Andy Graham Author

Author of dark fiction and fantasy, dystopia, horror.

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One Book Interview #29 – Kevin Potter (Author)

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When I asked Author #29 if he was interested in an interview, this was response.

“I’m not sure I’m the type of author you’re looking for. I write dark epic fantasy. More fantasy than dark, but my setting is rather frightening and I don’t really do happy endings. Let me know if you’re interested.”

My reply?

“Absolutely. Sounds just like my kind of book.”

Good people of the Internet, writing out of Cottonwood Heights, Utah  – Kevin Potter.

Name one book:

1 – everyone should read

I’m going to say Eragon, by Christopher Paolini.

Not because it’s an amazing piece of fiction and not because it went places and did things no other fantasy book had done at that time.

Not at all.

My reason is simple, however.

Chris was fifteen when he wrote it. Let that sink in for a minute. Yes, it got published largely because his parents owned a small press and published it themselves, and it got the attention of a big publisher because they spent huge amounts of both time and money organizing their own publicity and book tours for Chris. But all that aside, at the age of fifteen Chris wrote this huge fantasy book in about a year and went on to turn it into a four-book series with all four being NYT bestsellers.

Lightning strike? I don’t believe so. His success with those books is owed to hard work, sacrifice, and persistent dedication.

I admire that.

2 – you would take with you if you were going to be marooned on Mars

Um, Botany 101? Haha

Okay, if survival is not my chiefest concern, then probably The Stand, by Stephen King. For the simple fact that it’s such a long book that by the time you get to the end, you’ve forgotten the beginning, so it’s totally cool to just go right back to the beginning and reread it!

3 – you took a chance on and were pleasantly surprised by

This doesn’t happen to me very often. Much more frequently I am disappointed. I think I Am Not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells.

It’s not in my usual genre, so I wasn’t at all certain I would get into it. But after listening to Dan and Brandon Sanderson talk about the books on the Writing Excuses podcast, and hearing how much others have enjoyed it, I decided to give it a try.

To be fair, the technical writing is not fantastic. In fact, much of it is barely mediocre. That’s a large part of the beauty of this book series, however.

You see, when writing in the first person, you often have to forsake proper grammar and usage in preference for using phrasing and punctuation that the character would think and speak in.

This is one point where a lot of writers fall short when writing first person narratives. They forget that literally everything in the book is the POV character’s thoughts. So they obsess over proper grammar, usage, and style, and then the book just doesn’t feel right because it ends up being written in the author’s voice instead of the character’s.

4 – you’ve written that is your favourite

Easy.

For a while now, I’ve been working on a supernatural suspense series about the Biblical Apocalypse. The first book is tentatively titled, Servants of Shadow, but that could change.

This is the story I feel I was born to write.

When I was younger, I always thought Epic Fantasy was my calling (even though I never even heard that term until about 3 years ago, haha).

But I’ve always been drawn to stories about the Apocalypse and when the idea first sparked for this series, I had a mishmash of ideas come together and I was honestly floored by it.

Naturally, I can’t tell you what those ideas are just yet, but let it suffice that I’ve never heard of any Apocalypse story using anything remotely close to the ideas I’ve been exploring for this story.

Unfortunately, you shouldn’t expect to see this book published for at least another 1-2 years, perhaps longer.

5 – that has influenced you most as a person

That would be The Legend of Huma, by Richard Knaak, which is part of the Dragonlance Saga.

I was twelve the first time I read it and it really moulded into me my most fundamental ideas about morality and honor.

It taught me the true measure of a hero and that regardless of how large or small the stakes are, everyone needs a hero in their life.

6 – that has influenced you most as a professional

I honestly don’t think I can narrow this down to just one.

Game of Thrones showed me that a discovery writer can write a cohesive, massive story without submitting to the 90% of fiction editors who say that outlining is the only way to write a good book.

