I would have answered ‘a novel’ instantly because short stories did not come easily to me. Nowadays, I enjoy both processes. It’s fun to have the length of a novel to tell your story, but it’s also very satisfying to know you’ve told a good story in 12k words or less.

Meghan: Tell us a little bit about your books, your target audience, and what you would like readers to take away from your stories.

Dana Fredsti: I don’t really have a target audience per se. I mean, anyone who enjoys horror, humor, and action would, I guess, be considered my target audience. But… er… I’ve never really thought about it all that much. Please don’t tell my publisher I said that.

As far as what I’d like readers to take away… enjoyment, first and foremost. I hope I’ve provided escapism and entertainment.

Meghan: Can you tell us about some of the deleted scenes/stuff that got left out of your work?

Dana Fredsti: Very little has gotten left out of my work. There were things I was gonna include in the first two Plague books that ended up in book three because of page count constraints.

Meghan: What is in your “trunk”?

Dana Fredsti: I’m writing a series with my goddaughter-in-law. YA, dark urban fantasy, called Mermaid’s Tears. We spent some time plotting it out and writing the first few chapters, but it’s on hold while I finish up my next two book contracts.

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Dana Fredsti: Mermaid’s Tears! ☺ And hopefully more books in the Lilith universe. I’d also like to revisit my zombie series ‘cause I did not give Ashley a satisfactory resolution. I thought I’d be writing more books in the series when I finished up the third one so… fingers crossed!

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Dana Fredsti: Website ** Facebook ** Instagram ** Twitter (I suck at Twitter… Just sayin’!)

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview?

Dana Fredsti: Just thank you for reading my books, for taking the time to post reviews or email me with your thoughts, and be nice to animals!

DANA FREDSTI is an ex B-movie actress with a background in theatrical combat (a skill she utilized in Army of Darkness as a sword-fighting Deadite and fight captain). Through ten plus years of volunteering at Exotic Feline Breeding Facility/Feline Conservation Center, Dana’s had a full-grown leopard sit on her feet, been kissed by tigers, held baby jaguars and had her thumb sucked by an ocelot with nursing issues. She’s addicted to bad movies and any book or film, good or bad, which include zombies. Her other hobbies include weight lifting, collecting beach glass, and wine tasting.

She is the author of the dark urban fantasy series Spawn of Lilith and its sequel Blood Ink, and the Ashley Parker trilogy (both series with Titan Books), touted as Buffy meets The Walking Dead. Her novella A Man’s Gotta Eat What a Man’s Gotta Eat, first published in Mondo Zombie edited by John Skipp, and more recently published as an eBook by Titan, maybe the first example of zombie noir. She and her husband, David Fitzgerald, are currently co-writing the third book in their science-fiction trilogy Time Shards, also for Titan.

Dana also wrote the cozy noir mystery Murder for Hire: The Peruvian Pigeon, is co-author of the Joe Ledger: The Official Companion and What Women Really Want in Bed, and has written several spicy genre romances under the pen name Inara LaVey. Additionally, she has a story in V-Wars 4: Shockwaves, and stories in the anthologies Joe Ledger: Unstoppable and Hardboiled Horror.

Dana was also co-writer/associate producer on Urban Rescuers, a documentary on feral cats and TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return), which won Best Documentary at the 2003 Valley Film Festival in Los Angeles. She guest blogs frequently and has made numerous podcast and radio appearances. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and fellow author David Fitzgerald. They share their house with their dog Pogeen and a small horde of felines.

Lilith 1: The Spawn of Lilith

Out of the spotlight, in the darker corners of the studio backlots, Hollywood hides a remarkable secret. Actor or actress, set designer, electrician, best boy, or grip—in la-la land, it pays not to be human. Vampires, succubae, trolls, elementals, goblins—studios hire anyone and anything that can take direction, be discreet, and not eat the extras. (The less you know about your agent, the better.)

Though only human, stuntwoman and struggling actress Lee Striga is a member of the legendary Katz Stunt Crew. They’re the best in the biz, in part because they can y, and boast superhuman strength.

When Lee lands a job on the movie Pale Dreamer, however, not everyone is following the script. It’s up to her to gure out who—or what—is killing the cast and crew. Especially when Lee goes from stuntwoman to lead role… and the next target.

Lilith 2: Blood Ink

Having killed her last producer, stuntwoman Lee Striga’s next film shoot takes her to the voodoo-soaked bayous and haunted back alleys of New Orleans, where sinister supernatural figures stalk the streets. In a dark corner of the French Quarter, an arcane tattoo artist is using his clients in rituals that will open an inter-dimensional gateway for a demon god from beyond the stars.

Murder for Hire: The Peruvian Pigeon

A trenchcoat and a fedora don’t make a detective, and Connie Garrett couldn’t agree more. She’s the co-founder of Murder for Hire, an acting troupe that specializes in spoofing, not sleuthing. But when MFH performs at a sleepy coastal community’s mystery gala celebrating the life and works of a famous hard-boiled mystery author and the bodies start stacking up, Connie finds herself on the case whether she likes it or not. She becomes unwillingly committed to solving the murders while trying to keep both the show-and her love life-afloat.

Time Shards 1: Time Shards

It’s called “the Event.” An unimaginable cataclysm in the 23rd century shatters 600 million years of the Earth’s timeline into jumbled fragments. Our world is gone: instantly replaced by a new one made of shattered remnants of the past, present and future, all existing alongside one another in a nightmare patchwork of different time “shards”—some hundreds of miles long and others no more than a few feet across.

