It Came From The Trees
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- 6 min read
Interview with Joel Mckay
Q: Tell us, readers, about your anthology, It Came From the Trees and Other Violent Aberrations.
It Came From the Trees and Other Violent Aberrations is a short anthology of five stories all tied by the theme of dread. There’s a creature feature novelette that’s an ode to an X-Files episode, a science fiction thriller about teleportation technology, a Lovecraftian adventure tale, a grim dark fantasy and a splatterpunk western. They’re all different, none of them linked except through the common theme of dread. I did that on purpose because I enjoy anthologies that really mix narrative and genre.
It's also designed to be a throwback to the pulp horror stories of the 40s and 50s – yarns, page-turners, that sort of thing. My only goal is to get you to the next page, five times over. To that end, I also made it short. The collection clocks in at 130 pages. This, admittedly, is also about me. I have the attention span of a gnat, so I’m appealing to people who, like me, love a good short story collection but not a 300-page one.
To sum up, if you like page-turners, creature-features, variety, and short reads: this collection is for you. Please go buy it now.
Q: When did you begin writing It Came From the Trees?
The titular story It Came From the Trees was written at the start of the pandemic. Honestly, I didn’t care for it at first. It was written in a different format and so I shelved it for two years and worked on other things. Eventually, I kicked it over to an editor for feedback and he, surprisingly, loved it and had some great advice to improve it. Once that was done, I knew I wanted it out, but it wasn’t long enough to justify a release on its own. That’s when I decided to create a cornucopia collection, adding in four other stories I had written, all previously unpublished, that I thought paired well with the titular story. Here we are four years later and it’s finally out!
Q: What themes will readers find in your horror stories?
Dread. Paranoia. Cynicism. Friendship. Perseverance. Honor. I try to create characters that are facsimiles of real human beings– they’re dynamic, they’re imperfect, they say and do things that create problems for themselves, but they’re also self-reflective, kind and survivors. I think that’s a solid gamut of the human experience. There’s even love in these stories – friendship, both the adult and child kind, and even that type of romantic love that takes you unexpectedly and transforms you.
Q: How have your other professions such an economic development profession, journalist, and former public relations specialist shaped your writing career as an author?
I think my work in economic development gives me a little bit of knowledge about a lot of things. Frankly, journalism and public relations do the same. Makes me a whizz at trivia, most times. That’s helpful for writing because it largely means I have no problems coming up with ideas or shaping stories around existing structures and systems. As well, that work makes you a quick study, which really helps if you feel you have to conduct research for a story. Although I love researching and learning, I don’t get lost in it. Honestly, I’m more interested in the characters than I am the setting, structures or systems, though I do want those latter elements to function logically and consistently to keep the reader in the story – then watch and see how the characters react in those settings. So, overall, I’d say it helps a lot. One thing journalism gives you is a better-than-average ability to write fast, which really helps with first drafts.
As an aside, one of the biggest skill gaps I see in the business world is the ability to write effectively. That’s why I recommend that journalism education in post-secondary is not only important for people who want to pursue that profession, but for anyone who goes into business. Journalism 101 – researching, interviewing, writing a lede and disseminating information quickly and accurately – should be a mandatory course in every business school in North America.
Q: Why be an author when your main passion is in business and economics?
My main passion is writing fiction. I started writing fiction when I was 12 and never stopped. The only reason I’m in business is because I became a journalist (hoping to becoming a novelist), and that led me to business journalism and that, eventually, translated into business and economics.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my day job. I’m good at it and extremely privileged to work in that space. But if you put a gun to my head and asked me to choose between writing horror and doing economic development to pay the bills, it’s going to be the former seven days a week. No apologies.
Q: What other books would you like to publish?
I have two novels drafted already that I need to edit and start submitting. One is a sword and sorcery fantasy (in the same world as the grim dark story in the It Came From the Trees anthology), and another is what I call industrial horror. The goal this year is to get them edited and see if I can find a publisher.
Meantime, I’ll keep writing whatever comes to mind, short stories, novellas, and novels. I don’t ever intend to stop. In fact, I’m just getting started.
Q: How would you describe your writing style?
Accessible. Page-turner. Yarn. Pulpy. My work isn’t heady, and it’s never going to be welcomed in the esteemed circles of high literature (p.s. I love high literature). I’m writing for the everyday reader, the beach or cabin reader, the person who takes a paperback with them wherever they go. I’m not looking for the reader to have a transformative experience, but I would like them to turn the last page and say, ‘That was fun.’ That’s it. If I achieve that, I feel good.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers in the horror genre?
Just do it. Write it. Don’t worry about being perfect or comparing yourself to others. Don’t worry about who is ahead of you, who has more sales, or any sales for that matter. If you want to be in this business, be in it for you. Write for you. Finish for you. Finish for that feeling. Connect and become friends with others in the business, but at every step resist the urge to compare yourself, grade yourself or, for that matter, anyone else. This is a craft. You can learn it. Discipline beats talent seven days a week. Get at it, have fun, and stick with it and you’ll find success. But always remember the definition of success is your own to make.
Q: What is the difference between the classic horror stories and modern day horror stories like your collection, It Came From the Trees?
Well, obviously, any story set in the contemporary with current-day culture and technology is going to be your most obvious point of separation. I think word choice, pace and structure would be the next most obvious.
Beyond that, not much. I think you’ll find that stories haven’t really changed all that much throughout human history – they’re about people who face internal and external conflicts and their journey through those conflicts to an eventual, or lack of eventual, transformation. This is true all the way back to the mythology of cultures throughout the world – there are common themes, elements, archetypes, and lessons present in myths from every culture throughout the planet. Whether it was written four thousand years ago or four minutes ago, ultimately, all stories are human stories.
The benefit of being a modern horror writer is that we get to draw on all the examples of horror written by the people who came before us. We have a rich archive to draw on for inspiration, lessons, et cetera. That makes it an exciting time to be writing in this genre or any other.
Q: Where can readers find you and your work online?
My work can be found on Amazon – Wolf at the Door (horror novella) and It Came From the Trees (horror anthology). My work has also been published in anthologies from Brigids Gate Press, Eerie River Publishing, Locust Candy, Bewildering Stories, Tyche Books and Sley House Publishing. You can also find me on X (Twitter @joelcmckay), Instagram (author_joel_mckay) and Threads. I’ll get a website going, eventually.
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