I had the privilege of interviewing author Steve Mcelhenny, here’s that interview!
First of all thanks for taking the time to do this.
Q1: How did you get into writing?
“Purely by accident. I was working an office job for the Ministry of Defence at a local Airforce Base, and for large amounts of time, there wasn’t really an awful lot to do. But because my office was in the headquarters there were a lot of people, higher-up officers, and recruits coming back and forth, so my supervisor asked me to find ways to make myself look busy, even if I wasn’t. One of my best friends worked there too so we ended up writing silly stories to amuse ourselves and found I actually enjoyed the writing process. I’ve always been a big daydreamer and have had a good imagination, so it was a good outlet for me. Not long after, an unexpected opportunity arose to do a new type of degree course that was being trialled at a nearby university, where the students could effectively take their choice out of whatever modules were available throughout the entire University as long as it gave you enough credits at the end of the semester. It was kind of like a degree equivalent of the build-a-bear workshop. What really appealed to me was that there were numerous writing, film, and production courses on that list. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance.”
Q2: Why books and not screenplays or even comics?
“Originally, I did want to be a screenwriter. I was always an ardent film buff, especially in the horror genre, and at the time had far more passion for the screenwriting medium than I did for book writing. Writing for the screen was one of the things I majored in during my final year of my university degree. Evolving into writing novels was another thing that happened purely by chance and was unintentional. I had recently graduated from university by this point and had landed a temp job (it was a temp job that ended up being for 17 years.) We had a fun bunch of people in our little work gang and had some good banter going on, so one day I wrote a short story roasting them in it. It was well received, and they actually wanted more. Being the attention-seeking whore that I am, I was only too pleased to oblige and found myself writing more around that series of short stories. I realised then that I had probably written the equivalent of a quarter of a novel without really thinking about it, so I thought, why not have a go at writing one properly? The ironic thing now is I probably couldn’t even write a screenplay if I tried. I love the idea of having no limits or restrictions when writing a novel – as long as it makes sense in the world you’re creating, anything is possible. With screenwriting, you are stifled by its restrictions. I think it’s easier to go from screenplays to novel writing than it is to go from novel writing to screenplays. As for comics, I would absolutely love to have a go at writing one day. It’s a whole different type of challenge and art form, and I have the biggest respect for comic book writers. To say so much whilst being so economical in a single panel is really impressive.”
Q3: What were your favourite horror books growing up?
“Strangely enough, I was never an avid reader of fiction growing up, I was much more of a VHS junkie. I was a big fan of Stephen King’s short story collection, Night Shift, as a teenager and several of the stories stuck with me for a long time. I love the Ledge and Quitters Inc and I even adapted and directed Bogeyman for my studio production course in my final year of university. I still haven’t watched the recent feature-length adaptation of the story yet, it’s on my ever-growing list of things to watch. Clive Barker’s Books of Blood was another collection I dug. A lot of the horror books I read in my childhood were the ones like the Usborne book of ghosts, and other reference books on the supernatural. I remember being utterly obsessed with the Borley Rectory legend as a kid and sought out any book with reference to it.”
Q4: Your stories are essentially Horror with a mixture of sci-fi and comedy, how has that been received?
“It’s been really uplifting to see the reviews I’ve had praising the mix of horror and comedy. I personally believe mixing the two is a neat trick of throwing people off their balance so to speak. Make them feel at ease one moment, and throw in something horrific or unexpected the next. It keeps them on their toes throughout. It’s kind of like a jump scare in a sense, though more of a laugh-scare. I might have to try and copyright that term actually. Horror comedy is probably my favourite sub-genre of horror. I adored Monster Squad growing up, and seeing Abbot and Costello for the first time was a pivotal moment in my childhood. What I love about horror comedies such as Lost Boys, Tucker and Dale, Ghostbusters, Fright Night, Fido, Tremors, Shaun of the Dead etc, is that there’s a real heart to the story too and I think that is the key ingredient to a horror comedy. If it doesn’t have heart and is forced, then it becomes too transparent. One of my proudest achievements in writing was having Draculand become a number one best seller in Amazon’s Horror Comedy Chart in the UK, USA, and Canada chart for free Kindle books. I didn’t make a penny off putting it available for free but seeing my name and my story at number one for the genre I love so much meant so much more to me than a royalty cheque ever would.”
