Today on MASTERS OF HORROR we get to learn a little more about another fellow Canadian, who also happens to be an amazing horror writer, JF Dubeau. I first heard of the Montreal native years ago when he posted his book, A GOD IN THE SHED on a website called Inkshares. Back then I remember being jealous of such an amazing title and when I read the synopsis, I knew the bar had been raised. Dubeau is a master storyteller of the darkest horror that will linger with you long after the last page is turned. If you haven’t read his books yet you are missing out. With his beautiful prose and frenetic pacing, he pulls you in close and hits you where it hurts leaving you begging for more.
A GOD IN THE SHED was the Barnes & Noble Best Horror Books of 2017 Pick, as well as the runner-up for the American Library Association's Horror Book of 2017.
And if that wasn’t enough, check out this review…
"One of the most enthralling novels I've read in the last ten years. Dubeau is a force to be reckoned with." —Jerry Smith, Fangoria Magazine and Blumhouse.com
Now let’s get to know this incredible Canuck!
Tell me a little about yourself.
On average I don't much enjoy talking about myself. I'm a very private individual and I don't believe my life is all that entertaining to the average person. What I can say is that I do still have a day job, and it's in marketing. Which is a shock as I'm a very competent marketing specialist, but can't market my own products to save my life. I grew up in Quebec and live in Montreal. It's hard to imagine living anywhere else.
Why write horror? What is it about writing terrifying scenes that excites you?
When I started writing I dabbled in science fiction, fantasy and horror. My first published book (The Life Engineered) is a science fiction novel about robots. However, after publishing A God in the Shed, my first horror novel, I got to meet the horror community. I had the chance to better experience the ridiculous variety in horror. And, it dawned on me how much freedom of expression horror offered an author. I fell in love with all of that. There's no story that can't be told with horror. Love stories, action, science fiction, philosophical exploration, poetry, etc. I don't get any particular high from writing a terrifying scene so much as I enjoy constructing a 'horror trap', where I can lure a reader into a sense of security that I can then twist into tension. It's great to build that ride and then take readers on it.
What’s the scariest book you’ve read? And why?
I'm usually not scared by horror so much as fascinated by it, so my answer might be a little strange. The young adult psychological horror novel The First Time She Drowned. The author manages to create a character that is easy to root for. She's relatable, fragile in the most human sense, and real in a way that only the most talented writers can achieve. Very early on, the readers are given all the tools to figure out just what happened to this character. In many ways, there's no mystery, and it's not even that big of a twist or shock. But seeing the character herself, walk through that whole story, putting all these pieces together, all the time while we hope against hope that what we know is already true might be false, is a marathon of tension. It's like that music just before a jump scare, but stretched out over an entire book. No gore. No jump scares (if such a thing can be done in book form). Just that crescendo, except that, when the tension does break, it's not the monster in a mask with an axe we know we're going to get, but something real, and uncomfortable, and scary. And it's happening to a character we've been taught to know and like.
What are you working on now? Is it a standalone? Part of a series?
Right now, I'm writing season 6 of the Achewillow podcast. It's a story about baking, witches, coffee, and demons. A little like Twin Peaks Meets Chocolat. The whole thing is available for free anywhere podcasts are available, and while it may not be the most hard core horror, when it does dip its toe into horror, it goes as hard as anything else I write. Otherwise, I'm working on the third and final book of the trilogy of A God in the Shed.
Where can we find you?
Special thanks to the amazingly talented JF Dubeau for stopping by and sharing with us today on MASTERS OF HORROR. He might not like talking about himself, but that’s okay, because there are more than enough critics, reviewers and readers like you and me who are more than happy to sing his praises from the rooftops!
"Complex characters, haunting imagery, and a touch of fantasy. This is the page-turner you've been looking for!" ―Barnes & Noble
"If you're looking for some summer reading that is both unsettlingly gory and a fascinating supernatural mystery, you need to pick up A God in the Shed. Dubeau showcases his great imagination...this something readers need to experience for themselves." ―Wicked Horror
Need I say more? If you’re looking for your next terrifying read do yourself a kindness and check out A GOD IN THE SHED. You will not be disappointed. Plus, you’d be supporting a Canadian! How cool is that?
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 JF 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!