Joseph Mulak contributed ""Wounds"" to the anthology.
Where did you come up with your anthology idea?
I'm not really sure. I initially had come up with an idea for a story intended for an anthology called "Appalachian Holiday Hauntings". Mainly, the story had to set around Christmas and be in the Appalachians. In an attempt to be different from everyone else who submitted stories, I set mine in Canada. I figured everyone else would set their stories in the Appalachian states. It seems many people don't realize the Appalachians also run through Canada. Specifically, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. I remembered a small little town in Nova Scotia called Ingonish that I visited as kid with my family, and vaguely remembered the Apps being nearby, so I chose to set the story there. I then came up with a couple who would be having some sort of argument unaware of a creature moving slowly toward their house. This was the basis for the story. The rest occurred to me as I wrote it. This story really surprised me, because there tends to be a lot of humour in my stories, but this one had no room for any humour in it. This is one of the more serious pieces I've written.
How long did it take for you to put together your story?
A very long time, really. When I wrote the first draft, I sent it out to a writer friend of mine who read it then sent me an email saying, "So what?" This story doesn't mean anything and the ending really doesn't have any significance to the story. There's nothing here." Okay, that's not exactly what he said, but it's the gist of it. So, I had to revamp it and rewrite. I sent it off to the editors for the Apps Holiday antho, and it got rejected. So, I revamped a lot more, changed a bunch of stuff until it was much better than it had been before. All total, I first began to write this story in August of 2009 and I finished it December 2009.
Why did you submit your MoH story - was it one you have had for a while or one that you put together especially for the Anthology?
Well, it was one I put together specifically for another anthology, really. I changed it with this anthology in mind, but the story pretty much just came to me as I wrote it. When I started I had the two main characters and the setting.
What research / preparation did you do for your story?
Since the story originally had to be in the Appalachian Mountains and I wanted it set in Canada, I spent a lot of time researching the best area. Turns out, I had one in my memory from vacations as a kid. Since my father is originally from Nova Scotia, we travelled there a lot in the summers. The town of Ingonish is where I intended the story to take place, and then I did a lot of research on the mountains in that specific area. White Hill was the mountain I decided to place the starting point of the creature that would make his way to the town.
Why do you write horror? What is the fascination in it for you?
I blame my mother for my love of horror. I was never allowed to watch horror movies as a kid, but I always wanted to since my friends got to see them. I was probably about 11 years old when I got to see my first horror movie (Nightmare on Elm Street) at a friend's house. I remember walking home that night and how scared I was. I loved it. I love the feeling of being frightened because it tends to heighten all of your senses. I love that feeling. My mother is also responsible for buying me my first horror novel, which was Stephen King's "The Dead Zone". I was probably 11 or 12 at the time and I was hooked on horror literature from then on.
How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first short story that I was really proud of in Grade 8. It was called "Lost And Found" and my teacher chose it to be read in front of the entire school. My first horror story was written in grade 10. I don't remember what I called it, but it was actually a rip off of "The Dead Zone". The first story I wrote that I was proud of was called "Confessions Of The Paranoid Man", which was written when I was 16. This was during the time I discovered Poe, and the story was very much along the same lines as what he wrote.
Is writing your full time thing, or do you have a day job? What is it?
Well, writing full-time is the dream, but until that happens I do have a day job. I am a security guard in a psychiatric hospital.
Why do you write?
I write because I can't see myself not writing. I love to tell stories and I love to see people's reactions to stories I've written.
What are you currently working on?
Way too much. I currently have one story still in the editing stage, two more that are in the first draft phase, and two more that are currently subbed out. I also have a YA fantasy novel that I'm writing for my kids, which is called "Serena's Lullaby" and I am outlining a horror/comedy novel that is tentatively called "Kitty".
So tell us something else about yourself.
Well, I live in the city of North Bay, Ontario. I'm 30 years old and married. I have four children and a cat that is aptly named Lucifer. I enjoy writing horror and fantasy but I have also written some mainstream stuff plus I have an idea for a Sci-Fi novel that I may write in the future. I have a pretty morbid sense of humour, which tends to creep up in my writing, and a lot of it comes out as horror/comedy, which suits me just fine since there doesn't seem to be enough of it in horror literature. I'm also an avid reader. I read an average of 2-3 books a week. More lately because I read at work (unless my boss is reading this, then I don't).
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