Chris's Thoughts On: The Slant Six & A Moon Called Sun
What inspired you to write The Slant Six?
I have to say lack of sleep was my inspiration. As long as I take my omeprazole for acid reflux, I sleep fairly well at night. In the morning, I wake refreshed and quite often, appropriately rigid. This makes me happy for a man now in his 50’s. But then there are those nights when an ugly little monster slithers out from underneath my bed to bite me in the bleary-eyed ass. The name of this beast... Insomnia.  How frail is my condition without the ability to wipe away the toxins in my brain from a single day on this complicated planet? Seriously frail, people. My mind starts spinning out of control unless I can focus on something other than my own petty problems. During one particular attack, sometime around 2:00am, I found solace in late night television. All hail Turner Classic Movies, who happened to be showing the film, Duel, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1971 – a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... the caveman days before CGI, cell phones or Ambien. I must add here that as the youngest son of 4 boys and then my parents having their only daughter right after me, I tended to be the “forgotten child” raised on TV, books and my own feral imagination. Indeed, I had watched this movie as I child and enjoyed the premise. I still do after all these years. It’s about a traveling salesman driving his red Plymouth Valiant on the winding, mountainous highways of California. This poor guy is returning from a disastrous road trip and just wants to get home. However, he finds himself being terrorized by an unseen truck driver, a madman inside a dirty old Peterbilt semi. The genius of Spielberg was never showing the driver of the semi, allowing the audience to conjure up their own demon behind the wheel. The truck itself became the villain and not the driver. Brilliant!

Now my last novel, A Moon Called Sun, had such a complicated plot with multiple storylines that I wanted to give myself a break with my next one. I knew I was going to write something more linear, more straightforward, but what? I struggled with this idea. I even recalled it while watching the dogged salesman in Duel, played by Dennis Weaver, in his battered Valiant finally square off against the bigger Peterbilt belching up black smoke—both vehicles plunging over the edge of a cliff. That’s when the light bulb popped on… or I may have just blown a fuse, who knows for sure. This movie was pure, simple and sinister. I so admired the concept and being a sci-fi guy, I had the glorious notion of setting it in space. Brilliant! The potential of it was unlimited. It was a perfect recipe for my genre and furthermore, it sounded like a blast to write! I don’t remember what time I finally fell asleep that night. I may never have fallen asleep but the beast, Insomnia, was nowhere to be found. I was too geared up from this epiphany to worry about that silly little monster. I had the idea for my next novel.

What did you find most challenging about writing it?
The TV movie was based on a short story by the late Richard Matheson who also wrote the screenplay for Spielberg. To be honest, I based my idea for The Slant Six more on the TV movie rather than the short story. The challenge was not writing a word-for-word, scene-for-scene concept. I wanted the flavor of Duel but I also wanted it to be a completely original piece. It would be a homage and not a remake. Now, the TV movie had very little dialog but gobs of tension. The tension was a given, but one of my strong suits is my ability to write good dialog. Dialog was very important to drive the story. I also needed to flesh out the whole concept of why this salesman would be out in space by himself when space travel is normally a team effort. I started using the term salesman more metaphorically until it eventually morphed from salesman beginning with a small “s” to Salesman with a big “S”. It took on a different meaning for what the main character, Loman Phin, did for a living –Salesman being a synonym for smuggler and looked down upon by others as a shady or criminal type.  Nonetheless, Loman being a Salesman would make him a loner which now made sense to the story. The term trucker as well became a code word for assassin. It goes on from there with other professions and ranks in their various societies. Even when keeping the plot-line simple as it was in the film, I expanded the story to give it gravitas. It needed additional, strong characters, a more defined villain (to which there are several), and distinctive world building. In other words, I had to put some meat on them bare bones!