Q5: Do you have a book you’re most proud of?
“I treat my books exactly the same way as I treat my actual children, I’m incredibly proud of them, and when visitors come around, I dust them off and bring them down from the attic to show off. As to which one I’m most proud of, I would say I’m proud of them all for differing reasons. My 80s VHS Action Homage, Lethal Dangerousness, is one I’m proud of in that it was my first book that got picked up by a publisher and proved to myself that I could do it. My space opera, Avenging Aranis I was proud of in that it was my first book to reach number one in its category on Amazon. My horror comedy Draculand I’m particularly proud of as that was a real labour of love. It’s certainly one of the most personal to me as I began writing it in the hope my father would be able to read before he passed from a terminal illness. Sadly, I never got to finish it in time. Also, it’s bittersweet in that its first publisher, a lovely man by the name of, Brandon Mullins, of Moon Books Publishing passed away unexpectedly the day after he released it on Audible. In fact, thinking about it, I shouldn’t be proud of that book, it’s f@@king jinxed. The ghost story, The Girl with a Porcelain Face I’m very proud of as it took me out of my comfort zone and proved I can write a classic-style ghost story without having to rely on the humour I’m known for in my books.”
Q6: How hard is it to be a writer in this day and age?
“I think this is possibly the best time to be a writer. There are so many tools and avenues available to writers now to get their works out there and available which weren’t around twenty years ago. For those who don’t want to go through the minefield of the traditional publishing route without even the guarantee of even getting your manuscript read, Self Publishing is a very viable alternanitve. It’s effectively free, and with social media being so prevalent in many people’s lives it gives independent authors an extra helping hand in getting word out about their books. I’m a big advocate of self- publishing and I truly think that the stigma around it has eroded with time. Audible is also a great avenue to go down, and again, if you have a narrator who is trying to learn their trade or get some credits to their name it’s another cost-effective way to get your work out there to a growing market. One thing I will say is that if someone wants to go down the hybrid publishing route, be very wary of the costs verses reward. I’ve seen some hybrid publishers advertising on the internet and for what they charge, there is a low chance of making close to that return back, so if anyone is interested in that route, please do your research first. On the flip side with publishing a book so easy these days, it does mean the market can get overly saturated and harder to stand out amongst the crowd, which is why I always feel genuinely humbled, privileged, and excited every time I manage to sell a book. I truly believe that when I stop feeling that sense of excitement, humility, and appreciation that is when I know it’s time to stop. I think that for anyone writing a book or wanting to write a book, I would say to them, ‘Ask yourself why you want to write that book?’ If it’s for money and fame I would say maybe it’s time to think again and have a bit of a reality check. It’s great to have goals and ambitions and of course, everyone wants to be successful, but the stark reality is a very small percentage of writers make it to the higher echelon of success and earn a living solely from their writing. You should be writing because it’s your passion and you have stories, adventures, and characters you want to share.”
Q7: Which book of yours would you like to see be made into a movie?
“It would have to be Lethal Dangerousness just for the wild ride. For those who don’t know the plot to that book it’s effectively Elf meets Breaking Bad meets Lethal Weapon. I know I said I wouldn’t know how to write a screenplay anymore, but that novel is written as if you were reading an 80s movie. The Girl with a Porcelain Face I would love to see adapted into a movie too, it’s got that throwback vibe to films like the Changeling and Lady in White and there are a handful of scenes in there which would be hugely effective on the big screen.”
Q8: What were your favourite Horror films growing up?
