Interview with various authors of HOWLS FROM THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of Howls from the Scene of the Crime, a new anthology forthcoming from the HOWL (Horror-Obsessed Writing and Literature) Society. I’m a fan of crime stories, and the stories in this anthology are great explorations of the genre.
They are raising money for this project via Kickstarter, where supporters can reserve their copies of the book!
Here is my blurb for this book:
“The stories here take old crime tropes and twist them. Among new takes on police procedurals and heists and serial killers, there are sentient jail cells and houses that beg to be robbed. This anthology is a thrill to read with all its surprises, the wide variety of stories and nuanced explorations of the world of crime. Howls from the Scene of the Crime takes you on a wild tour of underworlds and overworlds both terrifying and strange.”
The anthology features a great chorus of writers and designers and artists and two editors, and a sampling of those involved has agreed to answer some questions!
Joseph Andre Thomas, he/him (“Motive Factor X”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
Dennis Rader, aka BTK. I'd been reading a book about his murders a couple of years ago and was especially struck by the manic tenor of his communications with the police: sometimes taunting, sometimes remorseful, sometimes jealously expressing a need to be "credited" with his crimes. There are times where he even admits that he can't control himself and seems regretful—almost as if he was reaching out for help. So I asked: What would it look like if he actually reached out for help? This is fictionalized, of course, but pretty well directly inspired by BTK. "Factor X" is something he mentioned repeatedly in his letters: what he termed his impulse to kill.
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
Hugely! It's such a great community of hard-working writers and passionate horror fans. I've made dozens of great connections, both professional and personal. The writers are very welcoming and supportive. Plus: the book club side reads something new and creepy every week, so you can ensure that your TBR pile never gets smaller.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
My true crime obsession was definitely the biggest influence on this story, particularly the books of John Douglas (Mindhunter, The Killer Across the Table, Inside the Mind of BTK). A handful of other great ones off the top of my head: I'll Be Gone in the Dark, Savage Appetites, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets., The Stranger Beside Me, We Own This City, Catch and Kill. I love great classic crime fiction, like Agatha Christie and The Name of the Rose. I'm fond of some modern crime thrillers, like Michael Connelly's Bosch novels. I have a particular obsession with Scandinavian crime fiction, such as Lars Kepler's Joona Linna series and Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q books.
4) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
I think readers love a mystery to solve. Crime fiction lets us experience the fascinating, repulsive dark heart of humanity from the safety of our homes.
Christopher O’Halloran, he/him (“The Rage at Being Born”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
This story is actually a standalone sequel to my story "Ghouls," first published on NoSleep Podcast. I wanted to do a bit of a buddy cop thing and also include the name "Domenica" which is the middle name of a dear member of my family! I've been a fan of the noir for a while, too, so capturing all those elements in one place and leading it with a pair of strong, female protagonists was a treat to write.
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
As a reader, it's helped me discover authors I'd never known about! Before finding HOWLS, I'd get my book recommendations from Reddit or other online lists, and those tended to skew very male and very white. Now, I'm aware of so many incredible female, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ authors, and that's really enhanced my experience. As a writer, the chance to give and receive feedback has been crucial to my growth and finding my voice! Being around active writers also encourages me to get back in the chair as often as I can.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
Into the Forest and All the Way Through by Cynthia Pelayo was a poetry collection that truly struck me down emotionally. I cherish it and fear it a little, to be honest! S.A. Cosby is another author who does amazing things with the genre. I'll read anything he writes! Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's collection Friday Black rewired my brain for how I write shorts, and I'll never stop recommending it. And nobody thrills more than Karin Slaughter!
4) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
It's such a realistic and multi-faceted fear, Crime. You can be afraid of being victimized, of committing a crime, of getting CAUGHT, or even afraid of your fear making you treat someone differently or unfairly judging them. That relatability is always going to be a surefire way to connect with a reader!
Jessica Peter, she/her (Co-Editor)
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
I joined HOWLS only knowing about the writing side, and I really did find my people there! I’ve met most of the writer-friends I now engage with regularly there, and our groups and anthologies and servers and in-person shenanigans have spiralled outwards and outwards from there. I’m still also a pretty active participant of the weekly HOWLS reads. And of course, this HOWLS anthology gave me the opportunity to step into the editor’s chair with a book I knew would end up great (in production, design, and stories!).
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby is one of the best books I’ve read in years: gritty, dark, and socially-conscious. I love classic Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None is one of my favourite books of all time (the first slasher!), but Endless Night and By the Pricking of my Thumbs are two others I find brilliant and quite spooky. Louise Penny is a fantastic character writer, and all of her Three Pines series are instant-buys for me. In true crime, you can’t beat I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara which had me checking my window locks for months. And a special shout-out to my favourite true crime podcast: Southern Fried True Crime (well researched, well produced, and non-exploitative).