What do you like most about your book?
The fact that I steer away from the more conventional terms in science fiction. I never use the words spaceship or rocketship for example. In this universe, people travel by an invisible highway woven throughout space called “the channel.” Therefore, my spacecraft are called channelships. I won’t use robot or android either for artificial lifeforms. These characters are referred to as faxes (as in facsimiles), voids or zombies. I worked hard to create a believable universe, one based in familiar concepts but unique to my world. The story being set 200 years or so in the future, language would have changed just as it does now from one generation to the next. I modified the language from that with recognizable origins to the totally original. It’s an alternate universe with a retro feel to the culture, the language and to the technology. Case in point, the channelships are modeled after classic automobiles. From the film Duel, I started out using the red Plymouth Valiant as the first design concept for the ship piloted by Loman Phin. I ran with the idea and soon there were all kinds of channelships buzzing about the solar system like Comets, Lincoln Townships, Vista Cruisers, Asteroid Martins, Slantbacks, Novas, Futuras, HemiSpheres and more…all based on actual models and engines but with a sci-fi twist. There exists a shitload (technical term) of incongruity thrown in for good measure too, such as references to the Old West, Medieval times, vampires, and even Dr. Seuss for Pete’s sake! How could you not have fun with that! The book runs the gamut of gritty sci-fi to horror to humor. It was simply a blast to write, and I hope it’s as much fun to read! It’s definitely ripe for a sequel, that’s for sure. Bwahahaha! (evil laugh).

About The Author
Born and raised in West Palm Beach, Florida, Christopher Cobb ventured off to the wilds of New York City for several years to experience the world of acting. Finding it a cruel and inhospitable world, he hid high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Georgia for a time. Having grown weary of snow and perilous black ice, his life path took him back home to south Florida where he earned college degrees at Florida Atlantic University. He now lives in Jupiter—the city, not the planet—with his true love and talented artist, Alicia, their two weird cats, Simon and Weezy, and his amazingly wonderful daughter, Emma. He is a member of the Bloody Pens Writers Group, as well as the Florida Writer’s Association and intends on writing more exciting books for publication. All this makes Christopher a very happy man indeed. Visit him at www.chrisfcobb.com.

Abbie's Thoughts On: Holy
​I was inspired by my sadness over Freud and Jung’s falling out. The story was intended to mush them back together. Sidney is Freud; Gus is Jung. I changed their names because at a certain point, I had abandoned the fan fiction. I also used the tarot to help create plot structure. There’s also this masturbatory theme of ego death driving the whole story, so I was also helped along by a desire to be rid of my life as I was living it. 

Mostly what I ended up with is a dramatization of my life up until now. I hate non-fiction stories, especially writing them. With fiction, I’m telling the truth about myself and what’s going on, because you can’t hide when you WANT to tell the story you’re writing. Holy was, among other things, a way for me to organize my experiences and how I understand them. Which is how we all do it, but particularly for me in this case. I've lived a fairly sheltered life, and I'm tired of it by now, so to quote The Dark Knight's Harvey Dent, "Why should I hide who I really am?"

The most challenging part was getting it to sound how I wanted. I have a lot of ideas of how I should read on paper. In reality, I end up either too close to that for comfort, or too far for me to handle. With this story, I would write a lot, freak out, and stop, because I was avoiding that the Uncomfortable Void of What Happens Next. But that’s what I like most about it. None of this is so serious as I think it is. Gotta have fun with it, always.

About The Author
Abbie Krupnick lives in Summit, New Jersey. When she’s not writing, she trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu and makes explosive quantities of visual art.

Antonio's Thoughts On: Tarot Of Hate
This new book is a collection of the darkest stories I've ever written: murder, vengeance, even rape. I wanted to push the limits of decency, particularly with the lead story, Dogfaced Eve. I won't give away its secrets, but I'll bet it's one of the most horrific things you've ever read. It's pure body horror with a Marquis de Sade twist, designed to make you feel extremely uncomfortable. If you cringe in disgust, then I'll consider my goal accomplished.

As for inspiration, pardon my French but I was extremely pissed off when I wrote these stories. This shows most strongly in Dogfaced Eve and Hunter, Hunted, the latter story about revenge against a TV production crew. The show in the story is based on "To Catch A Predator," that program where suspected sexual predators are led to a house and are then interrogated on camera. Again, I was aiming for the cringe aesthetic. Rounding out the mix, I've got stories about a presidential assassination and brothers killing brothers, along with several other surprises. After all, what else can you expect but such darkness when you're dealing from the tarot of hate?

Throughout all this, what I found most challenging was that it's not in my nature to write horror. I started off writing light-hearted stuff — like The Gullwing Odyssey for instance, which is a fantasy comedy. To write horror, I really need to be in a sour mood in order to tap into... well, whatever it is I tap into when I write the nasty stuff.

Go check out Tarot Of Hate, and I hope you enjoy it. Just remember that I warned you it'd be hardcore. I didn't hold anything back.

