I’ve been a fan of and friends with JR Murdock for longer than seems sane. WHen I asked him to join this project I was excited that he said yes. His horror, like his sense of humor, brings something different to the table. Once you read through his interview, go to the end of the post for a nice little freebie!
Despite what you may think, J.R. Murdock did have a normal childhood. If you consider swimming in lakes, playing hide and seek in the woods, and spending more time with his imagination than a television, then yes, it was normal. There are those times when little voices will talk to him inside his head. This was never a frequent occurrence and he learned to ignore them. Most of the time.
His first book was attempted over several years (probably closer to a dozen) and somehow that book about Dungeon and Dragons characters just never really worked out the way he wanted it to. Someday it might! Just you wait and see. Those characters will not stay down. They will have their story told! I’m telling you here and now…
Shhh, calm. Relaxed. Don’t scare away the nice people that have come to this page and might want to buy a book (or three).
Where were we? Oh, yes, the voices inside his head. They like to talk to at inappropriate times. Fortunately they also talk to at appropriate times and that’s when books happen. Yes, the voices must have their story told or they just keep talking over one another and it’s just a big old jumbled mess and nobody will want to read anything like that, right? So it’s good that they get their chance to come out so that you’ll have something to read and enjoy.
When not listening to the voices inside his head, J.R. Murdock spends time with his wife and his favorite daughter (yes, there is only one daughter that’s why she’s his favorite). They reside in sunny San Diego which is about as close to paradise as you can get and still be in a big city.
You can find out more about him at http://jrmurdock.com & http://ofgnomesanddwarves.com
Why do you write/like horror? I dabble in most genres, but most of my short stories tend to have a darker element regardless of genre. I love to get into a character’s head, reveal their hopes and dreams, then crush them and make the character squirm!
What inspired this particular story? A picture on http://everyphototells.com. I just saw a picture of an outdoor restaurant with a bunch of people sitting outside and thought “That’s a great place to break it off with a person, but what if they don’t want to break it off as well? Hmmm….
What’s the best horror movie you watched recently? I recently re-watched Pitch Black. There’s a new Riddick movie coming out and I’m getting caught up and ready for the new movie. There are a lot of your basic horror elements in that movie. Isolation, an unknown danger, and almost no way to fight your way out.
What scares you? Scott Sigler. And my own imagination when writing in a dark room while the house is quiet…well, except for those creaks and groans it makes.
What are you working on now? Currently I have 6 books with edits from two different editors. I need to apply those edits, get covers, and get those books out the door (one of which is V&A Shipping II!) I also need to re-write a short story for a market that would like to see some changes as well as write three requested short stories. Once I have all that done, I can complete Golden West Season II (I’m about 3/4th done with that one) and I can take a breath and see what is next on my plate. I like to keep myself busy.
What’s your favorite beverage while writing? Water. Lots and Lots of water. I find the need to pee causes me to write faster before I have to just up and relieve myself. I don’t want to stop! So this pushes me to work faster. Sometimes 🙂
Now for the freebies! We’re generating some wallpaper for you to use to show your love for these stories. This one’s based on In The Deep Dark by Justin R. Macumber. Download and share to your heart’s content!
Dead Ends is available at Smashwords and Amazon
All proceeds go to the Office of Letters and Light. Please spread the word!
Stories include:
“In The Deep Dark” by Justin R. Macumber
“Morning Dew” by Edward Lorn
“Power in the Blood” by Scott Roche
“Getting Even” by Philip Carroll
“Breakers” by Paul E. Cooley
“Breakup” by J.R. Murdock
“Blister” by Jake Bible
Edited by Sue Baiman
Cover by Scott E. Pond
With all the “crazy” people out there who believe everything they read/listen/or watch, “Breakers” gave me a chance to illustrate one without dragging in other political baggage. I like the idea of anarchists working to free humankind from their shackles of corporate greed, political corruption, and the dreams they are sold. At the same time, I wanted to show just how insane those ideas are in themselves. The narrator in Breakers was a perfect vehicle.
What inspired this particular story? A couple years ago there was a reality TV show called COAL about coal miners, and every episode gave me the creeps because of how dark and lonely the insides of the mines seemed. I had to work through that somehow!
What scares you? The thought of something happening to my children. That and losing my intelligence. Both of those things scare the crap out of me. Otherwise, I’m good.
