Today
for Supernatural Friday, I interviewed the president of my Horror Writers Association
chapter. Enjoy learning about Dee South.
What
was the first time you decided you wanted to be a horror writer?
In
middle school. I was the kid who loved
Hammer movies, Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. I loved reading stories and had already had
a letter to the President published in a local book for students. I think it was called, Young Writers of Detroit.
What
scares you?
Flying
in an airplane. Yuck. Other than that, the thought of being eaten
alive by an animal freaks me out. The
animal doesn’t matter: ants, piranhas,
sharks.
3 Are
you working on anything now and can you tell us what?
Yes. I’m working on my debut novel about a rogue
priest who’s a member of a special Vatican sponsored exorcism team. They travel the country investigating evil.
What was the first horror novel or short story you read that
turned you to the genre?
My first horror novel that I remember is Phantoms by Dean Koontz. But there were short stories that stood out
in my childhood like Rawhead Rex (if
I remember correctly) by Clive Barker.
Name
5 good horror/thriller books that you feel others should read.
Most
are from my childhood. Jaws by Benchley, Battlefield Earth by Hubbard (more scifi than horror), It by King, Any 47th Precinct book by McBain and Infernal Angel by Lee (extreme horror). My current favorite is the Dresden Files by Butcher, but that falls into contemporary
fantasy.
Is
there anything else you like to write?
Mysteries,
Science Fiction and Fantasy. I really
love cross-genre books and movies. Give
me a good mystery inside of a science fiction story and I’m in love. Give me a horror story in a fantasy, same
result.
Tell us why you joined Horror Writers Association? And why
did you take on leading the
Virginia chapter of the organization?
I
joined horror writers because I needed to find folks with my twisted mindset. I got tired of attending critique groups
where people flinch and grimace when it was time to critique my story. Most critiques started with the phrase, “I
don’t generally read this type of story…” I
took the lead on the Virginia Chapter in order to meet other horror writers in
my state. Once I found out about the
chapter program and realized that we didn’t have a chapter, my goal became to
find ‘my people’ and bring us together.
What
benefits do you feel the organization gives to writers?
So,
so much. I’ve only been a member of the
HWA for 2 years and already I’ve met so many horror writers. In addition, I’ve met writers on the national
level such as John Palisano, Brian Keene and Edward Lee. The HWA has a wonderful mentorship program
led by Michael Knost. I’ve had the
benefit of having John Palisano, the author or Ghost Heart and Dust of the
Dead, mentor me for an entire year. Our
chapter have vended local conventions like RavenCon, MarsCon, and Scares That
Care. Events like Monster Fest. Also, members can avail themselves
of the HWA website and find various markets, editors and publishers.
Tell
us your hobbies.
My
hobbies: Reading, writing, and I’ve just
picked up knitting. I love to play volleyball and softball, but my body is starting to rebel at those activities.
10. Are you a big Halloween fan? What is a favorite Halloween
memory?
I’m a
huge Halloween fan. My biggest memory is
that when I was younger, we had a family challenge to make our own Halloween
costume with items in the house. I chose
to be a tree. I cut up some paper and
drew green veins and safety pinned the leaves to my clothes. I was raised in Detroit, so Halloween could
get pretty frigid for us some years.
What
are five of the scariest horror movies you seen?
My
five scariest horror movies: Exorcist,
Amityville Horror, Aliens 1 & 2, Jaws and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. In fact, I won’t watch any of the demonic
movies by myself. I even hate hearing
the creepy theme song of the Exorcist and Amityville.
1 Tell us the links for your website and any
social media you do?
Social media. FaceBook. My own blog is called “Journey of An Aspiring Writer”. I
also run the Virginia Chapter Blog “HWA Virginia Chapter”. I guess I should update those soon. J
1 Give the writers and horror writers out there
the one piece of advice you
can. It can be in two parts, one for writers/writers to be, and the second one for
readers of the genre.
One piece of advice I’d give horror
writers out there is to join the Horror Writers Association. The wealth of
knowledge is astonishing. For readers,
I’d highly recommend providing feedback to your favorite author by submitting your review via Goodreads or Amazon.
1 Where can anyone find you next—what book festival
or convention?
The
HWA Virginia Chapter will vend the Scares That Care Horror Convention in Williamsburg, Virginia, from July
22-24, 2016.
One
of my favorite pictures: Me and the
legend of extreme horror, Edward Lee.
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