HORROR INTERVIEW : 5 MINUTES WITH JACQUELINE SEEWALD

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

For many years I taught English, at one time or other at the high school, middle school and university. At Rutgers University I taught creative writing, expository writing and technical writing while pursuing a graduate degree in English. I obtained a second graduate degree and became an academic librarian and later an educational media specialist. I finally took an early retirement so that I could write fulltime.

Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction?

Actually—all of the above.

Who are some of your favourite authors?

The first horror or dark fiction writer I ever read was Edgar Allen Poe. He wrote brilliant “weird” fiction stories as well as creating the modern detective story. Later on when I became an English teacher, I always used “The Tell-tale Heart” as one of the Halloween stories. Students loved Poe. Ambrose Bierce is another favourite of mine. Years after, I read Lovecraft and was impressed by his talent. He inspired several of my short stories as well. I took a graduate seminar in the works of William Faulkner at Rutgers University. One of the best gothic stories I ever read was “A Rose for Emily.”

What are you reading now?

 I still read Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I think they’re very talented authors and have been so consistently for a great many years. I like novels these days that combine mystery, horror and sometimes romance. I read a little of everything. I enjoy variety.

How would you describe your writing style?  

 I should say that I don’t have only one style of writing--just like I don’t write in just one genre. I hope that won’t confuse or irritate readers.My tendency is to experiment with different genres and different styles of writing. My goal is to excel at each if it’s possible.

Describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

I like to get up while it’s still quiet, before what most people would consider a civilized time. I like to work in silence and focus completely on what I’m writing, truly get in the zone. I’ll work for several hours before breaking for breakfast, go back to writing for several more hours afterward, and then stop writing to take care of whatever normal activities I need to do like shopping or cleaning. I usually go back to writing in the evening after dinner.

What’s your favourite food?

I’m not a gourmet. I like pizza and Italian food in general. I also like Asian food and enjoy cooking both types of food for my family.

What’s your favourite album?

I still enjoy British rock. Love Fleetwood Mac. Love the Eagles. I also love blue grass music. I’m a fan of the older country music of artists like the Johnny Cash. But I can listen to operas like Madame Butterfly or Carmen with complete pleasure.

What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing?

If you want to be a writer, you’ve got to write. That means self-discipline. Pick a time that suits and don’t allow for excuses. Practice pit bull determination.

Fame and fortune, or respect?

That would all be terrific, but most of us just don’t get much of it. We write because we need to write. Anything else is just frosting on the cake.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?

There’s no one book, short story, play, article or poem that I would point to and say that’s my best work. They are all my children. I’m just happy when they are published so that others can read what I’ve written.

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

My last novel THE THIRD EYE: A PINE BARRENS MYSTERY, published September 2013 in hardcover by Five Star/Gale, combines mystery, horror and humor. It’s co-authored with my son Andrew. In many ways it’s about coping with fear. A fourteen-year-old boy has to deal with bullying. He also finds two dead people who have been murdered. The police investigation turns toward the boy’s mother and he intends to prove his mother is not guilty. The viewpoint alternates from the boy who writes in the first person and his mother’s viewpoint which is third person. Reviews have been very good.

My next print novel will be THE BAD WIFE: A KIM REYNOLDS MYSTERY. It’s the fourth Kim Reynolds mystery and will be published by Perfect Crime Books which does a lot of noir. Kim Reynolds is a librarian that wants desperately to be “normal.” Unfortunately, she has a sixth sense, a paranormal awareness that she can’t quite suppress. The result is that she finds the dead—or they find her. She also has a talent for discovering murderers which places her life in jeopardy.

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Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at the university as well as high school English. She has also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Eleven of her books of fiction have been published to critical praise including THE INFERNO COLLECTION, THE DROWNING POOL and STACY'S SONG, all published in new e-book editions by L&L Dreamspell. Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies.

Her short stories currently appear in six Dreamspell anthologies among others: DREAMSPELL NIGHTMARES,  THE MYSTERY OF THE GREEN MIST,  CATS IN A DREAMSPELL, YOUR DARKEST DREAMSPELL, ROMANCE OF MY DREAMS 2,  PMS: POISON, MURDER AND SATISFACTION, PASSIONATE HEARTS, LOST ON ROUTE 66, THE MYSTERY MEGAPACK, TOUCHED BY WONDER (story nominated for a Nebula Award),CERN ZOO (Nemonymous 9), RUINS TERRA, RUINS METROPOLIS, WRONG WORLD'S ONE MORE TIME, TWO OF A KIND AND OTHER STORIES OF THE PARANORMAL, and WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN.

Jacqueline Seewald’s mystery short stories have also appeared in: THE LONDON MYSTERY SELECTION in England, VERMONT INK, BLUE MURDER, PALACE OF REASON, ORCHARD PRESS MYSTERIES, MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE, WINTER MYSTERY ANTHOLOGY, THE GUMSHOE REVIEW and SLEUTHS IN CAHOOTS.

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JACQUELINE'S BOOKS ON AMAZON