When did you first know you could be a writer?
As soon as I discovered that there were people who wrote books I wanted to become one of them.
Who designed the cover?
I commissioned an artist, Xteve Abanto, to paint an image for Thirty Scary Tales. I didn’t want the usual blood-dripping axe and gory grinning head so often seen on horror covers, because my stories aren’t violent and gory. Creepy, atmospheric, spooky, attractive, eerie, scary… that’s what I asked Xteve to convey visually. He came up with this head of which he says “It scared the shit outta me.”
Will you write others in this same genre?
Definitely. I’ve had several horror books published and plan to write many more. I enjoy scaring readers.
Do you have any advice for writers?
Learn the writing craft and master it to the highest standard you’re capable of, so your books are as good as you can possibly make them. Use instruction books, classes, workshops, critique groups, beta readers, mentors, whatever suits you. Make your books stand out because of their quality.
What books did you love growing up?
My first real book was a beautifully illustrated collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, followed by a book with life history of saints, including details of their martyrdom – gruesome stuff! When grown-ups asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I replied “A robber or a saint.” However, the robbers in the fairy tales were always male, and sainthood seemed to require martyrdom. I didn’t like the idea of burning alive or getting torn by lions in the arena, so that option was out, too. Then I discovered that people wrote books, and I decided that being a writer sounded less painful and more fun.
In my early teens, I loved the historical novels by Rosemary Sutcliff and Hans Baumann. I also read a lot of Karl May. Although Karl May (1842 – 1912) is almost unknown in the English-speaking world, he is popular in Germany. I loved his atmospheric descriptions of exotic places where he had never been. His approach has definitely influenced my novels, especially Storm Dancer.
In my early teens, I discovered a book with stories of Edgar Allan Poe. They were so exciting! I started writing horror stories at once. They didn’t have much plot and blatantly copied Poe’s style, but at the time I thought they were really good.
Thirty creepy, atmospheric stories by Rayne Hall.
The horror in these stories is spooky, creepy, unsettling and sometimes disturbing. It is not very violent or gory; however, the stories may not be suitable for young readers without parental guidance. PG 13.
This book is a compilation of volumes 1-5 of the Six Scary Tales books. It includes the acclaimed stories Burning and The Bridge Chamber.
All stories have been previously published in magazines, ezines, collections and anthologies. British English.
Stories in collection include:
The Devil You Know, Greywalker, Prophetess, Each Stone A Life, By Your Own Free Will, The Bridge Chamber, Only A Fool, Four Bony Hands, The Black Boar, Double Rainbows, Druid Stones, Burning, Scruples, Seagulls, Night Train, Through the Tunnel, Black Karma, Take Me To St. Roch’s, Turkish Night, Never Leave Me, The Colour of Dishonour, Beltane, The Painted Staircase, I Dived The Pandora, Terre Vert and Payne’s Grey, They Say, Tuppence Special, Disturbed Sleep, Normal Considering the Weather, Arete.
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Genre – Horror
Rating – PG-13
More details about the author
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