Monsters! - An Interview with Lisanne Harrington

Those of you who have followed the blog know that I have a huge love of horror, but while that may be the case, slasher films don't really float my boat.  I'm a monster guy.  Give me something supernatural, otherworldly or just oversized from nuclear testing and you've got me hooked into seeing your movie or reading your book.  

One of my favorite people to talk about monsters with just happens to be a damn fine author as well.  Her name is Lisanne Harrington and if you haven't already, check out her excellent books MOONSPELL and MOON WATCH.  They stood out to me right away because they're about werewolves!  The world needs more werewolf stories and especially some that don't involve vampire love triangles. 

Lisanne loves monsters as much if not more than I do.  She loves them so much that her blog features an in-depth look at a different monster each week.  You can find it at this link and I encourage you to go back and check out some of her older posts.  My favorites so far have been about Momo (a meat eating Bigfoot cousin from Missouri) and The Wendigo (a mysterious cannibalistic creature from Native American lore).  

Last week, Lisanne and I sat down to talk about monsters and writing.  The conversation took some fun turns, so without further ado, here's it is.  Enjoy!

Cary

First, have you always loved monsters or was this something that came to you later?

Lisanne

I think I was just born this way. Can't remember a time when I didn't love monsters. Never was a Princess or Fairy Queen for Halloween. Always had some sort of monster get-up. Kids' costumes used to have these plastic masks that were held on your face with rubberized string, and even though you could barely see out of the eye-holes (especially when you wear glasses!) and it was hard to breathe, I always wanted to be Frankenstein or Dracula. At least until I was old enough to put together a costume myself.  Drove my mother nuts. She always wanted me to be something "cute."

Cary

I remember those costumes! I had them as a kid also. 

Lisanne

One year at work, I dressed up as a huge cobweb with tons of plastic spiders everywhere. My boss wouldn't look at me all day, except to tell me I looked horrible. I was 34...

Cary

That's a great idea for a costume!  

Do you have brothers or sisters that influenced you also? I was the oldest so I didn't, but I had a great aunt who liked to stay up for Creature Feature and I spent the night with her on most weekends. My introduction to the classic movies was when I was probably seven or eight and it was all thanks to my Aunt Maude.

Lisanne

I had an older brother, but he was 5 years older than me and pretty much ignored me most of the time. I also watched the Creature Features. For a time, I wanted to be Elvira. I still love her!

Cary

I grew up in Florida so we had Dr. Paul Bearer as our movie host. He was great! His signature thing was singing the song "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park".

Lisanne

Paul Bearer! That's hilarious!

Cary
Looking back on it, I've tried to figure out why I gravitated to horror and monsters because my parents are not big horror fans.  Like you, I figure I was just born this way.  What is it about monsters that appeals to you?

Lisanne
Freud talked about catharsis as a way for people to relieve pent-up emotions; in the case of horror, negative emotions. Jung taught us about how the human race has a collective unconscious that contains certain archetypes buried deep within it, and a love of horror is the manifestation of our dark side.

I didn’t have the easiest childhood and had a lot of anger, so maybe monsters was my way of coping, my catharsis. A way to let out my dark side without hurting anyone.

But  it’s also a sort of a chemical hardwiring. Fight or flight comes to us courtesy of several neurotransmitter chemicals like epinephrine and dopamine, which is actually the brain’s happy juice. Some people produce more than others, and it hangs around longer.

I get a bit of a rush when I watch horror, something I rarely feel in day-to-day life. Some people get it when exercising, or bungee-jumping, or diving with sharks. That happy juice floods our brains and we get a kind of high from it.

My love of horror—and likely yours—isn’t simply a personal preference. We’re just built this way. 

So what is it I love about monsters? Good question. I don’t really have an answer, other than everything. Except zombies and vampires. They’ve been done to death, so I’m pretty much over them. But I love all the rest of them!

After all, some of us are just born this way!

