Interview with K.R. Morrison, Author of “Be Not Afraid”

This interview is being included in the 2013 Women in Horror Interview Series. Every February, Women in Horror Recognition Month (WiHM) assists underrepresented female genre artists in gaining opportunities, exposure, and education through altruistic events, printed material, articles, interviews, and online support. You can find out more about WiHM here:

http://www.womeninhorrormonth.com/

The Author

K.R. Morrison

K.R. Morrison has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years. She uses her maiden name to show honor to her Scottish roots, and as a tribute to her dad. Married for twenty-six years, she and her husband have two young-adult children.

“Be Not Afraid” is her first book, a darling little creature spawned from an all-too real nightmare. Her daughter did her the favor of drawing the cover illustration.

Both the prequel, “UnHoly Trinity”, and the sequel, “Resurgence: The Rise of Judas”, are in the final stages of creation. Hopefully they will be available early in 2013.

The Novel

Be Not Afraid

War is imminent. Evil has overtaken the world, although the world does not know it. God must intervene on the behalf of those who love Him, and a war is brewing that will decide supremacy.

God’s plan unfolds, and His subjects must retain their faith in the midst of every evil the Father of Lies can throw at them. Lydia, because of her strong faith, is particularly seized upon by Vlad, a demonic vampire. He brings her to the brink of despair, unknowingly causing her to cling even harder to her Lord and Savior. When she is miraculously saved, Vlad finds and then harasses her friends and family, unaware of the angels and saints who are on the brink of attack against him and his minions.

The faithful are tested to the ends of their abilities. Will they be able to stand fast against the power of Death, remembering that God is with them? Or will the Father of Lies rise triumphant?

The Interview

Sumiko: First of all, I wanted to thank you for being here for an interview during Women in Horror Appreciation Month (WiHM).

K.R.: Glad to be here. Thanks for having me.

Q. Do you think women are still underrepresented in horror?

A. If you mean the types that don’t run in high heels, screaming in terror, only to fall over and not get up…the dolts…I think I’d have to agree. Strong women who face down their terror are rare.

Q. Who are some of your favorite women horror writers?

A. Now, you’re going to find this odd, but I don’t read horror. My own books scare me – especially “Be Not Afraid”. Ironic title, isn’t it?

Q. Your story “Be Not Afraid” mixes biblical lore with vampire legends – how did you come up with the idea to combine the two?

A. I have to say that the story idea was, at first, not in my control at all. What spawned this book was a nightmare I had in which I was attacked by a vampire. The sensations I write about when Lydia is attacked are the very same sensations I had in my dream. When I woke up, the dream kept playing over and over in my head, getting longer and more detailed each time. I finally wrote it all down, and the cycle I was trapped in let me go.

Q. Your heroine Lydia is strong in her faith, which is her only real protection against the evil Vlad. Do you consider her a strong female character in other ways?

A. Her strength is only as strong as her faith. In the beginning, her belief system was more based on words than real devotion, but it grew with the visions she received and the miraculous help she was given. In the next book, “Resurgence: The Rise of Judas”, she has to be even stronger to withstand the demonic, vampiric enthrallment of her husband and the salvific roles her children take on in answer to their Divine call.

Q. Is Vlad a vampire – or a demon – or both? Are vampires in your story a kind of demon?

A. When I first wrote “Be Not Afraid”, he was merely a demon in the form of a vampire. After I wrote “UnHoly Trinity”, which is the prequel, he became something a little more three-dimensional. He figures greatly in that book. I relied heavily on the myths of vampires, especially their origins in the person of Lilith, Satan’s mate and second-in-command.

Q. How did vampires come to be in “Be Not Afraid” and how to they fit into God’s plans and the battle between good and evil?

A. It was always about them from the get-go. What was weird for me was when the spiritual/inspirational aspect came into it. That really threw me. But I prayed about it, and it seemed the right thing to do. The demonic world would like nothing more than to wrest Heaven away from the souls who live there, and from humanity—that kind of plays out in my sequel, “Resurgence”.

Q. I’ve read an excerpt from chapter 12 of “Unholy Trinity” on your website…when are you planning on releasing the entire book?

A. I found the most wonderful person, Rick Carufel, who has formatted my books to go up on CreateSpace and other sites. Now I am awaiting the completion of the book covers, drawn by my cousin and my daughter (who drew the front cover for “Be Not Afraid”). I would really like to launch them on April 6, which is my dad’s birthday. I owe him a lot, not the least of which is my being here at all. Also at this time I am currently getting into the procedures for submitting to publishers for the marketing/creation of paper books too.

Q. Is “Unholy Trinity” a prequel – or sequel to “Be Not Afraid”? Or is it a stand-alone novel?

A. It is a prequel, but can be read as a stand-alone. “Resurgence” is pretty much tied to both of the other books. You see, I started to write only one other book, but it got so big that I had to split it into two books. So they became one prequel and one sequel.

Q. Is there anything you’d like to share with our readers that we haven’t covered yet?

A. There is a fourth book percolating between my ears, “Enoch’s Return”. It answers why little two-year-old Toby can call down fire from Heaven and wipe out demons.