D.M. Guay: Horror Author Q&A—“My goal is to hope like hell it will make readers laugh.”
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“I’m still here. Knock on wood.”
The horror comedy author reveals her background as a fan, explains her process writing the right kinds of funny horror stories, and shares her medical situation…
Today Monster Complex shares our interview with D.M. Guay, whose 24/7 Demon Mart horror-comedy series is for fans of David Wong, Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt, Christopher Moore, and A. Lee Martinez. If you love Exorcist-level demon vomit, brooding Lovecraftian hell monsters, and plenty of laughs, these novels are for you.
A horror fan who loves stand-up comedy, Guay mish-mashes her love of all that’s scary/gory/geeky/funny into stories about creeps and critters, ghouls and ghosts, and all of the unseemly things that go bump in the night.
The latest book in the 24/7 Demon Mart series is Revenge of the Furballs: A vampire vs werewolf horror comedy (24/7 Demon Mart Book #5):
One loser, one talking cockroach, and one karate-chopping bombshell stand between YOU and a menacing army of...fat, adorable hamsters? Wait. Back up. Can Lloyd and the Demon Mart crew maintain the delicate balance that holds the magical community together? Or will the entire neighborhood—and Lloyd’s life—fall apart? And where the hell are all these hamsters are coming from?
In the interview below, Guay shares her favorite things about the section of the genre she writes, why she prefers supernatural stories (which involve not-humans), and the deal with her engaging monster comedy newsletter.
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D.M. Guay | Horror Author Q&A | Monster Complex Author Questions
Q: How do you explain your unique spin on monster fiction?
Do I have a unique spin? Lol. Maybe? Maybe not. I write horror comedy—Monsters, with laughs—which has always been a robust subgenre in horror culture, particularly in film.
It’s a well-worn path, so I have a lot of good models to draw from. Thankfully! Because I do draw from them a lot.
I love horror. I love supernatural monsters. I love stories about normal people interacting with big, supernatural things, and I really love campy low budget B movies.
My goal is to successfully mishmash all of that into book form, and then hope like hell it will make readers laugh. If people laugh, I have succeeded.
Q: What inspired you to go in this direction?
I am a huge horror geek, and I have been since I was teeny. But I didn’t start writing fiction until 2017. I had a career in journalism before that, writing very serious things, so serious I sometimes had to wear suits and hang out in Federal courthouses.
But then, life threw a big curveball at me, and I had to change direction. In December 2017, I was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 kidney cancer and given six months to live. (Spoiler: Five years later, I’m still here. Knock on wood.)
I was too sick to keep up with the constant deadlines in journalism. So in that very dark moment, I decided to quit, and to spend what time I had left writing something for my friends and family. I wanted to leave something behind that would make them laugh and say, “This is so Denise.”
That was horror comedy, which probably sounds weird to normies, but in my universe, it makes total sense. My mom and sister are big campy horror fans, so it’s a family hobby.
And even though I do love and watch serious horror, I have always been drawn to the stories with humor. Gore and a scare, with a wink and a nod, a la Evil Dead 2. So when I felt well enough, I started writing the first 24/7 Demon Mart. I had no idea so many people would like it. It’s been quite the nice surprise.
But to anyone who knows me in real life, it makes sense. When I’m going through the worst things, I make jokes. When I’m hurting the most, I make jokes. Because laughing makes everything easier. Death, monsters, hardship. I mean, seriously. Life is long. Life is hard. How are we gonna get through it all without a sense of humor?
Q: When and how did you become interested in writing your brand of monster stories?
Honestly, I should have started writing horror years ago. Looking back, it seems like the obvious choice for me. The signs were there early on, but I ignored them, because I wanted to have a “serious” writing career. Boring, right?
But I was destined to end up where I am now.
My grandpa Ray was a gravedigger. Every year, I would visit his tent at the county fair, where he also sold headstones. Sometimes, I would visit him in the cemetery when he was digging graves. (He did it by hand with a shovel. No backhoe!)
