SNM Horror Magazine

         Interviews with a Vampire!

Lilith is our latest addition to SNM Horror Magazine. She will be taking over for Crystal Adkins to conduct the new author interviews. Lilith is a writer and poet and has been published in Poetry.com and was an editor for her high school newspaper. Her passion for journalism and the art of literary writing has earned her a position as our author interviewer. Having a dark passion for the horror genre, she has added a real distinctiveness to SNM's staff. Lilith, a Native American, lives in the very hot state of Arizona. *You can visit her on her Myspace site for further details. 

NOTE: Lilith is not accepting author interviews directly, only those scheduled by the editor's monthly selections. 

Thank you, Lilith, SNM Horror Mag darkly embraces you.

         LILITH       

 www.myspace.com/shinigami_vamp_Lilith

Darkest Greetings My Dears,

Much time has passed and more great tales have been sent our way. As always, thank you from the bottom of this vampire's dark heart, to those whom I've interviewed as well as to those whom have since friend requested me on MySpace. I realize that summer is that time when each of us in our own way, take time to rest, reflect, or just party...however, I hope that this will give each of you time to get those ideas down and submit some of your work to be displayed within the SNM Mausoleum.

I'm thankful I had the chance to personally talk with some of you one on one via email correspondence. Many of whom are in metal bands, music video directors, new upcoming authors and actors. Due to that, I've been working on a few ideas to add to my interview page. More info will be disclosed after details between the Dark OverLord and I discuss them. Who knows, maybe this Vamp might find some happy go donors that are willing to invite me...oh wait a second, I'm drifting off track, aren't I? *blush* Excuse me, how rude I allowed my appetite to intrude; deep apologies. I'll take that as my cue and bid you all farewell for now, this Miss needs to satisfy her thirst.

Now come check our feature author interviews for July with G.A. Buchholz, co-creator of The Dark Fiction Guild with SNM Author of the Year winner, Mr. James Cheetham. Meet Young Hayley Bernard, who made her debut publication with SNM back in May. And finally our Story of the Month winner from the June issue, Mr. A.R. Braun. Hope you enjoy the July issue!

Any author interviews book/story reviews originally featured in SNM Horror Magazine may not be featured on other magazine venues without our prior permission. However, all authors may post book reviews or interviews and self-promote themselves on Myspace or their own website without written permission... 

        Author Pen Name: G.A. Buchholz

G.A. Buchholz is a Canadian author of dark fiction, poetry, drama and lyrics whose work has been published in various literary journals and anthologies. His company, DigitalPractices Media Inc., produced EdgarAllanPoe200.com, which was one of the highest ranked Poe bicentennial sites in the world. For 15 years he has written about the arts and technology for various print and online publications. He is also the co-founder with SNM Author of the Year,  James Cheetham, of the Dark Fiction Guild. Writers: check out this site to network with new horror and dark fiction writers, have discussions and exhange stories.

Lilith: Hello G.A. Buchholz, very nice to meet you.

GB: Thanks, Lilith; likewise.

Lilith: What was your first step as an author; can you tell us about it?

GB: When I was seven years old I wrote a one-page short story (little did I know that someday they’d call that “flash fiction”) about a little boy who hears noise in the attic. When he finally investigates it, he discovers that his grandfather’s body has been entombed in the attic, with a marker that reads “Charles Black, R.I.P.” I’m still looking for a publisher for that one. <grin> Actually I had some good encouragement from Writer’s Digest in the ‘80s when I won an Honorable Mention out of thousands of short story submissions. It was a story about a guy who decides to commit suicide in his own apartment suite by hooking himself up to a timer that is set to electrocute him when the time is up.   

Lilith: I heard that you’re working with Mr. James Cheetham on the “Dark Fiction Guild” site, how has that been? Tell us about it.

GB: Ah, James Cheetham is a dark, misbegotten soul, prone to lengthy episodes of monomania, and desperately addicted to laudanum. OK, forget that. The Griswold approach won’t work on James’s reputation because all his friends and many of his readers already know him as a very smart, congenial, and hard working author who’s also a family man. Sorry for stripping the mystique away, James. It has been a real honor working with such a talented guy (my sister, a fan of his, introduced us), and having our hands in so many different projects, we understand each other when things get a little, uh, overwhelming at times.

Right now, the Guild has more than 260 members, but it’s little more than a private community for creators of dark fiction and other dark arts (music, visual arts, film etc). By 2010, it will formally become an association, and a public Website will be built around the private community so that the public will start to hear more about what we’re doing. We also have some plans to publish a print anthology of members’ works, but there are a number of details to work out with that. Suffice it to say that both James and I are pretty good at marketing, and if we do manage to publish that anthology, you can bet we’ll make sure it sells (and not just to the contributors!)    

