This is part of a series of interviews with contributors to Negative Space: An Anthology of Survival Horror from Dark Peninsula Press. Check back here over the next few weeks as I post more of these so you can get to know these great authors and get a little taste of this awesome collection! Negative Space: An Anthology of Survival Horror comes out on June 19th, 2020!
Q: Tell us about your story in the Negative Space anthology.
A: “Midnight, off Arkansas River Trail” is a story about a young man fleeing for his life from an unfaltering entity that has taken over the body of a childhood friend, after they accidentally kill an elderly woman during a nighttime joyride.
Q: What drew you to writing a survival horror story for Negative Space: An Anthology of Survival Horror?
A: I’ve always loved reading true survival stories since childhood, beginning with 1983’s Against Incredible Odds by Arthur Roth (1983) and Reader’s Digest “Drama in Real Life” excerpts. The thrills, the ultimate victory against some terrible event gone wrong are engrossing… and then throw in a fictional “supernatural” monster element, and I’m on my toes with adrenaline.
Q: What survival situation do you most fear?
A: Being trapped underwater, such as in a sinking sub. That just incorporates so many other fears rolled into one… drowning, claustrophobia, darkness (if it’s deep enough), sharks (I mean, that’s probably the reason the sub is sinking in the first place, after mega-Jaws has bitten through it!).
Q: What’s the biggest challenge in writing survival horror?
A: Keeping the story unique, “fresh,” and exciting, something more than just a bogeyman chasing some everyday Joe… survival horror needs to incorporate “twists” and cool MacGyver-esque survival implements cobbled together from wits, sticks, and a bit of bubble gum.
Q: What writing project are you currently working on?
A: Through my press, Dark Moon Books, I’m continuing to publish a series of author primers created to champion modern masters of the dark and macabre, titled: Exploring Dark Short Fiction (Vol. 1: Steve Rasnic Tem; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford; Vol. V: Han Song; Vol. VI: Ramsey Campbell).
And through SourceBooks I’m curating a new series of books titled, The Horror Writers Association Presents: Haunted Library of Horror Classics with co-editor Leslie S. Klinger (to begin publishing 2020).
I’m also still writing short stories, and I’ve started THREE new novels, although I’m not very far into any of them! One is a pulp science fiction, one a paranormal detective series, and one a literary historical horror.
Q: Where can readers find out more about you and your works?
A: I can be found nearly everywhere! :)
- Eric J. Guignard Author Site: www.ericjguignard.com
- Eric J. Guignard Blog: http://ericjguignard.blogspot.com/
- Dark Moon Books Publisher Site (operated by Eric J. Guignard): www.darkmoonbooks.com
- Twitter (@ericjguignard): https://twitter.com/ericjguignard
- Twitter (@darkmoonbooks): https://twitter.com/DarkMoonBooks
- GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3410564.Eric_J_Guignard
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eric_j._guignard
Maggie Slater 
Appreciate tthis blog post