6 Questions with the winner of our 2016 Halloween Horror Flash Fiction Contest, Michael J.P. Whitmer.
1. Horror is my favorite genre both to read and write, but it’s also the most difficult for me. What advice do you have for writing good horror?
To write good horror, read good horror, and know your own fears. Also, the right atmosphere/setting, language that appeals to the senses, and a gradual reveal of a greater, darker reality has worked for me.
2. Who do you consider some of the best horror writers, both historically and presently?
I’m a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Clive Barker.
3. What horror movies do you enjoy as a writer?
In no particular order; Interview with the Vampire, IT, Six Sense, Let the Right One in, Hellraiser, and The Mist.
4. What about as a fan?
Lost Boys, Evil Dead, Nightbreed, Re-Animator, Rosemary’s Baby, and Blair Witch Project.
5. Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, or Leatherface?
Freddy for the concept, and Myers for his theme music.
6. Why is Halloween so awesome?
Halloween allows the monsters to walk unmasked among us. Or, inspecting and tasting my son’s candy for ‘poison’.
