MASTERS OF HORROR: EDMUND STONE

1. What first drew you to horror—and was it something you experienced, feared, or imagined?

Experienced. I watched the movie John Carpenter’s The Thing. Before that movie, anything horror scared the shit out of me. After The Thing, I was hooked on horror movies and books.

2. How do you tap into real fear when writing—do you draw from your own nightmares, or do you create new ones?

I think the real horror to me is if something bad would happen to my family. I’ve imagined the horror someone feels with loss and if you channel that, anything you write will be much more intense.

3. Have you ever written something that disturbed even you—a moment where the story took a darker turn than expected?

In the story Within, I had a scene when a certain family member died in a horrible way. There was a moment when I thought I couldn’t but the scene was so integral to the story I left it in.

4. If your stories had the power to summon something into the real world... what do you think you've already unleashed?

A Tentacled, temptress who will eat the heart out of her victims and dark demons from the shadows to name a few. Hives of creatures with mixed body parts flying around ready to strike. Witches bent on revenge for their hunter family and a magic machete slicing demons and sending them back to hell.

5. How do you keep horror feeling fresh and terrifying when so many tropes are well-trodden?

I try not to follow tropes and just write what comes to me. The only time I’ve ever written with a certain trope in mind was if an anthology called for it. Horror is a feeling and when it’s working it’s on fire. I have pinned papers in front of me that says, “Make it scarier!”
Only on rare occasions though.

BONUS: Tell me about your latest project and where we can find it. 

My latest book is Soul Mirror and it’s on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and you can find signed copies from me at edmundstonehorror.com