Lilith: Your company, DigitalPractices Media Inc., produced the site “EdgarAllanPoe200.com” Could you tell our readers about it and perhaps a little about what inspired you to bring forth one of the of the highest ranked Poe bicentennial sites in the world?

GB: I’ve always been a Poe fanatic (surprising that I’ve never written a play or story about Poe…yet). In late 2007, I was thinking about him when I was purchasing some antique Poe books on eBay, and I realized it would be his bicentennial in 2009. So I Googled it, thinking that there would be dozens of Websites being developed in preparation for that event, but I found none. Even the ones you’d expect – the Poe Museum, the Poe National Historical Site – had no mention of the event. To me it was unthinkable that Poe wouldn not be honored appropriately on his 200, as he had such a shitty life and was screwed post-mortem by people like Rufus Griswold, who almost single-handedly destroyed Poe’s reputation.

Anyway, I own a company that develops Web strategies and research, and I’ve been building Websites professionally since the mid-90s, so it became a mission of mine to create a Website in honor of Poe’s 200 birthday. I began networking with other Poeists on MySpace and Facebook, as well as some colleagues of mine in the business, and together we came up with the Edgar Allan Poe 200 Project, and the EdgarAllanPoe200.com site, which has been very successful, thanks to the efforts of so many dedicated people. We had a huge one-page spread in the Vancouver Sun on January 19 (Poe’s birthday), and had many mentions elsewhere. The Website will stay up permanently, at least in archive status, but going forward I’ve already launched the International Edgar Allan Poe Society on Facebook to give birth to a new organization that’s not so U.S.-centric (sorry, my American friends, no slight intended) because Poe belongs to the world, not just America. There is even a conference on Poe being held in Romania later this year! Romania!

Lilith: Do you have projects that you are working on now that you’d like to promote?

GB: Yes. I am working on a full-length fiction novel entitled "Descendant" that’s a cross between horror and science fiction, two of my favorite genres. I originally intended it to be a novel, but I think it’s going to be a novella because I’m not one to write sprawling manuscripts. I’m also starting to think about ways I can connect with musicians who would like to work with a writer who can create lyrics for their music. I also have a background as a playwright, and have produced a number of stageplays, so I really like the performance aspect of art. I love to hear poetry and stories read aloud, and to listen to great words in music.   

Lilith: What type of music is best fitting to your taste?

GB: Truthfully, I love to listen to most forms of music, from classical to avant garde to rock to folk and pop. As you might expect from a dark fiction writer, I do lean towards music which is darker, more atmospheric or intense. You’ll hear me playing a lot of classics: King’s X, Beethoven, Rush (I’m Canadian, eh?) Evanescence, Jason Webley (goth folk?), Jet Set Satellite, to Godspeed, You Black Emperor, Philip Glass, Aimee Mann, Radiohead and the Cure. I also have a weakness for movie musicals such as Phantom and Sweeney Todd.

Lilith: Are there any authors out there, well known or more underground, that you’ve been interested in working with?

GB: I presume by working with, you mean like some kind of collaboration. You know, I’ve had some correspondence with some interesting authors in the past. Stephen King, J.D. Salinger, Vincent Price, to name a few. I wrote a letter to Blatty recently but haven’t had a reply yet.  And obviously I’ve been able to collaborate very well with James Cheetham on the Dark Fiction Guild, so maybe we’ll be able to do some other projects together in the future, too. As far as writing goes, I’m not really the collaborative type. As I mentioned before, though, I’d like to collaborate on multi-disciplinary projects with musicians, visual artists, filmmakers and so on.

Lilith: In your opinion, what do you think are the best qualities to find in a writer?

GB: Writers should be readers first. They should treat writing as a craft that can sometimes be elevated to art. They should also take an active interest in other artforms as well. And they should have a little bit of separation between their writing, which is a creative output, a product, and their self-esteem and self-worth. Any seasoned writer can tell you that some of their stuff has been crap, plain and simple, but it doesn’t mean that you’re crap as a writer. Whether it’s in academics, business, athletics or writing, you have to be persistent, strive with all your might, and never give up. In the end, it’s not about how much money, you made or how many books you sell because that’s just the icing. It’s about fulfilling the promise inside you.

Lilith: What has been the meaningful lesson to have learned as a writer, within your 15 years experience?

