Today on Masters of Horror I had the chance to get to know Reed Alexander. Reed explains that he’s most comfortable in the world of cosmic horror. A subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock.
One Amazon reviewer had this to say about HUNGRY COSMOS, “Was expecting more of quaint, small collection of short stories with a pinch of Lovecraftian influence... but what I received was four cosmic horror novellas that draw you in and look you right in the eye(s) until you have devoured the whole thing.”
More acclaim for HUNGRY COSMOS, “Reed masterfully turns his many eyes to the task of morphing eldritch cosmic horror to the task of heart-pounding, adreniline-fueled fear. A master story-teller whose nightmares manifest on the page." -John Baltisberger
So if you love Lovecraftian cosmic horror I have just the writer for you. Let’s get to know Reed Alexander!
Tell me a little about yourself.
Well, I grew up mostly in Connecticut. My family had a small house next to a deep forest where I spent a lot of my time as a young lad. This was similar to most of my childhood experiences. I spent a lot of time in West Virginia where my grandparents live climbing through the forests in the coal hills. I was basically fucking feral. As a teen, I came up in the grunge era. I was a typical teen of the times. Long hair, ripped jeans, band t-shirt, flannel shit. I was even in a metal band for a while. Right up until the age of about 22. From there I moved to NY where I spent most of my life as a young man just bumming around. Eventually I dragged my punk ass to college then started a career. I didn't even start my writing career until my first year of college. Maybe about the age of 26?
Why write horror? What is it about writing terrifying scenes that excites you?
I think, in large everything else kinda bored me. I was a huge horror fan from a young age. My mom took me to see Aliens (1986) in the movie theater at the age to 5. I was hooked ever since. Now, at a young age, I never imagined I'd ever be a writer. I was functionally illiterate until the age of 12, and wasn't writing at a proper level until maybe my third year of college. Writing never did seem like the career for me. But it's funny, I felt like I just had to write. One night I just sat down and banged out twenty of the worst written pages you can imagine... and for some reason that didn't stop me. But yea, it had to be horror. I find horror to be the most engaging genre. Nothing encapsulates fantasy, action, comedy, etc, like horror. It's also a good way for me to express myself politically. All of my politics, quite intentionally, hide under the surface of all my written works. There's something about the human honesty of being scared out of your mind that I think is really facinating.
What’s the scariest book you’ve read? And why?
Harlan Ellison's I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM. It's almost a scientific look at the concept of hell.
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?
I'm working on a cosmic horror creature feature. It's the subgenre I most like to write in. It's not the only thing I write, but it's my favorite. I call the current project, THIS ISLAND. It's about a whole town that wakes up to find themselves on a alien planet. My elevator pitch is "Creatures on Parade." THE MIST meets LOST.
Where can we find you?
Come find me at the links below!
Wattpad (free serial on this one)
Also find me on Twitter and Slasher (@reedshorror)
I want to thank Reed Alexander for stopping by and sharing with us today. I love learning about the behind the scenes lives and career paths of horror writers. What scares them? Where do they come from? What drives them to create the stories we all love to devour? So thanks again 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 and soon, you too, will be a MASTER OF HORROR!