Interview with Michael Mulvihill

Michael Mulvihill is a long-time contributor to BLACK PETALS e-zine. This includes his issue #61 poems: A Love Story Beautiful, Capitalism’s Modern Architecture of Love, Red Brick, The Securocrats, and Toxic Addiction (+ the poems, Fatigued, O Mother, and Spike-Inverted Hearts for BP #58; “The Cleaner and the Collector” tale & all 6 BP #56 poems; BP #50’s story, “The Soul Scrubber”, and as featured vampire poet with A Vampire’s Dilemma: Love, Becoming a Vampire, Vampire Insomnia, and Vampiric War in The Kodori Valley; BP #49 poems, I, the Vampire, The Reluctant Vampire of Tbilisi, Vampire Observations, and Vampire Psychoanalysis).

The 30ish author published a short story, “Ethagoria Nebsonia,” in BP in 1998 and had a poem, “The Bombing,” in The Kingdom News about a domestic tragedy in Ireland.

"Siberian Hellhole" (2013) a horror novel, is his first novel to be published by The Wheelman Press. He is also a clinical psychotherapist and hypnotherapist and member of The I.C.H.P.

--------

Interview with Michael Mulvihill

By David Kempf

Tell us how you became involved in writing fiction.

Oh goodness David.  I was just a kid and I much preferred watching ‘V’ and ‘The Lost Boys’, than writing anything.  It is like I still do love my TV to this day.  I totally loved ‘American Gothic’ the TV pilot that was put off air, loved ‘Millenium’, ‘X Files’ and ‘Brimstone’, magnificent stuff.
From the ages of four to twelve I did not relate to school what so ever.  Weird! I now have six higher level qualifications up to an M.A. I just got scholarly.

But I swear on The Bible, when I was a kid, me, school, books, Heck! I was more interested in reading about mans’ inhumanity to man but NOT what was expected of me to read back in Junior School.

Once when I was a kid I picked up a very bloody magazine that explained what was happening to people in Argentina under the Juntas Military Regime of the 1980s, I was never examined about this, nor about The Holocaust, or how Russia defended itself against Nazi invasion.  And believe me as a kid this is what I was into.  My teacher wanted me reading Charlie and The Chocolate Factory which I thought was asinine and not for me.

Thus let us just put it mildly, my talents and intelligence went totally under the radar screen until I went to Stratford College on Zion Road. In this secondary college I learnt how to believe in myself.

I did an entry exam to Stratford College and the Principal actually told my dad that I would be an asset to the school.  I was never led to believe this in my junior school years like one single bit.

I was really lucky. I got to study intelligent poems that I really related to, by poets like Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon.  My teacher took note of all of this.  She told my dad at a parent teacher meeting that I was a very intelligent person, very aware of what was around me in my environment and that I had books in me.

I have never looked back since that time.  Just kept moving on and now I got my first book out and I am happy with that.


How many books have you written? 

Siberian Hellhole is my debut novel David.

Tell us about Siberian Hellhole. 

This novel is set post Glasnost at the time of Perestroika in Russia.  Tobias has to leave Moscow, there is no work he can hardly feed himself.  He finds work in Siberia.  But instead of finding peace from solitariness he finds a land that is ravaged with demons from Hell which are lurking under the ground that he is protecting and waiting to take over the entirety of Siberia and the world.


Do you enjoy creating horror fiction in particular? 

Yes I love writing horror fiction because I seem to be able to release some unconscious energy onto the page when I write.  I mean some people have said that horror fiction helps people to prepare for death and to acknowledge and become aware of the shadow or dark side of their own personality.  Which is an interesting concept if you think about it, I guess you could say at some level I find writing therapeutic. I love writing horror fiction because I find I can place variety of elements of life into it.



What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as an artist so far?

Getting Siberian Hellhole published was great.  The cover looked great.  Wheelman Press really did do a very good job. Plus I have gotten decent reviews from bloggers like Paranormal Romance Review (Maria Perry Mohan) Fifth Dimension Science Fiction Horror Blog (Stuart  Anderson) and Best Book Review.co.uk (Janette Skinner) also gave this novel a good review, alongside speculative fiction author Charles Miller who positively rated my novel.

When Stuart Anderson of The Fifth Dimension wrote that Siberian Hellhole is an intelligent horror story I was so delighted.  He was the first to review my book.

Then I panicked and thought no one else would review my work until Maria Perry Mohan recently gave my book an excellent review.

