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Well done to Calvin who has (on publication day!) received several glowing reviews on Amazon for his Short Sharp Shocks! with one reviewer saying: "...I wanted more! I could read a full length novel of this story and be on the edge of my seat with the way Calvin Demmer writes!...very well done and entertaining. I love when a short story sticks...Demmer's stories are like a breath of fresh air for someone like me." And another reviewer stating: "Well, this being a Short Sharp Shocks, I’m not going to ruin it for future readers! I will say that Calvin Demmer does it again! He gives you a town with something horrible going on and it centers around a bridge! The end leaves you wondering and wanting more from this story and the author!"
Read the reviews (and buy the book!) here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Town-Feared-Short-Sharp-Shocks-ebook/dp/B07QFKM3DJ/
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Congratulations to:
Benedict J. Jones Kev Harrison Dan Howarth Allison Weir Christopher Stanley Calvin Demmer Their Short Sharp Shocks! Books are out today and available on all the Amazons. Thanks to Adrian Baldwin for the amazing covers too. Enjoy and thank you also to our readers. Author Interview: Calvin Demmer, Book 17 in the Short Sharp Shocks! series The Town That Feared Dusk4/19/2019 We welcome Calvin Demmer to the Demain family with his Short Sharp Shocks! entry, The Town That Feared Dusk. Dean and Calvin recently spoke about the book prior to publication.
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: Hi Calvin, let’s just go for it, can you tell us all about the The Town That Feared Dusk and what made you write it? CALVIN DEMMER: Hello and yes, of course. An earlier story of mine featured a supernatural event occurring nearby a bridge, but I wanted to explore the idea of having the structure being more of a focus in a story. I also wanted a connection between the town nearby and the bridge, and thus the seed for the tale was planted. The Town That Feared Dusk was one of the stories I had in the ‘working on’ folder the longest, and I had a rough first draft written almost two years ago. I’ve tinkered with it quite a bit and received some helpful feedback from people who read early versions of it. I’m very happy that it’s found such a great home. DP: Us too, we really enjoyed reading / publishing it. Did you face any particular challenges when writing it? CD: There is a shift that comes later in the story. That required a few rewrites to get it exactly how I desired it. The other challenges were a certain thread I wanted to have running from start until the end and then making sure everything was tied up (to a point). DP: I love it when there are some ‘loose ends’, it lets my imagination run riot. When you wrote The Town That Feared Dusk did you base any part of it on events in your own life? CD: There was a strange bridge in one of the towns I’ve lived in that I kept in mind when trying to create the atmosphere of it. But, other than that, I can’t say any events were based on my life, though, there are strange stories I’ve heard over the years that went into/contributed to some of the ideas I had for the tale. I probably share some of Sylvia’s (a journalist in the story) curiosity and drive. It would be hard for me not to go and check out a landmark or building if I heard it might be haunted. DP: Ha ha! Recently I was asked to spend some time in a so-called haunted castle, I was all bravado and up for it, until the last moment when I declined as the ‘fear’ overcame me...one day I might give it a shot when I’m feeling stronger. But not today. So, would you say that you have a specific writing style? CD: I have a style that usually shines through no matter the story, but I do like to experiment, and will always try out new approaches, if it benefits the tale I’m telling. The hardest part for me is polishing the story to get it exactly as I want. DP: Sure, and I suppose the old saying is true: a story is never finished, it’s just abandoned. Who influenced / influences you / your writing? CD: Dan Simmons, Stephen King, Philip K. Dick, Shirley Jackson, Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, Lauren Beukes, Jeff VanderMeer, and Ania Ahlborn are just a few of the authors that influenced me early on in my writing journey. I read so many new authors nowadays that it would be impossible for me to pick one favorite. I’m always drawn to authors who have unique voices and approaches. I also enjoy it when an author never rests on one formula, but can surprise you with the next book by going down a road (be it via tone, theme, genre etc.) that you didn’t expect. DP: