Born in Syracuse, NY, David Nora was a normal child until he saw THE EXORCIST at the age of seven. Sleeping with an actual vial of holy water, he finally recovered with his first viewing of the meta-slasher comedy, SCREAM. Since then he has been devouring everything horror related—except the CHILD’S PLAY movies. He wants nothing to do with that devil doll. Currently, he lives in New York City with his beloved stuffed polar bear, Po Po.
Slasher Crasher
- Paperback: 357 pages
- Publisher: Black Rose Writing; First Printing ed. edition (21 Aug. 2019)
It was the night HE tried to go home…but got caught in THEIR drama…
It’s Halloween. Nick Roesch, a towering figure of evil and stupidity, escapes from the upstate New York mental hospital he’s been committed to for the past five years.
Planning to return to his childhood home, where he brutally murdered his babysitter’s boyfriend, his plans are halted when he crosses paths with an even more terrifying beast—two high school friends with some serious beef.
Caught in a battle of loyalty that has been brewing for ten years of their friendship, the two girls, Kathleen Strife and Betsy Coleman, force the feud into a savage showdown, pitting the escaped monster against each other.
Who will survive this epic deathmatch, and is it totally wrong to fall in love with the murderous lunatic who just tried to kill your ex-best friend with a machete?
KR: Coffee?
KR: Could you tell me a little about yourself please?
My name is David Nora. I was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. I went to college for journalism at SUNY Purchase but didn’t fall in love with it. Fate then decided I’d be better at teaching children who are blind and/or visually impaired. For the last seven years I’ve been teaching middle school social studies in New York City at a school specifically for those who are blind and love it. I say, ‘By day I’m a teacher, by night I’m a horror writer.’
KR: What do you like to do when not writing?
I love watching movies. Of course horror movies. My father provided me with a great film education (I saw The Exorcist and Clockwork Orange at seven) and even though I was terrified of horror movies as a child I’ve grown to understand and love them. Nowadays I try to catch the new ones as soon as possible while I find the few little gems that I haven’t seen. Horror movies are like Pokémon. I gotta catch them all!
KR: What is your favourite childhood book?
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. I read it at the school that my mom teaches at and I was like, ‘Yup. I wanna write these things.’ As my horror movie education progressed, I became brave enough to venture into the preteen horror literature world. The Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series molded the bits of my horror writer mind.
KR: What is your favourite album, and does music play any role in your writing?
I don’t have a favorite album. I’m more of a ‘Oh, I like this song. I’m gonna listen to it 50,000 times’-guy. Of course there are a few favorite musicians/songs that are on a general rotation. David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars?’ and Prince’s ‘Kiss’ are two examples.
Music plays an important role in my writing. When I write I envision the action playing as scenes in a movie—with a complete set of tunes in the back. My upcoming horror-comedy novel, SLASHER CRASHER, includes several scenes in which music is used to heighten the horror or comedy. For example, my main character, Kathleen, is about to give the Michael Myers-esque serial killer a handjob while they’re speeding down the highway. ACDC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ starts on the radio. “This is the best fucking handjob song,” she says and turns up the volume.
KR: Do you have a favourite horror movie/director?
Wes Craven. Happy 80th, Wes. Rest in peace. Not only did he direct some of the greatest horror films of all time (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Last House on the Left), but he also directed my favorite: Scream. It’s my favorite horror film because it marked a turning point in my life. I transformed from terrified, gripping a vile of holy water after seeing The Exorcist-seven-year-old to a ‘I wanna see more’-teen. After Scream, I finally understood my strange obsession with horror. Yes, these horror films scared me, but I could also have fun being scared. Each film was like a rollercoaster I wanted to ride.
KR: What are you reading now?
It’s interesting. At the moment I’m reading manuscripts for my publisher, Black Rose Writing. I provide input into whether or not the book will be published or not. Finally, after decades of rejections, I get some power and it feels fucking good!
KR: What was the last great book you read?
Russ Meidinger’s Skudakumooch, He’s a fellow writer at Black Rose Writing. I wouldn’t normally promote my own press, but it was a great book! It was early Stephen King-good. With bite.
KR: E-Book, Paperback or Hardback?
Paperback. I can bend the book or doggy-ear the pages. In my eyes, books are meant to be used.
KR: Who were the authors that inspired you to write?
Christopher Moore. Grady Hendrix. And of course Stephen King. I grew up on King. He is and always will be the king of horror. He had a huge hand in creating modern horror and the 80s explosion of the horror paperback. I remember reading Salem’s Lot when I was ten years old and actually running up the stairs in my childhood home because I was afraid a vampire would get me. And come on, who could forget Jordy Verrill!? “Meteor shit!”
KR: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?
I tend to have an idea, the beginning, and the end. Then I just go with it. Usually the idea, the beginning, and the end change about ten hundred times. Even though I’m my own biggest critic I’m still happy with the journey.
KR: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I don’t do any research before beginning. On the other hand, while I’m writing, I do a lot of Googling. Lots and lots of random, nasty searches. I’ve probably made a couple of government lists by now.
KR: How would you describe your writing style?
