I write because I have to.
What's
one piece of advice I want to give to writers just starting out?
I have a million bits of advice to give new writers, but it all
boils down to a few important things: Be true to yourself in your writing.
Never write for others—write for yourself.
Never compromise what you think is a good piece of work because
others say it’s not saleable.
Never, ever, ever give up. Rome wasn’t built in a day and
neither is a portfolio of writing. Be in it for the long haul even if, at the
end of the day, your mother is the only person who ever reads your stuff.
When you are old and gray, you want a shelf in your house filled
with your writing so you can say, “I did that. I was here and I created all of
that.”
You won’t have that if you quit.
Never quit.
Why do I write
exclusively about New England?
I
like writing about this part of the world. There are so many interesting and
mysterious things that go on here that it’s a goldmine of opportunity for
someone who writes in my genre. Of course, I change the names of people and
places to protect the innocent.
Mostly.
What are my characters generally like?
When I write I am very
inclusive. I use straight characters, LBGTQ characters, and those of all races and
ethnicities. Our world is very diverse. I feel the people who populate my
fiction should be, too. I also mostly use kids and teens as protagonists. They
tend to handle horror in interesting and unique ways, whereas adult characters
are often more rigid.
Why horror?
I blame my mother. When
I was in grade school, she would bring home Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter
Straub and more from the library. While my friends were reading Dick and Jane,
I was reading about Danny Torrance from THE SHINING with his creepy finger,
Tony.
What horror stories
scare me the most?
I think LORD OF THE
FLIES is the freakiest thing I've ever read. It scared me as a child and it
still scares me, especially because of what happened to Piggy. Of course, JAWS
scarred me for life so I can never put my big toe in the ocean again. Also, I
grew up during the time when the real Amityville Horror took place, so when the
book and the movie came out they just plain freaked me out. There is something
about a little girl who talks to an invisible, demonic pig that gives me the
chills.
What about movies?
The original ALIEN with
Sigourney Weaver gave me nightmares for weeks, mostly because watching it back
when I was a kid was like being on a rollercoaster that wouldn’t stop. The
adrenaline in that movie is crazy.
These days, I’ve watched
enough horror that I can almost tell what’s going to happen next by the camera
angles. Still, I’m an avid WALKING DEAD fan, as well as AMERICAN HORROR STORY.
Of course, I love BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, too. I still like giggles with my
scares
When I write do I ever
scare myself?
Absolutely! I only write
during the day, and I can’t write in my basement or with my back to a door. You
never know what’s going to sneak up behind you.
What is the one thing you wish everyone knew
about you?
This
question made me laugh. I know I’m considered a horror author, but that’s only
my daytime persona. I don’t live in a scary mansion or own a black cat. I don’t
pray to the horned-footed god or lick toads when no one is looking.
Sure,
I wear black a lot, but that’s only because black is slimming and trendy and I
can use all the help I can get.
In
short, I’m not creepy.
I’m
not creepy.
I’m
not.
Okay,
my writing fingers are creepy. That’s all.
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Publication Date: October 29, 2019
A beer bottle thrown carelessly at the windshield of a passing car sends the vehicle careening off the road, and the lives of high school seniors Denny Ford, his foster sister Jen McKnatt, and her sometimes boyfriend Brody Erwin, spinning out of control.
Over the next several days as the three experience increasingly bizarre, frightening, and seemingly unrelated events, they are forced to examine the ramifications of their actions and how their lives have been irrevocably altered.
What they've done can never be undone.
After all, it only takes one bottle toss to turn their world cockeyed forever.
Praise for Howard Odentz
“A simmering psychological thriller bolstered by a dynamic narrative voice and a few unexpected twists.” —Kirkus Reviews on What We Kill
“This author has a real knack for the weird and the wonderful.” —TheMostSublime.com
Author and playwright Howard Odentz is a lifelong resident of the gray area between Western Massachusetts and North Central Connecticut. His love of the region is evident in his writing as he often incorporates the foothills of the Berkshires and the small towns of the Bay and Nutmeg states into his work.
In addition to The Dead (A Lot) Series, he has written the horror novel Bloody Bloody Apple, the short story collection Little Killers A to Z, and a couple of horror-themed, musical comedies produced for the stage.
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