Yeap, I’m an admirer of that too. There are some authors I will also work with for that very reason. What are you working on at the moment? CD: I’m always working on more than one project at any time. At the moment, I am looking to collect some of my short stories, and I’m working on a novella-length work as well. I also have some other short fiction in a really cool anthology, coming out later this year. DP: Good for you, good for you. Writer’s block – you ever suffer from it? CD: I haven’t yet. There are times where it can be harder to hit the zone, when words don’t seem to come easily, but I’ve never not been able to write something. If I’m battling a bit, I can usually eek out a few words, which sometimes helps to get back in the groove. I don’t force it, though. I find sometimes just taking a break (this also helps with thinking of new ideas to add to the tale, or when I’m stuck on a plot point) or working on another project for a while helps. DP: Exactly, exactly – I’m wondering then do you outline your work before you start or just go for it? CD: I’ve tried both approaches, and I found that either can work depending on the story. For The Town That Feared Dusk, for example, I just went for it on the first draft. I like to have fun when creating all these different stories, so I’m always up for experimenting to see if another approach might work better for that story, character, or theme. DP: Finally, what’s your favourite theme to write about? CD: I don’t have a specific favorite theme or genre. Most of my work tends to be dark fiction of some sort, but I’m always open to exploring new avenues. I usually finish a first draft and then start to decide what the main theme/genre is, although sometimes I will know in advance if I have a specific vision for the tale beforehand. It all comes down to what the main idea was that got me interested in writing the story. Was it a scene? A character? A theme? Etc. Well, thanks for the chat Calvin – all the best with The Town That Feared Dusk. If you would like to connect with Calvin direct: Website Address: www.calvindemmer.com Twitter Address: @CalvinDemmer Instagram: @calvindemmer A corker of a review of Stephanie's Asylum Of Shadows appeared on the 'Sci-fi And Fantasy Reviewer' website, where it was said (amongst other great comments): "Asylum of Shadows is truly a beautiful piece of horror fiction." Some amazing things were also said about Demain which we are truly grateful and humbled.
Here's the link to the full review - check it out: https://scifiandfantasyreviewer.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/asylum-of-shadows-stephanie-ellis-mini-review/ Book 16 in the Short Sharp Shocks! Series is The Forest Is Hungry by Christopher Stanley. Prior to publication Dean and Chris sat down to talk about it.
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: So, Chris, great to meet you can you tell us about The Forest Is Hungry? CHRISTOPHER STANLEY: Quite often my stories come from several different places. In this one, the walk at the beginning, where the parents are separated from their child, is a walk I’ve done a number of times with my family. Then my sister moved into a big new house and she told me about some of the conversations she had with the site foreman. And we have a family friend who cuts our trees for us. All of these things happened around the same time and – bang! – there’s the story. DP: And what a provocative story it is – when you were writing it did you ever feel you were one of the characters? CS: Not so much in this one, no, but I enjoyed writing two of the supporting characters. Carl is the nuisance neighbour, who was a lot of fun to bring to life, and Helena is the tree surgeon. I always had so much confidence in Helena to save the day, even though the challenges she faced were a long way from her day job. DP: I love annoying / nuisance neighbours as I’m sure I’m one myself ha ha. Let’s talk a moment about influences – which authors / books influenced you do you think? CS: Ah, that’s a hard one! All of them? Along the way I’ve been a big fan of Hunter S. Thompson, Chuck Palahniuk, Franzen, DeLillo, Eggers and McCarthy, but recently I’ve been rediscovering Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell. I read The Shining again last year and it’s incredible. My favourite horror novel, the one that terrified me even more the second time around, is House of Leaves. The way that story sucks you in is creepy! DP: Oh my Lord! I love House of Leaves – I watched the second season of The OA recently and believe they must have been influenced by it – what a great book it is, difficult, but great. What have you got lined up for the future? CS: This spring, I have a short story