The Wheel of Time has taught me that not every moment has to be pulse-pounding excitement. We can have sections of just ordinary life (more or less), we can have chapters dedicated to the budding romance or the marital conflict or the small-town friends who have to argue about everything. The entire book doesn’t have to be about the epic conflict.

And finally, Dragonlance (all of them, really. All 100+ novels that I’ve read) showed me that you can have new ideas. You can invent something totally new that gets people’s attention and leads to greater and greater ideas. Just because something seems infeasible, doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It’s fiction, if you can come up with a reasonably plausible explanation for why something is, you can do it and so long as you do it well, your readers will buy into it.

7 – of yours that prospective readers should start with if they want to get to know your work and where they can get it.

My latest book really is the best place to start. In many ways, I’ve poured my heart into Rise of the Overlord and it’s a much better representation of my style than the first book was. I was still figuring out my voice and my tone when I wrote Fall, and as has been commented on by several readers, it is much less immediate and immersive than the new one is.

The ebook is available pretty much everywhere ebooks are sold.

You can find Kevin at: www.kevinpotterauthor.com

Kevin Potter is a speculative fiction author currently focusing on his new Dark Epic Fantasy series, The Calamity. As an avid reader and prolific writer since elementary school, Kevin always knew he’d be an author. He spent many years bouncing between various business ventures, from restaurant management to IT, phone based technical support to building custom computer hardware. But finally, he has returned to his first love: writing. Kevin lives in Cottonwood Heights, Utah with his wife, 2 daughters, and several dogs.

 

One Book Interview #28 – Steve Van Samson (Author)

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This week’s author is a man after my own heart – mixing genres such as horror, dystopian, dark fantasy and adventure. A man who believes that:

‘character is king and there should always be little seeds planted between lines, that the reader will only discover in subsequent readings’.

Except for the vampires. He has vampires in his stories.

(And a pet dragon at home.)

Good people of the Internet, writing out of Lancaster, Massachusetts – Steve Van Samson.

Name one book:

1 – everyone should read

The Shining by Stephen King. I think it might be fair to say that at this point, more people are familiar with the film, than the novel. Even though both stand as legitimately fascinating characters, it’s a little shocking how little book-Jack has in common with movie-Jack. In fact, King’s Torrances are written so intricately, so staggeringly human, we are left with no recourse other than to fall madly in love with them. That’s why I believe that all fans of Kubrick’s “The Shining”, owe it to themselves to check out the original novel.

2 – you would take with you if you were going to be marooned on Mars

Mars is a hike–why take just one story? The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard is literally my favorite compilation, ever. The tales range from werewolves, to sea curses, to explorations of Howard’s bottomless interest in the ancestral roots of men. Included are some of Howard’s best works including two of my favorites: Pigeons From Hell, and Worms of the Earth. Though the writer is best remembered for creating Conan the Barbarian (and with him, that sub-division of the fantasy genre known as “Sword and Sorcery”), this collection reveals at least one more genre we can thank him for, “The Weird Western”. What’s more, the book also features numerous stunning black and white illustrations by Judge Dredd artist Greg Staples, as well as a fascinating introduction by editor Rusty Burke. That should keep me busy on Mars for a while, I reckon.

3 – you took a chance on and were pleasantly surprised by

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman. First let me state that Gaiman is (skill and style wise) probably my favorite writer of all time. His prose is so expertly crafted, so brimming with restrained wit–as I read, I constantly feel like I’m being winked at. That said, I do not necessarily adore every single thing the man does. As it happened, my wife had urged me to read TOATEOTL for a while, almost a year. And truthfully, I don’t know what my problem was. I think the title evoked something that didn’t interest me. Maybe I thought it was going to be too childish, or a sap-fest. Not sure anymore. Long story short–when I finally read the thing, I found myself immediately whisked away on a magical coming of age story unlike any other. By the end, my butt was sore from all the kicking I did (you know, for not reading the darn thing sooner).

