Friday, March 29, 2024
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Halloween Frights: An Interview With Author Lisa McCourt Hollar

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by W.J. Howard:

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Lisa McCourt Hollar for DarkMedia. My questions were not the typical ones usually asked, and I realize Lisa had to dig deep to come up with some of the things she so aptly expressed. I respect this young lady very much, not only as a talented author, but for being the great human being that she is.

Here are the words of a wonderful person.

The main focus of this interview is Halloween Frights, your collection of Halloween tales involving all kinds of little nasty guys. Could you tell me where you came up with the ideas for these stories? Tell our readers something about this great collection.

Halloween Frights came about because I was taking part in the Coffin Hop last year and needed a collection to give away as a prize. I chose stories from my portfolio that I thought were creepy and perfect for the holiday, some having been inspired by Friday Flash challenges put out by Vamplit. Taxidermy Nightmare was inspired by a photo Carole Gill shared with the group. My favorite story though is The Beast Within and that was inspired by my children, especially my youngest daughter. She was being bullied by some of the neighborhood kids and I was feeling frustrated because I was afraid to even let her go outside. I started imagining what might happen if she wasn’t as sweet and innocent as the kids picking on her thought. It developed into a story where a little girl transformed into a werewolf and went after her attackers.  It actually gave me a chuckle to think of her devouring her tormentors. Fortunately the kids that were causing the problem moved from the neighborhood and now she is having an easier time.

You are tying this wonderful book in with the DarkMedia City Halloween Contest. Exactly what are you giving to the lucky contest winner?

A copy of Halloween Frights.  😉

Okay, I’m switching gears and revving things up with a whole bunch of other questions pertaining to “everything.” You should have known this would be coming from me. I don’t ask the normal stuff.

Everyone always asks “how you got started writing.” I don’t wish to use a generic question. So I won’t. What I want to know is if you use bad past experiences from real life and work the demons out, or do you come up with your clever tales in other ways. There is no need for specifics. I, for one, use the less than happy experiences from my life and interweave them into my tales.

Oh yes, I do and experiences people I care about have gone through. I have a WIP that is taking me a long time to write because it is difficult, about 3 sisters that are abused by their mother’s boyfriend. I know 3 sisters this happened to. When I found out, all I could do was cry. It still makes me cry, even though I know they have been removed from the situation.

I also base on family lore. In fact Family Lore, about a girl that discovers her grandmother was a witch. My Great Grandmother was a witch. No, I don’t have a lot of stories to talk about… she removed warts from people. That’s about all I know about her, other than she said some things were not to be done. She got angry with my grandmother for going to a table raising. Someone in my family used to work an Ouija board… what she told me has inspired stories too and I’ve had my own, questionable experiences. I think when I was a child I astral projected… but I haven’t as an adult. Tried once… something happened that scared me and I haven’t tried since.

Your husband is also an author. Does he help you with your writing? This could be as an ear and eye, or maybe just to keep the hounds away while you’re plugging away at your stories.

He’s constantly challenging me to improve my craft. He’s a writer too, so we bounce ideas off of each other and sometimes compete in competitions. It’s all fun, but a challenge sometimes because he is more proficient at the English language than I am and he knows it. Fortunately I think I’m more imaginative, lol.

He does try to help out with Caleb and he cooks… believe me if I don’t have to stop my train of thought to go put dinner together, that really helps. He also works outside the home so I can stay home and write.

You have three daughters and a son, spread out in age from one to eighteen. How do they influence your writing?

I must need to update my bio. Rebecca is 20, Sarah is 18, Rylie 10 and Caleb is now 3 and finally potty trained. Big celebration here.  They influence my writing a great deal. Rebecca inspires poetry, don’t ask me why, she just does. A lot of it when she was going through her teenage years and now the poems fit her sister. We had a rocky couple of years, lol. Rylie is an aspiring writer and has inspired some children stories I wrote. Sarah is as demented as I am. She has given me a lot of ideas by asking things like, “I wonder what would happen if…” She also has very vivid dreams that would scare most normal people. She tells them to me and sometimes they work their way onto paper. Caleb is my only son and I am now seeing things from a boys point of view. He’s inspired a whole new set of children stories.

While we’re discussing your children, I know you also write children’s tales. Maybe you could share some of your thoughts on writing for children and how you are able to separate adult horror from tales for the younger reader.

In a way I think I don’t separate it, I just tone it down. I loved reading horror when I was a kid and Rylie, my youngest, likes to write horror. But horror for kids is different. You can’t have all the blood and gore and you have to make it kind of funny, like having the boogie monster juggle his eyeballs. But then there are stories about the tooth fairy that are just plain fun.

Visionary Press Cooperative will be publishing a book of yours geared for children. I need to know more about this!

The Tooth Adventures of Fanny Nightsky is about a frustrated tooth fairy who has a new F.I.T… Fairy In Training. Unfortunately he is dangerously klutzy.  He manages to get into some very tight spots and Fanny has to rescue him, something she isn’t happy about. But then she remembers how bad she was when she first started and has a change of heart. This is the first of what I hope will be a fun series for kids.

My personal feelings about children’s books of the style in which you present them, is that we need more of them. This is a feather in your cap, young lady. What say you to this? 