GB: When I was eight years old, I saw the aftermath of a bad accident in Montreal (my former hometown) where this fast-moving commuter train struck a car full of people who were apparently returning from a funeral service. My father, who survived a war and was fascinated by disasters, actually took me to the site of the crash near an open field. Even though officials there advised him to avert my eyes, it was too late. I saw bodies being pulled from the wreckage and carried into ambulances. I will never forget the ivory whiteness of their dead flesh in contrast with the dark red blood upon it. In fact, one of my short stories was partly inspired by that experience. 

Lilith: What do you wish to see change in the film horror industry?

GB: I think it’s become too theatrical, too bloated with special effects in an expensive bid for box office dollars. I like the lower budget films because the emphasis is on mood, atmosphere and suspense, anticipation, rather than explicit gore which becomes boring very quickly. In an age when anyone can see a real video of human decapitations and other such horrors, filmmakers should remember that filmgoers are too cynical about CGI effects and fake blood and prosthetics. They can see the real thing on YouTube, so why would fake violence impress them? It was popular when it was a novelty in the ‘80s and the ‘90s, but it’s run its course. The Blair Witch Project was a milestone because, as parodied as that film has been, it was an example of how a filmmaker with a low budget and no special effects could create a masterpiece that scared the hell out of audiences.   

Lilith: Are you reading anything good these days? Got any recommendations?

GB: I’m looking forward to reading William Peter Blatty’s new novel, Elsewhere, because he’s probably my favorite living author of dark fiction. I’ll recommend that one even before reading it because Blatty’s such a wonderful writer. I’ve also started reading Andrew Davidson’s novel, Gargoyle, but I’m not terribly impressed with it so far. He’s from the province of Manitoba, as I am, so I was hoping I’d love his book. I’ve also had Anne Rice’s vampire novels on my bedside table, and I’ve been chipping away at Kenneth Silverman’s dry book about Poe called Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance. Northrop Frye’s Fearful Symmetry: A Study of William Blake is an excellent non-fiction text. 

Lilith: How did you first hear about SNM Horror Mag?

GB: Actually, I think I first discovered SNM on MySpace, and then later on because I was following James Cheetham’s work. It’s always a pleasure to read new issues of SNM. I love how SNM publishes new authors but also nurtures and promotes established authors. That’s the mark of a vibrant publication with solid editorial guidance. 

Lilith: Where can SNM readers stalk you online?

GB: Visit my Website at http://vonBuchholz.com, which I update periodically when there’s news about any new works or publications. For more frequent updates, they can follow me on Twitter @vonBuchholz. 

Lilith: Thank you G.A. Buchholz for taking the time to do this interview with me. I hope to be able to another interview with you again in the future.

GB: Thanks, Lilith. I hope so, too. It’s been my pleasure.

                     Pen Name: Hayley Bernard

Hailey Bernard achieved her goal of being published by 30! Making her debut with SNM, Hailey delivers this nightmarish tale of addiction and gluttony, internalized like in "Fight Club." She hails from Philedelphia by way of Middle Connecticut and has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. She works in a special education classroom with children who are medically fragile. Hailey has completed 2 novels and has over 5o stories. SNM darkly embraces her and hopes she comes back for more! Readers can also contact her via Myspace with comments on her first published story. *Support her on winning 3rd Place!

Lilith: First off, congrats in placing in the May top 3 with SNM Horror Mag. Where did you first begin as an author? Tell us a little about it.

Hayley: Thanks! I started writing when I was a kid. Me and my older sister would write adventure stories and share them with each other for laughs. Now, I mostly write horror and sci-fi... anything but romance comedies.

Lilith: Just a quick re-cap, can you tell our readers a brief “what it’s about” description of “Severed Ties,” which placed you in our hot top 3rd spot?

Hayley: It's a story about revenge. It begins with a guy waking up, only to get brutally beaten by his girlfriend. She puts him through hell and he doesn't realize why until the end. The truth was she was actually dead the whole time and made him do all those horrible things to himself as a punishment for killing her.

Lilith: Does Severed Ties reflect a side of the character Amber in you?

Hayley: When I invent characters, their personalities are sometimes based on people I know or they are another aspect of my personality. With Amber, I had to get pretty dark. I'm not a violent person, but if someone killed me I would haunt the hell out of them. Don't think I'd go as far as Amber did, having Mike stick his hand in the garbage disposal and all, but then again who knows?

Lilith: If you were on a cruise for a month, what five books would you bring along to read?

Hayley: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Coldfire by Dean Koontz, The Stand by Stephen King, The Manhattan Hunt Club by John Saul, and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Discovered Neil Gaiman recently, I've read most of his books already. Get your hands on everything he writes, he's the best!

