Second Hand Rose, an Interview with D E Fox. Today we have the pleasure of interviewing D E Fox to Ginger Nuts of Horror with their entry in our 5 Minutes With series of author interviews.

 

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

My name is Deborah Fox I am 50 years old and I live in Doncaster, a town in northern England with my partner Paul. I work for a large distribution company when I am not writing.  I enjoy dancing, music, walking, theatre, cinema and dogs.

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

Michael, a truly evil creature that would do countless dreadful things to me if I was unfortunate enough to encounter him.

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

This is my debut novel and it was inspired by my late dog Jake who is one of the main characters. When he passed away, I wrote the story to help me deal with the grief and writing about him really helped with my mental health and now I try and communicate this to others whenever I am promoting my book.

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?

All of my adult life I have grown up around this genre in terms of reading, watching and now writing. The term is part of our culture and it either draws people towards or repels people away.  It may be harder to break now with social media and how much more exposure is available to more people of all age groups. It’s also getting more difficult to separate fact from fiction.

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? 

End of the world, zombies, religion possession, rise of the machines, all I hope in future is we get more original stories than a lot of what is getting churned out recently on the screen.  Technology will always be a big part of modern horror which can be great with remakes such as Invisible Man which was brilliant but I prefer original stories and a good scare for example Blair Witch.

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

We are all different and whatever your preference it’s an escape from reality getting into a good story. A lot of us like the thrill of a good scare hiding behind a pillow on a dark stormy night. I’m not personally a fan of the grotesque but the gorier the better for my partner where I just like to be scared.

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

I have the impression that good old fashion scares are lacking from a lot of current horror. The danger is stories are trying to be either too clever or too complicated but sometimes the simplest of concepts can provide the most tension like Quiet Place.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice of? 

I have to be honest and even though I have written a horror story I don’t actually read much now as my writing and promoting takes up most of my spare time and this is what I am enjoying doing.


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

This was one aspect that scared me at first especially as this is my first book so I had no idea what to expect once it went on Amazon and Good Reads. Most thankfully have been positive and have provided excellent constructive feedback that I have learned from and have taken into my new book.  There was a review from a lady that had organised me to do a book talk for a Book Club at her local library and she seemed quite positive and bought a book. The comments I had back were words such as:

Disjointed, repetitive, grammatical errors. Distasteful graphic description unnecessary.
This did stay with me as it seemed she did not make any examples of the negatives which I have not had from other reviews so she probably didn’t read much of the story or probably didn’t get past the first gruesome death. It seemed that the content was not to her liking but I had made no secret at the talk about the content and the cover itself tells the reader what they should expect. In the end I took the distasteful graphic descriptions as a compliment as was necessary when describing the gruesome deaths associated with my main evil character.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?

This is my first book at 50 years old and I have had no previous experience in creative writing or much schooling, so my story is limited in descriptive words. My readers have enjoyed the story, they just wanted more content and so this is the part of writing that I have learned from and taken into my next book.

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

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

Even though my writing is still in its infancy I have found in a short space of time I am evolving. Since promoting my book through social media there is a helpful community of authors/readers of all experiences that are more than happy to provide help and support.

I now pass on the knowledge I have gained to others who are just starting out and this is the big advantage we all have in this era.

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

Make sure you develop the characters as they are key to the storyline and engage with the reader. This is something I would evolve in Second Hand Rose. If I was given the chance to write the story again and would probably have made my novella into a novel. It was good to read the reviews saying they enjoyed the story they just wanted more and for it to have lasted longer and that’s what sticks in my mind now.

Which of your characters is your favourite?

Jake is the obvious choice and the only reason the book exists. It also gave me the chance to share Jake’s personality with the readers.

Which of your books best represents you?

Only have this one at the moment and I’m not sure whether I should say a gruesome horror story totally represents me but I do enjoy a good scare, and hopefully that shows in this book.

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

Michael and Christian were cleaners. Not in the usual way – dusting and hoovering – but in the way of cleaning towns of useless people, the people who didn’t make a difference or contribute in any way.

