M.N. Hanson’s short story “Slender Man” will appear in the Gothic Blue Book: The Revenge Edition this month.
1. Vampires or Zombies? Which do you prefer in fiction?
Zombies. While Vampires are sexier, they’re so played out. Zombies are way more fun.
2. Haunted House or Haunted Mental Asylum? If you had to spend the night in one to write about your experience which would you chose, and why?
Depends on how old each one is. I like a little history with my frights. But if they’re from the same era, I’d go with mental asylum. The size and lack of familiarity makes it way more exciting.
3. Have you ever read a book or a fictional story that frightened you so much you had to put it down at least once while you were reading? If so, what was it? What frightened you?
H.P. Lovecraft has written many stories that made me dig out my old teddy bear before bed time. “The Rats in the Walls” still makes my skin crawl.
4. Why do you enjoy writing Gothic/Literary horror/horror/paranormal fiction? Or just, why do you enjoy writing in general?
I enjoy writing in general, but I started out writing horror/gothic/paranormal when I was a kid. For me, it’s enjoying an old past time, like playing Pac-Man or building with Legos.
5. What other projects do you have in the works?
I’m currently working on a series of short stories, which is nearly complete, called “Going Down.” They are generally set in Chicago, and most of them are centered around young female characters with feminist themes. I have a novella in the works, which looks like it might turn into a novel, about a girl growing up on an island that doesn’t exist in an alternate reality in which magic is practical and war is a business (that latter part should be one of the most familiar things about the story). Finally, a handful of sci-fi and horror stories that have been sitting in my laptop for a couple of years have inspired me to put together a collection of stories based on the fantastic. So far, it’s just called “Very Strange Things,” but I gave it that title purely to amuse myself.
M. N. HANSON is a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s master program in writing. Previously published in Burningword, The Reading, and Gothic Blue Book I, our author is also a filmmaker, sound wizard, and painter of things that cannot be. Please visit http://mnhanson.com/ to complain.
