When did you first become interested in writing?
I was always very imaginative and interested in storytelling, but I first truly became interested in writing after meeting an author at the mall when I was a kid. Her name was Zinita Fowler. She was ancient when I met her, but she was at the mall doing a reading and signing for her book Ghost Stories of Old Texas. Not long after meeting her, I wrote my first short story.
How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?
Horror has always been my thing. Neither of my parents were ever into horror, so I’ve recently been trying to figure out exactly what got me into the genre. It was probably a combination of Unsolved Mysteries, The Hardy Boys, Stephen King’s Night Shift, The Twilight Zone, and all those gory movies of the 80s.
How did you get into writing splatterpunk?
I joined Facebook I guess in 2017. Maybe? At that time I was trying to find my way as an author, so I was just friend requesting other horror authors I saw. I ended up coming across Matt Shaw. When I looked him up on Amazon, I also found Edward Lee and Monica J. O’Rourke. I had already been writing fiction that I considered pretty fucked up, but after reading Header, Home Video, and Suffer the Flesh, I realized I could turn the horror up a notch if I wanted too.
Tell us about your splatterpunk nomination.
My novella Grandpappy was nominated! The story stemmed from a single idea for a scene I had. See, I used to work in healthcare. You hear and see some disgusting shit in healthcare. But there was this one story I heard involving sexual relations with a stoma. If you don’t know what that is, feel free to look it up. But that’s the scene I wanted to write, a scene I knew would disgust people to no end. So that’s where I was originally headed with Grandpappy. But, as stories often do, it grew into so much more.
Why do you think horror and fantasy books remain so popular?
Good question. I think fascination and fear of the unknown have a bit to do with it. Also, people have this engrained desire to explain the unexplainable, and often times this leads to folklore and mythology and fantastical tales.
What are your favorite horror books?
Oh geez, I could spend all day listing my favorites. I’ll list ten off the top of my head in no particular order. Ghost Story by Peter Straub, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, It by Stephen King, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, Optic Nerve by Rebecca Rowland, The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum, After Midnight by Richard Laymon, Dead Inside by Chandler Morrison, Lightning by Dean Koontz, Lakehouse Infernal by Christine Morgan.
What are some of your favorite horror movies?
Again, I could go on forever here. But I’ll pick ten. Return of the Living Dead, Jaws, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Vacancy, House of 1000 Corpses, Terrifier, Audition, I Saw the Devil, The Ring, The Shining.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as a writer?
Hmm. That’s a tough one, because I don’t feel like I’ve reached my potential. I’ve been nominated for several awards, which is great. I won a Splatterpunk Award as an editor. You know, I just love hearing from readers who enjoyed my work. It feels so good to be acknowledged and appreciated for all those hours of hard work. But I guess the best thing I’ve written, in my opinion, is my short story “From These Muddy Waters.”
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Don’t procrastinate and don’t quit. I stopped writing for about ten years after getting a few rejections. Who knows how much further along I would be if I’d just kept at it.
What are your current projects?
I’ve got a couple of chapbooks I’m trying to finish up before heading to a convention in a couple of months. Then I’ve got my big project—The Snake Creek Inquisition. This is going to be a massive book, if I ever get it done. I’m also always editing for other authors. Hit me up at pc3@pc3horror.com if you’re in need of editing!
Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.
Patrick C. Harrison III (PC3, if you prefer) is an author of horror, splatterpunk, and all forms of speculative fiction. His current publications include GRANDPAPPY, 100% MATCH, A SAVAGE BREED, and VAMPIRE NUNS BEHIND BARS, among others. His works can also be found in various anthologies, including AND HELL FOLLOWED and ROAD KILL: TEXAS HORROR BY TEXAS AUTHORS VOL. 4. PC3 is also an editor, having worked on numerous books for Death's Head Press, D&T Publishing, and Fedowar Press, as well for popular authors like Aron Beauregard and Danel J. Volpe. Follow PC3's FREE substack--pc3horror.substack.com--for frequent horror and exploitation movie reviews, as well as updates on his fiction.
Check out Patrick on Amazon at https://amzn.to/412b8jR
