-Interview by Desi D.

1. Name one horror story that kept you up at night? And why did it terrify you?

Unfortunately (maybe fortunately), horror doesn’t keep me up. However, the story that has stayed with me ever since I read it, as though it were some sort of benign tumor, is “Two Brothers” by Brian Evenson. It was in The O. Henry Prize Stories in 1998 and I walked into it having no idea what to expect. The story is elegantly crude, and the sheer brutality of it is what maintains its power.

2. As a writer, what is your favorite creature and why?

I think as a writer, I really like the doppelgänger and their kin: shadow-selves, clones, etc. There is something very tangibly terrifying about a version of you out on the streets causing all sorts of mayhem. What is it? Something trying to get revenge against you? Is it a part of you, or is it you all along?

3. As an author, what do you enjoy spending most of your time writing: setting, plot, or character? Why?

I think setting is pretty important to what I write. Many of my stories take place in Colorado, and Denver in particular, so I like to render the details distinctly enough that readers may recognize exactly where the characters are. I think it enhances the reader’s experience if they have been to a part of town I’ve written about and they notice it.

4. What is one piece of advice you would give to a new horror writer? Also, of course what can we look forward to reading from you next?

I think the biggest piece of advice any new writer needs to hear is find people you trust to read and earnestly critique your work (like the DHC critique groups!). Sometimes it’s hard to hear something is not working, but if you have the right group of people, you owe it to yourself to listen to what they say. It only develops your skills more, like a tough exercise workout.

As far as what’s next, well, my debut short story collection, Rabbit Face and Other Awful Encounters was released in April from JournalStone Press. In addition, so far this year, I have stories coming out in Cosmic Horror Monthly and Alphanumeric.