San Diego native Amber Richardson is stranded on a tiny fragment of 21st century Britain surrounded by a Pleistocene wilderness. She crosses paths with Cam, a young warrior of a tribe from Roman Brittania, and together they struggle to survive—only to be imprisoned by Cromwellian soldiers. One of their captives is a man who Amber calls “Merlin, and who claims to be the 23rd century scientist responsible for the Event. Together they must escape and locate Merlin’s ship before the damage to the timeline is irreparable.

Time Shards 2: Shatter War

Time shatters into shards of the past, present, and future. A group of survivors dodges threats from across history to locate the source and repair the damage before it’s too late. 

It’s called “the Event.” An unimaginable cataclysm in the 23rd century shatters 600 years of the Earth’s timeline into jumbled fragments. Our world is gone: instantly replaced by a new one made of shattered remnants of the past, present and future, all existing alongside one another in a nightmare patchwork of different time “shards”–some hundreds of miles long and others no more than a few feet across.

A group of heroes forms: San Diego native Amber Richardson, Cam–a young warrior from Roman Brittania, Simon–a Teddy Boy from the 1950s, Phineas Van Seldoot–a supercilious Victorian gentleman, Blake–a soldier from World War II, an 1880’s reporter named Nelly Bly, and “Merlin, and who claims to be the 23rd century scientist responsible for the Event. Aboard Merlin’s ship they must return to his lab and repair the damage before it is irreparable. But when a Merlin doppelganger appears, they learn that not everyone may be who he seems to be. Allies may turn out to be deadly enemies.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Hunter Shea

megHan

Meghan: Hi, Hunter! Thank you SO much for agreeing to be on Meghan’s House of Books today. [insert fangirling here] Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hunter Shea: I’m a horror obsessed guy married longer than most of your readers have been alive with two amazing daughters who share my love of all things dark and scary. The fact that I got to turn my passion into a career that has allowed me to meet a lot of my horror heroes is still, I believe, the Matrix messing with me.

Meghan: What are five things most people don’t know about you?

Hunter Shea: Oh boy. I’m a huge fan of Shania Twain. I once wrote a romantic comedy. I went to school with P Diddy. My all-time favorite job was as a stock boy in a supermarket. I actually like the taste of vegemite.

Meghan: What is the first book you remember reading?

Hunter Shea: As a kid, I loved The Little Red Lighthouse. I read that book until it fell apart and needed a new copy. The actual lighthouse is underneath the George Washington Bridge in New York. I pass by it all the time. My very first ‘adult’ book was Stephen King’s Night Shift. That explains it all.

Meghan: What are you reading now?

Hunter Shea: Riley Sager’s The Last Time I Lied. I’m halfway in and digging the hell out of it. I loved Final Girls and his latest is right on par.

Meghan: What’s a book you really enjoyed that others wouldn’t expect you to have liked?

Hunter Shea: I read anything I can get my hands on. I was gifted some romance novels last year by a friend and they surprised the heck out of me. Truly enjoyable. I can see why people love them.

Meghan: What made you decide you want to write? When did you begin writing?

Hunter Shea: I’ve always loved reading and the horror genre especially. My friend Norman Hendircks (also an author) infected me with the writing bug when we worked together in hell, aka the phone company – in the 1990s. Once I started, I was hooked. As he will tell you, it’s a compulsion with me.

Meghan: Do you have a special place you like to write?

Hunter Shea: It changes from book to book. Right now, I prefer the back yard. Before that, it was the kitchen. Who knows, next book might find me in the attic.

Meghan: Do you have any quirks or processes that you go through when you write?

Hunter Shea: Just plant my butt in a chair and get to tapping keys. Although, when I think about it, I usually go to the bathroom before I write. Weird, right?

Meghan: Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

Hunter Shea: I’m not alone when I say it’s finding the time to write all of the projects I want to take on. I’ve published 27 books in 8 years, and it seems harder and harder to carve out the time I need. So many stories to tell.

Meghan: What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve written so far?

Hunter Shea: Wow, that’s a tough one. The Montauk Monster was my most commercially successful novel. One of the things on my bucket list was having a mass market paperback, and that took care of that. But I think Creature, which was very autobiographical and difficult to write, might top the list. The fact that I made it to THE END still amazes me. It took a physical and mental toll on me.

Meghan: What books have most inspired you? Who are some authors that have inspired your writing style?

Hunter Shea: I once met Elmore Leonard who taught me the two rules of writing – read and write… a lot. I started reading more of his work and loved his lean, mean style. It was so much an extension of how Hemingway wrote, and I’m a huge Hemingway fan (despite his personal shortcomings). They above all others taught me how to trim the fat and just tell a good story.

Meghan: What do you think makes a good story?

Hunter Shea: Simple – good characters that engage the readers. If you have compelling characters, you can put them in any situation and it will work.

Meghan: What does it take for you to love a character? How do you utilize that when creating your characters?

Hunter Shea: I grow to love certain characters. I’ve yet to experience love at first write. 😉 Sometimes they just get in your head and you become one with them. Their voice rattles around your brain all the time. And yes, I’ve killed my loved ones when the story calls for it.

Meghan: Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?

Hunter Shea: Definitely West from We Are Always Watching. I mean, that’s just me when I was 14, though he’s much better behaved.

Meghan: Are you turned off by a bad cover? To what degree were you involved in creating your book covers?

Hunter Shea: Absolutely. A bad cover screams amateur. Most times, you can judge a book by its cover. But there are some that surprise you. As for my covers, sometimes the artist will ask for some input, but I trust them as artists to knock it out of the park.

Meghan: What have you learned creating your books?