4 – you’ve written that is your favourite

I’m still pretty knew at this whole being published thing, so I’ll choose the last book I finished (which will be released this fall). The book is called Marrow Dust and it is the second in my Predator World series. As with its predecessor, Marrow Dust is set in Africa and deals with the business of survival, some decades after a vampire apocalypse. I had never written a sequel before and crafting a story that felt not only worthy of telling but necessary, wasn’t easy. I’m definitely proud as heck of the thing, and of my tough as nails, female protagonist, Mirèlha Nanji.

5 – that has influenced you most as a person

Oh boy–this is a tough one since I generally read fluff and nonsense. The hell with it, why fight the tide? Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry. That one holds a very special place in my heart. When I was a tot, my mother instilled in me, a great love of books. We read nearly every night, just as I now read to my own daughter. That said, as time went on, books were replaced by Nintendo and then the far more majestic Super Nintendo–and though it pains me to admit it, at the age of 17, I had never read a novel I wasn’t “forced to, for school”. Fortunately, that all changed with Shadows of the Empire. It was the one book, I couldn’t not read. Billed as the lost Star Wars film, the story fit between Empire and Jedi. And if that wasn’t enough, the novel was only one part of a three pronged Lucasfilm multimedia assault! Prongs two and three were a series of comic books, and a video game for the N64, respectively. All bore the title of Shadows of the Empire and I had to have them. All of them. What was so great about this marketing strategy was this–you couldn’t get the whole story without consuming all of the separate media. The stories were not redundant adaptations of one another, but rather separate tales that intertwined into one massive whole. There were plenty of familiar faces to get excited about, but also new ones like Han Solo’s slightly scruffier pal, Dash Rendar. Best of all though was the villain of the piece, Prince Xixor of the Black Sun crime organization. An evil man, by all accounts, but one who reserved his true hatred for one, Darth Vader. Despite being only 385 pages, this book proved that reading a novel for pleasure was something I was capable of–and as silly as it sounds, when I finished, I was pretty stinking proud of myself.

6 – that has influenced you most as a professional

Hands down, the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. Reading these books taught me so much about the sort of writer I wanted to be. They proved that the relationship between reader and writer is a tenuous thing. That sometimes, to be a really great writer, one must first become a tyrant. Manipulating not only their characters, but the hearts of those who read. I definitely don’t agree with everything Martin does (there really is only so much chin grease one logically needs to describe), but he has a way of playing his audience like few others can. Beyond the merits of an unexpected death, he has also shown me the value in creating a character that we will have no choice but to despise… only to then spend the next two books turning our hearts on the subject. When done properly, it’s a heck of a thing.

7 – of yours that prospective readers should start with if they want to get to know your work and where they can get it.

The Bone Eater King is my first published novel. The book was inspired by the Robert E. Howard story The Hills Of The Dead which featuring Howard’s famed monster fighting puritan, Solomon Kane. As with THOTD, I decided to set my vampire story in Africa–far away from the typical settings of some modern city or Victorian Europe. With The Bone Eater King I strove to create a pulpy and thoroughly unique adventure tale with horror elements, told from the perspective of an amnesiac. Someone who begins the story in the middle of a pitch dark savanna, unsure who he is or what the dozens of sinister eyes which now surround him, belong to. The book will be released for Kindle on Aug. 21st and then in paperback on Sept. 25th.

You can find Steve at: www.shatteredscribblings.com

Author of the forthcoming pulpy horror/adventure books “The Bone Eater King” and its sequel “Marrow Dust”, Steve is an artist, graphic designer and dad by trade, but also a part time pod-caster, wannabe rock star and a great lover of all things GEEK.

 

 

One Book Interview #27 – Amber Bird (Author)

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Whatever the true secret to happiness is,  it involves music and books.

This weeks author does both.

(And you should check out the bio on her website – it’s great, full of glitter and stars and hope.)