Also more recently when Janette Skinner wrote about my novel Siberian Hellhole,

  “I made the mistake of starting to read this on my terrace in the moonlight by the light of my kindle. Bad mistake, I was so un-nerved by the narrative and the night birds that I had to stop and crawl into bed beside my slumbering husband. Not many books create an atmosphere like that for me”

What can I say?

I mean this is the best compliment that can be possibly written about a horror novel and I was delighted to read it.


Name some of your favorite horror books.

Dracula, Let The Right One In, The Metamorphosis, The Master And Margerita (which has a surrealist horror elements in it) Edgar Allan Poes Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Hannibal, The Butcher Boy (as far as I can see this is pure surrealist horror about the unhinging of the mind).
I loved and still do, Lorenzo Caracaterras Sleepers and A Safe Place, Diary of Anne Frank, Thomas Keneallys Shindlers Ark which to me had such morose scenes of true life horror.  I guess I define horror books in a broader way than most.


Name some of your favorite horror films. 

Francis Ford Cappolas version of Dracula, 1994, Shadow of The Vampire 2000, Pit and The Pendulam (1961), Them, Kidnapped, I am Legend, The Original Vampire Killer, The Addiction, The Lost Boys, Fright Night, The Crow, Funny Games, The Others.


Why do you think old school horror fiction remains popular?

Old school horror fiction for me is more literary, readable and intelligent. I mean I am going to re-read kafka and Poe when I have free time.  But I do promise to read The Others and Perfume when I have free time also.

I love intelligent fiction.  I just have not been seduced by the likes of King and Koontz, I love reading true old ghost stories, castles and atmospheric stuff about poltergeists and exorcisms, so there is just this part of me that likes things done old school anyway.

  I am not sure if I can give anything but an unbiased answer to this question.  For me old school horror films are way better than the stuff of now never mind  what was written down on paper when the likes of Poe and Stoker was around versus nowadays.  I like my vampires dangerous threatening and malevolent.  Not sex symbols that are waiting to come out of the closet.


What are your latest projects?

In the next edition of Blackpetals.net I will have a very disturbing horror story in it which will feature a vampire horde invading the house of a single female.  This is an example of intense short horror fiction.
My next novel will feature a Dublin Vampire Lucis Diaboli who believes he is externally showing signs of aging and feels he needs to get his fangs into the blood of an aristocrat in order to continue looking youthful.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.

I am a person who has really just begun to tap into my abilities as a writer.  Siberian Hellhole is the best novel I have written thus far because it is the only novel I have published so far.  I really feel there are a lot of dark fiction, horror and surrealism stories left in me.  I hope to have a long life so I can write as many books as I think are in me.  So longevity is something I wish to achieve.

Links:
Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/Siberian-Hellhole-Michael-Mulvihill/dp/0988742349

Blog
http://michaelmulvihillhorrornovelist.blogspot.ie/

Fantastic latest review of the novel
http://ablogofhorror.com/2013/05/23/siberian-hellhole-review/

The Walking Dead - Season 4 First Look photo

AMC released today a First Look photo from "The Walking Dead" Season 4, featuring Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes back to work on the set in Atlanta, GA.   Season four of “The Walking Dead” returns to AMC in October of this year. The cast and crew began production on May 6.

“The Walking Dead” is based on the comic book series created and written by Robert Kirkman and published by Skybound, Kirkman's imprint at Image Comics. "The Walking Dead" season three out-delivered everything on television including “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Voice,” “Game of Thrones,” “Modern Family,” and almost doubling “The Bible” for the broadcast season for adults 18-49.

Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Interview with Sean Hogan

On the eve of the UK TV premiere of THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS on Horror Channel, Sean Hogan talks about the future of the horror film industry, the importance of a good script and his forthcoming doc on the UK comic 2000AD.

THE DEVIL’S BUSINESS is broadcast on Sat May 11, 22:55,

Q:  How did The Devil’s Business come together?

SH: I’d been waiting a long time for another project to come together, and out of sheer frustration, I had a meeting with my producer Jen Handorf one night and proposed that we made something for very little money, just to get back in the saddle. I’d recently seen Down Terrace and really liked it, and my feeling was that you didn’t need a whole lot of money to make something, just a good script, talented actors and one location. So I sat down and wrote Devil’s Business to be done along those lines. What happened then was, the other project finally happened, but turned out to be a nightmare experience. So once the dust had settled, I really needed to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. So Jen proposed we went back to The Devil’s Business. It came together really quickly after that, we basically pulled it all together in a few months.

