The 7Q Interview: Somer Canon
AUTHOR BIO
Somer Canon is a minivan revving suburban mother who avoids her neighbors for fear of being found out as a weirdo. When she’s not peering out of her windows, she’s consuming books, movies, and video games that sate her need for blood, gore, and things that disturb her mother.
QUESTIONS
#1. Looking back, what’s one fiction book that you feel truly made an impact on your writing? Do you still gravitate towards that author?
#1. Like so many, I am a huge Stephen King fan, but I actually read another horror author before I could finish a King book and this author’s writing still has a significant effect on me. Ruby Jean Jensen. I was in the third of fourth grade when I read The Haunting and it scared the bejabbers out of me, but it also seemed to hit the “ON” button within me that made me want to write my own stories. There were so many books, really, but if I have to pick the one book, it’s The Haunting.
#2. How do you feel about the use of sub-genres in the industry? How do you describe your work overall?
#2. To be honest with you, I find myself a little ambivalent about sub-genres. I like to read it all and I get why they exist and if others find them necessary, again, I get it. As for my own work, I’ve had others describe my work and try to put it onto the sub-genres and…it’s never consistent. Some people will find a certain work Extreme Horror while others find it rather tame. I’m so flipping thrilled that I’m writing at all that I don’t care what sub-genre in which they place my work because the fact that it exists at all makes me happy.
#3. What about your writing process do you think is unique or quirky? What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?
#3. I don’t think that I really do anything unique or quirky. I have to sneak time away from my family to get my writing done, so I go super fast, just in little snippets.
They worst writing advice? I hesitate to pick at any particular tidbit because if I’ve learned anything it’s that it takes different strokes to make the world go ‘round and it takes different methods to get the author writing. One in particular that doesn’t work for me? Like, really REALLY doesn’t work for me? Edit while you write. I’d never move past the first three paragraphs!
#4. How does music and media factor into your writing? Do you feel it plays as much an inspirational role as literature?
#4. Sometimes if I know that I have a good chunk of time to write, I’ll play music, but it doesn’t really contribute much to my writing. It mostly serves as a distraction for me to sing along to when I get stuck. As for other media, I consume it, so in some sort of indirect way I think it all plays into my writing because all of it fills my creativity well. I think literature, or any written work, tends to inspire me the most.
#5. As an author, how much do you engage in social media? Do you feel it is more for your own entertainment, or for marketing and networking?
#5. I think social media, in theory, is a very good tool for networking and marketing. In reality, it gets messy and even the most adorable of us can tend to get lost in the maelstrom of big news, big drama, big everything. Don’t get me wrong, I use it and I’m not planning to stop, but I think it’s sometimes more of a time suck than I’d prefer.
#6. Where do you see the future of horror fiction heading? In turn, what changes would you love to see, either socially or technologically?
#6. I think that horror is going to continue chugging along as it always has, the underrated red-headed step child of the written word. I love horror because it’s a beautiful study of the human animal and it always has so much more to say than just “BOO!” My faith in my fellow creators is as strong as ever and I know that they will continue weaving tales and creating characters that will grip anybody lucky enough to buy the work.
As for changes I’d love to see, I’d really like to see us writers get a more reliable platform to have our work showcased. Let’s face it, most of us are indie writers, either self-publishing, working with small presses, or a mix of both. We don’t have the luxury of a large publisher’s massive publicity machine and Amazon has been hamstringing us a lot lately with the circuitous review tangle they’ve got. It’s a mess and it’s a little distressing to a lot of us that we have to rely on reviews and yet they keep deleting reviews. Technology is supposed to make life easier! How about being kind to the creatives, technology!
#7. What can you tell us about any forthcoming projects? What titles would you like to promote now?
#7. My novel, Killer Chronicles will be seeing its paperback and ebook release soon from Bloodshot Books. It had a limited hardcover release from Thunderstorm Books that was well received and it was also nominated for a Splatterpunk Award. I cannot wait for it to get a wider release!
AUTHOR PIC
