J.J. White

Can you please tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a horror writer with a very warped imagination! I love everything about horror, be it books, film, art, comics and figurines too! I am the author of the novella The Possession Of Clearwater Falls, the short story The Fridge and the author of Season Of The Dead which is part of the Holiday Horror 2014 collection.

And you work for a magazine...?

I regularly contribute as an interviewer for Haunted Digital Magazine and Haunted After Dark. Haunted Digital magazine is more geared to those interested in the paranormal and for fans of Most Haunted. Karl Beattie and Fred Batt from Most Haunted are regular contributors to the magazine. You are guaranteed some great features on hauntings, investigations, demonology and crime and execution. An amazing mix of ghostly fun! Haunted After Dark is Haunted Digital's naughty sister and is my particular favourite. I can count myself lucky in being one of only 5 people given the opportunity to interview Sir Terry Pratchett. I've interviewed Dominic Brunt, MJ Dixon, James Plumb and author Ben Manning. I have many more interviews to be published very soon, but I'm sworn to secrecy. Check out Haunted After Dark as it's a totally free publication too! Issue 6 is out very soon and it's going to be awesome!

What attracted you to the horror genre?

I have always been interested in things that go bump in the night. It started from a young age when I would creep down the stairs in the middle of the night to watch my mum watching Hammer House Of Horror and scary movies such as The Entity and The Amityville Horror. Needless to say as I got older my interest developed into me writing short stories, which I kept to myself as I didn't really think my writing was that good. The horror genre is special to me there are so many different facets to it: ghosts, zombies, vampires, werewolves, psychological fear, cannibalism and torture. The list goes on! Not many genres can touch on it for it's variety alone. Plus there are more babes in horror films in my opinion. It's probably what attracted me first as a teenager full of young hormones!!!

Are any of the characters based on yourself or anyone you know?

That would be telling! No seriously, I've been told by friends that Jamie and Alex in The Possession Of Clearwater Falls are very like myself in their jokey manner and flirtation with others. I was asked by one of my friends to include her in one of my stories and I based the character of Tina in The Fridge loosely on her. She wasn't impressed by what happened to Tina in the story, but you can't win them all can you?

What was the inspiration behind your story in Holiday Horror?

I am a big fan of zombie movies and it was a territory I had not ventured into as a writer for a while. I also wanted to base the town that the story unfolds in on a holiday destination I visited regularly as a child and as an adult. It also gave me the opportunity to introduce a character who rides a motorbike, which in itself allowed my imagination free reign to come up with some totally wacky situations. I also loved the fact that having the zombie invasion take place in a seaside town meant that characters would be isolated from the rest of society and unable to have as much direct contact with help as they normally would. Give Season Of The Dead a read. It's great, honestly!

Who would you like to play as any of your main characters if your books were to be turned into films?

I would like to see Jamie or Alex from Clearwater Falls played by Michael McMillian and Nathan Head. Good looking guys like me ha ha! I'd like to see Betsy Sue played by welsh scream queen Sabrina Dickens. She's not only a stunner, but a great actress with a heart of gold too. All elements of my character Betsy Sue.

Do you prefer writing the heroes or the villains and why?

I would say I prefer writing for villains as the villains allow me free reign to release all my pent up aggression and anxiety. Whilst writing for heroes is pretty cool, which is evident when reading the escapades of my character Reverend Owen in Clearwater Falls, writing for characters such as Ashley MacGregor and Abaddon is exciting and allows me to unleash the fantasy and fear living in my depraved unhinged mind.

What made you want to become a writer and what advice/tips would you give to other writers?

I have always been interested in bringing joy, excitement and fear to others and writing has allowed me to do this to an extent. Writing allows me the opportunity to abandon reality and to create worlds where seemingly abnormal situations can exist. Writing is very therapeutic and I would recommend it to everybody. My advice would be never give up! If you're feeling like you have writers block take time out and do something other than writing. Sometimes just relaxing and having fun can release endorphins inside your brain which free up the imagination and produce amazing results. Don't be afraid to go against the grain. You will not only be coming up with original ideas, you will also gain a lot more interest in your work than if you follow the herd and write about the same things.

How do you think you would cope if you were put in the horrible situations you write about?

I would crap myself! Honestly, if you've read what I write about you definitely would not want to be in any of the situations I put my characters in. I have been told I have a very bleak outlook on life and this is reflected in my writing. I'm sorry but not all stories have happy endings and don't expect them from me either!

Can you let me know about anything your working on or future projects?

I am currently working on expanding my original novella The Possession Of Clearwater Falls into a full length novel, which whilst daunting, is also amazing and allows me to come up with even more wacky and freaky shit! I also have been asked to contribute a short film script to a horror short film collection being filmed in 2015. I also have forthcoming novels to work on about a serial killer called Cut And Slash and my first venture into young adult horror Night Fiends. Being a writer in the horror genre allows me the opportunity to write and research on everything spooky, supernatural, demonic and also historical and it has opened up an amazing world which has given me opportunities I could never have dreamed of previously. I love horror and will continue writing horror for many moons to come.

Find out more about J.J. at https://www.facebook.com/officialjjwhiteauthorpage

Tabitha Baumander

1.    Please tell me about your new book In The Name of Mother.

The concept in general came as I was increasingly becoming aware of “feminist” fiction which was supposed to illustrate how bad women had it using various kinds of science fiction and dystopian plots. They were the sorts of things that tended to be very off putting to younger women whose eyes tend to glaze over when you use the F word. The only thing I saw that wouldn’t do the same thing would be to take an extreme example of one sex dominating another in a culture but instead of women on the bottom make it men.

