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Short Sharp Shocks! Number 26 is The Elixir by Lee Allen Howard – published on the 26th July. Recently Dean and Lee sat down to talk about this nasty (in a good way!) and unsettling story.
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: Hello Lee, welcome to the Demain family. Can you tell us about The Elixir. LEE ALLEN HOWARD: Sure. The story is about desperation and what people will do to free themselves from addiction. I’d had the idea of an old woman asking a young man to do her a favor. As part of an online writing class, I developed the idea into the story. DP: And what a great story it is, I certainly felt for your main character...did you have any particular challenges when writing The Elixir? LAH: Although I’ve never suffered from an addiction disorder, I’m obsessive, so I identified with the protagonist Pauly in getting what he desired most. DP: That certainly comes through the prose so well done – would you say that you have a specific writing style? LAH: I try to write well-structured stories that are character-centered. I wanted the story to have somewhat of a gritty, noir feel to it. My challenge was to keep readers interested and include a nice twist at the end. DP: As a reader my interest was certainly kept until the end, I was dying to know what happened (words chosen purposefully)...who were / are your influences? LAH: As an adolescent, I was electrified by Thomas Tryon’s The Other and James Herbert’s The Rats. These two books made me want to be a horror writer. I like early Stephen King because his characters are fascinating and his prose so readable. And anything by Ramsey Campbell for his ability to disorient and unsettle readers. I consider them, along with Donald Westlake, as mentors for my writing career. DP: Never read Tryon so will check out his work and I love The Rats though probably my favourite Herbert is either The Fog or The Magic Cottage...are you working on anything new right now and can you tell us about it? LAH: My current release is The Bedwetter: Journal of a Budding Psychopath, a horrific psychological thriller about a young man searching for a victim to shave bald. And my work in progress is tentatively titled Dead Cemetery. It’s a horror/gay romance in which the dead return to abduct the living. DP: Dead Cemetery sounds very appealing – would love to read that when it’s finished...I promise to check out The Bedwetter but even the title is making me feel uneasy ha ha! Are you a writer who outlines or just goes for it? LAH: I am a big believer in outlining. I’ve never written more than a scene without first plotting the story and then outlining it. This keeps me on track as I write. DP: Whatever works...finally sir, please tell us something your readers might be surprised to discover about you? LAH: I have a master’s degree in biblical studies and I pastored a Pentecostal church for three years. You learn something new every day! Thank you Lee for your time. If you would like to connect with Lee Allen Howard direct: Website: http://leeallenhoward.com Twitter: @LeeAllenHoward Instagram: @LeeAllenHoward1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeAllenHowardauthor/
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CategoriesArchives
November 2023
AuthorDean M. Drinkel |