1. When did you first become interested in horror?
As a child, my parents would read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” as a bedtime story. So, horror is literary comfort food for me. Add family movie night when I was a teenager featuring most of the great 1980’s slasher franchises, and my interest in horror was set.
2. Did you always enjoy writing?
Always. One of my years at school there was a fifteen minute ‘quiet time’ in which we could do – silently – in preparation for the day. I used that time to craft stories. I have always loved reading and writing.
3. Do you prefer writing short stories or novels?
Short stories are my go-to, although I am trying my hand at novels. There is a wonderful challenge with short fiction, trying to capture so much in so few words.
4. Is there another genre that you write in?
I have written horror, thrillers, science fiction, and even a few fantasy stories. I have also been an author on scientific research articles published in medical research journals, authored short legal analysis notes (one was cited in an Appellate Court opinion), published research ethics articles, and a few inspirational blurbs. In summary, I’m trying to use all the words.
5. Are there topics you would not write about in your books?
I tend to shy away from romance and sexual content. I intentionally leave the physical descriptions of many of my characters vague so the reader can project what they want to see into those characters. I also usually avoid gore and explicit violence. Some of the scariest things I have read (or seen in movies or television shows) has been an allusion to what is going on off stage.
6. Do you ever edit or do ghostwriting for others?
I’ll proofread professional work occasionally, but don’t edit fiction or ghostwrite.
7. Do you believe readers need to hooked from the first sentence?
Perhaps not the conventional wisdom, but I would say ‘no’ most of the time. If the first sentence gets the reader to the second sentence, and the second gets the reader to the third sentence, the words are doing their job. I’ve never stopped reading at the first sentence.
8. Why do you think horror books and movies remain so popular?
I think that horror gives us a place to contemplate religious and spiritual questions (I also think science fiction does the same with political thought, and fantasy with sociological concepts). The world of horror gives us a place to see the world around us in a different light. To grapple with difficult realities and think about how we ourselves would react in certain circumstances. Horror is looking into the shadows for wisdom and knowing that wisdom may come with a price.
9. Why do you think that people are obsessed with being scared?
I think there is an adrenalin and dopamine reaction to being scared. Horror fiction gives the reader a way to control that scary world – a wonderful and rewarding experience.
10. Who inspires you?
My parents and my children have very much inspired me to write. My parents: by making horror and science fiction foundational reading, movie, and television pastimes as my brothers and I were growing up. My children: by always listening as I discuss current projects – they also serve as beta readers sometimes.
11. What are some of your favorite horror books?
The works of Poe and Lovecraft. I also appreciate those horror stories in which the horror doesn’t rely on the supernatural – Kipling’s “The Story of Muhammed Din” and Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” for example. And the classics, such as Stoker’s “Dracula” and Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” I tend to ‘escape’ into horror, so a beautiful gothic location and eerie vibes are a comforting break from reality.
12. What are some of your favorite horror movies?
I love all the 1980’s slasher films. And horror comedies can be very entertaining: “Gremlins” is a Christmas movie. But I also like the slow burn horror/thrillers, where mood and music linger long after the film is over (such as “The Others” and “Shutter Island.”) My favorite horror movie is Carpenter’s “The Fog.” But you’ll also find me watching movies such as “The Cleansing Hour,” “Ritual,” “Wolf of Snow Hollow,” “Anaconda” (my favorite guilty pleasure), and anything with sharks in it.
13. What are your current projects?
I am working on a novel (zombies) and continue to churn out short stories.
14. Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.
My background is very eclectic. I have degrees in biological sciences, chemistry, and law. I have experience working in laboratories and regulatory oversight of healthcare. My family was integrated into the space program when I was growing up. My father worked on site at NASA, and I won an award from NASA in a science fair, using public data from Skylab.
We had a house in El Lago, known as the "Home of the Astronauts." There was easy access to the Gulf of Mexico and plenty of supposedly haunted and notorious places nearby. That created a perfect storm for me to dive into the waters of speculative fiction. So far that has resulted in over eighty short stories being published.
Most of my work is available through Amazon, but I keep my Instagram (@laurajjcampbell) refreshed with updates. When I am not writing, I am either weight training or running, or dabbling in art. And no matter what I am doing, my beloved heavy metal music is providing the soundtrack.
