A Word Please: Conversations With 24 Authors Read online

  Jessy Marie Roberts, Chief Editor at Pill Hill Press, gave me a great piece of advice about writing horror; it isn’t horror if bad things happen to people who deserve it, horror is when horrible things happen to good people, to innocents. I put that advice to work in Cupid’s Maze.

  These two stories share a paranormal-horror component. What draws you to this genre?

  What drew me to horror is practicality. When I started writing short stories trying to get published, the large majority of calls for submissions were in the horror genre. Though I’m a big Stephen King fan, I started out a mystery and thriller writer. I’m no dummy. I learned what I needed to be able to write horror, found some success, and kept on writing it. There will be mysteries in my future, but I’m embracing horror.

  The paranormal introduces the ultimate fear – the unknown; that which we don’t understand and have never dealt with. Horror is a fantastic foil to show both the best in people, and the worst. I have little interest in gore or body count, but instead, concentrate on how characters respond to fear and duress. This aligns with my belief that good fiction is character driven. That’s where Koontz and King succeed so brilliantly. If you can’t get the reader to identify with the characters, you’re only killing trees, no matter what the genre.

  What scares you the most and why?

  Being victimized and helpless. The only thing worse, having something horrible happen to loved ones and being powerless to stop it. I think that is the basis of horror; having your worst fears realized and not knowing what to do to prevent it or make things better.

  In my worst nightmare ever, I had driven to the Grand Canyon with my wife and oldest daughter; she was about six in my dream. I pulled into a scenic overlook and parked right up against the short, stone, retaining wall at the edge of the canyon. I was distracted trying to find a camera lost inside the car. When I looked up, my daughter was balancing atop the wall and walking toward me. I lunged and tried to grab her before she fell. She startled and instinctively stepped back, and was gone.

  I am a dog-lover (that sounds far creepier than it is), so I have to ask about your “beast-dog, Tater”. Why do you call him a “beast-dog”? And how did he/she wind up with the name Tater?

  My youngest daughter always wanted a dog, but we had a long list of reasons why that might not be a good idea. One day near Christmas, my sister-in-law asked our kids, “If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?” My youngest responded she’d buy a dog, because from what her parents said, that’s about how much money it would take. A few weeks later, we picked out a rescue dog.

  The website said she was a bloodhound/dachshund mix (MONGREL), and from the photo (floppy eared, long, black and tan body,) we thought that might be right. We were looking for a small, easy to manage dog. When we went to pick her up, it was clear the dachshund part was flat out wrong. The dog was much larger than we’d been led to believe. She is a shepherd/basset mix. Body of a basset, head and coloration of a shepherd (she weighs about 65 lbs now = BEAST DOG).

  Comedian Ron White was very popular with my girls at the time we acquired our dog, so Tater – Ron White’s alias when arrested for drunk and disorderly – was tossed out as a possible name, and it stuck. Take a German Shepherd, saw it off at the knees, and you have Tater. She never fails to draw stares when we take her for a walk.

  About the Author:

  Mark Souza lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, two children, and mongrel beast-dog, Tater. He writes primarily horror, though on occasion, other things that strike his fancy. When he’s not writing, he’s out among you trying to look and act normal (whatever that is), reminding himself that the monsters he’s created are all in his head, no more real than campaign promises.

 

  Mark Souza on Amazon

  Website: https://www.marksouza.com

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/souzawrites

  The Lion, The Lamb, the Hunted by Andrew Kaufman

  SHE ONLY STEPPED OUTSIDE FOR A MINUTE…

 

  But a minute was all it took to turn Jean Kingsley’s world upside down–a minute she’d regret for the rest of her life.

  STEPPING INTO HER WORST NIGHTMARE.

 

  Because when she returned, she found an open bedroom window and her three-year-old son, Nathan, gone. The boy would never be seen again.

 

  A NIGHTMARE THAT ONLY BECAME WORSE.

 

  A tip leads detectives to the killer, a repeat sex offender, and inside his apartment, a gruesome discovery. A slam-dunk trial sends him off to death row, then several years later, to the electric chair.

 

  CASE CLOSED. JUSTICE SERVED…OR WAS IT?

 

  Now, more than thirty years later, Patrick Bannister unwittingly stumbles across evidence among his dead mother’s belongings. It paints his mother as the killer and her brother, a wealthy and powerful senator, as the one pulling the strings.

 

  WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO NATHAN KINGSLEY?

 

  There’s a hole in the case a mile wide, and Patrick is determined to close it. But what he doesn’t know is that the closer he moves toward the truth, the more he’s putting his life on the line, that he’s become the hunted. Someone’s hiding a dark secret and will stop at nothing to keep it that way.

 

  The clock is ticking, the walls are closing, and the stakes are getting higher as he races to find a killer–one who’s hot on his trail. One who’s out for his blood.