Hunter Shea: That writing is the reason I was put on this blue marble. All I want to do is create and entertain people. This world can really suck sometimes. Everyone needs an escape.

Meghan: What has been the hardest scene for you to write so far?

Hunter Shea: That would be the inner thoughts and turmoil of Andrew and Kate in Creature. I may have overshared what my wife and I go through, but it was crucial to put it in the book. SO many people with similar medical conditions have written to me thanking me for letting them know they’re not the only ones going through similar trials with similar thoughts. Totally worth it.

Meghan: What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

Hunter Shea: On one side, I’ve carved out this little niche as the cryptid guy. So if you’re looking for cyrtid monsters, I have a book for you. On the other side, I’ve been told that my books have made quite a few people tear up. I love to write characters with heart… and then shatter them, of course.

Meghan: How important is the book title, how hard is it to choose the best one, and how did you choose yours (of course, with no spoilers)?

Hunter Shea: I learned long ago not to fall in love with my titles. Odds are, your editor will change it or ask you for another one. Some titles you get I think don’t always convey what’s between the pages, but I feel I’ve been fortunate so far. I’ve only changed one title for my book, Ghost Mine. It was initially called Hell Hole when it was published by Samhain. We changed it when it came back out this year with Flame Tree Press. The former was too Spinal Tap-ian for me.

Meghan: What makes you feel more fulfilled: Writing a novel or writing a short story?

Hunter Shea: Definitely a novel. I loved getting lost in my characters. A novel gives you room to explore and experiment.

Meghan: Tell us a little bit about your books, your target audience, and what you would like readers to take away from your stories.

Hunter Shea: My books run the gamut, from ghosts to monsters, killers to demons, urban legends to B movie madness. You don’t have to just love horror. There’s action, romance, adventure, gore, flighty books, weighty books, you name it.

Meghan: Can you tell us about some of the deleted scenes/stuff that got left out of your work?

Hunter Shea: Funny thing about deleted scenes, they’re always deleted for a reason. But for my book Tortures of the Damned, I had prewritten 5 different endings. When I actually wrote the last chapter, it was something entirely different. In one of the endings, all of the children were murdered and the parents basically went feral.

Meghan: What is in your “trunk”?

Hunter Shea: I wrote the first book in what I hope to be a middle grade series. Think Goosebumps, but with a recurring character who lives in a very unique place where she encounters everything that goes bump in the night.

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Hunter Shea: I’m going old school slasher this October with the release of my next book from Flame Tree Press, Slash. I came of horror age in the 80s and I wanted to finally add my take on the slasher genre. There’s an abandoned resort in the Catskills that harbors a mysterious killer called The Wraith. The fiancé of a final girl goes urban exploring, looking for answers, and gets more than he bargained for.

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Hunter Shea: Best place is at my website. You’ll find links to all of my social media there, podcasts and more.

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview?

Hunter Shea: I believe the past decade has been the true golden age of horror. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Hunter Shea is the product of a misspent childhood watching scary movies, reading forbidden books, and wishing Bigfoot would walk past his house. He doesn’t just write about the paranormal – he actively seeks out the things that scare the hell out of people and experiences them for himself. Hunter’s novels can even be found on display at the International Crytpozoology Museum. He’s a bestselling author of over 25 books, all of them written with the express desire to quicken heartbeats and make spines tingle. You can find him each week on the Final Guys podcast, as well as the long running Monster Men video podcast. Living with his wonderful family and two cats, he’s happy to be close enough to New York City to gobble down Gray’s Papaya hot dogs when the craving hits. Become a true Hunter’s Hellion and follow him at his website.

Slash

Five years after Ashley King survived the infamous Resort Massacre, she’s found hanging in her basement by her fiancé, Todd Matthews. She left behind clues as to what really happened that night, clues that may reveal the identity of the killer the press has called The Wraith. 

With the help of his friends, Todd goes back to the crumbling Hayden Resort, a death-tinged ruin in the Catskills Mountains. What they find is a haunted history that’s been lying in wait for a fresh set of victims. The Wraith is back, and he’s nothing what they expected.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Michael R. Martin

megHan

Meghan: Hi, Michael. Welcome welcome. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Michael R. Martin: I was born in St Helens, Lancashire, UK in 1962. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and a HND in multimedia. I’ve worked as a design engineer, a volunteer IT tutor, a medical records officer and I’m currently a freelance graphic designer….and, of course, a writer. I enjoy watching football (soccer) and rugby league. I love reading, watching cool films and TV (cool to me, anyway), listening to music, mountain biking and hill walking (preferably if there’s a pub at the end of it).

Meghan: What are five things most people don’t know about you?

Michael R. Martin: I can’t think of one thing, to be honest. Well, not that I’d like to make public. I’m a quite introverted person, really, but what you see is what you get.

Meghan: What is the first book you remember reading?

Michael R. Martin: An Enid Blyton book, most probably The Adventures of Mr Pink-Whistle. I must’ve been five or six at the time.

Meghan: What are you reading now?

Michael R. Martin: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote and The Trial by Franz Kafka.

Meghan: What’s a book you really enjoyed that others wouldn’t expect you to have liked?

Michael R. Martin: Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Meghan: What made you decide you want to write? When did you begin writing?

Michael R. Martin: It’s hard to say exactly. I was encouraged to write when I was thirteen by a teacher who saw an ability in me I didn’t. Instead I went into engineering! That said, over the years, I did write some short stories but never attempted to get them published. I was forty-eight when I eventually decided this is what I really wanted to do. But I suspect that, in my case, I may’ve needed to reach that age and gain all those life experiences to write anything worthwhile.