Cary
For me there is also the outcast thing. I lived up in my head for a lot of my childhood and I was never really interested in playing sports or that sort of thing until I was older. That made me feel a little like an oddball or outcast and that’s what the Universal Monsters were to me.  They’re all outcasts that live on the fringes of society so I identified with them and still do on some levels.  They’re my peeps!

So, when did you start writing fiction?

Lisanne

I used to journal a lot as a kid. Always loved reading, so it was a pretty natural slide into writing. I co-wrote my first novel when I was 11. It was a Brady Bunch type of story. I have a love of research, so I always wrote more than I really needed to whenever I had a term paper or report due. I find that love translates into my fiction as well.

Cary

I know you worked as a paralegal. Did you write short stories and stuff during that time?

Lisanne

I did. I'd eat lunch at my desk and spend my lunch hour writing. Then I'd edit at night and send out my stories on the weekends.  Back then (the 90s) there were a lot more places that published short stories than there are now. Did a lot of writing at Carl's Jr. They had the best soda...

Cary

So, are the Wolf Creek Mysteries your first novels or did you write others before those?

Lisanne

The first novel I wrote, after that disastrous one in sixth grade, was called Killer Secret. I took an online Advanced Novel Writing course. We had to write 10,000 words every three weeks, then critique all the other students' works. It was grueling, but it taught me so much about the craft of writing. I was already familiar with meeting deadlines (tons of them in the legal world), but the course taught me how to stay focused. By the way, that novel was just awful!

Cary

Okay, before we go further I need to get on my werewolf soapbox here.  I love werewolves. I mean, when I was a kid, I wanted to actually BE a werewolf. The idea of running around wreaking havoc at night was so awesome. With the explosion of the Twilight books, Underworld movies, etc. I was really hoping for some solid werewolf fiction that didn’t involve a love triangle. I was waiting for the second coming of The Howling and An American Werewolf in London.  Instead, the world just got more werewolf/vampire love triangles.  I feel completely ripped off, so I’m really eager to read your books. The world needs some good werewolf fiction.  What made you choose werewolves?

Lisanne

Before I answer that, let me just say, I agree wholeheartedly with you. Twilight really killed vampires for me (what self-respecting vampire would sparkle, for God’s sake?). I really liked The Howling and ADORE An American Werewolf in London! Such great stories.

But I digress.

Werewolves really chose me. I live with my characters for as long as it takes before I actually begin writing. By that I mean they chat with me, sometimes for a few days, sometimes for months at a time. They tell me bits and pieces of their story. Once they begin to trust me, then and only then, I get the whole thing.

Once I have that, I can begin to write. Of course, there are still surprises for me along the way. Like the twist at the end of MOONSPELL. It wasn't until that final scene was written that James (my character) told me the whole truth.

It's pretty standard among writers, don't you think? In my house, they call it Mommieland, as in, "Mom's gone to Mommieland again..."  My family can always tell when a new story has gripped me.

Cary

I know people who will read that and think it's creepy, but I fully understand it.  That's what happens to me also. Back in the Victorian era when there was a fascination with spiritualists and psychics there was a phenomenon called "automatic writing" where the spirits would guide your pencil.  I feel that way when I get in my writing ‘zone’.  The words are just coming out and it doesn’t feel like they’re even coming from my own brain.  I’ve had many times where all of a sudden, my plot or characters will just go in another direction that I never expected.  I love when that happens. It's my favorite thing about writing.

Lisanne

Yep, me too.  If I can surprise myself, it's a pretty good bet the reader will be surprised, too.  At least, I hope so!

Cary
Where do you tend to get most of your inspiration from? 

