We here at GLAHW have met so many amazing and talented people out in the big wide world (you know, OFF the internets) and thought it was high-time we introduced them to you. Who knows? You may end up discovering a favorite new artist, photographer, writer, or all-around awesome human. This time around, we will be talking to Andrew Hope..
GLAHW: How long have you been writing? When did you get started?
I’ve been writing for about as long as I can remember – so a really long time! Like Clive Barker, I made the effort to write “seriously” after reading Kirby McCauley’s magnificent Dark Forces nthology.
GLAHW: Why did you choose the horror genre?
After being exposed to Friday night horror movies (mostly Hammer), on STV in Scotland where I grew up, and horror double bills on BBC 2 on Saturday nights, the usually opened with a Universal pic. And maybe that time my Dad snuck me into see The Exorcist when I was about 5 at The Odeon in Glasgow had something to do with it.
GLAHW: Were you inspired by a person or event to begin your writing career?
My 2nd year English teacher in Colston Secondary school in the north of Glasgow. When I was about 12, and turning all of his creative writing assignments into entire notebooks, he gave me a copy of HP Lovecraft’s The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward. I became a Lovecraft fan immediately, and remain so to this day/
GLAHW: Are you a Plotter or Pantser?
I find that term demeaning, so I won’t answer that question. There is no prescribed way of writing a book, despite what people say.
GLAHW: Have you ever had an encounter with the supernatural?
I don’t believe in anything supernatural, but here’s one anecdote. From 1996 – 1999, we lived in an early 20th century mansion in Davenport, Iowa. One night while I was putting the towels away in the second floor linen closet, the corner of my eye caught what appeared to be a wee black object zipping out of the bathroom, past my legs. When I looked around, there was – of course – nothing there. Being a long time comics fan, my mind, trying to make sense of it, latched onto the image of Zirk, from the Warrior strip Axel Pressbutton and Laser Eraser.
GLAHW: Are you superstitious? Why or why not?
Not at all. Anecdotal evidence is not evidence, and I’ve never experienced anything to make me superstitious.
GLAHW: What do you do for a living, outside of writing?
I have been a CFO for around 10 years, and in the accounting field for around 30, since college.
GLAHW: Do you keep a journal every day?
I don’t, but I add notes to my OneDrive ideas folder, when I come up with concepts for stories, characters, plot elements, etc.
GLAHW: What do you prefer to write – short stories, poetry, novels, scripts, etc.?
I’ve written in all the major disciplines – they’re all so different, I get equal enjoyment from them all
GLAHW: What truly scares you?
Human things – death, disability, losing loved ones. I suppose it all goes back to seeing death as an existential, end-of-the-self crisis.
GLAHW: What sort of hobbies are you into?
Reading, writing, art – I just finished a pencil recreation of a magnificent Dan DeCarlo Betty & Veronica cover. I also like movies and watching football & soccer. I’m a big fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and my first love, Glasgow Rangers
GLAHW: Do you read outside of the horror genre? If so, what else have you read?
I just finished a Stephen King kick on Audible, but I mostly listen to non-fiction. I’ll listen to fiction if it’s recommended to me by someone I know and respect. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but sometimes it results in me discovering a writer like Nathan Ballingrud, whose prose is genuinely beautiful to read.
GLAHW: What’s your favorite genre to write?
Horror, that’s it. What I’m drawn to create is stories for mature adults that resemble an updated Twilight Zone.
GLAHW: Do you use a pseudonym?
No – I’ve never really understood that.
GLAHW: What do you think makes a good story?
In general, keep me wondering what’s going to happen next. If I care about a character, and the situation interests me, I want to find out more and more. Personally, I like bad things to happen to good people in my work. That element in horror is what works for me best, and interests me most of all as a writer in the genre.
GLAHW: As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?
First one I can think of is an astronaut, which was pretty common for a kid growing up in the 70s. Then I wanted to be a comic book artist, then a writer. I accomplished the latter two in the late 80s with work published by Trident Comics, drawing The Shadowmen for Mark Millar, and writing Falling Angel for the incomparable Paul Grist.
GLAHW: Are you spiritual?
Not at all.
GLAHW: What are your influences?
In writing, in no particular order, HP Lovecraft, Ramsey Campbell, Clive Barker, Stephen King. More recently, Nathan Ballingrud’s prose is something I aspire to
GLAHW: What are you reading right now?
Reclaiming History, Vincent Bugliosi’s examination of the evidence gathered for JFK’s assassination.
GLAHW: What else do you want your readers to know? Consider here your likes and dislikes, your interests, your favorite ways to unwind — whatever comes to mind.
I like most of the MCU movies – I’ve been a Marvel boy since I was about 4, and when I wrote for Marvel (Fantomex Max), it was the most sensational feeling in the world to have lengthy calls with Axel Alonso, Marvel’s Editor-in-chef at the time. I’m a nut for the Andy Griffith Show, for reasons that will be clear in 2023. I like kicking back on the couch after a hard day at work, but I fall sleep too quickly these days. Still, what’s better than that?
HEAL THYSELF, my 3 story anthology of time-travel horror, is on sale globally on Amazon.