Q. From what we have heard, everyone who reads and/or writes horror has one — THE book — the one that introduced them to the genre and made them seek out everything they could in the field. What was your first introduction to horror literature?
A. Believe it or not, my introduction to scary literature was Pinocchio. My mother read it to me every day before naptime when I was three or four. The original Pinocchio is terrifying. First he smashes Jiminy Cricket to death with a wooden mallet. Then he goes to sleep with his feet up on the stove and burns his feet off! I never forgot it!
A. Believe it or not, my introduction to scary literature was Pinocchio. My mother read it to me every day before naptime when I was three or four. The original Pinocchio is terrifying. First he smashes Jiminy Cricket to death with a wooden mallet. Then he goes to sleep with his feet up on the stove and burns his feet off! I never forgot it!
Q. It's easy to scare other people; jumping out from behind a door, a black rubber spider in a running shoe, the list goes on and on. You have made a living by scaring people who encounter you on a page of print. Do you ever come up with anything so wild that you scare yourself, that leaves you wondering where that came from?
A. I always wonder where every idea comes from. It's such a mysterious process. They seem to appear from out of nowhere (thank goodness!). I've made myself laugh from some ideas — but I've never scared myself.
A. I always wonder where every idea comes from. It's such a mysterious process. They seem to appear from out of nowhere (thank goodness!). I've made myself laugh from some ideas — but I've never scared myself.
Q. Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite horror book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of the horror genre?
A. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I grew up in the Midwest, and the story of a Midwestern boy who sneaks out of his house late at night and encounters an evil carnival really gave me chills. Besides Ray Bradbury, my favorite author — and I know this is bad for my scary image — is P.G. Wodehouse.
A. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. I grew up in the Midwest, and the story of a Midwestern boy who sneaks out of his house late at night and encounters an evil carnival really gave me chills. Besides Ray Bradbury, my favorite author — and I know this is bad for my scary image — is P.G. Wodehouse.
Q. Do you look to your own phobias to find subject matter? Are your stories the products of nightmares, childhood experiences, fantasies, or do they come straight from the headlines of contemporary events or other experiences?
A. I've never dreamed of a story idea. I have such boring dreams. One night I dreamed I was making a bologna sandwich. That was a really exciting dream for me. I was a very fearful child, and when I write I try to remember that feeling of panic. I try to remember what it was like being a kid afraid of the dark, afraid something is lurking in the basement, etc . When I write my Nightmare room books.
A. I've never dreamed of a story idea. I have such boring dreams. One night I dreamed I was making a bologna sandwich. That was a really exciting dream for me. I was a very fearful child, and when I write I try to remember that feeling of panic. I try to remember what it was like being a kid afraid of the dark, afraid something is lurking in the basement, etc . When I write my Nightmare room books.
Q. How will the genre be affected, if at all, by the events of Sept. 11? With the nation struggling with terror, do you feel horror novels may be in more — or less — demand?
A. I feel that good fantasy will always be in demand. I think children especially need literature that helps them escape from the real world, which is very scary to them right now.
A. I feel that good fantasy will always be in demand. I think children especially need literature that helps them escape from the real world, which is very scary to them right now.
Q. What draws people to horror novels? Why do we, as readers, like to be scared?
A. Everyone enjoys a good scare — if he or she is safe at the same time. Reading horror novels is like riding a rollercoaster. It's thrilling and frightening — but you know you're okay the whole while.
A. Everyone enjoys a good scare — if he or she is safe at the same time. Reading horror novels is like riding a rollercoaster. It's thrilling and frightening — but you know you're okay the whole while.
Q. Where do you as an author draw the line on gory descriptions?
A. Since I write for kids, I have to be very careful. I have to make sure that my stories are pure fantasy — nothing real. I have to give the kids shivers — but not nightmares.
A. Since I write for kids, I have to be very careful. I have to make sure that my stories are pure fantasy — nothing real. I have to give the kids shivers — but not nightmares.
Q. Do you feel any competitive pressure from horror films? If so, does the increasingly graphic nature of horror in films make your job more difficult? If not, why not?
A. Most of my audience can't be admitted to R-rated films. I don’t really see them as competition for my audience. My stories, The Nightmare Room books and TV show are so much gentler than most movies.
A. Most of my audience can't be admitted to R-rated films. I don’t really see them as competition for my audience. My stories, The Nightmare Room books and TV show are so much gentler than most movies.
Q. Many of the situations and scenarios in horror novels are so, well, horrible, it seems impossible they could all be products of pure imagination. Do you ever research real events to get ideas? Does the Internet ever come in handy?
A. I have to admit I do almost no research. Almost everything comes from my twisted imagination.
A. I have to admit I do almost no research. Almost everything comes from my twisted imagination.
Q. The perception of the horror writer is that he/she is maybe just a little bit odder than most. Do you find yourself — and other horror writers — to be more idiosyncratic than the average person? What one stereotype about horror writers is absolutely wrong? What one stereotype is dead on?
A. I've met a few horror writers and movie directors, and they seem to be shy, quiet, normal people. I think the one thing they have in common is a good sense of humor — because there's
A. I've met a few horror writers and movie directors, and they seem to be shy, quiet, normal people. I think the one thing they have in common is a good sense of humor — because there's
a very close tie between humor and horror.
Watch out for the bumps in the night...