Q: Did the script take long to write?

SH: Not really. It was short, for one thing! And I was kind of on a roll when I wrote it; I’d written about five scripts already that year so the gears were well oiled. Besides, it really was one of those times where the characters took over and wrote themselves – it always sounds horribly pretentious when writers say that, but what can I tell you, it’s true! I normally outline much more than I did on Devil’s Business, but in this instance I just sat down and started writing with only a vague sense of what was going to happen. For instance, when I wrote Pinner’s monologue, I didn’t really know what he was going to say or how it would impact the rest of the film; all I knew was that he was going to tell a strange story. And it all just came flooding out. It certainly isn’t always that simple, so I have fond memories of writing it.

Q: Was it a hard movie to cast?

SH: No, we were fairly lucky in that department. We didn’t have a casting director, so it was largely a case of me and Jen scouring Spotlight and looking at showreels etc. That was how we found Billy Clarke, who played Pinner. He was the first person who read for the part and I just loved him immediately. Johnny Hansler was someone I’d auditioned for another film – he wasn’t right for that part but I made a note that if we ever did Devil’s he’d be great for Mr Kist, so we just made him an offer based on that. And Jack Gordon was a recommendation via his agency, who Jen had a working relationship with. Again, he just came in and rocked the audition. Easiest casting process I’ve ever had, despite the lack of resources.

Q: How did you go about funding for the film?

SH: It was private money. We wanted to control the production ourselves - because we’d had enough of meddling, crooked, incompetent executives – so Jen and I invested some money to get things going. And then we approached some other people we knew to kick in some cash as well. We knew that if we tried to get it made through official industry channels it would take forever and we’d have to put up with a ton of less-than-helpful script notes, so we made a decision we’d just do it our way – for less money, but with more control. It was hard work doing it on the budget, but the actual experience of doing it with no outside interference was sheer bliss.
.

Q: The film picked up some great reviews including one that stated “…smart British horror has a touch of the Roald Dahl to it” that’s quite a compliment.

SH: We were very happy with the response, without a doubt. From my perspective, I had no idea how the film would be received; it was just cathartic to make it. I figured that it was such a small production that it might easily disappear without a trace. And besides, it isn’t really a conventional horror film in many ways; it’s quite dialogue-driven and character-based, which always puts some people off. So I was definitely steeling myself for the worst. But then we premiered it at FrightFest and got wonderful reviews, and it went on from there. So I was delighted – I’ve had bad luck with UK distribution in the past, so to get that sort of a reaction was very rewarding. And it definitely made everyone’s hard work worth it.

Q: You must be pleased that the film is getting its UK TV premiere on the Horror Channel?

SH: Certainly am. Again, if you’d said to me when we were shooting it that the film would eventually play cinemas, come out on DVD and then show on TV, I’d have probably asked you what you were on and where could I get some. The Horror Channel has been very supportive of me and so I’m really pleased we’ve found a home here.

Q: What state do you think the British horror movie industry is in?

SH: It’s very tough, certainly at an independent level. DVD sales are down and whilst I think VOD will eventually take up the slack, it isn’t there yet. But horror is reliant on those sorts of areas to make it viable. So you get a lot of distributors asking you to make something along the lines of what was successful last year. Which I hate hearing, not least because that never works. I’ve certainly been asked to make something similar to Kill List, for instance. But Kill List was successful because it wasn’t like anything else at the time, and if you just try and copy that, the audience will smell it a mile off. And anyway, we kept getting compared to Kill List anyway, so why would I want to do that again? I honestly think a lot of it comes down to a lack of respect for the genre; a lot of industry people just see it as product and not worth any serious consideration. Therefore you get a lot of crap being made, just because it ticks certain commercial boxes. And so if you want to do something different, you run into difficulty. But there are definitely good UK filmmakers out there, so I just hope that everyone keeps plugging away and making films one way or another. Because if history shows us anything, it’s that good horror usually comes out of the independent sector anyway.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become a director or work in the horror industry?