Meghan: Do you have a special place you like to write?

Michael R. Martin: The spare bedroom where my PC is set up.

Meghan: Do you have any quirks or processes that you go through when you write?

Michael R. Martin: Not that I’m aware of.

Meghan: Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

Michael R. Martin: Writer’s block has been a problem in the past, but now I have two or three stories on the go at the same time, so I switch between them if one story hits a creative brick wall. I do a lot of editing as I write, but the final edit and proofread are challenging and quite maddening at times.

Meghan: What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve written so far?

Michael R. Martin: The short story, Zombie World. Writing a high-tech, virtual reality narrative in a way that was exciting, relatively easy to understand, without dumbing down or being patronizing, was very satisfying. Also, I don’t do a lot of gore, but this is the exception. It was only inflicted on zombies, after all!

Meghan: What books have most inspired you? Who are some authors that have inspired your writing style?

Michael R. Martin: In my teenage years, I devoured every edition of the Pan Book of Horror Stories; a rude introduction to the horror and supernatural genre. Since then, I’ve drawn inspiration from the works of Nigel Kneale, H P Lovecraft, H G Wells, Arthur Machen, R Chetwynd-Hayes, John Wyndham, Stephen King, Philip K Dick, Alan Garner, and M R James. Other authors from different genres have also influenced me in many ways. I admire the writing style of Martin Amis the most. Reading Money was a wake-up call, but I felt he’d set the bar too high for me to reach. Then you realise it’s not about that; it’s about developing your own unique style (hopefully) and working hard until it becomes second nature.

Meghan: What do you think makes a good story?

Michael R. Martin: Now there’s a question! I suppose a strong idea enacted by believable characters is the essential combination for me. These must be established in my mind before I start typing. This first stage I don’t find too problematic, but how the narrative develops and unfolds can make or break a story regardless of the strength of the idea or characters. And it never seems to get any easier! Timing, like a lot of things in life, is the key.

Meghan: What does it take for you to love a character? How do you utilize that when creating your characters?

Michael R. Martin: I don’t really ‘love’ characters, but I can bond and empathise with them. If your characters are believable, your readers don’t necessarily need to like them; they just have to behave in a realistic and convincing manner. However weird the subject matter, the suspension of disbelief can be prolonged if the characters feel real.

Meghan: Which, of all your characters, do you think is the most like you?

Michael R. Martin: I suppose there’s a bit of me in all of them, but so many other people in the mix, too. And it’s all subconscious: I never deliberately base my characters on actual people. And they’re braver than me; I think I’d run a mile if faced with some of the situations they have to deal with.

Meghan: Are you turned off by a bad cover? To what degree were you involved in creating your book covers?

Michael R. Martin: I am, and there are some really bad ones out there. Many self-published authors don’t pay enough attention to this. A book can succeed or fail on the quality of the cover. It’s worth paying for a professional design. I’m lucky in that I’m a graphic designer, too, and create all my covers, and some for other writers I know. Keeping an eye on current trends is important, not least to buck that trend and make your covers stand out from the crowd.

Meghan: What have you learned creating your books?

Michael R. Martin: That nothing about it is easy. As a self-published writer, I’ve had to learn to write effectively, edit, proofread, format, design and create artworks, and market the finished product. I’m hamstrung because they’re steep learning curves and it’s nigh-on impossible to be really good at all of them. That said, I do enjoy the challenges involved. Also, you learn to be thick-skinned when it comes to the ratings and critique that come your way. I suspect that some would be kinder to you if they knew the effort and emotional investment involved, even when they haven’t enjoyed your book.

Meghan: What has been the hardest scene for you to write so far?

Michael R. Martin: There’s a scene in Screams in the Woods (my first novel) where three people are killed in quick succession. They weren’t bad people per se, but they had to go at that moment, in that way, to jolt the narrative and move it along. I never really like killing people, even the bad ones.

Meghan: What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

Michael R. Martin: I use violence and gore only when appropriate and in context with the type of character(s) I’ve created. My stories are meant to frighten and intrigue rather than upset your stomach. I deliberately build in ambiguity and the let the reader’s imagination fill in the gaps.

Meghan: How important is the book title, how hard is it to choose the best one, and how did you choose yours (of course, with no spoilers)?

Michael R. Martin: It’s absolutely critical but always occurs to me in an organic way, as I’m writing. I know the title some time before the story is finished.

Meghan: What makes you feel more fulfilled: Writing a novel or writing a short story?

Michael R. Martin: I feel fulfilled writing both. There’s obviously more work in a novel, but some short stories can take ages to fully develop.

Meghan: Tell us a little bit about your books, your target audience, and what you would like readers to take away from your stories.

Michael R. Martin: All my books are concerned with how quite ordinary people react when they experience extraordinary events and situations, usually of a supernatural origin. I don’t have a target audience (other than adult), but I’d like all of them to feel they’ve had their imaginations fired and their nerves jangled.

Meghan: Can you tell us about some of the deleted scenes/stuff that got left out of your work?

Michael R. Martin: There’s only one of any significance, and that was in Screams in the Woods. The story is about a nineteenth-century mining accident, the strange and sinister cause of which is still being covered up today. I had a lot of back story, played out in scenes from the past, about the events leading up to the accident that I cut out and replaced with exposition through dialogue.

Meghan: What is in your “trunk”?

Michael R. Martin: I have three novels in various stages of development: a horror/supernatural in a UK setting, a sci fi with a US setting (my first) and one set in the early-first century AD (another first). I can’t give any spoilers just now. What I’d like to do on a ‘rainy day’ is develop a story as a screenplay/script. It’s a pipedream to see one of my narratives on the large or small screen, but we all have to dream. Don’t we?

