Author's Interview with Matthew Hollis Damon.

First, before we move forward with our Author's Interview, I would like to start with an introduction. 

1. Could you please introduce yourself to us? 

Hi everyone, we are The Fear House, formerly known as Skywatcher Press, a team of horror fans bringing a unique angle to the classic horror genre with themed anthologies and a widely creative mix of deeply psychological horror from known authors and new. 

2. Congratulations on your book. So what inspired you to write this book?

Pandemic Unleashed came about on the tail end (tale end 😁) of the covid pandemic, and we asked authors to write us their best nightmares with a loose theme of 'horrible pandemics'. It seemed a good starting point with the horror of covid fresh in everyone's minds. 

3. What is the book all about? 

Each author had a different theme, dreaming up their own nightmarish outbreaks. And we really had so much to choose from that we decided to create a rule that each story had to receive a unanimous yes from all three editors. 

4. Why did you choose this genre for your book? 

We are all horror fans, and we had a list of themes when we began. Our current catalogue of Unleashed Anthologies is Pandemic, Terror, The Dead, The Depths (which is two volumes because we had so many amazing submissions) and coming this fall is volunes 6 and 7: Slasher Unleashed and Gates of Hell Unleashed.

5. How much time did it take to complete this book?

It was about a year from when we put out the call for submissions and curated and released the book. 

6. What makes your Book Special? 

The authors are what makes this whole series special-- so much creativity and talent flying our way from all over the world!

7. When is your second book coming?

There are five books in the series, two more coming this year, and we have a growing fan base who read everything we put out because they have learned to trust our quality as a publisher. 

8. While writing did you get any writer's block? What is the Tip that you will give others who are facing writer's block?

Two of our editors wrote stories for this book. My name is Matthew Hollis Damon, and I wrote On the Far Edge of Sixteen for this antho-- it's about a viral plague which takes sixteen hours to gestate in a human host, and then the host loses the ability to reason and is compelled to spread it through contact with others (coughing and sneezing). The government has quarantined everyone to help identify plague victims, who defy quarantine rules. The plague is pretty much contained, but then a mother leaves during the one time per week when people are allowed outside to pick up food rations, and she doesn't return. Her husband and daughter go out looking for her. This story wrote itself, and as I wrote it I was basically living inside the story, like watching a movie. No writer's block. My advice for people stuck with writer's block is that if a story or book isn't flowing, you probably got stuck because your mind wants you to move in a different direction (or you don't know where you're going). Spend some time sitting and thinking deeply about the story you are trying to tell, and what the final message is-- or the feeling you want to leave readers with. And that will help you get from point A to B. 

9. What are your other hobbies besides being a talented author?

I'm an artist as well-- you can view my paintings at Matt Becomes Art on IG and FB. And I make short films. Look up Once Upon A Time in Karate on youtube if you're a Karate Kid/Cobra Kai fan 

10. Last but not the least, How did you feel, while giving this interview? 

I enjoyed getting to talk a bit about our work as a publishing company, and share some pieces of myself as well. I hope you all enjoyed it and will check out our work!

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