<![CDATA[Audrey Wilson

<![CDATA[Audrey Wilson - Blog]]>Fri, 01 May 2026 13:21:00 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[An Interview with Author Jack Finn]]>Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:30:56 GMThttps://www.audreywilsonauthor.com/blog/an-interview-with-author-jack-finn

Jack's debut horror novel, The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad, was released by Anuci Press (2024). He has three books being released in 2025. His werewolf duology Prey Upon the Lambs (April 2025) and The Desolation of Hunters (September 2025) will be released by Anuci Press. Velox Books is releasing an anthology of Jack's short stories in 2025, tentatively titled They Come When You Are Asleep.

His short stories have been included in Terrorcore Publishing's Doors of Darkness, January Ember Press’ Horrorscope 4, Dark Village Publications’ Twelve Months of Horror, Voices From the Mausoleum’s Howlin' for You, and Edge Weaver Books upcoming Tales from the Cursed Edge.

How long have you been writing?
I started writing for publication in 2021. Then it was mostly on Stubstack and Medium, but the positive reception I received from readers totally blew me away. I started writing longer works, and after getting a few short stories published in anthologies, I signed my first novel deal with Anuci Press in 2023.

What has been your biggest inspiration as a writer?
First and foremost, it’s my wife, I would never have had the courage to put pen to paper if it was not for her. Beyond that, and I know this is going to sound cliché, but it’s the readers. More than an author or a writer I consider myself a storyteller, and to find an audience that these stories resonate with has been a tremendous inspiration.

Who are your favorite authors?
My holy trinity of horror writers are Adam Nevill, Gerald Brom, and James Brogden. I read everything those guys write. I think James Brogden’s Bone Harvest is one of the best folk horror novels I ever read, it’s a gold standard for me—just brilliant. Everything Adam Nevill writes leaves me in awe, the guy is an absolute generational talent, which technically I guess is bad for me since we’re about the same age and generation. There should be a class on Brom’s work–Krampus, The Child Thief, and Slewfoot-–are books I will read repeatedly for the rest of my days. I have said this in other forums, Richard’s monologues in Brom’s latest work, Evil in Me, is the best serial killer writing since Hannibal Lector—hands down, fact.

I thought Nicholas Pullen’s The Black Hunger was the best written, most original, horror I read in 2024. He is an author to watch.

Paul Tremblay’s Horror Movie and Mason Coile’s (the late Andrew Pyper) William were both next level in terms of storytelling and twists.

Last year for the first time I read HP Lovecraft’s works since they are so influential on so many authors and I was curious what cosmic horror was all about. There are definitely some great works that build off of his concepts, The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle and Hailey Pipers’ The Worm and His Kings immediately come to mind. Though I have to say, nobody captures the atmosphere and vibe of Lovecraft like Christopher Michael in his Danforth: Eldritch Tales of WWII: Tomb of the Black Pharaoh.

What is the best experience you've had in your writing career so far?
Overall, meeting, connecting with, and befriending so many talented writers. The horror writing community was very warm, welcoming, and inclusive. I feel very at home and that is a great place to write from.

Have you experienced writer's block? If so, how did you get through it?
Oh hell yeah, everyone gets writer's block. The best way to get through it for me is to talk through the story with someone, whether it’s my wife or another writer and just toss ideas and thoughts around until the logjam in my head clears.

What's your writing process like?
I try and write, or at least research, every day. My writing process is very chaotic. I don’t outline on paper, but I constantly run through the story in my head. I use music a lot and will play certain songs as I write if the beat gives me the feel for the scene. It's controlled chaos but it works.

What's the longest time it's taken you to write a book and what's the shortest?
That’s hard to say. My first novel took about two years, but I was active duty military so the amount of time I was able to dedicate to writing really ebbed and flowed. If I am able to apply myself time-wise, I think I can typically get a first draft done in 3-4 months.

What is your favorite genre to write and why?
I typically write horror, occasionally I’ll dip into dark fantasy, but I think the genre I like most is horror. Specifically, folk horror. I like to take a contrarian approach. So much of our folklore and classic horror tales are about people encountering some monster or malign force. I tend to take the view that we are the malign presence and those creatures are more than justified in the terror and carnage they sow. I take a very dark view of religion and religious institutions in specific and I think that comes out very evidently in my writing. There are no priests casting out demons in my books…at least not successfully…but there are plenty acting badly. In my debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Prince Vlad, I approached it from the angle that history is written by the victors and Dracula was the tale Van Helsing wanted told. But what if what occurred was vastly different. I think horror is a fertile ground for that kind of experimentation.