called Gods of the Southern Horizon coming out in the Exquisite Aberrations anthology from FunDead Publications, which I’m excited about. And I’m just finishing another novelette about a mysterious box and boy whose dad went missing off the west coast of Scotland, but it’s too soon to say whether it’s a keeper. DP: Wow they all sound brilliant – well, good luck with them and keep us updated. What about the dreaded writer’s block? Have you ever suffered from it? CS: I wrote nothing for the first six weeks of 2019 – does that count? More than that, I felt unable to write anything, despite having loads of ideas. I don’t know about writer’s block; I think I was exhausted. I hate not writing but I didn’t beat myself up about it, I just found other things to do to keep me busy. Then I wrote 5,000 words in a weekend and I haven’t looked back since. DP: Good for you – do you outline your work before you start and just go for it? CS: Definitely the latter. Usually, I dream up a basic plot, decide what characters I want to involve and play around with ideas until I have my opening scene. Then I start writing and see where it takes me. DP: So, I’m a movie producer, what would be the pitch for The Forest Is Hungry? CS: It’s about a sick daughter, a father’s race against time to find the one thing that might save her, and the mysterious tree growing through his kitchen floor. How’s that? DP: That’s perfect. Last one then, can you tell us something surprising (about you)? CS: This is a tough one! There’s a Wikipedia article about the first time the football anthem, World at Your Feet, was broadcast live on Radio 1. This was during Chris Moyles’ breakfast show on 21 April 2006. At the same time, in a pub in Bristol, a BBC One reporter was filming the live reactions of four people to the song’s debut. The interviews got a lot of coverage during the day because one of the interviewees said the song was too slow, and I guess Chris Moyles must have been watching because, midway through the song’s debut, he replied "It’s not too slow!” – live on the radio. Anyone listening would have had no idea who he was talking to. Anyway, I was one of the interviewees, and I was still on TV when I got home from work that evening. Must have been a slow news day! Ha ha – I wasn’t expecting that answer. Thanks for your time Christopher and the best of luck with The Forest Is Hungry. If you want to connect with Mr Stanley direct: Website Address: whenonlywordsareleft.wordpress.com Twitter Address: @allthosestrings Dean and Allison Weir have appeared together in various publications compiled / edited by Trevor Kennedy. It was a no-brainer that she would be involved in the Short Sharp Shocks! Series at some point. Book 15 (Blood, Bears & Dolls) by Alli is a profound (and seemingly very personal) piece of work. Recently they sat down to talk about the book...
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: Blood, Bears & Dolls is more than a worthy inclusion in the SSS! Series – so well done. Can you tell our readers a little more about it? ALLISON WEIR: I wanted to draw on some of my real life experiences when I was abroad a few years back – some of it was just inexplicable in the verbal form so I felt I had to clarify it in the written. DP: Yes, there are at times – and I mean this positively – such an onslaught of images, themes...did you find that (or anything else to that matter) particularly challenging? AW: I would have to say one of the challenges was the word count. I was so absorbed in developing the story that I sometimes forgot how much I’d written! I also found some of the medical scenes a constant battle to try and etch from my memory whilst at the same time, recall them for Shona’s showpiece. DP: I get that but I believe you were more than successful so again a massive well done. I guess then that there is a lot of Allison Weir in Blood, Bears & Dolls? AW: There is definitely some of Shona in me! Not the hypochondriac parts ha ha. A good chunk of it was based on a terrible time I had. Her huge phobia with dolls stems from the fact that mine was one of needles, which are pretty hard to hide from when you’re admitted to hospital =/ DP: I bet...and I’m with you on that, needles aren’t my thing at all...for those that aren’t familiar with your work would you say you have a specific writing style? Do you find writing challenging? AW: I guess I do have a certain style, yes. But it’s difficult to pinpoint which one exactly. Perhaps it’s true to say that I write with dark humour. Or sometimes in riddle. I like to keep readers guessing as to where the story could go next. As much as this may sound chaotic it is definitely not predictable, which is what I think a good story should seek