Good people of the Internet, writing out of Seattle in the USA – Amber Bird

Name one book:

1 – everyone should read

I’m having a fight with myself over this answer; I knew this would happen based on the nature of this interview. Okay. At this moment (which is to say that I might change my mind 5 minutes from now), I’d say that everyone should read Contact by Carl Sagan. (Read it; don’t just watch the film.) I think it can appeal even to those who don’t share my sci fi obsession. It’s smart, it’s hopeful, and it should encourage us to support science and unity. And maybe it will make people go check out Sagan’s Cosmos (it’s okay if they take that to mean the TV programme). Which could lead to the more recent Cosmos with Neil deGrasse Tyson. And they’d fall in love with all of creation, get perspective on this “pale blue dot,” and be better people for it. Contact is a gateway book!

2 – you would take with you if you were going to be marooned on Mars

Mars as it is now? So, since I’m no fictional scientist, that means my days would be numbered. I think I’d take Frank Herbert’s Dune (the whole series–the 6 he wrote–if there was room). This is one of those favourites I try to re-read every year or two. I could write long essays on why it matters to me and how it’s impacted me since I first read the series when I was 11 or so. If I’m on my way out, and if there’s any chance I’d hallucinate myself as being in the last book(s) I read when oxygen or food gets low, I think I’d like one last read of Dune, and I’d like to hallucinate myself as a Fremen who’s gone into the desert (the red desert of Mars, in this case) to die. (Did I just get too dramatic? Heh! Go figure…)

3 – you took a chance on and were pleasantly surprised by

Before I answer, I want to qualify this by saying that I didn’t have a solid reason to doubt this particular book would be bad. I’ve just had a run of years where I wasn’t really reading fantasy because of a few years just before that where I felt like the fantasy I was reading was the same stories, over and over. But! A friend who keeps my “to be read” pile from getting too small forgot I wasn’t reading fantasy and put City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett in my pile. And it was so fresh and unexpected, with some great twists and turns. If you’re wary of fantasy (or you know you love it) and you haven’t given this a try, it’s the one that made me start trying fantasy again (so that I now have a little list of newer fantasy I love).

4 – you’ve written that is your favourite

I’m really bad at favourites, so now is the perfect time to answer this question, as I’ve got only one book published so far. Heh! That said, Peace Fire will always hold a special place for being the first. And for showing me I could finish a book and it could be one that, through the many re-reads necessary to re-write, I could truly enjoy and be proud of. The characters feel like friends, and it’s in this sort of dystopian-ish, cyberpunk, sci fi space I quite enjoy as a reader.

5 – that has influenced you most as a person

Surprisingly, this one isn’t sci fi or fantasy. And I might change my mind later, but…When I was a struggling teenager, Herman Hesse’s Demian helped me embrace the struggle to be authentic, value my intellect, and believe that there were people out there who could be my people. I must have read it a dozen times in my teens, so it surely impacted who I became. (Plus, if you’re often discouraged by Hesse’s prologues–which can be a little more challenging than the stories they preface–this one has a prologue that ‘s short, accessible, and thematically perfect.)

6 – that has influenced you most as a professional

(I try not to name drop, so please feel my shame at mentioning this, but this was the only answer than popped into my head.) I’d given up on being a writer. Given in to some stereotypical artist despair. Set it aside for years. I wasn’t going to turn my chunky outline (a 50 page draft, really) of Peace Fire into anything. It was over. (There’s my dramatic side again.) Then my old friend Ernest Cline sent me an ARC for his second book, Armada. I read it immediately, and a twist I anticipated (that didn’t happen, so I could use the idea for myself) got my brain whirring. It was also a reminder that it was possible someone like me could, with some hard work, persistence, and luck, make it. (You might recognise Ernie’s name as the author of Ready Player One, which is the book on which Spielberg’s current project is based.) Suddenly, I was optimistic and excited to write again. It inspired some new ideas and connections for my current series. So, it revived my career and reminded me that reading others’ things (and really drinking in the world) is part of writing. There’s more, but this answer is already long and that’s the spark that set it all off.

7 – of yours that prospective readers should start with if they want to get to know your work and where they can get it.