Are you self-published or traditionally published? Do you prefer one over the other?
I do have a self-published anthology (Legend of the Deer Woman) and several works either out or in the process of being released by indie presses. I love the control and flexibility of self-publishing, but the business side of this industry is really tough and you want a savvy publisher who can navigate that with you. Ideally, a writer can follow in the footsteps of authors like Adam Nevill, who built a name publishing traditionally and then took control of the business side and now publishes his work under his own imprint.

How do you handle rejection?
Oh, man, I’d love to have a great answer for this one, but the truth is that rejection is soul crushing. You pour a lot of yourself into your work, get to a point where you feel really good about it, and then send it out into the world to largely get obliterated. Ultimately, if you persevere you’ll find someone, an agent or publisher, who believes in your work too and then it’s off to the races. Until then it’s just brutal.

I feel like when I get a rejection from a publisher or an author, I morph into that scene in The Two Towers when Gollum is arguing with himself, Gollum: "You don't have any friends. Nobody likes you", Smeagol: (with his hands over his ears) "Not listening. I'm not listening."

The truth is there are so many writers out there today and publishers and agents are just absolutely overwhelmed by the number of submissions. I feel for those folks, I truly do. I curse them up and down with every rejection in my Gollum voice "Curse them! We hates them!" but in my calmer Smeagol moments I feel for them.

Tell us about your most recent book. What did you enjoy most about writing it? What challenges did you face?
I have a werewolf duology coming out this year from Anuci Press, (Prey Upon the Lambs & The Desolation of Hunters). I would say the story follows in the tradition of Brotherhood of the Wolf, and takes place in the final days of Czarist Russia. As winter looms, a wolf of unusual size and intelligence descends upon the rural nineteenth-century Russian village of Obrechen. Forgoing local livestock, the beast preys upon human victims, confounding the local constabulary and hunters, whose efforts to kill the beast meet with disaster. The village priest blames the wolf’s deprivations on the presence of Galina Sekova, mistress of the Countess of Kalinin, secreted away in a cottage outside of Obrechen. Aided by a young village girl in her employ and an outcast boy orphaned by the pogroms of Kalinin, Galina seeks to unravel the wolf’s secret before they become its next victims.

It’s a story I have thought about for a while and really thrilled to get it out in the world. The story started out as a short story, then grew to a novella, and eventually a duology. I wanted to put a different spin on the traditional werewolf tale with a new kind of mythology to it. The biggest challenge was making sure that I kept within the boundaries of what was realistic for rural 19th century Russia in terms of culture, technology, and everyday village life.

What's the most inspiring feedback you've received from a reader?
Ok, this may sound odd. But I talked to a reader that really loved some of my short stories, and when we started to chat with him I realized that he loved the story I told but pictured aspects of the story so much differently than I did when I wrote it. At first I was like, “oh, damn, I feel this guy liked a completely different story than I wrote.” But then I realized, but loving my story but picturing things differently he made the story his own. I think one of the pitfalls writers get into is feeling they need to describe everything for the reader so that they picture it just the way they do. You have to let the reader picture some things their way to make the story their own too. Growing up The Hobbit was, and is, my favorite book of all time. As a kid, way before the movies came out I had very vivid pictures in my head of what the elves and dwarves looked like, but Tolkien is very sparse in his description of either race. I filled in those details and the story became very dear to me.

What's next for you?
This year my Wolves of Kalinin duology, Prey Upon the Lambs and The Desolation of Hunters, is being released by Anuci Press; I have an anthology tentatively titled They Come When You Are Asleep coming out from Velox Books, and I have a short story in Edge Weaver Books' Tales from the Cursed Edge. I recently completed work on a supernatural serial killer novella called Wilson that blends the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Carnivale and I am currently looking for a home for it.

