A Horror World Conversation with Elizabeth Massie
By Steven E. Wedel

Elizabeth Massie is not your typical horror writer. Just look at her photo. She looks positively bubbly with good cheer. When I saw her read at Horrorfind V, she wasn’t even dressed in black. And she couldn’t completely hide a smile as she read a nasty little tale about religious recruits who met with … disappointment.

So it wasn’t any surprise that when I began my interview by asking for her vitals stats, Beth assured me her blood pressure was approximately 118/75. Her heart rate, resting, was 63 BPM and her respiration was 17 BPM.

Horror World: That’s not bad for an old lady. Speaking of which, just how old are you. I have a clue based on the bio at your Web site.

Beth Massie: Huh…wha…hey, wait! Do you ask everybody this question? But thanks for the not guessing without the clue. Okay, for those who like difficult math problems, I was born September 6, 1953.

HW: I’m a degreed journalist. I don’t do math. Where’s your hometown?

BM: Waynesboro, VA

HW: What city do you live in now?

BM: No city, just the lovely countryside of Augusta County, VA, four miles from Waynesboro, the town where I was born.

HW: What do you have in the way of education?

BM: BS from Madison College (now James Madison University), various graduate courses (mostly piddly stuff, with some fun environmental stuff thrown in the mix.)

HW: Are you a married woman?

BM: I’ve been life-partnered since 2001 with illustrator Cortney Skinner, one fine hunk of a talented, kind, funny man.

HW: Breeder?

BM: Erin, 29 and Brian, 26.

HW: Let’s get down to business now. Where should I begin an interview with the famous “Necon Whore” Beth Massie? How about with this plea: Please don’t tell me the answers are “…blowin’ out my ass.” My wife assures me that what’s blowin’ outta there is not the answer to any question ever asked.

BM: That depends on the ass.

HW: Let’s move on to your failures. You once dreamed of, among other things, being a famous actress, getting spanked by the Beatles, and marrying Peter Tork or Robert Redford. What happened to those dreams?

BM: I love starting an interview with my failures. Okay, as to the failures with the Beatles, Peter Tork, and Robert Redford, here’s the lowdown: try as they might, they never quite found Waynesboro on the map. Hence my current, sad, dismal status.

HW: Despite that, you have achieved one of those early goals: Becoming a famous writer. Or, at least an author with many publications and a lot of respect. Are you happy with your career at this stage?

BM: Happy, but always striving for bigger, better things. I mean, if you’d told me back in high school that I would have had this many books and stories published by 2006, I’d have been thrilled. And I still have my moments of thrill, don’t get me wrong. But I also know how many more stories and books are inside me, and realize that a lot of them will never 1) see the light of day outside my head due to only so many hours in the day or 2) will not make it to print even if they do find their way outside my head due to the fact that publishing can be such a wacky business. So, I just keep pushing along, glad I can call myself a writer and know that at least some of my twisted tales will make it onto the bookstore shelves and into readers’ psyches via eyeballs, optic nerves, and brains.

HW: Your online bio begins by talking about your parents, both of whom were creative individuals. How important was their influence on you?

BM: Hugely. My Mom for her love of painting and my Dad for his basic love of words. Both had great senses of humor and they were both very kind souls, too. Well, my Mom still is. My dad died in 1987.

HW: You also say your family has always been open-minded. How did they feel about your attraction to the dark side?

BM: Well, as you may know, “open-minded” doesn’t necessarily translate to “we love everything.” Neither were horror fans and my Mom doesn’t read anything even remotely scary, except historicals. However, neither ever tried to talk me out of writing what I want to write. Though Mom did once ask me if I wouldn’t also want to write a nice story and submit it to Redbook. My extended family, now, that’s another matter. I’ve uncles and cousins who see it as devil’s stuff, or “sick.” Have they ever read anything I’ve written? That answer, alas, is blowin’ out somebody’s big ole’ ass and it ain’t mine. It’s all based on assumptions. See why I’m not totally diggin’ those family reunions?

HW: Why do you write horror?

BM: Several reasons: I like the unbridled rush of emotion that fear can bring. Horror and fear are such common human experiences and so provide wonderful breeding grounds for stories. A lot of untapped strength can come out of horrific circumstances and my characters often rise to the occasion. Though some don’t. And those who do don’t always make it out alive or unscathed. It’s the psychological exploration that is part of horror that appeals to me.