to avoid. DP: I agree – I love the unpredictability of a good story. (As a slight aside) I don’t know if you are familiar with the NETFLIX series, The OA at all...I watched Season 1 and enjoyed that but when a month or so ago Season 2 was advertised I wasn’t that bothered as I was watching so much other stuff, however, I decided to give it a go and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed – it was totally (as far as I was concerned anyway) unpredictable but there are certain points which I found incredibly profound...especially the Old Night character...I won’t say anymore but if you haven’t, check it out. Who are Allison’s influences? Reading anything interesting right now? AW: I’m going to blow you away here and say I barely read books these days…! I run my eyes over the odd thing here and there, mostly in Spanish and German, but I don’t have a favourite author. I do like short stories by Harlan Ellison and Philip K.Dick’s stuff has always fascinated me. He has the ability to write about pretty much anything. DP: Yeah I’m a great PKD fan though I haven’t yet seen The Man In The High Castle – need to check that out when I get five. You working on anything new right now? AW: Well, I’ve just finished a non-fiction piece for a good friend of mine. He’s at an exciting stage in his life and I was happy to pull off the editing for him! DP: That sounds exciting, good for the both of you. You ever suffer from writer’s block? AW: I used to suffer from it terribly - I’ve found because my daytime job is so demanding nowadays, my brain instantly reaches for the storytelling stuff as soon as it’s 5pm! My creative juices are flowing more often than not, put it that way. DP: Good to hear – I’ve been talking a lot about this with writers recently: do you do an outline before you start a new piece of work or are you somebody who just goes for it (probably the latter from what we’ve spoken about previously)? AW: Yes and no. I find brainstorming helps me set the exact scene but sometimes I would just scribe and see what happens. That’s the fun part =) DP: Indeed it is – what’s your favourite genre? Also – did you learn anything from writing Blood, Bears & Dolls? AW: Ooh, that’s a toughie! I still love to write sci-fi and fantasy fiction the most. I feel there’s more freedom and no treading on anyone’s toes with what you can come up with there. Things learned from this story? Doctors don’t always get it right but they’re a Godsend when they do! DP: That is so true my friend, so true. Okay, so imagine you had to pitch your story to a film producer...how would the pitch go? AW: When you’ve perfected the role of the poor pathetic invalid for so long, just remember your turn to fight back may come sooner than you think. DP: Oh I like that, it sums up the story perfectly. Perhaps slightly trickier then: if you were writing a synopsis of Blood, Bears & Dolls how would it read? AW: Shona Whiting is a loner of a lass. She means nobody any harm yet people are still wary of her because she is so very different. Medically she is screwed. The teenager suffers from what is dubbed ‘vampire disease’ and some generally ugly flashbacks that mirror her shockable experiences with ill health. So she must live her life as carefully as possible, with the help of her good friend, Cassie and dog Rolo. One fateful night, two joyriders lose control of their cars causing a huge crash between their vehicles. Whilst Cassie looks worse for wear, Shona ends up being admitted to hospital once again. Disoriented and highly medicated, she awakens from the incident with no recollection at first. She believes the medics are her enemy and she sets out to defeat her biggest fear: dolls. And they’re running about the hospital, taking down teddy bears as well as humans. Shona simply cannot escape the madness in her head and in real life. What is real and what is not? She just doesn’t know anymore - but one thing’s for sure: the blood transfusion that would supposedly save her will now turn her life upside down… DP: You nailed it! Final question then, will you tell us something about you which your readers might be surprised to discover... AW: I can write ‘legibly’ with my left and right hand – I’m naturally left handed but I trained myself to be dextrous with both! Now that is pretty cool. Thanks a million for your time Allison – all the best with Blood, Bears & Dolls. If you wish to connect directly with Allison: Twitter Address: @Alli22235324 https://www.facebook.com/alli.martin1 Book 14 in the Short Sharp Shocks! Series is Dan Howarth’s WW1 inspired Dulce Et Decorum Est. This book resonated with Dean as it brought back memories of a school trip of his own to the First World War battlefields of Europe.