Ashe Olivier Deng, she/her (“Unforeseen Parameters”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
The idea for this story came not too long after Elon Musk released the initial news about Neurolink a few years back. It got me thinking about the disconnect between the ultra wealthy's pursuit for capital and the actual scientific community, but I suppose it's actually in a long line of "intellectuals" of the upper class participating in science and medicine, not because they're genuinely altruistic, but because it makes them look good to a particular crowd of people. At the same time, I'd just finished watching LoadingReadyRun's playthrough of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and had the cyberpunk vibes thoroughly embedded in my brain.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
Some of my favourite crime stories to read about are usually about cults. Maybe it's from my academic interest in how to sow fear and control in populations, but I'm always drawn to stories about cults and the violence they can create.
Nathan Schuetz, he/him (“Selling Drugs to the Funny Kids”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
I don't have a lot of life experience when it comes to heists, mobsters, or detectives. When I think of crime, I think of petty, small time crime, the sort by teenagers and by people in their 20s who have a bit of a nihilistic world view; people who feel like they don't have much, or anything, to lose. Crimes of boredom, crimes of need, crimes because why not? So, I figured I'd be best off by focusing on that angle. Otherwise, it might come across as too fake. And also, the actions of people like that--they don't make any sense. They're such life-hungry, self-destructive people. And that's what makes them interesting and real.
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
A little over a year ago, I was trying to find people who could critique some stories I'd written. It's really hard to judge something you've spent too much time with, you need fresh eyes. And advice! But there was not much out there. When I finally stumbled on HOWLs, it was like an oasis in a desert. Serious authors regularly publishing good stories, trading real advice, trading in-depth critiques, people who were serious about creating good art. It's invaluable, and rare, to be able to take part in a community like that.
L.T. Williams, he/his (“Black Lung, Black Heart”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
There is a little-known time period (on and off from 1912 to 1921) in American history where miners in West Virginia – my home state – went to war against the coal companies and their hired “lawmen”. It’s called the West Virginia Coal Wars and culminated in the largest labor uprising in US history: the Battle of Blair Mountain. The miners were fighting for better pay, better working conditions, and the ability to unionize. For this anthology, I decided very early on that I wanted to explore this setting and the struggle of the union miners, but with an added twist.
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
As a reader, it has been wonderful to have a regular group to discuss the finer (and sometimes more gruesome) points of horror literature. We read so many different books that there is something for everyone! As a writer, this group has enabled me to explore my writing in ways that I couldn’t before I found HOWLs. We provide feedback on each other’s stories and support each other throughout the writing process. As someone who is only just getting into the world of publishing stories – this is my first professionally published piece – this community has been invaluable (special shoutout to Jonathan Duckworth for serving as my mentor for this anthology).
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
The Count of Monte Cristo. Much of Laird Barron’s short fiction. Season one of True Detective. Scooby Doo.
4) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
Sometimes we make bad decisions. Sometimes we are forced into situations where the only possible decisions are bad ones, through no fault of our own. Watching flawed characters navigate their way through these decisions – avoiding the law, settling the score, trying to prove their innocence, fighting against the system, etc. – is entertaining, and I think that’s what much of crime fiction is. But crime fiction can also be used as a lens to our own societal and class issues. To me, the best crime fiction is both entertaining and revealing. These kinds of stories will never go out of style.
Peter Ong Cook, he/him (“I Told You Not to Look”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
I love the interplay of genres. Procedural fiction interrupted by horror is a juicy intersection. I wanted to see a jaded detective interact with the unexplainable!
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
HOWLs has a wealth of talent and people willing to help, all of us horror aficionados. There’s always somebody here to discuss any aspect of horror. I’ve gotten such good feedback on my writing.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
I’m a fan of classic noir, particularly Raymond Chandler, set in mid-century Los Angeles.
4) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
Crime fiction is popular because we love to see how individuals can work the system to solve crimes and bring justice, doing the dirty work of investigation bringing about a clean outcome
RSL, he/they (“Consummation”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
I've made it no secret my adoration for Thomas Ligotti, how the desolation of a forgotten, left-behind Detroit pervades his work. Growing up in Huyton, Liverpool, I saw the same thing. Blacked-out houses with the spectres of old fires in mangled, snake-like plumes of ash; abandoned couches pockmarked with needles; empty baggies void of coke. Everyone seemed to be in this constant state of miserablism, a 00s comedown of 1980s greed-is-good capitalism. This was a Liverpool that Margaret Thatcher put in "managed decline." All I remember is the rot, the decay--and the drugs. The drugs that got a lot of people through (and continue to do so). I wanted to write about this city I love, and this city that haunts me.