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

I will provide the synopsis below to provide the details of my only book so far Second Hand Rose:

Abigail Hirst, a reporter in a big city, is dragged back to her beloved hometown of Friendship through sad circumstances at the loss of her Grandmother Rose.

Rose’s beloved Antique Store Abi grew up with all her childhood was now hers and the opportunity to take over and start a new chapter in her life with her faithful companion Jake a feisty Terrier.

All seems perfect in the idyllic setting in a town with little crime, prosperous economy, impeccably clean and friendly generous people. Meeting up with all her old friends and maybe a blossoming romance from an old flame.

Abigail, a naturally curious person, cannot get a nagging doubt that not all is well, can everything really be this perfect.  What’s with the wardrobe in the store that has never sold and cannot be accessed, a strange lack of young children in a town full of young, healthy seemingly happy couples and an avoidance in talking about any part of the town’s history.

Can Abigail get the bottom of the town’s secret past, a past if unearthed could jeopardise every living being in town, a past so unspeakable and hideous that has been kept hidden for years. The past that is somehow connected to her own past and the Store ‘Second Hand Rose’

I have just finished my 2^nd book and I don’t want to say too much at this stage but it wouldn’t be ideally suited to your website as it is a Children’s story.

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

Hiding under the bed or in a closet instead of climbing out a window and fleeing

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

As mentioned I don’t read a lot myself, but I loved Interview with a Vampire which I have read a few times. Don’t have any recollection of a disappointing book as I would have put it down not long after starting it and then would have forgotten about it pretty quickly. 

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

If you could go back in time, who would you most like to meet and why?

Jules Verne, probably one of the most creative authors of our time and would love to know where his inspiration and ideas came from. Would learn so much from that.

Deborah Fox

Deborah Fox lives in Yorkshire with her partner Paul. She currently works for a large electrical distributor, as well as being a budding author. Like many children, Deborah spent her time inspired by stories from AA Milne to JM Barrie, and to this day her favourite story was and still is, Winnie the Pooh! Her writing talents didn’t materialise until later in life as most of her childhood was spent dancing and performing. Deborah’s passions are the outdoors, gardening, interior design, dogs and cinema. She has always been intrigued with all things supernatural and the time presented to her during COVID, and the inspiration from the sad passing of her dog Jake, was the start of her first novel ‘Second Hand Rose.’ With the support of family and friends and Blossom Spring agreeing to publish her story, it has fulfilled the dream to become a published author and has given the encouragement to write more stories. Deborah has now completed her second novel due out soon…

WEBSITE LINKS

https://www.instagram.com/deborah9553?igsh=b245anVldmlpbjk=

https://www.threads.net/@deborah9553

https://twitter.com/debmac730?t=pNLV4_n9zIlPB5BZM_5IAQ&s=09

https://www.facebook.com/deborah.fox.127

https://youtube.com/@DeborahFox-Author?si=irnoZPsfrnMbESq4

LINKS TO BOOK

Second Hand Rose by D E Fox 

Short Story

Abigail Hirst, a city reporter, returns to her hometown to take over Second Hand Rose, a quintessential antique store, following the sad passing of her beloved Grandmother, Rose.

This new life seems perfect for Abigail and her trusted terrier Jake, until she starts to notice strange happenings.
Gruesome deaths and mysterious disappearances are catching up with this chocolate-box town named Friendship, as

Abigail digs deeper in her investigations.
Time is quickly running out for the fate of the whole town but only facing up to her own dark past, can she truly help Friendship and the people she loves most.

Indie Book Vault https://indiebookvault.com/horror

Allauthor https://allauthor.com/author/debmac730/

The Curious Bookshelf  https://thecuriousbookshelf.co.uk/d-e-fox

Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Hand-Rose-D-Fox/dp/1739351444/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=108VJK2PWOE4H&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ztLnRLotQ8tJDGcIb2Ra2g.vGX18NUJ-bqy-IESPYYiiXEQ-dMBLxzSdautojM6LKs&dib_tag=se&keywords=d+e+fox+secondhand+rose&qid=1711217126&sprefix=%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-1

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/34223403.D_E_Fox

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/second-hand-rose-4

Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/second-hand-rose-d-e-fox/1143479520

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