Alexandra Sokoloff is the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker, Anthony, and Black Quill Award-nominated author of the supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, The Unseen, Book of Shadows, The Shifters, and The Space Between, and the Amazon bestselling new FBI thriller series Huntress Moon. The New York Times Book Review called her a “daughter of Mary Shelley”, and her books “Some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.” It’s no surprise that reader’s advisory expert Becky Siegel Spratford spotlighted her as one of the top women writers in horror in the Reader’s Advisory Guide to Horror Fiction
As a screenwriter she has sold original horror and thriller scripts and adapted novels for numerous Hollywood studios. She has also written two non-fiction workbooks: Screenwriting Tricks for Authors and Writing Love, based on her internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (ScreenwritingTricks.com), and has served on the Board of Directors of the WGA, west and the Board of the Mystery Writers of America.
Alex is a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where she majored in theater and minored in everything Berkeley has a reputation for. In her spare time (!) she performs with Heather Graham’s all-author Slush Pile Players. Fellow bandmate (not sure that’s a word, but I’ll run with it) and Monster Librarian reviewer Dave Simms asked her to answer some questions for us.
On a personal note, The Price was, for me, unforgettable. Since I read it, the story has never quite left me. Beyond the awards and bestseller status, Sokoloff is a genuinely talented storyteller and well worth recommending even to readers who wouldn’t traditionally approach anything labeled as “horror”.
1. Can you give our readers a brief introduction?
I’m the bestselling, Thriller Award-winning, Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of ten horror, thriller and crime novels, with number eleven, the third book in my Thriller Award-nominated Huntress Moon series, coming out in May. I started my career in theater as an actor and director but turned to screenwriting so I could, you know, eat… then I worked as a film writer in L.A. for ten years before I snapped and wrote my first novel, The Harrowing (best career move I ever made – I’m MUCH happier as an author.) I’m both traditionally published and independently published; I also teach a very popular story structure workshop based on my Screenwriting Tricks for Authors workbooks and blogs.
2. Why do you write horror? What draws you to the genre?
I have to admit that a big reason I read and write horror is because I’m an adrenaline junkie and I love the sensual exhilaration of terror. But as a writer I also find horror one of the only genres adequate to express my outrage at the cruelty that exists on this planet. Horror allows me to explore the life question that most troubles me: Why is there evil in the world and how can we mitigate it? That being said, I don’t think of myself as a straight horror writer; I write more of a mix of mystery, suspense, thriller, and horror.
3. Can you describe your writing style or the tone you prefer to set for your stories?
Being a woman I’m a fan of the slow, sensual build (!) My books have been described as nail-biting, poetic, page-turning, terrifying and addictive, always good stuff to hear. My particular style is to blur the line between horror, thriller and mystery: keeping the reader guessing about what’s really going on: Is it supernatural, or the distressed mental state of an unreliable protagonist, or a con, or even a crime? My current series, the Huntress Moon thrillers, aren’t really horror at all, there’s just the slightest possibility of the supernatural – which can easily be explained away. But the level of tension and suspense is still excruciatingly high, and the underlying theme is exactly the same as in my horror novels: What can good people do about the evil in the world?
4. Who are some of your influences? Are there any women authors who have particularly inspired you to write?
I discovered Shirley Jackson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman when I was quite young and I was deeply affected by their mix of terrifying suspense and an overwhelming psychological state that is particularly feminine, and feminist, encompassing mental illness and a soul sickness that comes from societal repression, as well as the possible supernatural. I think women have a particular understanding of horror because we live with it on an intimate, daily basis that men in non-warring countries (or outside of prison) rarely experience. For us, a simple walk out of the grocery store to the parking lot at night can turn into the most horrific of nightmares. We have a lot to say about terror. A lot.
5. What authors do you like to read? Any recommendations?
Besides the above mentioned, I’ve loved Daphne du Maurier and Madeleine L’Engle since I was a child. More recently – Mo Hayder is one of the most terrifying writers I’ve ever read, and I’m a big fan of Denise Mina and Val McDermid. I’m lucky to have extremely talented friends who provide me with lots of reading pleasure: Sarah Pinborough, Sarah Langan, Rhodi Hawk and Lisa Morton come to mind. There are some men, too. 🙂
6. Where can readers find your work?
And everyone has e readers now, right? You can find everything on Amazon, naturally. But you can browse the books on my website,http://alexandrasokoloff.com, and readers can sign up for my newsletter there to get announcements about special deals and giveaways. And libraries, of course – please support your local library!
7. You’ve been in a very cool group – the Killer Thriller/Slushpile Band – for years now. What has that experience been like for you?
The best! Maybe even lifesaving. I grew up doing music and theater, but I never expected to be in such a great group as part of my author life, and to be acting and jamming with my own literary idols like F. Paul Wilson, Heather Graham, John Lescroart, David Morrell, and Michael Palmer, plus so many new author friends like Scott Nicholson, Blake Crouch, Harley Jane Kozak, Beth Ciotta, Daniel Palmer and (ahem) Dave Simms. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising – so many authors have musical and theater backgrounds, and let’s face it, we’re such hams. When we’re writing we’re so much in our heads that it’s fantastic to be able to cut loose and perform with such talented friends.
8. Is there anything else you’d like to share with librarians and readers?
For librarians – I am so aware that times are tough, and if you’d like to get more of my books into your branch, please contact me directly. And readers – I love to dialogue on Facebook. Please stop by my page and keep me from writing! I mean, say hi!
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