Dark bleatings everyone! I’m back with another author spotlight, in support of new anthology The Perfectly Fine Neighborhood. This time, I’m speaking with D.C. Hill.
D.C. Hill has written stories for Red Cape Publishing and The Other Stories podcast. He resides near Worcester in the UK with his wife, daughter, and guinea pig, and his proudest achievement is having his dress sense described as “Indiana Jones meets Johnny Knoxville”. He can be found online at @dan_hill
Kayleigh: Hi Dan, lovely to have you here! Can you tell us about your story in the anthology?
Dan: It’s hard to get in the specifics of the story without spoiling it, but I’ll give it a shot. The story follows a family who live in a very exclusive, and secluded, community that actively prohibits and protects its inhabitants from *any* wayward ghosts.
The story starts as a storm is about to descend onto the town and then, as is usually the case, wackiness ensues.
The story originally started as a serial killer type story, which led me to ask myself a whole bunch of questions as to *why* someone would not want any contact with the very active spirit world of the TPFH universe. That, in turn, led me to expand the roster of main characters and before I knew it I had a “one stormy night” story on my hands.
Along the way the reasoning as to *why* ghosts were being avoided changed quite dramatically and morphed into the story in the anthology.
Kayleigh: It’s a terrific story. How long have you been writing such sordid, horrifying, and excellent stories?
Dan: I’ve been writing pretty much since primary school. I even wrote my own plays and had a small group of friends who would perform these silly little plays I wrote. I was a strange child.
After primary school I did not write for a very long time, only really getting back into it when I started writing comics. Then, a few years ago I got the itch to try writing prose, and here I am.
In terms of what made me want to write, I was lucky enough to grow up in a family that *loved* movies and books. I quickly became obsessed with both and I saw how these bits of entertainment enthralled and affected adults, could change their mood and outlook over the course of an hour or so. I thought it was the coolest thing. I still do.
Kayleigh: I agree…. it is the coolest thing! What was your gateway into horror, can you remember?
Dan: So, part of the aforementioned family was my maternal grandmother who loved horror movies. She, in turn, passed that love on to my mother who then passed it on to me. I remember being quite young and being allowed to watch some of the breakout Hammer horror movies like Curse of Frankenstein, the ’58 Dracula and all of the subsequent sequels in each franchise.
It wasn’t long before I was staying up late and getting an education in the classics.
My introduction to horror book-wise came much later. I completely missed the stalwarts like King, Laymon, and Straub growing up, something I’m only really rectifying now.
My initial foray into horror books were the first few entries in the “Pan Book of Horror Stories” anthologies. My paternal Granddad would have a stack of books waiting for me pretty much every time I went around to his house. Those first few Pan books were full of some very established authors like Stoker, Muriel Spark, and even the short story “The Fly” by George Langelaan. It’s no mystery why I continue to love the short story format. It’s perfect for horror in my opinion.
Kayleigh: I love short stories, too. There’s something about them that packs such a punch when they’re done right. Can you recommend a great horror story that you wish more people knew about?
Dan: She Said Destroy by Nadia Bulkin. It is my favourite single author collection I’ve ever read and an absolute perfect blend of horror, folklore, myth and the dark underbelly of politics and power. If I can write something half as good as any of Nadia’s tales I will be incredibly happy.
Kayleigh: Ooh, I’ve not heard of that one but it’s now on my wish list! What about a favourite author or book, do you have one?
Dan: This changes as often as the weather. Currently, I would say it’s Brian Evenson and his book “Last Days”. I love the pastiche of the hard-boiled detective genre and how it rubs up against this jet black humour, body horror and cults.
I’m also a huge admirer of how clean, sparse and precise Evenson’s prose is.
Kayleigh: You had me at “cults”. Speaking of favourites, do you have a favourite of your own work?
Dan: Prose-wise, I don’t think I do yet as I’m still fairly new at it all. Comics-wise, I’m really proud of a comic I did a few years ago called “Disconnect”. It’s a horror comic centered around trauma and drone warfare clashing with the drudgery of everyday life.
I interviewed a former drone pilot turned whistle-blower to get some background and research and in speaking to him I learned the valuable lesson that every horror story has to have a glimmer of hope in it, even if you dash it all on the rocky shores of reality in the end.
I’m proud of the story there, how it portrayed the subject matter and even prouder of the artwork produced by Gav Heryng for the comic.
Kayleigh: Still fairly new at it all…. are you kidding me?! (Seriously you guys, wait until you read his story… no one has any business being this good when they’re still fairly new!). Okay, moving on – what are you currently working on?
Dan: I’m currently working on two short stories that I want to get finished and submitted before the end of the year. One very much continues some of the themes present in “Disconnect” regarding trauma and war. The second one concerns the ever-present dread of climate change. The story is an idea I’ve been trying to find the right angle for and I think I’ve finally cracked it.
Kayleigh: I look forward to reading them both! Okay, finally – and crucially – what is your plan in the event of a zombie apocalypse?
Dan: The same as those early days of the Covid pandemic. Batten down the hatches, have plenty of supplies and hobbies, avoid everyone. If zombie movies and literature (and the pandemic) have taught me anything it’s that the real villain is always humanity.
Kayleigh: Wise words, my friend! I’ll leave you to your apocalypse preparations, thanks for being here!
If you’d like to check out the author or order your own copy of The Perfectly Fine Neighborhood, you will find links below (link embedded in pic):
Happy Goat Horror 
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