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
Community. All day. Art has always prospered when kept lit by the fire of conversation. The oldest tales were meant for the coldest nights, when the stars animated a blank canvas sky, nascent, new hands pointing up in wonder. Even in the Cueva de las Manos, it's thought that some of the paintings would move in the flickering firelight, an ancient kind of movie. As a writer, I've found improvement in feedback, through hearing and seeing the world in, what would terrify Lovecraft, a delight of some kind of ego-death. Whenever we engage with one another, we stop being an island. (Borges himself wrote that to read Shakespeare is to *become him*.) Art has an amazing way of bridging the infinite space between us. It's why I've always hated the cliché of Lovecraft's insistence that Fear is the oldest emotion. How can we take the words of a man who elected to write in disgust at community and togetherness, who found fear in friends. M Jon Harrison coined the New Weird in an online forum -- while Lovecraft wrote stuffy essays about *the other* and all sorts of rottenness. For me, fear isn't the oldest emotion--that comes second. The first impulse that any creature has, it needs, is to not be alone. If there's fear, it's found in the absence of others. It's the mortal dread I bear knowing WHO I'd be if I were alone.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
I've only began to watch it recently, but The Sopranos is rising up there. There's a lot of class and diaspora elements that I can relate to being a Scouser. This sense of not being accepted in a national identity, of being lesser, and having your origins follow you everywhere you go. There's also this anxiety of how these social systems create the toxicity that you have to embrace. As a male-presenting person, I've had to play many roles. The Smackhead; the Scouser; the Academic; the Lad -- and that liminality fills the Sopranos. This foreboding sense that no matter what route you take, we can't escape the tangle of rot. What else can we expect from Trickle-down capitalism?
4) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
There are many different takes, I think. My current PhD is vaguely related in that, I'm focussing on why we read triggering fiction. I have bad dreams--plagued with sleep paralysis and the rest. I get upset rather a lot at very little--but, like that Kafka quote, 'I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound or stab ... A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.' I think reading crime is, for some people, an interest in the seamier side of life, a sense of play in imagining not being confined by morality and care for one another. These, I contend, are the more conservative, safe takes of crime fiction. Where crime reinforces the rule of law, the transgression of the Natural, the Good. Even in the case of abnormal minds -- shouldn't we read more fiction that engages with the strange dimensions a mind can exist in, and why that is the case through materalist practices, the abuses of family, of a society with no mental health care? Instead, it owes its existence to a very Freudian, didactic space. Mainstream movies loved a "psycho"--even when family was to blame, there was always some Jungian perversion that it was because the family *didn't operate as mandated*, that the Anima took over or whatever psychobabble pretends to help people. These are the realms of true crime fiction. Of the Dahmer shows that delight in victims on screen, of the documentaries that point at the boogeymen of social pariahs.
The take I prefer, though, is that crime fiction is so popular because it is an exercise in fleshing out the monstrosities of law. Murder and such is so far beyond obviously evil that no one can ever see The Law as bad when there is murder involved -- unless, of course, the Law is doing the killing (but the mob mentality loves a good blood sacrifice). For a vast many of us, however, law isn't made for us. We are what Georgio Agamben might call the homo sacer--we are excluded from the rule of law and yet our bodies and our lives are forfeit. We are fair game for anyone who seek to hurt us. For me, I read crime fiction to continually investigate and pull at the scars of my vulnerabilities. They push us in certain ways to engage with one another, to be aware of social injustices perpetuated by normalised traditions (abusive family, corrupt cops, morally bankrupt politicians). In a good noir story, the house always wins—which to the sharp-eyed among you, sounds very similar to the basis of supernatural horror. That there is some pervasive presence in this universe that preys on your misfortune, on your doom. I like being reminded of that, in ways. Maybe I think it will make me feel better when these cicatrixes turn even pinker in the winter--maybe it will remind me that I survived something, and will continue to survive.
Michelle Tang, she/her (“A Fate Finer Than Death”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
I love speculative fiction, so I knew I wanted to set this story in a secondary world. Laws are human constructs, born from societal values: those articles about long-outdated laws that seem ridiculous in present day have always fascinated me, and after that it was just deciding how to form a story around a strange (to us) rule.
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
Most members are avid readers, and thus strong writers. I’ve become a better writer when HOWLers critique my work. I love the annual anthology workshop/mentorship program, and above all, the shared love of horror has really created a sense of community and support in what can be a very tough endeavour. I’ve met some of my closest friends in this server!
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
I’m a big fan of cozy mysteries and historical crime fiction. There’s still that sense of escapism I look for in reading, plus clues! I’m also a big fan of murder mysteries set in unusual settings and with larger casts (I signed with my agent based on an escape room murder mystery). If a story can be comped to the movie/board game Clue, I’m in!
4) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
I think crime fiction often appeals to our darker natures: if one could get away with murder, how might they do it? There’s also an inherent desire for people to have questions answered: it might not be tied up neatly, it might not be the answer we want, but there’s a satisfaction to learning what happened. Crime fiction often provides (for me anyway) something that isn’t always provided in life: a sense of closure.
TJ Price, he/him (“Chosen”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
The word 'crime' itself sets up a dichotomy between "right" and "wrong," but what about the shadowland between those two places? When does a 'crime' become acceptable, and under which circumstances? Does it cease to be a crime? The more I delved into the definition of the word, the more I found myself immured in texts of law and philosophy. Instead of finding answers, I only found more questions, and it was these questions which began informing—and provided the eventual structure for—the story of "Chosen."
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
HOWLS helped open me up to a community of like-minded folks; not only those who share a love of the uncanny and understand that inexplicable allure of the hideous in their reading material, but also those who are driven to try to express themselves similarly through their writing. I have encountered so many of these vibrant and unique personalities through HOWLS, and I am grateful for it.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
In short fiction, I'd have to say the stories of Poe involving C. Auguste Dupin; perhaps obviously Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes investigations; but in preparing for this submissions call, I read a lot of Ray Bradbury's earlier work ("noir" tales collected in The Killer Inside Me); I also re-read The Count of Monte Cristo. Other books involving crime that I have enjoyed are Dirty Snow, by Georges Simenon; Waste, by Andrew F. Sullivan; and The Devil's Detective by Simon Kurt Unsworth. In television, Justified (based on the writing of Elmore Leonard) is an excellently written show that I have enjoyed, involving crime at its very core.
4) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
It's, as the French say, l'appel du vide—the call of the void—the relentless and undeniable urge to do something that is counter to our instincts. There's a frisson of danger involved—the aforementioned allure of the hideous/forbidden—a primal longing to either completely ignore or actively flout an established social contract. But since we are bound by mores and codes and all that, we cannot indulge that part of our psyche—thus, we live vicariously through the exploits of fictional characters. The better/more immersive the fiction, the more we thrill to the thought of breaking those rules ourselves—not that we ever would.
Or . . . would we?
Steve Neal, he/him (“All Branches Sway”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
I thought it was important to show the other side of the coin, to make note of the vast array of circumstances that can lead to someone becoming incarcerated, and recognizing that it is a privilege to not have such volatility in one's life.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
Recently, Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a fantastic look at how we view a criminal sentence as a vehicle for punishment and the societal glee that is felt from that. It's more sci-fi/spec than a typical crime story but I think it counts.
J.W. Donley, he/him (“Fuel and Fodder”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
I wrote “Fuel and Fodder” for the NYC Midnight short story competition last year. I had to write a caper story involving a stapler and something else. I can't remember the third detail. Of course the story ended up being horror anyways.
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
The community is amazing. I've been there since near the very beginning of HOWLs. A bunch of us were itching for a community as the world shut down around us due to COVID. HOWLs gave us all a place to cheer each other on to keep writing.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
This is a tough question. What really counts as a crime story? There's the classic noir stuff. Then there's neo-noir and stories that just happen to have an element of crime to them. Nathan Ballingrud's An Atlas of Hell is definitely a favorite of mine. It tells the story of a mob enforcer sent out into the swamp to collect a mysterious and powerful object from a black market dealer selling objects from Hell. Then there are Laird Barron's Isaiah Coleridge novels. They are great because they appeal to readers outside the cosmic horror genre, but still give just that little taste of new weird.
3) Why do you think crime fiction is so popular?
I think that everyone likes to fantasize about pulling some sort of heist and sticking it to "the man" or solving an unsolvable case like Sherlock Holmes. Crime stories let us average Joes play at being a larger-than-life criminal character a page at a time.
Mary Sanche, they/them (“Break and Enter”)
1) What inspired your story for this anthology?
“Break and Enter” is inspired partly by my late grandmother, who had a hoarding disorder, and my lovely neighbour’s home in our small town. We’ve never had to break into her place, but we came close a couple times—on account of a sticky door and needing to feed her cat. Even though the piece is eerie, it’s a love letter to both, I promise!
2) How has HOWLs helped you as a reader/writer of horror?
I found HOWLS after attending Stokercon 2023 in Pittsburgh, PA, and I am so grateful to have been welcomed into this community. Howls from the Scene of the Crime became such the perfect opportunity to showcase my writing and my illustration, and everyone involved has been so enthusiastic and warm.
3) What are your favorite crime stories?
Mostly, I’m a ravenous true crime podcast consumer, my favourites being Morbid, RedHanded, and Canadian True Crime. For film, my noir favourites of all time are Kiss Me Deadly (1955) and Blade Runner (1982)—which are, of course, based on equally fabulous novels.
Thanks so much to all of y’all!
Nice article. Loved reading everyone's answers!