About The Author
Antonio Simon, Jr. is an award-winning author of six books and over thirty short stories published to date. His debut novel, The Gullwing Odyssey, is a fantasy-comedy that became an Amazon Kindle Top 5 Bestseller in 2014. He has won the prestigious International Book Award; the Royal Palm Literary Award; the Pacific Book Award; Indie Book of the Day; and the Reader’s Favorite Five-Star seal. Mr. Simon holds a law degree from Saint Thomas University School of Law and two undergraduate degrees (Political Science and History) from the University of Miami. He lives in Miami, Florida. Visit him at www.GullwingOdyssey.com.

Simon's Thoughts On: Slasher Sam
If they ever made a documentary about the writing of Slasher Sam – and I expect they will any day now – there’d be a lot of shots of me, its author, sitting around and watching movies… sitting around staring at a blank page… sitting around and tap-tap-tapping on my laptop.

Okay, so it probably wouldn’t be as riveting as Crystal Lake Memories, the nearly seven-hour-long documentary on the Friday the 13th film series (is it just me who thinks this is the greatest doco ever?), but readers, wannabe authors, and especially my concerned family members might want to know why on earth I decided to write my blackly comedic horror novel, so let me give you the low-down on the inspiration behind it.

Well, they say you should write about what you know, so I wrote a novel about a horror movie-loving psycho killer with a blog. But before you call the police, I assure you that I’m not actually a killer named Sam – just a blogger named Si, and a horror movie-loving psycho. That’s where the comparisons end, I promise.

Then, because the hardest part of writing is starting – and continuing – I signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). But instead of writing a novel in one month like you’re supposed to, I was so afraid of not getting it finished by the end of November that I started writing mine in February. So, by the time the actual month rolled by, I’d already half-written it.

I guess that makes me a cheater, but the important thing is I finally wrote my first novel. And now I feel amazing, and a little guilty, but mostly proud that Slasher Sam has been published by Darkwater Syndicate. I’m sure you’d feel just as good if you bought a copy today.

About The Author
Simon Petersen is an experienced journalist and popular blogger from Auckland, New Zealand. By day he writes about craft beer, world travel, and professional sport; by night he dreams up horror movie scenarios that’d scare the striped sweater off Freddy Krueger. Visit him at www.SlasherSam.com.

Michael's Thoughts On: The Man In The Forest
Writing The Man In The Forest was quite a journey. Working through an overtime filled career schedule and finding little time to write, the entire project took about two years. It began with a walk in my neighborhood at night. I was passing a wooded area and heard a noise that caught my attention. When I looked over at the trees, I saw a tall figure looking back at me. After staring for a moment, it was clear that I was looking at a bunch of mangled branches, but the adrenaline I felt in those few moments combined with what I initially thought I saw was the inspiration for the story.

I've always held a fascination with horror stories, however the endings of most usually left me disappointed. A series of exceptions I found were in short stories. There were a couple I was working on already; one about a living ventriloquist doll named Johnny Nelson, and the other about a feral child, Isabel Yell. In the planning process for the book, I found a golden opportunity to combine these different horror concepts to revolve around the mysterious "man in the forest." With all the pieces in place, I had to find a path to an ending; it was the only portion I left vague in my planning stages. The climax in the book turned out to be improvised. The story had built to the point where I could allow it to tell itself. It no longer needed my "plotting" to do so. I'm proud of the result, but what I'm most proud of is the fact that the story is layered. A reader can go from cover to cover and just enjoy the ride, but they can also spot clues to solve several mysteries which weren't directly spelled out. There is a hidden theme to the story when following in the footsteps of the main character, Vincent, but I hid an even bigger mystery that readers still have yet to solve; who is "the man in the forest?" Nobody's found the answer yet (or at least no one's gotten it right who's taken a shot). All the secrets are hidden within the pages. Can you find them all?

About The Author
​Born and raised in Central Florida, Michael Warriner pursued an early interest in learning music and creating characters in hand-drawn comic books. He began his career working simultaneously in the mental health industry and as a character performer at his local theme park. It was while pursuing his degree in Psychology that he began writing stories “just to kill time.” Before long, he had written two manuscripts. This developing interest in telling stories was further driven by his fascination with amateur filmmaking. By day, Michael now applies his education and training to assist clients diagnosed with mental illness. By night, he writes novels, and in his free time he composes music. He draws upon these varied interests to create unique characters and thrust them into memorable stories.