I am finishing up a dark fantasy novel and I have several novellas in the works, including two Western horror novellas, a Cold War era horror tale, and a military horror that draws upon my deployment experiences. I am also in the preliminary stages of a unique horror tale that I am going to keep under wraps a little longer but I am really excited about.

So on the writing side of the house things are moving really well. On the business side of the house I am hoping to get agented if I find the right fit or the right fit finds me.

What is the best advice you could give to a fellow writer?
There’s really two pieces of advice that I wish I could go back in time and give myself.

The first is to just find your voice and tell your story. When I started writing I got really wrapped around the axle because I felt like my writing did not read like any of the authors I liked. In time I realized that was a good thing, I want to sound like me, not someone else that was successful writing in their voice. Once you get over that hurdle, just tell your story but leave some things to the imagination of the reader.

The second, and this was a tough lesson for me to learn, writing is an art but publishing is a business. The business side of this industry for new authors is tough and time consuming. Until you land a big publishing deal, you are going to spend almost as much time promoting you work as you are writing. Be prepared for that.

You can find Jack's books on his Amazon page and be sure to follow up on Instagram.

]]><![CDATA[An Interview with Author Jessica Huntley]]>Sun, 09 Feb 2025 17:06:48 GMThttps://www.audreywilsonauthor.com/blog/an-interview-with-author-jessica-huntley

Jessica Huntley is an award-winning and best-selling psychological thriller author. She's an ex-British soldier and Personal Trainer and has been writing almost non-stop for the past four years. She is now the author of sixteen books, including two trilogies, six standalone thrillers, two anthologies, a co-written horror project and a novella. She is both self-published and traditionally published with Inkubator Books and Joffe Books. She writes books for thriller readers who like their stories dark and twisty with complex, yet memorable characters, who often suffer from relatable mental health disorders. When she isn't writing, Jessica is either keeping fit, walking her dog or looking after her young son.

I'm super excited to interview Jessica today! Not only is she an incredibly talented author, but I also had the pleasure of her reviewing my new thriller The Ever End. Thank you for joining me today, Jessica!

How long have you been writing?

Officially, I’ve been writing since April 2020, but unofficially, I’ve been writing books and stories since I was 10. I’ve always loved creating stories. As a child, they were always only for me to read, but now it’s surreal to have so many readers who enjoy reading what I write.

What has been your biggest inspiration as a writer?

It’s mainly other authors who inspire me, especially authors who have started out as self-published, including John Marrs, Freida Mcfadden and Colleen Hoover, who are now some of the biggest authors out there today! There’s hope for me yet!

Who are your favorite authors?

I have many! But my auto-buy authors are John Marrs, Lucy Clarke, T.M. Logan and Chris Carter. My favourite self-published authors are Hayley Anderon, T.M. Lunn, Eric Woods and Sara Kate.

What is the best experience you've had in your writing career so far?

I think it has to be going to a book event and have readers come up to me who I’ve never met before ask me to sign my book and have a selfie. Literally was the most surreal moment of my life. That, and having a publisher reach out to me directly and ask me to work with them. Oh, and reaching Amazon Number 1 Bestseller on publication day of my latest release, Horrible Husbands. A proper pinch me moment!

Have you experienced writer's block? If so, how did you get through it?

Yes and no. But I wouldn’t call it proper writer’s block. I’ve stared at a screen for ages and barely come up with a few words, but after a walk to clear my head, I can write. However, I’ve always written a whole page and thought it’s utter rubbish and deleted it all. Sometimes, a break is all that’s needed.

What's your writing process like?

With my self-published books, I generally “make it up as I go along”. It’s how I’ve always written and I find it the most freeing in terms of allowing the characters to make me where they want to go, rather than try and keep them in a box. I write every single day without fail, unless I’m super busy, travelling or sick as a dog. And I’m most productive in the mornings after the child is at school and I’ve completed a workout, had a shower and got a coffee. I mainly write at home in my office or on the sofa with my laptop and dog on my lap.

What's the longest time it's taken you to write a book and what's the shortest?

The longest time it’s taken me to write a book is 2 years and the shortest is 3 months.

What is your favorite genre to write and why?

I mainly write psychological thrillers. I have written horror, but most of my books are thrillers. I like to read thrillers too. I enjoy them because thrillers often mess with your head. You think you’re reading about one thing, but actually it ends up being something else. I like to be surprised when I read, so I want my readers to feel the same.

