POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS I.S. BELLE

I recently got the chance to put some questions to the wonderful author I.S. Belle. Please enjoy the full interview below:

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I'm I.S. Belle! I work in a bookshop and I stop to pat dogs in the street. My debut novel, a LGBT found family Horror YA Zombabe, came out in late 2022. My relationship to the horror genre is complicated and picky, as it is with all genres. I could never sit down with any one genre and be happy, it had to be very, very specific subgenre. With horror, I find myself drawn to atmospheric stories where characters are deeply devoted to each other. Characters with genuine love and affection for their peers, whether that love is nourishing or destructive. I love horror where the characters are fighting tooth and nail to keep each other safe, and I'm partial to horror where they succeed. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

Probably Goosebumps around age 9! I was actually a huge wimp when it came to anything scary, I didn't actually get into horror until my late teens, when I realized how wide the genre was. I still shy away from horror than genuinely terrifies me - I want horror that makes my face and heart twist with "oh god that's horrible," not horror that keeps me awake at night. Which is why I only listened to The Magnus Archives before 4pm and then watched/read happy, fluffy stuff so I'd be able to sleep.

Your new book Zombabe, and it's prequel novella Babylove, feature great things like found family, queer love, and buckets of zombie gore! Which are popular with lots of readers out there. What was your inspiration for these stories?

My most direct inspiration for the Zombabe 'verse was IT by Stephen King, as well as other works such as Pet Semetary. Also Jennifer's Body. I'm ALL about devotion and the horrible things people will do for the ones they love. 

When you're writing, do you have a routine or pattern for your work? 

When I'm working on a project I try to get 1k words a day! Usually I hit it. But I usually have gaps of weeks or months between projects.

Queer stories have been gaining more and more popularity over the last few years, especially in YA, and with the rise of the push-back against queer voices it is so important to have these stories available. Do you feel that bookstagram and online bookish communities helps as a tool to get these stories into the hands of those that need them the most? 

I do! Online bookish communities do a great job of letting people know what's available out there, especially if you curate your experience.

What is your favourite horror trope?

Oh man. I think it's a toss-up between two: one, that moment where the gang gears up for the Final Battle. Everyone's bloody and freaked out and maybe they won't make it out, but for a second they're together and they're going to fight this thing. OR the inevitability trope - where the story hints the whole time that you've always been doomed, everything's locked in place from the start, and only on a rewatch/reread do you notice all the little details echoing through the story. This was always going to happen, this has already happened, this will happen again. There's something so scary about that kind of helplessness. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I'm torn! I want more camp. I watched M3GAN recently and my favorite scene was where she's chasing that guy through the tech lab with that huge knife while pop music was playing. I felt like the movie should've leaned into that fun campy style instead of keeping one foot in outrageous camp (singing Bulletproof as a lullaby?? The DANCING??) and one foot in sincerity - but the emotional roots/sincerity kind of fell flat for me in this one. So: more camp! More big, fun drama where you're laughing AND freaked out!

I also want horror you can chew on. Stuff you can analyze until the cows come home. Re-reading and rewatching a bunch of times trying to notice all the little details. Themes, weird formatting, music choices. There's always another heartbreaking or horrifying thing to discover if only you dig a little deeper. i.e. the costume design in Crimson Peak, the overarching plot in The Magnus Archives, pretty much anything by Guillermo Del Toro. 

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Mike Flannagan! A great example of horror to chew on, where the characters love each other deeply and fight for each other to make it out safe. There's always more to analyse in his work, and it rewards a rewatch. Also Guillermo Del Toro and Jonothan Sims.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

Yes! I'm working on the sequels to Zombabe and Babylove right now. They'll be out later this year. There's also a project coming in in 2024 that I'm VERY excited about. I should be allowed to talk about it in 6 weeks or so. Stay tuned...

Thank you again to I.S. Belle for the great interview. To find her books, just follow the links below:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKKCV5PX?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=53e0255c-beb7-49e6-ac18-87733dbdff05

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSQHZCT3?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=f042ba1e-5ae4-4277-99aa-3e2526bd8e01

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS LIAM REGAN

While Eating Miss Campbell is tearing it up on the festival run, Writer and Director Liam Regan was kind enough to answer a few questions for Positively Horror. Please enjoy the full interview below:

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I was a video shop kid, so everytime my mum took me inside the video rental store, I would be summoned to the horror section. Not sure what I was being summoned by, more than likely the gnarly video cover artwork. I remember picking up a rental VHS of A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, and admiring Graham Humphrey's artwork. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I must have only been around five years old when I was peering down from our staircase, whilst my Mum was watching Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962) the movie disturbed me, and I'll never forget that moment. 

