Say hi to Tom Joyce, the force behind “Nuts and Bolts”

Hey, everyone! My name is Tom Joyce, and I’m really excited to be part of the social media team! I’m doing a monthly feature for the HWA blog called “Nuts and Bolts.” It’s still very much in the beginning stages, but I’m hoping to keep the focus on features and interviews that will be of practical use to horror writers. Don’t get me wrong -- I’m no expert. Far from it. I’m an affiliate member, and new to all this. But I’m eager to learn all I can about the craft and business of writing, and what makes for good…

Nuts and Bolts Interview with John Gray

Brooklyn-born John Gray is an award-winning writer-director-producer of films and television, and the creator of the long-running TV series, GHOST WHISPERER. He has written and directed many feature films and movies for television, including WHITE IRISH DRINKERS, starring Stephen Lang and Karen Allen; MARTIN AND LEWIS, starring Sean Hayes and Jeremy Northam; the Emmy® nominated A PLACE FOR ANNIE, with Sissy Spacek; the Emmy® nominated mini-series Haven with Natasha Richardson and Anne Bancroft; HELTER SKELTER, and many others. Gray has directed numerous episodes of broadcast and cable series, including multiple episodes of the NBC series GRIMM and was also the…

Veterans of Horror: Interview with William R. D. Wood

William R.D. Wood traces his love of science fiction and horror back to a childhood filled with Space: 1999 reruns, frequent visits to the Night Gallery, and a worn-out copy of Dune. A good writing day finds him at any of several overlooks on Virginia's Blue Ridge Parkway deeply immersed in new works of cosmic horror. His short fiction has appeared in Nature, Daily Science Fiction and Cosmic Horror Monthly. His artwork and poetry are usually kept locked away. Will lives with his wife, children and assorted ghostlike enigmas in an old farmhouse turned backwards to the road. Tell us…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Jay Whales

Jay grew up in small town, southeast Missouri, battling sasquatches, rednecks, witches, booger eating bastards, drinking Spine Likker fresh from the spigot and just having fun.  Jay rode in the back of pickup trucks, never heard of a seat belt until he started working and he and his best friend watched shitty horror movies every chance they got, before Jay up and ran off to the US Army. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I joined the US Army in 1983 and spent the next 25 years as a Military Policeman and then a federal…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Richard Wall

About Richard Wall: Born in England in 1962, Richard grew up in a small market town in rural Herefordshire before joining the Royal Navy. After 22 years in the submarine service and having travelled extensively, Richard now lives and writes in rural Worcestershire. His first short story, “Evel Knievel and The Fat Elvis Diner” (available on Kindle), was soon followed by “Five Pairs of Shorts” a collection of ten short stories, and another short story called ‘Hank Williams’ Cadillac’. Richard's latest venture is a collaboration with UK musician, 'Half Deaf Clatch', in which Richard wrote a short story to accompany…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Richard Schiver

Richard is the author of eight novels, three novellas, and a collection of short stories. His most recent work is a paranormal ghost story titled Cursed. He is a member in good standing of the Horror Writers Association, and the Maryland Writers Association. Married with four children and eight grandchildren he and his wife provide a secure home for a yellow lab named Max, who spends his days napping. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I served in the U.S Army from 1976 to 1981 as an armor crewman manning the M-60 Main Battle Tank.…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with David Rose

David Rose is the author of Amden Bog, The Scrolls of Sin, and Lovecraft's Iraq. That last one was included in the 2022 HWA Bram Stoker Award® Reading List. He lives in Orlando, Florida. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I was in the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006 (plus a little volunteer service back in 2009, but it was so brief I hardly count it). I'd started in artillery but kicked and screamed until I was finally allowed to try out for Marine Recon. Upon passing its hellacious vetting I became a Recon…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Chris Reichard

Chris ~Cliff~ Reichard has always been a creator of dark works, but their writing has been stripped raw and refined over and again through hardships experienced in war, activism & the discrimination that intersectional queer punks face. They live a life of semi-seclusion in this increasingly chaotic world, while still taking time to enjoy life's little pleasure. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I served as a Signal Support Systems Specialist in the U.S. Army from 2004-2012. In that time, I spent nearly three years deployed to Iraq.   What role, if any, did reading…

Transgender Awareness Week: “Pronouns” by Pretty Frankenstein

Catching Up With Grey Star of Pretty Frankenstein Pretty Frankenstein is a Queer alternative group from the San Francisco Bay Area/East Bay, fronted by trans activist/performer Grey Starr. Over the years they’ve performed many iconic venues like The Fillmore SF, Bottom of the Hill, Uptown, etc, and they’ve been featured on various radio stations and in publications like EBX and Spooky Little Halloween magazine! They love all things horror and bring Halloween to every show they play. You can find them online at @prettyfrankenstein3176 on Youtube, @prettyfrankensteinband on Tik-Tok, @prettyfrankensteinband on Instagram, and at their website www.prettyfrankenstein.com   What are…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Weston Ochse

The American Library Association calls Weston Ochse “one of the major horror authors of the 21st Century.” His work has won the Bram Stoker Award, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and won four New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. A writer of more than forty books in multiple genres, his Burning Sky Duology has been hailed as the best military horror of the generation. His military supernatural series SEAL Team 666 has been optioned to be a movie starring Dwayne Johnson and his military sci-fi trilogy, which starts with Grunt Life, has been praised for its PTSD-positive depiction of soldiers at…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Deke Moulton

