WIHM: Watch Out For The Quiet Ones

By: Amy Grech

People are genuinely shocked when I tell them that I’m a published Crime Fiction and Horror Author…Maybe it’s because I’m so mild-mannered, quiet, or perhaps it’s because I’m a woman? Through no fault of my own, I’ve become a conversation piece. When someone asks me why I write scary stories, I tell them there are a multitude of reasons: I was raised Catholic. Some of those Bible stories are downright terrifying. Cain and Abel, David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah. When I was 12 years-old, an Aunt introduced me to Stephen King’s novels. I started with Cujo and Pet Sematary and have been hooked on Horror and Stephen King’s books ever since!

 

I’ve always had an overactive imagination, so it only stands to reason that from an early age, I’d endeavor to become a published author. Early on, my parents also instilled my love of reading. Growing up on Long Island, the local library was just a short walk or bike ride away. I remember they had a summer reading program for kids—if you read three books or more every month, you could pick a prize—that motivated me to read as many books as I could carry! Favorites included A Wrinkle in Time by ‎Madeleine L’Engle, A Light in the Attic, The Giving Tree, and Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, and The Hardy Boys.

 

I wrote my first story in 4th grade. Payment came the form of a gold star…In high school, I really got serious about my writing. I look a creative writing class, where we would submit our work longhand. I have terrible handwriting, so looking back, I have to say the teacher was a saint, providing the right mix of encouragement and criticism. When I was still in high school, I bought my first typewriter, a red, second-hand IBM Selectric I found at a garage sale. When I first started writing, I emulated Stephen King’s stories; I quickly developed my own voice, albeit a little rough around the edges. I submitted my stories to several stories to various magazines; this was back in the day when you actually had to go to the Post Office and include a SASE with your submission. I quickly progressed from form rejections to personalized comments from the editors, which I took to heart—I’d go back and revise what didn’t work, and practice and perseverance paid off—more often than not, I’d sell the revision.

 

I’ve been writing for over 20 years now. I’ve expanded my reach, with one published poem, a novel, The Art of Deception, and several novellas. I’ll go wherever my muse takes me. Quietly.

Amy Grech

Amy Grech

Author

Amy Grech has sold over 100 stories to various anthologies and magazines including:
A New York State of Fright, Apex Magazine, Beat to a Pulp: Hardboiled, Dead Harvest, Deadman’s Tome Campfire Tales Book Two, Expiration Date, Fright Mare, Hell’s Heart, Hell’s Highway, Needle Magazine, Psycho Holiday, Real American Horror, Tales from The Lake Vol. 3, Thriller Magazine, and many others. New Pulp Press published her book of noir stories, Rage and Redemption in Alphabet City.

She is an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association and the International Thriller Writers who lives in Brooklyn. Visit her website: https://www.crimsonscreams.com.

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