Nicholas's Thoughts On: The Father Of Flesh
What inspired you to write your book?
I've always wanted to be a storyteller, and the Father of Flesh was just an extension of this. The hero isn't a classic one, in fact, none of them are. They're all human, shaped by their own experiences and actions to behave like people who may be a tad touched in the head from their exposure to the occult energies they mess with. I found the challenges of this book to be a non-issue as I was able to overcome them as I was able to enjoy the act of creating a universe that would be home to an ongoing series.

What were your feelings while writing it?
I enjoyed creating it and taking notes on certain characters who I know will make appearances later on in the series. I find the idea of recurring characters to be a fun idea as they can go from bystanders to allies to villains in the span of a novel, depending wholly on the protagonist's actions.

What do you like most about your book?
Watching where the protagonist will go with the whole thing! I write him out and give him flaws and humanity, and put him in situations, but watch as he reacts. I smile now as I recall coming up with ways that he'd deal with certain issues in the novel, namely the monks in the mountains, and how he adapts his situation from the bottom of the rung to near the top within the day.

What did you find most challenging about writing it?
Drawing connecting scenes between climactic ones. I write climactic action sequences before anything else and then write everything in between. Makes me feel safe that the book has enough action and suspense, and that the horror aspects are there to make me happy. The books are more thriller than horror at this point, and I understand that. But I love me some horror, and that's where my heart will be buried at, proverbially of course.

About The Author
Born and raised in Texas, Nicholas Paschall started his career in writing at an early age, jotting down stories on scraps of paper when he could and saving them to read aloud at lunch to all his friends. The teachers, upon learning this, asked him to stop as the stories weren’t exactly school-friendly, but this only spurred him on to continue his career as a writer. After a stint as a journalist and editor, he started his career as a horror author. It was brought on by reading a book he found dull and listless, which, after lending it to a coworker, he was informed it was terrifying. He thought he could do better, and has been publishing ever since. He’s been published in nineteen different printed anthologies and magazines, served two years as a recurring columnist for Dark Eclipse Magazine, and is a current columnist for The London Horror Society. His work can be found across the web, where he spins new yarns for all to enjoy on a daily basis. Visit him at www.nickronomicon.com.

Ramiro's Thoughts On: Bernadette
​If there's anything you come to appreciate as you grow old, it's history. Young folks study it to see where they're headed (because history repeats, you know); whereas for old folks like me, it's more a matter of keeping track of where you've been.

​I guess I'm an old soul then, as I've always been a history buff, particularly when it comes to medieval Spain. It was a time of religious and political tension the likes of which society today can surely relate to, and it lays the perfect foundation for a historically accurate horror tale.

The story, Bernadette, for me represents what happens when moral duties clash. When people are willing to circumvent what is right to correct a perceived wrong, sometimes, the solution turns out worse than the problem, as was the case for our protagonist.

​The story is in the form of a letter. What I like best about it is that the protagonist wrote this missive in the hopes that his brother has safely returned home from a voyage to read it. Neither the protagonist nor the audience will ever know if the letter was read, and this adds a certain desperation and gloom to the narrative. In a way, too, the style makes you, the reader, a character in the story—you're holding the letter outlining the protagonist's thoughts; how did you come into possession of it?

All things considered, I hope you enjoyed my story, and had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Until next time, adios.

About The Author
Born in Cuba in 1941, Ramiro Perez de Pereda has seen it all. Growing up in a time when then-democratic Cuba was experiencing unprecedented foreign investment, he was exposed to the U.S. pop culture items of the day. Among them: pulp fiction magazines, which young Ramiro avidly read and collected. Far and away, his favorites were the Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard.

​Ramiro, now retired from the corporate life, is a grandfather of five. He devotes himself to his family, his writing, and the occasional pen-and-ink sketch. He writes poetry and short fiction under the name R. Perez de Pereda. He serves Darkwater Syndicate as its Head Acquisitions Editor—he heads the department, he does not collect heads, which is a point he has grown quite fond of making. Indeed, it’s one reason he likes his job so much.

We're introducing a new "behind the scenes" segment where we'll periodically invite one of our authors to answer the hard questions about their latest work, such as their inspirations, their feelings when writing it, what they liked most and what they felt was most challenging while writing. Mark the dates below on your calendars so you don't miss when our authors will be discussing their books.