2. Where did the inspiration to write about a cult come from?

Culturally the one way behavior lasts from one century to the next is religion. In general it’s the go to reason for a lot of bad behavior from women getting stoned in Afghanistan, to Orthodox Jewish women not being able to marry again because their first husbands won’t give them divorces out of spite, to Catholic women being unable to access birth control.

3. What inspired you to start a writing career?

It’s the one thing I do very well.

4. Can you tell me about other writing projects you have worked on, such as script writing and any other books.

I have five other books and a novella available on Amazon.com with a lot more sitting on my computer hard disk waiting for their turn. I have a play that may be done this coming Christmas down in Texas. There are also a couple of scripts getting interest from small scale producers but no real progress on that score yet.

5. What have you got lined up for the future?

I’m working on a book right now that’s an adaptation of a screenplay I wrote last year. Other than that my focus is getting my books that are already done published and submitting scripts to everywhere and anywhere.

6. How would you describe your writing style in three words?

No clue. I’m self taught I don’t analyse well.

7. How has working with Inspired Industries treated you so far?

This dance just started kids. Ask me again two years from now.

8. Where can people find out more about you?

My amazon.com page is a good place

http://www.amazon.com/Tabitha-Baumander/e/B00F6GJCZ2

There’s also my facebook authors page

https://www.facebook.com/TabithaBaumanderCanadianWriter

Girl Z

1. Can you please tell me a bit about yourself and Girl Z?

I’m an award-winning journalist and author. GIRL Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie is my own take on a zombie outbreak on a smaller geographical scale. Becca and her cousin, Carm, find out about it firsthand when Carm’s brother, Spence, comes home to Wisconsin carrying a deadly secret—he’s becoming a zombie. After being infected by him through an accidental scratch, Becca wakes in a hospital and finds her life completely changed. She’s a part-zombie with a new diet (no, not “that”), all kinds of odd quirks, and a hope to find some kind of “cure” before it’s forever too late…

2. What inspires your work?

A twisted mind? ha! I like to put odd quirks in my stories so you never know what may come out!

3. Who would you want to play as your book’s main characters in the film?

Ooh! Becca says she’s no “Selena Gomez,” but I think that Naya Rivera from Glee could play her perfectly. Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds, The Last Airbender) looks like she’d have the perfect mischievous side to play Becca’s cousin, Carm (short for Carmella). (See 25 Brightest Latina Stars under 25 – http://www.latina.com/entertainment/celebrity/25-brightest-latino-stars-under-25#15)

4. How would you describe your writing style, for someone that has not read your work, in three words?

Quirky. Funny. Different.

5. What do you think makes your writing stand out from the crowd?

I try to take a different approach. While most zombie books involve a lot of fighting the zombies and are more male-oriented, I wanted to show it from the other side—that of a girl not only fighting zombies, but fighting herself, outside prejudices, and dealing with the fear of turning into what she fears most.

6. Who is your favourite author and what is your favourite book?

I have so many favorites! I enjoy reading historical novels, to mysteries and of course, zombie stories and horror. My favorite is probably the book I’m reading at the moment. An old favorite may be Jack Finney’s Time after Time. I try to reread it every now and then. I love the idea of going back in time.

7. How long do you think you would survive in the zombie apocalypse?

Honestly? If I could hole up somewhere I might be okay. (I thought Rick’s old friend in The Walking Dead had the perfect hideout in that second floor with all the booby traps out front to stop the zombies.) Outside, well, I’d need some strong-arm protection.

8. Do you have any future projects you’d like to discuss?

I have many projects going, some involving zombies yet, some in the mystery area, some in the thinking process. I hope to be done with a couple soon. I like to write short and flash fiction too and am coming up with more horror-oriented stories.

http://www.amazon.com/Girl-My-Life-Teenage-Zombie/dp/0979478898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393239139&sr=8-1&keywords=girl+z

The Work of Kevin S Hall

Tell me about the books you are currently working on.

I am working on Thirteen – a collection of horror stories that I have been working on for a long time, but so far they are coming along nicely. I am also writing a novel called Raven’s Edge too, which is a ghost story set in Scotland. It is going to be a planned trilogy – I hope!

What is the inspiration behind your work.

For Thirteen it was my love of horror, especially books by Stephen King and James Herbert. I had lots of ideas for novels but the idea hit me to make them into short stories instead. It’s been a challenge but a fun one! For Raven’s Edge, it was inspired by real life ghost towns and the horrors that could have gone on there, as well as nods to Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

How do you think you’d cope with the horrible situations you write about.

Haha, I am not sure… Some of my characters get into really bad situations but there is always a light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. I guess I would just run away!

What attracted you to the horror genre and how do you think your stories differ from others?

I guess it started with watching all the video nasties in the 1990s, such as Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw and The Exorcist. My favourite film is Pet Sematary but I also love the Japanese horrors like Ringu and Ju-On: The Grudge. I hope people like my stories – I tried to make them dark funny and scary as well as a little gory, so hopefully they feel original too!

And then tell me about any future projects you are planning?

I plan to do a sequel to Raven’s Edge and a prequel, and I am working on a comedy fantasy called The Last Wizard and a horror comedy Death Wants To Die, so watch this space!