Deke Moulton (she/they) (rhymes with geek, short for Diklah) has had some incredible journeys in her life - from being a punk rock hitchhiker living on top of buildings to an ancient book conservator apprentice at the Adler Planetarium to living in a college learning Arabic to even being a drill sergeant with the US Army. Originally from Chicago, they have traveled all over the United States and the world -living for three years in Italy! as well as in Monterey, California and Columbia, South Carolina - before finally settling in the Pacific Northwest with their spouse and two children.…

Transgender Awareness Week: Catching up with Larissa Glasser

Catching Up With Larissa Glasser Larissa Glasser is a librarian-archivist from New England. She writes dark fiction centered on the lives of trans women, library science, and heavy metal. Her work is available in Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology (William Morrow), Tragedy Queens: stories inspired by Lana Del Rey and Sylvia Plath (Clash Books), and Transcendent 3: The Year's Best Transgender Themed Speculative Fiction (Lethe Press). Her debut novella F4 is available from Eraserhead Press. She is on Twitter @larissaeglasser What is the latest in your world as a writer? Do you have any new writing news, upcoming projects, or…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Sirrah Medeiros

Sirrah Medeiros is a dark fantasy, horror, and thriller writer. Over the past decade, several anthologies published her horror short stories and poems. She also published a poetry collection in 2014. Most recently, Sirrah has published two books in her dark urban fantasy series, The Emerald Curse and Secrets of Mother. Having grown up in Ohio, Sirrah is the youngest of seven children and the only daughter. After living in a house full of brothers, joining the Marine Corps didn’t sound so difficult, and it offered an opportunity to explore the globe. Since then, she raised a family, completed a…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with John Lane

John Lane’s fiction has appeared in THE DISAPPOINTED HOUSEWIFE, PAGE & SPINE, VERSIFICATION, dyst LITERARY JOURNAL, 101 WORDS, BLACK HARE PRESS, THE BIRDSEED, THE DAILY DRUNK and many other venues. “The Visit” was published in 81 WORDS FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY, which won the Saboteur Award for Best Anthology. “The Monster Inside” was part of the Horror Writers Association’s Mental Health Initiative anthology, OF HOPE AND HORROR. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty?  I enlisted in the Army as a 39T Computer Technician between January 1988 to 1992. After basic training in Fort Jackson, SC and…

Transgender Awareness Week: Catching up with Ridley Harker

Ridley Harker is a gay, transgender author and editor from St. Louis, Missouri. His debut queer body horror novel, Parasite, is available now from Ninestar Press and Amazon. Ridley lives in the Middle of Nowhere with his two dogs, a grumpy old snake, and a host of pet tarantulas. He is currently working on his MFA in Creative Writing. Visit his website at www.ridleyharker.com, and follow him on Twitter @RidleyHarker. What is the latest in your world as a writer? Do you have any new writing news, upcoming projects, or other exciting professional news you'd like to share with our audiences…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with C.R. Langille

C.R. Langille spent many a Saturday afternoon watching monster movies with their mother. It wasn't long before they started crafting nightmares to share with their readers. They are a retired, disabled veteran with a deep love for weird and creepy tales. This prompted them to form Timber Ghost Press in January of 2021. They are an affiliate member of the Horror Writer's Association, a member of the League of Utah Writers, and they received their MFA: Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Follow them at: https://biolinks.heropost.io/CRLangille Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I spent…

Transgender Awareness Week: Catching Up with Hailey Piper

  Catching Up With Allison Church Catching Up with Hailey Piper Hailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, The Worm and His Kings, No Gods for Drowning, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, and other books of dark fiction. She is an active member of the HWA, with over ninety short stories appearing in Pseudopod, Vastarien, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and other publications. She lives with her wife in Maryland, where their mad science experiments are secret. Find Hailey at www.haileypiper.com or on Twitter via @HaileyPiperSays. What is the latest in your world as a writer? Do you have any new…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with K.P. Kulski

K.P. Kulski is a Korean-American author born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She’s embarked on many career adventures: the U.S. Navy and Air Force, video game design, and history professor. Her fiction is often inspired by stories of the past; most evident in her gothic horror novel, Fairest Flesh, from Strangehouse Books and novella, House of Pungsu, from Bizarro Pulp Press. She now resides in Northeast Ohio with her husband and children in a house in the woods. Find her online at garnetonwinter.com and on Twitter @garnetonwinter. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I served in two branches, active duty Air Force…
Transgender Awareness Week: Catching Up with Allison Church

Transgender Awareness Week: Catching Up with Allison Church

Catching Up With Allison Church Allison Church (a.k.a. DONALD ALLEN KIRCH) is a Transgender Author who lives in the Midwest of the United States. She is an avid lover of horror, science fiction, and fantasy and will challenge ANYONE on her knowledge of TV “pop” culture. A die-hard fan of “Star Trek,” “Babylon 5,” and “Doctor Who,” she does not believe in the “NO Win” scenario! She LOVES everything about the Paranormal! What is the latest in your world as a writer? Do you have any new writing news, upcoming projects, or other exciting professional news you'd like to share…

Veterans in Horror: Interview with Brandon Ketchum

Brandon Ketchum is a speculative fiction writer from Pittsburgh, PA who enjoys putting a weird spin or strange vibe into every story, dark or light. He is a member of SFWA and the Horror Writers Association, and his work has been published with Air & Nothingness Press, Perihelion, Mad Scientist Journal, and many other publications, including the short story collection Legio Damnati. Tell us a bit about your military service. Years? Branch? Specialty? I was officially in the military from December of 1994 through July of 2002. I signed up for the Army Reserves initially, went to Fort Lost in…