Today on MASTERS OF HORROR I got the chance to get to know one of my all-time favourite horror authors, horror legend Jeff Strand! He is an automatic buy for me ever since reading DEMONIC and THE ODDS. If you haven’t read him yet, get on it!
His stories move at lightning speed and there’s a solid mix of horror, action, suspense and comedy which is a rare combination, but one that keeps me coming back for more and more!
Let’s get to it!
Tell me a little about yourself.
I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, then moved to Ohio for high school and college. After a couple of decades in sunny Florida, I moved to Georgia for a few years, and now I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I write full-time now, but before that I spent a very long time working for a major insurance company, gazing at numbers all day.
Why write horror? What is it about writing terrifying scenes that excites you?
In my case, writing horror allows me to write REALLY dark comedy. I tend to lean more toward suspense and action than actual scares, but I think the high stakes of a horror novel (anybody can die!) make those scenes much more thrilling than in other genres.
What’s the scariest book you’ve read? And why?
THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum. It's nowhere as graphic as a lot of contemporary horror fiction, but the beauty of the writing and the incredibly deep investment in the characters make it a terrifying, soul-crushing experience.
What are you working on now?
I won't blab the title because it's possible that it'll change, but it's a standalone thriller with a gigantic twist at the mid-point.
Where can we find you?
I want to thank Jeff Strand for sharing with us today. I love learning about the lives and career paths of horror writers. What scares them? What drives them to create the stories we all love to devour?
If you are a horror writer who would like to be featured on MASTERS OF HORROR for some free publicity just click the link below, answer the 5 Questions and soon, you too, will be a MASTER OF HORROR!