*Blushing* I don’t really know what to say. I do remember reading a blog post once, where a literary agent was saying that there was no profit in children’s books and that the market was over saturated. It bothered me because if we aren’t writing and promoting books for children, then we are going to have a lot of adults that don’t read. I loved reading as a child, love reading now, I wish I had more time for it. I encourage my kids to read and I love seeing the look on my youngest daughter’s face when she reads a book I loved. Right now she is reading A Wrinkle in Time.

Caleb can’t read yet, but he brings me books and sometimes he sits there with a book on his lap and “reads” out loud.

Who is the greatest influence in your life?

Three people:

My grandmother. In 3rd grade I was diagnosed as dyslexic. The doctor that made the diagnosis was amazed at how well I read. My grandmother takes all the credit for that. She used to sit down with me and hold up flash cards with words on it, making me read them. She was an English teacher and very determined.

My mother, who told me I couldn’t use dyslexia as a crutch. She’s the one that noticed I could spell my words out loud perfectly, but when I wrote them, they were mixed up. She also went toe to toe with the principle of the Christian School I went to, when they rejected the diagnosis. The doctor that diagnosed me was an instrument of the devil and there was no such thing as a chemical imbalance in the brain. She took me out of that school and enrolled me in public, against the principles advice. She told my mom if she took me out, the devil would have me. My mom said she’d take her chances. Of course now, considering some of the stuff I write… lol

Mrs. Dock, my fourth grade teacher. She taught creative writing on Fridays and instilled a love of writing that I’ve never gotten over.

Who are your favorite authors?

Mainstream: Dean Koontz and Lee Childs.

Indie: Carole Gill, Sue Midlock, Steve Emette, Timothy Hobbs, Pattie Larson and Mark Stone are some of my favorites, just to name a few.

What is your Indie Press experience? I know that you and I are in four different anthologies together. What other tidbits things can you share?

Be careful who you submit to. I love Angelic Knight Press and Visionary Press, but there are some that take advantage of authors.  There’s also some great presses out there. The best thing to do is ask around. If someone has had a bad experience, they will be more than happy to share it and the same with a good experience.

Don’t expect a lot of money from anthologies, most likely if it is a share of the royalties, you will have to share with several authors.  I wouldn’t advise signing anything that takes your rights away for an entire year, not unless the payment was worth it. In my experience it hasn’t been. Again, another reason why I love Angelic Knight Press, because you get your rights back after 3 months.

Do you enjoy being in anthologies?

I do. There is a certain thrill when you hold the printed version in your hands and can tell people, “That’s me.” I carried Satan’s Toybox: Demonic Dolls with me wherever I went.

I have to congratulate you on your tireless promotion of other authors and the anthologies we work together in. Take another bow.

Again… *blushes*  If you don’t promote, you aren’t going to get anywhere. You have to let readers know you are there.

Will we be seeing a novel from you any time soon?

I hope. I had planned on having The Legend of Graystone Manor out this year, but a computer crash and some other setbacks have slowed progress. I’m back to working on it, although it is taking on a darker theme than I had originally intended. There’s a lot of sex in it too, but horrific sex. In Twilight, you sleep with a Vampire, you get a few bruises and end up pregnant. In mine, you get broken bones and end up dead.

This next question is a thorn in my side, and I know it is an irritant for you as well. I am a very spiritual person, not religious per se, but I have my beliefs. You are a very religious lady and have been attacked for your beliefs. I feel this is very wrong. How do you deal with this? It must be very hard.

It’s difficult. I’m a Christian and I try not to push my beliefs on others, but at the same time I’m not going to hide it. I’ve had some people unfriend me because I’ve had to draw a line. I’m very pro-life and that is something I can’t be quiet about. But I know when I stand up and say abortion is wrong, people are going to take offense. A part of me worries that may hurt sales, but if I was in this just to make money I would probably still be looking for an agent and trying to get on with the Big Six. I have to be true to myself.

The hardest part though comes from other Christians. I write horror and sometimes it is very graphic and lately even erotic. That has some question my commitment. I understand that, but it still hurts when someone you love tells you that your writing glorifies demons.

In regards to the above question: you are a strong lady, and I commend you highly.

Thank you.

You are a tireless worker for your self-pubbed books, but you also give all you have to Visionary Press Cooperative. How do you keep the candle burning on both ends?

It’s difficult and I’m still working it out. I utilize my daughter’s help. She watches her brother for me when I work on a project.

What is your greatest book or story that you have written so far, in your estimation? I know what my favorite is. 😀

The Second Wave: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale.  It’s my first novelette length book and has been edited by Stacey Turner. She rocks and has only helped make it shine. I have another story though coming out at the end of the month that ties into into The Second Wave, I think that may prove to be even better. It’s called Dreams of the Damned and is being included in a collection Jeff and I have collaborated on, Undead Ahead: Zombies.

This is my last question. What is your ultimate goal in life?

I haven’t figure that out yet. I used to think it was to be published. I’ve achieved that. Being famous would be nice, but in general you have to die for that to happen, (starving artist thing) and I’m not too keen on dying yet. I think right now just to do the best that I can, be a good mother and help out who I can along the way. And if I happen to get a little money along the way that would be nice too.

Lisa can be found at http://www.lisamccourthollar.com.

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