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Michael R. Martin: See above!

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Michael R. Martin: Facebook ** Twitter ** Website

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview?

Michael R. Martin: I’m not sure if ‘fans’ is the right word, but I’d like to thank anybody and everybody who spends their hard-earned cash on my books. I hope it was worth it. Also, constructive feedback and critique is always appreciated.

My name is Mike Martin. I have a degree in mechanical engineering and a HND in multimedia. I’ve worked as a design engineer, a volunteer IT tutor, a medical records officer and I am currently a freelance graphic designer and computer animator.

The aim of my writing is to create imaginative, supernatural thrillers populated by believable characters in realistic settings. My influences are many, but I draw particular inspiration from the works of Nigel Kneale, H P Lovecraft, R Chetwynd-Hayes, Arthur Machen, John Wyndham, Stephen King, Philip K Dick, Alan Garner and M R James.

I live in the North West UK.

13 Dark Tales: Collection One

A shocking event on an evening train only revealed by hypnosis, a man driven to extremes to rid himself of nightmare neighbours, and a rural driving holiday stopped in its tracks by a mythical creature. Just three of the 13 Dark Tales, inspired by macabre urban myths and sinister folklore, in this first collection.

Read them in the dark hours when they might call to mind a disturbing story you can’t quite place or a strange shape glimpsed from the corner of your eye; things you dismissed as too fantastic to take seriously but left nagging doubts, nonetheless. Some of them may be true.

13 Dark Tales: Collection Two

A headless corpse dumped in a field leads to a terrifying insight into the future, a UFO investigator gets more than he bargained for when he tracks down an eyewitness, and bank robbers find something in a safe-deposit box they wish they hadn’t.

Just three of the 13 Dark Tales, many inspired by macabre urban myths and sinister folklore, in this second collection by Michael R Martin.

Read them in the dark hours when they might call to mind a disturbing story you can’t quite place or a strange shape glimpsed from the corner of your eye; things you dismissed as too fantastic to take seriously but left nagging doubts, nonetheless. Some of them may be true.

Zombie World

Imagine a video game you could physically interact with. A brutal, post-apocalyptic battleground so realistic a health check is strongly advised beforehand. Welcome to the future of gaming. Welcome to ZOMBIE WORLD …

Screams in the Woods

One rainy Monday morning, private detective Christine Lynch is presented with an untitled lever arch file to review.

It contains the detailed research of a 19th century local mining accident.
The authors have been missing for over a year.  
Two unrelated facts, surely?
Then she reads the file…

Area 62

When Colin Thurcroft decided to expand his hiking-gear business with a retail outlet, the derelict shop close to the centre of his home town seemed ideal. But something truly bizarre happened there nearly forty years ago, and it has left behind some tantalizing clues. As Colin digs deeper, he comes face to face with an international conspiracy beyond his wildest imaginings and the darkest of government secrets. Brought to the very edge of reason, he must challenge his understanding of reality and accept a future within which the human race has little influence.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Kelli Owen

megHan

Meghan: Hi, Kelli. It’s been awhile since we sat down together. What’s been going on since we last spoke?

Kelli Owen: To start off with a bang, I got a chapbook banned on Amazon last spring. They’d been selling it for three years and then one day some guy named Charlie V with too much power and not enough friends decided to ban it, block me from selling it, and make my life an interesting factoid. In the end, I published it at a local printer and now offer it through my website. Sorry, Charlie.

Shortly after that, Passages, book 2 in the Wilted Lily series, came out. And in doing so, turned into a series rather than a sequel.

And several short stories have happened—two came out last year, two will this year, and one is slatted for an early next year release. I know, that’s only five, the sixth piece I was ticking off on my fingers was actually an essay rather than a story—released last year as well.

Meghan: Who are you outside of writing?

Kelli Owen: Depends on the moment. I wear many hats, including writing. I’m an accountant (by day), a grandmother, a perpetual 12-year-old full of wonder and questions, a curious but cautious explorer, and a fun-crazy (not to be confused with scary-crazy) girl just trying to absorb it all.

Meghan: How do you feel about friends and close relatives reading your work?

Kelli Owen: I think it’s great. Readers are readers, and not in the sense of “please read my book” but rather in a “reading is becoming rare and any reader is a good thing” kind of way. If I happen to know them and they happen to read my fiction, awesome. I hope they like it.

Meghan: Is being a writer a gift or a curse?

Kelli Owen: Neither. It just is. It can however be an intrusive inconvenience. When you’re actively working on something but are away from it for whatever reason (life, dinner, shower, out with friends) and suddenly have to stop what you’re doing to write notes. That can be fun. And there’s those moments when you’re mid-sentence or watching a movie and just drift off because suddenly you’re plotting or planning or have dialogue running through your head. I still wouldn’t say curse, but I’d definitely suggest it’s an adventure. Just having the imagination that goes with writing can fall into both categories, and usually at the worst times.

Meghan: How has your environment and upbringing colored your writing?

Kelli Owen: My father loved thrillers and horror novels, introducing me to everything from Lovecraft to Dean Koontz. My mother loved horror movies, and supported my love of all things creepy—though with a raised eyebrow on occasion. While I did read my way through a fantasy phase, writing fantasy was as brief as a firefly’s blinky butt. Thrillers and horror were the things that moved me from a very young age, and made me want to move others. The atmosphere in my house nurtured it, never suggesting I “write something nicer” or otherwise steering my interests, themes or topics.

