Halloween Edition: Two Questions with . . . Ken Schrader

I’m kicking off this week with a fantastic guest author. Welcome, Ken Schrader.  

Thank you, Pat, for letting me practice my darkest arts *Kaff, Kaff* Post...yes, Guest post on your blog today as part of our “Two questions with... ” The Halloween Edition

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For those of you that don’t know, my name is Ken Schrader. I write Science Fiction, Fantasy, Weird Westerns (though, not necessarily in that order). 

So you’re here for answers, and answers you shall have.

Come, pull up a chair. Don’t mind the shadows. The Moon is full, and the wind is in the trees...

Let us talk of monsters...

Question #1. How do you define Horror?

That is a tough one. Certainly there can be horrific elements in any story, but I don’t think that makes it a “Horror” story. 

I think that for a story to fall into the Horror category there has to be a very real chance that any character in the story could die. This includes the Protagonist.

There is no such thing as a safe place in a horror story. Even staying put will bring the danger to you eventually. Often, by then, it’s far too late.

Question #2. Do you have a scary anecdote you could share? 

I woke up one night - I can't remember exactly what for - and, unbeknownst to me, one of my dogs followed (Maybe I left the bedroom door open).

I don't know where he went, but we separated. As I'm making my way back to the bedroom, half asleep, in the dark, I hear a low growl in front of me.

The breeze must not have been going in the right direction, or something, but he didn't recognize me until I said his name. And he meant business.

Let me tell you something:

Nothing, and I mean nothing, speaks to the part of your brain that used to huddle around the fire and pray for the dawn like the sound of an apex predator in the dark.

BIO:

I am a science fiction and fantasy writer, a shameless Geek, a fan of the Oxford comma, and I make housing decisions based upon the space available for bookshelves. I collect books, movies, and music. 

I sign out loud when I think there's no one around, and try to get a blog post up once a week -- one of which I have managed to do consistently for the past few years.

I love music of all kinds, books, and the big sky off my front porch, Stars Wars, Firefly, Blind Guardian (to which, I write almost exclusively), Rugby, star gazing, jasmine tea, and the smell of rain on the air. 

My favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate. My favorite food is a grilled steak, and I can suspend disbelief embarrassingly quickly. 

I live in Michigan, am co-owned by several dogs (especially the Border Collie), and I am one of the rare breed of folk that enjoys mowing the lawn. My short story "Haven" appears in the "Weird Wild West" anthology. My short story "The Price of Power" appears in the "Trials" anthology. My short story "The Intern" appears in the "Chasing the Light" anthology. 

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I am represented by Dorian Maffei 

(Dorian@kimberlyecameron.com)

Kimberley Cameron & Associates