feng shui assassin

On his whirlwind tour of the internet, JA Konrath is promoting his latest work ‘Afraid’ with a whistlestop visit to as many blogs as will have him in the month of March. Released on the 31st March (in the USA) ‘Afraid’ is a dark, disturbing and utterly delicious horror novel written under the pseudonym Jack Kilborn (see what he did there? A surname to evoke murder and innocence - and to superbly place him next to ‘King’ on the bookshelves! Oh, the man is canny, give him that).

JA Konrath has a hugely popular blog - A Newbie’s guide to Publishing - wherein he offers tonnes of freebie’s alongside his blogging nuggets of wisdom - and today he visit’s feng shui assassin to impart some of that writerly wisdom. Welcome Joe . . .

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Q: Your new book, Afraid, is a horror novel that deals with isolation and terror - what are the subjects that most make you scared - and as a writer how do you go about tapping in to those emotions for the page?’

A: Thanks for having me here, Ady. While Afraid have been available in the UK in a hardcover edition for several months, it won’t be released in the US until March 31.

So far, people either love it, or hate it. But pretty much everyone thinks there’s something wrong with me for writing a book so frightening.

The feelings we associate with fear–increased pulse, hyperventilating, sweaty palms, hair standing up on edge–are hardwired into our genetic code. While real fear can be incapacitating, reading a book or watching a movie is a safe type of fear. The popularity of horror media, and Halloween, which in the US is second only to Christmas in terms of consumer spending, attests to this fact.

With my novel, Afraid, I tried to include situations that touched on everyone’s worst fears; fire, drowning, being chased, the dark, claustrophobia, pain, death, losing a loved one, being separated from your family, etc.

To evoke fear in the reader, I use a three part process.

First, I establish the threat for the reader.

Second, I establish the threat for the character.

Third, I escalate the situation and put more pressure on the character, and in doing so, cause more fear to build up in the reader.

If I did my job correctly, the reader keeps reading to see what happens next, even though they are frightened to do so.

Of course, some people don’t like to be scared, even when it is all pretend. The book is provoking a lot of extreme reactions, and some folks point to the high levels of gore gratuitous violence.

I find this fascinating, because Afraid isn’t gratuitous. While horrifying things happen in the book, I don’t describe them in any real detail. I certainly don’t linger on them. The violence isn’t there to titillate prurient interest, or gross people out.

I use just enough words for the reader to imagine the scene, then leave it alone. But it seems to be too much for some people.

Afraid also has some heart. It isn’t nihilistic torture-porn. It contains scenes of love, and bravery, and redemption, and hopefully there are a few places where the reader will cheer.

Did I go to far? You’ll have to judge for yourself…

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Thank you Joe, and because I was so intrigued at the premise I hopped onto the nearest online retailer and bought ‘Afraid’ by Jack Kilborn.

Afraid - a review. (some spoilers)

Nestled in the woods of Wisconsin lies the small town of Safe Haven. Miles from anywhere this town lived up to it’s name - until, that is, a helicopter crash on the outskirts of the sleepy town unleashes a manmade horror upon this peaceful location. The Army have reprogrammed serial killers with razor-edge military skills under the operation title ‘Red-Ops’. Five of these red-ops have survived the crash and head towards Safe Haven, intent on fulfilling their programming in the most bloody, horrific and terrifying way possible.

From the get-go, this novel relentlessly pursues your last nerve as it cuts a bloody swathe through the town. The horribly inventive and evil way the five create maximum terror and confusion is countered only by the few who fight back, albeit through sheer panic or selfless thought for a loved one. I particularly enjoyed the secondary characters, doomed though they may have been, as their oh-so-human flaws often led them to the jaws of gruesome death.

This is not a book for the fainthearted. It tells just enough to let your imagination fill in the gaps - and sometimes carries on regardless. It is a scary thriller, a horror in the bloody vein, and a damn good read! If you’re in the UK – go buy one now. If you’re in the US – you just have to wait til the 31st March.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 11:05 pm and is filed under guest blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.