The Black Beacon Book of Horror 2 will be released on the 1st of October, but in the meantime, the Kindle version is available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99 and you can add the anthology to your Goodreads TBR list. To get you pumpkin-spiced up for an unforgettable Halloween 2026, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Step into the corridors of their dark minds, if you dare!
Hi Jeff,
That classic question to get started. Do you have to be a horrible person to write horrible things?
I won’t speak for others, but I think there’s a certain amorality to writers, horror or otherwise. I’m not saying writers have no morals (although…), but rather, a writer is willing to examine all possibilites and motivations, no matter how dark (or light). In other words, a writer doesn’t let morality blind them of their darkest notions. They explore everything.
Which horror writers do you admire—old or new, famous or hidden gems?
He’s not a horror writer, but Ray Bradbury has an ability to start you off in the everyday world, and subtly twist the details so that mundane objects and events take on fresh meanings. He inserts the uncanny into the everyday. It’s magical realism, even if no one ever calls it that. A huge influence.
Can you describe your perfect horror-themed night in, out, or away?
I like the weeks just before Halloween, when horror books and movies dominate conversation and media. You’re allowed to binge three horror movies a night on your safe, comfortable couch next to your wife.
Are there any urban legends, folktales, or real-life tales of horror that happened (just maybe) where you live or grew up?
I grew up in Iowa, with cornfields everywhere. Cornfields look pretty, but they are genuinely scary places. Animals (including lots of rats and who knows what else) are scurrying around making unsettling scuttling noises. You can’t see them, only hear them. Corn itself is said to make a rustling sound at it grows. In addition to the sounds, by mid-July the cornstalks are so high you can’t see
what’s right in front of you, and it’s difficult to walk. So: can’t see well, mobility is limited, and you are surrounded by unidentifiable noises. Deeply liminal, disturbing places.
Do you have any writing rituals?
Sit down with my laptop to write every morning, after coffee. Doesn’t matter where. Just show up, every morning. I don’t get ideas about writing unless I’m actively writing.
Would you share something about yourself that your readers don’t know yet?
I once hitchhiked from Iowa to New York City, by way of Canada and the Great Lakes (that’s a really long distance, if you’re not from here!). A true adventure.
Where can we find you online?
My Substack, The Oort Cloud, can be found at
https://jeffwood.substack.com/
My website is at https://jeffmwood.com/
https://jeffwood.substack.com/
My website is at https://jeffmwood.com/