All of this was normal. Occasionally, he would tell us about strange things that had happened around the cemetery and in the house there, even though he wasn't really the kind of guy who put much stock in ghosts. But it was totally ghosts.
My mom grew up in the house in the middle of the cemetery where grandpa worked. She loves horror, and no, I do not know if these two things are related. But I do know she would take me and my sister to the theater to see all kinds of scary stuff. And if our TV was on, it was tuned into something weird. Tales from the Crypt. Tales from the Darkside. Creepshow. The Addams Family. Beetlejuice. Pet Sematary. Fright Night. Saturday the 14th. Evil Dead 2. Return of the Living Dead. Nightmare on Elm Street. Hellraiser. That’s the stuff that was always on at my house.
Plus, the bookshelf was ninety percent Stephen King. I didn’t mind, because I liked this stuff, too.
Of course, I thought everybody lived like this, because I didn’t know anything else. Add in that I grew up in the woods, outside a small town in rural Ohio, in a very Catholic family—Catholicism has a lot of magical elements and is full of horror. Have you read Lives of the Saints? Holy crap. It’s gory—and how could I possibly end up anywhere else? Honestly, I wish I had embraced this path earlier!
Q: What are your favorite things about the section of the genre you occupy?
The most exciting thing about horror comedy right now is seeing more fan geeks like me writing and releasing books in this space. I really love this. I get very excited when I see a cover on a new book and it looks like a B movie poster, or one of the old 70s and 80s paperback pulp horror novels that used to be everywhere. I love seeing hardcore fans writing for other hardcore fans.
Q: What are your “monster story” pet peeves (that you’ve seen other storytellers do)?
I don’t know that I have any? Other than bad story structure, but that applies to all stories.
Seriously, I don’t care if it’s a book or a movie, just do it well. Make me care about the characters. Give it a real story. Deliver on the stuff you’ve set up in the beginning. Make it all make sense. And don’t you dare throw a deus ex machina at me in the end! Pay attention to craft.
And yes, I know this sounds easy. But it’s really, really hard to do. I know I’ve made plenty of story mistakes. That’s why I can forgive a lot as long as the maker has put in the effort to try to tell a good story.
Q: What do YOU look for in a good monster story?
Honestly, I prefer supernatural stories. Creature features. Cryptids. Something involving not-humans.
Yeah, yeah. I know. Slashers, serial killers, and other human monsters are a staple in horror. Mad respect. No hate from me. But I personally do not prefer those kinds of stories, probably because they’re too real. I mean, I see real people doing monstrous things to each other in real life every time I read the news.
So if I’m spending leisure time on something, I want it to have a magical element. Or be funny. Or have a twist. I want to experience something super-natural, in the literal sense of the word. It’s more fun for me. Give me a mothman, a lagoon creature, a kaiju, a Frankenstein, a ghoul, or a good ghost story, and I am all in.
Q: What are your favorite things about being an independent author?
This is a decision I put a lot of thought into, and I could talk about for days. But the gist is, I don’t like the direction traditional publishing contracts are moving in. Too much of a rights grab for too little in return, IMHO.
Also, with the terminal cancer diagnosis, I didn’t have two years to spend jumping through hoops trying to get an agent or book deal, because I could literally drop dead any second. I wanted to write books and get them out there before I took my eternal dirt nap.
It turned out to be a very good decision for me. I like that I own and control my intellectual property. I like being able to make decisions about pricing, promotions, covers, rights licensing, and all the things that come with being an indie author. I like being in charge of my destiny, because ultimately, nobody cares about your book or your career more than you do.
This path is not for everyone, though. There’s a huge learning curve. And you have to handle the business side as well as the creative.
If you’re someone who is entrepreneurial and is comfortable with that, it can be great. I worked as a freelance journalist for years before this, so I already knew how to treat writing as a small business. So indie fiction wasn’t that big of a leap for me. Except now I don’t have to wear a suit, which is awesome.
Q: What advice do you have for other authors who want to get their writing out to readers?
Butt in seat, hands on keyboard? Lol. But not lol. You have to finish the story first and foremost. It sounds basic, but so many people never finish.