Lisanne

Inspiration usually comes to me when doing mundane chores like laundry or the dishes. Like I said earlier, my characters will just start talking to me one day. I find that the more I try to think about a story, the harder it is to write. As long as I relax and just let the muse come to me rather than insisting he pay me a visit, it’s almost like I’m simply transcribing the story as it's being told to me. When I was first contracted for the Wolf Creek Mystery series, MOONSPELL had been written, but the other two hadn’t. Nor did I have a clue what the stories even were. Because I tried to force it, after 30,000 words, I ended up scrapping the manuscript for the second book. It just wasn’t working, and everything in it was crap.

But once I relaxed and stopped thinking about it, both stories came to me almost simultaneously.

Every so often, I get inspired by a book or movie, but that’s rare. I am working on a short story right now inspired by one of the monsters I’ve written about on my blog, but I can’t tell you any more than that until it’s done. Because if I did… well, you know.
By the way, here’s a picture of my muse.

Cary

Nice!  So let’s talk about your blog.  You've been doing a post a week extensively exploring different monsters. How long is your list?

Lisanne

Well, let's see. I've researched and written enough to last me through to next January. Then I'll have to find some more. There are all different places that have monsters: different states, countries, societies and religions. There are an infinite number, the more obscure and unknown, the better. If I get stuck, I can always turn to those old black-and-white monster movies for inspiration!

Cary

Have you ever done any monster "tourism" so to speak? Visited places where there are lots of bigfoot reports or UFO sightings? That sort of thing?

Lisanne

No, unfortunately I've never had the opportunity. I wanted to do the Stanley Writer's Retreat a few years ago in Colorado, where the movie The Shining was filmed at the Overlook Hotel, but didn't get the chance.  What about you? You ever seen a monster?

Cary

No, I've never seen a monster, per se, but I've actually been in a cage with a great white shark swimming around me so that's pretty close.

Lisanne

Yikes! 

Cary
As for supernatural monsters, there are a number of places in L.A/San Diego that are supposedly haunted or have dark pasts.  Have you ever been to any of those and if so, have you ever seen/experienced anything weird?

Lisanne
I went to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose when I was a kid, but to me it was more like it had been built by a demented madman than anything supernatural.

But I have had a few weird things happen. Growing up, we had this painting of a Spanish bullfighter in the living room. The figure in the painting would periodically change position, as if he were really fighting a bull. I never actually SAW him move, but there were several times he was in a different pose. Then when I would tell my mom, he would be back to the original position.

Can you say Night Gallery?

When my kids were little, we had a little mutt named Muggsy. After she died, I used to feel her cuddle up to me once in a while, usually at the small of my back when I was lying on the floor watching TV. It stopped when we got another dog several years later.
I’ve also seen a few ghosts in my house over the years, but nothing recently. However, the dog I have now, Fiona, frequently sits in the middle of the room and growls at nothing, and I wonder if she sees a spirit.

Cary
That’s something I’ve never experienced and to be honest, I’d love to.  I think some people are just more attuned to it than others and I got the short end of that particular stick.  I’ve had two times in my life where I had a premonition.  Both times were contests that I’d entered and both times I actually won.  Unfortunately, none were mega-millions lottery related.  One time I won a cookbook and the other time I won a live album by the Drive-By Truckers.

Have you ever had any ESP or psychic experiences?

Lisanne
My grandmother and I had a kind of ESP between us, but it only manifested itself once in a while. Usually when she would call. It would freak my mom out because the phone would ring and I would say, “That’s Gigi.” Mom would pick up the phone and Gigi would be on the line. I’ll never forget the look on Mom’s face the first time I did that. I think I was about eight.

I do periodically have dream premonitions. Whenever I dream about snakes, within three weeks, something bad happens. I have about a 75% accuracy rate.

The very first one was about my grandparent’s house. They had this tiny little clapboard house that was a converted print shop. There were several oak trees in the front yard. In the dream, it was autumn, and the yard was filled with fallen leaves. As I walked up to the chain link fence, thousands and thousands of snakes were making their way across the yard, trying to get into the house.

A week or so later, my grandfather had three massive strokes. I was 11, and I still remember that dream vividly. I’ve had many others over the years, all forgotten. But I don’t think I’ll ever forget that first one.

