Over 9 of the next 10 days I will be featuring 10 of the 12 authors in this collection. Each has answered a series of questions from me about their God, why they picked it, what their favorite scary books are, and more. It’s very similar to the posts I have been running by authors all month, just with a Lovercraftian spin. Expect each day’s post to bring you a handful of new authors and titles to add to your arsenal of books you can suggest to patrons.Next up, Rachel Caine. I particularly like who answer to the question “Why do you like to write horror?”
Please remember you can also enter for a chance to win one of two copies of The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft by emailing me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com by 10/29 at 11:59pm.
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Who are you?
Rachel Caine, author of about 45 novels and many short stories. My principal series include #1 internationally bestselling Morganville Vampires series in young adult and the Weather Warden series in urban fantasy. I'm a longtime lover of horror fiction who grew up reading the classics of the genre, and got a lot of worried looks for reading Stephen King when I was ... uh, 12. If you need the boring details, you can find me at the following places:
@rachelcaine on Twitter
rachelcainefanpage on Facebook
Who is your favorite horror writer (besides Lovecraft)?
I have a lot of favorites, but I'd probably point to Shirley Jackson for her unsettling, beautiful style and quiet, creeping darkness. On the flip side, Robert McCammon is also one of my favorites, as is Joe Lansdale. Both seriously underappreciated in this country, I think.
Why do you like to write horror?
It's an uniquely intense experience. Horror is a claustrophobic literary experience--one where as a writer I feel just as trapped as the characters, just as unable to escape. Horror stays with me long after I finish a story. There's also an element of control that appeals to me; we have no control over the horrible things that happen in the world, for the most part. We can control every detail of our fiction, and make the incomprehensible into something approachable.
Which "God" did you focus on in the Anthology? What features of this god do you find most interesting?
I wrote about The Great Race, which is a story that always haunted me since I first read it. The revulsion and horror Lovecraft's character Peaslee experiences on being transported into the body of one of the Great Race, while the alien roams the earth in his own form, is very real ... and yet, as observers in the story we can also see that it's amazing. The aliens aren't cruel ... just alien. The real terror is something that even The Great Race fears. Aliens who can run anywhere in the universe in space and time, and hide in many lifeforms, are scared of something worse. That, in itself, is a huge story.
Please share some of the authors you are reading and enjoying now.
So much! It's a great time for books, whatever flavor you prefer. I think horror is making a strong comeback, and you can find it in young adult aisles as well ... check out HIT by Delilah Dawson, SLICE OF CHERRY by Dia Reeves, I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga, THE NATURALS by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I recently really loved SWERVE by Vicki Pettersson, which nicely walks the line between thriller and horror. And, always, Joe Hill.
What other works do you have out now?
My most recently book, INK AND BONE, launched in July. It's a world in which the Great Library of Alexandria never burned, and now it's illegal to own personal books. My main character, Jess, is the son of a book smuggler. Lots of elements of SF and horror in it, as well as fantasy. I'm also honored to be included in several anthologies coming out this year and next.
What are you working on currently?
I'm at work on the second book of my Great Library series, PAPER AND FIRE. I also just turned in stories for 3 anthologies this month, including Jonathan Maberry's second volume of X-FILES: THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.
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