Tell us about Seven Slightly Sadistic Stories

With a mixture of dark humor and creepy storytelling, this collection of bloody and disturbing tales is both entertaining and downright chilling. Each story, with its creepy tone and terrifying set of events, exposes a real and terrifying fact; that no one is ever safe.

Can you tell us a bit about one or two of the stories? Which is your favourite?
I’d have to say my favorite story from this collection is “Silence is Golden.”  The madman in this story has an outlook on life that is so cynical and bitter it comes off humorous at times, which made writing it a lot of fun.

The tale centers around a man and his “companions,” murderous voices with a taste for bloodshed that live within the man’s mind.  These companions keep him company as he grows up an orphan within the foster care system, and they instil in him a hatred for humanity so strong that only by killing everyone he meets will he be satisfied. He decides to seek that satisfaction, one person at a time, and by the end of the tale he is stabbing and killing and cutting off body parts (or one particular body part, I should say) and shoving them in his mouth.  It is quite horrific and yet quite comical all at the same time.

Another aspect I like is that you never can tell if these companions of his are a symptom of insanity or if they are true entities that lead to his demise. I like the ambiguity, leaving up to the reader to decide.

So what genre is your book?
This book falls into the horror category.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
This book will directly appeal to horror fans, but also to those with a passion for true crime, psychological thrillers and anyone who wants to get a little freaked out.

Why stories that show that we’re never really safe? Is it because that’s the scariest thing of all, or are you trying to get a message to your readers?
I want to scare my readers. I may not be able to scare them all, I may not be able to scare them bad, I may not be able to scare them often, but I do hope to give them that feeling inside that we are all looking for when we pick up a horror book or movie. 

I think the best way to scare someone is to point out just how vulnerable they are. We all prefer to feel safe, so we tell ourselves all the time that “everything is OK.” I point out all the different ways it isn’t. There are dangers lurking everywhere, most of them right around the corner.  This is why I tend to focus more on these things.  The stomping and smashing of a twenty foot tall monster may look scary, but a smiling sociopath to me is the thing of real nightmares.

How long did this book take you to write?
These short stories have been compiled over the last four years.

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?
I’d have to say the most challenging part of the process was trying to break out of my own conventions. Collectively these stories work, showing real-life threats and how our perceived safety may be nothing more than an illusion, but one can only read the same plot so many times. I’d like to explore some other avenues of horror in my next book, maybe some unnatural or supernatural phenomena, or perhaps demonic possession.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Not everyone who writes horror is themselves sick and twisted but I can say I am a bit more crazy than sane. I think all good artists have to be, though. I really enjoy diving into the minds of the criminal, whether it is a murderous psychopath or a cunning and calculating serial killer. I studied psychology for a few years at a local college, dreaming of becoming a top F.B.I. profiler, but decided I’d enjoy writing and creating more than I would analyzing data. I switched to a school with a top rated film program and now I’m working hard on applying my knowledge of the criminal mind into scripts, books and films. If someone looks a little deeper into my writing, beyond the blood and guts, there are elements of “fables” that start to appear. I may have left behind the calling to catch a killer, but I still have a need to expose threats in my work. In the story “Stalking” for example, which is available in this collection, the world of social networking is discussed and numerous threats are laid out that the average reader may not be aware of. These are the things that make us vulnerable, that expose us to the threats of the world.

Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?
My website is located at http://jeremiahcress.net.

How about Facebook?
You can follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/booksbyjeremiah.

Where can we buy your book?
The book “Seven Slightly Sadistic Stories” is available at Amazon ( US, UK).

What’s next?
There are several things I would like to accomplish over the next few years. One of them is to continue writing fiction, of course. Another is to get these screenplay ideas down on paper. I have three, maybe four ideas that I have to write but just haven’t found the time. They won’t work as books, short stories…the only way I can see them is on the screen. Another goal, one I am directly working on now by setting aside a portion of the proceeds from each book I sell, is to start a production company and begin shooting documentaries. Horror is all around us and I do like to expose it.