Your new film Eating Miss Campbell is going down a treat on the festival circuit at the moment, could you tell us a bit about the film and your inspiration behind it? 

Thanks, it seems to be playing festivals all over at the moment, which I'm truly grateful for, especially in Europe, they seem to love screening the film. However, I do love reading the divisive reviews for the movie, the film certainly seems to be splitting audiences down the middle, and for me, the best type of creative endeavours (in any genre) should always strive to do that, especially independent films. I don't want to come off as pretentious by calling the movies that I make as "art", but I truly believe that independent horror/comedy should be provocative, dangerous and most of all... fun! 

The UK indie horror scene is absolutely booming with great work from people like Mycho, Charlie Steeds and Dark Rift Horror to name just a few. How does it feel to be part of this great time for UK indie cinema?

I love it! It's such a movement to be reckoned with! And it's also great when film festivals such as FrightFest in London, Dead Northern in York and The Dead of Night Film Festival in Southport champion local and homegrown talent. 

You delight as much in the bad reviews as the good for your work, which is a great attitude to have. Did it take time to get to that point or have you always had that mindset? 

I'm still wrestling with that attitude, I remember the world premiere of Eating Miss Campbell at FrightFest in London, it was a jam packed sold out screening, everyone laughing and cheering, so the general consensus was that people enjoyed the movie, it was possibly the greatest evening of my life, surrounded by some of my closest friends. I returned back to my hotel room at around 3am the following morning, sitting on the toilet seat, and decided to look at the reviews on Letterboxd and IMDb, which was a HUGE mistake! However, when the online reviewers give you sour lemons, you have no other choice, but to make the sweetest nectar of lemon juice that's ever touched a human being's taste buds!  

What is your favourite horror trope?

Hmm, my favourite horror trope? Well, I love horror movies where inanimate objects come to life and kill, so the killer doll sub-genre, which also includes puppets, etc. So the majority of movies from Full Moon Pictures and the Child's Play films too! 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

More envelope pushing, and taking risks. I think cinema can be too safe these days, I always tend to gravitate to movies that are no holds barred. 

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

I'm going to forget someone, but I do wanna shout out Vito Trigo who plays Mr. Sawyer in both My Bloody Banjo and Eating Miss Campbell, the guy is a powerhouse of a performer. I've never met a talent with that much dedication and passion, in bringing a character to life, if I know Vito is in a movie, I'll watch that film, just for his performance alone, he's such a sweetheart of a human being too! 

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

Right now we're just working the festival circuit and screening Eating Miss Campbell at film festivals worldwide. I'm looking at launching my UK Blu-ray and DVD distribution label next year "Refuse Films", we'll be releasing My Bloody Banjo: Director's Cut domestically, along with a newly acquired feature length movie titled I Need You Dead! 

Thank you again to Liam for the great interview. Please check out the link below to keep up to date on his work:

https://refusefilms.bigcartel.com/products

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS LYNDSEY CRAINE

I recently got the chance to ask Lyndsey Craine some questions about the genre, and the upcoming How to Kill Monsters,  which has a kickstarter running right now. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I’ve been acting in independent horror movies for a few years now and really enjoying it. I’ve been fortunate to work across all different types of horror which has been really fun and challenged me in many ways. My love of the horror genre has definitely grown in recent years, I used to be scared of almost every horror film going but having been in them, I’m a little less scared now! 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

I was always scared of pretty much every horror as a kid! I think I must have been about 12 and the first horror movie I saw and actually enjoyed was Scream, it was most likely the style of that movie that made me enjoy it so much. It still scared me though! It’s my favourite horror franchise to this day. I love those films!

The kickstarter for How to Kill monsters has just gone live, can you tell us a bit about the film and the character you're playing? 

The film is based around Jamie, the sole survivor of a blood drenched massacre at a cabin in the woods, after claiming her friends were eaten by a horrific monster summon by a ritual gone wrong, she is arrested and locked up for a crime she didn’t commit. However, Jamie’s claims of innocence were of course all real and the police station is attacked by a horde of Lovecraftian monsters. Jamie teams up with a bunch of rookie cops and law breakers to fight back against the monsters. Think Evil Dead 2 meets Hot Fuzz!

