Why Do I Write Horror?
Candace Robinson
When it comes to writing I’m a big fan of dark and quirky aspects. Growing up I watched a lot of horror movies at a super young age, and it left a good impact on me. Now, I’m mainly a fan of any horror film released prior to 2010 and that might still be too high a yearly number!
For the books I write, I generally have done some type of fantasy that contains horror elements or quirky contemporary that will still have bouts of horror sprinkled in, like maybe the lead character likes horror movies or they like to do horror drawings in their spare time.
When I wrote Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, I was thoroughly inspired by Frankenstein, Waxwork, House of Wax, etc. The older films just had such beautiful classic monsters! It really was an art form!
With the new book I have coming out, Clouded by Envy, it’s another mashup of genres. It contains two POVs and one of the main characters, Brenik, has a bit of a Dorian Gray and Dracula vibe. Those were my inspirations for his character.
If I’m not writing novels and instead working on short stories, they tend to lean toward strictly horror. But when I write novels, I like to bring in different elements since the word count is much higher. So in reality, I feel like even fantasy is horror. Look at Frankenstein or the Wolf Man, they are still fantasy and horror at the same time.
It’s weird because I’ve never been a big horror reader. Well, I take that back. When I was younger, I read all things R.L. Stine and of course all the Scary Stories books, Lois Duncan, etc. So maybe I just haven’t done the adult horror! However, horror movies are what have made a big play into why I wanted to be a writer. I’d say Carrie is a big one (I know, I know, I haven’t read the book!) because yes, she’s a villain and yes, she’s an innocent at the same time. And there’s something almost genius about having those villains that can almost be neutral. In the end, sometimes they have to die, but sometimes they don’t. I think the one film that spoke to me the most was The Bride of Frankenstein, especially in that last scene when Frankenstein’s Monster is talking about why they were meant to be dead. It’s such a beautiful scene and sometimes I like to write about why monsters don’t have to be dead. It’s as if I want to save Frankenstein’s Monster and The Bride in my own way! Forgiveness is a big factor in my writing.
When I started Clouded by Envy, I knew I wanted a villain that you could hate but could also love. Brenik is a character who I wanted the reader to really be able to get inside his head and see how envy can lead to horrific things. But, maybe it wasn’t always his fault. There are two sides to a coin, and Brenik’s other side is his sister Bray. She’s all that’s good, but maybe she’s part of Brenik’s downfall even though she never meant to be. All her choices were to save him, but sometimes those choices can still lead to darker places. Just like in real life.
I’m going to bring up Carrie one more time! So, in the movie Carrie, for example, her mom made all these choices for Carrie to be good and holy, but some of that played into what led to Carrie’s downfall. Also, I just want to point out that Bray is nothing like Carrie’s mom!
So because I like romantic, quirky, and dark elements that’s what comes out when I write a book and what came out when I wrote Clouded by Envy. For anyone who reads my story I want them to see something different and have characters that feel ultimately real. I try anyway!
Clouded By Envy
Brenik has always been envious of his twin sister, Bray. Growing up as fairy-like creatures, known as bats, everything came easier to Bray. While Brenik spent his time in her shadows, never feeling he was enough. After escaping their world of Laith, and living on Earth for ten years, Brenik attempts to strike a deal with the Stone of Desire to become human. Though true humanity is not an option, he will accept the curse that will alter him to get as close as he can.
Living in a tree trunk for the past year hasn’t been easy for Bray, more so after her brother disappears again. When a human boy and his brother, Wes, find her, a new friendship is struck. Through Wes, Bray learns there can be more to life than waiting within a tree. But worrying over where Brenik has vanished to always remains in the back of her mind.
When Bray reunites with Brenik, she realizes she must help him break the curse after she discovers the need for blood is beginning to overpower him. The curse not only damages those who get close to Brenik, but it could also destroy whatever is blooming between Bray and Wes.
You can buy Clouded By Envy from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Candace Robinson
Candace Robinson spends her days consumed by words. When she’s not writing stories, she maintains a book review blog. Her life consists of avoiding migraines, admiring Bonsai trees, and living with her husband and daughter in Texas—where it can be forty degrees one day and eighty the next.
You can find out more about Candace by visiting her official website www.authorcandacerobinson.wordpress.com
Follow Candace on Twitter @literarydust
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