Karen H. Koehler is a versatile writer who has written everything from kaiju novels to paranormal-tinged steampunk and noir. She is the author of the stand alone novels Scarabus (KHP 2002), Raiju: The Kaiju Hunter (K.H. Koehler Books 2010), Black Jack Derringer: The Complete Collection (K.H. Koehler Books 2011), and Tales for 3 o”Clock in the Morning (K.H. Koehler Books 2012). She has also written several series, including The Blackburn and Scarletti Mysteries and the Slayer trilogy (both from KHP) , the Sasha Strange Chronicles, the Horrorotica Collection, the Nick Englebrecht books, and the Mrs. McGillicuddy Mysteries (all from K.H. Koehler Books), and the Anti-Heroes serial, written with Louise Bohmer (Anti-Heroes Press, 2013) She is the owner of K.H. Koehler Books. Her short work has appeared in the Bram-Stoker winning anthology Demons, edited by John Skipp, among other places.
1.) Can you give our readers a brief introduction?
I started writing books going all the way back to second grade, when I wrote, drew and stapled together a dinosaur book (rather unexpectedly, I might add) for my grade-school teacher. By the time I reached high school, I was regularly writing creepy little gothic, horror and science fiction stories all over the place. They were garbage, of course, but they lead me to reading Stephan King, Anne Rice, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, and countless other authors in a huge array of genres. Wonderful brain food for a young girl with a slightly spooky, overactive imagination! Now I attempt to emulate those authors with my own unique twist on the genres. It seemed a natural progression.
2.) Why do you write horror? What draws you to the genre?
I have a lot of anger management issues, admittedly, and, yes, typing up carnal destruction does help feel the mental alligators. But, essentially, I write it because I believe horror is truly the most psychological of all genres. It’s the genre that dives deepest into the human psyche, tearing loose all the most primal concerns of the human race and putting them on morbid display: loneliness, fear, death, change. I guess I enjoy trying to figure out what makes humans tick.
3.) Can you describe your writing style or the tone you prefer to set for your stories?
I’m a fairly eclectic writer, and I’ve been known to change voice and style frequently, depending on the sub-genre of the project or the particular needs of the story. In fact, some readers have trouble recognizing that I’ve written certain books at all, especially my pulp series like The Scorpion or Nick Englebrecht because those books are written in a decided “male” voice, you might say. But overall, when in “horror mode”–as opposed to, say, “pulp mode,” “steampunk mode”, or “mystery mode”–I usually try to convey feelings of isolation and oppression in my work. I’m interested in the inner workings of the damaged loner, the anti-hero, the freak, the castoff from society, the villain. I have to say I love the jaded, reluctant, sometimes even misanthropic voice of the Byronic Hero.
4.) Who are some of your influences? Are there any women authors who have particularly inspired you to write?
I’ve loved many authors over the years (from afar!). Probably the most influential are Poppy Z. Brite, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allen Poe, and many of the pulp writers like Walter B. Gibson and Norvell. W. Page. More recently, I’ve come to love the ultra-clean, “power-ballad” styles of authors like Louise Bohmer and Christa Faust. They’re like a modern, more sadistic version, of Ernest Hemingway. I secretly owe them much as they have helped clean up my, at times, purplish–or, at least, mauve–prose.
5.) What authors do you like to read? Any recommendations?
See above! You cannot go wrong with any of them.
6.) Where can readers find your work?
My ebooks are available from all the usual suspects, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook and Smashwords. Recently, I started offering them at All Romance/Omnilit as well–a wonderful and often-overlooked resource for selling your work, I find.
7.) Is there anything else you’d like to share with librarians or readers?
Only that I appreciate all my fans’ support and that their feedback is always vitally important to me. Reviews are always welcomed and I love listening to my readers’ opinions. It helps me shape my future works.
Want to learn more? Visit Karen Koehler’s blog— it has links to all of her books at a variety of online bookstores.
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