  Our conversation:

  Your debut novel, While the Savage Sleeps went straight to the bestseller list. Did that instant success affect your writing process and mindset when you set out to write The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted?

  It’s kind of funny. When I set out to write my first novel, the question I asked myself was whether I could write a novel. Period. I’d tried so many times before but failed. Once I finished it, I honestly didn’t know how readers would respond, if at all. As writers, we work in a vacuum and really don’t know what we have until we send it off into the world. After While the Savage Sleeps went to number one, I realized this was a whole new ball game. Suddenly, I had an audience of readers. I understood the accountability that went with that, so when I started writing The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted, the question was no longer whether or not I could write a novel; it was whether I could write a better novel. It’s in my nature to want to stretch myself, to improve, but in this situation, the stakes seemed so much higher. I felt a responsibility not only to myself but also to my readers. I worked like I’ve never worked before to make this the absolute best I could. I was ridiculously hard on myself because I didn’t want to let my readers down.

  I’ve read The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted, and I think your writing talent shines. Do you feel you succeeded in stretching yourself?

  On a personal level, I’d have to say, yes. I’m satisfied that I did everything I could to raise the bar. I love this book, and I’m proud of it. It’s been true labor of love for me. Of course, we’ll have to see what the readers think, but the response from the beta readers was overwhelmingly positive, and I was thrilled with that. The rest is up to fate, I guess, and is out of my control.

  These two books do not fall in the same genre. While the Savage Sleeps is horror, while The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted is a psychological thriller. What made you decide to switch genres, and were you worried about how your readers would respond?

  This book is a complete departure from my first. We’re talking two sides of the globe. The thing is, I never intended to be a horror writer, per se. I write what I’m passionate about and don’t pay much attention to genre. While the Savage Sleeps was just a story I wanted to tell. The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted is another. I think when you write from the heart, the readers can sense that, and then everything else falls into place. I’m not sure I’ll ever want to be boxed into one particular genre; it seems too confining. I’ve worked hard to bran
d myself rather than just my genre. But yes, it was a risk for me to hop genres on my second book, especially after developing a following. Am I nervous about it? You bet. But it all goes back to following your heart and knowing all else will follow right along. I’ve learned to trust my gut; it hasn’t let me down yet.

  I loved Patrick, the lead character in The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted. He’s a complex yet sympathetic character. Can you tell us a little about him?

  Patrick is probably my favorite character to date. He’s had such a painful and tragic past and yet has still somehow managed to remain genuine, sincere, and quite likeable. Don’t get me wrong—he’s flawed, terribly so, but in a way, I think, that endears rather than repels. A few of my beta readers said all they wanted to do was throw their arms around him. I think that says it all.

  Patrick struggles with a multitude of challenges. Can you share a little about them?

  He suffered a horribly abusive childhood, has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and as if that weren’t enough, he’s a bleeder. You said it: a multitude of challenges.

  I wanted to raise the stakes for him like I’ve never done before with any other character. It was important that the reader see him struggle and rise above his obstacles, both on a personal level and within the story itself. The blood disease is a metaphor; he’s been deeply injured, and as a result, is deeply vulnerable. On the physical level, he lives with the day-to-day fear of being injured, of bleeding to death. It’s the same thing with his emotional state; he’s scared of being vulnerable, of being wounded. It just felt like the right choice.

  With the OCD, his particular compulsion is listing; he writes the same words over and over. To raise the stakes even more, he’s a journalist, a writer, trapped by his own words. The irony in that fascinated me, and I used it as a device to show his tension. As the situation becomes more dangerous, his disorder becomes more pervasive. As for his abuse, that’s directly tied to the plot, but it also makes him a more vulnerable character on so many different levels.

  Are there bits of you in Patrick? Did you identify with him?

  Not in terms of his circumstances, but on an emotional level, very much. It’s interesting how each time I write a new book, my characters become so real to me that at times it feels overwhelming. They’re almost like my children. I love them all and I feel their pain. I have to throw myself into their minds in order to portray them in a realistic and compelling way. In doing that, I tend to cross that emotional bridge and connect with them on a very personal level. I guess that’s a good sign.

  You characters come alive on the page and become people readers can relate to. What is your secret to creating characters readers so easily connect with?

  I think flaws are vital to a character, but like I mentioned before, ones that draw the reader to them. Flaws add dimension and make them more interesting, and since none of us is perfect, I think they help us relate to them better. We identify with their shortcomings. Another reason is that I do my best to make their struggles seam real, and when it’s all over, I want them to grow as a result, become changed in a significant way.

  Your books lack sex, which absolutely works for you. Was it a conscious decision for you to avoid sexual relationships in your books?