All in all, I think I’d rather have that painting.

Cary

I’d like to go back to the "Mommieland" thing a second. You said that you’ll have characters talk to you for days or months at a time. Do you have multiple characters from multiple stories doing that or do you tend to focus on one story at a time?

Lisanne

Usually one story at a time. Even my Wolf Creek Mystery series, which has the same characters throughout, came to me one story at a time.

Cary

So is your family into horror also?

Lisanne

My husband doesn’t get my fascination with it. But I actually raised my girls on horror movies. When Jennifer, my oldest, was a baby, there was a show on Saturday afternoons and into the night called USA Saturday Nightmares. It was always on in the background as she toddled around.  My girls and I can quote lines from just about any monster movie. They love them almost as much as I do.

Jenn and I are also into Serial Killers. When my murder mystery (MURDER IN THE FAMILY) comes out next year, I'll start blogging about some really fascinating murders.

Cary

That's fantastic! My daughter loves the old ones (like I do) but she's not as keen on the gorier, new ones. She does love Trick r' Treat though. She thinks Sam is cute so that helps.

Lisanne

That's a fun movie.

Cary

So I'm guessing it's going to be pretty hard to narrow down what your favorite horror books or movies are, but what are some monster movies that you wholeheartedly recommend?

Lisanne

Don’t really have a favorite, but the ones I find myself watching over and over are Fido, It, 1408, the series Dead Like Me, Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Needful Things, The Fog (1980 version), Halloween, Omega Man. Basically, I love ‘em all!

Oh, and the original Fright Night! How could I forget that one??

Let me ask you a question: Twilight Zone or Night Gallery?

Cary

Ooooh. Tough one.  I've seen way more of Twilight Zone than Night Gallery but I'm going to go against the grain and say, Night Gallery. I really like them both but the latter cast Elsa Lanchester (the actual Bride of Frankenstein) in one of my favorite episodes.

Lisanne

Night Gallery is my favorite, too. There was an episode with Pamelyn Ferdin where she was a lonely child who lived on an island. One day, she found a hole. A voice came to her from that hole, and it convinced her to do strange things until it basically got her to join it forever.  Talk about creepy.  I like Twilight Zone, but it always had a message, whereas Night Gallery was just plain fun.

Cary

Okay, last question. What are some of your favorite horror books?

Lisanne

So hard to pick, but would have to at least list these: The Mailman by Bentley Little, Needful Things, The Talisman, Salem’s Lot and Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King, Snowblind by Christopher Golden, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (who will undoubtedly become an even better writer than his father!)

The Mailman and NOS4A2 really creeped me out.

Cary

I totally agree on Heart Shaped Box. That book was terrifying and I couldn't put it down! I haven't read NOS4A2 yet but it's on my Nook. I just have a couple before it.

Lisanne

I have an entire bookcase (6 shelves) dedicated to Stephen King and Joe Hill, and am also collecting Bentley Little.  If you like vampires, JR Ward's Brotherhood of the Black Dagger series is amazing.

Cary

You have the two Wolf Creek books out. There's another on the way, right? When can people look forward to that?

Lisanne

MOON SHADOWS is due out in January 2018.  It piggybacks off book #2, MOON WATCH. Takes up minutes after #2 ends.

Cary

And Murder in the Family is due out sometime after that?

Lisanne

It doesn't have a pub date yet, but it'll be late summer or early fall, 2018.

Cary

Fantastic!  Thanks for doing this. I had a great time!

Lisanne

This has really been a lot of fun, Cary. Thanks for the opportunity to chat with you. 

If you're interested in picking up Lisanne's books MOONSPELL and MOON WATCH, you can find them on her Amazon Authors page here.  You can also find links to her monster blog posts there.  I highly recommend them if you're a monster fan.  

And if you haven't checked out my horror novel The Wash, you can find it at my Amazon Author page also.