HW: Horror isn’t all you write, though. What prompted you to move into the fields of historical and young adult fiction?

BM: At first it was financial. I’d sold one horror novel back in 1991 and was champing at the bit to quit teaching and write full time. However, one novel does not a career make, nor does it pay all the bills from here unto all time. My agent said, “Hey, historical fiction for younger readers is hot.” And so it was. My first book for younger readers was actually a cross between historical and horror. I found out I got a kick out of the research and so decided to try some pure historical novels. I’m glad fear of no money pushed me in that direction because I developed a new and genuine love for history and those who people our past. And besides, even in pure historical novels, there is horror. Just check out the story of Jamestown, the trials of mill workers in the 1800s, the Chicago Fire of 1871, or any war.

HW: Very true. How is it different writing in those other genres?

BM: A good story is a good story. For me, the only two differences are that with historical fiction I have to do a ton more research and I don’t include ghosts, vampires, or zombies. Other than that, it’s not much different.

HW: Your horror stories can be pretty brutal. Do you find you have to really work to hold back in the YA stories?

BM: Yeah, my tendency is to let it all rip, but with YA you have to walk a finer line. However, these days, YA novels are much more akin to adult novels in that they cover more graphic and more “sophisticated” issues than ever before…sex, drugs, violence, etc. Today’s middle-grade books are more like the YA books of, say, 25 years ago.

HW: As a former teacher with 19 years of classroom experience, you undoubtedly know what clicks with the YA audience. Why did you leave the classroom?

BM: I think teachers should only have to teach 20 years and then they should be able to retire, like people in the military. Retire with full benefits, that is, and with a nice ceremony. A flag, a gold watch, a nice retirement salary including insurance. Teaching is freakin’ hard, exhausting, and often under-appreciated. I’d been writing as well as teaching during those 19 years and I was ready to try my second career full time. I really enjoy kids, their enthusiasm and energy and creativity. But teaching isn’t just the kids. It’s the meetings, the planning, the extracurricular stuff, the parents, the standards of learning, the increased standardized testing. Bless those young teachers who are getting into it now, they need all the help they can get.

HW: How has your experience as a teacher helped and influenced your writing?

BM: Every experience gives you fodder for fiction, especially time spent with lots of people of various ages.

HW: You haven’t completely quit teaching. How many workshops do you do in an average year, and who do you find yourself teaching most often?

BM: I average maybe 10 workshops in a given school year, for the upper elementary through high school level. I’ve also done university workshops and some for adult groups. All ages are fun…and when you get them going, the retired people are just as wild with their creative ideas as the 10-year-olds.

HW: You’re also an artist. How much do you work on that?

BM: I don’t have a lot of time to work on it, but art (in my case, cartoony art, Skeeryvilletown creatures specifically) draws on a whole ‘nother part of the brain, so I enjoy it quite a bit. It’s very relaxing after many hours of playing with words. (see: http://www.cafepress.com/skeeryvilletown)

HW: What other hidden talents do you have?

BM: I sing and prance as ½ of the Necon Whore sister act. I can cook okay. At least Cort thinks so. Or says so.

HW: Since this is a Horror World interview, let’s go back to your horror stories for a bit. What do you feel is the best piece of Beth Massie fiction published so far? What would be the best introduction to your work for the unmolested … I mean, uninitiated reader?

BM: Hmmmm….I always feel the piece I’m currently working on is the best so far. However, as to published stuff, I think my first novel Sineater or my newest novel Twisted Branch (written as “Chris Blaine”) are good places to start. As to short fiction, my novella “Stephen” (from Borderlands I, Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 4, or The Fear Report) or my short stories “Pinkie” (in A Little Magenta Book of Mean Stories), “Abed” (from Still Dead and the upcoming Aim For the Head), “Lock Her Room” (from Dead End: City Limits; a short film was made from this story and was shown on the Showtime network). Okay, come to think of it, there are a lot of stories I have written that I feel are good representations of my style. It might be easier to ask which ones I don’t like…that list is much shorter.

HW: That’s just asking people to write in and tell you how wrong you are. Let’s stay with the positive. You’ve been praised by Publisher’s Weekly, won a Bram Stoker Award and scored TV tie-in deals. What is your next writing goal?