Meghan: What’s the strangest thing you have ever had to research for your books?

Kelli Owen: Returning blood to a liquid state after it has clotted. Even typing that is gross and reminds me of some of the nastiness of that research. Thank goodness I found a lovely phlebotomist to make friends with who could answer all the questions with science and make it less gross for me, even though I turned around and wrote it with gore and upped the gross factor for the readers.

Meghan: Which do you find the hardest to write: the beginning, the middle, or the end?

Kelli Owen: The first paragraph. I will write and rewrite and rewrite it. Then I’ll move past it and come back, and rewrite it. And rewrite it again. I honestly rewrite that first paragraph at least six times before I get to the end. I never start a piece of fiction without knowing the end, and the middle is the fun part where I have a rough sketch and let the characters tell me the details, but that beginning? It has to not only punch, it has to lead into the middle and the eventual end with grace.

Meghan: Do you outline? Do you start with characters or plot? Do you just sit down and start writing? What works best for you?

Kelli Owen: I outline, or what I call an outline. It’s more of a list of scenes and/or conversations, in order, which does usually get followed fairly closely.

I usually know the story before I know the characters. I know this thing is happening in the universe, then I work out who is present for it, whom among them have insight and therefore voice. Story arc and character arc often work in opposite directions, passing each other somewhere in the outlines.

Once all that is ready, and that dang first paragraph is good, then yes, I just start. It becomes a living thing to the point that one of my biggest issues is tense change—because it’s happening present time in my mind but I write mostly in past tense, so I’ll catch myself switching between them.

Meghan: What do you do when characters don’t follow the outline/plan?

Kelli Owen: Smile, sit back, and follow them with glee. I love when characters come to life and start surprising me, and my outlines generally allow for it to happen. Only rarely have I had to reel a character back in, and it usually causes me to pause and wonder why they went off that way.

Meghan: What do you do to motivate yourself to sit down and write?

Kelli Owen: Deadlines work! Haha. I’m actually blessed, and I say it that way because I know there are many who aren’t and I don’t want to get slapped by colleagues. When it’s time to write, I can basically just do that. I start the music, read what I previously wrote, and then continue the story.

Meghan: Are you an avid reader?

Kelli Owen: Oh I used to be such an insanely voracious reader. For years, I read enough to keep the TBR pile(s) under control. Now, I’m pulled so many ways for time, I have three different TBR piles, and while I am reading from each of them (the top book), I’m not doing it anywhere near the speed I would like.

Meghan: What kind of books do you absolutely love to read?

Kelli Owen: I still love the thrillers and horror. Dark stories about normal people in screwed up situations. Wicked twists or supernatural undertones, paranormal or apocalyptic, I’ll take anything that falls under dark, but is only one step left of reality.

Meghan: How do you feel about movies based on books?

Kelli Owen: I think people could enjoy both more if they all just remembered it’s two different mediums and sometimes you need to make changes because things don’t translate one way or the other. That said, I think there should be more movies based on books. Hollywood is so fixated with built-in audiences and unwarranted remakes, I swear they’ve all burned down their bookshelves. There are so so many books, in just the last twenty years, that would make amazing movies, but unless they’re agented or connected, they’ll never be seen that way. It’s a shame.

Meghan: Have you ever killed a main character?

Kelli Owen: Absolutely. One I knew was going to happen from the beginning, the other was a bit of a surprise (see that question above about characters going off script). And of course, in the Atrocious Alphabet, the coloring book based on a horror poem I wrote, pretty much everyone dies.

Meghan: Do you enjoy making your characters suffer?

Kelli Owen: It sounds so dirty when you say it that way, but yes. It’s my job. By definition, a thriller or horror story is boiled down to: something has gone wrong and it affects the protagonist. For a short story you can end there, but for longer works, usually more things goes wrong. A lot more if there are layers and/or multiple characters in the mix. Do I enjoy it? I don’t necessarily enjoy the issue or problem at the core, but seeing how it affects the characters, or how they’re going to deal with it, is always interesting.

Meghan: What’s the weirdest character concept that you’ve ever come up with?

Kelli Owen: “Weird” is a subjective term, and in the realm of the darker genres, it’s actually normal, or at the very least expected. So I’m not sure how to answer this. Re-inventing vampires (in Teeth) who don’t burn in the sun or fear the cross, perhaps? I also have a school full of psychically gifted kids, with some new twists on paranormal abilities (Passages).

Meghan: What’s the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received? What’s the worst?

Kelli Owen: Actually, I recently had an editor question the tone of the ending to a short story, and it made me rethink it and change it—strengthening the entire story. We’ll call that the best. The worst? I don’t know if there is such a thing. There’s feedback you disagree with, or decide not to heed, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it bad. And oddly, can’t think of anything I disagreed with hard enough to even mention.

Meghan: What do your fans mean to you?

Kelli Owen: Everything. I’m delighted to have them, and am constantly humbled by their kind words. I have included them in my works via submitted names for characters, and thanked them in the acknowledgements.

Meghan: If you could steal one character from another author and make them yours, who would it be and why?

Kelli Owen: Odd Thomas. And you should know, in my head, I answered that with definitive vulgarity punctuating those words. I’d make him a teacher at McMillan Hall (Passages) and have a lovely time with scenes in his classroom.

Meghan: If you could write the next book in a series, which one would it be, and what would you make the book about?

Kelli Owen: There’s not a lot of series (I’ve read) which are still open ended enough to take somewhere. Though it may be more fun to hijack someone else’s work and write a sequel. In that case, I would love to take Jack Ketchum’s Off Season—which is one of my all time favorite books—and continue the story beyond his existing sequel (Offspring) to round it out to a three-part series.

