I started out with Tom Clancy and Wilbur Smith. On a school snow trip one year, when I was about 12 or 13, I stumbled onto "IT", by Stephen King, in a newsagent. I was fascinated by the 3D bloody fingerprints on the front cover and so bought it. That pretty much tied up the next five or so years reading anything Stephen King I could get my hands on.
Would you say your childhood and teenage reading has had a distinct influence on how you write fiction now, and why?
Definitely. I love the honesty in King's work, and his ability to create a normal world where extraordinary events happen. It's also a constant reminder that writing is about story telling, not about the writer's ability to insert flowery, descriptive paragraphs in each page; a reminder that I should never let my words get in the way of the story.
Pick one of your favourites among your fiction stories or a story which is an interesting example from your fiction. What makes this story one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?
"Daddy" is a short story about a father and his constantly crying, cholicy baby. What is interesting about this story is the emotion behind it. I wrote this story sitting in my car, parked at the beach, at night. Rain had just started to fall. We'd had a rough time with our two year old over the past week, and I was taking a break while my wife took over toddler duties.
I had originally brought my laptop along with the intention of watching a movie and letting my brain empty itself. Instead I started typing. What came out the other side is a highly emotional story with a flash of intense, brutal violence that is somehow seen as monotonous through the eyes of sleep-deprived new fathers.
It took me a couple of days to get the courage to show my wife, and then when I finally submitted it to a couple of writing competitions I felt like I was baring my soul. But I guess that's what makes good fiction - exposing the truth that normally remained hidden inside all our hearts.
Who is another author whose fiction writing you admire and why?
Stephen King is an obvious one. James Patterson has an amazing ability to appeal to a huge and varied audience. And I'll be forever indebted to Greig Beck for merging horror and Special Forces action - two of my favourite reading subjects.
How would you summarise one of your short stories in one paragraph?
"Dead Of The Night" is about the darkness within the human heart and soul. A horror writer finds huge success with his first novel. But book two is proving impossible until one day he receives a package from a fan containing a mysterious wooden figurine. After falling asleep on his lounge, he wakes with a start, snippets of a nightmare still flashing in his mind. But he starts to write. The words flow, and he awakes again with 8000 words on the page but no memory of writing them. As the cycle continues, night after night, he begins to remember parts of the nightmare, and the story he's writing seems all too familiar. As the line between fiction and reality blurs, it begs the question: what darkness is hidden inside him?
How would you describe the appeal of this short story to readers?
This is a story for all those that have wondered just what secrets lie in our minds, our brain hiding them even from ourselves.
How would you summarise a scene or sub-section from this short story in one paragraph?
Often horror stories that cut the deepest will start out in a normal setting. "Dead Of The Night" starts with the writer in his office, staring uselessly at the blank page on his laptop. We're introduced to a man with a normal problem: his inability to write. But quickly in the opening scene he receives his little wooden figurine, an object that seems a little "off" right from the start, and we get the impression that things are about to take a turn for the worse. An object with vague supernatural powers suddenly makes the writers' block pale in comparison.
How would you describe the contribution this scene or sub-section makes to the short story?
Being the opening scene, this sets the tone of the story, it introduces and builds the main character, and it hints at the future direction of the story. While good horror often starts out in a "normal" setting, it can't be dull or boring, and there needs to be a promise of more to come. It's about building uneasiness and uncertainty in the reader, giving them a reason to continue turning the pages.
Do you aspire to primarily write novels in the future, or are you more interested in writing short stories, and why?
I'm currently working on a novel, and I'll be aiming to work mostly on novels in the future. But I believe I'll always write short stories. There's something beautiful about a short story. While a novel is a long lasting, satisfying relationship, a short story is a hot and heavy one-night stand. And we all occasionally need a one-night stand in our lives; a literary fling.
Do you read many short story anthologies, and why?
Yes, when the theme of the anthology interests me, I love reading an anthology. It's a great way to discover new writers that you may not have ever read.
What lengths of short stories do you usually write, and why?
They span anywhere from 1500 words to about 12,000, though most sit around the three thousand mark. It's a nice comfortable word-count that allows you to build the characters and setting, have a reasonably intricate plot, a big twist, and then walk away gracefully, leaving the reader begging for more.
Short stories are also a way for me to release those little ideas that pop into my head and refuse to leave until I write them down. Exorcising the story demons.
Do you submit for many short story competitions, anthologies and magazines, and what are your main motivations for this?
I'll usually submit a story to at least one competition, anthology or magazine. Writing is a lot of fun, but what is even more satisfying it is when others read your work and enjoy it. Competitions and anthologies are a great way to get your work in front of new readers.
Author website: http://samstephens.com
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