It was the project that wouldn’t shut up. Usually, there are a few ideas or projects floating around in my head. The winner is the one that is there waiting when I wake up, is whispering in my ear when I’m doing things that don’t involve writing, and keeps popping into my head at random times. If I can’t stop thinking about it-—I write it.

Meg. I think she holds a special place in a lot of hearts at this point. She is a badass with a malignant past who had decided to live her life on her own terms. It’s probably not sustainable and she knows that but she’s going full speed ahead until she gets tripped up. In a lot of ways, I find that admirable beyond description. I wouldn’t recommend taking the life path Meg has, but I certainly understand why she’s the way she is.

There was a lot swimming around in my head when the idea came. I had just read The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum and watched 68 Kill based on the novel by Bryan Smith. Add to the mix the song This is Love by Air Traffic Controller and about 14 or so long runs piping that song into my ears as I staggered along and voila! I had a story plot that wouldn’t stop yammering. And I couldn’t write it fast enough.

Usually, it energizes me. Especially, if it flows really well. Occasionally, it will exhaust me like when I wrote “Jesus or Jacob?” for The Big Book of Blasphemy. I burst into tears at the end of that story (in the middle of a crowded cafe) and was tired for the rest of the day. But that’s a rarity.

Hurts! Not letting the ego take up space at the keyboard is important. At least in my humble opinion. There’s a difference between confidence and ego. I try to be confident—I often fail. But a big ego is a distraction most writers can’t afford to have. It should be about the work above everything else.

13, I believe. Which is my lucky number! Used as actual bookshelves and not for other things there are 5 in my bedroom, 1 built-in and 1 barrister in the living room, 3 in my daughter’s room, 1 big one in my son’s room, 1 in the basement workroom, and 1 in my partner’s son’s room.

At the time this is posted that number could have gone up. No promises.

I love road trips with my partner—short or long. He drives (mostly), I ride, and we hunt books and vintage stuff together. I like old things that are full of nostalgia. Currently collecting retro ’80s horror paperbacks, old metal signs, spoons, kitsch, and anything else we fall in love with.

Endless winter. I’ll take cold over hot any day. I can always put on more clothing. Plus cold brings up opportunities for roaring fires, snuggling under blankets, hot chocolate, and big sweaters. I’d rather be cozy than sweaty!

Coke! Which is funny because my grandfather drove for Pepsi all through my childhood. I got considerable flak for my beverage choices.

Pretty much everywhere but music is a frequent inspiration. Which is why I can listen to the same song 62 times in row and not bat an eyelash. My family, not so much…

Some that I’ve loved for a while are Jennifer McMahon and Gillian Flynn. They both write amazing dark fiction. Recent discoveries in horror are Hailey Piper, Samantha Kolesnik, Jessica Guess, and C.V. Hunt. I could go on, but that’s a good glimpse at the inside of my bookshelf and/or Kindle at the moment.

Dangerous women. Predatory women. Having women in horror fiction be more than the victim or the final girl is an exhilarating turn of events. It’s been done, sure, but I don’t think it’s been done nearly enough. The greatest pleasure I had writing Meg in Go Down Hard was that she was, in her own right, a predator, a force to be reckoned with, and a person to be feared.