Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Interview With One Buck Horror



So, first of all, why don't you introduce your publication to the readers.  Also feel free to tell us about yourselves (Chris and Kris).

One Buck Horror is an ebook anthology series that features four to six short stories in each volume for the price of just one dollar. Volumes are available at Amazon and BarnesAndNoble.com, and will be available in other markets soon. We plan to release new volumes every month.
We’re both native to the Chicago area and live there still.  We met at a Halloween party 13 years ago and have been together ever since.  We have two small sons who are already showing signs of incipient geekiness through their love of animation, Star Wars and video games.  Chris is a writer whose stories are often horror and occasionally science fiction.  Kris is an avid reader who used to average five new books per week until we had children.
What about One Buck Horror makes it stand out in comparison to similar publications?

We’re aiming to reach as broad an audience as possible with One Buck Horror.  The stories we publish aren’t necessarily just for horror aficionados.  We think that anyone who likes a good scare could pick up one of our volumes and find something they’ll enjoy.  We also believe in supporting our contributing authors as much as possible, from paying professional rates to giving our authors space on our site to talk about their work.

What's your idea of the perfect horror short story? Any examples?

Chris: For me, the perfect horror story has to start by being scary. I know that sounds kind of obvious, but we see a lot of stories that are creepy or weird without being scary, and that's not really horror. Beyond that, it should have characters that I care about, or at the very least intrigue me. And it should be surprising on some level.  I love stories that take me somewhere I've never been before, or make me think about the world in different ways.
Kris: My favorite horror story is “The October Game” by Ray Bradbury.  It’s haunting in the best sort of way.  That story and those characters will be with me forever.  In general, a perfect horror story is one that grips me early on, does not let go and I find myself thinking about it hours or days later after I’ve finished reading it.
Excellent. I agree on the first point especially. If it's just weird, or creepy, then it's weird fiction. What's your favorite horror book?

Chris: That's a tough call.  Stephen King's "The Stand" is one of my all-time favorites, along with "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley. A new favorite is "World War Z" by Max Brooks.
Kris: My favorite is Interview with the Vampire.  I read this in paperback when I was nine years old and it warped my young mind irrevocably.  It showed me how beautifully subtle horror writing can be in addition to its being absolutely terrifying.
Kris, you and I share the same favorite. Next question, though. How did you decide to get into horror as a hobby business?

Horror has been a passion of ours since we were both kids.  So, publishing an anthology is a way to merge our avocation with our vocation (to borrow shamelessly from Robert Frost).  We both feel that this was a natural next step for us given our individual skill sets: Chris in writing, web development and editing; Kris in reading voraciously and data management.

Would you like to briefly introduce your website to us?

Our site is www.onebuckhorror.com.  We post news about our current volume and upcoming volumes there.  You can also subscribe to our newsletter, connect with us on Twitter or Facebook, find our submissions guidelines and learn more about our contributors.  Our website is also the only method for submitting a story to us. Come and visit us!

What kind of writers does One Buck Horror accept its submissions from?

We’re open to receiving submissions from new writers and established writers alike.
How old were you when you first became fascinated with horror?

Chris: I've loved horror for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I'd watch The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits on Saturday afternoons. I had Poe's "The Raven" memorized at age nine, and I started reading Stephen King not too long after that. It's just always been a part of who I am.
Kris: I think I was about five or six when I saw “The Omega Man” on television with my older siblings. I remember not really understanding all the action but being thrilled by it in a very primal way and not being able to stop watching.   That feeling I had while watching it is something I love to recapture in all good horror whatever the medium.
Any final thoughts? Additional plugs? Anything else you want to get off your chest?

Yes, I’d like to get this dybbuk off my chest, can you help me out? :-)

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