SH: It’s obvious, but my primary point is always to pay attention to your script. The writing really isn’t worth a damn in most horror films. And yet it costs no money to get your characters and dialogue written properly. So if you can’t write, find someone who can. Similarly, cast good actors – they may not be famous names, but you can certainly find people who can act. Trust me, it’s easy if the script is good – actors are desperate for quality material. Don’t make something that’s just by the numbers – we’ve all seen the classic horror films, doesn’t mean we want to see slavish copies/homages. Figure out what really scares you and put it onscreen – because if it scares you then odds are it will scare someone else. And for god’s sake yes, please try and be scary. Rape and torture are not scary, and I’m so incredibly bored with how much of that we’re seeing right now. It’s easy to be upsetting, but it’s not easy to be scary.

Q: So what are you working on at the moment?

SH: Jen and I are developing a script called No Man’s Land, which is a horror movie set in the trenches of WWI. We’ve had a lot of interest over that, so I’m hopeful we can get that going this year. I’m attached to a bunch of other projects as well, but that’s where I’m focusing right now. I’m also producing a documentary called Future Shock!, which tells the story of the legendary UK comic 2000AD. That’s proving to be a lot of fun, and the response to us making it has been great. That should be ready sometime next year.

Sean Hogan, thank you very much.

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | www.twitter.com/horror_channel

Interview With Ray Garton - By David Kempf

Ray Garton is the popular, award winning author of over sixty books. He has been praised by Peter Straub, Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Ramsey Campbell, Joe Lansdale and Dean Koontz. 

In addition to movie tie ins that include the Nightmare on Elm Street series and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he has written numerous original horror novels.  In 2006 Ray was presented with the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award. 

Ray lives in Norhern California with his wife Dawn. As a huge fan of horror fiction, it was an honor to interview Ray.  - David Kempf




Tell us how you became interested in horror. You have said in the past your religious upbringing was full of obsession over the end of the world and fear. How much of an impact did the church have on you?

My upbringing had a lot to do with my interest in horror, although I didn’t realize it at the time.  I saw my first horror movie on TV when I was about five years old.  It was 13 Ghosts.  By that time, I was already living in fear of the “time of trouble” that’s such an important part of Seventh-day Adventist doctrine.  I regularly had nightmares that would disrupt my sleep, and I would sometimes lie awake at night in bed, either praying that god would kill me before that time came, or trying to decide how best to kill myself once it arrived.  That movie scared the hell out of me, but it was a fun kind of scary.  I enjoyed it.  It channeled the fear that was bottled up inside me.

After that, I sought out more horror on TV, and I discovered horror comic books and later, novels and short stories.  But this only caused more trouble for me because Sadventism (as I call it) prohibits the reading of fiction.  I understand that these days, they have a much harder time dictating that particular rule, but the cult’s prophet and founder, Ellen G. White, wrote that god showed her that reading fiction could actually cause health problems, physical paralysis, and mental illness.  So I got a lot of flak for my interests.  In fact, I was reminded almost daily that my interests were a sign that there was something wrong with me, that Satan was working hard on me.

I always had a need to tell stories.  I don’t know why.  Before I could write, I drew them in comic strip panels.  Then I learned to write and I was always writing stories, one after another, and they all tended to be dark.  Most fell in the horror genre.  This, I was told, was a sign that Satan was working through me.  Being told that sort of thing all the time, day after day, resulted in a lot of self-loathing.


Did it impact your work politically and philosophically as well as personally?

No, I don’t think so.


You also said that you believe you got a pretty good break into the writing  business, do you think it’s more difficult to make fiction writing your sole source of income these days?

I was very lucky in that horror fiction was extremely popular when I was starting out.  I sold my first novel when I was 20.  It was published in 1984, in the middle of the horror fiction boom.  If I were starting out today — well, the very thought makes me shudder.  Things are a lot different now.  Not only has horror never recovered from the collapse of its mainstream popularity in the early ‘90s, but publishing itself bears little resemblance to the business when I started out.  I don’t envy anyone who’s starting out right now.  There are a lot of new avenues that writers can take, but writers have to do all their own marketing, and good luck getting attention.  These days, everybody and their plumber has a book to sell.  It seems if you’re not hawking a book, you’re some kind of slacker.  Everybody’s doing it.


How many short stories have you written?

I don’t know.  I’ve never counted them.  Dozens.


How many novels have you written? 

I’ve written about 62 books altogether — novels, novellas, short story collections, movie novelizations, and TV tie-ins.  About half of those are novels.


Do you enjoy mentoring or helping new writers in the horror genre?