Find out more about this fabulous author at https://www.facebook.com/groups/269963769794806/?fref=ts

Introducing Martha Fleming

1. Hi Martha Fleming, can you please tell me a little about yourself?

Martha: I’m just a small town country girl, a mother, grandmother, I enjoy reading & of course writing. I also enjoy pool & bowling.

2. Can you tell my readers a bit about your upcoming books Guardian Angel & Danny and the Temple?

Martha: Guardian Angel is a true story that I wrote when I was 10 years old. Danny and The Temple is just one of my loves behind the stories of Jesus & the money changers.

3. What is the inspiration behind your work? Martha:

True life & love of the bible.

4. What makes your books stand out from the crowd?

Martha: I believe my writing to be inspirational, interesting & entertaining. I believe my books are good for any reader.

5. I have just done an interview with Inspired Industries, so it would be nice to get the perspective from one of their authors - how have you found their service so far?

Martha: I believe for their services to be wonderful. I’m happy with everything so far.

6. What have you got line up for the future?

Martha: Danny and The Temple will most likely have a sequel. I also have a story of my life I’m working on that will be coming in the future.

7. What advice would you give to new authors or what advice have you found most useful?

Martha: Don’t underestimate yourself, there are people out there that will give you encouragement so never give up on yourself.

8. Where can people find out more about you?

Martha: www.inspiredindustries.net & https://www.facebook.com/pages/Martha-Fleming/263559160472455

http://www.inspiredindustries.net/

Inspired Industries - Get YOUR Book Published!

1. Tell us about your new business venture Inspired Industries.

Inspired Industries is a publishing company for authors out there. We provide a complete edit, format, book covers, marketing & promotional ads.

2. What drew you to setting this business up alongside your writing?

I’ve seen a lot of talent that has gone unnoticed & I feel all they need is a little help getting out there.

3. What can authors expect from your services?

They can expect professionalism, fast working speeds, a build of their fans, more sales & more interaction with the public (book signings)

4. What sort of authors/books are you looking for?

We’re not setting on a specific genre, we accept all genres. Of course as most know I write psychological suspense/thriller, but most authors know I’ll help them no matter what the genre is.

5. What platforms will you be offering to authors?

Our company publishes your work to every platform to include: Kindle, Amazon, BooksAMillion, Barnes & Noble, Nook, Paperbacks & we’re also offering the sale of each author’s manuscript from our personal website. So there is no reason any potential reader can’t find a way to read your projects.

6. What makes Inspired Industries the best choice for authors?

Inspired Industries is run by myself & family. I have been an author for right at 20 years & have seen the ins & outs. We’re not trying to get rich or even make a living off of other authors; I have my own projects & a job for that. We simply want to help others get their work out there to help with their goals & dreams.

Check out http://www.inspiredindustries.net/ or https://www.facebook.com/inspiredindustriesbookpublishing for more details.

Wendy Won't Go - Amanda M Lyons

1. Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and your writing style?

I’m a horror writer who lives in small town Ohio with my fiance and two kids ages 8 and 18 months. While I’m a horror writer I do tend to have other elements in there fantasy, fairy tales, urban legends, paranormal tales- all kinds of stuff. Most of what I write is story driven, usually the characters and the circumstances they’re living through are the central part of the story. It’s horror, but it’s also a story with some weight to it.

2. What inspires your writing?

Lots of things. Reading a great book, reading a bad one, having a moment where I ask myself what if?, dreams, news a piece of art, just a lot of stuff.

3. Do you base any of your characters/plot lines on yourself
or anyone you know?

Yes, but it’s never exactly based on that person or life experience, it’s always just a little to the side of being that direct about it. For instance Wendy Won’t Go a novelette I have out is a bit of a twist on the what if scenario of my son’s birth. We didn’t know until they had me open for the c-section that I had septate uterus and placenta acreta. If I had tried having him naturally there was a very real sense that I would have died like Wendy did. In a lot of ways many of my characters have slivers of me in them.

4. What advice would you give to a writer starting out?

Read, write and find readers to read your work. Do everything you can to develop your voice and your ability to hone your work.

5. Are there any of your books you'd like to plug or any
future projects you'd like to tell us about?

Wendy Won’t Go is currently out on the market and you can find it on Amazon it’s a ghost story about a family locked in grief that is so powerful it’s tearing them apart. There are other elements to it as well, it’s got little bits and pieces you can pull out and think about. It’s a long short story but it’s got a lot of impact.

I’m working with some of the author at JEA on a collaborative novel called Feral Hearts about a singles tour that runs afoul of some really nasty vamps and also a short story collection with my brother Robert Lyons II, it’ll be called Apocrypha and features some stories from both of us.

Keep up to date with Amanda M Lyons on her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amanda-M-Lyons-Author/357528661024257?fref=ts

...and get Wendy Won't Go on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Wendy-Wont-Go-Amanda-Lyons-ebook/dp/B00HCYBKYC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391675033&sr=8-1&keywords=wendy+wont+go

Allisons REVENGE

1. Can you tell me a bit about Allisons REVENGE?

TJ: Allison’s REVENGE is about a woman (Allison Dane) that has been through hard times for the better part of a decade and finally gets tired of having her back against the wall.

2. Are any of the characters/event based on you or anyone you know?

TJ: All the characters are made up, but there are some events that have happened to people I know as they did in “Deadly Mountain”.

