INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD RAVEN - I feel their pain and joy, their sorrow and rage.

Today we’re so lucky to have with us RICHARD RAVEN, author of several short stories and titles, currently also working with Death’s Head Press

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Which one was the first piece you wrote?

My first horror story was THE LAST RIDE, a short story I wrote many years ago. It has gone through several rewrites and updates but remains one of my personal favorites.

Can you describe THE EVIL RETURNED in a couple of lines?

A tale of the supernatural at its core, combined with the added element of a vicious human monster driven by instincts and compulsions honed since childhood. It is a dark, emotional, hard-edged, and unpredictable story.

Check it out here>>

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What is the book you always keep close?

IT by Stephen King and Swan Song by Robert McCammon. These are the books that compelled me to write horror fiction.

It: Film tie-in edition of Stephen King’s IT by [King, Stephen]

What’s your inspiration?

Inspiration is where you find it and, sometimes, it finds you and when you least expect it. My stories have been inspired by photographs, songs, conversations I’ve had, stray thoughts that occur to me out of the blue; things I’ve seen on TV.

Inspiration can come from anything and from anywhere.

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What are your current projects?

Right now, I’m enjoying a bit of a hiatus during the holidays. The ideas never stop coming, however, and I will soon be working again.

There is a new novel taking shape in my mind, and I hope to put together a new collection of my recently published short stories.

Incidentally, I’ve contacted Gregg Zimmerman about writing a forward for the collection and he has graciously agreed to do it.

There will also be new stories written with my friend and collaborator Richard Long from the UK, perhaps even a book of these stories.

Which kind of music do you listen to?

Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. I’ve always loved bands like Iron Maiden, Jorn, HammerFall, Judas Priest, and Metallica to name only a few.

Coffee or wine?

Neither, believe it or not. My drink of choice has always been Tea—preferably Iced and very sweet.

What kind of horror reader is your book for?

The Evil Returned isn’t an overly long book, so I would think anyone looking for a reasonably quick, yet intense read would find it worthwhile. One fellow writer once told me that he read the book in one-sitting and felt like he had been kicked in the stomach by the time he finished it.

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How would you describe your style?

Simple and no frills, just the story told in a straightforward manner. I think of my style or “Voice” as someone telling a story to a group gathered around a campfire. I realized long ago that this was the best way for me to write (tell) a story, and I’ve spent a long time developing this style so that I would have my own unique voice.

What’s the most difficult part of your writing process?

There are two areas. The first is deciding when a story is ready for me to write it. An idea can bounce around in my head for weeks, sometimes months before I sense it’s ready for me to start writing the story.

Sometimes, however, I get a little anxious and start writing before the idea is ready, in which case I must stop and think about it some more.

You simply can’t rush an idea; a story will come only when it’s ready.

The other difficult part for me is letting go once I’ve finished a story, especially a novel. I immerse myself in what I write, become close with the characters I create; I feel their pain and joy, their sorrow and rage.

It’s often hard to put them to rest, even the evil ones, once a story is finished.

How would you define your evolution as a writer?

Gradually over a period of years. When I began writing, it was solely for the love it. That is still very much true today, but now there is the added pressure of always being expected to write at the top of my craft.

Readers will accept no less than your best effort; as a writer, if you give them anything but your best, you feel as though you have cheated them.

What would be your advice to new authors?

First, keep your expectations and goals within reason; this saves a lot of frustration and self-doubt. Second, and more importantly, don’t get in a hurry. This is just as important if you intend to self-publish as it is if you go with a publisher.

Just write the best stories you can, know what or who you’re dealing with, and everything else will come in its own time.

Which one is the mistake you would avoid now, looking back in time?

Simply put, I got in a hurry. I had been writing for so long and when the opportunity came along to get published, I grabbed it and ran with it. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about publishing or the publisher I first signed a contract with. It turned out that this publisher wasn’t the one for my kind of work, and it took over a year for me to see this and correct it.

The Evil Returned was one of the books first released by this publisher, but now the story is in good hands at Death’s Head Press and where it belongs. The point is that I lost a lot of time trying to fix a problem in the beginning, instead of devoting that time to writing.

What’s your favourite quote?

There are many, but there is one from the comedian George Carlin that always rises above the others: “Sometimes the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.”

Favourite artist?

Hieronymus Bosch.

Where can your readers find you?

https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Raven/e/B0759WXYHV

https://facebook.com/richard.raven.5648

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What is the best time of the day for you to write?

I do most of my writing—the actual creating part of writing—at night. Between the hours of 9 PM and 3 AM is the best time for me. There are no distractions or interruptions, just me and the laptop and the characters and their worlds I create.