Again, as I’ve just the one, this is an easy answer for us both. Hurrah! Peace Fire should be available anywhere online (and, if it’s not in your local shop, they should be able to order it through their normal suppliers).  It’s the first in a short series, with a sequel in the works, and it feels on the page exactly like one chunk of my creative brain.

Also, because I know not everyone loves swearing, and because I have a few of those people in my life, you can look (I think it’s just on Amazon) for Peace Fire: Radio Edit. It’s the same book, but with edits to make the language much less swear-y.

 

You can find Amber at: www.amberbird.com

Amber Bird is a writer, a rockstar, and a scifi girl. She is the author of the dystopian science fiction book Peace Fire, the front of post-punk/post-glam band Varnish, and an unabashed geek. An autistic introvert who found that music, books, and gaming saved her in many ways throughout her life, she writes (books, poems, lyrics, blogs) and makes music in hopes of adding to someone else’s escape or rescue. And, yes, she was on that Magic card.

One Book Interview #26 – CJ Harter (Author)

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Dead bodies. Libraries. Poetry. Bedbaths.

You don’t usually get them all in the same place or at the same time.

Except in this interview.

Good people of the Internet, writing out of Manchester in the UK – CJ Harter.

Name one book:

1 – everyone should read

Gosh, is there such a thing? If pressed, I choose His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. It’s got something for everyone: love, passion, betrayal, adventure, quest, weird gadgets, religion, atheism, witches, talking polar bears and angels.

2 – you would take with you if you were going to be marooned on Mars

Remembrance Of Things Past/In Search Of Lost Time by Proust. Never read it. I’d be hoping it’s as good as they say it is. If it isn’t, what a time to find out!

3 – you took a chance on and were pleasantly surprised by

Most recently, The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances. I usually avoid thrillers that have subtitles like ‘The most gripping psychological thriller since the last most gripping psychological thriller’. And I write psychological thrillers!

4 – you’ve written that is your favourite

So far, my only published novel is Rowan’s Well, a psychological suspense. I’m very fond of it, especially as it’s just won a Chill With A Book Readers’ Award and been shortlisted in the Words With Jam First Page Competition.

5 – that has influenced you most as a person

Anne Of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. As a child, Anne Shirley was my hero and role-model. She faced the world bravely, with love and humour, and had a rich imagination. I confess, she’s still my hero.

6 – that has influenced you most as a professional

If you mean books about how to write, then Stephen King’s On Writing is a must-read. I also love Steering The Craft: A 21st-Century Guide To Sailing The Sea Of Story by Ursula K. Le Guin

7 – of yours that prospective readers should start with if they want to get to know your work and where they can get it.

Rowan’s Well is out there and waiting for you.

Some friends you’re better off without.

‘A sophisticated, compelling thriller’ ‘I couldn’t put it down’ ‘Gripping to the last page’ ‘Extraordinary and uncompromising’ ‘Compelling family drama that wouldn’t be out of place as a BBC drama’ ‘Had me in its thrilling spell’ ‘Highly recommend!’ – Amazon reviews

I’m about to publish Fitful Head, a modern ghost story. Imagine you lose your mind, and something’s waiting to take its place. Widow Isobel Hickey thinks she’s being haunted by her husband, but she’s wrong.

Even before publication, Fitful Head has been runner-up in the prestigious Writing On The Wall Pulp Idol contest and shortlisted in the huge UK-NWC competition where it was placed 11th from 3,112 entries.

Keep an eye on my website for details of release date and pre-order. I’ll soon be publishing a taster short story The Haydock Haunting. Read it if you dare.

You can find CJ at: www.cjharterbooks.co.uk

I’ve dissected human bodies in Sheffield, shushed library-users in Wigan, shared poetry in Liverpool, organised bedbaths in Salford. Now I live in Manchester,UK, and help folk connect with their creativity through writing. I have a degree in Literature and Philosophy, I’m mother to two adults, wife to one and slave to two tiny dogs.

