Interview with Splatterpunk Award winner Christine Morgan

Cemetery Things

Here is the interview with Splatterpunk award winner Christine Morgan

1) What first drew you to horror and when what made you realize that splatterpunk was where your voice belonged?

CM -- I’ve been a horror fan since early childhood, thanks to monster movies, a dad who loved Halloween, and a grandfather who had to keep his paperbacks in the garage because Grandma wouldn’t have them in the house so I spent a lot of time out there reading. Found my first Stephen King on that shelf when I was 10, It was always my preferred reading genre, though it took me a while to gain the confidence to actually try writing it. Then, chance encounters with “One Rainy Night by Richard Laymon gave me a life changing “wait, we can DO that???” moment, and I’ve never looked back,

2) When you write your most graphic scenes, do you plan them out in detail or let the blood fly and did you take an anatomy class or own an anatomy book?

CM -- Definitely a pantser as far as plotting goes; I just love taking some characters and throwing them into a situation and seeing what happens from there. The results often surprise even me, and I’ll find myself sitting at the computer thinking, “well, huh, didn’t see THAT coming,” but usually it’s for the best. As for anatomy, I never studied it formally, but I’ve been through more than enough medical and health issues to have a decent idea how things work.

3) How do you balance developing complex, believable characters with the over the top violence and mayhem?

CM -- Having interesting characters is one of the most important aspects as far as I’m concerned; even the utterly insane or evil ones need to have at least some traits to make them, if not necessarily ‘believable,’ at least plausible and relatable. Dialogue, too; I always want my characters sound like the way real people talk. When it comes to the over-the-top violence and mayhem, I tend to play it more in a Sam Raimy fashion, horror-action-comedy, so outrageous it’s almost funny.

4) Have you ever written something so disturbing that you didn’t want to publish it?

CM -- Not exactly. There are things I’ve written that I dearly wish I hadn’t let see the light of day, and there have been scenes I’ve found incredibly difficult -- one in my pioneer blizzard novel “White Death,” I dreaded having to write it and kept putting it off and putting it off, and then when I finally DID write it, I couldn’t bring myself to go as graphic as I’d intended, and somehow that only made the scene all the more disturbing to me. Like many in the genre, though, I am weirdly more likely to hesitate when it involves harming an animal rather than a person.

5) What has been the most rewarding part of your career as a splatterpunk author?

CM -- Winning the Splatterpunk Award for “Lakehouse Infernal.” It was such an honor to be allowed to write it in the first place, to play in Edward Lee’s sandbox ... and I had so much fun doing it ... and then to have it be recognized was solid gold validation. I’d also been going through an extremely rough time in my life, where for a while I’d worried I might not be able to write again, but that made me believe in myself all the more.

6) What do you think about self publishing?

CM -- I’m all for it. Early in my career, when I was still writing traditional fantasy, I made the mistake of being suckered in by a vanity press, and the experience soured me so much I ended up self-pubbing the rest of the series, plus my first few horror novels. Even now, I’m quite happily self-pubbing the occasional collection or shorter project. But never without having someone who knows what they’re doing to handle stuff like cover and layout; I am not good at that end of things.

7) Where do you see splatterpunk heading in the next decade and what excites you most about its evolution?

CM -- I’m loving seeing so many newer writers and especially female writers making a splash (or splat). Before me, there was mostly just Monica J. O’Rourke, Cheri Priest, and Poppy Z. Brite, but these days the ladies are bringing it in droves. Also, the more diversity, the better; we need as many and as varied perspectives as we can.

8) Has a fan’s reaction to one of your books ever surprised you, either in a good or unsettling way?

CM -- Either I haven’t had too many unsettling reader responses, or I’m so warped I simply didn’t notice ... the time the sister of an incarcerated Ed Lee fan reached out to me, though, asking if I’d send her brother a book in prison ... that was a bit of a wow moment. I get the occasional vitriolic one-star review, but those usually strike me funny and are even a strange kind of badge of honor.

9) Can you tell your fans what you are currently working on or give a hint?

CM -- I recently finished the first draft of “Infernal Queen,” the third in the series that began with “Lakehouse.” It’ll be coming out next year and I’m hugely excited because, once again, I had just the greatest time writing it, and really hope people enjoy it. Also, it features my first-ever ‘header,’ because, c’mon, Edward Lee’s my idol and I had to get a header in there somewhere!

10) For those that are indie authors and trying to break through, what advice can you give them from your own experience?

CM -- Well, as per my answer to #6 above, don’t get scammed by those vanity presses! Also, find trustworthy beta readers who’ll give you honest feedback; hard as it is to take criticism, it’s vital, and only having people say nice things because they’re afraid of hurting your feelings will not help you or your book. A good editor, a good cover, etc., all important. And NO GODDAMN AI.

Christine Morgan, I would like to thank you for the privilege of this interview. It has been a great pleasure.

I would like to let everyone know my Splatterpunk horror novel. Sins of the Father is done. The first draft is finished now will be waiting for a bit to go through the revision process. My next project is Fallen Angel.

All Angel Morgan wanted was a relaxing evening away from the grind of her life. The new Goth club Mausoleum promised darkness, music, escape.
Then she met Nikolis Molnar.

The virus in his blood rewrote her DNA, halting her aging, sharpening her senses—and planting a hunger that gnaws at her sanity. Every heartbeat screams for more, every drop she resists threatens to tear her apart from within.

When Nikolis kills her best friend in front of her, rage shatters the fragile control she’s fought to keep. She is left broken and beaten by Nikolis to face the rising sun. Pulled back at the last moment by a stranger who teaches her to master her new strength and speed, Angel walks a razor’s edge between human and monster.

And in the darkness of what she’s become, something stirs: a child born of cursed blood, a Dhampir, a creature that may carry both salvation and doom.

I promise this one will be in a full Splatterpunk throw down.