Edo Van Belkom - dReadCon Author Spotlight

This is the second annual dReadCon, and we are thrilled to have you attending this year! Tell us a little bit about yourself, what books we can expect to see at dReadCon, and where we can find you on social media.

While I never really stopped writing, I was most active in the horror field in the 1990s and early 2000s publishing some 35 books and more than 250 short stories. I have won the Bram Stoker Award, three Aurora Awards and the Silver Birch Award. My novels include Blood Road, Scream Queen, Teeth, and Martyrs, among others, while my story collections include Death Drives a Semi and Six Inch Spikes. I'm also the author of the Wolf Pack series for young adults which was the inspiration for the Paramount Plus television series Wolf Pack starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. My short fiction has appeared in Year’s Best Horror Stories, Best American Erotica 1999, Northern Frights 1-5, Hot Blood 4, 5, 11, Robert Bloch's Psychos, Shock Rock 2, Fear Itself and many more.

●     How has the dark fiction or horror writing community supported you in your journey?

 I’m a bit of an outlier at the moment with the current horror community, but I’ve written a few new stories so maybe that will change.

●     Why is DreadCon important for horror and dark fiction authors?

 Horror authors thrive in a community setting, and let’s face it your friends and neighbors just won’t understand why you get so excited by monsters and depravity.

●     How does engaging with fans shape the way you write horror?

 Hopefully fans will be engaged by what it is that I write. If I try to write to please fans of the genre, then my writing won’t be true to myself. I write about things that scare me, sometimes that resonates with readers, sometimes not, that’s the chance you take.

●     What’s the biggest misconception about horror authors or dark fiction?

That were weirdos and miscreants. It's true, but only in our minds. Walking down the street we're just as normal as the next guy.

●     If readers take away one thing from your books, what do you hope it is?

 That I at least tell a good story.

●     What trope do you secretly love, even if it’s cliché?

 I’ve done stories about ghosts coming back for revenge, but a lot of what I write is about growing old and loss of family.

●     What draws you to dark fiction—fear, mystery, or the psychology of horror?

 I started thinking I would be a science fiction writer, but it turned out I most enjoying writing about the everyday world around us that has been affected by just one element of fantasy or the supernatural.

●     What role does fear play in storytelling, and how do you harness it effectively?

 If it makes me fearful when I’m writing, then I'm on the right track.

●     How do you keep readers engaged when crafting slow-burning suspense?

 Never done real slow-burn suspsense, since I’m usually telling a story with lots of action and a route that goes directly from points A to B.

●     What advice would you give to new writers trying to break into the genre?

 Write what you want to and keep with it. It’s easy to get frustrated, so remember that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of others who want to succeed in the field and they’re willing to work as hard or harder than you to achieve it.

●     Do you have any writing rituals that help you get into the mindset for writing dark fiction?

 The only real thing I do is outline everything before I begin. If I don’t know where I’m going, then the reader won’t know either. I'm the guide. Let me show you what’s down this deep dark hole, see it there… Boo!

●     Are there any writer stereotypes that you think are really far-fetched and why?

 When people meet me they would never guess that I’m a writer, of horror fiction or any other kind for that matter. So, any stereotype would be far-fetched from my point of view. Most of the writers I know are pretty grounded.