Paul Williams' "Fargan's Termination" is just one of the mad mechanical tales featured in Murder and Machinery. Out April the 3rd. Kindle pre-orders available now.
Tell us three
interesting facts about yourself.
1. I completed a PhD about the folklore of wolves.
2. I started watching Doctor Who in chronological order, one episode a week in 2018 and will finish the current run in 2035.
3. My favourite job was managing a collections office for HMRC.
What drew you to this particular theme?
The guillotine and the Halifax gibbet; machines designed to kill. The purpose of machines is to make life easier for humans and reduce the unpleasant chores. Washing machines, microwaves, robot vacuum cleaners, computers, and mobile phones. What happens when a society takes that a stage further and employs machine for the jobs that people don’t want to do? Low paid manual work such as fruit picking. Toilet cleaners. Executioners.
What’s the most frightening machine for you personally?
An aeroplane. Although I work in aviation and fly regularly there is still something unsettling about being in a sealed container high in the sky.
Which short story authors or authors in the horror genre inspire you?
Richard Laymon, Stephen King, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Burke.
Do you have a favourite story about machines, other than The Pit and the Pendulum?
The Mangler by Stephen King.
What does your editing process look like?
Three drafts and three read-throughs. Then I check spelling and grammar and formatting rules.
Thanks, Paul!