Are you self-published or traditionally published? Do you prefer one over the other?

I am both! I started out self-publishing my books, but about a year and a half ago, I was approached by Inkubator Books who asked me if I was interested in writing for them, so I said yes! Then, amazingly, one of my books got picked out of the submission pile and Joffe Books signed Horrible Husbands. Both publishers are happy for me to continue to self-publish, which is amazing.

How do you handle rejection?

I accept it and move on. No point crying over it. If I can learn from it then great, but if not then I just keep going. Rejection won’t stop me.

Tell us about your most recent book. What did you enjoy most about writing it? What challenges did you face?

My most recent book that’s published is Horrible Husbands, about a group of three best friends who have married horrible men. They set out to get rid of them ... permanently. It was such fun to write, as it does have some humour to separate from the very dark themes throughout. I loved writing about the friendships and how they overcome challenges by sticking together.

What's the most inspiring feedback you've received from a reader?

I had a private message from a reader once who said that my book Jinx changed her life and that she’ll keep fighting through her trauma no matter what. It was the most amazing feeling.

What's next for you?

Next, I have a self-published book out on the 1st of March called The Murder Maze, which took me over a year to write and finish. Then, I have one book out with Inkubator in April and then another with Joffe Books in May, so it’s all go go go!

What is the best advice you could give to a fellow writer?

Don’t stop writing. If writing is what you want to do, then don’t stop. Just write. Make friends with other authors, share your experience and if you get a bad review, then don’t take it personally.

Learn more about Jessica at www.jessicahuntleyauthor.com. You can also follow Jessica at Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon. Plus, free copy of You Die..I Die a short thriller story available if you sign up for Jessica's newsletter!

]]><![CDATA[An Interview with Author Katherine Mezzacappa]]>Fri, 31 Jan 2025 02:39:09 GMThttps://www.audreywilsonauthor.com/blog/an-interview-with-authror-katherine-mezzacappa

I had the pleasure of meeting the wonderfully talented Katherine Mezzacappa while in Dublin, where I was invited to speak at the Dublin International Writers' Festival in September of 2025. Katherine was hosting a book signing at the iconic Hodges Figgis bookstore for her newest release at the time, The Maiden of Florence. Katherine is not only an accomplished, talented author, but also a truly remarkable individual. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview her for my blog.

Audrey: Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview, Katherine. I'm so excited to hear more about your writing career.

Katherine: Thank you for inviting me onto your blog today, Audrey. I’ve been looking forward to our conversation since our meeting at the last International Dublin Writers Festival.

Audrey: You spoke in Dublin about the craft of writing historical fiction. Can you tell me a bit about why you chose that genre?

Katherine: I didn’t know what to start with. I originally planned to write contemporary romance, back in the 1990s. I pitched a short novel to Mills & Boon (Harlequin in the US); they gave me kind feedback but declined my book. Then life got in the way (business career, children, relocation) and I wrote only non-fiction for a while (magazine articles, an academic text, a Human Resources manual) until a dear friend convinced me to join her on a creative writing Masters being launched in Canterbury (England), where I was then living. For my submission, I wrote part of a novel set in wartime Italy and realised historical fiction was what I was meant to be writing. I got feedback from the selection board that ‘I forgot why I was supposed to be reading this, I was so immersed in it.’ Another faculty member said that I wrote in an ‘old-fashioned way.’ I took that as the compliment he said he intended. I understand where that came from. I was a pretty introverted adolescent who took refuge in books. I’d read everything by Thomas Hardy by the time I was fourteen, along with the Brontës, Jane Austen, George Eliot and so on, most of which wasn’t historical fiction but fiction from history. This taught me about voice (though I didn’t know it at the time); as a regular reviewer (for the Historical Novel Society) and as a manuscript assessor, I too often encounter good stories marred by the protagonists talking and behaving as if they are my contemporaries. Consequently, for each book I write, I read a vast amount of material that people were reading at the time my story is set: novels, yes, but also newspaper articles, memoirs, court reports etc. For instance, for my novel The Maid of Lindal Hall (2023, writing as Katie Hutton) set in England in the 1930s, I read Agatha Christie novels of that decade, though I wasn’t writing a crime novel, because Christie catches a turn of phrase, a reference that captures the spirit of the age.

