Q&A: John James Minster on The Vengeful Dead—A Supernatural Dark Horror Collection: “Who doesn’t love a good revenge tale?”
“What drives me is to scare myself, first. If I do that, I’m pretty sure some other reader will feel the electric tingles intended.”
Horror writer John James Minster talks about his new short story collection, his pet peeves about horror fiction, and reveals the challenges of writing short fiction vs writing novels.
John James Minster has been writing horror stories since the 1980s. With a dayjob in the technology sector, he was also publishing short stories in horror anthologies.
In July 2018, his first middle-grade full-length horror novel, Dreamjacker, was born of nightmares. On Halloween 2022, Hellbender Books published his novel The Undertaker’s Daughter, featuring disruptive religious horror for mature audiences. His new book is the horror story collection The Vengeful Dead: A Supernatural Dark Horror Collection.
Related: John James Minster Q&A: The Undertaker’s Daughter [Spotlight]
As a child, Minster walked in his sleep. His parents found him at the top of the stairs about to leap down, dreaming that he could fly. Every night since childhood, he still talks and punches walls in his sleep during nightmares.
He describes nightmares like this: “Nightly mini horror movies. Terror is feeling dread at the possibility of something frightening; horror is the shock and repulsion of seeing the thing: Hello! This is my head every single night of my life—so no writer’s block on the horizon or chance that I’ll run out of stories.”
Check out our intecview below with Minister. He shares about his new book, explains the challenges of writing short stories vs. novels, and lets us know what he loves about horror fiction.
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About the book The Vengeful Dead: A Supernatural Dark Horror Collection
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. But can silly graves truly contain every species of hate?
The Vengeful Dead is 11 wholly different mini supernatural horror stories crafted to take even the most jaded horror fans on a spine-tingling rollercoaster ride deep into the dark realms.
Angels and demons, ghosts, graverobbing ghouls, pagan desert gods, animal possession, psychological horror, evil spirits, charming gigolos and pretty witches, ancient dark magic artifacts, frozen corpses, gangster hit men, blood-sucking freaks, a snuff film gone wrong, Heaven and Hell, Santa Muerte unholy death cult, and a creepy clown statue: Nothing is beyond Minster’s nightmare imagination.
The living are capable of great good—and unimaginable evil—but in a world where dead doesn’t always mean gone, the evil dead with scores to settle are even worse.
One reviewer’s five-star rating and comment: “So disturbing I could not sleep. Literally. It disturbed the sleep out of me.”
The Vengeful Dead: A Supernatural Dark Horror Collection
John James Minster
Q&A: John James Minster on The Vengeful Dead
Q: What do the stories in this collection have in common? Was the collection inspired by any particular idea or goal?
Hanging out in social media horror reader groups, a member had posted a query to all 30K members: “Can anyone direct me to a good horror story featuring revenge?”
Her question planted the seed. Who doesn’t love a good revenge tale?
Q: Your last book was a novel and your new one is a short story collection. What do you consider the challenges (pros and cons) of writing short horror fiction vs longer horror fiction?
It is far more difficult to create sympathy for characters, mood, atmosphere, plots and subplots, suspense, and a highly satisfying conclusion in only 5-to-10-thousand words than in novel form which typically runs between 80-120K words.
This is part of Edgar Allan Poe’s magnificence. He changed the world with horror short stories and poems; the greatest fiction author of all time. Novels allow the writer far more latitude than shorts. Way less discipline involved.
I've read many opinions about Stephen King novels that all include one adjective: wordy. We’re talking hundreds of thousands of words. Telling a story should never be self-indulgence for the author, in my opinion, nor should length equate to value.
Also short story collections allow the author to mix things up, keep narratives fun and fresh with some first-person, limited third, and omniscient viewpoints, along with very different stories and character “voices” between covers. Variety-pack horror is the pro.
The con is, I’ve read responses to the question “Do you prefer short stories, novellas, or novels?” in these same social media groups. The lion’s share of readers prefer novel-length.
Q: What drives your unique approach to writing in this genre?
One of my reviewers I think best expressed it: Minster stories feel like they could actually happen. There is an authentic, authoritative quality that drives my horror writing; like, as a matter of fact this happened. Extraordinary forces acting upon ordinary people in an ordinary world, and how these fascinating people deal with it.
After reading all the horror books I could lay my hands on since the early 1970s, and living now in an age where ISIS posts the most horrifying professional-quality real execution videos online with musical soundtracks, I feel fairly jaded. When I read something before bed, shut out the light, and I feel zero concern about what might lurk in the shadows or under the mattress, the way I felt when I read horror at age 12, then to me it missed the mark.
What drives me is to scare myself, first. If I manage to do that, then I'm pretty sure some other reader will feel the electric tingles intended.
Q: What do you like about horror fiction? What attracts you to it?
Well-done horror makes the reader feel something. Exceedingly good horror makes the reader think, too. I do love a good thriller, like Lee Child’s Reacher series will always satisfy, even though you know how it will end before you even pick up the book.
As to why horror versus say, romance: well hell, Will, I’m just not that romantic! I don’t watch much TV and when I do it’s mostly science channels, catching smugglers, etc. versus drama.
But when I do watch dramas like for example Maverick, the Top Gun redux, romance figures into it however it’s not the big draw. Horror fiction is fun! I’ve been drawn to it my entire life.
Also, every single night of my life is a horror movie reeling in my head, and that's no joke. Many of my stories are partially, largely, or fully based on sleeping nightmares which I am more than happy to share. Welcome to my nightmares.
Q: What are your pet peeves about horror fiction that you’ve seen others do?
Crappy copyediting mainly, riddled with typos, incorrect punctuation, tense disagreement, use of active tense, i.e., “She tip-toes down the cellar stairs, holds her emergency candle, trembles as she breathes deeply.”
Mixed viewpoints which are fine if properly separated by spaces or italics.
Too much “telling” versus allowing character dialogue and actions to tell the story.
A boring opening chapter with tons of background.
Character names that are too similar, like Alisa, Alisha, Lisa, and Alice all in the same story.
I could go on, but indie authors need to invest in a legit copy editor instead of relying solely on spell-check software.
Q: What are the best ways for readers to connect with you and keep up with your news and updates?
More about John James Minster online
Related link: John James Minster Q&A: The Undertaker’s Daughter [Spotlight]
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