The acclaimed author Thomas Emson has been generous enough to take some time out from his busy schedule to answer a few questions. For horror lovers, or anyone who enjoys a good story, his books are a real treat, as is exploring his attitude to the craft. And for any author, whatever your level, I cannot recommend highly enough his How To Write A Novel in Six Months.

​

I would like to learn about your writing process. What is it that inspires you to start a work, and how long does it take you?

​

I treat writing as a job, so I don’t really wait for inspiration: I get to my desk and get on with it. I have lot of ideas, but of course, the task is to develop them into a narrative. The actual job of writing a novel has been prepared for by a lot of thinking, some scribbling on bits of paper, more thinking — creative procrastination, if you like. But Day 1 usually involves an outline, and that can take up to two weeks. Then, when I have that route to “The End”, I hurtle through the first draft… and so begins the process of turning a terrible, messy catastrophe of words and ideas into something that someone might, six months down the line, want to read.

​

Do you have a favourite length to work in e.g. short story, novella, novel?​

​

I prefer novellas or novels. They give me more wiggle room. I know some people start with short stories, but I dived in at the deep end and started with novels.

​

Do you use pen and paper, computer, laptop, typewriter?​

​

I will scribble ideas on bits of paper, in my notebook, but when the writing starts, it’s computer.​

​

Do you keep a pad on your bedside stand, or rely on memory? Or perhaps use voice recordings to email to yourself?

​

I do have a notebook, but I don’t keep it by my bedside. I should. Dreams are often a great source of ideas. And when I’ve woken up, they can easily flit away.​

​

Do you work alone or in coffee shops?

​

I work in an office in our garden I share with my wife, who is a ghostwriting coach, mentor, and editor.​

 

Do you work in silence or to music?

​

As a former journalist, I’m used to noise — hectic offices, lots of talking and shouting — so I don’t mind sound when I work. In fact, I prefer it. I don’t listen to music, though.​

​

What do you think of AI used for writing (or anything else)? (Like me you're probably of an age where you remember people getting in a tizzy over TEOTWAWKI.)

​

I think AI can be a very useful tool. We’ve gone through periods like this before, as you say. At the end of the day, I don’t think it will replace writers — or any artist. It will help, I’m sure. I know some people who fear it, but it’s pointless: it’s here, and it’s not going away.

​

What are your favourite movies/documentaries/inspirations?​

​

I’m not a massive horror connoisseur, surprisingly, although it was definitely reading Stephen King — particularly Salem’s Lot — Clive Barker, and James Herbert, made me want to be a horror writer. Early King especially had a monumental effect on me, and Barker’s Books Of Blood showed that there was no limit to the imagination. Hard-nosed, brutal novels such as Herbert’s The Rats and the works of Shaun Hutson. Film has been influential, for sure, and I like to think of myself as a visual writer. Seeing Jaws for the first time blew my mind. I think Japanese horror over the past few decades has been incredible, and Audition still sends chills down my spine. There was a British horror anthology television series called Hammer House Of Horrors produced in the early 1980s that also made me excited at he prospect of telling scary stories. Horror fans should catch that if they can.

​

They can in the UK: Hammer House Of Horrors is currently showing Friday nights at 9pm on Talking Pictures TV, Channel 82, which also has its own Friday night "fright night" of schlock hosted by Caroline Munro of Dr Phibes fame.

Also your tastes are not surprising; I've always felt that the best horror writers aren't exclusively horror readers.

 

Best moments as a writer? Worst?

​

Getting published for the first time felt great. I could say that getting newer work constantly rejected might be “worst”, but I won’t. Although the publishing industry has changed a lot, and it’s harder to get your work accepted these days, there are other avenues, and I have ventured into self-publishing, which I enjoy. I’m stoic about it, and you’ve got to “use the difficulty,” as the actor Sir Michael Caine once said. “Worst” would probably being told I wasn’t allowed to write, so hopefully that won’t happen.

​

If it does you'll have to create your own Ironbones.

 

What do you think is the continuing appeal of horror in fiction and other media?

​

We all like to be scared, and we like to feel uncomfortable: it makes us feel alive.

​

Without giving away your secrets, how do you manage to make your fiction so scary?

​

What I try to do is write about my own fears, so I think, then, the terror feels authentically scary to the reader. Stephen King wrote an article decades ago called "The Horror Market and the Ten Bears", which outlines how he wrote short stories using his ten biggest fears. I do that too. You have to dig into yourself to make something authentic. And if it’s scary to you, it’s going to be scary when you convey it to the reader.

​

Speaking of scary things, how do you deal with bad (or no) reviews?

​​

I don't really worry about bad reviews that much. You can't make people like things. And if they have left a bad review, well, at least they most probably bought the book. I don't mind, ever, if people are constructive. Of course, sometimes they are not. But again, what can you do? Regards to no reviews; well, yes, I think I'd rather a bad one :) Reviews are very important these days, especially for self-published authors.

​

May I ask what you're working on now?

​​

I am working on a horror-western/weird west novel called On Hell's Frontier, which is just going through some revisions. Here's the pitch:

​​

"A year after the Civil War ends, another conflict erupts on the Great Plains—between the U.S. Army and the people whose lands have been stolen. But when the brutal bloodshed results in the awakening of an ancient demon hoard, sworn enemies must put politics and power aside, and become allies—or every human tribe in America will be wiped out."

​

And I've also got a crime-horror novel called Torment on the go, and that goes something like this:

​

"When a baby is publicly slaughtered by the priest baptizing him, soon-to-be father and pensioner, Detective Superintendent Roy Banner, must navigate the hell that is other people and the hell that is eternal damnation to solve the mystery—and save his new-born daughter from being sacrificed to Satan."

​

Hopefully both novels will be available in the next few months.

​​

We'll look forward to both - I especially like and I think readers must appreciate the variety of fiction and non-fiction you create.

 

Is there anything you think it's important for someone wishing to become a writer to know?

​

Read a lot, write a lot, and stick to two rules: finish your manuscript and don’t bore the reader.

​

Thomas, thank you very much for your time and a fascinating look into your creative world. I wish you all success in your endeavours.