Interview with horror writer, Bryan Alaspa

Every anthology begins with the voices that bring it to life. As I launch this new series of interviews with the authors featured in Bad Moon on the Rise: An Anthology of the Unsettling, I’m excited to start with Bryan Alaspa—a writer whose love of horror runs deep and whose storytelling continues to unsettle, inspire, and keep readers turning pages late into the night.

Bryan has been writing since his early fascination with sharks led him to discover Jaws and the idea that authors could create entire worlds from imagination. From there, he dove into horror with Stephen King’s Cujo, the gothic tension of Shirley Jackson, and the psychological unease of Poe. Those influences have shaped his own ability to build characters readers care about—and then, as he says, “do dastardly things to them.”

Q: What/who were your early literary influences, and how do you think their writing has shaped you as a storyteller today?

A: Well, I first came to realize who authors were in the 70s and Peter Benchley was everywhere with Jaws. However, the first horror novel I read was Cujo by Stephen King and I have been a huge fan every since. Madeleine L’Engle was an influence when I was a kid. It’s funny to think that I read lots of Poe and Shirley Jackson in school when I was still pretty young, too. I read a lot of horror when I was younger, and all of it influenced me to one degree or another. They taught me how to craft a scene, develop characters people care about, and then do dastardly things to them within my stories.

Q: What’s a memory of a story or book that made you realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: Jaws, for sure. I was obsessed with sharks when I was a kid, and Jaws was EVERYWHERE. I would stare at the infamous cover and I remember asking my mom about it and her explaining what an author was. And I thought – wow, if I could get paid to write about sharks, that would be so cool! I probably read that one way too young. I read Cujo in maybe 4th or 5th grade. My reading was always advanced, so I read these things way too young.

Q: What’s been the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned about yourself through writing?

A: That I am the worst judge of my own work. I mean that, really. It is especially true of my short stories. I explore even darker themes there and sometimes even get experimental. There have been times I finish a short story and think – not sure about that one, it’s too weird. Inevitably when they get published in one form or another, I get notes and letters from people telling me the weird one I wasn’t sure about is their favorite.

Q: What’s one writing habit you can’t live without and one you wish you could break?

A: I write every morning before I start working on the day job stuff. I have to do that to prime the mental pump before working on the stuff I have to write for work.  When I write, I wish I could stop using the word “that” so much and I sometimes forget characters names and will change their names mid-story. Thank God for editors.

Q: When do you feel most “in the zone” with your writing—early mornings, late nights, or somewhere in between? 

A: Definitely in the mornings. I try to write every morning before I start working on the day job stuff. By night time, my brain is spent and it’s hard to write, then hard to shut it off so I can sleep.

Q: What’s a book that changed how you think about writing or storytelling?

A: I am pretty sure King’s early work changed my thoughts about writing and storytelling. In more recent times, Paul Tremblay’s work has done that for me – a LOT. I also find myself wishing I could write like Josh Malerman. I think as I have continued to write, and expanded into things like detective stories (where I got to take a mental vacation from horror), the works of Dashiell Hammett really helped change how I think about writing. My wife got me a collection of his work and I devoured all of it and it helped influence my Deklan Falls series of detective novels. I was also a big comic book collector at one point and writers such as Frank Miller and Alan Moore rocked my world.

Q: Do you find inspiration in other art forms (music, film, visual art)? If so, how does it shape your work?

A: Music is huge from me. There have been a few pieces I have worked on where one particular song is the thing I have to listen to before or during my writing. I find music very inspirational. I am also a big movie fan, so sometimes movies and TV influence me or get me thinking in a certain direction or about themes I haven’t explored before.

Q: If you could collaborate with any writer, past or present, who would it be, and what would you create together?

A: MJ Mars, Andrew Najberg, Josh Malerman, Paul Tremblay, John Langan, Stephen King (of course), Joe Hill. I’d collaborate with any of them to create something truly terrifying that people would remember for the rest of their lives and that would haunt their dreams.

Q: What themes do you find yourself returning to again and again in your work?

A: For some reason the theme of child killers has popped up quite a bit again and again. I think taking the life of a child is just so horrifying and the lowest of the low, so if I really want to convey the evilness of someone, that’s where I go. I also seem to have an obsession with alternate realities and dimensions. I just find the idea of a real life multi-verse fascinating, but also potentially dangerous.

Q: How do you approach writing characters with experiences different from your own?

A: I always do basic research, but I also just let the story flow. I usually feel like these characters come to me and tell me their stories. So, when I wrote my first Deklan Falls story I dealt with his alcoholism thanks to stories from friends, family, and some research, but also just vibed with the character.

