Interview with David Watson, editor of “Horror Addicts Guide to Life”
The Author
David was born in the Quad Cities on the Illinois/Iowa border in 1971. He graduated from Western Illinois University with a degree in Communications. Now he lives in Milwaukee Wisconsin with his wife and kids. His interests include reading (all genres, especially horror), music (hard rock, heavy metal and industrial), power yoga, bike riding, baseball, hiking, and Broadway musicals. He also has an unhealthy addiction to surfing the net, listening to podcasts, and diet soda. Find David’s reviews at:DavidWatsonThe Book
Do you love the horror genre? Do you look at horror as a lifestyle? Do the “norms” not understand your love of the macabre? Despair no longer, my friend, for within your grasp is a book written by those who look at horror as a way of life, just like you. This is your guide to living a horrifying existence. Featuring interviews with Midnight Syndicate, Valentine Wolfe, and The Gothic Tea Society. Authors: Kristin Battestella, Mimielle, Emerian Rich, Dan Shaurette, Steven Rose Jr., Garth von Buchholz, H.E. Roulo, Sparky Lee Anderson, Mary Abshire, Chantal Boudreau, Jeff Carlson, Catt Dahman, Dean Farnell, Sandra Harris, Willo Hausman, Laurel Anne Hill, Sapphire Neal, James Newman, Loren Rhoads, Chris Ringler, Jessica Robinson, Eden Royce, Sumiko Saulson, Patricia Santos Marcantonio, J. Malcolm Stewart, Stoneslide Corrective, Mimi A.Williams, and Ron Vitale. With art by Carmen Masloski and Lnoir.The Interview
Q. Whose idea was the Horror Addicts Guide to Life?
A. It was mine, when I first came on staff five plus years ago, I had heard of a book that was a goth guide to life. I liked the concept of a group of people who see the world the same having a lifestyle manual. Right away I thought: “I’m a writer for horroraddicts.net, this is a website/podcast that looks at horror as a lifestyle so why not have The Horror Addicts Guide to Life.”
I brought up the idea to Emerian Rich four times and on my fourth try she decided it was a good idea and we should work on it. I wanted this guide to show people who make horror part of their everyday life by watching movies, listening to music, reading and dressing up. There are a lot of different aspects to the horror lifestyle, and hopefully we did a good job touching on all of them.This book has a horror almanac, horror-themed recipes, articles on horror writing, party planning, healthy eating, advice on surviving the zombie apocalypse and so much more.
Q. Several of the articles seem to be gothic in nature. What do you think the connection is between goth life and horror addict life?
A. I think goths and horror addicts are pretty similar, they have a lot of the same interests, they like things that are dark and different and they look at the world in a unique way.
Q. What is a horror addict?
A. I think a horror addict is someone who loves horror books, movies and they want to share that passion with others. They like to talk about the latest scary movie that just came out and when Halloween comes around we like to plan out scary costumes and decorate the house to show our love of the genre. To take it a step farther I think they also look at the world in a specific way. They look in the woods and wonder if there is a werewolf lurking there, they look at an abandoned building and wonder if a coven of vampires is living there. There not scared by the idea, they just have an active imagination and like to believe that there are things in this world that we don’t understand.
Q. Much of the content focuses on movies. Do you think film is the primary source of horror for the addict, or are literature and music and visual arts equal outlets?
A. I think when most people think of horror they think of movies before anything else but true horror addicts also like to find horror in fashion, literature. music and even food. I think movies are the primary source because they are the most visable. You see ads for horror movies, you can find them on TV a lot and you can usually find one playing at a theatre near you.
Q. There are also great sections about horror writing, art, music.. even an article about manga. Do you think anything was left out?
A. It would have been nice to have a few more articles about haunt actors, people that are into horror cosplay and people that go to horror conventions. That being said we do have some good articles on fashion such as Back To Black by Mimielle here and one on Halloween haunts called October Dreaming that are really good.
Q. The horror party tip section is quite extensive. Do you think horror addicts are big party animals?
A. I think so. Horror fans love to have a good time, they like to dress up in costume and have horror themed snacks. We have a couple of good horror themed party articles here. One is Pumpkin Patch Party and Recipes by Dan Shaurette and Hosting A Creepy Crawly Party by Chantal Boudreau. Horror Addicts are creative people and they like to party with style.
Sumiko Saulson 
Reblogged this on The All Night Library and commented:
It’s an honor to be mentioned on Sumiko Saulson’s blog.