A good horror flash fiction is short and not so sweet, leading the reader down the long slope to madness faster than a child down a playground slide, and Joseph Rubas delivers in “False Confession.” Any more detail would be a little spoiler-y, so read on to learn more…
Q (Crone Girls Press): What do you write? How long have you been writing? What are your preferred genres and why?
A (Joseph Rubas): I’ve been writing horror since 2003 and my first stories were published in 2010. The dark and mysterious side of life and human nature have always appealed to me.
Q: What inspired your story in this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A: The case of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas. In 1983, he was arrested for two murders but confessed to hundreds more for attention and preferential treatment. He eventually recanted after claiming a “ball of light” came into his cell and told him to come clean.
Q: What draws you to the genre of horror/dark fiction? What do you find there that you don’t find anywhere else?
A: I find the supernatural intensely fascinating, and even if something doesn’t scare me or creep me out, it makes me think.
Q: There are a number of subgenres/tropes/flavors of horror. Where does your story fit? What drew you to this particular category?
A: Ghost, I guess. I’m not the biggest fan of ghost stories but I like to write one every now and then, and have a lot of fun doing so.
Q: Why horror? Why do you write it? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: Explaining my love for the genre is hard, ironically. It just makes me alllll warm and fuzzy inside.
Q: Of the characters you’ve created, who is your favorite, and why?
A: Alex Warner from my soon-to-be published horror/comedy novella Whoops, I Woke the Dead. She’s fun and carefree and a joy to write.
Q: What do you find the most challenging about the writing process, and how do you meet that challenge?
A: Sometimes, getting started is the hardest part…other times it’s coming up with a title.
Q: What was the worst writing advice you ever received? The best writing advice? Why, and how did it affect your writing?
A: I tune out most advice because 99 percent of it is complete crap. The best advice I’ve ever gotten comes from Stephen King. Read a lot and write a lot.
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: I’d just blanket recommend Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Bloch, and Richard Matheson. Those are my biggest influences.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: Trying to publish a novel.
Q: Anything to add?
A: Spay and neuter your pets.
Joseph Rubas
Joseph Rubas is the author of over 300 short stories and several novels. His work has been collected in Pocketful of Fear (2012), After Midnight (2014), and Shades (2017). He is also the editor of the 3rd Spectral Book of Horror Stories. He currently resides in Albany, New York.
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To read “False Confession” by Joseph Rubas, 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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