In this interview, Australian author David-Jack Fletcher talks about his forthcoming novel, Raven's Creek, published by Slashic Horror Press.
Can you tell me a little about your background and what first drew you to horror fiction, and the desire to write in the genre?My background is in academia, specifically in Cultural Studies. I always knew I wanted to be an author, and academia kind of sucked up a decade of my life. When I really wasn’t getting any satisfaction from it, I decided I needed to start rediscovering my love for fiction. So, I started writing short stories to help me get back into it, and I guess people like my stuff, because everything I’ve written so far has been published. I’ve retrained as an editor, and launched my small business, Chainsaw Editing.
Until recently, I thought horror was a newish interest of mine. Then I found an old story I wrote in Year 8, when I was 13 or 14, about a mother who murders her own children (and who then haunt her). So, I think horror has kind of always been in my veins, both to consume, and to write.
What is Raven’s Creek about?
Raven’s Creek has a lot of themes running through it. The main one for me is about humanity—or what makes us monsters—and challenges how we understand morality. I describe it as the bastard love child of Cabin in the Woods and The Island of Doctor Moreau. In terms of plot, it’s about a married couple—Michael and Geoff—in search of their runaway surrogate. They wind up pulling into a motel, only to fall prey to the owners, who have a lot of weird shit going on there. It’s kind of a survive-the-night, body horror, gore fest, with a love story at the centre.
Is this your first novel — can you tell me how the idea for the book came about? Why did you have to write it?
I wrote my first novel when I was about 13, and then two more within a year. However, looking back on those, they are quite funny (and terrible). This is the first full-length novel I am publishing, though.
The idea for Raven’s Creek came about from a short story submission call—that’s how it started, as a 7000-word story. I wanted to challenge myself to write survival horror, which I hadn’t done before. The more I wrote it, the more I realised the story was bigger than anticipated, and it spiralled into a book. After a few chapters, the characters felt real to me and they had their own stories demanding to be told, so I had to keep writing.
Have you been published before? Where else have you been published?
I’ve had a few short stories published; one through Hellbound, one through Eerie River, and a few other places. My debut novella released in February 2022, titled The Haunting of Harry Peck, and that whole process really got me interested in not just writing, but also publishing. Harry Peck ended up becoming an international bestseller on Amazon that year.
You’re publishing through your own press, Slashic Horror Press — why did you take that step? Did the idea for the press come first?
I had interest from several publishers, and took a few meetings. However, the co-founder of Slashic Horror and I were already in the process of setting things up. So, I decided to take a plunge and back myself. If I’m going to publish other people, I needed the confidence to first publish myself, and believe in what Slashic Horror stands for, which is queer horror fiction.
Why should people read Raven’s Creek?
I always tell people to read what you want, and horror is so diverse that it can be quite hit and miss. However, I’d say to people if they like strong characters, action-driven plots and a bit of gore, then give it a go.
Where can people purchase a copy of Raven’s Creek?
Slashic is doing wide distribution, so it’s available anywhere good books are sold, as well as KU.
What’s next for you with your own writing and Slashic Horror Press?
I’m currently working on a few things, as most authors will say! I’ve got a short story I’m tweaking before I start shopping it around, and a novella titled, The Count, that I am realising needs to be a full novel. I’ve also got a short story collection I am working on, and a list of titles on my white board that I’ve promised myself I will write.
In terms of Slashic Horror, we’ve signed an author, with a couple more in the midst, so we’ll be starting some social media campaigning around that soon. We’ve had some amazing submissions so far, and because we’re continuously open, we keep getting more and more! We’ll also be opening submissions in July for our first quarterly anthology, as well as looking at doing some conventions in 2024. Lee (the other half of Slashic Horror Press) and I will also be relaunching the podcast he ran a while back, to give readers and authors another platform to hear stories.
You can follow me on IG, FB, and Twitter: @fletcherhorror
You can follow Slashic Horror on IG, FB, and Twitter: @slashichorrorpress