I write some contemporary fiction too, under the name Kate Zarrelli, alongside my longer projects, with protagonists who are a lot younger than I am. I eavesdrop on younger people’s conversations on public transport and check things with my sons and their girlfriends! Updated, the novel that was turned down in the 1990s was published about five years ago and has been followed by two others, with a fourth in press.

Audrey: That last example suggests a degree of resilience is needed as a writer.

Katherine: Absolutely. I have a dear friend, a sculptor living in Oregon. She told me about her art school reunion a few years back. She said, ‘I wasn’t the best sculptor but I was the only one still working as one.’ She’s a superb sculptor, but her point is that you just have to stick at it. A couple of instances: I wrote The Ballad of Mary Kearney back in 2016, my second full-length attempt after the novel I wrote on my Masters programme. It got some great feedback but no takers. I went on to publish four books (as Katie Hutton), then under my own name, The Maiden of Florence. But I kept faith with Mary Kearney (and kept revising) and the book was published by Histria (Las Vegas) in January this year. The other instance is The Maiden of Florence. It was due out in September 2022 but six weeks before publication date the publisher’s site went down and he wasn’t answering emails. The business had failed. There were no signals this was going to happen. Dispirited, I started the submission round all over again, ended up with four offers and Fairlight, the new publisher, is magnificent.

Audrey: As a writer myself, I always love hearing advice from other writers. What advice can you give on the writing process?

Katherine: I have advice for writers around resilience. One is, ‘it’s a habit, not a hobby.’ You have to treat writing like work, even if it’s often a struggle to earn money from it. The other is, ‘you can’t revise a blank page.’ In other words, write every day but don’t worry about whether it’s good or not. You can fix it the next day. What also works for me is having at least two projects on the go at once. That means if I can’t see how to go forward with one story, I work on the other. When I come back to the first one, the problem has usually un-knotted itself. Also, be easy to work with and gracious, even if not everyone in the publishing world will always treat you with the same professionalism.

Audrey: When we were introduced in Dublin at the launch of The Maiden of Florence, you told a curious story of how the story came into being. Could you share that with our readers?

Katherine: That was a real stroke of luck. I’d accompanied my son to a medical appointment but because we were running late, I’d rushed out without a book or my Kindle. In the doctor's waiting room there was a choice of gossip magazines (this was pre-Covid) and one lone medical journal – dedicated to erectile dysfunction. My excuse is that as a novelist the psychological causes of this affliction had to be of interest. It had one tiny historical column. It provided the bones of the story of my novel, of a girl taken from a church-run orphanage in Florence in 1584 to act as a proof of virility for the heir to the dukedom of Mantua, as a condition for his dynastic marriage with a Medici princess. The unsuspecting orphan was provided with a husband after the event; he was bribed with a considerable dowry. I tell her story, from her point of view (barely heard in the historical record) and then create the story of the marriage.

Audrey: What other sources of inspiration would you recommend to those who want to write historical fiction?

Katherine: Visit historic sites, out of season if possible. Look at portraits in museums, and if you see a face that seems to really be looking at you, research any symbols you find in the painting. Do they hold something that has meaning, like a piece of coral, for instance? How are they dressed? Costume museums are a great source too. As mentioned above, read literature of the time.

Audrey: What are you working on now?

Katherine: I’m venturing into historic crime, with the first of a series set in Renaissance city state courts. My protagonist is a physician, trained at the School of Salerno. Women were trained there too in the Middle Ages but I opted for a male protagonist because he would have more agency. I have also started on a novel set near Edinburgh in the 1920s, inspired by a stray comment I heard some years ago. When this old man was a child, the gentry in his village lost their only son in World War I. He left behind a baby he’d fathered on a local girl, but the grandparents refused to acknowledge the little boy. When the memory resurfaced, I could ‘see’ this young woman holding her child’s hand, standing at the gates to the grandparents’ estate.

I also have a novel out on submission. It’s the story of Lucie Dumas, the mistress of the man of letters Samuel Butler. He found her as a streetwalker in Islington in 1871. But this isn’t a Victorian ‘Pretty Woman’ story. She had left behind a child in France whom she would never see again. Some years into the arrangement with Butler, he introduced one of his friends and paid for him to visit her once a week as well. Her response to this arrangement is not recorded.

