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When writing horror mixed with another genre, how do you balance between the two?
If I’m writing horror within another genre, I let the story decide the balance. This may mean that there isn’t actually a balance, as in 50/50, but readers won’t mind as long as the story is good.
What is the scariest book you’ve read?
I recently read Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. It wasn’t scary, but it was really disturbing. The book that got me into reading horror was Stephen King’s Night Shift. My sister lent it to me with a warning that it was scary, and she was right. I loved it.
What’s your favorite supernatural creature?
It’s a tie between werewolves and zombies. Werewolves are fierce and unpredictable. Zombies, as least the ones I write, are cunning and crafty.
What’s your favorite part of Halloween?
Horror movies! And fall gatherings with friends.
What would be your advice to new writers writing in the horror genre?
If you believe that horror should be frightening, write what scares you. If you believe it should be gory, write gory. No matter what you write, go for it and dig in. Don’t hold back anything.
What’s your favorite thing about the horror genre?
Horror can accomplish things other genres can’t. Gothics, for example, can make powerful statements on social conditions. Take VC Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic, for example. The book exposed the realities of abuse, neglect, and familial torment in a way that another genre could not.
Horror does not require a ‘happy ending.” Not all stories can or should have a happy ending. Placing a happy end at the conclusion of a story that exposes harsh realities of life minimizes the impact of such realities.
What is your favorite Halloween candy?
Candy corn. I only eat it in October.
What was your best costume for Halloween?
A Tootsie Roll. I made I body-size roll out of chicken wire fencing and paper mache, painted it, cut eye holes and arm holes, then climbed in. That was seventh grade. I won second place. What beat me? A bumble bee.
Scariest thing to happen to you?
Being present during a drive-by shooting. Laying face down while bullets fly above you is scary.
What’s your favorite Halloween/horror movie?
Us. No, Babadook. Wait, I mean Rosemary’s Baby. How about Pumpkinhead? Sinister? Oh, come back later. I can’t decide right now.
What’s the cheesiest Halloween/horror movie you’ve seen?
Suburban Sasquatch (2004) from Brain Damage studio. A must watch.
Is Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas movie?
Let’s call is a Christmas movie because there aren’t enough Christmas horror films.
Apple cider, pumpkin spice or something else?
Apple cider bourbon cocktail with a slice of pumpkin spice bread, then later, whatever Oktoberfest beer is on tap.
A video camera, a too-short-to-ignore skirt and a
come-get-me attitude—Jake Reed doesn’t stand a chance against Sabrina Weller.
Sabrina Weller has just moved to Washington DC and is ready
to make the most of city life. When her cousin, Eva Marie, holds a welcome
event, Sabrina meets Jake Reed. He’s awkward and abrupt but something about him
makes her hot. The next time she sees him, he’s pretending to be Jay Allen,
entry level new hire at Steelsmart, the same company she’s recently started
working for.
Jake Reed, the socially inept new president of Steelsmart Corporation, has two problems on his hands. One, his newly acquired company has morale problems. Two, he wants to bed one of his employees. When his vice president arranges for the entire company to go on a retreat on a secluded island, Jake can’t avoid crossing paths with the sweet-talking, fast-living temp who continually teases and tempts him. He’s in over his head and she isn’t about to give up until she gets what she wants.
Excerpt:
The wood-paneled elevator stopped on the sixth floor, the doors opened then Jake Reed stepped out. As he had on the first floor, he paused in front of one of the polished mirrors covering the walls on both sides of the elevator door. But unlike a few minutes ago, he reconsidered his choices. He probably should’ve worn a polo, not one of his hand-sewn Oxfords. The belt and pants, khakis, were probably all right, but if anyone noticed his polished-to-perfection Bruno Maglis, his cover as Jay Allen might be blown even before he had a chance to discover anything. To offset the possibility that anyone would notice the expensive shoes, Jake grabbed a fist full of his shirt, cringing as he squeezed the smooth, starched fabric into wrinkled submission then yanked out one side enough to give himself what he hoped was an ordinary guy vibe.
Next, he pulled out his cell and one last quick his email.
Nothing that couldn’t wait until lunch, assuming new employees in the lowest
positions at Steelsmart got to eat lunch. The working conditions couldn’t be
that bad, could they?
Jake turned his phone to silent then slipped it back into
his pocket but before he’d taken a step, it hummed against his thigh. He pulled
it out and read the screen. Shit. More bad news. Typical Monday morning.
But that was the reason he was there, pretending to be an ordinary employee at Steelsmart instead of who he actually was—the new president. He in the mirror and scowled. Pretending had never been his strong suit. Getting things done had. He dropped his phone into his pocket, took the fake new hire documents out of his back pocket and headed to the Human Resources office at the end of the hall.