Of course, once you have the story in hand, that isn’t the end. It’s the beginning. Spoiler: There’s always more work!
You have to educate yourself about craft and the business. You need to learn from reputable sources and sort through the sea of crap advice that's out there. (Like YouTube videos promising instant KDP riches.) There is no fast, easy, get-rich-quick way in publishing.
Ultimately, you need to produce work you are proud of. You need to understand there is no one path to success. There are many paths. (I recommend Jane Friedman’s handy Paths to Publication PDF for a quick overview of the industry. )
And you have to accept that you can do all the right things and still not “make it.”
I don’t want to discourage anyone. I say this because I want to be frank.
Honestly, this is an exciting time to be an author. You can build your career any way you want. It’s pick and mix out there. You can be traditionally published, small press, and indie all at the same time. Each book or story you write is a chance to try something new.
You have to write, and you have to improve, and you have to learn the business. You have to do your homework. And beware: As soon as you have a book and a dream, the sharks start circling. Scammers are everywhere, and they can look very professional and very slick. So be cautious and always check up on everything. Writer Beware is your friend.
Q: What are the best ways for fans to keep track of what you’re writing (and related author news)?
If you want to keep up on new releases and in person events, or want to see all my books in one spot, my website is the best place: DMGuay.com.
If you want to chat with me and other fiends/fans about movies and books and general horror fan stuff, my private facebook group, DM Guay’s Horror Comedy Corner, is the way to go.
If you want the latest updates from me, AND you want my personal recommendations for horror comedy books and movies, Monsters in your Inbox, is the spot. I send an email once a month, and it includes weird news stories, too. Warning. There are lot of mummies in it. Because archeologists won’t stop opening the darned mummies! Hello? Curse! If you want to sign up, here is the link. You also get a couple of free 24/7 Demon Mart short stories and my Guide to B horror movies.
Q: I *love* your author email newsletter “magazine” format. What inspired you to go in this direction?
A. That means a lot to me. It really does. Most people don't think of signing up for an email as “fun.” So if you do, I must be doing something right.
B. I don’t think I could help myself? I worked as a magazine editor and photographer early in my journalism career. Plus, my first job out of college was as a graphic designer. I have always loved art-heavy visual formats. My brain just works that way. Of course, all the advice out there says not to do this. All the experts say plain text emails without graphics are better, but what fun is that?
And really, at the end of the day, I want it to be fun and look good. I understand that an email address is a precious thing. No one likes to get spammed, so I take it very seriously when someone chooses to give their email to me. I want to make it worth their time. I want people to look forward to getting Monsters in your Inbox.
Q: How do you determine what stuff to talk about in it?
The vast majority of people sign up after reading one of my books, so I already know we have a few things in common. We both like horror comedy. We both like to read books about monsters. And they probably like movies that are so bad they’re great. We’re geeks of a feather, which makes it really easy to find things to talk about.
Monsters in your Inbox is like the pre-internet days. We all had that super geek friend who knew about all the weird cool stuff, and would show up with the VHS tape of Vampire Hookers or a burned CD of 60s Halloween music. I had that friend growing up. (He actually wrote two non-fiction books about horror!)
My goal is to be “that guy” in the digital age, acting as a curator who helps fan geeks like me find gems in the vast piles of crap on the Internet. I only share what I like. Everything in Monsters in your Inbox is there because I personally watched/ read it and liked it. It’s there because it made me laugh, and I liked it enough to share.
Q: Do you create these “issues” one at a time or do you plan ahead or how does it work?
I wish I could tell you I was super amazing and organized and had all these systems in place to ensure my meteoric rise to total world domination. But no. Sorry. I suck.
Here’s how it works: When I finish a movie or book that I think is epic, I go into the software, and plug that title into the first free spot I have coming up. That could be next week’s email, or it could be for two months from now.
Really, my only strategy is “try not to forget about the thing I thought was awesome.” I read so many books and watch so many movies, I have to plug them in ASAP so I don’t lose track of the gems!