I play the character of Jamie who is clearly quite naive in thinking a ritual at a cabin in the woods would go well! She has to stand up for herself against all odds and prove to everyone what she has just survived is real so you can imagine the scenarios she gets herself into. I don’t want to give too much away but she was so much fun to play and I can’t wait for you to see what she has to face in the film and the characters she meets. It’s certainly a rollercoaster of a ride for Jamie!

The UK indie horror scene is absolutely booming with great work from people like Mycho, Charlie Steeds and dark rift to name just a few. How does it feel to be part of this great time for UK indie cinema?

Firstly, thank you for saying I am a part of this! Yes it’s a fantastic time for indie horror, there are so many brilliant filmmakers out there, having been at Frightfest in London recently it was incredible to see the work people are producing for features and shorts. It’s great to see this work getting out there, I think after Covid everyone is so keen to get back to making movies. I hear that more people are wanting to jump to make their first feature films or finding creative ways to bring their film ideas to life on really small budgets and I find it so inspiring to see. To even be considered as part of this means a lot.

What draws you to acting in the horror genre? 

It’s honestly just so much fun! I think aswell, there are so many different sub genres within the horror genre so it’s great to explore those. With horror comedy for example, you can make something really scary, gory or dark but you will have that comedy aspect to pull you back to the light heartedness of the film and I think it’s fun to be able to work with both of those and almost play them off each other. It does come with a side of getting extremely messy if there’s fake blood involved, which seems to be the case in the majority of films I’ve been apart of! 

What is your favourite horror trope?

The final girl! I’ve been fortunate to play the final girl in a few of my films so it’s helped me out in terms of researching character traits. It’s always so fun to watch their journey through the film too. I also enjoy the inspecting a strange noise outside when they shouldn’t, because who doesn’t love spotting that one in movies!

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I think there has been some great strong female leads emerging in horror recently and I would love to see that continue!

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Firstly Dark Rift Horror! After their success with Book of Monsters it’s so exciting to see them back again with their Kickstarter for How to Kill Monsters. They are the most incredible team to work with, they have so much passion for their work. I always feel so lucky to work with them. I’ve recently worked with Liam Regan on Eating Miss Campbell which got to premiere at Frightfest which was just incredible. I’ve recently worked with Relic Films UK on a feature and they are a fantastic film company and definitely ones to look out for. There is also Tony Hipwell and Miles Watts who I worked with on a really fun film called Zomblogalypse! As mentioned earlier, having been to Frightfest I got the chance to meet so many incredible filmmakers and I could be writing an essay with how many I could mention that are doing fantastic work right now.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

My latest film Eating Miss Campbell is doing the festival run at the moment, it had its world premiere at Frightfest which was fantastic. I have a few more films coming up too which is really exciting!

Thank you to Lyndsey for the great interview.  To back How to Kill Monsters follow the link below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stewartsparke/how-to-kill-monsters-a-horror-comedy-feature-film?ref=project_link

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS KEVIN T MORALES

I was recently lucky enough to ask the brilliant Kevin T. Morales some questions about the genre. Please enjoy the full interview below:

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I’m a filmmaker with a strong background in theater and Horror really unnerves me. There’s plenty of things I won’t even watch, which sounds silly from someone who likes making it, but I think partially it’s that I don’t often feel the urge to watch something and be scared. I think I’m already scared a lot in life so I don’t often want to add to it. That said, when something is truly gripping and fantastic than there’s almost nothing better. I seek out certain films based on filmmakers I already trust. And then I will watch something if I get multiple people telling me I have to see something. What I appreciate most about the genre is it really allows you to build a Trojan horse. Your audience comes for the horror but you can surprise them with something they weren’t expecting.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age? 

My best friend had a birthday party when I was in 5th grade and his dad rented Aliens for the party. I had my pillow in front of my face half the time. After that I started wanting to see more. My dad showed me The Terminator which of course is also James Cameron but it was seeing Silence of the Lambs in the theater that really pushed me into wanting to play in that genre.

Your upcoming feature Shadow Vaults is due out this year, and is your debut horror feature, could you tell us a little bit about it and your move into the genre? 