“As I mentioned earlier, I’m a VHS junkie, and I was extremely fortunate to be a child in the 80s and that my father was gloriously irresponsible when it came to letting me watch whatever Beta Max and VHS’s he would rent. Some of my earliest home video horrors I remember watching whilst still in junior school were Nightmare on Elm Street, Demons and Evil Dead 2 and I was in awe of what I was seeing. To go from the black-and-white classics I had been used to watching with him to the visceral, in your face films like those was mind-blowing. I was fortunate enough to get to see Demons on a big screen in London pre covid as part of an all-night movie schlockathon and I still think that film is cool as f* to this day. Elm street was a pivotal film in my life, and I’ve been fortunate enough to hang out with Robert Englund a few times over the years, and he’s such a knowledgeable and appreciative fan of not just horror but of cinema in general. One of the horror films that unnerved me the most though from my childhood was the 1989 TV movie of The Woman in Black which was aired on Christmas Eve on S4C, which is our Welsh offshoot of Channel Four. It was the first year I had my own television in my bedroom and I stumbled across it while flicking through the channels. It terrified me, and ruined my Christmas, in the best possible way of course. It had a Blu-ray release a while back and it still holds up incredibly well, its far more subtle and under your skin than the Daniel Radcliffe version. Another which stuck with me was 1992’s Ghostwatch, which although a bit dated when you watch it back now was still very unnerving and groundbreaking for its time.”
Q9: What is your view on the Horror scene nowadays?
“Unfortunately, I don’t get to watch as many films now as I would like to and I feel outside the loop a lot of the time with regards to the latest releases, especially with so many platforms like Shudder, Netflix, Prime and the like. With my time stretched thin between working a full-time job, marriage, writing, and my children (when I let them down from the attic that is) it feels like a genuine treat to get to watch a good, or even a bad, horror film so I tend to try and be a bit fussier about what I choose. I think the genre is in good hands at present and I would argue it’s stronger now than it was twenty years ago. It’s certainly treated with more respect, especially with the successes and accolades for films such as The Witch, Get Out, Hereditary, Quiet Place and many others. Of course, there is a lot of campy trash out there too, but that is never a bad thing, especially when it comes to the genre. I would argue that for a while, in the late 90s, and early 2000s the genre got itself a bit lost with its American output due to the huge success of Scream and there was an influx of so many copycat attempts that followed to make sassy, nudge nudge wink wink horror movies. Thankfully we had the Japanese, French and Spanish horror cinema who were making truly fantastic films around that time to compensate. The TV platform has been great for the horror genre as of late too. There are so many good, well-written horror TV shows out there to find now, and I think the key to that is the creators and actors treating the genre and the fans with respect.”
Q10: Have you got anything exciting lined up?
“I’m currently about halfway through a new horror comedy called Fire McGuire which has been a lot of fun so far. It’s been a great way to unleash my inner ahole onto the pages and be an absolute dickhead via the lead character, which has been very therapeutic and rewarding. After that, I’m stacked to the brim with future projects to work on. Next year should see the Audible release of the sequel to Lethal Dangerousness, called Lethal Forcefulness and then it’s choosing my next project to focus on. I have another horror comedy, a dark comedy, and a couple of straight-laced ghost stories conceived as well as finishing off my space opera and the final part of the Lethal Dangerousness trilogy. It’s relentless in my brain and hard to switch off.”
Q11 : Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
“Don’t follow my footsteps, or anyone else’s for that matter. When you follow the footsteps of others, when you get to your destination you find someone’s already been there. If you lead with your own footsteps, you’ll always be the first to achieve your, journey and adventure. My advice would be whatever book you choose to write, do it with passion, sincerity, and most importantly your own voice. Don’t force a style or genre on yourself to match someone else whose work you’ve enjoyed or have found success.”
Q12: Do you have any last words for anyone reading this?
“If you don’t read my books I’m not letting my darn kids down from the attic, do you really want that on your conscience?”
Be sure to check out Steve McElhenny’s Amazon store HERE
Raz's Midnight Macabre 