Book Name and Description: Death, Infection, The Devil…and Jed
It contains four short horror stories that all end up with a deadly outcome. The
first story in the book, Enough, is about a man called Brian who gets a job at a car part factory and he has had enough of a certain bully at work. The Wildfire Virus is about a virus that has led to an apocalyptic end of mankind and… I can’t say anymore because it will spoil it, you’ll just have to read it. Mr. Louis’ Fable is a story of a man that makes a deal with a mysterious old man that he met in a casino. The final story, Jed’s Homemade Soup, is about good old Jed who goes just that little bit further than the normal person for his favorite dish of homemade soup.
Short Questions:
Married: Yes, to Dawn
Favorite food: Steak
Worst food: Sushi
Favorite film: Silence of The Lambs
Dream Car: Koenigsegg, AGERA RS.
Ideal holiday destination: Somewhere warmer than the UK
Proudest moment of my life so far: The birth of my son
Something that drives me crazy: MY SON!
Ambition: Get my novel published
Future hopes: That my son succeeds in everything that he does in life
Interview Questions:
What gave you the idea for Death, Infection, The Devil… and Jed.?
Some of my work has appeared in various anthologies over the last couple of years and I decided that maybe it was time that I put something out there with my name on it. I contacted Roma Gray and asked if it would be ok to use some stories that have appeared in recent anthologies put together by JEA, and she agreed. Not only did she agree, but she very kindly edited, formatted and helped me put this thing together… A total literary slave driver, haha.
What got you into writing in this genre?
I’ve always loved horror since I was a kid. I watched Nosferatu (1922) when I was around 8 years old, and it frightened the shit out of me. From that point on I was hooked on horror. I used to write ‘nice poetry’ as my Dad calls it, before trying my hand at the horror genre. I’d read some of Lemmy Rushmore’s work on various poetry sites and it was a case of ‘Yes, that I want to write’, so I tried horror/dark poetry and discovered that I was quite good at it. I tried my hand at writing stories and the rest is history, as they, say. Jed’s Homemade Soup, that appears in this book, was my first real attempt at writing a horror story so I’m quite proud of that little write.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing poetry when I was around 19 (a late starter, I know) and my ‘normal poetry’ has appeared in around 18 other anthologies. At one point, I developed the dreaded ‘writers block’ and never wrote a single thing for 8 years. I started writing horror around 4 or 5 years ago
Tell us about your past books and stories?
Apart from appearing in various anthologies, this is my first real go at getting my stuff out there. Embarrassingly, I did self-publish years ago, but that was before the days of social media sites. I only managed to rid of around 5 copies of the book and still have a few collecting dust somewhere… Its slightly cringe worthy when I read what I wrote back then, haha.
What is the writing process like for you? What is your writing day like? What have been the biggest influences on your writing?
I’m quite a lazy writer sometimes. There are days when I get the perfect opportunity to write but end up watching a film on Netflix. I suppose it’s the same for every writer, some days I can sit at my laptop and just stare at the screen and other days where I can get a fair amount ‘onto paper’. As I’ve not been writing stories for that long, I know that I can turn to friends on Facebook for advice or pointers, so really, I’m still learning as I go. There are some fantastic people in the writing community that will support and help you as you go. One thing I’ve learned is never turn down, or refuse, help and advice.
What is your favorite book (other than your own book, of course) and why? What book disappointed you and why?
I have a big confession to make… I’m not really a big reader (people are going to hate me for this, sorry.) I prefer to read short stories, novellas. There’s a series of books on Amazon available called Double-Barrel Horror that each contain two stories by certain authors. JC Michael, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting on a couple of occasions, has two fantastic stories in that series. I love that series of books, and it just shows what fantastically talented writers are out there. I’ve read all of Dawn Cano’s books…she’s one sick puppy. Like I said, I’m not a massive reader so I can’t really give the title of a book that’s disappointed me. I think my favorite book that I’ve read over the last couple of years is called California Schemin’ by Gavin Bain. It’s about two rappers from Scotland that found out what the music business is really about. It’s a book that I couldn’t put down.
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
Massively is one way to put it. A couple of years ago I would have never had imagined that I would have something out there with my name on it. I’ve also finished my first novel which I really enjoyed writing, so hopefully if a publisher will take it, that will also be getting released.
What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
Grit, determination, imagination and copious amounts of coffee.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
I’ve received so many pieces of good advice from other writers it’s hard to choose just one. I suppose one of the best pieces of advice was ‘Write because you love writing.’ Which is true, if I didn’t like writing, I wouldn’t do it. It makes it all worthwhile when someone has enjoyed what you’ve wrote.
How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?
As this is my first release, I’m still getting round to that but other things I’ve help promote like the anthologies and other people’s books, I share their links on my FB/Twitter profile page. I also have a couple of FB ‘sites’ that I, and other people, regularly promote on. I also have two WordPress sites that are linked to my social media pages, so when I post a poem or a mad little scribble, it lets people know I’ve posted something.
What piece of your own work are you most proud of?
It’s called The Meyerstown Secret. I started writing it a couple of years ago, and I might actually get round to finishing one day, haha. It started off as a short story, at around 1700 words or somewhere around that figure, that I showed to Toneye Eyenot. He read it and said that I should add more detail and maybe double the word count (This was when I first started writing short stories) which I did. It had a good reaction when people first read it which was a massive confidence booster. Then Toneye contacted me and said that I have to add to it, that’s when he suggested that I write case files for it (which I hate him for). There are still case files and a conclusion to be finished for it then the whole thing is finished.
For those who haven’t read any of your stories, what story/book of yours do you think best represents your work and why?
They can check out my WordPress sites to get an idea of what I write? But I’d appreciate it more if they grabbed a copy of my new book to see for themselves.
What are you doing next?
I’m waiting on a decision from a publisher on the novel that I’ve just finished. It’s called OBLIVIOUS, it’s about a nine-year-old boy who brutally murders his parents, with the help of his alter ego Tommy, after years of abuse. I’m also currently working on two stories of my own and a story with Allisha McAdoo. We’ve collaborated on two other stories so far which are in the hands of publishers. Hopefully I’ll release something else in the near future.
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Help and advice given by other, more experienced writers, is priceless so take it and never turn it down. Learn from your mistakes and from your peers. But most of all, as any writer will tell you… Never give up!
bio:
I live in York, UK and I’m married with one teenage son, so finding the time to write can be a bit of a rarity sometimes.
I began writing poetry when I was around 19 years old and have been included in numerous anthologies. It was 4 years or so ago that I tried my hand at writing dark/horror/gory poetry. I have loved horror ever since I was a kid, so that helps a lot in my writing.
I then ventured into the world of story writing. I enjoy the freedom that writing gives me… I can do lots of nasty things to people and not get into any trouble, haha.
Links:
themeyerstownsecret.wordpress.com
https://twitter.com/gloriously_gory
https://www.facebook.com/howard.carlyle
Amazon author page. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=howard+carlyle
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