I’ve been writing in the genre for a while but this is the first things that I could get made. And it’s my 2nd feature so hopefully I can establish a brand of nostalgic comedy and compelling thriller/suspense/horror. Those are my two favorite sand boxes. Shadow Vaults was conceived during the lockdown. I was spending so much time on Zoom with friends, and I really got this odd deja vu from a time when people sat around camp fires and talked and told stories but we had replaced the camp fire with a lap top. So Shadow Vaults is essentially a group of friends and an invited stranger telling each other ghost stories. The aim is to create the creepy sensation you get when someone tells you about the thing they saw and can’t explain, and of course this entered my mind during lockdown when we were all hiding in our homes from this invisible threat that could kill you.

Your last feature Generation Wrecks was one of my absolute favourites of last year, how did your creative approach differ from one genre to another, if at all?  

The big difference was for Gen Wrecks, I gave Victoria and Bridget a premise and basic story, and then they wrote the hell out of it with some input from me. And I tried to capture that experience of being a teenager going away with friends on a long weekend. This time I made Shadow Vaults as a way of deflecting the stress and fear of the outbreak. I thought if I could take the stress and pretend I’m making a film, I will handle this much better and it worked. Writing it, getting cast and crew on board, arranging for gear to be sent to the actors, directing everyone over zoom was a fantastic distraction from the incredible dread I felt.

Where did you draw your inspiration for the film? 

I wanted to recreate that camp fire ghost story telling experience with some new twists. The cast is majority people of color and and majority queer. And each of the ghost stories in some way reflects the fears we had in 2020, not just with the virus.  

Generation Wrecks featured great diversity on screen, is it important to you to deliver that representation in your work?  

It’s a primary directive for me. I’m a Latinx filmmaker and for most of my childhood people really tried to erase that. As if it was something I should want to distance myself from. It matters to me that we normalize seeing people of color, queer people, and different genders in traditional roles. So that people stop questioning the existence of people. To move away from white being the default.

What is your favourite horror trope? 

Oh wow. So many. I think one thing that really gets me is when someone enters a location and it’s displaced from reality or out of time, but the character doesn’t know it. Like then Jack enters the bar in the Shining and their are people there and a bar tender and it doesn’t occur to him that the hotel is empty. He just accepts the illusion. That really fucks me up.

What is something you'd like to see more of on the future of the genre? 

I think it’s difficult to pull of but if you can, having the threat of being killed not be what’s at stake in a story. What I love in Silence of the Lambs is you’re not worried necessarily that Lechter is going to kill Clarice. You’re more afraid what he will do with her personal information he wants from her. That’s creepy.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment? 

Jordan Peele for sure. Del Toro. I will see anything he does. I was so impressed with Emerald Fennell’s film, “Promising Young Woman” I don’t know why that film doesn’t have a horror tag. It scared the shit out of me.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

Another horror film I wrote called "War Of Terror" is being produced by an Irish team. I really hope they can find the financing because I would love to bring a horror film about U.S. Foreign policy and military strategy in middle eastern countries to audiences everywhere. I also am trying to get a vampire film made, but I’m going to keep the details of that to myself for a little while longer haha.

Thank you again to Kevin for the wonderful interview! 

You can find Kevin T. Morales and his work by following the link below:

https://www.kevintmorales.com/about

 

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS CORY CHOY

Positively Horror recently got the opportunity to ask the brilliant Cory Choy some questions about his new film, and all things horror. Please enjoy the full interview below:

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

Since I was a kid I've been fascinated by the unknown and the supernatural. A few stories really stuck with me-- The Emperor and the Nightingale and The Girl With The Green Ribbon when I was a smaller child. A Wrinkle in Time and The Martian Chronicles when I was a little older. Doctor Who, The X-files, Army of Darkness, Poltergeist, The Ring, Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity. I've also had a few personal encounters with things I can't explain-- but that would be a whole long story in of itself. The first short film I made in college, Rude Awakening was the story of a boy afraid of the dark and his cat. As a sound mixer, I've worked on more than a few horror films-- from Troma's notorious musical Poultrygeist to Matthew Lawrence's punk rock Uncle Peckerhead to the more cerebral The Sound Of Your Voice and fast-paced Body. 

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

Oops I think I just answered that!  

Could you tell us a bit about your new suspense thriller horror Esme My Love?

The description is "When Hannah notices the symptoms of a terminal and painful illness in her aloof daughter, Esme, she decides to take her on a trip to their abandoned family farm in a desperate attempt to connect before they have to say goodbye." -- but play that against the trailer and there is purposeful tension between the two. 

Where did you draw your inspiration for the film?

