Today we’re chatting with dark suspense author Ryan Casey – read an excerpt from his story, The Painting here. And remember to comment on this post or sign up here for your chance to win a box of books and other fun stuff this Friday!
Why suspense-thrillers?
First and
foremost, suspense-thrillers are what I read, watch, and consume (not
literally. Perhaps.). I find that sense of dread and foreboding almost
addictive, so it’s a hell of a lot of fun to write. I often combine
suspense-thriller elements with horror, as I think the two genres can go
rather hand in hand. Suspense is absolutely key to horror, so those
elements are interchangeable But yeah, the short answer would be that I
have the most fun writing it. I like keeping people on the edge of
their seats and I love creating a sense of overwhelming dread. Call me a
literary sadist, but it’s just how it is.
foremost, suspense-thrillers are what I read, watch, and consume (not
literally. Perhaps.). I find that sense of dread and foreboding almost
addictive, so it’s a hell of a lot of fun to write. I often combine
suspense-thriller elements with horror, as I think the two genres can go
rather hand in hand. Suspense is absolutely key to horror, so those
elements are interchangeable But yeah, the short answer would be that I
have the most fun writing it. I like keeping people on the edge of
their seats and I love creating a sense of overwhelming dread. Call me a
literary sadist, but it’s just how it is.
Is your fiction more physical or psychological in nature (ie, gore/slasher or mind freak)?
I’d
say it’s primarily psychological, but I do enjoy building up to these
great climactic moments of violence in some of my works. I think it has
to be within reason, though, in that violence and gore can lose its
effectiveness when it’s in every chapter, for example. I like to create a
sense of dread, and if it lends to the book, I’ll bring that to a
violent conclusion. In my assassin-thriller, Killing Freedom, there’s a
real sense of foreboding in the first quarter of the book when the
assassin protagonist is debating whether to kill a family or not, and it
all comes to a rather horrible, physical conclusion. In The Painting,
on the other hand, the sense of dread works independent of
gore/violence.
say it’s primarily psychological, but I do enjoy building up to these
great climactic moments of violence in some of my works. I think it has
to be within reason, though, in that violence and gore can lose its
effectiveness when it’s in every chapter, for example. I like to create a
sense of dread, and if it lends to the book, I’ll bring that to a
violent conclusion. In my assassin-thriller, Killing Freedom, there’s a
real sense of foreboding in the first quarter of the book when the
assassin protagonist is debating whether to kill a family or not, and it
all comes to a rather horrible, physical conclusion. In The Painting,
on the other hand, the sense of dread works independent of
gore/violence.
Which dark fictional characters (not your own) have resonated with you, and why?
Wow,
there are so many. Probably too many for comfort! I think the stock
answer would probably be Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. He’s a
dark, twisted sociopath, and yet he’s an absolutely tremendous and
alienating narrator. I think that his rants against contemporary society
and critique of consumerism and materialism are wonderful. Ultimately,
Patrick Bateman is the demon in the back of everybody’s minds. He has
violent urges he can’t control, speaks the harsh truth about many
aspects of young professional society, and is a walking satire of
everything wrong with that. The pay-off is even more fantastic at the
end of the book as it suggests (spoiler alert) he does in fact control
his deepest, darkest urges after all, leaving the question: aren’t we
all a little bit Bateman-ish? No? Oh. Okay then.
there are so many. Probably too many for comfort! I think the stock
answer would probably be Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. He’s a
dark, twisted sociopath, and yet he’s an absolutely tremendous and
alienating narrator. I think that his rants against contemporary society
and critique of consumerism and materialism are wonderful. Ultimately,
Patrick Bateman is the demon in the back of everybody’s minds. He has
violent urges he can’t control, speaks the harsh truth about many
aspects of young professional society, and is a walking satire of
everything wrong with that. The pay-off is even more fantastic at the
end of the book as it suggests (spoiler alert) he does in fact control
his deepest, darkest urges after all, leaving the question: aren’t we
all a little bit Bateman-ish? No? Oh. Okay then.
Which of your own characters intrigues you the most, and why?
I
always write protagonists I’m engaged with in one way or another, and I
always write protagonists with fatal flaws. I think my favourite
character is Jared, the assassin character in Killing Freedom. He’s so
alienated and detached from society, yet he offers a remarkable insight
into the world around him through these very different eyes. He’s a lot
of fun to write, that’s for sure. I’m working on the sequel at the
moment, and his development is profound.
always write protagonists I’m engaged with in one way or another, and I
always write protagonists with fatal flaws. I think my favourite
character is Jared, the assassin character in Killing Freedom. He’s so
alienated and detached from society, yet he offers a remarkable insight
into the world around him through these very different eyes. He’s a lot
of fun to write, that’s for sure. I’m working on the sequel at the
moment, and his development is profound.
What’s a typical Halloween like at your house?
I
think I can go on record here and say that over in the UK, Halloween
isn’t as much of a deal as it is in the US. Or am I just grossly
stereotyping based on what I’ve seen in films, etc? Typically though,
our nights are spent hiding away in the house with all the lights off to
avoid giving away any of our hard earned sweets. But more recently,
I’ve warmed to watching a horror movie or two, which I suppose is a
pretty boring and standard answer.
think I can go on record here and say that over in the UK, Halloween
isn’t as much of a deal as it is in the US. Or am I just grossly
stereotyping based on what I’ve seen in films, etc? Typically though,
our nights are spent hiding away in the house with all the lights off to
avoid giving away any of our hard earned sweets. But more recently,
I’ve warmed to watching a horror movie or two, which I suppose is a
pretty boring and standard answer.
What scary situation do you hope to never find yourself in? Do you have a plan in case it ever happens?
I
both do and do not want to be involved in a zombie apocalypse. There’s
something alluring about an end of the world scenario like that. We have
an old Ministry of Defence bunker behind our house, and we’re out in
the countryside, so the odds would be better than those in the city…
without an MoD bunker. So the plan would be to raid the shed for weapons
and make some sort of stronghold in that bunker before anybody else. I
think I’d be worryingly like The Governor on The Walking Dead. Don’t
come near my bunker!
both do and do not want to be involved in a zombie apocalypse. There’s
something alluring about an end of the world scenario like that. We have
an old Ministry of Defence bunker behind our house, and we’re out in
the countryside, so the odds would be better than those in the city…
without an MoD bunker. So the plan would be to raid the shed for weapons
and make some sort of stronghold in that bunker before anybody else. I
think I’d be worryingly like The Governor on The Walking Dead. Don’t
come near my bunker!
Ryan Casey is a mystery and thriller author from Preston,
Lancashire, in the UK. When he can’t be found writing, he generally
can’t be found.
His work typically centres around complex
protagonists with fatal flaws. His novels include suspense thriller,
Killing Freedom, and coming of age mystery, What We Saw.
protagonists with fatal flaws. His novels include suspense thriller,
Killing Freedom, and coming of age mystery, What We Saw.
Ryan is also the author of psychological thriller/horror novella series, The Watching, as well as several short stories.
Check out Ryan’s books: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple
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