On this month's Special Page:
Two-time Bram Stoker Award-winner and best-selling author Elizabeth Massie gives The Horror Zine an exclusive interview!
Elizabeth Massie is a two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of horror novels and short fiction. In addition to horror, she has written historical fiction for middle grade readers as well as mainstream fiction, media tie-ins, and non-fiction for American History textbooks and educational readers and testing programs.
Interview by The Horror Zine Staff member Trish Wilson
TRISH WILSON: You've written the Ameri-Scares series for middle grade readers. So far, you've covered New York, California, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Montana, and Washington state. How did you come to choose the states about which you've written, and what kinds of interesting folklore did you discover as you did your research?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: I started with Virginia, since that’s my home state. I live in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, and the name Shenandoah is said to mean “daughter of the stars” in the language of the Algonquin people. This suggests the land is beautiful, as are the stars. But I started thinking, what if “daughter of the stars” means something else entirely? Something spooky? That’s how the first Ameri-Scares novel – Virginia: Valley of Secrets – was born. After that, I did a hard-target search online, looking for “folktales and legends” of the United States. Some I was already familiar with, such as the frightening Bell Witch of Tennessee, the Tar Pits of California, and the Brown Mountain Lights of North Carolina. Others just seemed to pop up off the screen to catch my attention. These included the mysterious girl of Resurrection Cemetery in Illinois and Mel’s Bottomless Pit of Washington state, which were new to me. There are folktales and legends everywhere you turn. And no doubt new ones are always being created. Much fun!
TRISH WILSON: What is it about horror that you find so appealing?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: As I kid, I was both terrified and fascinated by TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. Because of that, I am fascinated and drawn to horror that not only terrifies but also connects me with characters I can root for, feel empathy for, and/or be utterly fascinated by. Well-written horror puts readers, such as me, into the scariest situations, the “bottom lines” so to speak, and that’s where human reserve and resources must come into play one way or other. That, to me, is a good read.
TRISH WILSON: What scares you?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: The scariest thing to me is the idea of one person having total control over another person. The idea of having no say or power whatsoever regarding my life is the most terrifying thing I can imagine. That, and being buried alive in a box (check out the skit starring the now-passed-on comedian/actor Bob Newhart!)
TRISH WILSON: Did you have mentors early in your career who helped you? If you did, who were they? What kind of help did they give you? I've noticed some writers have had mentors and they've maintained professional relationships and even friendships with them.
ELIZABETH MASSIE: I can’t think of any official mentors. But what helped me in the early days of my career and continues to help me now are the other writer friends who started about the same time I did and who have been supportive and encouraging over the years. Some of my best, most lasting friendships are those amazing and talented folks.
TRISH WILSON: What do you enjoy the most about writing middle grade fiction? What brought about your interest in it?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: For nineteen years, I worked as a middle grade (grade 7) life science teacher. These students, most age 13, were fantastic. Fun, energetic, curious. We made mazes for earthworms, adopted rats and a tarantula, created boardgames out of garbage, wrote and performed songs about nature, built ant farms, and on and on. Encouraging reading among young people that age became an important goal to me, and tons of ‘tweens really dig horror. Yet, knowing that age (having been there myself, having taught that age, and as a mom whose kids have been that age), I avoid for graphic violence sexual content in my novels. They’ll get to that later if they want.
TRISH WILSON: What advice would you give a new writer who doesn't quite know where to start?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: It’s different for different people. The universal advice is to read, read, read is excellent. Read your favorite genre. Read well outside your favorite genre. Beyond that I would say, “Find writers you enjoy and immerse yourself in their works. Determine what it is you like about the writing. For heaven’s sake imitate but let their works inspire enthusiasm for the stories you want to tell. Then sit down and write. And remember, not everything you write will be a gem. In fact, most things won’t be. Don’t assume that because a story or novel is completed that it’s ready for the world. Believe me, it probably isn’t. Take criticism without getting pissed off. Some advice will be worthless but some will be valuable. Be okay with being a newbie with needing to learn. All writers started that way. Then read some more. Then write some more. You’ll get there.”
TRISH WILSON: What advice would you give more experienced writers regarding their craft?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: I guess the best advice I could give them would to be make friends with other writers….you can meet them in writers’ groups or at conferences or conventions. They will understand you when you’re struggling and will cheer for you when things go well.
TRISH WILSON: How often do you get writer's block? What would you advise someone who is caught up in the middle of it and can't seem to find a way out?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: I know some writers hate the term “writer’s block.” I don’t care what it’s called, I think most writers get stuck now and then. As for me, I always have at least two writing projects going on at the same time. When I get stuck on one, I hop over to the other for a bit. Then, when I come back to the first, I see it with “new eyes.” Also, I never end a day of writing by finishing a scene. If I start a new scene or even a new paragraph before I quit, when I return the next day I don’t have to start fresh. That story engine is already humming, waiting for me, and it’s easier to hop on and get going again.
TRISH WILSON: You've written numerous short stories as well as novels. What is different for you regarding writing short stories as opposed to writing novels?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: Nothing much to say here except that a novel for me can take a up to a year, while I can write a short story much more quickly. I go back and back and back through a novel while I’m going, to revise and rethink. In a short story, I pretty much know what’s going to happen and how it’ll end before I start – not to say I don’t revise at all. But it’s a much smoother pathway.
TRISH WILSON: You've written novels in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. How did you come to write a media tie-in? What kinds of rules or specifications (if any) are there for writing in another universe?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: As I already had a connection with the franchise publishers, I was asked to write both a Buffy novel and a Dark Shadows novel (which I co-wrote with Mark Rainey). In additional, I’ve done novelizations for the TV series The Tudors and Versailles. The rules are pretty clear – know the universes in which you’re writing and check before creating anything too far out of that universe. In the case of Buffy, I was sent a box load of scripts from the shows to make sure I was very familiar with that universe. That was fun, reading through them all.
TRISH WILSON: How did you come to write historical fiction for young adults and teens?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: I love writing historical fiction to help readers understand that people back then were actual people, very much like ourselves. Sure, technology, scientific understandings, clothing, gender expectations, and so on were different, but the people loved, hated, feared, hoped, dreamed much as we do now. It’s a cross-centuries connection that will always remain. I’d like younger readers as well as adults to feel that connection.
TRISH WILSON: What are your upcoming projects, and where may readers find you on the web?
ELIZABETH MASSIE: Haverhill House is set to publish an illustrated book of mine called Boardwalk Dogs and Snow Cats. It’s quite different, as it features two narrated, rhyming poems with dog and cat characters. It’s for young readers as well as adults who love animals. This past summer (2024) I turned a novella called “The Last Loop” for Crystal Lake Publishing, to be part of their Dark Tides series. I also turned in a story entitled “Gottle o’ Geer” for an upcoming anthology, Abandoned: Asylum from Weird House Press. When these are available, I’ll announce it. In the meanwhile, I’m getting back to work on a novel with Mark Rainey, entitled Freezer Burn. Thanks for asking!
