Hey Survivor,
So I’m alive, I know, it’s been forever. Life has been really lifing, and while everything is gonna work out, it’s the waiting game for everything to come back together. Some things to look forward to this month: we have some new SHOP DEAD designs for you to check out. A look at my latest short story, “The Flavor of Death,” and vlogs (Maybe I’m not a camera person, but I’m trying.) All that is coming, but today, what I have for you is even better than my big head on a screen. I got to fire off some questions to Horror author Felix I.D. Dimaro talks about his latest projects and his thoughts on horror.
Enjoy the interview.
Welcome to The Den, a post-apocalyptic hideout for all my survivors. Thank you for taking the time to do this little Q&A. Let the survivors know who you are and what you’re about.
I am an author of all things dark. I mainly write horror, sci-fi, speculative fiction, and urban fantasy. My stories are often allegories for mental struggle, social structures, and the relationship between morality and societal expectations. Being born in Nigeria, raised in Canada, and writing for a mostly American and British audience, I’m all about showing new and unique perspectives to issues that are overlooked or underappreciated. And while that might sound heavy, my books contain humour and heart.
Can you give us a sneak peek into your latest book in just a few sentences? Leave the survivors hanging!
My latest book, a novelette called, “In the Darkness, Eyes and Teeth” is a mixture of grief horror and science fiction. It centers around a rich, constantly inebriated housewife who can’t get over the death of her beloved cat, Padme, so she has her cat cloned. The new Padme is almost the same as her deceased pet, except for some unexpected changes to her appetite…
What was the lightning bolt moment that inspired you to write this book?
In the Darkness, Eyes and Teeth was inspired by the legendary singer and actress Barbra Streisand. I didn’t realize pet cloning was an entire industry until I heard about Barbra Streisand’s two cloned dogs on a sports podcast of all things (The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz). Her clones were created from the genetic material of her deceased dog. Strange as it sounds, you can have your dog or cat cloned for as little as fifty thousand American dollars.
What gives you the chills, but everyone else thinks is no big deal?
Mosquitos. I know they are viewed as mainly a pesky nuisance to most people, but mosquitos really are sinister creatures. They drink your blood without you even noticing (at least a vampire is polite enough to let you know they’re consuming some of you). And then, after getting away with the crime, they make sure you itch just so you know that they were there. Nefarious. And, if you’re really unlucky, they’ll leave you with West Nile Virus, Yellow Fever, Zika, or any of several other disturbing diseases. They are truly evil, horrible creatures.
Can you share four spine-tingling reads from your all-time favorite horror authors?
This is always a tough question for me to answer, mainly because I don’t have many all-time favourite horror authors. I’ve spent the last several years branching away from Stephen King (who is my favourite author) and trying to expand what I read a bit more. So, in addition to my favourite King story, I’ve included a few standout stories I have been fortunate enough to read as I try to discover other favourite authors.
The Dark Tower by Stephen King (I’m counting this entire series as one story) – This series is not only a truly special adventure, it literally saved my life.
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk – This book isn’t advertised as horror, but it is horrifyingly brilliant. And it changed the way I look at writing.
The Ruins by Steve Smith – One of the few books I’ve loved enough to read more than once.
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma – If you’re looking for horror from a foreign perspective that you can still relate to and be touched by, this is the book to go to. This is Nigerian fiction at its finest, and brilliantly dark fiction in general.
And how about four must-reads from some fresh, new voices in horror that our readers need to know about?
I have always been hesitant to use the term “must-read” just because reading is so subjective, and opinions are so varied, but these are the stories from indie/self-published authors that have stuck with me over the years.
Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke – This is one of the first indie books I read, and my favourite indie book to date.
A Haunt of Travels by A.W. Mason – A versatile and original collection of horror stories that stands out amongst the indie collections I have read.
Outrage Level 10 by Lucy Leitner – More satire than scary, the horror in this one centers around humanity, and how we might treat each other in the not-too-distant future.
Stitches by Sylvester Barzey – I’m not blowing smoke with this selection; Stitches is probably my favourite indie collection to date.
Lastly, where can the survivors find you?
I’m mostly on Instagram: @thingsthatkeepmeupatnight or Substack:
And, of course, you can check out the reviews of my books and interact with me on Goodreads.Felix is excellent, and I didn’t pay him to suggest Stitches; that was a surprise to me, too. While you should check out his latest book, you should also check out his past titles because he is fantastic at his craft.
But that’s all I got for you today. As always, stay safe, stay woke, and stay alive!
Until the Next Nightmare,
As always looking forward to your upcoming works. Thanks for introducing us to Mr. Dimaro, downloaded a couple of his books to check him out.
Thank you for the great interview! 🙌🏾