Meghan: If you could write a collaboration with another author, who would it be and what would you write about?

Kelli Owen: I would have loved to write with Dallas, aka Jack Ketchum, but sadly that window has closed. As both a hero and a mentor, and later a friend, it would have been a beautiful opportunity to see how his magic was created from the inside. What would we have written about? Easy. Life askew, washed in horrific Technicolor. Also, see the previous question.

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Kelli Owen: For starters, what I thought was a simple sequel to Wilted Lilies became book two in a series. So after Passages there will be at least three more, which are currently plotted. While those will likely remain novella length to fit the theme so far, anything could happen. Outside of that, I’m very excited about my next two novels—a coming of age tale, followed by what I hope is a truly scary ghost story. I’ve made a career out of making people nervous or uncomfortable, let’s see if I can’t make their hearts race and perhaps scare them…

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Kelli Owen:

Facebook (author page) ** Facebook (discussion group)
Twitter ** Instagram ** Goodreads

And of course, my website where you can find links to other bits and pieces of me scattered about the web. Also, depending on when this is published, I will be at four signings this Halloween season, please see website for details.

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview or the last?

Kelli Owen: Thank you so much for reaching out to me to come back and be part of the extravaganza again, I’m delighted to be included. To the fans, thank you so much for reading—please tip your waitress (ahem, please leave reviews, it’s lifeblood in this business). And may everyone have a safe and spooky Halloween!

Kelli Owen is the author of more than a dozen books, including the novels Teeth and Floaters, and fan-favorite apocalyptic novella Waiting Out Winter, and the Wilted Lily Series. Her fiction spans the genres from thrillers to psychological horror, with an occasional bloodbath, and an even rarer happy ending. She was an editor and reviewer for over a decade, and has attended countless writing conventions, participated on dozens of panels, and spoken at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA regarding both her writing and the field in general. Visit her website for more information.

Teeth

All myths have a kernel of truth. The truth is: vampires are real.

They’ve always been here, but only came out of hiding in the last century. They are not what Hollywood would have you believe. They are not what is written in lore or whispered by the superstitious.

They look and act like humans. They live and love and die like humans. Puberty is just a bit more stressful for those with the recessive gene. And while some teenagers worry about high school, others dread their next set of teeth.

Vampires are real, but in a social climate still struggling to accept that truth, do teeth alone make them monsters?

Wilted Lily 1: Wilted Lilies

It’s not that Lily May Holloway is a broken, battered teenager recently escaped from her kidnapper. 

It’s not that she may or may not have killed him to escape. 

The question on Detective Travis Butler’s mind is — what exactly does the death of little Tommy Jenkins have to do with her kidnapper? 

And why does the man behind the one-way glass want the detective to entertain Lily’s tales of speaking to the dead… and being able to hear the thoughts of the living?

Wilted Lily 2: Passages

Lily May Holloway can hear the thoughts of the living, and speak to the dead. She’s done so since she was little, and been shunned for it.

As a new student at McMillan Hall, a private school with other teens who possess a variety of psychic gifts, she finds she isn’t necessarily unique. Or safe.

Acceptance is no longer her only concern. 

Staying alive is.

Passages, book 2 of the Wilted Lily series, picks up where Wilted Lilies left off…

Left for Dead/Fall from Grace

LEFT FOR DEAD

When Susan’s 8-year-old daughter is brutally attacked, she becomes consumed by her need for revenge but mere punishment is not enough. Susan learns that sometimes those being given the lessons are not those doing the learning.

FALL FROM GRACE

Grace has spent seven years adjusting to the tragedies of her youth. She has become a smart, sexy, complex teenager, who is nothing short of dangerous, as she teeters on the edge of the abyss and smiles at the monsters inside.

Halloween Extravaganza: INTERVIEW: Carol Schaffer

megHan

Meghan: Hi, Carol. Welcome back to Halloween Extravaganza. It’s great having you, as I didn’t get a chance to interview the last time you were here. Let’s start with something… easy. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Carol Schaffer: I am about to celebrate my 55th birthday, and I look forward to at least 50 more. I am a wildly passionate intense person. I am forever fascinated and impressed by the raw unpredictable, sometimes ugly side of life. I am a huge fan of old movies, and an even bigger fan of classic horror flicks.

Meghan: What are five things that most people don’t know about you?

Carol Schaffer:

  • From the ages of about seven, into my mid-twenties, I had the worst stutter. It was so bad that I rarely spoke to anyone that was not my immediate family. When I get upset or angry, I still stutter sometimes.
  • I have a certified phobia of big dogs, specifically pit bulls and German shepherds.
  • When I was growing up, many of the women, including my mom, practiced witchcraft. I was frequently involved in helping my mom with her spells.
  • I tried cocaine when I was nineteen and loved it for about a year.
  • I am painfully shy.

Meghan: What is the first bok you remember reading?

Carol Schaffer: Frog and Toad books, by Arnold Lobel.

Meghan: What are you reading now?

Carol Schaffer: Elevation by Stephen King. Trying to find time to read, is a much more accurate statement.

Meghan: What’s a book you really enjoyed that others wouldn’t expect you to have liked?

Carol Schaffer: The Scarlet Letter. I was surprised that I liked it.

Meghan: What made you decide you want to write? When did you begin writing?

Carol Schaffer: I don’t feel like it was ever that I made a decision to write. I come from a family that had more skeletons in our closets than Disney’s Haunted Mansion. My mom deemed every single thing about our household lives, to be private or a “secret.” I think writing things down became my lifeline to sanity.