I’m always willing to answer questions and offer encouragement and, if I have any, advice to new writers, whether they work in the genre or not.  I got a lot of kind encouragement and advice from writers when I was starting out, and I’m always eager to do the same for others.  I don’t have the time to read manuscripts, and legally, that’s a bad idea for any professional writer.  But I always try to make myself available to up-and-coming writers.


Tell us about your daily (or nightly) working routine.

My routine seems to morph with each project.  Right now, I’m writing in the late afternoon and evening, I usually take a break to spend some time with my wife in the evening.  And then I get back to work when she goes to bed.  While I’m writing, I usually have music playing, or a movie running on the TV.  It has to be a movie I’ve seen many times, though, something I’m familiar with so it doesn’t become a distraction.  I like the noise, though.


What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as an artist so far?

Of my novels, Sex and Violence in Hollywood is my personal favorite. It was wonderful writing experience, it flowed so smoothly, and I was very happy with the final product.  Of my horror novels, I think Scissors is my favorite because it’s so unusual.  No vampire or werewolves, none of the usual trappings of horror.  It’s completely different from everything else I’ve written.  Those are my best for now, I think.  That’s open to change, of course.


How do you come up with the original plots and characters you create?

First of all, I try to avoid doing what’s already been done.  For example, I wouldn’t go near zombies right now.  Everybody’s doing zombies.  I’m not crazy about that subgenre, anyway, but right now, I want to hurl every time I see a new zombie novel or collection or movie.  Enough, already!  The plots are usually determined, to a certain extent, by the characters.  And the characters are drawn from my own personal experiences with people.  I don’t mean that they’re based on specific people, because they aren’t.  They come from my experience with people in general.


Name some of your favorite horror books. 

Ghost Story, The Shining, Frankenstein, I Am Legend, Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs — those come immediately to mind.  For much of my life, I read mostly horror fiction, but not for some time, now.  These days, I read a little of everything and not much horror.


Name some of your favorite horror films. 

The Black Cat (1934), Bride of Frankenstein, The Howling, The Haunting, Pan’s Labyrinth, Session 9, Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, The Mist, Carrie ...


Why do you think horror films and books remain relatively popular?

Their popularity never dies, although it does experience surges from time to time.  Watching a horror movie or reading horror fiction are two of the only ways we can put ourselves in safe danger, confront and survive death, be terrified without risking our injury or death, and walk away with a great feeling of relief.  They’re our way of having nightmares when we’re awake.  When they’re done right, they fill that need.


What are your latest projects?

I have a couple of novellas coming from Cemetery Dance, Vortex and Dereliction.  I have short stories in some upcoming anthologies like Horror Library Volume 5, and an anthology called A Darke Phantastique, edited by Jason V. Brock and William F. Nolan.  And right now I’m working on a new novel that I can’t discuss just yet.



Many thanks to Ray Garton.
http://raygartononline.com
Check out Amazon to buy his books

The Walking Dead Season 4 - A Look Ahead

The Walking Dead cast and crew members promise plenty more surprises coming up in The Walking Dead Season 4, coming later this year to AMC.

Talking Walking Dead - "Welcome to the Tombs" Episode Review

Spoiler Alert! Eric and Joey discuss Season 3's finale as The Governor made his full assault on the prison.

Behind the Scenes of The Walking Dead 3x16 "Welcome to the Tombs"

The Vampire Diaries 4x19 Promo "Pictures Of You"

The Vampire Diaries 4x19 "Pictures Of You" - After making a decision that infuriates Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) proposes a life-changing challenge for Rebekah (Claire Holt). Caroline (Caroline Accola) finds that her carefully laid plans for the perfect Senior Prom night are disrupted by Elena (Nina Dobrev), so she turns to an amused Klaus for a solution. Determined to get through to Elena, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) both attend the prom, but the evening begins to spiral out of control despite their efforts. When Elena suddenly lashes out in a way no one could have predicted, Matt (Zach Roerig) turns to Rebekah for help. Finally, Bonnie (Kat Graham) makes a terrifying discovery, and Klaus receives a message that could change everything. J. Miller Tobin directed the episode written by Neil Reynolds & Caroline Dries (#419).

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct - Review

Shaun McInnis takes this video review on the road with Daryl and Merle for The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct.

Talking Walking Dead - "This Sorrowful Life" Episode Review

Spoiler Alert! Eric and Joey discuss Season 3's penultimate episode and a very Merle-centric story.