When I first read through “Whisper Woods,” the short story by Eddie Generous played out like an old school horror movie–the new kid who just moved to town, the weird antique, the strange woods, the stories everyone whispers, the people who just… disappear…
Q (Crone Girls Press): What do you write? How long have you been writing? What are your preferred genres and why?
A (Eddie Generous): I write suspenseful stories, mostly horror. I’ve been writing since 2013 (I think?). Horror and Crime, I don’t know why, because I like them.
Q: What inspired your story in this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A: I don’t remember, but I was watching the Creepshow TV show around that time, so probably something there.
Q: Why horror? Why do you write it? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: I don’t have that much choice. I just sit there and my fingers get busy on the keyboard.
Q: There are a number of subgenres/tropes/flavors of horror. Where does your story fit? What drew you to this particular category?
A: Whisper Woods is a suspense monster story. Suspense is my jammy jam and monsters are good vehicles to carry some impending doom.
Q: Of the characters you’ve created, who is your favorite, and why?
A: I don’t remember hardly any characters I’ve written. I know I’m in just about every story I write, but I doubt I’m my favorite.
Q: What do you find the most challenging about the writing process, and how do you meet that challenge?
A: I find writing itself to come naturally and smoothly whenever an idea comes up. That said, I hate the process of shopping and selling stories, though I like when they sell. Like it enough to keep doing the bits I don’t like.
Q: What was the worst writing advice you ever received? The best writing advice? Why, and how did it affect your writing?
A: I’ve kind of been writing in a vacuum, so I’ve avoid most advice, but one time a professor said to take things one step further, one step scarier once at the end to have more impact. That’s been a good nugget of wisdom and I now do it without really thinking about.
Q: If someone asked you to recommend books/stories similar to what you write, who/what titles would you be giving them? And, why?
A: Stephen King, Richard Matheson, Donald Westlake. Those are some of my favorites and they mostly stick/stuck to simple average joe language and all employ a good deal of suspense. A bit of nasty humor, too. I like the work of many authors, but they aren’t always speaking the same kind of language I am.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: I have a novella coming out sometime in 2021 titled THE WALKING SON, from Seventh Terrace, but I don’t have a date.
Eddie Generous
Eddie Generous has fallen off three different roofs and been lit on fire on multiple occasions. He grew up on a farm and later slept with his shoes under his pillows in homeless shelters. He dropped out of high school to afford rent on a room at a crummy boarding house, but eventually graduated from a mediocre college. He is the author of several small press books, has 2.8 rescue cats (one needed a leg amputation), is a podcast host, and lives on the Pacific Coast of Canada.
Find out more about Eddie at www.jiffypopandhorror.com, and check out Unnerving Magazine. You can tune into his podcast, Books North, follow him on Twitter, and sign up to get all the latest updates.
To read “Whisper Woods” by Eddie Generous, pick up a copy of Stories We Tell After Midnight 2. And, once you are finished, please think about leaving us a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Reviews make our cold, dark little heart so happy…
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