“The Perfect Nightmare” is the story of a fierce battle between dark and light that has been going on for millennia. This is not the end of the battle, but only the onset of an epic shift in reality.

Sounds ominous. Give us details.
Most people are afraid of the dark – whether it is the darkness itself or the uncertainty of what lives in the dark, that fear is there. “The Perfect Nightmare” plays on that fear and turns it into something sinister.

How?
Following a timeline, each of five characters – Jack and Charlie, Nightmare, Troy, and Elena – is drawn into the House. Their lives are slowly consumed as they play out the game of murder in order to feed the House.

As the story progresses, we come to understand that the House and the darkness within it have a hold on one of the characters. She has been chosen, and her task is terrible and bloody.

This is definitely a horror story; who is it aimed at, though?
Adults in their 20’s and 30’s.

If you like Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and House of Leaves, you’ll love my book.

You’ve got five central characters. That’s quite a lot. How do you balance it?
Nightmare is the main character of the story; she is the one that the House has chosen to fulfill the destiny of the darkness within it. When she is introduced in the second part of the story, she is young – it follows her growth into the vessel of darkness.

She’s introduced in the second part of the story?
Jack and Charlie, the first to be introduced – they are drawn into the service of the darkness within the House and are driven crazy by their task. When Nightmare is introduced, they become her mentors.

Troy, the third character to live in the house, is the love interest of Nightmare. She draws him into service and drives him insane with her demands.

Finally, Elena is the fourth character to be introduced. She is the voice of reason, the one who has been given an impossible task to carry out – but she does the best she can, even after fulfilling her obligation to Nightmare and the House.

Is any of the characters based on you?
Well, I don’t wish to be in the shoes of any of these characters, it would be too terrifying, if you know what I mean. But, I put a lot of my own dark imaginings into each character. I let them play out some of my angry, insane notions. This book originated from the mind of a 15 year old, so the concepts and motivations behind these characters are pretty messed up.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I always hate talking about myself…

Will you make an exception this one time?
I am a mother of two rambunctious kids, and writing is definitely a way for me to cope with their energy! I am also a photographer and digital artist – I actually make my own covers! I love crafting and creating things, other than characters and settings, and I sell some of my crafts online. I have a black cat named Toothless, and a Basset Hound mix pup named Rue.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
I plan on releasing another book in September – the proposed date is the 22nd; I am also working on three other projects that I hope to show some progress on within the next few months.

Where can we keep tabs on that progress?
My blog is the best place to keep up with my work; there are constant updates on each of my projects, and soon to be regular posts about topics that mean something to me.

We’re guessing we can also social media.
Definitely! I am on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriaannemanning.