Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I worked in technology and education for…not gonna say exactly…but it was a long time! Now I scare people for a living! I’ve always been interested in things that go bump in the night and find topics of the supernatural and strange fascinating. I like to take those topics and weave them into a creepy tale. I have written several short stories (one even won a contest) and currently have one published novel. I live in a small town in Colorado which is perfect because I love being outdoors! I’m married and have five kids and one grandbaby at last count!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled DREAD. I heard a story about creepy Black Eyed Kids knocking on your door wanting in to your house or car. One story, in particular, caught my attention.
One evening a woman was on her way home with her young son in the back seat of the car. They made a pit stop at the local convince store/gas station. She parked in front of the store and ran in to get milk, leaving her boy in the car with his iPad. This is all pretty mundane everyday stuff in small towns.
When she returned to the car, she peeked in her rear-view mirror to check on her passenger. She was startled when she saw a boy sitting next to him. His head was covered by the hood of his jacket, and he bent to look at the iPad. She asked her son who his friend was. He said he didn’t know, but he needed a ride so he let him in. Much to her horror, the strange boy lifted his face to her. His eyes shining damp black orbs against his pale skin. She screeched. Jumped out of the car. Grabbed her kid and ran back inside the store. She tried to tell the clerk what was happening, but he assumed she was the victim of a car-jacking, so he called the sheriff. When the sheriff arrived, there was no sign of the strange boy.
She was too shaken up to drive her car. Her husband came and switched cars with her. On his way home in her car, he was involved in a car accident. Thankfully, despite his bumps and bruises, he was fine. The woman remains convinced that the Black Eyed Kid was somehow tied to the accident; either he caused it or appeared as a warning.
Maybe it was because I could identify with the lady, but that story got me thinking. What would happen if Black Eyed Kids took on a whole neighborhood? What would they want? How would the humans react? And DREAD was born.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I like to have a really hard workout or a long hike before I write.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King has been a big influence on me since I was a kid. I read the Shining when I was 11 years old! Anne Rice’s writing has always had an impact on me. Interview With the Vampire was the first time I realized that horror stories could be more than dark castles and jump scares.
What are you working on now?
I was listening to a podcast about shadow people a while ago and it triggered a long forgotten memory. My grandma told me a story about a tall, thin man who wore a stovepipe hat. He was very ugly and would peek in windows. If you saw him you might die. When she was growing up in rural Southern Colorado, she said that he peeked in on her and her sister and she felt cold all over her body. A year or so ago this character was attributed to several youth suicides on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota where they call him Walking Sam. Negative emotions and circumstances can bring him around.
My current WIP takes place in a suburban area that is being taken over by urban troubles. The Walking Sam character is drawn here and influences someone to commit a heinous murder. The victim’s family thinks contacting the dead will give them answers, but they draw Sam to themselves.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Mostly, I use my blog and twitter. I have a facebook fan page but use that for spooky tidbits than promotion.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
You might feel like giving up, don’t!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I got as a horror writer was to do things that scare me.
What are you reading now?
I just finished They Rot: A post-apocalyptic tale of survival by Luke Kondor and Daniel Willcocks. I’m halfway through Call Me Tiffany by Kris Rafferty.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have a Christmas book of short holiday tales of terror that will be published sometime in November of this year.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a tough one! I think I’d take, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, and The Witching Hour by Anne Rice.
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