Today I’d like to welcome Mike Thorn, author of the horror novel, Shelter for the Damned, which I recently had the privilege of reviewing.

Can you give us your quickest description of your book?

Shelter for the Damned is a coming-of-age narrative wrapped up in a pessimistic, suburban horror plot. The novel is set in a deliberately ambiguated suburban environment in the year 2003.

Any particular reason you chose 2003?

Initially, I didn’t specify the time period at all (and I still don’t, within the actual body of the narrative). However, close to publication, I had a discussion with JournalStone’s managing editor, Scarlett R. Algee, in which we noted the book’s absence of contemporary details like cellphones and social media. I was undoubtedly writing about a horror-infected version of the suburbs I remember from my own teens. So, we decided to include a page at the beginning of the book stating Suburban Somewhere, 2003 to help situate the reader.

Makes sense. I noted the lack of cellphones. What are you working on currently?

I’m currently reworking a nonfiction, academic book proposal for a project focused on two horror filmmakers. I can’t share any details about that just yet. Wish me luck!

Sounds interesting!  Do you like taking a break from fiction to change things up?

Thank you! I do enjoy slipping into nonfiction/critical mode every now and then (although not as often as I used to). I think writing essays requires a very different cognitive process from writing fiction.

Certainly. What is your favorite scene you’ve written? 

I’m pleased with the third act of Shelter for the Damned, which descends into hallucinatory and semi-cosmic territory. I can’t say too much without giving anything away, but I drew a lot on the kind of imagery that draws me to writers like H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe.

I know exactly the portions you mean.  It gets almost trippy but works perfectly for how the horror of the Shack has unfolded.  I can see the Lovecraft influence for sure.  What are some of your favorite classic stories that bend towards horror?

I appreciate that! In terms of Poe, my favorite story is “The Black Cat,” and my favorite Lovecraft story is probably “The Dreams in the Witch House.” I love so many classic books in the Gothic/horror realm… among my favorites are Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Matthew Gregory Lewis’s The Monk, Charles Robert Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer,  Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows, Daphne du Maurier’s The Breaking Point, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho. Macbeth has always been my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays, and I would argue that it leans hard into horror, too.

I’d worry about anyone who didn’t find MacBeth horrific. LOL.  What is one bit of advice you’d like to share with writers?

Read, read, read. Avoid limiting yourself to one genre. Read the classics, but also try to keep up with new releases. Read fiction. Read theory, philosophy, autobiographies, and poetry. Push against your genre biases: distinctions between “high” and “low” art are generally just elitist fabrications. You can learn from the stuff you don’t like as much as you can learn from the stuff you do like.

I agree 100% (as an English Lit nerd myself who loves bending genres).  How do you go about discovering new releases and keeping up with the thousands of books released these days?

I try to stay tapped into the small press horror world, and social media is helpful on that front. In pre-pandemic times, I liked browsing the library and local bookstores, too. You’re right, though, there are so many new releases that it can be difficult to keep afloat.

Who inspires you to write?

I take inspiration from relationships, friendships, and banal daily encounters. I’m often very stimulated by conversations with other writers.

Weirdest thing that’s inspired you?

One of my darkest horror stories, “Long Man,” was partially inspired by a prank my older brother played on me when we were kids.

Ha! Whatever works! In a perfect world where you could cast your book for a movie, who would you pick for your main characters?

It’s hard to say, since my main characters are so young! I’ll just imagine that this imaginary production budget can cover the cost of a time machine with anachronistic era-crossing capabilities. A 13 to 15-year-old Nick Stahl would be fantastic for the protagonist, Mark. A 13 to 15-year-old Katharine Isabelle would be terrific for Madeline. I really love both of those actors.

Time machines are often essential for author answers to this question. LOL.  It’s funny that Madeline in my head looked exactly like your actress pick!  Which is interesting because you don’t give a lot of physical description for many of your characters at all.  Is that on purpose?  I thought it was very effective how you describe Mark really only as he sees himself.

That’s great to hear! Thank you.

Yes, I deliberately minimize physical descriptions for my characters, because I draw liberally on the power of familiarity and memory. In Shelter for the Damned, especially, I wanted my readers to flesh out this space of “Suburban Somewhere” with their own recollections and points of reference.

Mark’s self-image is key to his psychological state, though, so it was important that I apply some description in that case. 

Yes! His self-image was definitely important to the story. When you get stuck in your writing, how do you make yourself keep going?

I usually just charge ahead and remind myself that first drafts are almost always messy and imperfect. 

Forcing yourself, nice.  Do you work with an editor?

Once my work is accepted for publication, I work with press/magazine/anthology/podcast editors. I have a few trusted readers who I consult for my early drafts.

Do you use your personal experiences in your writing?

All my fiction is personal, but I usually write about my personal experiences in abstracted ways. The horror genre offers unique possibilities for expression through excess and metaphor.

Getting into real life issues, I was impressed by how your book deals with the topic of “masculine conditioning” in particular.  The use of the 2 main fathers in particular was subtle but underscored everything happening with the boys.  Was that societal issue something that was important for you to touch on?

Thanks again, Sunshine. I don’t usually set out to write with specific messages or thematic concerns in mind, but there’s no doubt that I was grappling with problems around masculine conditioning here. As I was reviewing later drafts of Shelter for the Damned, it became clear to me that the novel was saying things about addiction, suburban violence, domestic abuse, and certainly masculine conditioning. I tried my best to attribute these issues with as much gravitas and realism as possible.

Thanks for sharing, Mike!

WHERE TO FIND Mike Thorn:
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