An accomplished author and genre novelist, Peggy Christie is continuing to offer her work to fans with plenty of contributions with anthologies or her own collections of genre work. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, her memories of creating several of her past works and some upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Peggy Christie: I started watching horror movies when I was just a kid but I can’t remember if I found it on my own, or maybe my mom put the TV on to keep me quiet, not paying attention to what was playing.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
PC: Horror has always been my favorite. Here in the Detroit area, we had a show every Saturday afternoon called ‘Creature Feature’, hosted by Sir Graves Ghastly. It’s where I was found the Hammer Films of the 50s and 60s, and I fell in love with my first horror crush – Vincent Price. I also remember the first Dracula film I saw with Christopher Lee (“Horror of Dracula” from 1958) and I’ve been a vampire fanatic ever since.
Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?
PC: I hate to admit this, but I was never a big reader growing up. I didn’t start reading horror novels until college. Once I did, I discovered Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I stuck mostly to their stuff until after college. A friend introduced me to Bentley Little in the late 90s, I think, and he has been a huge influence on my writing. I love his style, his ideas, and the way he executes a story.
Me: What was the starting point to become a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
PC: I loved creative writing in 6th grade. After I wrote a couple of gory, slasher-style short stories, however, my teacher forbade me from writing “that kind of thing”. So I stopped. It wasn’t until I was 30, and working as a secretary at an ad agency in Detroit, that I wrote again. I’d had a really shitty day at work and wrote a story about a secretary who is accidentally killed by her jerk boss. He tries to cover it up, then she comes back for revenge. Nothing really new, but it was so cathartic. I wrote a few more stories, exorcising a few more demons, and I’ve been enjoying writing ever since!
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
PC: I don’t think I have a process, per se. I keep blank notebooks all over the house, one specifically just for ideas that might make an interesting story. I do like to write longhand first (because I can’t always be at a computer or iPad or typewriter) then transpose later – at least for short stories. It’s exceedingly difficult for me to stay focused sometimes, though. That’s why I can’t have music playing or the TV on in the background. There’s always something to distract me. Sometimes I just have to shut myself in my office and write, hoping the dog won’t bug me too much for attention!
Me: Having contributed to various anthologies early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?
PC: Writing short-form fiction is very different from long-form. I think being able to hone your skills to deliver the most impact in a smaller amount of words gives a writer a good base to start from when attempting longer works.
Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?
PC: What I’ve done in the past is simply research which markets/publishing houses are looking for story submissions for anthologies. It’s easy to find markets now, with the internet and social media (not like in the OLD DAYS when you had to get a book that referenced open markets, which changed every six months). There are websites dedicated to open calls, Facebook pages for various markets looking for contributors, even Instagram and Twitter will share links and images for upcoming projects.
Me: How did you settle on the stories for your first anthology 'Hell Hath No Fury?'
PC: For the first edition, I simply submitted all the stories I had at the time. I wanted some of my previously published works to get some more love, and the news ones just needed to get out of the house. When the book was picked up for a reprint by my current publisher (Dragons Roost Press), I had a couple new stories that I absolutely loved and wanted to include. Luckily, DRP is really open to working with their authors on every aspect of publication.
Me: Was there any part of your real self injected into the characters?
PC: ALL. THE. TIME. I think it’s nearly impossible for any author to NOT write a little bit of themselves into their works.
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process to having it published?
PC: A friend of mine told me about the small press looking for collective works from single authors. So I sent an email query to find out some more details. It was basically a one-man show, so I worked with him the whole way through, though I can’t remember who first suggested the cover artist (Luke Spooner). When that small press closed, I got in touch with DRP. And like I said before, they involved their authors in every step of the process.
Me: Your novelette, 'A Fistful of Dead Folk,' was co-written with David C. Hayes. What was the collaboration between you two like? How did everything come together for you two to work together?
PC: I’ve known David for a while now. He originally worked on the screenplay for Fistful when it was going to be a movie. When the movie part fell through, he contacted me to help rewrite a large chunk of the story and make it a novelette. We’d send the story back and forth through email, throwing suggestions and edits, until we were both happy with it. I actually love collaborating with David because we both have rather ridiculous senses of humor.
Me: Later on, your first novel, 'The Vessel,' involved a character targeted by a special group of vampires. Where did the inspiration for this one come from? Where there any unique stories about writing it?
PC: Vampires are my absolute favorite supernatural creatures. But there are already so many great stories and movies about them, so I had to come up with something unique. I remember discussing energy vampires with someone but in the context of referring to a regular person who just sucks the life out of everything because he/she is just so negative. That made me wonder if the supernatural, blood-sucking vampires took electromagnetic energy from their victims instead. And it just spiraled out from there.
I do remember having my best friend edit the first draft. She was always a great writer in school, and at the time, she was working for a print magazine, so I asked for her help. She’s not into horror, but I thought that would make her more objective. And believe me, just because we are friends didn’t mean she sugar-coated anything for me. And thanks to her fresh eyes, she caught several gaping plot holes and storyline inconsistencies.
Me: How did moving from short story to full-length novel challenge your writing skills?
PC: Big time. I actually wrote a novella before my novel, and that took me three years. I had to learn how to push the story, without padding it, beyond the short form and still be interesting and engaging. By the time I got to the novel, I had a better idea of flow and structure, so it only took half the time.
Me: As well, you’re also involved with the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers as a secretary. How did you become involved with the society?
PC: I’m actually one of the founding members. I was in a Michigan horror writing group before GLAHW, and like a lot of organizations involving more than one person, it imploded. A few of us from that group started GLAHW. I’ve held several board positions in the group (Secretary being the longest) but right now I’m what we simply call a Member of the Board - not quite as hands-on as before, but I still love being a part of the organization.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
PC: I actually wrote another novel and am trying to find a home for it. The most recent work I had published, though, is an illustrated novelette called Plague of Man: SS of the Dead. My friend, Don England, and I put that out at the end of last year. I wrote the story and he did the artwork. Basically, it’s about a young boy trying to survive in a WWII concentration camp by assisting a mad doctor with his medical experiments (aka making zombies). We created Plague Doctors in this story who are witnesses to humanity and are watching all of this go down. We’re hoping it will be the first in a new series about Plague Doctors and their place throughout history.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
PC: Don’t let anyone tell you who you’re supposed to be, or what you can or cannot do in this industry because you’re a woman. If you’ve got it in you to tell a story, film a movie, create special effects, write music, or any other aspect in the world of horror, then do it. The way we can change the perception of those who only see women in one dimension is to get out there and demonstrate our ability, our know-how, and most of all, our passion.
This interview ran as part of our Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews about the occasion:
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