A woman told me about the experience she had seeing an angel when she was a new mother. To me, what she described was absolutely terrifying. However, to her, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced: it was an encounter with God. Her story stuck with me. I would think about it often over the years. That's one part of the core of the story. The other core inspiration was discovered while I was shooting a music video up on a defunct farm in Hague, New York (where Esme, My Love was filmed). The place was absolutely beautiful, magical. One of the sisters that owned the property also happened to be the town historian. We talked a lot about her family history, the town's history, and the legends in the area. Esme, My Love combines those two things-- a woman's experience seeing an angel, and a family's history and lore-- and is augmented by moments that come out of my own childhood experiences. 

Three films I drew upon for inspiration were The Babadook, Tree of Life, and Old Joy. I guess Wings of Desire as well.

Esme My Love is a slow burn, with only two people in the film, what approach did you take to keep the film so compelling with limited cast and setting?

We set out to make something both Beautiful and truly Terrible at the same time. We focus on the intense love that Hannah has for Esme, but we also know that she's hiding something. It's a slow burn, but we start out with a lot of tension and emotion and try not to let up all the way till the end of the film.

The sound design and score are absolutely mesmerising, did you know what you wanted going in, or did it develop around the film? 

The ending song was chosen when we wrote the script. In editing we realized we wanted to actually make it part of the story, the diegetic world. We then based the score completely melodically on that ending song and made sure that every piece related to it in some way so that when the audience arrived there it would feel like that was the inevitable conclusion. I always knew I wanted two different composers, but what I didn't realize is that we would eventually find ourselves in a place where the composers would actually be collaborating so heavily. It was pretty cool.

On set I made sure to record things as bare bones as possible, relying on a single boom as much as possible. For sound design there were certain things we knew we wanted from the get go, but there was a lot of exploration and change as we dove in for real. Using breath and sounds of the body. Making the environment more of a living, breathing, presence.

What is your favourite horror trope?

The jump scare-- but after you've been building and building and building 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

I love magical realism. So movies like Pan's Labyrinth. Completely separately I'd love to see conspiracy theories like QAnon more thoroughly and deftly explored by horror.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

Jennifer Kent, Bong Joon-ho 

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about? 

Absolutely! I'm gearing up to make a horror series called Dimo Duck. Right now I plan for it to be a multiverse. You can hear a podcast teaser-trailer here: https://vimeo.com/640153757

Thank you to Cory for the great interview.

Check out the links below to follow Cory's work:

www.esmemylove.com

www.silversound.us

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS JOSH WALLACE

Positively Horror recently got the chance to ask Josh Wallace a few questions about his upcoming film, and working in the genre. Please enjoy the full interview below:

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

When I was younger I loved being scared. Me and my friends would re-enact the MTV show Fear where people would stay in allegedly haunted places and have to do challenges like sit in a pitch black abandoned morgue for an hour. We basically did that but instead of a morgue it was my family’s clearly not haunted garage. I’ve been chasing that same adrenaline rush since and it turned me into a horror buff growing up.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

This wasn’t necessarily my introduction to horror but it is one of my favorite memories which is that when I was a child my dad convinced me and my brothers the Blair Witch Project was a real documentary before we watched it and it truly was the most terrifying movie watching experience of my life. 

Could you tell us a bit about your new comedy horror keeping company? 

Keeping Company satirizes the horrors of capitalism, politics, and classism that are so prevalent in today’s America through the classic pairing of insurance sales and serial killers. 

Where did you draw your inspiration for the film?

The Coen Brothers were a huge inspiration for the film in terms of the tone and Hitchcock was a major influence in terms of the look and feel.

It is said that the comedy and horror genres are very similar in execution, what was it like to crossing over from comedy to comedy horror?  

It’s actually scary how seamless it is to transition between comedy and horror. I think no matter what genre we attempt, Devin and I are similar in the fact that we cope with things through humor so that comedic view point will always be brought to the table. It’s the way we examine and comment on the world around us. The nice thing about horror is that, like comedy, it can also effectively examine and comment in a similar (albeit generally more vicious) way. 

What is your favourite horror trope?

People going into any scary dark place in an already scary situation. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre? 

It would be great to see more culturally diverse stories in horror. We are starting to see it but it feels like we’re just scratching the surface. 

