P. J. Mayhair lives with his wife, son, and two dogs in Southern Maryland. He enjoys writing novels, short stories, and scripts. When he’s not writing he’s having bonfires, playing dinosaurs with his son, creating terrible drawings, and trying to find a way to create jellybean whiskey.
- What themes in horror do you see trending in the near future?
Honestly, I don’t know and I really don’t care to know. Isn’t there a saying that by the time you see the trend you have already missed it? I just try to write the best story that comes to mind and if it fits what’s in trend, that’s great. If not, I’m still going to write it, because it’s inside me and needs to come out.
- Why horror?
Horror is everything. The dark shadows give depth to the otherwise bright happiness. I believe horror accentuates the good in life. If I can show you a story of the worst things possible, the most terrible situations imaginable, you will appreciate the good that you do have in your life.
- Do all your ideas start as horror or do you work horror into them?
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any story idea I’ve had that wasn’t horror-related at least a little. Some things scare me. I take them, make them worse, then write about them. It’s almost therapeutic.
- Do you ever scare yourself with your own ideas?
No, I’m already scared, that’s where I get the ideas!
- Are you inspired by real-life events? Either in the news or things that happened in your life?
Purposefully, no. I like my books to be an escape from the real life. Come to my books when real life is too much. But, I can’t imagine that any art an artist creates isn’t somehow influenced, even if subconsciously, by what is going on around them.
- Who are the authors that you enjoy?
That’s a terrible question! How can I narrow them down? A quick list includes Edgar Allen Poe, Dean Koontz, Mary Shelley, R. L. Stine, Orson Scott Card, Stephen King, and Brian Jacques.
- Who’s your favorite horror writer?
That’s even harder than the last one. It’s a toss-up between Edgar Allen Poe and R. L. Stine. Poe mastered creepy mixed with elegant prose. Stine could make anything scary without resorting to shock tactics due to his audience.
- What’s your favorite horror book and why?
Is there a book with the greatest hits from all the authors I mentioned before? A master horror anthology with exactly 666 stories? If so, that one. If not, someone get on it!
- What do you think is the most important thing when crafting a horror story?
Fear. I know that sounds simple, but it really isn’t. Fear comes to basic instincts and the monsters or whatever the baddie in the story is, has to tap into one of those basic fears. A large alien from outer space isn’t all that scary. They could be new, exciting, loving, anything really. But if they are different, violent, hard to understand, now you are tapping into real fears. The alien is just a conduit.
- What horror writers influenced you the most?
I try to read widely in the genre, I don’t focus on one writer over others. I couldn’t say for certain which influences me. (That’s not to say someone more objective couldn’t answer this question better.)
- Is there any subject/theme you are too frightened to write about?
Not frightened but sometimes I come to a subject that I am unsure of how to deal with in the most appropriate way. When those come up, I don’t shy away, I just research. I talk to people with more knowledge and experience. I believe any subject can be written about as long as the author does their due diligence in knowing the most that they can about the subject before they write about it.
- How do your horror stories represent you?
I don’t know. I don’t think about it. I hope that they are well crafted and enjoyable. And if they are, I hope the reader sees me as a competent entertainer and will continue to enjoy my work. Anything deeper than that is up to the reader and beyond my control.
- When you write does it affect your mood? Do you ever get into character to help you feel what they may feel?
It tends to make me feel the opposite of that mood the scene is in. Generally, troublesome or sad scenes help me feel better because I tap into some deeper sadness that I can work through in the scene. When I am writing a loving or happy scene, I tend to be brooding. It takes all my good feelings to make them come to life on the page and leaves me drained.
- Do you have a family and if so do you lock yourself away from them when writing?
I do, I am married with a son and two dogs. It’s rare that I need to be alone to write. I do good shutting out distractions and input from the world around me. Just ask my wife how well I do it when she’s trying to ask me to do something!