3. What makes Allisons REVENGE different from similar/competitive stories?

TJ: Allison’s REVENGE isn’t just your basic horror, it covers psychological suspense, mystery, crime and horror. This book has twists that you never see coming, as well as scenes I’ve never witnessed in any other book or movie. How its written allows you to feel the emotion, the terrifying days of torture and even the more basic stuff that people can relate to on a day to day basis. This story also includes 3 alternate endings to sum up many ways the book could have ended.

4. Can you also tell me a bit about the prequel, Deadly Mountain?

TJ: Deadly Mountain is about some high school graduates that go on a skiing trip in Switzerland before they separate to their different colleges. The group is dragged into the caves of the snowy mountain and tortured for information thought to have been known. These teens try to escape their fate from the blood curdling serial killer.

5. What makes your writing stand out from the crowd?

TJ: I’d have to say the twists I put in all my writing and for those that have read any of my work would know the twists are never the same and I’m really big into the whole “shock” factor.

6. What (or who) inspires your stories?

TJ: You know I’ve been asked that a lot and I can’t really say there is just one thing or person that inspires me. I’m inspired just by people watching, hearing events that has gone on, listening to and watching children as their minds develop.

7. Which of your books are you most proud of (or happiest with the way it turned out)?

TJ: Deadly Mountain, Allison’s REVENGE, Holiday Horror (2014) and Devil Days are my favorites.

8. You are a brilliant help to other writers, always supporting others, what advice would you give to someone just starting out writing?

TJ: It’s always better to build bridges than it is to burn them. When you start out the first thing you’ll notice is how hard it is to get your work out there, so it’s a lot better working with others and help them as well as helping yourself than making enemies. Also, just because starting out may not seem like you’re completing your goals, don’t give up. Everything takes time.

9. How do you cope with writers block - if you suffer from it?

TJ: Fortunately I haven’t had writers block yet, but I always have a problem with wanting to write on multiple books at a time.

10. Do you have any future projects you would like to tell us about?

TJ: Well I have 3 anthologies I’m working on Holiday Horror 2015, Monster Diaries and 1 another author is putting out (Doesn’t have title yet). I also have 2 novels Silent Screams and Soul Feeders that I’m working on.

Rebirth - Nicholas Scott

1: Can you tell me a bit about Rebirth?

Scott’s best friend Dunkin has always had an obsession with wanting to become a vampire,  and after many failed attempts Dunkin is about to give up, but during a camping trip he finally finds a real vampire that is willing to turn him or so he thinks. Now Scott has to try and save his friend from certain death before it is too late and he is transformed into a deferent kind of creature of the night.

2: What is the inspiration behind your work?

I have always loved stories, be it in a book, on a stage, or on a screen. I am in love with the idea of so many different, exciting, out of this world tales being told. The real life is so boring and short if you don’t add something extra into it you are going to ruin the little time that you do have. I absolutely refuse to live in the real world, I enjoy what I enjoy and I am often told to grow up or stop enjoying things that other see as child’s play but I will not live a dull meaningless life just because that is what we are told to do. I read, watch, embrace, celebrate and write better worlds because it is a life I want to live.

3: Do you ever base any characters on yourself or anyone you know?

No, I used to a long time ago when I was younger but seeing as most of the people in my stories die people start thinking that I didn’t like them. I actually got in trouble at school once because my vice principal thought that I was plotting to kill someone from a story I had written using names of people in my class. Luckily for me the actual principal could tell fiction from real life.

4: What do you think makes Rebirth stand out from competitive stories?

Rebirth is only book one in a ten book series and the story being told spans over so many years that you will connect with the characters and as each books ends you’ll be wonder what comes next until the very end. This isn’t like many books of its kind, luxurious life or evil to the core vampires, they can die, they do have weaknesses, and they do want a war on humanity.

5:  Can you tell me a bit about your short story project?

This is an anthology of short horror stories from many different writers; the brain is just like any other muscle in your body and constantly needs to be exercised. Full length books can get overwhelming sometimes and you need to step away from them time to time but keep things moving, writing short stories keeps the gears turning and the creative juices flowing.

6: What can readers expect from it?

I have worked with many of these writers before and they write some great stuff, the stories that they have produced for this book are wonderful and the readers are going to love it. The stories may be short but the terror will last.

7: Do you have any other projects in the pipeline?

I have many, many, many stories going on what I call the back burner. I have two separate processes when it comes to ideas, there is the maybe pile in which I write the idea, and then there is the most defiantly pile in which I write a whole section on the idea and put it aside until I am ready for it.

8: Can you describe your writing style in three words for someone who has never read any
of your work?

Thought out, exciting, and enjoyable.

9: How do you think you would survive as the character in a horror story? Do you think you'd side with the hero or the villain?

Well see that depends, in a horror story with the likes of Jason or Freddy id have to side with the heroes, but if it came down to other villains as in Loki, The joker, or Venom a may have to side with the villain. I have always seemed to like villains more than I have the heroes. I am pretty resourceful so I’d like to think I would survive for a while, but I am also adventurous and would defiantly walk down into that dark cellar.

10: Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite book?

I couldn’t really just pick a favorite author, I read so many books as it is and to single one out, I would change my mind every time I thought about it. Some of my favorite books though are The lord of the rings, Harry potter, the Polar express and I love Dr. Seuss.