Audrey: Thank you so much, Katherine! I'm sure our readers will find your story and advice very helpful. I know I did!

Katherine's book The Maiden of Florence as well as her other work can be found on Amazon and where books are sold.

You can follow Katherine on Bluesky and Facebook, and learn more about her on her website.

]]><![CDATA[5 Ways to Promote Yourself as an Independently Published Author (an Authors Publish Article)]]>Thu, 28 Dec 2023 19:35:32 GMThttps://www.audreywilsonauthor.com/blog/5-ways-to-promote-yourself-as-an-independently-published-author-an-authors-publish-article

]]><![CDATA[5 Things You Need To Do Before Sending Out Your First Query Letter]]>Tue, 16 Feb 2021 01:40:21 GMThttps://www.audreywilsonauthor.com/blog/5-things-you-need-to-do-before-sending-out-your-first-query-letter

If you’re reading this because you’ve just finished writing your masterpiece and are ready to pitch it to the literary world, give yourself a big pat on the back. Right now. We’ll wait.

Finishing your manuscript is a huge accomplishment. Chances are, you have spent hours, months, maybe even years pouring your words out into a story which, in itself, is a tremendous feat. Understandably, you can’t wait to begin pitching it to publishers and literary agents who you know are going to be quick to request that full manuscript. However, the worst thing a writer can do is prematurely pull the query trigger. There are several things you should do before you start pitching your manuscript, and we’re going to cover them here.

Edit, Edit, Edit - Sure, you’ve read through your manuscript once. Twice? Of course. Three times? Well… Four? FOUR?! Before sending out so much as a query letter or sample of your work, it’s crucial to make sure your manuscript is as polished and error-free as possible. It’s easy to get hasty and assume that an agent will take weeks or months to respond to your query, but it’s not uncommon to receive a response within minutes of submitting, which is why it’s so important to be prepared. The last thing you want is to get a full manuscript request and submit your work, only to have it be rejected due to too many errors.
Call on Your Beta Readers - No matter how many times you read your own work, there’s always going to be something you missed that a new set of eyes will be able to catch. Having 2-3 people read your book before you begin the querying process will give you an idea of how your book reads to others. If you have avid readers among your friend circle, see if any of them might be interested in reading your book. Also, be sure to keep in mind the genre of your book when you request someone read it. For example, don’t ask your friend who only reads Sci-fi/Fantasy to read your literary thriller. If you’re struggling to find beta readers, consider joining a writer’s group on Facebook.
Write a Full Synopsis - A lot of agents and publishers may request a full synopsis from the writer in addition to a query letter and sample chapters. A full synopsis isn’t the brief, one-paragraph description that you put in your query letter; it’s a full, multi-page summary of your book that tells the story from beginning to end, including the ending (spoilers, please!). This should give the agent or publisher a well-rounded vision of your story. If you’re not sure where to begin, it may help to start with your short synopsis and build from there. For other helpful tips on writing your synopsis, check out How to Write a Killer Synopsis for Your Novel on Writer’s Edit.
Figure Out Your Comp Titles and Target Audience - For all the publishers and agents that accept submissions only through an online platform such as QueryTracker, there is often a section that requests your book’s comp (comparison) titles and your target audience. These are important to figure out prior to beginning the submission process. For comp titles, take a look at books or films similar to yours. Keep in mind that they don’t necessarily have to be similar in plot, but can be similar in voice, narrative, characters, or tone. When narrowing down your target audience, it can help to use your comp titles to figure out who your book might appeal to. For example, if you’re comparing your book to Gone Girl, it may be helpful to say something along the lines of, “My book will appeal primarily to women, ages 26-45, who are fans of Gillian Flynn.”
Draft Your Query Letter - Plan out your query letter before you begin querying, so you can use it as a basis for all your pitches. It may be helpful to send your query letter to your beta readers along with your book and ask them for feedback on that too. That way they’ll be able to tell you if the book lived up to their expectations based on the letter, or where there might be room for improvement. For tips on writing your query letter, check out 7 Tips for Writing the Perfect Query Letter.

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