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: Hi Dan, great to speak to you, can you tell us all about Dulce Et Decorum Est? DAN HOWARTH: The story is based on a school trip I took to Belgium when I was about fourteen. We went around all the First World War sites, including Ypres. In one of the museums they had a massive picture of a Lad’s Brigade from the north of England. One of the people in the picture looked just like me. It was bizarre, and vaguely terrifying. That image always stuck with me and to some extent helped to inspire my love of history. I wanted to write a story about doubles and that event popped back into my mind, the story started from there. DP: I have a feeling I know that painting though I don’t remember any of the people looking like me (though sometimes my visage gets compared to Himmler, which I suppose is another story altogether!) – as yours is a historical story, did you have any particular challenges... DH: ...trying to remember how I’d felt when I saw my own face in a picture that was nearly a hundred years old? Just kidding. The battlefields and memorials are steeped in history and tinged with sadness and sacrifice. The biggest challenge was portraying the feeling you get when you visit those places. Hopefully that’s something I’ve managed here. DP: Don’t worry, I’m positive you have...so as you saw ‘yourself’ in the original painting, when it came to writing Dulce Et Decorum Est did you feel that you ever became one of the characters? DH: I think I’ve already answered that to an extent. Just to state, I am the original Dan, not the evil one that pulled itself up out of the ground. But then, I would say that wouldn’t I? DP: Ha ha, yes, I guess you would. For those readers who aren’t familiar with your work (and I’m sure after Dulce is released this will change!) would you say you had a specific writing style? DH: No, I don’t think so. Yet. Like all writers, I’m still learning and trying to access my own voice. I’ve made good progress with that over the last year to eighteen months, but every day I learn something new by sitting at the keyboard and putting the work in. I’m currently really focussing on paring back my prose. I think I went through a phase of trying to write to impress, now I’m just focussing on the story and getting it down cleanly and concisely. DP: That’s interesting because a lot of writers that I speak too (particularly with regards to Short Sharp Shocks!) are saying the same thing of late. Perhaps then this is the ‘vogue’ right now (to be minimalist to some extent) but saying that it’s always been a case of ‘less is more’ hasn’t it? A lot to ponder there and perhaps deserves further discussion...all writers should read, so who influences Dan Howarth? And do you have a mentor? DH: Oh wow, how long am I allowed to talk about this one for? In terms of horror, I have a wide ranges of influences. The work of both Gary McMahon and Simon Kurt Unsworth is hugely influential to me. When I first discovered the small presses a few years back, their stories stuck out. They were exactly what I needed to read. Simon’s in that his book Quiet Houses is a modern M.R. James book. He picks up from Robert Westall in many ways and pushes the ghost story into the new century. Gary’s fiction has a miserablist quality to it. Often tinged with melancholy and regret, there is a feeling that his stories were bled onto the page, rather than written. Tales of the Weak and The Wounded is a fantastic example of his work. I’m lucky in that I almost do have a mentor. Over the years I’ve been good mates with Michael David Wilson of This Is Horror. We worked on the podcast together and all sorts of different things. We beta read for each other and discuss writing all the time. Perhaps mentor isn’t the right word but we have some damn good chats about writing (among other things) and he’s been a really useful person to be in touch with. Hopefully he would say the same about me! Who is my favourite author? This can change day on day. Right now, I’d say David Peace is right up there. I read The Damned United and loved it, but his book Nineteen Seventy-Four really haunted me in many ways. It’s not a horror book, but crime. The repetition in the prose, its concise nature. It hypnotised me. It’s fantastic. DP: Some great recommendations there! I’m hoping to work with Gary one day and I’m aware of Simon (we’ve worked together before on a couple of other projects) but I will check out Nineteen Seventy-Four as soon as I’ve got the chance...moving on to the future, what are you working on at the moment (if you can share with us obviously). DH: Last year I wrote a novel called Round Here, which is about a string of teen suicides in a small Northern town. It is complete but it needs a lot of work. I’ll go back to it at some point and pull it apart and mould it into something useful. Completing it felt like a big achievement. It has some good ideas in there as well as some nice bits of writing. It just needs a trim. I’ve also got a novella called Territory that I’m hoping to find a home for. It’s