We chat with author Josh Allen about his new short story collection, Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom, PLUS we have an exciting excerpt from the collection for you to enjoy at the end of the interview!
Hi, Josh! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m an English professor, I live in Idaho with my wife and kids, and I write horror stories for children. I’ve written two books so far, Out to Get You: 13 Tales of Weirdness and Woe and Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom.
I write short stories because I’m hoping to win over what some people call “reluctant readers.” I think a lot of kids today feel intimidated or even discouraged when they’re handed a 250-page book and told to dive in. But I think these same kids, if handed a book and told to try out the first creepy eight-page story will give it a go. And if they like that story, I think they’ll read the next story in the book, and the story after that, and the next thing you know . . .
Oh, and both of my books have covers that glow in the dark. Really.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I think I fell in love with writing before I could even read. Let me explain.
It all started with stories. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved stories. Like, looooved them. One of my earliest memories is seeing the 1978 Superman movie, the one starring Christopher Reeve, in the theater when I was four years old. I remember the whooshing words in the opening credits, the thrilling helicopter crash, and the rage on Reeve’s face when it seemed Superman has lost. As a little kid sitting in a squashy theater seat, I was blown away—completely blown away—at what this totally made up story was doing to me. Not long after, I discovered Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and so many other stunning stories.
And then, I learned to read, and I discovered that I could get the same jolts that came from great stories by reading books, completely free and from my local library, and . . . well . . . that changed everything.
I’ve been in love with writing ever since.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
The first book I ever remember reading? Um, Hop on Pop?
The book that made me want to be a writer? So many, but I’ll say Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.
A book I can’t stop thinking about? This is super English-professor-y, but I have to say Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure. It’s a totally underrated play, and I think about it all the time.
Your short story collection Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Spooky. Quirky. Playful. Fun. Eerie.
What can readers expect?
I’m interested in horror that comes from things we would never expect—things like ice cream cones, board games, and pillows. I’m really interested in taking ordinary everyday objects—objects like street signs and the paper towel dispenser in the boy’s bathroom—and turning them spooky.
Anyone, I think, can write spooky scenes about masked men with chainsaws. But the real challenge is to take something mundane—like a microwave oven—and write a story that turns that microwave into a symbol of chilling dread. And when we do that, we tap into a dark humor that I think is just gobs of fun.
So, in Only If you Dare, readers can expect to see a lot of horror coming from the most ordinary things in the most ordinary places, with a bit of dark humor thrown in.
Where did the inspiration for Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom come from?
Because I’m interested in turning ordinary objects spooky, I take my inspiration from day to day things. Ice cream trucks. Snowmen. School dances. Handprints in wet cement.
Right now, I’m working on a story about a really creepy Pop-Tart.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Ooh, yes. I signed a contract for this book in early 2020, but I wasn’t satisfied with the writing at all. I knew I still had a lot of revising to do. And then, the pandemic hit. Suddenly, everything in my life flipped. My career. My kids lives. My daily routines. I had to find new ways to work in an upside-down world. I struggled for a bit, but eventually I set up a folding table and a chair in the smallest, ugliest room in my basement, and I went to work. It was a challenge, developing a new writing routine mid-stream, but it reminded me that all any writer really needs is an ugly basement room and blank page. Those two things are enough.
Were there a particular story you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Yes! The first story in Only If You Dare is called “The Substitute.” When I started that story, I was determined to write about a really creepy substitute teacher, but the story kind of took on a life of its own and ended up going in a completely different direction—one that surprised even me. Discovering what that story really wanted to be was a blast.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Best advice: Write something every day. Even if it’s just a few sentences. Or a list of your favorite foods. Or a rant about something trivial and dumb. Just put words on the page. Every. Single. Day.
Worst advice: Make sure chapter one is perfect before you move on to chapter two. (Boo! This is a really great way to never, ever finish your book.)
What’s next for you?
I’m working on two projects right now, a third collection of spooky stories and a historical novel in verse. We’ll see which one I finish first!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Oh, so many! Anything by Jason Reynolds, Jasmine Warga, Gary Schmidt, Marissa Meyer, or Neal Shusterman. Love them all!
Now for an excerpt, but first, here’s an introduction from Josh!
“Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom is a collection of short stories that explores thirteen ordinary kids in thirteen ordinary situations. But little do these kids know their ordinary situations are about to turn . . . truly creepy.
Think board games that turn out to be possessed. Snowmen that refuse to melt. Ice cream cones that make you feel colder . . . and colder . . . and colder! Or take the story of poor Elena. In “Lumpy, Lumpy,” all she wants is to throw away her gross, gloopy oatmeal when her mom’s not looking. That’s all. But for Elena, that choice is enough to open the door to darkness . . . and doom!”
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Open in new tab Excerpt from Only If You Dare: 13 Stories of Darkness and Doom / Text copyright © 2021 by Josh Allen / Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Sarah J. Coleman. Reproduced by permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