BM: Actually, I’ve won two Bram Stoker Awards (blink-blink.) My next goal is to have upcoming novels and short fiction do well. Simple as that.

HW: One Stoker, two Stokers … whatever! How did you come to be called the “Necon Whore?”

BM: My sister Barb and I wanted to do something different for the Necon Talent Show in 2001. We thought…what better than singing whores in boas, kitty ears, heels, and torn panty hose? We wrote and performed a song, “Necon Whores are Comin’ to Your Dorm” to the tune of “Winter Wonderland.” We’ve done singing whorish performances ever since. This year, the whores didn’t perform in the Talent Show but did host(ess) it. Since Barb couldn’t make it, F. Paulette Wilson took her place, to rave reviews.

HW: How important is it for writers to attend workshops and fan conventions?

BM: Workshops, only important if you have really good coaches/moderators/teachers (whatever you want to call them) who can be constructively and brutally critical (but nice, too.) As to conventions, I can’t overstate the helpfulness of meeting other writers as well as editors, publishers, and agents. You can learn what’s happening outside your particular world as well as get inspired to go home and keep on keeping on.

HW: You didn’t give up on the acting, did you? I’ve seen pictures of you dancing with your sister. Is the acting bug still there? Are you waiting to drop your pen and run off to Broadway or Hollywood?

BM: My sister Barb, partner Cort, daughter Erin, and son-in-law Ben just put in several hard weeks as extras on the set of Evan Almighty (with Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, and Ed Helms) which just finished filming in the rural area near where we live. That was great fun. Barb has been acting and directing local theater for a long time, and loves it. As for me, I enjoy a small roll now and then (was in Little Shop of Horrors a few years back) but the acting bug isn’t one of my larger intestinal parasites. It’s fun on occasion, but I’m not good at memorizing long passages of lines. On the other hand, I could see easily Barb on Broadway or starring in a movie.

HW: Do you read much horror fiction? Who, or what, do you read? Any favorites you return to over and over?

BM: I wish I could read more than I do. Writing is time consuming and sometimes projects overlap each other. I squeeze in writing time as often as I can but I know I’m missing out on a lot of good stuff. I do choose to read horror, or mainstream fiction primarily. In horror, I love the work of Brian Hodge, Christopher Golden, James Moore, Doug Clegg, F. Paul Wilson, David Niall Wilson, Nancy Holder, Nancy Kilpatrick, Matthew Warner, Yvonne Navarro, and Stephen Mark Rainey, for starters. In mainstream, I always pick up the books by Anne Tyler and Fannie Flagg.

HW: Your fiction is often very dark, and yet you are renowned for your bubbly personality and kindness. How do you achieve that balance?

BM: Thanks for the good words. And as to the question, Lord, I have no idea! I think we just are who we are. I can’t force a gloomy, angst-ridden persona ‘cause it ain’t me. Sure I get bummed, but more often than not, I’m just a hopeful goofball.

HW: What’s coming up from you? What new horrors will you unleash on the world?

BM: This fall I have a Kolchak novella, “They Came From the Dark Ride,” coming out in Moonstone’s new Night Stalker anthology, The Kolchak Casebook. My story “Pinkie” will be included this fall in Best New Horror 17. My story “Bargain Basement” will be in the Grave Tales #5. My story, “Death From a Blood Red Sky” will be included in Moonstone’s new anthology, The Spider: Master of Men, also due out this year. Alan Clark and I have finished a new bizarre, creepy, and funny novel, DD Murphry, Secret Policeman, that is currently being shopped. And I’ve just started work on a new novel for Berkley that should be out next year.

HW: Your convention readings are not to be missed. Where can folks go to hear your read this year?

BM: No scheduled readings this year. Any new ones I’ll post on my website: www.elizabethmassie.com .

HW: Is there anything you’d like to add?

BM: I hope ya’ll like my stuff. And yes (sing along with me, to the tune of “Blowin’ in the Wind”), the answer, alas, is blowin’ out your ass. The answer is blowin’ out your ass.

HW: That would explain the smell, anyway. Thank you, Beth, for your time. We all look forward to the next book, and to seeing more pictures of Boo Boy on your Web site.

Don’t forget to visit Beth online at www.elizabethmassie.com.