NAME: Iseult Murphy
CREATIVE FIELDS: Author / Artist
WEBSITE: iseultmurphy.com
CREATOR BIO:
Iseult Murphy is a chronically ill writer and artist from Ireland. She writes dark speculative fiction, mostly horror, fantasy and science fiction. She has published over a dozen books and forty short stories. She has previously been a judge for BBNYA, SPSFBO, and is currently a judge for IBOR. She is a reviewer at FanFiAddict.com. Her illustrations have appeared in various publications.
INTERVIEW
What got you into horror to begin with – what’s your core Horror memory?
My core horror memory is being enthralled by Vincent Price in the 1953 film, ‘House of Wax‘, when I was about 2 or 3. I refused to go to bed until I’d finished watching the film. I ended up watching it on my father’s knee, while he fell asleep. For the first time in my life I saw something that reflected how I saw the world. I was hooked.
Do you have a favourite horror subgenre (or more than one) and if so, what is it? What/Who are your favourite books/films/podcasts/artists/creatives working in that subgenre?
Funnily enough, it was Vincent Price’s voice in the ‘Thriller‘ video that started my fear/love of zombies. Zombie fiction is one of my favourite subgenres.
‘This is Not A Test‘ by Veronica Roth hit all the right notes for me in a zombie story. Great character work without devaluing the threat of the zombies.
‘World War Z‘ by Max Brooks is a seminal work of zombie literature and a must read for all fans of the undead.
What is the horror project of your heart – perhaps something you’ve already got out there, something you’re working on now, or something you’d like to do?
My own zombie horror series, ‘7th Hell’. I’ve already published two books, with another seven in the series planned.
It is about the zombie infestation of Ireland. Some of the books are prequels set hundred of years ago that detail how zombies first came to Ireland. The other books are about a young woman, Vicky, as she fights to survive in a country being slowly taken over by the undead.
Which 5 horror books can you not stop thinking about, or have influenced you most in some way? (If not books, you can pick 5 films, 5 pieces of art, 5 songs… or mix & match!)
‘Heart Shaped Box‘ by Joe Hill. This book terrified me so much that I had to read it in one sitting. I thought it would haunt me if I didn’t.
‘The Taking‘ by Dean Koontz. Probably more about the creepy setting where I read the book than the book itself, but it managed to worm its way into my subconscious.
‘I Am Legend‘ by Richard Matheson. One of the first horror books I bought as a teen. It changed my perception of horror and influenced my writing.
‘Dracula‘ by Bram Stoker. The first horror novel I read. It made me realize that horror could exist in books as well as movies.
‘Jurassic Park’ by Michael Crichton. Okay, not a horror book exactly, but I loved the disemboweling scene as a young teen. It showed me what could be done and inspired me.
If you had to describe the tones and themes of your own work in terms of movies, books, songs, or art, what would you choose and why?
I would love my work to be like John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing‘. Atmospheric, layered, full of disturbing images and unnerving beats.
More often than not, it is like ‘The Lost Boys‘. Sometimes funny, sometimes geysers of blood. I’m okay with that too.
Introduce us to something you’ve created, and pitch it to the audience!
Let me present to you my novella, ‘Hedgehogs‘. If you love zombies, and animals, and have been longing for a story about a group of plucky animals battling against zombie hedgehogs, then this is the book for you! Think ‘Watership Down‘ meets ‘Night of the Living Dead’.