The Kendall Reviews Interview
Daniel Church
In a lonely village in the Peak District, during the onset of a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm, Constable Ellie Cheetham finds a body. The man, a local ne’er-do-well, appears to have died in a tragic accident: he drank too much and froze to death.
But the facts don’t add up: the dead man is clutching a knife in one hand, and there’s evidence he was hiding from someone. Someone who watched him die. Stranger still, an odd mark has been drawn onto a stone beside his body.
The next victims are two families on the outskirts of town. As the storm rises and the body count grows, Ellie realises she has a terrifying problem on her hands: someone – or some thing – is killing indiscriminately, attacking in the darkness and using the storm for cover.
The killer is circling ever closer to the village.
The storm’s getting worse…
and the power’s just gone out.
The Hollows is out November 8th via Angry Robot Books
Kendall Reviews: Could you tell me a little about yourself please?
Daniel Church: I’m based in North-West England, on the Wirral. I’m married to a fellow writer and am lucky enough to have the most loving and supportive partner imaginable. I’m Welsh on one side of the family and would love to live there one day. Also, I love dogs and hope to have one someday.
KR: What do you like to do when not writing?
DC: Watch movies and TV, read books and listen to music. I used to be far more outdoorsy and physically active, but that’s changed over the past few years owing to a number of issues. I’m hoping to resolve those so I can get back out there again. There’s nothing to better than a nice long walk in the woods, on the beach, or in the hills.
KR: What is your favourite childhood book?
DC: There were so many! I grew up reading Dr Who novelisations, most of which were by Terrance Dicks, but also ghost and horror story anthologies. I encountered Poe at a very young age, which probably explains a lot, although I was in my twenties before I read H.P. Lovecraft and M.R. James. I also grew up reading a lot of thrillers, especially those by Jack Higgins – my grandfather was a big fan of his. The Savage Day, Night Judgement At Sinos and A Prayer For The Dying, in particular, all made a huge impression on me. Style-wise, Higgins at his best had a very unobtrusive, almost conversational voice that managed to be full of mood and atmosphere and, when you least expected it, some pretty striking imagery. Everything and everyone was conjured up very vividly, but nothing ever broke the flow of the story. That’s a combination I’ve always loved and striven for.
KR: What is your favourite album, and does music play any role in your writing?
DC: I always have something playing when I write – often the same album, played over and over. Sometimes I vary it with two or three ones, but it’s usually the same one throughout. For The Hollows, it was Ladytron by Ladytron. I listen to a lot of music, and a lot of different kinds – folk, rock, jazz, classical: I don’t think I could pick one favourite genre, never mind an album. Currently, though I’m in love with Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers, Life in the Loading Bay by Shriekback and Sci-Fi Sky by Lebanon Hanover.
KR: Do you have a favourite horror movie/director?
DC: Again, the same problem: there were many ones I love and my list of favourites is always changing. A director I really like at the moment, though, who I think really needs to be more widely known, is George Popov. He’s made two highly original and excellent folk-horror films, Hex and The Droving, and a series of documentaries called Sideworld, exploring folklore and the paranormal throughout the UK. The Droving, in particular, is an absolutely superb horror film, and one everyone who likes horror should see.
KR: What are you reading now?
DC: Fellstones by the ever-reliable Ramsey Campbell. Lined up after that I have No Gods For Drowning by Hailey Piper, who’s a truly extraordinary talent: I’ve loved her work ever since reading The Worm And His Kings earlier this year. Anything she does is going to be interesting and original. And The Vessel, the latest Adam Nevill book, will be downloading onto my Kindle come Halloween, so that’ll be next.
KR: What was the last great book you read?
DC: Fellstones is pretty damned impressive so far! Before that, it was Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
KR: E-Book, Paperback or Hardback?
DC: I love them all. The important thing is the story, not the medium it comes in. Ebooks are probably my favourite if I’m going away on holiday, though!
KR: Who were the authors that inspired you to write?
DC: Jack Higgins was definitely one, as stated above. Terrance Dicks, and Dr Who in general, another. Countless other short story writers, both classics and writers who contributed to the anthologies that were coming out when I was small, like R. Chetwynd-Hayes, Tony Richards, Tim Stout, Mary Danby, Dorothy K. Haynes and many many more.
KR: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?
DC: Definitely the second. As long as I can see a little way ahead, that’s enough. And once you start, it’s surprising how quickly the story can start to take shape.
KR: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
DC: It’ll vary. I’ll read non-fiction books and articles for anything odd and interesting (I love history in particular) and that’s where a few story ideas have come from, over time. So I may already have a load of relevant information just from that before I start work.
In general, though, once I’ve got the germ of an idea, I’ll do just have enough research to be able to get started, and along the way I’ll make notes about things I need to look up – along with anything else with the MS that’s going to need revising, foreshadowing or checking. I’ll usually try to work on those things while the book’s in progress, to get things as close to finished by the time I get to the end of the first draft.
