Crafting the Creeps through Fiction: Questions for the Authors Who Do It Best

In 2011, the third author in this series published his first novel, and then in 2012 he published his second. Mike Duran has written The Resurrection, The Telling, as well as a novella titled Winterland. I’ve read The Telling and will most likely be purchasing the other two in the near future.

The Telling is not a Horror novel with undertones of Christianity. The story depicts a blunt battle between good and evil. As strange things begin to happen in his hometown, Zeph Walker, a childhood prophet, must decide whether or not to admit the truth he’s been hiding from for years.

Duran regularly posts on his blog, and also has various other types of work that you can find under the Books tab. I’ve read some of his posts and posts he’s written for other sites, and they’re not to be missed. Recent articles have been creating quite a stir for some readers. I definitely suggest you check them out.

Mike Duran was gracious enough to send some great answers for Crafting the Creeps through Fiction.

1) As a writer, do the voices in your head ever overwhelm you?

“Ha! I think that's called "schizophrenia," isn't it? I've heard it said before that writers need to develop a kind of multiple personality syndrome. In other words, we need to learn how to actively cultivate the voices in our heads. I know, that sounds weird. But when it comes to creating characters, the author is the first and best prototype. Most of your better characters will be culled from yourself. But if it's true that we need to cultivate these fictive persons, then it's also necessary to assign rooms for them, so that at the end of each day we can lock them there.”

2) What's something no one will ever say about you?

“Interesting question. I hope no one would ever be able to say I'm boring, uninteresting, or dispassionate. I'd rather have folks say I'm intense, I think too much, and enjoy deep conversations.”

3) What is your least favorite interview question to be asked?

“What's you're favorite color, food, or something like that. Those kinds of questions always seem so lame to me. It's almost like the interviewer did not want to exert the energy to research their subject and ask some provocative, informative questions. You'd think if someone was interesting enough to be interviewed, what their favorite color was would be way down the list of questions one can ask. (And, by the way, my favorite color is green.)”

4) What is your earliest memory of being afraid?

“It probably had less to do with fear than being profoundly disturbed about the nature of the universe. I was probably 5 or 6 years old. My dog, Daisy, was my best friend. She slept at the foot of my bed every night. We had a very close relationship. Well, my mother brought home some chicks one day and we kept them in a little pen out back. I was mesmerized over those little yellow fuzzballs. Until one day I came home and found that Daisy had slaughtered all of them. The back yard was strewn with chicken guts. perhaps the most disturbing element of the event was having to reconcile how the dog I loved could massacre such innocent little things. It scarred me for life.”

To find out more about Mike Duran and his writing, I recommend following his blog. You can also like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.

Blog: http://mikeduran.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cerebralgrump

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/cerebralgrump