set in Finland in a remote hunting community. I’ve tried to write something about nationalism and community tensions. It’s definitely a horror story, just perhaps not as overtly supernatural as some other things I’ve written. I’m also 50k into another novel, which isn’t horror but perhaps there will be more news on that down the line this year. Maybe…hopefully… DP: Good for you, good for you. I’d love to read Territory as that sounds very much up my street. I’m becoming increasingly obsessed by Finland for some reason – it must be a calling. So – writer’s block, you ever suffer from it? DH: Thankfully not. Nothing stops me from writing. I do have the nagging voice of self-doubt that (I assume) every writer suffers from. But I’m of the opinion that I sit down every day, write as well as I can and as much as I can. Then, I can go back and fix it all. I try not to let self-doubt or worry get in the way on the first draft. I try and shove it all to one side and then just panic as soon as I’ve submitted a story to a market that it’s total crap. Ha ha. DP: Ha ha – nice one – if I have self doubt it comes one or two years after the story was published and then I wonder why / what the publishers saw in it etc etc (but then I go back and read the reviews and cheer myself up that I must have had something to say that resonated with somebody!). Do you outline your work before you start? DH: I tend to plan longer works in more depth but with shorter stories it’s a case of making notes of a few bullet points of the plot, character notes and perhaps a theme. I don’t like to get too prescriptive in my planning as it can suck the joy out of the work for me. A lot of the time I deviate and uncover things in the writing as it goes along so I prefer to have the freedom to move within the story. That said, I very rarely start something when I don’t know how it finishes. That’s the key, knowing the ending. Everything else is up for grabs. DP: Intriguing. For me I ‘think’ what happens is that there will be an image / scene or sometimes even a character that I build the story around – particularly in a story / novella...for the film scripts etc I suppose I do ‘outline’ to some extent but that might be more for a producer than me...again, I need to give some more thought to this...okay, you have a favourite genre? And did you learn anything from writing Dulce Et Decorum Est? DH: I love horror and always have. I think in terms of what I write about, I’m a lot more focussed on the darker side of fiction, be it straight up horror, crime or just the generally awful things humans do to each other. I don’t know why I write in that niche, I think it’s just what interests me and where my ideas seem to congregate. I tend to read a lot wider than I am currently able to write, however. Perhaps over time that will change. In terms of what I learned writing this story, I think the value of beta readers and feedback was right up there. I’m lucky enough to have some great beta readers such as Kev Harrison and Grant Longstaff. They provide not only vital insight but also quality control to let me know that I haven’t written a complete turkey of a story! Getting numerous opinions on your work allows you to weigh its strengths and weaknesses better than just one opinion. It doesn’t mean making every change recommended but giving yourself an awareness of what does and doesn’t work. I’d also say that I ended up doing a little bit of research for this story. I think knowing when to cut and run on research is important. It’s easy to sit in the library and read all day, much easier than to sit and write, but it doesn’t get a story published. DP: No, it doesn’t...okay, so I’m a film producer, pitch me your book: DH: A schoolkid’s life changes irrepably when he finds a picture of his doppelganger in a First World War museum. DP: Yeap, perfect, and if you were writing a synopsis: DH: A young history student on a school trip finds a picture of his long dead doppelganger on the wall of a Belgian war museum. As his homesickness and social awkwardness kick in, his experience of the Somme comes to replicate the horror of those that fought there more than one hundred years earlier. DP: I like that...finally Dan can you tell us all something about you which might be surprising? DH: Good question. It’s probably evident from the content of the story but I’m a big history nerd. I love reading about the two world wars, I think they’re not only ripe with ideas for stories but more importantly, they tell us so much about the world we live in today. It makes me wish more people read up on history and learned its lessons, rather than letting our country (I mean the UK) teeter on the brink of another clash with vile right wing ideology. Thank you for your time Dan, I enjoyed that immensely. If you would like to find out more about Dan then please visit: Website Address: www.danhowarthwriter.com Twitter Address: @danhowarth20 What a cracking title (and story!) Kev Harrison’s Cinders Of A Blind Man Who Could See is. Just before publication, Dean and Kev sat down to chat.