KR: How would you describe your writing style?
DC: A good storytelling style, I hope. One that brings the setting and the characters to life and flows easily. And maybe sings a little too.
KR: Describe your usual writing day?
DC: It can vary a great deal, but it usually starts with a mug of very strong tea and writing another 1000 words on whatever the current work in progress is. Later in the day, I’ll probably edit the day’s work (if I’m far enough into the book to feel that it’s taken on a life of its own and rewriting won’t mess things up.) In between the two, it’ll vary depending on what else needs doing. I work on a podcast, and I try to write short stories for anthology calls, and I may have a previously-finished book that needs additional rewrites or a reread. And as I’m a househusband, there’s housework to do and dinner to cook. Spare time is taken up by writing or surfing the internet to read about random strange stuff that might become another story one day in the future.
KR: Do you have a favourite story/short that you’ve written (published or not)?
DC: I’m pretty proud of The Hollows! There’s also a massive novel set in the aftermath of a world-devastating pandemic that I finally got ready to send out to publishers in late 2019, just in time for COVID-19 to turn up. Hopefully in a few years’ time that’ll be ready to make the rounds.
KR: Do you read your book reviews?
DC: Yes, although I know I probably shouldn’t. Most of the ones for The Hollows have been astonishingly positive, which is wonderful, but at the same time I feel I’ve been very lucky. Even if what you’ve written is good, it won’t necessarily hit a big chord with lots of people. I’ve recently completed a new novel and while I’m very happy with it, I worry very much that it won’t be as commercial or have as wide an appeal. You can’t control that – each book has to be what it has to be. I’m due to talk to my agent about it next week to hear her verdict, so as you can imagine I’m quite nervous…
KR: How do you think you’ve developed as an author?
DC: I think I’ve learned to trust myself more and not second-guess myself. I used to be unable to write anything without having a detailed plan in place – now I’m much more inclined to wing it and the work’s better for it. Similarly, I’ve found that less is more, writing-wise: I used to write 2500 words a day, but now it’s 1000. It’s a lot more manageable, while leaving more time to work on other projects too.
KR: What is the best piece of advice you’ve received regarding your writing?
Never give up.
KR: What scares you?
DC: The present government. The way the internet can turn against you in a heartbeat over something stupid you said years ago, or for having the wrong opinion about something now. The future in general.
KR: Can you tell me about your latest release please?
DC: That would be The Hollows! It’s set in midwinter – a few days before Christmas – in an isolated Peak District village called Barsall. A man turns up frozen to death in the snow, clutching a knife and in sight of his own home, and there’s a strange symbol on the stone near where he died. The local constable, Ellie Cheetham, notifies his family and she’s certain they know more than they’re telling. Then people start to disappear, and Ellie realises that someone or something’s targeting the village, something that lives in the darkness. And then the power goes out.
KR: What are you working on now?
DC: Something a bit different; it’s another novel, but non-supernatural. A very dark, very twisty, psychological thriller. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like this before, but I’m enjoying it. No doubt I’ll be writing about ghosts and monsters again soon, though.
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.
DC: Reuben, the Bedlington Terrier from The Hollows, because then I’d have a dog.
b) One fictional character from any other book.
DC: Rice Petty, from ‘Imaginary Beauties’ by Gemma Files, because she may be a little crazy, but life certainly wouldn’t be dull.
c) One real-life person that is not a family member or friend.
DC: Boris Johnson, so we could amuse ourselves by torturing him to death. And by using him as a food supply if things got really desperate.
KR: Thank you very much Daniel
The Hollows
With a tight, fast-moving plot that plays out over three nights of mounting horror, The Hollows is an intense debut which spins the stories of four brilliant female characters and pulls a thread linking folk horror to cosmic terror through three terrifying nights in a brilliantly realised Northern English hill town.
In a lonely village in the Peak District, during the onset of a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm, Constable Ellie Cheetham finds a body. The man, a local ne’er-do-well, appears to have died in a tragic accident: he drank too much and froze to death.
But the facts don’t add up: the dead man is clutching a knife in one hand, and there’s evidence he was hiding from someone. Someone who watched him die. Stranger still, an odd mark has been drawn onto a stone beside his body.
The next victims are two families on the outskirts of town. As the storm rises and the body count grows, Ellie realises she has a terrifying problem on her hands: someone – or some thing – is killing indiscriminately, attacking in the darkness and using the storm for cover.
The killer is circling ever closer to the village.
The storm’s getting worse…
and the power’s just gone out.
You can buy The Hollows from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Daniel Church
DANIEL CHURCH is a British horror writer. His writing is inspired by a lifelong passion for the genre and its roots in folklore and a fierce connection with the underdog and the marginalised in society. He grew up in Lancashire and now lives in the Wirral with his wife, who is also a writer.
Follow Daniel on Twitter: @DannyTheChurch
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