Wordy. I like to use every goddamn word in the English language in one sentence. And then I throw in some Cantonese to make it interesting…
I’m half-kidding. I usually write in the third person (from the perspective of one character). Most of my writing is humorous so I often try to find different, funny ways of describing people or places. Usually with a string of words. For example, instead of ‘grandma’s disgusting soup,’ I’d say ‘grandma’s nicotine and mothball-flavored stew.’
KR: Describe your usual writing day?
On weekdays, I go to work from 8 to 2:30. I get home, eat, then write for three or four hours. On weekends it is usually eight to nine hours. Sometimes I write a couple of paragraphs, sometimes it’s a couple of pages. I’m a slow writer. I like to think about the words that I use. Trying out different words or phrases. It may not be the best style of writing but that’s what I like about writing. The torturous hunt for the right word.
KR: Do you have a favourite story/short that you’ve written (published or not)?
I wrote a book called “Dead Gone” about a father and daughter who have to protect their dead wife/mother from a religious cult that steals dead bodies. It wasn’t published, but it was my first time attempting a novel. You never forget your first.
KR: Do you read your book reviews?
I do, but I probably shouldn’t. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the negative and/or positive comments. However, my press is a small house so I had to take over the promotional campaign of my latest book so there is a need to keep track of the reviews.
KR: How do you think you’ve developed as an author?
It took a long time to call myself a writer. I started when I was nine years old but I didn’t write anything. I only had the dream of writing. I self-published a children’s book when I was sixteen. I thought I was going to become a millionaire. I didn’t. After that, it took some time to learn the craft of writing. To put words to paper every day. To establish a routine. To find a voice, humor. To learn how to edit over and over until you couldn’t look at the damn words again. To not expect anything other than finishing a novel. To enjoy the journey rather than the end results. I’m still developing some of these skills but thankfully I’ve made some small steps up the ladder.
KR: What is the best piece of advice you’ve received regarding your writing?
Bite your tongue when reading your reviews. Not everyone is going to like your writing style. There are a lot of books out there so it’s pretty amazing that someone chose yours. There are a lot of readers and professional/semi-professional reviewers and they are a close-knit family. They talk and post regularly about books and authors and a bad exchange may be passed on.
A couple of weeks ago I sent my book to a reviewer for free. After a week or so she sent me an email saying she couldn’t finish it because she didn’t like it. She said she could either post a 2-star review or nothing at all. I chose the 2-star review because one, I don’t want readers thinking that I could only get my family and friends to read the book, and two, any publicity is good publicity. She said she would still mention the book in a Youtube vlog so some good marketing came out of it.
KR: What scares you?
Dying alone and ceiling fans.
KR: Can you tell me about your latest release please?
My horror-comedy novel, SLASHER CRASHER, is coming out on August 22 on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. My favorite sub-genre of horror is the slasher, so I always wanted to write my own. It’s definitely a love letter to the great slashers with my dark comedic twist. Lately there has been a focus on the final girl character, a.k.a. the sweet virginal character who transforms into this kick-ass hero who saves the day from a holiday-related serial killing. However, I started thinking, ‘What if this final girl wasn’t so nice?’ What if she didn’t care about saving anyone and was more interested in our serial killer? What if she wanted to give him a handjob in a speeding car while ‘Highway to Hell’ is blasting from the radio?
And SLASHER CRASHER was born.
Anyone who purchases the book and sends a purchase confirmation to david.nora.jr@gmail.com will receive a free digital postcard and choice of drawing of one of three main characters.
Teasers of the drawings are on my Instagram: davidnorajr.
KR: What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m taking on the promotional efforts of SLASHER CRASHER. It’s been a fun learning experience with highs and lows. If anyone needs any tips or advice you can always send me a message through my social media or email.
Eventually an idea will pop into my head and I will start all over again. I cannot wait for the next weird idea.
KR: You find yourself on a desert island, which three people would you wish to be deserted with you and why?
You can choose…
a) One fictional character from your writing.
b) One fictional character from any other book.
c) One real-life person that is not a family member or friend.
If I found myself on a desert island, I’d bring: Kathleen Strife from SLASHER CRASHER; Merlin from THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR; and Daymin Voss (Don’t look him up!) Kathleen Strife was based on my best friend from high school. She’s a badass (both the character and real person) and could talk about horror and writing for hours. I chose Merlin because it’ll probably be a long time until we are being saved and so it’ll be nice to try to master the dark art of magic. And Daymin Voss because I have other needs beside food and shelter. DON’T LOOK HIM UP!
KR: Thank you David.
David Nora
You can follow David on Twitter @davidnorajr
You can check out Black Rose Writing here
Slasher Crasher
It was the night HE tried to go home…but got caught in THEIR drama…
It’s Halloween. Nick Roesch, a towering figure of evil and stupidity, escapes from the upstate New York mental hospital he’s been committed to for the past five years.
Planning to return to his childhood home, where he brutally murdered his babysitter’s boyfriend, his plans are halted when he crosses paths with an even more terrifying beast—two high school friends with some serious beef.
Caught in a battle of loyalty that has been brewing for ten years of their friendship, the two girls, Kathleen Strife and Betsy Coleman, force the feud into a savage showdown, pitting the escaped monster against each other.
Who will survive this epic deathmatch, and is it totally wrong to fall in love with the murderous lunatic who just tried to kill your ex-best friend with a machete?
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