What is your name and what are you known for?
John James Minster, author of horror stories.
Tell us about one of your works and why we should read it.
The Undertaker’s Daughter
A Novel of Supernatural Horror
Don’t play with dead things.
Anna Dingel is an introverted, socially inept 18-year-old raised in the family funeral home. And for some reason, her classmate Timmy—the one in the band—likes her too.
After a makeover from her best friend Naomi, Anna breaks away to see him perform live, but the leader of a bad school clique attempts to assault Anna in the parking lot. Once the leader is released from jail, so begins an ever-widening maelstrom of cruel retribution, turning Anna and Timmy’s summer of love into a nightmare.
In an attempt to frighten the bullies into peace, Anna and Naomi experiment with recently revealed old Jewish magic. But this ancient Abrahamic ritual doesn’t go as planned. The eldritch power Anna has unleashed takes dark and unexpected turns, endangering those she loves and forcing her to decide who she is and who she wants to be.
This spine-tingling supernatural horror story is about love, forgiveness, and consequences. Expect surprise twists throughout, as children learn not to play with dead things.
What places or things inspire your writing?
Supernatural beings described in The Old and The New Testaments.
What music do you listen to while creating?
Downtempo electronic and melodic deep house beats.
What is your favorite horror aesthetic?
Animated decomposing corpses.
Who is your favorite horror icon?
Edgar Allan Poe.
What was the scariest thing you’ve witnessed?
My infant son getting wheeled into surgery.
If invited to dinner with your favorite (living or dead) horror creator, who would it be and what would you bring?
Edgar Allan Poe: matcha green tea, a bamboo whisk, and two porcelain mixing bowls (no, not brandy: I would never do anything to contribute to his untimely death of which alcohol likely played a part.)
What’s a horror gem you think most horror addicts don’t know about? (book, movie, musician?)
A movie I saw in a drive-in theater when it first got released (the year I got my driver’s license.) Two friends of mine and our dates watched it. Our girlfriends were terrified. I absolutely loved it. Lucio Fulci’s Italian film Zombi 2 (also known as Zombie, Zombie Flesh Eaters, and Woodoo) is a 1979 Italian zombie horror film directed by Lucio Fulci working from a screenplay by Elisa Briganti and Dardano Sacchetti. Probably the best-known of Fulci’s many genre films and it made him a horror icon. When the film was released in 1979 it was condemned for its extremely bloody content, notably by the UK’s Conservative government. It grossed the Euro equivalent of nearly $3 billion dollars, yet of all the many people I ask, not one has seen it. Please do.
Have you ever been haunted or seen a ghost?
Not personally. But I did help an old man solve his house haunting.
What are some books that you feel should be in the library of every horror addict?
Every horror book published by Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman (contemporary), and Peter Straub; travels back in time to H.P. Lovecraft, the entire works of Edgar Allan Poe, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.
What are you working on now?
Polishing up three complete new works: The Vengeful Dead, The Hand of Hubal, and Rise of The Golgoths.
Where can readers find your work? (URL #1 place for them to go.)
Bookstores took a major hit in the pandemic and desperately need some love. I would buy or order The Undertaker’s Daughter from your local bookseller. You can order it directly from the publisher, Hellbender Books. Then of course the usual online sellers. The number one URL to get inside my haunted head or to communicate with me is my aggregated links site: https://linktr.ee/johnjamesminster
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