This morning we are interviewing Marge Fulton author of The Holler

That Book Place: Did you always want to be an author?

Marge Fulton: Not really. I've always been a very keen observer and love to psychoanalyze. I began writing when my kids were small. Reading to them, especially fantasy picture books got me interested in writing. Also I have worked in a few institutions. You never forget many of those residents and they sometimes become recycled into characters to allow them a better shot at life.

TBP: What made you decide to write in the Horror field?

MF: Appalachian-themed books in the horror genre often deal with old ghost stories and such. I wanted to do something very original and create a madhouse of modern life in the hills of Appalachia. Once I began playing around with murder and mayhem in the mountains, these type stories seemed to kick the door down. I took settings like a country store and isolated post office and made life or death situations hit head on.

TBP: Can you tell us who your favorite author is and what your favorite book is?

MF: I have to admit that I’m hooked on Charlaine Harris. I have read all of her Sookie Stackhouse series. Also I loved The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Now I’m reading The Draco Tavern by Larry Niven. Actually I don’t read much horror. If you do that it can influence your own stories too much.

TBP: Do you have any interesting experiences that have happened to you?

MF: Several years ago I attended the Hindman Settlement School Writers Workshop. I had just written a short story about a modern day Lazarus. It was quirky to say the least and opens up with a female park ranger cleaning up condoms around the dam. I soaked up what I could from the Appalachian writers. Many other workshops and classes helped to formulate my writing style. That story, Fishing with Lazarus, gave me the courage to be bold in my writing.

TBP: What is your favorite thing that has happened to you as a writer?

MF: Recently I read a story from The Holler at Summit City Lounge in Whitesburg, KY during Seedtime on the Cumberland. It was broadcast live over WMMT. I have read live over WMMT before and once I got invited to speak at Pikeville College because of that.

TBP: Where do you get your inspiration for your novels from?

MF: The local news is full of bizarre events just asking to be morphed into stories. Also local chatrooms give me ideas. My own life experiences are peppered with uncanny moments. Actually, I’ve written almost exclusively short stories, poems and one novella. I may find a character I want to develop enough to write a novel one day. Right now there are too many ideas in my head.

TBP: Do you do a lot of research for your novels?

MF: Usually the internet serves my purpose. When I did the story about LSD experiments done in Lexington, KY during the late 1950s, I read up on it. Most of my characters are close to my own persona; artists, teachers, ecologists. I take everyday people and put them to the test.

TBP: What can we expect in the near future from you?

MF: One reviewer said The Holler felt like Tales from the Crypt. I look into my crystal ball and see more eerie, disturbing tales. Going back to writing mainstream poetry and fiction is almost impossible once you’ve let speculative fiction take the wheel. I am trying to include more “normal” characters to counter balance the chaos. The Holler is full of folks who are very isolated by geography or their own minds. I am taking care to see terror through the eyes of the hapless traveler or child who stumbles into an unthinkable situation. In The Holler the bad guy wins all too often. Actually, with flash fiction you tend to write hit and runs. My new work gives victims more of a fighting chance. The Holler is a healthy mix of horror, fantasy and sci-fi. The horror is what you remember and often can’t forget to save your life.

You can find Marge online at her website www.hazardgal.blogspot.com