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Welcome, one and all, to our S.H. Cooper interview. She’s the author of a few different books, but my personal favorite is (paid link) Inheriting Her Ghosts. It’s really worth checking out, so please go do so, and let’s get started.
You can find that one (paid link) here!
1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer, and what events led up to that?
“There was no real defining moment; I’ve just always written. I can remember being a little kid, sitting at my tiny desk or on my grandparents’ patio, coming up with stories about cat eyes or unicorns warring with giant worms. My parents have always been incredibly supportive of my writing, which was such a great motivator to keep writing and improving. When I was eleven and in the midst of writing my first novel, they bought me a laptop so I’d have my own space to create (and so Dad could have his computer back). Their belief in me really laid the groundwork for me being able to believe in myself and my stories enough to share them. My sister also played a huge part in getting me to where I am now. I’d not written in years, having been mired down in writer’s block, and she suggested I give horror a try. She pointed me to Reddit’s NoSleep in June of 2016 and that was the jumping off point. Suddenly I was full of stories again and I’ve been telling them ever since.”
2. What inspired you to write Inheriting Her Ghosts?
“Ghosts have always been my favorite trope? Monster? Sub-genre? I’m not entirely sure how you categorize them, but I love them. I’d never seen myself going gothic, however, or writing in a Victorian era voice. While I’d written a number of ghost stories before, they’d been modern and I wouldn’t necessarily place them under the gothic umbrella. It was Eudora herself that brought her story to me. One day, I very clearly “heard” a voice in my head (that sounded startlingly like Erika Sanderson, a wonderful voice actor featured prominently in The NoSleep Podcast) reciting the first line of what would become Inheriting Her Ghosts. I wrote it down, thinking it sounded like a solid opener, but didn’t know where it was going. Thankfully Eudora was there to stay and took me with her to High Hearth.”
3. Other than horror, is there another genre you would like to dip your fingers in?
“I’m not only a horror author! I self-published a YA fantasy novel, The Knight’s Daughter, in 2019. It’s the first of a trilogy, but I’ve been terribly slow about working on its sequel (planning to change that soon, though!). I’ve also dabbled in comedy on my horror comedy podcast, Calling Darkness, which is about six women who come together for an acting seminar and accidentally summon a demon. We just wrapped up season 2 and I’m so proud of everyone involved and the show we put out! Other than those, though, I don’t think I’ll be branching out much farther. Ultimately, horror is my happy place.”
4. What is your favorite trope within a horror book?
“Are ghosts a trope? Because like I said, I do love a good haunting! Otherwise, give me your weird abandoned towns, your kickass final girls, and every animal surviving through the end. I’m a big proponent of wholesome horror, which has become very entwined with my brand, so I’m always down for scary stories with happy endings.”
5. What would you say your favorite book is that you wrote?
“You’re just going to sit there and ask me which of my children is my favorite? It’s impossible to answer! They each mean something different to me and are all special in their own ways. Mary of The Knight’s Daughter is such a strong willed, loving character, Eudora of Inheriting Her Ghosts is unapologetically herself in ways I’d love to be, Faith from The Festering Ones is a fighter through and through, so I don’t have a favorite. I’m just glad I get to tell their stories.”
6. Do you have a special memory tied into your work? Such as a song you adored as you wrote or something around those lines.
“There are so many special little moments tied into my writing. I incorporate a lot of small aspects of myself and my life into my stories and love sharing them with the people who will recognize them. My family members have made their way on to the page in one form or another many times over, providing inspiration for some of my best characters. Every loving parent, protective brother, or ever-present sister? Those are mine. The goodest boys from Inheriting Her Ghosts? Drawn directly from my dogs. Being able to honor and include them makes my work that much more meaningful to me and their presence contributes greatly to why I’m able to do what I do.”
7. Finally, we all know you’ve been working on a new book. If this is something you would like to discuss here, give us a teaser? If not, you can ignore this question.
“I’m always working on something! I announced this earlier this year, but I’m so excited to re-share that I signed with Cemetary Gates Media to publish The Festering Ones and its upcoming sequel, The Forgotten Ones, in a single volume (publication date TBD). I’m currently wrapping up The Forgotten Ones and getting ready to send them both off, which is nerve-wracking and so, so exciting. Once that’s done, I plan to continue the sequel to The Knight’s Daughter, as well as a horror fantasy manuscript that I absolutely cannot wait to share with readers.”
Final Words
There it is people, our S.H. Cooper interview. If you enjoyed what you read, please check out her books, and also make sure to follow her on Facebook!
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