The Spooky Six with Nick Roberts and Willow Croft
Do you know how much I miss the beach? So I jumped at the chance to interview Nick Roberts at his favourite beach (okay, I would say undisclosed, but you all know we’re not actually meeting up in person, right?). Still, I can dream of the day I’ll return to a marine environment. But enough about that…let’s take a deep dive into this wonderful interview!
Nick Roberts (he/him) is the author of Anathema, The Exorcist’s House, It Haunts the Mind & Other Stories, Mean Spirited, and Dead End Tunnel. He is a native West Virginian, a doctoral graduate of Marshall University, and an active member of the Horror Authors Guild and the Horror Writers Association.
Nick began his writing career by submitting short stories to various genre and literary magazines and anthologies, such as The Blue Mountain Review, Haunted MTL, Sinister Smile Press, J. Ellington Press, The Indiana Horror Review, The Fiction Pool, Falling Star Magazine XX, Dead Sea Press, Stonecrop Magazine, and KJK Publishing.
Through his short works, Nick explores the darker side of human nature, often depicting themes of addiction, obsession, grief, and trauma. As an advocate for people in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD), Nick attempts to shine a realistic light on both sides of the recovery spectrum in his writing to help break the stigma associated with SUD. By openly sharing his own journey of recovery, he hopes more people who are struggling will not be ashamed to seek help.
Nick’s novels have won numerous awards, attained best-seller statuses on Amazon many times over, and continue to garner commercial and critical acclaim. Anathema won Debut Novel of the Year at the 2020 Horror Authors Guild Awards. The Exorcist’s House made the Preliminary Ballot for Superior Achievement in a Novel at the 2022 Bram Stoker Awards and won the Books of Horror Indie Author Brawl in 2022. His short story collection, It Haunts the Mind & Other Stories, and his novel, Mean Spirited, both won in their categories at the 2024 Golden Scoop Awards, while Nick, himself, won an award for being an author to watch.
Nick’s upcoming works include The Exorcist’s House: Genesis, a prequel/sequel to Crystal Lake Publishing’s best-selling novel to date. Through his own company, Spooky WV LLC, he will be releasing Anathema: Legacy and a second short story collection.
Aside from writing, he works as a teacher, enjoys spending time with his wife, Amy, and their three children, and is most content at the beach with a cigar and a good book.
Links:
www.nickrobertsauthor.com (Buy signed copies and sign up for his mailing list.)
www.goodreads.com/author/show/22378485.Nick_Roberts
https://rb.gy/hp524e (Amazon author site to purchase his work in all formats.)
Willow Croft: “Hey, look at that derelict Victorian mansion . . . let’s go explore it!” What’s the most unusual setting you’ve read about in a horror/thriller book, or included in your own creative works?
Nick Roberts: By far, the most unusual setting I’ve read in a horror book is the titular house in House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. This is not your typical house. It’s not even your typical haunted house. (I don’t even think it’s haunted, so ignore that.) There’s just some crazy shit going on here with the basic premise being that the inside of the house measures larger than the outside. It only gets weirder from there as the family descends into a nightmarish odyssey that makes the reader question his or her own sanity. This book is a commitment, but it’s totally worthwhile.
Willow Croft: “It was a dark and stormy night . . .” What are your go-to comfort foods, drinks, or other ways to wind down after a long day (or night) of writing?
Nick Roberts: My go-to comfort foods have become less and less enticing as I’ve gotten older. I used to binge out on some Cheez-Its and Sprite or Easy Cheese and crackers—always topped off with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. After a cholesterol scare a few years ago where the doctor told me I was in heart attack territory because of my levels and family history, I abruptly changed my ways. Now, I eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner (mostly), and my nighttime comfort snacks are “healthy” chips and salsa and fat free sherbet. I bore myself.
Willow Croft: “Did you hear that noise?” Everyone, even us horror/suspense writers, have our night terrors. What is it that frightens you the most?
Nick Roberts: What truly frightens me the most is probably the same thing that plagued Kafka and inspired his writing: the monotony of the daily, bureaucratic grind, just to get by with the idea of enjoying life being a carrot always dangling somewhere in the next weekend or retirement. My goal is to be in a stable enough position to write full-time because balancing a day job and my dream job is taking its toll.
Willow Croft: “I’m sure it was nothing. But I’ll just go outside and check, anyway. Alone. With no weapons.” Have you ever gotten writers’ block? If so, how do you combat it? Do you have certain rituals or practices that help get you into the writing (or creating) mindset?
Nick Roberts: I don’t believe in writer’s block. There have been times when I haven’t been in the mood to write or ideas just aren’t materializing in my lap, but that’s why I sit down and just write until the magic happens. If I sat around waiting to be inspired, my productivity would nosedive. I write a minimum of 1,000 words per day. Sometimes they flow right out; other times, it takes a little longer. But I’m a creature of habit. If I get in the routine of only producing when the muse calls me forth, I know I’ll find myself playing more video games, watching more movies, and, eventually, forgetting about this writing endeavor entirely. Just like my exercise regiment, I have to stay in practice.
Willow Croft: “Don’t go into the basement!” Are you an impulsive pantser or a plotter with outlines galore? What other writing/industry advice would you share with your fellow writers & creators?
Nick Roberts: I’m a pantser with my novels and a plotter with my short stories. There’s more room for error and refinement with longer works. I can always go back and make it look like I knew what I was doing all along. If I plot out my novels—even just a bulleted list—I’ll just be writing to connect the dots and get to the next scene, which bores the shit out of me. I like to experience the story like the readers. When I’m writing, it’s as if I’m watching a movie in my mind and just dictating what happens. If I know how the movie ends, it lessens the impact on me, and that’s my barometer for whether or not what I’m doing is working. If I can scare or shock myself, I know I’m on the right path. As far as advice to other authors, read Stephen King’s, On Writing, once a year. I recently took a note from Quentin Tarantino that’s helped me; he said to always stop your writing session in the middle of the action, so you’re not intimidated to jump back into it the next day.
Willow Croft: “Ring ring!” It’s the middle of the night and the phone mysteriously rings. Which notable writer, or person from history, would be on the other end of the line?
Nick Roberts: If another writer is calling me in the middle of the night, it’s definitely Felix Blackwell. He and I are on opposite sides of the country, and I always wake up to his midnight musings. He’s actually the only one in our little author group chat on the west coast, so sometimes he gets lonely, talking into the void for hours on end. I’m pretty sure that contributes to his genius, though.
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“Bringer of Nightmares and Storms.” Horror writer Willow Croft is usually lurking deep in the shadows of her writer cave, surrounded by formerly feral (but still fierce!) cats for company. Visit her here: http://willowcroft.blog, or check out her other services here: https://kirsten-lee-barger.mailchimpsites.com/.