If you are interested in often leave little shorts on my page and have updates on the projects I am working on. Rebirth will be out in a few weeks.
https://www.facebook.com/?q=#/Wherewegotodie

1. If you could start by telling me a bit about yourself and your work.

Well my name is Mark Woods, I’m 40 and a highly successful Sous Chef with a career spanning over 20 years. I always wanted to be a writer and had a load of half-started, half-hearted ideas floating about, but never did anything about it. I was, however, a prolific reader and started writing reviews.

Horror author, Catt Dahman, went on Goodreads to ask for reviews for her Z is for Zombie series and I complied. She was made up by my reviews and even rewrote a couple of the novels in places because of my criticism. This lead to helping her get signed by Severed Press. She suggested I should be a writer because of my way with words, not knowing about my ambition, and so I wrote a short story that was featured in the charity anthology, the tall book of zombie shorts. I decided I wanted to write more and then Catt told me about an Indie Press she was setting up called J.Ellington Ashton. She asked me to join as an Editor and review writer and encouraged me to continue writing. Because of her encouragement and support, last year I had four short stories published; one of which ended up in Holiday Horror when T.J asked me to submit.

2. What was the inspiration behind your newest novella?

Time of Tides came about because Catt wanted all of our current authors at J.EA to come up with a scary fish story that had to be related to water. I wanted to get involved as I am trying to constantly challenge myself as a new writer, and started brainstorming. I came up with a whole group of ideas then tried to come up with a narrative that connected them. I liked using the idea of global warming and climate change because it is something we are all aware of. I then decided to have a family take to the water to escape the floods. the rest just followed. A number of times I nearly gave up, it was a real struggle to write, but Catt told me to stick with it and the end result was greeted quite favourably. In the end, I was quite pleased with it though it is very dark at times and not for the faint-hearted. As a side-note, six weeks after I completed Time Of Tides,, Norfolk actually did experience severe flooding and tidal waves on its coast. Now that was scary…I sat there watching the news thinking ‘is my story coming true?’ lol

3. What was the inspiration behind your story in Holiday Horror?

My story in Holiday Horror, Let it snow, was already written. I subbed it to a couple of places outside J.E.A as I wanted to be accepted outside my inner circle but it got rejected. T.J contacted me to submit something and with some quick editing to fit with the holiday theme and some cuts, it was ready. What inspired it? Well I actually had the idea of killer snowmen long before the Doctor Who xmas special a few years ago. There is always something a bit threatening about their blank stare I always thought. I wanted them to be a threat without anyone quite knowing why until it was too late. Even then, I wanted to leave the reader asking questions – not knowing why something is happening, the element of doubt and uncertainty IS scary. As humans, we like to know what is going on around us at all times. It is like a basic need.

4. Have you ever based a character on yourself?

No I have never really based a character on myself though for a six author vampire collaboration I am working on, my character I am writing is like my alter-ego and everything I am not. Basically all six authors write a different character, we meet, and then things go ear-shaped. The rest, for now, is a closely guarded secret and if I told you any more I would have to kill you!

5. What projects are you working on for the future?

My next project is a story about giant spiders inspired by the news reports about False Widows last year. I am not sure whether or not it will be another novella or something larger yet – the story needs to tell itself so time will tell. As part of my advertising for Time of tides, I am offering to use people as characters if they share my links on facebook and twitter. I am making a list of names and it is first come, first served, but anyone i dont use this time will be carried over into my next project.

I want to be more prolific this year than last, start earning some money and making an impact. Already I have been mentioned in a uk writing magazine as J.E.A’s UK Editor. I want 2014 to be my year and, so far, it is off to a good start

https://www.facebook.com/markwoodsauthor

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Of-Tides-Mark-Woods-ebook/dp/B00HXKDYXA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390349548&sr=1-1&keywords=time+of+tides

My own interview!

1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to write in the horror genre.

My name is Samie Sands, I am 27 and I live in the UK with my husband and 1 year old daughter. I am new to writing, I have always worked within the media industry – design, photography and PR, but have always wanted to use my creativity in this way. My new years resolution last year was to follow this dream, and I have come such a long way since then! I have a novel being published (which will be released early next year) and now my story in Holiday Horrors.

I have a particular interest in horror as it is such a wide ranging genre. I love the fact that when faced by really horrific situations, characters find things out about themselves that they never knew. I enjoy writing this new depth.

2. What was your inspiration for your story in the Holiday Horrors Anthology?

My story that has been featured in Holiday Horrors is actually a mini spin off story from my novel, Lockdown, which is going to be released. It’s about the very beginning of what is to become a zombie apocalypse, and the main character, trying to wrap her head around a very strange occurrence!

3. Tell us one thing about you that most people don’t know.

I am a huge anime and manga geek. One of the best things to ever happen to me was to visit Japan and see the home of where it all comes from – I even got to visit a working animation studio.

4. Name three things on your desk.

My daughters scan photo, a Hello Kitty plush that was a gift from one of my closest friends and a long line of pens.

5. What are your favorite kinds of characters to write about?

It’s always fun to write the villain! Looking from an entirely different perspective is a challenge I love. Saying that, the hardest characters to write are the ones that are similar to yourself.

6. Do you plot your work or wing it?

I always have a strong plan, which never ever seems to work out! I have found the best ideas I actually come up with, are the ones that naturally appear as the story is developing.

7. Tell us your process for working through a novel as opposed to a short story. How do they differ in your mind?

With a novel, you can flesh out your story with character and plot development and details which explain what is happening better, so once I have got the basics down, I write around that to make it all more interesting.

With a short story, you have to get everything across quicker and in a much more precise way, every word is vital. I plan out longer stories beforehand, whereas I always just start short stories with a small idea.

8. What is one thing you would tell aspiring horror writers that has helped you in your writing career?

Start with what interests you. It sounds simple, but if you don’t like your story, it’s unlikely others will.

9. Do you listen to music when you write? What does your soundtrack look like?

I prefer to work without noise as I can focus better. However, that is impossible with a 1 year old so my soundtrack has become childrens songs – something she can sing along to whilst playing so I can have 5 minutes to myself!

10. What’s next in your writer horizon?

Lockdown will be released in spring, and the sequel wont be long behind! I am currently working my butt off at the moment to get it done.

Twitter: @SamieSands

Bio:

Samie Sands lives in a small seaside town in England with her husband and daughter. She has a degree in Media Studies and has spent her career working as a Graphic Designer. She enjoys reading books from all genres, particularly horror and spends far too much time with her head in a book. Her debut novel, Lockdown, is a Sci-Fi story that will be coming out soon.

Website: http://tri-pub.com/authors/samie-sands

http://thelockdown.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/SamieSandsLockdown

http://www.twitter.com/SamieSands

http://samiesands.tumblr.com

http://www.wattpad.com/SamieSands

http://instagram.com/zombies_lockdown

http://www.pinterest.com/sslockdown/

Zombie Guide Magazine

1. Why did you set up zombie-guide?

I started ZGM for several reasons. The first being my frustration with building websites for other people. I always had to build what they wanted and I wanted a website of my own, that I could make into whatever I want it to be.

My other reasons were to use my army background in a useful way, so I wouldn’t forget the training and experience. So when I started watching The Walking Dead, it came to me. I could make a website about zombies! It could have everything, from survival, to weapons, to my ideas about zombies.

So it started out as a Wiki page and I set out to make it a knowledge base about zombies. When the first book reviews came in it slowly turned into a magazine. We evolved from that and instead of a “guide”, we became a magazine.

We haven’t gotten where we want to be yet. But I have gotten beyond the point I initially imagined the site to ever be. Our goal is to keep getting more fans, attend events and eventually become a team of full time writers.

2. What is your favorite article from the website and why?

My favorite article is from Ian, about destroying the brain stem. It has everything a good article needs. He really did the math and research on it and it came out great. What bothers me about this, is that a lot of people don’t care about all the work that goes into an article like that. It gets almost no attention… But set-up a giveaway for a sticker and everybody gets excited!

3. What is your zombie apocalypse plan? Do you think it’s possible you will ever need it?

I believe in the kind of infected seen in 28 days later. A ravenous disease that turns people into rabies like flesh eaters with no conscience or remorse. Like explained in Zombieland.
My plan for this is simple. Get to an unpopulated area ASAP. Living in The Netherlands, 6 meters below sea level, this will suck.. So my best chances are to lock myself, with supplies, in one of the many windmills here until the everything calms down. After that look for rescue helicopters, or improvise from there on.. These btw are the modern windmills. They have enough space to live in and if you bring soil up there, you could have a garden in the staircase. And catch water on the roof, since it rains here all the time..

4. What would be your weapon of choice?

Well I could start summing up awesome guns here, but they’re all illegal here. So my best bet would be a proper crossbow, a hunting knife and battle-axe. Probably a Cold steel one. But my best weapon would be smart thinking and staying under the radar.

5. How long do you think you’d survive in the zombie apocalypse?

It depends on where I am, what kind of zombies there are and if I’m a little lucky. If they’re the zombies like in Zombieland, I think I should be fine. In that case I think humanity will be thinned out, but we’d make it through. Just hide until the infected run out of food…
In case of a The Walking Dead scenario, I’d die. There would be so many infectious diseases popping up with all the corpses everywhere, plus the whole word coming to a standstill, it would be impossible to stay in good health. You’d die as soon as you get I’ll and have no medical treatment.

Interview with J.Rudolph

1. Tell me about yourself and your work.

Hi, I’m Julie, the author of The Reanimates Series, which is about a nurse named Cali who had a normal life in Southern California until the zombie apocalypse happened. It follows her fight to survive from the day the zombies hit her area and her fight to keep her friends and family alive.

“Hi, I’m Julie, the author of The Reanimates Series, which is about a nurse named Cali who had a normal life in Southern California until the zombie apocalypse happened. It follows her fight to survive from the day the zombies hit her area and her fight to keep her friends and family alive.”

2. What was the inspiration behind your books?

“The inspiration behind The Reanimates was in reading all the zombie books that featured either mostly men and their guns or people that had some sort of inside information or immunity to the virus. I wondered what normal people would do to survive the zombies, and by extension how a woman would be able to be an integral part to survival in a group setting.”

3. Are any of the characters based on yourself or anyone you know?

“Part of the series is based on things I relate to. Like Cali, I’m a nurse, a mom, and a wife. I live in an apartment complex as well, although it is much larger than the story. The characters are based around the conversations I’ve had with my husband while we were waiting in line at the bank or grocery stores. The neighbors in the story are part of my imagining what the people in my complex could be like if we all had to work together, although I don’t actually know them.”

4. How long do you think you’d survive the zombie apocalypse?

“The only way I can imagine surviving the zombie apocalypse is in prevention from them getting too close. I’m not particularly athletic. I broke my lower back stopping a patient from falling, so running isn’t really something I can do well. Fortunately I have a lot of good plans.”

5. What would be your weapon of choice?

“If I could only have one weapon I think a crossbow would be my first choice. You can reuse the ammo and you can make more bolts out of several things like tent poles or those round wooden rods.”

“My website is http://www.jrudolph.com There are links to each of the books there, available on Kindle or paperback.

I love likes on my Facebook page, and the link there is http://www.facebook.com/JRudolphAuthor “

Get your own interview at http://thelockdown.co.uk/blog

All You Have Ever Wanted To Know About Ian McClellan

“I’m tired and cold. It was a hellish 37 degrees here in Port Charlotte, Florida when I left for work this morning and only got up to 66. I grew up in Ireland and NY, but I’ve been down here for 13 years and I’ve gotten used to being warm in that time. When I’m not writing books about zombies or articles for Zombie Guide Magazine I’m stuck in the real world driving a delivery truck. It’s season here now, and I’m working 60-plus hours a week. That’s okay, though, because I come home everyday to three smiling faces and wagging tails and all is well.”

1. What was the inspiration behind your novel?

My first novel, Zombie/Apocalypse 2012: A Political Horror Story, was actually supposed to be a short story with a long name. I used to have a little faith in the government and the media, but I’ve become more and more cynical about the whole process in recent years. One day I was watching some congressmen debate whether or not we’d be able to help some people whose town had been destroyed by a tornado. They wanted to know what we would be cutting to pay for the recovery effort. I was appalled. I got to wondering how they would handle the dead coming back to life in droves and sat down to write how I thought that scenario would play out. Needless to say, it was pretty negative and snarky. There was this other aspect of the story, though, that wanted to come out. Before I knew it, I was writing a book.

2. Did you plan out the story or let it develop as you wrote?

I had planned out very little, but I wasn’t expecting it to be more than 5,000 words or so. Most of it just came to me as I was writing. I did have the end planned out. I’ve gotten a lot of flack about that ending. It’s abrupt and harsh and some people loved it, but a few of them have really hated it. One reviewer on Amazon even said I “went too far, way too far.” I thought that was epic. My only two star review and it’s my favorite.

My second book, which I’m shopping around for a publisher now, started out as just a title. I was reading this article on one of those crazy conspiracy websites about the moon landing being faked and a news story came on TV about Sally Ride passing away. Then, something about zombies popped up in my Facebook news feed. The title just appeared in my head at that moment. One Small Step: How the U.S. Faked the Moon Landing to Avert the Zombie Apocalypse. I’ve since shortened that to One Undead Step. I didn’t have a character or a plot. I didn’t know how we were going to get from point A to Point B. I just started writing, and I think it turned out pretty well.

3. Which zombie book would you recommend to others and why?

Man, there are a ton. If you’re a zombie book reader and I really had to narrow it down to one I’d say Jordan’s Brains: A Zombie Evolution by the brilliant author J. Cornell Michel. It really is the most unique zombie book I’ve read in a lot of ways. There are a lot of zombie novels out there that have their own flair, but that one is truly different.

4. How long do you think you’d survive the zombie apocalypse?

Despite my heavy smoking being in direct conflict with rule #1 of Zombieland, I think I’ll do alright. I live in Florida. There are a lot of really old people here. You know what they say about not having to swim faster than the sharks. Also, I have some guns and I’m a decent shot.

5. If there was going to be a film based on your survival within the zombie apocalypse, who would you like to play you?

Good Lord, that’s a tough one. Maybe Ricky Gervais. He’s quite a bit older than me, but that would be a decent fit. Not terribly attractive, snarky, good delivery. I wonder if he could do my accent, which is kind of weird from all the big moves I made when I was younger.

Find out more about Ian and his books at https://www.facebook.com/politicalhorrorstory

Dana Wright has always had a fascination with things that go bump in the night. She is often found playing at local bookstores, trying not to maim herself with crochet hooks or knitting needles, watching monster movies with her husband and furry kids or blogging about books. More commonly, she is chained to her computers, writing like a woman possessed. She is currently working on several children’s books, young adult fiction, horror short stories and is trying her hand at poetry. She is a contributing author to Siren’s Call E-zine in their “Women In Horror” issue in February 2013 and “Revenge” in October 2013, a contributing author to Potatoes! (upcoming), Fossil Lake Anthology, a top secret anthology project from Horrified Press due out in 2014, Wonderstruck, Shifters: A Charity Anthology, Holiday Horrors and the Roms, Bombs and Zoms Anthology from Evil Girlfriend Media.

Dana also reviews music for New Age Music Reviews, Progressive Rock Talk.com and Write a Music Review.com specializing in New Age and alternative music. She has been a contributing writer to Muzikreviews.com, Eternal Haunted Summer, Nightmare Illustrated, Massacre Magazine, Pagan Living Magazine, The Were Traveler October 2013 edition: The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters, the December 2013 issue The Day the Zombies Ruled the Earth.

Follow Dana’s reviews:
Twitter: @dana19018

https://www.facebook.com/danawrightauthor

http://www.writeamusicreview.com/

http://www.progrockmusictalk.com/

http://newagemusicreviews.wordpress.com/

http://danawrightwordscribe.wordpress.com/

http://about.me/dana.wright.wordscribe

http://zombiegirlshambling.blogspot.com/

http://danasyabookpile.blogspot.com/

http://onthebroomstick.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/dana.wright.14

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Dana-Wright/e/B00DMDOHKQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_2

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dana-wright/31/750/a5a

The Virus

My own project ‘The Virus’ is a free story posted on my website, alongside a variety of media. To check it out please go to http://thelockdown.co.uk/the-virus

“

February 1st – Dylan

7.32am.

I blink, are my eyes deceiving me? Is this some kind of dream…nightmare?!

What the actual  hell?! I never wake up at 7.32.

I always, always without fail, open my eyes at 7.29am. I don’t even have an alarm, it just…happens. I wake at 7.29 and get out of bed at 7.30. Every. Single. Day. 

Except today.

Why? What is different about today? The panic starts as a tight knot in my stomach, slowly expanding until my whole body is consumed in terror. I am literally shaking. I am trying to figure out where exactly I went wrong, and what impact it will have on today.

You might think this is an adverse reaction to waking up a few minutes late, but for me every single second of every single day is planned out. It has to be. My routine goes exactly the same every day. I wont bore you with all the exact details (you know, 7.44am drink coffee, 7.58am brush teeth…), then you will really start to think I’m crazy! But if anything, and I mean anything, goes wrong, bad things happen.

Wow, I sound insane, even to myself.

My mum always said I was an odd little boy, always organising everything obsessively, from toys to games and everything had to be ‘in it’s place’. For that reason, I never had many friends. You can imagine that, can’t you? People don’t like to be controlled and I can’t bear to just ‘go with the flow’, be ‘whimsical’. In fact, the thought of letting things just ‘run their course’ fills me with an unnatural, sweaty, paralysing fear.

Yes, before you ask, I have been through numerous therapy sessions and seen many, many doctors. They all jump to the same conclusion, I have OCD. I go along with it in the hospital, desperate to get away from these people in this weird place, back to my routine. I take the medication with a smile on my face, promising to work on my Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. But it’s more than that, I know it is. Bad things really do happen if I don’t stick to my routine, and not just to me!

I started to take things a bit more seriously, when I reached the age of 8. Before then, I just liked to be in control and organised. Then I noticed, if I didn’t do things at the same time every day, in the same way, everything would fall apart. I would start to feel uneasy, panicky, the whole day would be ruined.

Mum finally cracked and got me looked at when I was 11. The doctor convinced me everything was in my head, that I just needed to change my thought patterns and it would all be ok. I took his advice to heart, sure that if I tried my best, I could start being ‘normal’, like all the other kids in my class. They didn’t seemed to be plagued with any of the issues I had, I longed to be carefree and fun like them.

The next morning, I woke up at 7.29am, but instead of getting out of bed, I squeezed my eyes shut, willing them to go back to sleep, that all would be fine. My breaths got shallow and ragged, my heart pounding so hard I was certain it was going to burst out of my chest, my legs twitching, itching to get up. I resisted, determined to win. I lay there for the longest 2 minutes of my life. I opened one eye, fearful of what would greet me, but everything appeared normal. 

Calming down, I went downstairs, proud of my huge achievement. I expected praise from my mother, but it turns out she hadn’t noticed the time difference to my normal arrival at breakfast. I guess 2 minutes is not a long time for other people. The day continued as normal, I started to relax, really relax. I was over the moon with myself, and happy that I could finally be like everyone else.

Until I got home that evening. I walked in to my mother crying, a grim atmosphere encased the room. My stomach fell to the floor, I had no idea what was wrong, but I knew it was my fault. I cursed myself for not trusting my instincts, for forcing myself to listen to someone who knew absolutely nothing about me, about my curse. As I wrapped my arms around my mother, I discovered the truth. My father had been killed in a car accident, hit by a drunk truck driver.

My whole world fell apart at that moment.

The number 29 came to haunt my whole life after that. Mum has never recovered, she is still a shell of her former self, unable to function like a normal person. And me? 10 years later, here I am, being tormented by the same thing. Waking up late. This is the first time I have done that since that fateful day. Don’t get me wrong, I have caused all sorts of other illnesses, accidents, problems…but nothing like the first one. They have all be the result of me forgetting to flick the light switch 29 times, or being unsure that I locked the front door right. I have never, ever allowed anything so tragic happen again.

This is bad. This is really, really bad.

I’m wringing my hands in terror. I don’t know what this means for me, my family, everyone I know….

What do I do first?! I can’t exactly try and rectify the problem, it’s far too late for that. In fact, it’s already 7.42am. Oh god, it’s all gone to hell now, what shall I do?! Should I ring my family? Run outside and warn everyone to be careful…

Then my eyes set on the television remote. I don’t know why, but for some reason I just know that it holds the key. It has the answer to what I have done. My stiff hand stretches to pick it up, before I even know what I’m doing. I stare at the black box in my hand, too frightened to press anything, knowing whatever I see will torture me, but also knowing that I have bought whatever it is on myself. I must have got careless somewhere, I’ve obviously let myself get too tired.

I deserve this punishment, I need to know who I have hurt this time, so with one last tremble, I hit the on button and the news flashes up before my eyes…”

For more,head to http://thelockdown.co.uk/the-virus