Lilith: What novels have you had published and when can we expect to find another by you?

Hayley: No novels published yet. I'm seeking representation for Lyncher, which is a twisted horror/adventure story that I had a blast writing.

Lilith: Tell me about your background in stage and screenplays? I find it interesting.

Hayley: I've been in over a dozen plays, some lead parts, throughout high school and college. My favorites were Cabaret, The Wizard of Oz, and The Man Who Came to Dinner. I also enjoy working behind the scenes. I was an assistant director for King Lear and Hamlet for a small DE theater company. I wrote  a screenplay: Seance, and a one-act play: 3 Roads to Nowhere.  

Lilith: Who is your horror idol? Have you ever met him/her?

Hayley: Stephen King. He's just amazing. Never met him.

Lilith: What is the most enjoyable part of writing?

Hayley: Creating characters and worlds for these poor people I make up. Writing's a great escape.

Lilith: What has been the most rewarding experience you’ve had has an educator working with children in a special education classroom?

Hayley: The children that I work with are medically fragile and can't speak, but they can smile. They each have a unique sense of humor and I love making them laugh.

Lilith: Do you have a favorite motivational quote?

Hayley: Just to live life and be happy, to do what you love doing, and hang with people you enjoy being around.

Lilith: Aside from getting your work published, what else would you like to see happen with your work in the future?

Hayley: I'd love to see my novel Lyncher become a movie someday. I think it'd look cool onscreen.

Lilith: Will you be submitting more stories for SNM Horror Magazine readers to enjoy in the near future? 

Hayley: Absolutely!

Lilith: Where can SNM readers stalk you online?
 

Hayley: I'm on Myspace and Facebook.

www.myspace.com/hayleybernard

Lilith: Thank you, Miss Bernard, for your time and please keep up the excellent work!

Hayley: Thanks!  Keep up the good work, guys!

                 Author Pen Name: A.R. Braun

A.R. Braun haunts and captivates us with Story of the Month. He is a newcomer to SNM and gives us a chilling perspective of the frailness of the human mind as an elderly man inherits a dual identity resulting in senility. In addition to writing, he is also a death metal musician, working on a studio project and trying to form a band. He has had 2 short story publications in Horrorbound and MicroHorror. He hails from Illinois. Below is his website and Myspace. Welcome home to SNM Mag, A.R.!

Lilith: A.R. Braun, welcome to SNM Horror Magazine! My pleasure to interview another SNM SOTM winner.

AB: Thank you very much. Nice to meet you, Lillith. I’m so glad there’s a mag out there featuring brutal horror.

Lilith: Let’s start off with a brief intro, please explain to the readers what they can find in your story, “The Interloper”?

AB: In “The Interloper,” I describe an old man’s descent into madness. I struggled with whether I should show the monster or not. It seems that either way, it’s a lose-lose situation. The monster’s not scary enough, or the readers are disappointed that they didn’t see it. But I think I did show the ghoulie in schizophrenia. Anyway, he sees and even feels a lot of things that aren’t there as an almost sentient evil takes over his house and tries to destroy him.

Lilith: Where did you come up with the inspiration to write “The Interloper”?

AB: It’s definitely a Poe-inspired story. I didn’t go all out with the gore as I’ve done a lot in the past. It’s more psychological. When I read the other stories on SNM, I saw that they dealt with perception. So I wanted to write the world as the old bugger perceived it.

Lilith: How much time do you commit to writing?

AB: I’m usually on the computer between ten or eleven in the morning, and I work until around five p.m. But a lot of that is networking and building an author platform, so it’s actually anywhere from one and a half to four hours a day.

Lilith: Where else have you been published?

AB: Yes. My story, “Remember Me?” was published by Horror Bound (http://www.horrorbound.com/), and my other piece, “Shades of Gray (the Symbiosis of Light and Dark)” was published by Micro Horror (http://www.microhorror.com/ -- in the archives). I am especially excited by micro flash fiction, which is a new concept to me. One can only say so much in so few words.

Lilith: What is your educational background in your craft?

AB: I wasn’t swift enough to get an English degree like King and Ketchum, so I've studied Warriner’s Grammar and The Elements of Style every night for about an hour. I also have the Associated Press Stylebook. I plan to get an English degree after I publish a novel, when I can afford to go back to school. Then I’ll probably teach English or reading to kids.

Lilith: Do you do this full time?

AB: Yes I do. The economy being the way it is, I lost the job I had at a business because it closed and find myself doing odd jobs for anyone that needs it, whether it be cutting lawns, whacking weeds or raking leaves. I also have a window washing business. I hate it when work or errands cut into my writing schedule. I’m schizophrenic, so I’m on social security. I usually read for two to four hours a night also.

