Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a HUGE fan of anything horror! I fell in love at an early age with movie monsters. My favorite movie at the age of eight was Silver Bullet and I’ve always been fascinated with the unknown and unexplained- UFOs, cryptids, ghosts, mysteries and the paranormal. So when I saw WB advertising her book on Twitter back in December, I knew immediately from reading the blurb that it was going to be right up my alley! I finished Blood Drops in early January (you can read my lovely review of it here: http://shannaswenson.com/my-blog/review-of-blood-drops-by-wb-welch)
After finishing this incredibly poignant and very well-written collection of horror stories, I was curious to know more about WB and her work, so I recently got with her and interviewed her about her debut horror collection and what her writing life is like.
 
Here’s what she had to say:
 
 
Me:   Hi WB, tell me a little about yourself? When did you know you were going to be a writer?

WB: A little about myself? I’m short, I love coffee and tea and kombucha, and my favorite shoes are my slides. When did I know I was going to be a writer? That’s a kind of hard thing to nail down. I had dreams of being a novelist when I was seven or eight years old, but that wasn’t a practical or guaranteed career choice, so I didn’t start actively taking steps towards full-time writer status until about four years ago. I continued to self-study fiction writing after college, but when I re-read Stephen King’s On Writing in 2015, it lit some kind of new fire under my butt. Within a couple of months, I was starting my first novella.
 
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Me:   Awesome! What inspired you to write Blood Drops?  
 
WB: I created a small, hand-printed anthology called “Blood Drop” a couple of years ago. That was inspired by a burlap coated book I came across in a bookstore one day. My boyfriend said it would be really cool if I printed some of my stories and made my own little book, so I did. Then later last year, I realized I had a bunch of stories I could pull together for a new collection, only this time, I printed it with Amazon so the potential for reach was greater.
 
 
Me:   Nice, so which character in your collection is your favorite? Why?
 
WB: Ooooo. That’s tough. I guess I would have to say Her. We never learn her name, in the first story, but she is such a free-spirited, present, trusting, and experience-driven person.
 

Me:   Yes, I can see that! Did anyone in real life inspire your characters?
 
WB: Yes and no. For me, I am always observing people and their tendencies, from relatives to strangers I see. While no character was directly inspired by one person, I am sure bits and pieces of lots of people reside in the pages.


Me:   Haha, yes. I understand that well! Now, what are you working on currently?
 
WB: A few things actually. I am working on a zombie novella with Tory Hunter that we are both very excited about. We have some surprises lined up and some announcements coming soon, and we can’t wait to share more. I am also querying one novel while working on another, AND I recently started a short secret project that I hope to announce soon.
OH. Also, I’ll be starting stories for Blood Drops II sooooon!


Me:   Yaayyy! How exciting! And Zombies…oohh, I’ll be checking that one out for sure! So, tell us a little about your writing process?

WB: I actually have an important technique I haven’t talked about too much publicly, so I’m glad you asked. I always, always, always find a photo of a person who I feel could represent my main character. I usually do this with my antagonist too. Now, this isn’t always true for short projects, but for anything over about five to ten thousand words, this is important. For some reason, it helps me connect with the MC…whenever I feel stuck, I stare at the photo, try to feel what they would feel, think what they would think. Maybe this helps me ‘not be myself,’ to cause some separation, so I don’t just feel like all of it is in my head. If I can stare at this real person and believe they are my MC, I can dive much further into their consciousness. Is that weird? I hope it’s not weird.
I also grab a thin, ruled, Moleskin journal for all new projects I start. This is where my story ideas go, as well as any notes I take when I am researching. Going off the idea that writing things down helps you remember them, I feel like this helps me retain the important details to access them when I am writing.
 

Me:   That’s such a unique and interesting idea! I LOVE it! What drew you to the horror genre?
 
WB: I am drawn to all kinds of genres, but horror has always held a special place in my heart. I couldn’t tell you why. I saw my first scary movie when I was young, younger than ten at least. It terrified me, but I was hooked; the horror shelves at Blockbuster became my favorite. I collected and read Goosebumps, too.
 

Me:    Who are your favorite authors/books?
 
WB: So many. Stephen King, Koontz, Lovecraft, Chuck Palahniuk, Joe Hill, Patrick Rothfuss, C.S Lewis, Thomas Ligotti…I’ve read some good ones lately by Paul Harding, Edan Lepucki, Jennifer McMahon, Kiersten White, and Bryce Andrews.
 

Me:   All great ones! What do you love about writing?
 
WB: I love surprising myself. I love when I finish writing, read back over it, then find myself wondering where it came from. I love when I am able to get into the zone so well that the writing starts writing itself.
 

Me:  Haha, yes, I know the feeling and yes, sometimes I read back through and I’m like “Man, that’s good stuff!” WB, final question: What are you looking forward to in 2019?

WB: All of it. You might have been expecting a more specific answer, but I don’t have one. There are a lot of good things happening, and I feel like there are many more still to come. Life is one surprise after another, and all we can do is take it as it comes, but I am willing, and I am ready.


Me: Agreed! That’s wonderful! Well, thank you so much for being my guest tonight, WB. It’s been a pleasure! I wish you all the best in your upcoming endeavors and look forward to checking out more of your future works!


You can find WB Welch’s Blood Drops on Amazon or order a signed paperback copy from her website. The links are below.