In Many Arms Enfold Us, a young girl, her brother, and her mother move to a remote area of Montana and discover the horrifying truth about what lies beneath the town. What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write this book?

As a teen in Portland, OR, I discovered there was a network of tunnels under our downtown, and that was the case in many cities. I’ve always been intrigued by cephalopods, jellyfish, and bioluminescence, and I spooked myself pretty hard thinking about encountering a floating, oxygen-breathing version in the Ape Cave lava tubes in Washington. Add to that my former religious upbringing, and my wariness of cults and groupthink–this election notwithstanding–and I felt I had the recipe for a real psychedelic freakout novel.

What intrigues you most about the horror genre?

When I was a boy, I saw the short film Amelia starring Karen Black. I had nightmares for a month, and my mom forbade me to watch horror films ever again. My rebellious nature ensured I’d be devoted to scary stories from that moment on. Then I discovered Stephen King and HP Lovecraft, and I was hooked. I steer away from splatter–I think it numbs us to violence. I prefer characters that discover their resilience and bravery through some supernatural trauma.

Is there anything from your own life you put into Kara and her family?

I was raised on a religious commune in the old growth redwoods of Humboldt, CA. My experience was fairly tame, but we were definitely a cult. We believed in demonic possession, and I saw my share of drifters hitchhiking through our camp, having drug-related episodes that we were convinced was the Devil. I spent hours peering into the forest with only a kerosene lantern, listening to the scuttle of unknown creatures, creating horrors for myself. In regards to cults—I think many people with only a faith-based education will have a difficult time criticizing their leaders and practicing independent thought, because obedience, fear, and arrogance are cooked into their unassailable belief. My church was dismayed when we moved to Portland and I attended public school, and for good reason. Evidence, scrutiny, scientific method, citations, and a curious mind are all enemies of religion. Worshipping imaginary friends is unwise–imposing them on others is abuse.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

I recently finished an autofiction called The Devil Wand. The first half mirrors my upbringing, but the second half is fiction. The protagonist discovers from watching the opening scene in Kubrick’s The Shining that a VW bug driving through beautiful scenery can be made terrifying by adding scary music. He later becomes a preeminent avant-garde composer for horror film soundtracks, much like Joseph Bishara and Mark Korven. The novel will be published next year. Meanwhile, the book I’m currently writing is tentatively called Silverlake Demon. It’s about a young man living in LA who winds up homeless, and discovers a wealthy alchemist is using an experimental serum to eradicate the indigent population, mutating them and making them commit suicide.

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