Today we are chatting with William Todd the author of Dead of Night: Tales of the supernatural and the macabre

Tell us something unexpected about yourself!

I'm a compulsive giver. I have a really hard time walking by people who are less fortunate without wanting to pull out my wallet. Having teenagers has quelled the urge a bit, if only because that's where all my money goes now.

What novels affected you the most growing up?

I loved Dean R. Koontz, almost to the exclusion of everyone else. Branching out has since broadened my horizons. HP Lovecraft is another favorite.

Where did the idea for your current book come from?

I've always been a fan of anything from the Victorian era. I loved Dracula, Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes (Hound of the Baskervilles is tops), so in my stories I try to give them a Victorian setting and a Victorian voice. In one story, “I'm Still Alive”, the entire story idea came from an old photo of a casket that was rigged for fresh air in case the deceased came back alive after burial. I find the whole idea of the Victorian fascination with death appealing…at least for story ideas.

Do you think there’s any way you could ever run out of ideas for books?

Horror has been done to death (pun intended). It is hard coming up with ideas that haven't already been done. I think that is why I have returned to the early days of horror when things weren't sterilized by science and fact. It's fun to be scared by things unknown in a time when we think we know everything. It was easier back then to be scared, I think. And the things they were afraid of back then is more appealing than the things that scare us today. Even I, as a 50-ish man, long for the days when I was afraid of the USSR and nuclear holocaust versus today's ISIS. So, yes, I could run out of ideas for books because I won't just wright anything.

What is your routine for writing and has this method changed over the span of your career?

I work a full time job, and I am married with two teens–one with Downs Syndrome. The time isn't easy to get and it's never at any particular time of day. In short, I have no routine. I steal an hour here, a half hour there, two hours on Saturday morning when my wife is getting groceries. Whatever it takes to put words on the computer screen.

How important is marketing and social media for you?

Since I don't go through traditional publishing, marketing and social media is very important if I want anyone other than my family to buy my book. I would go so far as to say social media has replaced traditional marketing practices that traditional publishers use, or used to use.

What advice would you have for other writers?

Never stop writing and keep believing in yourself.

What are you reading now?

A compilation of short stories from HP Lovecraft.

What’s your next step?

Shout the title of my book from the roof tops!

Dead of Night: Tales of the supernatural and the macabre by William Todd is available on Amazon here 

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