Interview with Abe Moss

Author of The Writhing

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How would you describe The Writhing to a new reader?

• I'd say it's a combination of two different kinds of horror stories. I took two sub-genres of horror, two scenarios with their own characters--protagonists and antagonists--and created a situation that forces them together, and you get to see how these characters deal with the chaos they find themselves in. It was a lot of fun to write! Almost like a story-telling experiment as a horror author.

To what extent is The Writhing based on your own experiences?

• Much of it is based purely on my love for horror. There are a lot of personal homages, inspired by horror stories I've adored for a long time. I joke that it's got a little something for everyone who loves horror, but that's kind of what it is.

What are some horror stories that inspired The Writhing?

• There are a lot of inspirations, but a couple definite ones come to mind. I like to describe the book overall as Stephen King's Misery meets John Carpenter's The Thing.

You mention in your bio you love horror books, horror movies, and horror video games. What are you favorites of each?

• Book - 'Salem's Lot
  Movie - Rosemary's Baby
  Video Game - Silent Hill 2

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

• Write as much as you can as often as you can. There's no better way to improve. Don't sit around waiting for a muse. Put yourself in front of the keyboard and write. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Writer's block isn't a reason, it's an excuse. Consistency comes with discipline, not inspiration. It's all up to you!

Why horror?

• I fell in love with horror when I was just a kid, pretty much. My dad let me watch movies no six-year-old kid should be watching, and I absolutely loved them. Almost an addiction! Then I discovered my passion for writing stories around the same age, and the two just went hand in hand ever since.

What kind of experience do you hope to give your readers?

• I want to write horror stories with characters who matter. As much as I love terrifying tales, the LAST thing on my mind when writing a story is killing characters off. If it happens, it happens, but never just for the sake of blood and gore and death. If there's going to be violence, I want it to mean something to the characters. I feel that's where a lot of horror misses the mark. They include blood and guts for the shock of the audience. If my stories contain any blood and guts, it's because the story calls for it, first and foremost, and any description is for the characters themselves. If the reader is going to be shocked, it's gotta be felt vicariously through the characters. They're the most important part of any story.

The Writhing was your first published novel. What were the most important things you learned from it?

• I was just 18 when I wrote The Writhing. I think in a lot of ways it shows, too. This book taught me a lot about discipline as a writer. Prior to finishing it, I was one of those people who started a new story every month and lost interest. I have a lot of unfinished documents in my digital history of books I started writing and never finished. But The Writhing was different. I was determined to finish something, and I did. If I'm being honest, it was a complete mess, that first draft. I learned A LOT about editing thanks to this book. I learned the importance of being ruthless when it comes to your own writing. I edited nearly an entire other novel out of The Writhing--that's how much I removed from it. It's a much different book now than when I first wrote it. I'm 28 now, so it's been ten years, and I feel I've learned a lot since then, and I hope it shows with my subsequent novels. I could have skipped publishing The Writhing (a lot of people believe an author's first few manuscripts are meant for practice only and should never see the light of day) but I wanted to let people read it, so anyone who finds themselves a fan can see where I started and maybe enjoy my growth as a writer right alongside me.

How have readers responded to The Writhing so far?

• To my extreme surprise, I've had a lot of people tell me they absolutely loved it! I've also had a few people tell me they hated it, and that's great too! Haha I entered this pursuit knowing full well I can't please everyone, and truth be told it's the harsh criticism we learn from the most. My writing tendencies have changed a bit in the last several years between my first book and the last couple I published, and I just hope the people who enjoyed the The Writhing are able to enjoy the things I've written later in my journey. My writing style and tastes have changed a little from book to book, but it's all horror and I'm passionate about everything I write, so I hope there's always something for someone to enjoy.

Where next? What are you working on now?

• After The Writhing, I wrote Bathwater Blues, which is a much more personal story for me. It deals with a lot of pretty heavy subject matter, and a lot of it hits pretty close to home. It was a very cathartic book to write. There's a lot of fiction to it, of course, but there's also a lot of myself in the different characters. It's not nearly as fast-paced as my first book was. It's a little more of a slow-burn. Very character-centric and introspective.
  
  After that, I wrote By the Light of His Lantern, which was me wanting to get a little creative and try my hand at tackling some different themes. I'm very proud of that book. I think of my three books, it shows my progress as a writer the most.
  
  Now I'm writing my fourth book, which I hope to release the end of 2019. I told myself when I started writing it "This is going to be a shorter novel for sure. It's going to be much more linear and direct. A, B, C, a very straightforward story" and yet here I am, the book is much longer than I anticipated it being, so it's taken longer than I expected to write. I'm going to have a lot of fun editing this one. But I can't write anything that isn't meaningful to me in some way, and I think that's where this problem arises, where my stories end up being much more involved than I first intended. That's been the case, at least, ever since my 2nd book.
  
  Thanks for reading!

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