 

 

One Book Interview #25 – Leo Nix (Author)

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‘Writing fiction is the best therapy in the world.’

It’s official.

This is the professional’s opinion.

A man who has worked with psychopaths and their victims in prison and private practice.

A man who has been publishing articles and books on psychology and related subjects for over twenty-five years.

And, more importantly, a man who named John’s Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids as one of his book choices. For which, I almost vetoed his interview.

Why? I have an irrational fear of sunflowers, which I can only explain by watching that film at an early age.

(Considerate ‘friends’ have sent me postcards of sunflowers with ‘we’re watching you‘ and ‘we know where you live‘ written on the back.)

Good people of the Internet, writing out of Marree in Southern Australia – Leo Nix

Name one book:

1 – everyone should read

I’ve read thousands of books since I was a kid but there is one that does stand out above the rest: Bryce Courtenay’s The Power of One. A story set in South Africa during the 1930’s and 40’s during those terrible apartheid years. It’s about a small boy raised by his single mother but spends most of his time with an elderly neighbour who teaches him how to live. He meets up with a native boxing trainer in the prisons and learns to box. Boxing is his entry into manhood and makes for a good backdrop to the various racial and social tensions in the country. It’s strongly character driven set against the violent background of those torrid years in South Africa’s history.

2 – you would take with you if you were going to be marooned on Mars

Well, I guess I’ll have plenty of time to catch up on my reading. If I was to take a book to enjoy I’d take Shike a two volume series by Robert Shea. Robert Shea writes the story of a young Zen monk, a Zinja, and the struggles he is put through by his religious order to escort a young princess across the country. It is a rites-of-passage adventure, some lovely martial arts and swordplay which illustrates Japan of the samurai era. It has powerful characters and a story backdrop of intrigue and violence, loyalty, love and honour. I’ve read the series quite a few times over the years and can easily pick it up and enjoy it all over again.

3 – you took a chance on and were pleasantly surprised by

Chris Harris’ UK Dark Series – UKD1. A post-apocalypse series set in the UK. I fell in love with post-apocalypse books after I read John Wyndham’s The Day of The Triffids at school a long time ago. Since then I’ve been hooked on post-apocalypse stories. Chris’s writing style is easy to read and his stories simple, uncomplicated and highly plausible. I haven’t read all his books, I’ve only just finished book 1, but I’m looking forward to reading the rest.

4 – you’ve written that is your favourite

I write both non-fiction and fiction. I found that my writer’s ‘voice’ has changed since I started writing fiction. Now that I’m about to start writing another non-fiction book on psychotherapy for PTSD and anxiety, I’m actually looking forward to see how I write in the more formal format of a self help genre.

But to get to your question, the third book in my series, Sundown Apocalypse 3: Homeland Defense, I thought was slightly more aggressive and emotionally hard hitting than the first two. Homeland Defense sees one of my female protagonists run a mission into the middle of the terrorist township of Mount Isa, northern Queensland, Australia. She’s a tough girl but the events of book 3 lead to some PTSD of her own in book 4 which comes out on the 2nd July.

5 – that has influenced you most as a person

The Red Chief by Ion Idriess, the true story of an Australian aboriginal chief passed down from generation to generation. It was recorded almost word for word from the last surviving full-blooded member of the Gunnedah tribe in the early 1950’s. A story of a young man who reaches warriorhood amid the greed and vindictiveness of his tribal leaders. Beautifully written by Ion L. Idriess, a prospector and bushman who write fifty odd books on Australian aborigines early last century. If anyone wants to learn how the Australian aborigines lived and loved before white settlement, this is a book they should be reading.

6 – that has influenced you most as a professional

As a professional author, Devon C Ford’s After It Happened post-apocalypse series. A friend suggested I have a look at his books and I fell in love with the series. By the time I’d read book 3 I was convinced I had to write my own post-apocalypse books. I look for strong character-driven novels with challenging settings which push the characters to face up to and overcome adversity, Devon’s books have that.

7 – of yours that prospective readers should start with if they want to get to know your work and where they can get it.

