Today on MASTERS OF HORROR we get up close and personal with Matthew Mercer. Matthew is an up and coming horror author that started writing as a hobby, only to find a deep interest in all aspects of storytelling. Being a lifelong fan of horror films, especially slashers, he hopes to use his knowledge of the genre to provide a fresh experience that will keep readers wanting more.
As soon as I saw the covers of his “It Came From…” series I knew I was in. The retro feel brought me back to the glory days of slasher films I adored as a kid (and still do). I was not disappointed. I read the first in the series of stand alone, IT CAME FROM ABOVE on the flight to Cuba earlier this year and it was so good I barely noticed the screaming babies and the turbulence! If that’s not an endorsement I don’t know what is.
Let’s get to know this promising new horror talent, Matthew Mercer!
Tell me a little about yourself.
First, my name is Matthew Mercer. I grew up in the California Bay Area and still live there now. Yes, I do still work a day job. Unfortunately being a self-published author comes with a lot of costs with very little-to-zero payoff this early in a career. Until the day comes where my books are bringing in enough money to survive in California, I have to pay bills and market somehow. My current day job involves taking care of intellectually inclined adults that are trying to live independent lives.
Why write horror?
I've been a fan of horror films my entire life, and after getting involved with digital video editing at an early age I eventually came to the conclusion that making horror films was my calling. Unfortunately making a movie isn't the most simple thing in the world and would require an unrealistic amount of money for me that I didn't have at the time when I decided that this was what I wanted to do but, what I did have was a keyboard. I figured I could write the story I wanted to see on the big screen and when the money came I could make it happen.
I enjoy writing horror because it is the most exciting genre that there is. To me, nothing is more fun than watching a horror film with a group of friends and witnessing the reactions of those around me. Plus, no other genre is as immersive as horror. When your done reading or watching something terrifying, your entire day is just different. You start seeing things in the shadows, hearing every crack in your house, and feel flat-out afraid to be alone. I can't think of any other form of fiction that has so much of a physical effect on my mind and body as that.
With writing, I can leave my real-life for a short time and try to put myself in someone else's and take all of these qualities that I love from horror films and combine it into something that might hopefully give the reader a similar response. And even if it doesn't, there is so much more that goes into a good horror story that maybe the reader would find something else they enjoy, be it the character's backstory, the dialogue, the comedic relief, the relationships, etc.
What’s the scariest book you have ever read?
So I have to admit that reading horror was never my thing before I started writing (I'm terrible, I know). Now, most of the reading I do is for studying purposes on the books I'm working on. If you don't know, my current series is supposed to be in the style of slasher films, and as such I have been on a deep dive into the rather small slasher subgenre. Just like their movie counterparts, nothing from this subgenre is very "scary", but there are some entertaining gems in there, i.e. My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones and Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare. Again, not scary, but I haven't really been looking for that yet.
What are you working on right now?
I am working on the third book in my anthology series. The series is titled "It Came", and this entry is titled "It Came From the Loch." In my series, I try to take stories of creatures, cryptids, and urban legends that we all know and love, and give my own take using the generic 80s slasher formula. "It Came From Above" was my first entry and "It Came From the Woods" just released. "It Came From the Loch" will be releasing late this Summer, assuming everything has goes to plan. If I had to describe this book as mentioned above, it's like Friday the 13th meets The Meg.
Where can we find you?
A big MASTERS OF HORROR special thanks to Matthew Mercer for stopping by and letting us get to know this up and coming horror writer who’s books bring us back to a simpler time of being young, dangerous and hunted in the dark! I know I already commented on the covers but check these out…these are spectacular! I mean if you’re not clicking like mad on these amazing covers you might have to ask yourself…are you really a HORROR FAN?
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!