Harker Jones, Never Have I Ever.

Harker Jones is the author of the acclaimed, award-winning love story Until September and the just-published young-adult thriller Never Have I Ever. Managing editor of Out magazine for seven years, he is now a theater critic for Broadway world, a published poet and a member of both the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and Mensa. He loves cats and carbs and would like to be a pop star but would settle for being killed in a slasher movie.

LOGLINE: When eight teenagers find themselves caught up in a deadly game of Never Have I Ever, the school bully sets out to find out who’s playing the prank in hopes of redeeming his past … and staying alive.

Harker Jones, Never Have I Ever.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I’ve always loved horror, for as long as I can remember, even as a young child. I started writing when I was 13 and never looked back. I originally wrote my “new” thriller Never Have I Ever when I was 17, then years later turned it into a screenplay, and now I’ve turned it back into novel form. It’s changed a lot through all those iterations but is also still the same!

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

I suppose the killer from Never Have I Ever, not just because they’re a killer but because they’re smart and devious (and maybe supernatural!) and I would not feel comfortable turning my back on them, even just to get them a drink!

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

My follow-up favorite after horror/thriller is drama. Just as I loved horror as a child, I also loved soap operas. I liked the continuing stories, most of which were based in reality (even if they were accelerated to keep the action moving), and I think they likely have an influence on me in terms of character development. Especially the daytimes shows versus the nighttime. Those people would crank out five hours a week! That’s a lot of time spent with those characters, which meant we really got to know them. Character is important to me.

The term horror, especially when applied to fiction, always carries such heavy connotations. What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

I think those who consider themselves above the horror genre refer to horror as thrillers when they enjoy it. They can’t bring themselves to accept that horror is as legit a genre as drama or biography or Western. I do, however, think that is changing, in large part because we’ve been in a golden age of horror for the past 10, 12 years with many films taking a higher-ended look at the genre. There will always be a place for basic kinds of books and films, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be some that aim higher as well, and I think more people are understanding and accepting of that.

A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate. Considering the current state of the world, where do you see horror going in the next few years?

I think horror is going to get darker and be even more innovative. We have a lot to process in the world these days and that’s going to inform the direction of storytelling in general but horror in particular. It’s not an escape like a romance, but it’s a way to process everything we’re going through in a safe way, even if the story ends on a dark note.

Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?

I think we like to be taken on rides where, no matter how disturbing it gets, we’re still safe. It helps us process our fears in the safety of our homes and our minds. And it’s fun!

What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?

I don’t know that anything is missing from horror these days. We’ve got a plethora of innovative storytellers out there and whether it’s fiction or filmmaking, bringing our ideas to life has never been easier. That’s not to say it’s easy! But because we have the capability of getting our stories out there, there’s a wealth of creativity that is likely unprecedented. Something for everyone!

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative, that have stayed with you?

Well, it wasn’t a review, but I did get a fan letter regarding my love story. I don’t know if I can even call it a fan letter. He was no fan. He was very, very angry about how the story resolved itself. I know it was just an emotional reaction to the power of the ending, but I never messaged him back. I didn’t think it was wise to engage when someone was that provoked. He vowed to never read anything with my name on it again, so he’ll likely never take a chance on Never Have I Ever!

What aspects of writing do you find the most difficult?

The hardest part is getting my butt in my office. Once I’m there, I can work for hours! Same goes for the gym. The hardest part is getting there. Once I’m there, I’m fine!

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?

I will never write about diseases. That’s a real horror. Zombies, vampires, ghosts, none of that truly scares me. But diseases do and I don’t want to put that energy out there!

Writing is not a static process. How have you developed as a writer over the years?

I’m not flitting off to the next idea shining in the distance, leaving the present project treading water, hoping I’m coming back anymore. That was a problem when I was a teenager. So I’m focusing better, and that helps get actual work done!

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?

“You’ll find your people if you’re good and if you don’t give up.” It’s so tempting to simply stop and be basic. But then what? Then you haven’t only not accomplished anything, you didn’t even try. At least have the courage to try. Otherwise, what’s the point in living? And I have found that staying the course and focusing on the work did indeed help me find my people. When I published Until September, I just wanted it to be out there in the world, to find its audience, whether that was two people or 200. Luckily, it’s been more than 5,000. It found its audience and I hope it continues to grow and that Never Have I Ever finds its own audience like that, too!