  The truth is that in real life, people aren’t automatically attracted to one another just because they find themselves thrown together. I see it happen in books a lot and it bothers me because it often feels too predictable. It’s so easy to take that path, so I choose not to. Besides that, I just don’t see a place for it when I’m writing suspense. If a crazed killer is chasing you, sex is probably going to be the last thing on your mind. For me, it slows down the action too much.

  Tell us one thing you want readers to know about The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted.

  Oh, gosh. There’s more than one. I guess that this book has so many layers to it, and instead of starting with a bang like While the Savage Sleeps does, it builds toward one. Kind of a reversal of sorts, but I think—or I hope—it’s a satisfying one.

  You’re very connected to your readers. What do they mean to you?

  They mean the world to me, and I say it every chance I get. Make no mistake about it: I’m fiercely loyal to them. Now more than ever, there are so many choices when it comes to reading. That they’ve managed to find me and then support me like they have is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I feel an intense responsibility to give them the best I can offer, and I never want to let them down. It’s the reason why I dedicated this book to them. They’re that important to me.

  About the Author:

  Andrew E. Kaufman is a freelance writer and author living in Southern California, along with his six Labrador Retrievers, three horses, and a very bossy Jack Russell Terrier (who, incidentally, thinks she owns the place).

  After receiving his journalism and political science degrees at San Diego State University, Andrew began his writing career as an Emmy-nominated writer/producer, working at KFMB-TV, the CBS affiliate in San Diego, then at KCAL-TV in Los Angeles. For more than ten years, he produced special series and covered many nationally known cases, including the O.J. Simpson Trial.

  Andrew Kaufman on Amazon

  Website: https://www.AndreweKaufman.com

  Blog: https://www.AndreweKaufman.blogspot.com

  Blog: https://www.CrimeFictionCollective.blogspot.com

  A Murderer’s Heart by Julie Elizabeth Powell

  Anne Blake, psychiatrist, is good at her job and believes that even the most sick at heart can be cured…or at least saved enough that they can lead a better life. But maybe she’s wrong? Maybe within a murderder’s heart, evil lurks and nothing can be done except to save yourself?

  Our conversation:

  Anne Blake, your main character in A Murderer’s Heart, became a psychiatrist because she was intrigued by how the mind works and what triggers emotional problems. Is this an interest you share with your character?

  I have always been intrigued with how the mind works, especially how the emotions are linked. If I had time, I would like to study it in more detail, but for now have to be satisfied with basic research. I have suffered with depression for many years and I know it’s connected to what happened to my daughter, although I fight it and find that grabbing onto any happiness is the best way of keeping it at bay most of the time. Writing helps.

  An underlying theme of this book is that we shouldn’t take people at face value. Not everyone is as they appear on the surface. Your characters, like people, are multi-layered. Do you spend a lot of time on character sheets, creating histories and personalities for your characters? Or do they come to life as you go along?

  I would say the characters in my books, on the whole, come to life as I write. Something magical happens when I am typing, and I often find that they tell me what to do. Having said that, I can see someone in the street and it can spark an idea, or I use a mannerism I’ve spotted. Everyone is multi-layered and it’s important to relay that in stories – that’s why I constantly write how they feel and think and why they say and do. Descriptions are useful but these other ways bring the character to life much more. And I would always say that’s it is vital not to take anything at face value, either in ‘real’ life or imaginary.

  There are quite a few twists in the plot. Do you outline ahead of time or did these twists kind of create themselves as you wrote?

  The plot came to life as did the characters, as if the story was inside my head all the time and I just plucked it out (like all my work). Although, when I’m not writing, I’m thinking about it, especially at night when I’m supposed to be sleeping – and that’s usually when I think, ‘Ah, now what about if…? and, ‘Oh, yes, now that would be better!’ (I frequently write at night, as the urge is just too strong to ignore.) The trouble with twists though, is remembering why, when and how etc.

  You’ve written a lot of books, but I believe this is your only crime novel. What inspired you to take on this genre?

  I don�
�t usually write this genre, but as my mother loves a ‘good murder’, I thought I’d have a go. She enjoyed it! I do prefer writing fantasy, but like to try all manner of genres.

  Why this particular story?

  I have a keen interest in the mind and how /why it works the way it does and so I wanted to explore how /why it becomes broken. And no matter what point of view, there are always questions. After I’ve finished my current work (the last of the Avalon Trilogy)…phew…I want to write more about the mind – the effects of memory /lack thereof and how it makes us what and who we are. If I can make it work, it’ll answer many questions that many people may have. I love to question everything!

  What is your writing environment like? Neat or messy? Quiet or noisy?

  Usually neat, although, when I’m writing notes (scribbling, more like) things can tend to become rather untidy. It’s quiet though (and my lovely husband understands and he actively encourages me to write…even nags if I’m slacking.) I wouldn’t be without my computer, and delight in the process of creation.

  When you’re not reading or writing, what is your favorite thing to do?