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: So, Kev – let’s get straight down to it. Tell us all about Cinders. KEV HARRISON: Hey. I’d been digesting a lot of the new folk horror, when the story first came about. Of course, I was familiar with The Wicker Man and others, but listening to the Bafflegab audio production of Blood On Satan’s Claw, with Mark Gatiss and others really made me start to wonder if I could craft a folk horror story of my own. I thought about sacred trees, chose a location I knew that was threatened by the new HS2 train line in the UK and the rest, as they say, is history. DP: Here at Demain we found it a very profound story (so well done again!) – what were your biggest challenges when crafting the tale? KH: think the biggest challenge in writing this piece was striking a balance between the dreadful sense that the community is ‘in on it’ without it going over the top and degrading into something farcical. DP: I was going to stop you there before you revealed any spoilers but I think you just got away with it ha ha – I personally think you set yourself a high challenge and you conquered it. As you mentioned the HS2 train line etc etc were you writing Cinders from a personal perspective? KH: I wouldn’t say any of it is based on my life, but I share a certain detachment from much of my family. I feel like I pulled off that distance between David and Owen well, owing to my own experiences. DP: Ah, okay, I get you. For someone who has never read your work before, would you say you had a specific writing style and do you find writing ‘difficult’? KH: The thing I find most difficult is wrapping things up. I’m constantly concerned that the end hasn’t justified the set-up, that I’ve broken my promise with a reader. Part of that is based on a previous habit, when I started writing more seriously, in that I did finish some stories too abruptly. The other part of it though is just my very specific form of self-doubt, which tends to manifest at the end of my work. DP: Yes it seems a lot of writers (well, probably all!) have self-doubt at some point during the writing process, so you’re not alone there. Even the best of us at one time or another have doubted our own capabilities / abilities whether it is being a writer in general or the specific piece we are working on at that particular time. Who are your influences by the way? KH: Over the past couple years, I’ve had some immense support, both bigging me up and also providing constructive criticism from a number of fellow writers. These have, mainly, been Dan Howarth, Michael David Wilson and Grant Longstaff. Each of them has suffered for long hours reading my stories and giving really useful beta feedback. In terms of my favourite author, I’d probably have to plump for Haruki Murakami. His grasp of weaving the uncanny with the mundane, so seamlessly, is astonishing. He does this while writing in such a way that many readers feel that every book was written personally for them. DP: Ah, we know Dan very here at Demain ha ha. And I’m not aware of Murakami’s work so I’ll check him out asap (cheers for the recommendation). What next for Kev Harrison? KH: I was really delighted this year when a small publishing house accepted the manuscript for a novella I wrote in 2017. There are still edits to go, but I’m hopeful it will see the light of day this year. It’s a supernatural tale set in rural Poland, during the communist period and involves witchcraft. At the moment, I’m working on more of a straight horror piece, the working title of which is Below, set in a newly reopened gold mine in California, which collapsed at the very end of the goldrush in the 1850s. A British man is there seeking to make sense of a lost family member, with a TV crew but things are not as they ought to be. I have a chapter or two left to write in the first draft. The plan is to have a version I can start shopping around at the end of the summer. DP: Great to see you’re busy as all writers should be – do you ever suffer from writer’s block? KH: I don’t know that I ever suffer from writer’s block, but I certainly have periods in which my productivity ebbs and flows. Often, that’s because life gets in the way – when I’m writing student reports for my day job, for example! – but sometimes it’s because my WIP is in a slow going section and I don’t have other projects to work on. I think it’s important to have routine, but I also think, for me, there are days when I don’t and perhaps even shouldn’t write. DP: Ah, okay, so I presume that you outline your work? KH: No, no. I write very much as a pantser, but I normally won’t start a story until it is well formed in my head. I (loosely) planned the novel I’m writing at the moment and I feel that there were some sections where it helped me to get the words down and others where I felt restricted. I think for future long form stuff, I’m going to be less rigid with myself about adhering to the plan, as it can be constrictive, certainly to me. DP: Totally agree with your comments re constrictive. I was working on a treatment recently for a historical project – I came up with something which was 15+ pages. As I was writing the script I had to keep following the treatment (as that had been agreed / signed off) even though the story / characters were taking me off somewhere else – it was giving me a headache if I’m honest so I tore up the treatment and found the writing a lot more ‘freer’ because of that! Tell me Kev do you have a favourite theme (or genre) which you work in? KH: I’ve tried writing a variety of different things and, whatever the intention at the beginning, it always ends up going dark. So I guess horror or the dark is my thing. I always notice in my writing that so much of the terror in what I write is derived from a lack of control. I think this is reflective of my own control freak nature! DP: So, you have to pitch Cinders to a film producer... KV: Something old lurks in Leonard’s wood and something – or someone – in the sleepy village of Wincham is feeding it. Now Owen must face it or risk losing his son forever. DP: Very concise – I like it. One final question Kev: what is something your readers might be surprised to find out about you? KH: I was a screamer in a series of melodic death metal bands for about ten years. That was not an answer I was expecting!!!!! Thanks for your time Kev and the best of luck with Short Sharp Shocks! Book 13: Cinders Of A Blind Man Who Could See which is out on the 19th April. If you would like to connect with Kev direct: Website Address: www.kevharrisonfiction.com Twitter Address: www.twitter.com/lisboetaingles Any other social media links: www.facebook.com/kevharrisonfiction |
CategoriesArchives
November 2023
AuthorDean M. Drinkel |