Horroraddicts.net publishing has recently published our 4th anthology called Once Upon a Scream. Remember the Fairy tales that you grew up reading? Well they are back again with a horror twist. Once Upon a Scream includes 18 tales that are fantastic and frightful. One of the authors in this anthology is Chantal Boudreau and recently talked to us about her writing:
What is your story in Once Upon A Scream called and what is it about?
My story is called “Without Family Ties” and it’s about a man who sees his family line coming to end, so he uses ritual magic to try to preserve it, with unpleasant consequences.
What inspired the idea?
I wanted to write something with a theme similar to Pinocchio, yet having a sinister, modern flavour. I decided to research ritual dolls and fertility magic, and the results inspired my story.
When did you start writing?
I’ve been writing since I could read. I won prizes for my stories in junior high and high school, so I kept at, but I’ve only been working to get published for the last six years.
What are your favorite topics to write about?
I’m a speculative fiction writer at heart, and I lean towards the dark and edgy. I enjoy multi-layered flawed characters and reluctant heroes – someone to whom the reader might be able to relate
What are some of your influences?
One of my bigger influences was Tanith Lee. I loved her Red as Blood story collection, which had
horror and dark fantasy fairy tale mash-ups. I’m also a fan of a variety of mythological and traditional tales. They are the foundation of today’s speculative fiction.
What do you find fascinating about the horror genre?
Horror is cathartic. It generates negative emotion – fear, anger, sadness, disgust – but when you’re done reading, you get to leave all that behind. You get the relief of knowing none of it was real and you can look at reality in a more positive light.
What are some of the works you have available?
I’ve published several dozen works, including novels, most of which are now out of print. But there are still quite a few anthologies out there with my stories in them, like the Deathlehem trilogy, Dead North and other zombie anthologies, and My Favorite Apocalypse. There are even some non-fiction collections containing articles by me, such as Horror Addicts Guide to Life.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve been working mostly on short fiction lately. My current work-in-progress is a horror tale called The Reluctant Collector about a debt collector who hates his job to begin with and then ends up cursed to despise it, and one of his co-workers in particular, even more. It drives him past the breaking point, and chaos ensues.
Where can we find you online?
Links:
Website: Website
Facebook: Facebook
Amazon Author Page: Amazon Author Page
Twitter: Twitter
Scribd.com: Scribd.com
Goodreads Author Page: Goodreads
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