Lilith: Do you have a familiar stomping ground where you go to jot down ideas or is home more your ideal place to unwind what’s in your head?

AB: Home—I have a computer, albeit a piece of crap—but it works. I have Microsoft Word and the Internet. I place my computer in the corner in the bedroom of my flat, where I won’t be bothered by anything. If I’m on a rough draft, I’ll blast metal and shut the door.

Lilith: I know you’re friends with Elizadeth, another SNM familiar, who might I say is a great writer, have you thought of collaborating on a project together?

AB: No, I haven’t, but that would be a great idea. I’d have to ask her and see what she thinks of it first. She’s actually in Wisconsin and I’m in Illinois, so we’re not too far away. I’m meeting a lot of cool people through this writing gig. I didn’t even know there was a death metal cheerleader! I think that’s great. I have a studio death metal project. The CD will be out after I publish a book, when I can afford to cut it. I’ve already got it written and ready to go, but I’m working out the kinks.

Lilith: Tell us a little bit more about your progress on that studio project that involves death metal.

AB: It’s something I can’t afford to do right now, not until I publish the novel, which won’t be ready ‘til the end of the year when it’s done being critiqued and fixed. As soon as I can afford it, I’ll do it. I had to realize that I couldn’t carry a tune with a wheel barrel, so I cut the clean vocals out, learned to growl from my gut, got a new Marshall head for twisted lead effects, learned to palm mute with my right hand pull and slap on the bass. I’ll hire a session drummer. I’m miles beyond where I was when I got a crappy review in Metal Maniacs—which I deserved and was glad to get; it woke me up to how I was average when I thought I was great—and I think I’ve finally got it down. The group name is Chalice of Blood and I’ll be a dude called Necro. There’s a lot of horror songs, as you’d expect.  

Lilith: When did you attend your most recent music concert and whom did you go see?

AB: I saw Crimson Thorn at Cornerstone. I really want to see Testament and Kreator, but I haven’t.

Lilith: Tell me, are you disappointed or satisfied with the current approach horror films are taking?

AB: Oh, don’t get me started. Disappointed. Most horror flicks are junk, of course. Silly, commercial schlock just put out to make bucks. There are still good horror films, most of them foreign. When I sit down to watch a horror flick, I want quality personified. I’m picky like that. In my opinion, we get about one great one a year. Some of the recent films I’ve enjoyed were The Ruins and The Descent. As far as all-time favorites, Evil Dead, The Wicker Man, Phantasm, shit like that, when they used the scare element instead of CGI. I heard they’re making movies of Ray Garton’s Live Girls and Edward Lee’s City Infernal. I’m hella-psyched about that. I’m not much of a TV watcher. I only watch during supper.

Lilith: Do you have any other dreams you’re working on that are coming true?

AB: Oh yes. Talent usually comes in bursts. I not only can play guitar and bass, but can play the drums and piano, though I don’t plan to apply the latter two. Well, maybe the drums. I can also paint, sketch and do comedy. When I think of realistic talents that are good enough to share with the world, however; I'd say comedy and learning death metal drums. My comedy may be the talent I shine with the most. Right now, I just do it at home on cassette. I think I have a talent to read my own audio books also, kind of like the guy that read The Library Policemen by Stephen King. I can do a bunch of different voices and have them all be distinct personalities. I’d love to put together a band and tour. I’ve probably got about ten years of touring in me, maybe more. I actually write lyrics for about a hundred groups. I have a lot of songs and a lot of ideas. I even have a fake thrash and death metal world. It’s bizarre. I’ve got an idea called Asphyxia, which is King Diamond-like vocals with speed metal music. I could never pull off the vocals though. But it’s tight. 

Lilith: Where can SNM readers stalk you online?

AB: Lots of ways: they can e-mail me at abraun1@comcast.net, chalice-of-blood@hotmail.com or spicybraun3@yahoo.com. 

                                http://arbraun.ning.com

        www.myspace.com/horrorauthorfromhell

You can also find me at the Dark Fiction Guild. And I tweet! Just look up arbraun on Twitter! 

Lilith: Thank you, A.R. Braun! I hope to see more of your work in the future and possibly hearing some of your music.

AB: Thank you. I’m working on a story for the "Hotter Than Hell" issue. It was very cool to meet you, Lilith and I am very excited about the future of horror. I think it’s going to be more brutal and perverted than ever before. SNM f**king rawks!!!

 *Also Check out our new SNM Author's Book Nook.