I started writing at about the age of nine.

My writing prompts were words from the Encyclopedia Britannica. I started with Vol. one and I worked my way through every volume that my parents managed to purchase.

Meghan: Do you have a special place you like to write?

Carol Schaffer: I usually find myself writing in the kitchen, or a room close to it.

Meghan: Do you have any quirks or processes that you go through when you write?

Carol Schaffer: I think the only quirk I have noticed about when I write, is that I feel like my creativity flows when I have been prompted to a strong reaction from an argument, or circumstance that is not ideal in my life. I don’t love how cliché I am as a writer when it comes to inspiration, but I’ll take it however I can get it.

Meghan: Is there anything about writing you find most challenging?

Carol Schaffer: The single most challenging thing for me about writing is, that I am almost always blasted with the most lyrical wording while driving, showering, or doing something involving other people, which makes it incredibly difficult to get my thoughts down quick enough to capture the way I first think them.

Meghan: What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve written so far?

Carol Schaffer: I wrote a short story about nine years ago that is one of my favorites of all time, so far. The inspiration from this story came from a dark secret that my ex-boyfriend once shared with me. It was on the fringe of erotic, and I have still never heard anything like it. I have never shared it with anyone, and I am not sure if I ever will.

Meghan: What books have most inspired you? Who are some authors that have inspired your writing style?

Carol Schaffer: The Canterbury Tales. A Christmas Carol. Romeo and Juliet. Tommy Knockers.

Authors who have inspired my writing style: Mark Twain. William Shakespeare. Stephen King. Charles Bukowski. Ernest Hemingway. Rod Serling (possibly once known as Sterling).

Meghan: What do you think makes a good story?

Carol Schaffer: What makes a good story is the author’s ability to make the reader believe that every word they are reading is entirely possible, even when the reader never would have normally believed that such a thing could take place.

Meghan: What does it take for you to love a character? How do you utilize that when creating your characters?

Carol Schaffer: I love characters that allow aspects of myself, that I don’t let people see very often, come out to play on full blast.

Meghan: Are you turned off by a bad cover? To what degree were you involved in creating your book covers?

Carol Schaffer: Book covers are moderately important if the author is unknown. I think the book’s title is much more important.

Meghan: What have you learned creating your books?

Carol Schaffer: The thing I learned from creating/writing, is that stories go on. There never really is an ending.

Meghan: What makes your books different from others out there in this genre?

Carol Schaffer: I am just recently preparing to go through the process of getting published, so I haven’t officially been placed in a writing genre; I have an idea where I would land. I think what sets me apart from many others in the genre that I could possibly fit is that my book is for me. It would probably be super cool to be published, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s okay too. My mission is to create the book that I am dying to read.

Meghan: How important is the book title, how hard is it to choose the best one, and how did you choose yours (of course, with no spoilers)?

Carol Schaffer: I feel like book titles are as important as what is inside of the cover. I try not to judge the book by the cover, because sometimes the cover turns out to be so much more interesting than the book.

My book title has changed so many times I have lost count. If I am honest, I still only have half the title. I love the half I have, and I will keep it, but I’m not quite there yet.

Meghan: What makes you feel more fulfilled: Writing a novel or writing a short story?

Carol Schaffer: I love to write short stories because they put a cap on things, while still leaving room for more.

Meghan: Tell us a little bit about your book, your target audience, and what you would like readers to take away from your stories.

Carol Schaffer: My book is about providing a template, which provides a path for the continuation of a life story to take place. My book is a sort of “Permission slip” for people who find themselves a little lost in a place where it’s murky, and difficult to see and believe that there is anything of relevance left to do with their life.

I made the decision to leave out autobiographical childhood details from my book because this book is about, “what next.” It’s about what’s happening now in this new phase. How essential it is to learn how to be open to gaining unfamiliar, untapped clarity that is unique to someone who has done a lot of living, and wants to do a whole lot more, and be happy as hell while they’re doing it.

Meghan: What’s in your “trunk”?

Carol Schaffer: 😉 Well… I wrote, Deck the Halls with Blood and Bodies, for The Gal in the Blue Mask, in contribution to Christmas Take Over in 2016. Deck the Halls, has continued to float around and haunt me ever since. The story is begging to be told in deep vivid detail, with crashing crescendos.

Meghan: What can we expect from you in the future?

Carol Schaffer: My book! Continued development of my new website, where I will write and share and blog about many interesting things including: my book, all things food and eating, my plans for moving to a farm in Washington, and the life and times of still being a wild child at the age of fifty-five.

I have been asked to do a night-time radio interview with someone who was a close associate of the late great radio host, Art Bell. The interview will delve into my exposure to the occult through my mother’s practice of witchcraft, and the influence it continues to have in my life.

Meghan: Where can we find you?

Carol Schaffer: Website ** Instagram ** Twitter ** Pinterest

Meghan: Do you have any closing words for your fans or anything you’d like to say that we didn’t get to cover in this interview?

Carol Schaffer: I know it’s been said many times, but I would like to say it again: It really doesn’t matter who has done it before you, or how good they were at it, nobody can do it, or say it exactly like you.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and stayed there until after I was married and had my first baby in 1989. I have lived in Riverside California for almost thirty years now, and I am still surprised by how small it feels. I have been in sales for a long time, and I love it. I consider what I do an art form. I am a gifted writer of stories, poems, speeches. The time finally feels right to share my writing with the world, or other interested parties. I adore the ocean, and the forest. I have a son and two daughters who I love to the moon. I once had a close encounter with a real werewolf.