Erik McHatton is clear about his influences. He writes dark, truly disturbing fiction inspired by writers of The Weird like Ligotti, Padgett, Jackson, Barker, Cushing, and Clark Ashton Smith. He’s a regular in Cosmic Horror Monthly, and he’s also been published in Tales to Terrify, Vastarien, Lovecraftania, and a number of horror anthologies. Who knew a Kentuckian and a family man would produce some of the darkest work you’ve ever read? You won’t soon forget his stories!
As of September 4th, you can find out by picking up a copy of Straw World and Other Echoes from the Void from Undertaker Books!
Let’s see what he has to say…
Could you tell us a little about what sparked your love of storytelling?
My grandmother started me reading when I was in the third grade, and I was constantly in and out of my school library thereafter. I used to love watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents on Nick at Nite, and one day saw a few books of stories with Hitchcock’s name attached in the library. Once I had burned through them, I asked the librarian if she had any more like them, and she reached up on this high shelf across from where the Hitchcock books were kept, and handed me Helen Hoke’s anthology Terrors, Terrors, Terrors. I’d never read anything like it. Robert Bloch, Hazel Heald, Davis Grubb, Manly Wade Wellman, Poe, not to mention some of the most deranged art I’d ever seen by Bill Prosser. After that, I desperately wanted to tell stories just like them.
Do you ever feel afraid of your own stories as you write them? Which stories have had the biggest impact on your mood...or are you able to avoid the emotional fallout of your own tales?
I can’t say I’ve ever been afraid of any of my stories, although I always try to think of things that are scary to me, if that makes any sense. I also can’t say that I’ve ever been emotionally affected by any of them at the time of writing, at least not in a negative way, although sometimes when I go back over them and see things that are there that I never intended, I will admit that, from time to time, I do get somewhat emotional. And there is at least one story of mine, the title story of my upcoming collection Straw World and Other Echoes from the Void, that I do believe is truly evil. It honestly feels like it was placed in my mind and willed itself to life. Believe me when I tell you, that is not hyperbole.
You're from Kentucky! Has your geographical setting served as inspiration for some of your stories?
Broadly, I would say no. But there are a few. One unpublished piece is based on a local place I used to have my birthday parties at when I was a kid, and one takes inspiration from my family’s roots in Appalachia.
Some horror upholds traditional values, the way Stephen King's stories ultimately champion the idea of family. Then you have your pessimists like Ligotti, who feel humanity is doomed. Where do you find yourself on this spectrum of horror philosophy?
Somewhere in the middle, I think. I suppose I would call myself a pragmatist. Things are as they are. I see value in the world views of both King and Ligotti, yet I disagree that they are either of them definitely true. Values change, and doom is a relative term. In fact, my story “Straw World,” which I mentioned previously, was chosen to open my collection because it lays out pretty clearly my overall philosophical beliefs when it comes to horror literature and its relation to its consumers. Let’s just say that I believe the universe is infinite, and as such, we who create horror and we who consume it are all participants in a grand grotesque, and we would be horrified at ourselves if we truly understood its true scope.
Do you share your love of horror with your family?
Oh yes. My parents used to love to watch horror movies when I was young, and were the first people to introduce me to it. My wife adores horror. It was one of the things that first bonded us. My youngest child, as well, shares a love of horror. Sadly, however, their love for it seems to begin and end with television and film, and doesn’t extend to literature.
Do you tend to edit as you go, or do you work through multiple drafts of your stories?
Both. I do edit as I go. I tend to write six to eight hundred words in a session, and then pick at those words for the remainder of the day. Then, the next session will begin with me redrafting those words again. Then, when I’ve finished what most would call a first draft, but is actually probably a second draft, I usually redraft it one more time. However, I don’t think I’ve ever had more than three drafts of a story.
What are some short stories that have especially inspired you as you've written your own collection?
Oh my gosh! There are so many, so I’ll try and keep it to six. “Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story,“ and “Sideshow and Other Stories,” both by Thomas Ligotti, “The Indoor Swamp,” by Jon Padgett, “A Visit,” by Shirley Jackson, “The Man Who Collected Poe,” by Robert Bloch, and “Ubbo Sathla,” by Clark Ashton Smith.
What question would you like to be asked?
“Who are some up and coming horror writers out there you think people should look out for?”
I’ll pick a few that haven’t had many books published: Perry Ruhland, Ali Maloney, RSL, Timaeus Bloom, Elou Carroll, and Max D. Stanton.
Thank you, Erik!!