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Featured Author P.S. Gifford

P.S. Gifford was born on April 28th 1965 in Birmingham, England. He discovered at a remarkably early age that he was completely fascinated with the written word. By the age of nine he was already a voracious reader and had begun to write.

Paul is the author of 3 excellent collections of short stories. Your dark fiction bookshelf is not complete without: The Curious Accounts of the Imaginary friend, The Further Accounts of the Imaginary Friend and for younger readers, Dr Offig's Lessons from the Dark Side. Author Kimberly Raiser states "Brilliant, witty, spooky & spilling over with Gifford-s best work yet.This is a collection that will keep you coming back for more!"

By P.S. Gifford
Horror Bound Magazine
Featured Author Profile
October 2009

On Horror Fiction

Horror fiction fades in and out of popularity amongst the masses. And whereas there is a solid fan base (thank goodness) for them, the genre is rarely found on the top of the best sellers list. (With a handful of highly notable exceptions of course). And those who do succeed have to spin their work as dark fiction/fantasy/suspense, for it seems the very tag itself has become commercial poison.

I put this down to the average reader’s perception of what horror is, shifting dramatically over the last fifty years. To my way of thinking, the classic Weird Tales is where modern horror began. (And indeed fantasy and science fiction.) I could imagine being a teenager on the 1920’s waiting for the latest edition to reach my local general store and racing home with it to eagerly devour every word. Being an avid fan of the publication, the stories managed to stretch the imagination and self-imposed boundaries on reality and often terrify without having to rely on lowest denominator shock values and gimmicks.

Perhaps horror gained this low-brow reputation because the general masses began to consider it purely in terms of blood, guts, gratuitous sex and gore – no doubt as a result of slasher/exploitation movies becoming so prevalent. But horror, as you know, isn’t necessarily about that. Rather, it's about unnerving the reader and maintaining them in that unsettling place as they quickly turn page after page. Imagine you are cuddled up in a bed, all alone, on a clichéd stormy night…You are finding sleep illusive. All of a sudden you hear what sounds like footsteps creaking up the staircase. Your thoughts would, no doubt, work overtime. Without seeing or knowing the reality of the situation fear would embrace you. By subtly directing the reader in the direction I want them to go with their own vivid imaginations which will most likely conceive a creature/scenario far more unsettling (and personalized) than I could ever devise. For me that is the essence of true horror.

On a final note it seems to me that the horror market has been dominated by the younger/teenaged demographic and intelligence has been left to flounder by the wayside. I suspect over the next few years horror fiction that once again challenges the reader (imagine that!) will make a welcome return to the mainstream. There are dozens of brilliant authors bubbling away just below mass-market acceptance. I have nothing against the serial killer in the woods chasing scantily clad college co-eds style of fiction/movies- and, I confess, have been entertained by many; I just long for the day when the suits in charge aim their product at the more mature fan.

The Creative Process

For me this has to be a highly structured process. The biggest question, of course, is where are ideas born? Well, for me, they percolate typically from snippets and observations of real life. Once I was be in a grocery store readying to purchase my beef jerky and Guinness and overheard a couple of old ladies chatting in front of me. I heard one say they she had to race home to feed Mr. Carrington. I began to imagine all sorts of scenarios as to who (or what) Mr. Carrington might be. Conceivably her husband sick in bed, maybe a loyal black Labrador, or perhaps, just perhaps I say, some demonic, bloodthirsty creature she keeps in her cellar. Guess which scenario I went with?

Ideas also come to me as I walk my dogs, soak in the bath tub, or as I lie awake in the middle of the night.

I always carry pen and paper with me for I never know when inspiration is going to strike. These ideas are then jotted down on sticky notes and I plaster then on my prized Alfred Hitchcock poster that hangs in my office. When I need a short story concept I scan the board and two or three of them will invariably jump out at me. As the germ of the plot begins to sprout in my imagination I sketch out an outline of a yellow legal pad, and then I type.

I write Monday to Friday for six to eight hours a day. Weekends are strictly family time. Most mornings I work on a short story before grappling onward with my current novel in the early afternoon. I regard the short stories as training/warm up exercises to get my mind fully into gear; although writing these shorts is what I enjoy the most creatively. A day where I haven’t knocked out 2-3,000 words is considered an unproductive day in my book- and I have been known to knock out several times that in one session.

Advice to New Authors

So you want to be a writer do you?

The best advice I can offer is twofold. The first is read, read and then read some more. And please do not stick to horror. Read a variety of work. Read the classics. Anyone who isn’t intimately familiar with Dickens, Twain or Doyle is going to have a major disadvantage. Then write often. Be prepared to accept that your first attempts probably will not be as brilliant as you intended them to be. Sure your spouse/ parents/ friendly Avon representative might tell you through broad smiles that you are brilliant and that Mr. King had better ready himself to share that throne. Then you submit it and you get one of those form rejection responses.

Reality check. Don’t get disheartened if you are on the right track you will no doubt receive a pile of rejection slips before you are done. Keep persisting. Use those rejection slips as fodder to keep that fire in your belly alive. If you keep on trying, keep on reading, and keep on honing your craft, you will eventually find yourself published. It might be just a small on-line magazine or even a mass market novel…But it will feel wonderful, trust me.

Please remember nothing worthwhile in life comes easy, it takes a whole lot of work and dedication. And if by chance you do become the next international best seller and film makers are queuing up to purchase the rights- can I ask a favor? Remember me.

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