It was such a treat to get to chat with Mike Thorn. He’s in good company here with his early exposure to Stine and King, but the way he stacks jobs is pretty commendable as well. In this interview, we’re getting to know Mike and celebrating the release of his new book Shelter for the Damned.
Mackenzie Kiera | LOTF: Would you tell us a little about yourself? Where are you in the world and what is it like?
Mike Thorn: I live in Calgary, where the weather is very dry and the politics are, unfortunately, quite conservative. I teach English composition and literary analysis at a local college, and I also write horror fiction and freelance film criticism. I have always been fascinated with film and literature, for as long as I can remember.
MK | LOTF: When in your life did you start to get into horror?
MT: I was into R. L. Stine and Christopher Pike quite young ... probably around the age of seven or eight. And then I read Stephen King's Pet Sematary when I was about twelve years old, and there was no turning back.
MK | LOTF: What was the first thing you remember writing and how old were you?
MT: I've been writing for as long as I can remember. One of the earliest things I remember was an elementary school class assignment that asked us to write stories on stacks of ghost-shaped paper. My submission ended with the main character getting stabbed by a ghost for no apparent reason. I spelled the word "knife" like "nife."
MK | LOTF: A lot of people have been having a hard time finding their creative muse this past year. How has your experience been?
MT: I'd say that has been the case with me, too, that I've had a hard time finding the creative muse. Early into the pandemic, I was lucky to have a couple writing assignments. The deadlines held me accountable.
MK | LOTF: Do you have any upcoming projects you would like to discuss? Tell us about Shelter for the Damned!
MT: Shelter for the Damned is my debut novel. It's a twisted and pessimistic coming-of-age / suburban horror narrative set in a deliberately ambiguated suburban environment in the year 2003. It takes inspiration from some of the dark psychology found in books by Hubert Selby Jr. and Jim Thompson.
I also have two short story collections coming out soon from JournalStone (details pending): Darkest Hours is getting a newly revised reissue with bonus content, and my follow-up collection Peel Back and See will be released after that.
MK | LOTF: And where can our listeners/readers find you?
MT: My website is https://mikethornwrites.com/. I'm also on Twitter (https://twitter.com/MikeThornWrites), Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5829518.Mike_Thorn), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mikethornwrites/).
Mike Thorn is the author of the short story collection Darkest Hours and the novel Shelter for the Damned. His fiction has appeared in numerous magazines, anthologies and podcasts, including Vastarien, Dark Moon Digest, The NoSleep Podcast, Tales to Terrify and Prairie Gothic. His film criticism has been published in MUBI Notebook, The Film Stage, Seventh Row, Bright Lights Film Journal and Vague Visages. He completed his M.A. with a major in English literature at the University of Calgary, where he wrote a thesis on epistemophobia in John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness.