Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Jenna Miller

It's November 1st. Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2017 is now available! So today, I have an interview with the creator of the anthology, Jenna Miller. Not only is she the one responsible for this wonderful, creepy collaboration of chills and thrills, she's also a contributor as well. Let's get on with the interview! Her answers will be in green.

What inspired Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror? 

Way back in 2007, just after I’d published my first fantasy novel, I was invited to contribute to a horror anthology (Concrete Blood: Dark Tales of the City) – it was so much fun and I wanted to do my own anthology. We were also just starting Word Weavers (a writer’s group) at the time, and doing anthologies through there … I wanted one that was just for women, and more importantly, just for women in horror. When I approached people about it, I got mixed responses. A lot of women didn’t want to do it. I got a lot of flak about exploiting women and how it wasn’t “positive.” I also had a few guys who joked about not having a men only anthology.

So I decided to do both, a Ladies and a Gents, and a combined.

How often have you contributed to the anthology? 

I contributed in 2008, 2013 and 2016.
What are the titles of the stories you’ve contributed? 

Addiction, Bitch and Slither (respectively).

What was one of the hardest scenes you’ve ever had to write? 

The rape/cannibal scene at the beginning of Addiction.

How does your family feel about the production of the anthology? 

They’re encouraging, but hate that they essentially lose me for the few months I work on it.

Why do the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society? 

The anthology doesn’t make enough money to pay each contributor much at all, so in 2013 the group decided that donating the profits to charity would be best. As a group we chose breast cancer, but finding a charity that actually puts your donations towards the cause is hard, and that’s why, after much research, we chose the ACS.

I’ve asked all the authors, now I’ll ask you, too. Do you Google yourself? 

Sometimes, and while I have one of the most common names ever in the history of ever, I’m always in the top ten or so. Which is scary.

What is your preferred genre for writing? 

Horror, though I do love the occasional dabble into fantasy and sci-fi.

How do these contributors make you feel? 

I love my contributors. Each and every one has taught me something and helped both me and the anthology grow. I’ve developed long lasting friendships and also learned a few hard lessons working with people from all over the world over the last nearly ten years.

Has the success of the anthology grown over the years? 

Yes. Bit by bit, I see its popularity growing. Even now I’m booked up for the next two years in both the fantasy and the horror—which is hard to fathom, considering as I used to have to sell my soul, and seduce or otherwise entice people in order to get contributors.

How does one contribute to the anthology? 

By sending a query of interest (details can be found in the “notes” on our websites (Queries or Submission Queries) or on the FB pages ( Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror or Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy ) or to Email (horror) or Email (fantasy).

*~*~*

Thanks so much for your time, Jenna! I wish you much success with these anthologies as time goes on.

Don't forget, you can purchase your copy of the anthologies now!

Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Rick Powell

Welcome to another Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2017 author interview session. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Rick Powell! You'll find his answers in red. Enjoy!

1) Is this your first year participating in the LgoH? 

Nope. This is my second run and I could not be happier.

2) If so, tell us what drew you to this anthology. 

I was introduced to this anthology through the mutual friend, and past contributor, Hydra M. Star.

3) If you’ve written for previous LGoH anthologies, list the story titles and years. 

The Ladies & Gentlemen of Horror 2014 with my story Friends Like These.

4) What is your preferred genre? 

Horror, erotic horror, anything along the lines of the strange and the unusual.

5) What other titles do you have published? 

I have been in numerous publications throughout the years, but I have been a pretty consistent contributor to Infernal Ink Magazine (edited and compiled by Hydra M. Star), and have two books of poetry titled My Soul Stained, My Seed Sour and More Regrets Than Glories. I also have a collection of short stories titled A Vault of Whispers.

6) Where do you get your ideas? 

Anywhere and everywhere. A good number of my poems are inspired by either songs I have heard, personal experiences, or stories I have read. My ideas for stories just pop out of the blue. I have been a lover of the horror genre going on 40 years, so I guess you can say that this is a way of “giving back” to the genre that I love so much.

7) Does writing energize or exhaust you? 

Both. There is a point when you are writing a story or poem when you get “in the zone” and everything is flowing with a life of its own. The rush you get when everything is clicking, is something that is hard to describe. It is feeding you and draining you at the same time, and when you are done, it gives you a feeling of accomplishment that cannot be put into words.

8) Do you write for yourself or your audience? 

Oh, I write for myself. I tend to write something that I would like reading. My poems, stories, and such are like my family. They are my own little world I concocted and reading some of them now, I see a little of myself in each and every one.

9) What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer? 

Hydra M. Star has been a friend and like a sister to me for more years than I could remember, and I would not be on this fabulous journey if not for her. She has been there to give me support, advice, or that regular kick in the ass when I needed it. And I will be indebted to her forever. Jennifer Miller (the driving force of The Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror) has been an inspiration to me with all she does with her amazing anthology. What she does with the proceeds of TLAGOH--where they all go to The American Cancer Society—prompted me to do the same with my first collection of poetry, My Soul Stained, My Seed Sour. All the proceeds of that go to The American Heart Association dedicated to my late wife.

10) What was the hardest scene to write? 

There are a few. A couple I cannot name here because of the graphic depiction and nature of the subject, but one that does come to mind would be in my story Winston. It involves a scene where a step-father does something unnameable in the middle of the night. I left that scene ambiguous, and left the events be imagined in the mind of the reader, but it still unnerved me nonetheless.

11) Do you Google yourself? 

Oh, heck no. I am afraid of what I may find. Haha

12) Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? 

In my story True Nature, I placed names and references to classic werewolf films all throughout the story. No one has picked up on them yet, but it was fun to place them in there.

13) Do you have any little known facts you’d care to reveal to us now? 

One that I always make reference to is that when I was 2 years old, I was lost near the haunted Bachelor’s Grove woods near my childhood home in Illinois. My story The Grove is based on the legend of those woods. I still have the article from my mother when it was in the Chicago Tribune at that time. I was lost for almost 6 hours I believe. I always tell people that “ I got lost in the woods as a kid, and have been there ever since”. Haha

*~*~*

Rick Powell lives in Oak Forest, Illinois. He is a lover of horror and dark fiction and his poetry and stories have appeared in numerous publications, Don't Look Back: 13 Terrifying Tales of Urban Folklore, The Ladies & Gentlemen of Horror 2014, Infernal Ink Magazine, and the forthcoming cannibal anthology Bon Appetit: Stories and Recipes for Human Consumption.

All the proceeds from his first book of poetry, 'My Soul Stained, My Seed Sour', will go to The American Heart Association.

His other books include his other poetry collection More Regrets Than Glories and his first book of short stories A Vault of Whispers.

He could be found on Goodreads, Facebook, or his Amazon page.

Rick, thanks so much for your participation! I think I am going to have to check out "True Nature" and see what films you've placed in there! Everyone, have a great rest of your week! 

And don't forget, tomorrow, October 31, 2017, the Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror Anthologies will be available!

Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ John H. Howard

Welcome to another Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror author interview! I'm a little biased about today's author, as I've been working with him on my BREED project as well. Today, I introduce to you, John H. Howard! His answers will be in purple.

1) Is this your first year participating in the LGoH?

No, my story “Effigy” appeared in the LGoH 2015 and I was asked to provide the foreword for the LGoH 2016.

2) If so, tell us what drew you to this anthology.

My mother was a 17-year breast cancer survivor until she finally lost her battle to that beast in September 2016. Because all proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society, there’s no way I would ever say no to contributing to that cause. Plus, the anthology has gained quite a following and a reputation over the years, so there’s a certain amount of prestige in being asked to contribute.

3) If you’ve written for previous LGoH anthologies, list the story titles and years.

See #1.

4) What is your preferred genre?

I used to think it was fantasy, but it seems my mind tends to be drawn more toward horror anymore. It’s a great way to explore the human psyche and our collective inner demons.

5) What other titles do you have published?

“Cry of the Banshee” in the Tome of Distant Realms, 2008; “Mrs. Culling’s Reformatorium for Wayward Children” in Isabelle Rose’s Twisted Fairy Tales, 2009; “The Goblin Lantern” and “Obsidian” in Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy, 2014; “Moonville” in The Horror Society Presents: Forgotten Places, 2015; “Mrs. Culling’s Reformatorium for Wayward Children” (reprint) in Fiction Foundry Presents: One, 2015; “Effigy” in Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror 2015; and finally, I recently released a novella entitled “Ordinary Heroes,” which is available in print and Kindle formats on Amazon.

6) Where do you get your ideas?

From everyday life, ordinary situations. I think the key to having great story ideas is just to keep an open, active mind. I’m constantly asking myself what would make any given situation more interesting or creepy or horrific, or if I were a character in a story in that moment, what could happen next.

7) Does writing energize or exhaust you?

A good writing session will energize me for hours. A bad one will exhaust me.

8) Do you write for yourself or your audience?

I write for myself, but edit for an audience.

9) What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer?

Jennifer L. Miller, who was the first person to publish one of my stories back in 2008 (“Cry of the Banshee”). She has been a constant source of encouragement through the years and every time she asks me to contribute to something, I try to make each story better than the last.

Julia Press Simmons, one of the most badass self-made women you’ll ever meet. Not only is she an author, but she’s currently in the process of building her own multimedia pop culture empire. If not for her, “Ordinary Heroes” wouldn’t exist in its current form. I had originally drafted it as a short story for submission to a super hero-themed anthology and she asked me why I was wasting my time submitting to anthologies like that when she felt I could do well self-publishing. She told me to add 10,000 words to the story and that she would help me put it out there. I did and she did. I’m very grateful for her time, advice, and mentorship.

Also, there’s the Fiction Foundry Freaky Fridays peer review group: Jennifer Caress, Carolyn Kay, Klara Gomez, Robbie Knight, and Sarah Walker. We’ve been critiquing each others’ work for more than two years now and do our best to strengthen each others’ writing. It’s great because everyone brings something different to the table. I have learned and grown so much over that time period, I don’t even think I’m the same writer I was two years ago.

10) What was the hardest scene to write?

Not so much a scene, but an entire story: “Effigy,” which appeared in LGoH 2015. In it, a young woman awakens tied naked to a tree with no memory of how she got there or even who she is. Throughout the story, other people do horrible things to her. I almost didn’t submit it because it was so rough (and I was slightly worried about being labeled a misogynist), but I tentatively sent it to Jenna Miller. She loved it and printed it. It got a really nice review on Amazon, too. Now, it’s one of the stories I’m most proud of because it pushed a lot of boundaries, both as a story and also for me as a writer.

11) Do you Google yourself?

I did once and learned that the former Prime Minister of Australia had the same name as me. But otherwise, no.

12) Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

In my fantasy stories I almost always reference wights of some kind, usually mist wights, but you’ll also see fire wights, water wights, and occasionally the elusive shadow wight. In my fiction, they’re not so much spirits or ghosts, but closer to elementals. It’s something I came up with way back in my twenties and I liked the idea, so I’ve tried to continue it.

13) Do you have any little known facts you’d care to reveal to us now?

I hate coconut, but I love German chocolate cake. Weird, I know.

*~*~*

Thank you so much for participating, John! And congratulations on getting "Ordinary Heroes" out there! Have a great rest of your week, everyone!

Find links below to connect with John H. Howard:

Facebook Author Page

Fiction Foundry

Amazon Author Page

Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Henry Snider

Welcome to another Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror author interview! These anthologies will be available October 31, 2017. I thought it would be nice to let you all get to know them a little better. Also, proceeds from this anthology go towards the American Cancer Society, so it's for a good cause as well as a good scare.

On that note, please meet Henry Snider! His answers will be in gold.

1) Is this your first year participating in the LGoH? 

Yes, actually. I only found out about it last year.

2) If so, tell us what drew you to this anthology. 

A friend who's a member of our writing critique group, John Howard, told me about the anthology and what a good cause it was for.

3) If you’ve written for previous LGoH anthologies, list the story titles and years. 

This is my first go around with Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror.

4) What is your preferred genre? 

Horror for the most part, but I have to admit recently dipping my toes into the fantasy realm.

5) What other titles do you have published? 

Several stories in different anthologies over the years. I spent most of my time teaching and running writing groups until recently. Short fiction is being sent out regularly while my first novel is currently under review with an agent.

6) Where do you get your ideas? 

Now you know, this is the one question that all authors hate. We fantasize about all the terrible things we could do to people who ask us this question. You know, like tying the interviewer to a chair and force them to suffer reruns of The Brady Bunch until madness sets in. Seriously though, I'm afraid my answer isn't all that different from everyone else's - I get my ideas from everywhere. I wake up and see a bird fly by the window, it becomes a crow with a nefarious agenda (you'll have to read A MURDER OF CROWS in this year's LGoH to know what it is), or a little kid refusing to take a creepy clown mask off (THE CLOWN - Best of the Horror Society 2015). Even a boring drive across Wyoming can give birth to something (SANDCASTLES - Canopic Jars). Letting an author sit quietly isn't punishment, it's opening the door to an amazing playground.

7) Does writing energize or exhaust you? 

It actually depends on the scene I'm writing. If I'm building to a climactic point then it's energizing and I just don't want to quit. Of course if I've just written the scene I'm left exhausted, both emotionally - and in some cases physically - spent.

8) Do you write for yourself or your audience? 

Early on I was writing what I thought others wanted to read. It wasn't very good. Then I focused on only working on things that filled my daydreams...and sometimes my night terrors. I've stayed on that side of the fence ever since.

9) What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer? 

Not a fair list. Beyond the normal list, my wife who's a fellow author and editor, everyone in my writing group, Fiction Foundry - we really are just one big dysfunctional family. They make me twitchy, but usually in a good way. But - for the record, they've made me have a drink or two, too.

10) What was the hardest scene to write? 

So far a sex scene in my novel because my protagonist is a woman. I wanted to make sure I got the physical /and/ emotional aspects right. Again, my wife, along with the other women in my critique group were fantastic at guiding me through the scene with no teasing (smell that? that's sarcasm, readers - they teased the out of me).

11) Do you Google yourself? 

Once in a great while. It's entertaining to see how dead I am in different parts of the country. Boring obituaries, though. Not one rustler, car thief, or drunken pilot in the bunch.

12)  Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find? 

Yes, all the time. A fun one is the abandoned drive-in my novel takes place at. In reality, it's based on an old drive-in theater that was on Broadway in Richmond, VA. In the summer of 1979 I was still eight years old and my parents took me to the drive-in. The double-bill was Fantastic Planet (freshly released here in the states in English) followed by Phantasm. They thought "Oh, a cartoon for him to watch and he'll go to bed." They sat through it mortified at what they'd taken me to. Then came Phantasm. No sleep for me - I fell in love with the silver sphere, demented jawa zombies (let's face it, that's what they are), and - of course - the Tall Man. I told you all of this to pass on that the summer of 1998 - almost twenty years later - I was introducing my wife and nearly two year old son to family back in Richmond and got the grand idea to see if the drive-in still existed. Hollie was in for a movie and off we went. While in line I commented about how high the pines were so no one could even see the screens. She noted that there only appeared to be men and one other couple sitting in line. Yes folks, this is going where you think it is. The old drive in had become - you guessed it - a porno drive-in. And there we are, me with a shocked expression on my face, a wife who's laughing so hard she nearly shot soda out her nose (totally the /wrong/ way to do Coke, by the way) and an infant seat in the back - all three of us lined up innocently to see a skin flick. We left, with me more than a little embarrassed. I didn't hear the end of it until...hell, I think she mentioned it last month. That brings me to my novel which takes place at an abandoned drive-in theater whose history oddly mimics the actual place. The short answer's, "Yes, I do put secret things in my writing," but it's not nearly as fun.

13) Do you have any little known facts you’d care to reveal to us now? 

I don't know - I tried out to be an extra in the original Red Dawn and discovered why my parents always caught me in lies - I can't act. I had a hard time keeping clothes on until I was in my mid-twenties (mooning, streaking, skinny-dipping - let's just say Calvin and Hobbes has the right idea). I have little-to-no shame when it comes to a good laugh. Be warned.

~*~*~

Thanks so much for your interview! And yeah, sorry about question number six. But you know, all readers want to know! Plus, I get my ideas from very strange sources. I'll have to tell everyone some day. 

Here is another link from Henry for all you readers to visit. It's amazing!:

Ghost Town Writers Retreat

Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror: Author Interviews ~ Jeff Brown

This pic is from the 2016 Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror Contributors.

Hello, everyone! Allow me to introduce the Gentleman who wrote the Foreward for this year's Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror Anthology: A. J. Brown! His answers will appear in red.


1) Is this your first year participating in the LGoH?

No. This is actually my second. I was in the 2016 as one of the Gentlemen of Horror and I had the pleasure of writing the forward for LGoH.

2) If so, tell us what drew you to this anthology.

That’s easy. Jennifer Miller drew me to it. Originally, I was supposed to appear in one of the editions a few years ago—2010, I believe. Things kind of fell through and I really wanted to give it another shot. I followed Jennifer’s post on social media and we talked from time to time, just about stuff, in general, and writing. Then I asked her if there were any available slots in any of the upcoming releases. Turns out, there was a spot in the 2016 version and I jumped on it. It was a wonderful experience. A lot of work, but it was so much fun putting working on it.

3) If you’ve written for previous LGoH anthologies, list the story titles and years.

2016—Crisps Noise

4) What is your preferred genre?

I write mostly dark stuff, so I’m going to say horror, but with a realistic slant.

5) What other titles do you have published?

Oh man, I’ve had over 175 short stories published over the years, but I have several books out and I’ll see if I can get them in the right order here. Along the Splintered Path (a short story collection), Southern Bones (a short story collection), Cory’s Way (novel), A Stitch of Madness (short story collection), Dredging Up Memories (Novel), Ball Four (a short story collection about baseball), All We See is the End (a collaboration with the immensely talented M.F. Wahl), and The Forgetful Man’s Disease (a novella) Whew!

6) Where do you get your ideas?

Real life. Most of my stories have a realistic slant to it (even the horror ones). I find the best stories are often found all around me. They just need to be told.

7) Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Both. Starting a new story is always energizing and exciting. Finishing the story is also a thrilling feeling. The exhausting part is when a story doesn’t seem to want to end.

8) Do you write for yourself or your audience?

Myself. Stephen King said in his book On Writing, the writer is the story’s first reader. With that in mind, I write every story as if I am going along for the ride. I want to be just as moved as the readers are when they read one of my stories. If I’m not moved in some way, then how do I expect the readers to be moved?

9) What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer?

I think I have more author friends than I have other friends. There are a handful that help me when I’m struggling or who have taught me a lot as I have gone along. Fran Friel is at the top of the list. As is Justin Dunne, Lisa Vasquez, M.F. Wahl, and John Miller is the most fascinating author I have ever met.

10) What was the hardest scene to write?

I wrote a scene in a book I have not put out yet where a teenaged boy dies brutally. It was the one scene I have written that almost made me quit writing all together.

11) Do you Google yourself?

I do when I am trying to see if any of my books have been reviewed, but other than that, no.

12) Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Ha! Yes! There are a lot of hidden things in my stories that if a certain person or certain people read them, they would be like, ‘Hey, I know what he is talking about here, or where this could have happened.’

13) Do you have any little known facts you’d care to reveal to us now?

I’m deaf in my left ear, but you probably want something juicy. To that, I can only say, the really good stuff needs to remain a secret!

~*~*~

A. J., thank you so much for allowing me to interview you. It's great getting to know authors!

People can find A. J. Brown at these places:

Facebook

Facebook author page.

Facebook fan page.

Amazon author page.

Blog

Have a great rest of your week, everyone!