Q: What’s your go-to snack or drink while writing?

A: Since I write in the morning – Dunkin Donuts coffee. Iced coffee, hot coffee, cold brews, I love it all and need that caffeine boost.

Q: What’s a quirky or unexpected detail about your writing space?

A: I write at a surprisingly tiny desk, actually.

Q: What’s the most rewarding feedback you’ve ever received from a reader?

A: My greatest feedback came in college when someone told me my work gave them nightmares. I know, it’s a bit sick, but that is a triumph for a horror writer. I have also created characters only to kill them off and to have a reader get mad at me for that also makes me cheer inside. I created a fictional character that became so real to them they had a visceral reaction when something bad happened. That is a victory.

Q: In your experience, what has been the best way to market your books? Where have you found the greatest return on your investment (whether it be time or money invested?)

A: Since I do not have an agent or manager, I have to do the marketing all on my own. It means I have to be on social media even when I wish I could step away for a while. Using ads on Facebook and Instagram have given me the biggest bang for my buck.

Q: How do you define success as an author? Has that definition evolved over time?

A: My idea of success has changed a lot. I am under no delusion I am a well known entity in the world of books. I know I am at the bottom rung of the horror writing ladder. So, when I get feedback, or people tell me they love my work – that is success. I long ago gave up the idea of being an author full time. I just don’t get my books turned into movies or get huge book deals. So, I had to change my idea of success long ago.

Q: What’s one question readers ask you the most about your books, and what’s your answer?

A: Where do you get your ideas? is the biggest and I tell them they just come to me. I was once asked, why do you write about such dark stuff? Why can’t you write about puppies, bunnies, and flowers? I had to say, I must write about things that interest me so unless the puppies and bunnies are rabid and the flowers poisonous, they just don’t interest me.

Q: What do you wish readers understood better about the writing or publishing process?

A: I wish they knew how mentally taxing it can be. People seem to think it’s so easy, but at the same time so many say, “Well, I could never write a novel.” I wish they understood, as well, that they probably could if they sat down and just let the words flow. Too many authors get stuck right at the start, or they go back and worry about what they just wrote. I am a big believer in the “brain dump.” Write the first draft and don’t look back until you finish. THEN you can fret over that one sentence.

Q: What have you written that you found to be the most fun to write?

A: I love writing horror, but my Deklan Falls detective series is something else. I visit there like I am going on vacation, and the stories just flow. The character is fully realized to me, as well as the periphery characters and the settings.

Q: What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

A: Of mine? I wrote a YA ghost-love story called Sapphire that I really love and wish more people had read. If I were to recommend a horror author that doesn’t get enough love, well, I have two. Thomas Tryon did Harvest Home and The Other, two of the finest horror novels and they don’t get enough love. I also love Robert R. McCammon and his novel Boy’s Life is just one of the greatest underappreciated novels of all time.

Q:  Do you have an all-time favorite writer, or does your favorite change over time? Who is your favorite writer today?

A: Stephen King. He was the first, remains the favorite. Yes, he may have run down a bit in recent years, but that happens as you approach 80. Today, I have so many favorites. Paul Tremblay, Andrew Najberg, MJ Mars, Josh Malerman. John Langan’s The Fisherman is one of the greatest horror novels of this generation. Stephen Graham Jones has this unique perspective on horror and I love his work, too.

Q:  What is your favorite genre to read? Do you write in that genre? Has that always been your favorite genre, or has your taste evolved as you have grown as a writer?

A: Simple: Horror, Yes, Yes. My tastes haven’t really changed much, but my appreciation of other authors has.

Q: If you could live in the world of one of your books for a day, which would it be and why?

A: I’d live in my fictional town of Knorr, PA. I’d also live in the town of my detective novels.

Q: If your life were a novel, what would the title be?

A: The Low Rung on the Ladder: My Life and Times as an Unknown Horror Author

Q: What’s one thing you hope readers take away from your latest book?

A: For all of my books, I want them to be amazed and entertained. I’d like them to have a fright or two, as well. My upcoming novel The Witch of November is a sequel to my award-winning novel Devoured, so I hope people like visiting those characters again.

Q: What projects are you working on at the present?

A: Currently writing my fifth Deklan Falls detective novel. It is called Echo Protocol and I am having a blast. I have a bunch of novels in the pipeline currently with editors, too. One called The Culling and another called Reunion, and both of those are horror.

Bryan Alaspa, in recent years, has won several literary awards for his work. He has won two BookFest Awards and two International Impact Book Awards and was recently a William Shakespeare Award finalist. He is also the writer and one of the producers of the horror fiction podcast When the Night Comes Out.

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