I've pulled together 40ish questions - some bookish, some silly - and have asked authors to limit themselves to answering only 10 of them. That way, it keeps the interviews fresh and connectable for all of us!
Today we are joined by Christopher Ruíz. Christopher is a fiction writer specializing in horror. Born in the City of Angels and raised in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains, he now writes of the demonic, supernatural, and psychological in the Midwest. A veteran of both combat and crisis response, his stories draw inspiration from both the real and unreal, from years of sleep paralysis and nightmares, revealing the darker corners of the human experience.
What made you start
writing?
In a word, storytelling. My mother read to
me frequently in childhood. I was fascinated, not just by the stories, but the
way they were conveyed. I wanted that. I wanted to move others, to elicit
laughter and, even at a young age, fear. I remember late nights watching the
Crypt Creeper give one liners followed by a howling cackle. It was delightfully
goofy and spooky. So, I set forth to tell stories of my own, trying to frighten
my younger brother with scary, campfire-style tales, writing and drawing comics
(typically of a mouse engineering silly contraptions to access various cheeses
around a kitchen, generally all ending with “SUCCESS!”), and, most importantly,
reading.
How do you celebrate when you finish writing a new book?
The Wishing Well was my first book, and as
such my first opportunity for celebration. We rented the
upper-half of a downtown bar to do a combination book launch and Halloween
party. I did some book signings and sales but it was mostly a celebration of my
debut. We played horror-themed party games, ran a raffle with four prize
baskets, each containing book/horror-related items, and we even had a bartender
who was herself a published author (through HarperCollins, no less). It was a
wonderful time. I think the horror-themed celebration worked so well, I’d love
to make it a recurring event!
If you could spend
the day with another author, who would you choose and why?
H.G. Wells. With neither reservation nor
doubt, it would be the man so many consider the father of science fiction. He
was the first author whose writing demanded I explore the rest of his
bibliography. He was a genius and true master of the craft, even prophetic in
his writing. Oh, if I could spend a day his pupil, or even just learning how in
the world the man came to be so imaginative that he conceived inventions and
sociocultural changes so far beyond his time.
What are some of
your favorite websites or social media platforms?
There was roughly a 10-year stretch during
which Reddit was the only social media I was really using. I prefer being able
to filter the content I’m consuming through specific subreddits rather than
being exposed to everything everywhere all at once. However, I am now on an
uphill journey trying to learn other platforms as I establish an online
presence as an author. It has been grueling. I really struggle with
self-promotion, as it has always felt to me like I’m gathering friends and
family in my living room to discuss tupperware, especially as I focus on my own
website and blog. I’m seeing a lot of great people in online book communities,
though, like TNBBC. I had no idea there was such support for indie authors, and
it has really made the post-publication plight feel a little less daunting.
What are some of
your favorite books and/or authors?
H. G. Wells was my first favorite writer.
I absolutely devoured his works early on, with particular appeal for The War
of the Worlds and The Country of the Blind.
1984, which I
first read fairly young. It was the first book that ever had a
perception-altering, emotional impact on me. Oddly, I did not have the same
interest in Animal Farm, possibly due to having read it so much later in
life.
Stephen King's Dark Tower series,
particularly the third and fourth books, was the only literature that affected
me like 1984 had. What a journey. So many sleepless school nights.
What is your
favorite book from childhood?
From my early childhood, the book that
truly hooked me was Bruce Coville’s The Dragonslayers. I was fascinated
by dinosaurs and dragons, that even as a child I had aspirations of becoming a
paleontologist; and not the fun aspirations of a child. I would actually spend
hours in front of the television watching videos on paleontology, of adults digging
around in the dirt and dusting rocks, of monotone discourse. And as I was
obsessed with dinos, I was equally obsessed with dino-like things: reptiles,
dragons, and Godzilla. Thus, The Dragonslayers and its wonderful
illustrations immediately caught my eye in the school library and became a
childhood obsession.
What are you
currently reading?
I recently finished Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
in preparation for Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation. Admittedly, this was my
first time reading it. I’m a big fan of the Romantic era of the arts. I love
the music and the writing, particularly that of Chopin and Dumas, respectively.
Needless to say, I was totally captured by Shelley’s writing. Sincerely, I was
engrossed. And I frequently found myself asking why a more faithful adaptation
of such beautiful writing, of such profound reflections on human nature and the
clashing of Romanticism and Enlightenment had yet to be translated to film.
But, perhaps some things cannot adequately move from text to screen.
Do you read the
reviews of your books or do you stay far far away from them, and why?
For now, I am reading the reviews. The
Wishing Well is my debut work and I want to see what did and did not work
for its readers so that I may learn and adjust as I write the second volume.
I see a lot of discussion about reviews in
author forums. I think the “Don’t read the reviews” advice is pretty
conditional. If an author is unable to navigate critical or even unfair
reviews, they would likely be better off avoiding them altogether. I’m reminded
of my time working crisis response at an adolescent psychiatric residential
treatment facility. It’s hard not to personalize the rough reactions and bad
words and overall negativity. But it’s often not about you. Someone can dislike
the work without necessarily disliking the person behind it. I think the
authors that successfully explore their reviews are the ones that understand
the reader is not giving direct feedback to them, but rather expressing their
opinion to other readers. Authors are human, though, and the bad reviews will
sting and the curiosity will force our eyes to seek them out.
If you were stuck
on a deserted island, what’s the one book you wish you had with you?
FM 21-76. It is the Army field manual on
survival, and a great toilet read. It is honestly an excellent tool for
writers. There is, in the physical publication I own, a section on the
“psychology of survival,” which discusses stress and the natural reactions to
it, which can be applicable to almost any story with conflict. More
importantly, for this scenario, it has full breakdowns on surviving both the
open sea and seashores, tropical environments, building shelters, securing food
and water, signaling for help. I can’t think of a better book to have in this
situation.
What is under your
bed?
The same things that reside under every bed: the boundless possibilities that exceed even our fear-driven imaginations; the things beckoned by darkness that only daylight can banish; hands awaiting ankles; eyes awaiting eyes. And sometimes my cats when the smoke detector goes off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Released October 26th
Signed copies as well as other purchase options can be found here
A horrifying collection of interconnected tales, The Wishing Well centers around an ever-shifting, unearthly bar where desires are commodities and the price is everything. Each story follows a different patron, driven by want, ambition, or desperation, who casts a wish into the bar’s namesake.
Join our patrons as they discover this well is less a cheap gimmick and more a dark conduit for twisted fulfillment, revealing the true horror of getting exactly what you wished for.
In this malignant mess of the macabre you’
Meet “The Captive,” a man who’d do anything to escape his past and present. Anything …
Join a young student who hopes to find happiness once again with a little help from “The Substitute.”
Take a dip in “The Lake” for rest, relaxation, and a final, permanent reprieve.
From a woman’s late-night visit by “The Creeper” to a child’s Christmas visit by something not quite Santa in “The Unholy,” these nine creepy cocktales are served neat by newcomer Christopher Ruíz.
What do you desire? The Wishing Well has what you need …
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