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

David Bruckner, Mike Flanagan, Nia DaCosta, really enjoyed Hanna Bergholm’s Hatching

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I’m currently working on a tv project with Disney+ and 20th Television that’s in the early stages of development but Devin and I are also working on another satirical genre-bending film we hope to get off the ground within the next year!

Thank you to Josh for the great interview. 

To check out more from 1091 follow the links below:

https://www.instagram.com/1091pictures/

https://www.facebook.com/1091pictures/

https://twitter.com/1091pictures

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkML5g9N_azgHB7KQJ5fWLw

 

POSITIVELY HORROR INTERVIEWS AMY MCCAW

Positively Horror recently had the opportunity to ask the great UKYA author Amy McCaw a few questions. Please enjoy the full interview below. 

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?

I’m the author of Mina and the Undead, a YA murder mystery set in 1990s New Orleans, and I’ve been a horror fan for as long as I can remember.

What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?

My first brush with horror came at a very young age. My dad owned a video shop, and I was always drawn to the forbidden horror section with the murderous dolls and strange creatures on the cover. The fact that I wasn’t allowed to watch those films only made them more appealing! I started watching horror films at age 11 or 12 at sleepovers, but I read horror from around age 9 or 10. Point Horrors were the first scary books I read and I still love them now.

Your new book Mina and the Slayers is the follow up to your debut hit Mina and the Undead, could you tell us a little about it?

Three months after the events of Mina and the Undead, Mina's settling into her new life. Despite the teething problems in her relationship with Jared, she has her sister back, new friends and a part-time job to die for. Over Halloween, Mina and the gang have planned a spooky week of Gothic restaurants, horror movies, ghostly tours, creepy carnivals and a costume ball.

But the fun doesn't last. Mina is on work experience with Detective Cafferty while the police are investigating a savage masked killer and a rise in suspicious 'animal attacks'. During her own investigations, Mina discovers a mysterious group of slayers, who are battling to control the rogue vampires.

The threats circle closer as Mina spends her days with the police and nights with the slayers. Will she and her friends survive Halloween without being staked, stabbed or bitten?

How did you find the process of writing a sequel to such a popular debut?

Everyone told me that writing a second book would be more difficult, and that was definitely true! I had as long as I wanted to polish the first book before submitting it to agents. By the second book, I was writing to a tight deadline with the knowledge in the back of my mind that people had enjoyed the first book and I wanted this one to compare. 

Writing a sequel had its benefits, because I already knew the characters, voice and the world. The challenge was making sure the book had continuity from Mina and the Undead in everything from how characters speak to location details. I also wanted it to be just as bloody and elaborate as the first book, if not more so. 

Mina and the Slayers already seems to be creating a buzz online, is the bookstagram community a big help to getting the word out there?

Thank you! I hope so. The online book community have been an amazing support for both books. Publishers will only buy more books when an author is doing well, and I have the online community to thank for spreading the word and shouting about Mina and the Undead online. I really appreciate the people who have continued to support my second book.

Where did you draw your inspiration for the series?

So many places! I think I’ve been gathering inspiration for these books since I started reading, writing and watching horror. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favourite TV show, and I definitely aspire to write books with characters you can root for and plots that will keep you guessing like Buffy. My main inspiration came from visiting New Orleans in 2012. The atmosphere and creepy locations of the city, as well as its gruesome local myths, gave me the idea to write this book.

What is your favourite horror trope?

I have so many! My favourite two are probably the masked killer and the final girl, especially if they’re used together. Scream is still one of my favourite horror movies, and I think it’s a perfect homage to the slasher genre as well as a fun, twisty story. 

What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre?

I think horror in YA fiction is having quite a moment and I’d love for that to continue! I think UKYA authors in particular are creating some amazing books that deserve to get worldwide recognition.

Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?

As I’m part of the book community, I’ll focus on authors for this one. I think that Dawn Kurtagich, Kendare Blake, Goldy Moldavsky, Cynthia Murphy, Kat Ellis and Kathryn Foxfield are exciting YA authors to look out for. Adam Cesare also writes brilliant books for young adults and adults, and Grady Hendrix is amazing if you’re looking to read adult horror. I’ve recently discovered Manga by Junji Ito, and the stories and art are some of the most brilliant and disturbing work I’ve come across in any medium.

And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?

I’d love to write Mina book 3. I’m also working on some other projects that I can’t talk about yet, but I’m very excited about them! 

Thank you again to Amy for the wonderful interview. To find out more about Amy and buy her books checknout the links below:

https://www.amymccaw.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/amymccaw