Which of your characters is your favourite?

Kyle, the protagonist of my love story Until September, is closest to my heart. He isn’t me, nor does he represent me (though, I suppose, all characters represent their creator in some fashion), but I identify with him a lot. He’s nostalgic and melancholy and feels a lot — more than most — and when his heart breaks, it breaks with the most exquisite pain. It reminds me of a quote from the TV series Everwood: “Some hearts are more fragile than others. Purer somehow. Like crystal in a world of glass, even the way they shatter is beautiful.”

Which of your books best represents you?

Until September is the best representation of me. It’s sentimental and dreamy and wistful and dark. Don’t get me wrong, my comedy scripts — satires and rom-coms and raunch — represent me, too. I’m not all darkness! But the pensiveness and the introspection and the bleakness of Until September, that’s where I live.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?

It’s hard to choose just one, so I’m going to go with one from the Independence Day sequence of Until September. The characters have gathered in a park on the island they’re summering on and the main event has just started: “Fireworks screamed and glittered overhead. Neon oranges and golds and reds painted the blackness from an electric rainbow palette. Silvers and violets and blues flashed and shimmered. Silent sparks rocketed into the dome of black sky above their upturned faces before exploding into brilliant flowers of whistling pinks and greens and whites, attacking the dark with booms and cracks and screes, wavering above them like charged specters before fading into dullness. The sky glimmered and danced and glowed in a glory of ephemeral sequins, lighting the eyes and throats and visages of the onlookers, who were as comfortable as a whole as they would not be again until the following year.”

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

My latest novel, Never Have I Ever, was just published at the end of August. A teen slasher-whodunit, it’s perfect for fall, taking place in October leading right up to Halloween. When eight teenagers in a small town start receiving texts urging them to play Never Have I Ever, they at first think it’s a joke, but once they start getting killed, they realize the stakes are very high. It’s a fun ride where everyone’s a suspect and there are some real character arcs. Not to mention lots of plot twists! My next project is getting my children’s book The Bird Who Was Afraid to Fly off the ground. It’s written and edited and polished and I have the illustrations, it’s just a matter of being able to prioritize it!

If you could erase one horror cliché, what would be your choice?

The Final Girl. It’s not a bad trope, but to me it’s a raging spoiler. We know basically from the beginning who will survive, so in some ways, it drains suspense from the story at the start, the stakes are very low. Let’s mix things up!

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

I recently finished Lie With Me by Philippe Besson and thought it was quite good. I actually picked it up because Amazon kept telling me that people who bought Until September also bought Lie With Me. So I figured I’d check it out! I can see how they’re similar, though they are also quite different. Until September is, like I said above, sentimental and wistful, where Lie With Me is told from a remove. It’s not cold, but there’s a distance, which absolutely works for it. I didn’t know they had made a movie out of it until after I’d finished it and I thought that was fantastic, too. It was more sentimental and had a different structure due to the difference between cinema and prose, and the changes really worked in its favor. In terms of books that disappointed me, there was some psychological thriller I read recently that was absolutely fine but nothing special. I can’t remember what it was called, though. Clearly it didn’t leave an impression!

What’s the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?

Q: “What’s like to be so beautiful?”

A: “You know, when you’ve always been this beautiful, you can’t really tell anymore, though it’s nice that people buy me drinks when I’m out.”

(Please know I’m being tongue in cheek!

Never Have I Ever by Harker Jones

Trust no one. Because it could be anyone.

When eight teenagers in a small Michigan town start receiving texts urging them to play Never Have I Ever, they find themselves caught up in a deadly game of secrets, repentance and retribution that may be connected to a girl who disappeared the year before.

As they start getting killed by someone in a scarecrow costume — or is it a costume? — the school bully sets out to discover who’s playing the prank in hopes of redeeming his past behavior.

And staying alive.

But will he figure it out before that past catches up to him?