Today on MASTERS OF HORROR we chat with David Watkins. According to his Amazon author page David Watkins lives in Devon in the UK with his wife, two sons, ridiculous dog and psychotic cat. Pretty sweet start. Add to that Watkins is the author of four novels and a short story, all of which have been well received including his most popular novel, THE EXETER INCIDENT.
One Amazon reviewer suggested that this book come with a government warning!
“WARNING: Do not start this book if you have other tasks that require your immediate attention (eg childcare, eating, sleeping) as you will be unable to put it down once you have started reading it!
Seriously! I read this book (c. 80 000 words) in one afternoon/evening and it was utterly compelling.”
I don’t know about you, but I am intrigued to say the least. Let’s learn more about this amazing author!
Tell me a little about yourself.
You could at least buy me a drink first. No? Well okay, then.... I grew up in South Wales during the 70s and 80s, studied maths and liked comic books, science fiction films, horror books and playing board games. I was the very definition of cool before my time, obviously. I now live in Devon, which, when the sun is shining, is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Unfortunately, we get sun maybe two days a year. All that greenery comes at a price! I live with my wife, two sons, crazy dog and psychotic cat. I teach (maths) for my day job so all of that keeps me on my toes. Working with kids is a great way to spend your days, and also gives you a near endless source of names for characters. The students now ask me to 'kill' them in my books, which is kind of cool. Well, I think its cool, their parents are probably horrified.
Why write horror? What is it about writing terrifying scenes that excites you?
Fear is a primal urge, isn't it? We've all had a scary experience - whether it's relatively safely like on a roller-coaster, or when a plane hits turbulence, or even something truly terrifying - and I think the safety net of 'this isn't real' means we get the adrenaline spike but with comfort. I get annoyed when people dismiss horror as blood and gore as it has always offered so much more than that. I'm not a fan of extreme horror (although Matt Shaw's books and Duncan Ralston's Woom might challenge that), and I really love the slow burn creepiness of people like Ramsey Campbell or Adam Neville. I don't write like any of those people, but we all write under the horror umbrella, and I love that.
What’s the scariest book you’ve read? And why?
That's a great question. Adam Neville's 'No One Gets Out Alive' is truly scary for the first half of the novel, and Ramsey Campbell managed to make me scared of a scarecrow, but I don't scare easily in book form. I'd have to pick All Quiet On The Western Front. Yes. it's horror and I will die on that hill. The things we do to each other in the name of War is what I find truly terrifying: the thought of my kids having to fight because some world leaders got into a dick-swinging competition (I'm looking at you Putin, and people like Trump or Johnson, even though they are thankfully not in power anymore). Humans truly possess the ability to be absolutely monstrous to each other, usually in the name of wealth or god.
What are you working on now? Is it a standalone? Part of a series? Also if you had to describe your book to a Hollywood producer in their lingo “it’s X Meets Y” where X and Y are movies, what would that be?
My current project is The Original's Rage, which is the third book in my werewolf series. I thought I was done after book 2, but here we are. This one is set 10 years after the previous two and follows Jack as he's dragged into a new conflict with the werewolf clans. I'm getting nice feedback from my beta readers so far, so hopefully this one will be out before too much longer. Once that's done, it's back to my lockdown novel, The Memory Shades, which thankfully has nothing to do with COVID! I wrote it whilst we were in lockdown 1, essentially using the time it would take me to get to work and back to do it. It's a bit of a departure for me, in that it's more science fiction than horror although there is an element of horror to it. It has memory manipulation, and big alien creatures causing havoc. It was a blast to write, so hopefully it'll be fun to read too! I would describe it as a cross between Aliens and Memento (just because of the memory stuff), but neither of those are a good fit really. It would make a great film (said every writer, ever).
Where can we find you?
Big thanks to David Watkins for stopping by and sharing with us today on MASTERS OF HORROR. He’s wild and wacky and has the pets to prove it! His writing comes with a government warning label and he writes about creatures that run rampant in the streets. Need I say more? Okay, here’s one more amazing Amazon review…
“I don’t do horror, I don’t really do suspense, but this book is a genuine page turner.
If you do something today. Buy this book.”
These interviews have been a labour of love. I love learning about the lives of fellow horror writers. Where did they grow up? What jobs have they done? Or still do while they create these amazing stories? What scares them? What they’re reading? What drives them to create the stories we all love to devour? So thanks again to Nick for letting us peek behind the curtain on the life of an amazing talent!
If you are a horror writer who would like to be featured on MASTERS OF HORROR for some free publicity just click the link below, answer the 5 Questions as fully and completely as possible and soon, you too, will be a MASTER OF HORROR!