Horror Author Interview Questions

To get the best interview possible, it is crucial that the interviewer knows as much as possible about the author. With that in mind, the interview should be conducted after preliminary research is done. That doesn’t meant you need to wait until then to arrange the interview. It is usually best to provide as much time as possible so the interviewee has time to slip you into their schedule.

Ask between 12 and 15 questions max.  Questions are in no particular order, so you can place questions in the order you would like.  Make sure to make up some that deal with the works you’ve read by that author. The more probing the questions, the more in-depth the answers you are likely to receive. Don’t feel chained to the questions. If an interesting topic comes up in the course of the interview, run with it. This is often how the best interviews happen.

General Background Questions

• Where are you from?

• As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

• What do you do to unwind and relax?

• Tell us a bit about your family.

• What is your favorite food?

Questions About Writing

• Tell us your latest news.

• When and why did you begin writing?

• When did you first consider yourself a writer?

• What inspired you to pen your first novel?

• Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?

• How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

• Do you have a specific writing style? 

• What genre are you most comfortable writing?

• How did you come up with the title for your book(s)?

• Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

• How much of your work is realistic?

• Are your works based on someone you know or events in your life?

• What are your current projects?

• Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

• What do you see as the influences on your writing?

• Can you share a little of your current work with us?

• Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

• Where do you hope to take your writing in the future?

• Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

• What is the hardest part of writing?

• What got you interested/started in writing?

• How long have you been writing?

• What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

• Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it?

• Who is your favorite author and why?

• How did you deal with rejection letters?

• What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

• How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?

• What were your feelings when your first novel was accepted/when you first saw the cover of the finished product?

• What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

• Are you working on any books/projects that you would like to share with us?

• What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

• Any recent appearances that you would like to share with us about/any upcoming ones?

• If you could leave your readers with one legacy, what would you want it to be?

• When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

• How long does it take you to write a book?

• What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

• What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

• Can you take us through the steps for one of your books getting published?

• Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

• When did you write your first book and how old were you?

• What do you like to do when you're not writing?

• What does your family think of your writing?

• What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing your books?

• Which is your favorite of the books you have written?

• Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

• What do you think makes a good story?

• Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? If so, what are they?

• Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

• Is there anything additional you would like to share with your readers?

Reading Questions

• What books have most influenced your life?

• If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

• What are you reading now?

• What new author has grasped your interest?

• Do you think Americans are reading less than they have before? Why or why not?

• Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

• How does your family and/or friends feel about your book or writing venture in general?

• Do you see writing as a long- or short-term career?

• If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in any of your books?

• Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Horror Genre Questions

• How do you feel about the horror boom of the 80’s and early 90’s?

• What about the horror genre interests you?

• Do you have any fun Halloween experiences you can tell us?

• What scares you?

• What was a time in your life when you were really scared?

• What was your first introduction to horror literature, the one that made you choose that genre to write?

• What was the first horror book/story you remember reading?

• What is your favorite horror book?

• What is your favorite horror movie?

• Do you ever come up with anything so wild that you scare yourself, that leaves you wondering where that came from?

• Beyond your own work (of course), what is your all-time favorite horror book and why? And what is your favorite book outside of the horror genre?

• Do you look to your own phobias to find subject matter? Are your stories the products of nightmares, childhood experiences, fantasies?

• Have you ever used contemporary events or stories “ripped from the headlines” in your work?

• Has the horror genre been affected by the events of Sept. 11?

• What draws people to horror novels? Why do we, as readers, like to be scared?

• Where do you as an author draw the line on gory descriptions and/or erotic content?

• Do you feel any competitive pressure from horror films? If not, why not?

• Why should fans of horror movies read horror books?

• Do you ever research real events, legends, or myths to get ideas?

• The perception of the horror writer is that he/she is just a little bit weirder than most. Do you find yourself — and other horror writers — to be more idiosyncratic than the average person?

• What is one stereotype about horror writers is absolutely wrong? What one stereotype is dead on?

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