The Literary Vixen presents…
Joining us today is Heather Elizabeth King! Her Bridgeport Mysteries series is available now.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always been a storyteller. I used to tell stories to my friends when I was a kid. I’d act them out and make them up as I went along. I wrote my first screenplay when I was around 14. It was a sequel to Goonies. I didn’t have the epiphany that I could choose writing as a career until I was 22. I wrote my first novel then, but it was awful. I’m a musician, too. I decided to give music a real try and stopped writing. I didn’t seriously pursue it until I was around 31. Crazy, I know. I wish I would have at 22!
What about the horror genre interests you?
I love scary stories. Especially supernatural mysteries. The stories you read where a family moves into a beautiful old home, fall in love with it, except…it’s haunted. Now they have to find out what’s haunting them and how to get rid of it. Those stories are my favorite. I’m a sucker for most mysteries, but give me ghosts, monsters, and a good mystery and I’m hooked. I started writing horror and dark fiction instead of straight mysteries because I love the freedom of horror. You can create anything and take your readers on whatever journey you want to take them on. You’re not limited by the real world. As a writer, that’s an extraordinary gift.
What was the first horror/story you remember reading?
I suppose Interview with the Vampire is considered horror, because of all the vampires. That was the first vampire fiction I read. That book made me a book lover. After that, I consumed Dean Koontz books. Dean Koontz had a gift for creating scenarios where you weren’t sure what the bad guy was. A supernatural entity, a human with dark magic abilities, a scientific experiment. That’s part of what made his books so much fun. You were never sure who or what the big baddie was. It really kept you guessing.
Do you ever come up with anything so wild that you scare yourself, that leaves you wondering where that came from?
I never wonder where they came from. I have five older sisters and have been watching horror since I was in the single digits! However, I have written scenes that legitimately scared me. I’ve had to stop writing at night and wait till daytime to finish some scenes. That’s usually a sign that I’m on the right track!
Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so who? And what makes them so special.
It would probably surprise people who’ve read my books that my favorite is not Remy from Doomsday or Zoey from The Bridgeport Mysteries. My favorite is actually Barb, the heroine from The Thing Beneath the Stairs. She’s the first mom I’ve written as a heroine. She was the first time that I was in the head of a character whose motivations did not revolve around herself. She has two sons and they direct every decision she makes. I loved being in her head and trying to figure out what she would do if given the deal she had been given.
Do you ever research real events, legends, or myths to get ideas?
Yes. That’s one of the things I love about writing. It gives you license to be a complete learning nerd. Right now, I’m researching monsters and monster folklore for the third Bridgeport Mysteries book. Zoey finds out there’s a whole monster society that exists on the fringes of society. I’m in the process of populating the monster society.
Do you look to your own phobias to find subject matter? Are your stories the products of nightmares, childhood experiences, fantasies?
No. I’m not at a point where I want to spend that much time with my own phobias. I keep them tucked away where I can’t see them. Same goes with scary childhood experiences.
What is one stereotype about horror authors is absolutely wrong? What one stereotype is dead on?
Wrong – That we’re creepy, scary people. As a reader, horror authors are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I can only guess it’s because we don’t hide our darkness. We put it on the page and sell it!
Right – I may kill you in a book/make you my villain. There are some very real people in my life who have ended up in my books. Some have even inspired villains.
Do you have any fun Halloween experiences you can share with us?
For years I wanted to go all out decorating for Halloween. I’d never been able to, though, because I’d always lived in apartments. I brought a house back in 2014. My first Halloween in that house was the Halloween of 2015 and I went all out. I put a graveyard in my front yard with zombies crawling out of their graves (or trying to). There was a bloody handprint path to my front door, and I transformed the nice table and chairs on my front porch where I ate breakfast in the summer into a spot for zombies. I made two zombies and sat them in the chairs. They were complete with clothes, scary faces, and missing limbs. That Halloween there were a few kids who wouldn’t come to my door. They sent their parents for candy. But I’ll always remember one little boy. He came to my door and was grinning at me. He said, “You look like you had fun decorating.” I laughed and said that I had.
What advice would you give to other authors?
Don’t stop to edit until your first draft is finished. So many would-be authors never finish their books because they spend years trying to make the first three chapters perfect. Just finish the first draft. Just get the story down. You can edit it later.
What is the one thing you want people to know about you and your books?
I truly love telling stories. There are so many more stories in me. I hope readers keep reading.
Thank you Heather Elizabeth King for chatting with me! I will include her information down below. Check out her Bridgeport Mysteries today!
~Synopsis~
An ancient manuscript. A dead ex. One last chance to take control of her life.
The only plan Zoey Matthews had that day was to take the first step in putting her life together after her husband left her for a younger woman. But her plans for a fresh start are sent spiraling out of control when the ghost of her murdered husband shows up in her swanky new loft. What would you do? If you’re Zoey Matthews, you don’t celebrate the fact that the philandering bastard is dead, you set out to prove you didn’t kill him.
The list of suspects seems endless. Was it one of the nearly adolescent girls he’d been sleeping with behind Zoey’s back? Maybe it was the sinister friend who dabbles in black magic? It could have been the pair of clueless thugs on the hunt for a missing artifact that they think Zoey has. A sexy and all too appealing celebrity artist new to town is on the suspect list, too. Last of all, the stuffy town mayor? If she doesn’t figure it out soon, she may be next.
Zoey Matthews, the Undead Ghost, and the Demon is the first book in an urban fantasy series that features surprising plot twists, dark supernatural entities, sexy male characters, and a female protagonist who may not kick ass, but you could totally see yourself having a beer with her.
Get your copy of Zoey Matthews, the Undead Ghost, and the Demon today to read about Zoey’s first journey into the supernatural.
NOTE: This book was previously released in 2015
~Synopsis~
Could you face your greatest fear?
The holiday season is in full swing and the only thing Zoey wants to do is get to know her new boyfriend better. But when a ghost shows up at her loft with the name of her killer on her lips, Zoey knows she’s being pulled into another mystery. This one is more puzzling than the last. According to police, the woman died of natural causes, but people who were nearby claim to have heard the victim screaming for help before she died. When a second body turns up, killed in the same manner, Zoey knows Bridgeport has another killer on its hands.
Helping Zoey get to the bottom of things are a meddling ghost, a paranormal investigator, and Zoey’s two best girlfriends. When Zoey finds herself in the crosshairs of the killer, she knows time is running out.
Zoey Matthews, the Unwanted Ghost, and the Cursed Manuscript is the second book in an urban fantasy series that features an engaging mystery, a cast of supernatural characters, a few alluring men, and a heroine who may be afraid of ghosts, but still manages to get the job done.
Get your copy of Zoey Matthews, the Unwanted Ghost, and the Cursed Manuscript today to continue your journey with Zoey into the supernatural.
Warning: Contains adult language, a bit of sex, and a few really creepy characters
Heather Elizabeth King is the author of dark fiction. She writes urban fantasy, horror, and paranormal romance. Heather has been a story teller for most of her life. Some of her favorite memories are of telling stories to her girlfriends at slumber parties when she was a pre-teen.
She is a graduate of the Writer’s Digest class, Focus on the Novel and has been a panelist at several writing conferences. She’s also given presentations at various paranormal conventions.
Most days Heather can be found at her laptop working on her next book.
Heather loves to hear from readers (and potential readers). Reach out to her at her links down below.
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