Book 1 of my Sundown Apocalypse series, simply called, Sundown Apocalypse. It’s available on Amazon. Set in the harsh, central Australian deserts, the ‘red centre’. I like to spend time working on character development, pushing them through hell and back again to illuminate their growth as valuable members of their community. As a psychologist this is what challenges me most, to demonstrate how individuals can change and grow despite the horrors of a violent, psychopathic environment. Despite the difficulties they face they can still find time for love and deep friendships. If you like Australia and deserts wrapped into a post-apocalypse setting, this is for you.

You can find Leo at: www.leo-nix.com

Leo Nix is a psychologist who has worked with psychopaths and their victims in the prison system and in private practice. Through his writing he endeavours to bring to life real people in their struggle for survival against extreme adversity. He has a wife who actually enjoys reading his books, three children and two delightful grand children, plus a cat with no tail called ‘Piggy’.

 

 

One Book Interview #22 – Rachael Dixon (Author)

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This week the One Book Interview brings you a life-long horror enthusiast writing out of the Northeast of England. (Somewhere near Winterfell, I think.)

A writer who “enjoys exploring the darknesses and weaknesses within the human psyche,” Rachael enjoys reading works by Shirley Jackson, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Joe Hill, Susan Hill, Ramsey Bolton Campbell (Two ASOIAF jokes in as many paragraphs. I’m on a roll!), Stephen King (AKA The Man) and George R. R. Martin.

Good people of the Internet, the horror author that is Rachael Dixon.

Name one book:

1 – everyone should read

Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stoker manages to stoke the imagination of the reader with a classic tale that’s filled with fear, hope, love, lust, dread and vampires. Need I say more?

2 – you would take with you if you were going to be marooned on Mars

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. It’s a very short book, but it’s quirky, funny and disturbing in equal measure. I doubt I’d ever get bored of reading it. The main character, Merricat, is as mad as a box of frogs, so I reckon she’d be wonderful company to have with me on Mars.

3 – you took a chance on and were pleasantly surprised by

A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin. Usually I don’t read epic fantasy, but wow this really paid off. So much so I went on to devour the rest of the A Song of Ice & Fire books and can’t wait till the next one is out!

4 – you’ve written that is your favourite

My latest novel, A Storytelling of Ravens. I had a lot of fun writing it and I think this really shows. I took the idea of four people being stranded in a cabin in the woods and let it run in all directions. The story has an immediate energy and doesn’t let up till the last page.

5 – that has influenced you most as a person

Fluke by James Herbert. I read it when I was about ten, when I was craving more than just children’s books. It inspired me greatly and gave me a thirst for the horror genre. I knew as soon as I’d finished reading it that that was what I wanted to do with my life: write horror fiction.

6 – that has influenced you most as a professional

Again, going back to Shirley Jackson: The Haunting of Hill House. Jackson writes the kind of horror that I prefer. Very character driven, psychological stuff. The anthropomorphism associated with Hill House and the ambivalent nature of Eleanor, the main character, makes the story very subjective and personal to the reader. As in, the reader can take from it what they will.

7 – of yours that prospective readers should start with if they want to get to know your work and where they can get it.

Emergence, my debut horror novel. It’s the story of a young widower who has to look to his ambiguous past in order to save his little girl from an unknown evil. It’s based in my hometown in the northeast of England, and this, I think, lends the story a certain grittiness and dose of believability.

You can find Rachael at: www.rhdixon.com

H. Dixon is a horror enthusiast who, when not escaping into the fantastical realms of fiction, lives in the northeast of England with her husband and two whippets.

When reading and writing she enjoys exploring the darknesses and weaknesses within the human psyche, and she loves good strong characters that are flawed and put through their paces.

When not reading and writing she enjoys travelling (particularly wildlife-spotting jaunts involving bears, wolves and corvids), painting and drawing pet portraits, collecting animal skulls to put on her bookcases and drinking honey-flavoured Jack Daniels.