One on One with R.E. Dyer
My interview with one of the contributing authors to Feral Lands
Samak Press published its first horror anthology, Feral Lands, in June. All this month, I will be spotlighting contributing authors in exclusive one-on-one interviews.
We’re kicking off the interview series with R.E. Dyer. His contribution to Feral Lands is Edge Mountain Hello — a chilling tale about a man who encounters a mysterious and mystical totem after fleeing from the bedside of his dying wife.
R.E. Dyer has worked as a teacher, a corporate trainer, and a curriculum designer—but his first love has always been writing. He spins tales from his home in the wilds of Pennsylvania, where he lives with his wife, two children, and one voracious cat.
Before appearing in Feral Lands, R.E. also published weird tales and supernatural yarns in numerous publications ranging from Carnage House to Fraidy Cat Quarterly. You can also find his stories in other anthologies, including Dolls in the Attic (Terrorcore Publishing), and The Elemental Cycle: Air (Erie River Publishing).
R.E. won the final week of the Vocal Summer Fiction Series and his short stories have been recorded for a podcast and two YouTube channels. In his spare time, he runs a decades-long Ravenloft campaign and is proud to have contributed a small Domain of Dread way back in Dungeon Magazine #76.
Tell us about your story in Feral Lands. What stands out about this story among the ones you've written and published?
R.E.: Edge Mountain Hello is the most personal story I’ve published. While the rest naturally have some element that fascinates me (twisted fairies, murderous revenge, cosmic grief, Titanic…life’s assorted foibles), Edge Mountain Hello includes a very real owl totem that has charmed me for decades. It stands atop a mountain in eastern Pennsylvania, a spot my wife has visited since she was a child, and when she introduced me to it, I developed a fast obsession. What is it? Where did it come from? What would it do if it had three wishes? This story is what happened when I explored the rabbit hole to its end.
What influenced you into becoming an author?
R.E.: I was passing notes in elementary school, but they were short shorts about a character named Peabrain Poodle. I watched kids who would never speak to me publicly devour those stories, laugh, and pass them on. I saw the effect my writing had on people who were popular, jocks, misfits (like me)—the whole Breakfast Club litany—and I was sold.
Who are your primary literary influences as an author?
R.E.: I might read a lot, but I vocalize while I’m reading, so I read slowly. When I devour a book, it’s a special occasion. In college, I read Frankenstein in one sitting—sat down after dinner and got up again the next morning to go to class. I didn’t hear a word of any lecture that day. Other authors who have grabbed me that way include Ray Bradbury (Farewell Summer is a masterpiece), Shirley Jackson (whose short stories will cut), and Peter Clines (the Threshold series).
What drives you to write stories in the horror genre?
R.E.: People always react when I say my favorite movie is Night of the Demons, but they’re unprepared for the reason why. I love stories that drop people into situations worse than anything we could experience in daily life, revealing the character underneath. The ex-boyfriend jerk heroically sacrifices his life. The guy who whines from his first scene comes back to save the day. And the crude party animal doesn’t die because he can’t keep it in his pants, but rather because he craves connection. That’s what I love about horror in a nutshell: seeing people at their absolute best when life is at its worst.
What's an unusual fact people might not know about you?
R.E.: When video stores went out of business, my wife and I switched from renting to buying. As chain after chain went dark, we brought home a trove of little-known classics, mostly but not entirely horror. It’s sad to see physical media declining in favor of formats that are so easily censored or disappeared, but we’ve got shelves of preserved memories—probably more than we’ll ever be able to watch!
If you get all expenses paid to travel anywhere in the world, where are you going? Why that particular spot?
Oh, that’s going to be a tour! We’re on our way to Castle Vladislas, but first we’re touring Morningside Cemetery and spending the night in the Bodega Bay Inn. We’re getting trapped in time at the Grand Island Hotel and escaping through some dimensional forks—and for every meal we’re eating The Stuff!
You're trapped in a horror movie. What's your plan for making it out alive?
R.E.: I’m the guy who is quiet and stays in the background, listening. Let the Type A personalities do their thing and fail fast. Stay calm and help people who are prone to panic keep their cool. Pay attention to everything. And—as long as I don’t gaze into any non-Euclidean spaces while I’m doing that—step in when people are ready to listen. I’ll own it if I’m wrong, but by that point, it’ll be too late, and the worst part will be the reproachful stares of the dying.
You find a genie. What are your three wishes?
R.E.: Elmo and Cookie Monster become King of the World and Vice-King of the World. People start learning from the mistakes of the past. And, naturally, Feral Lands is discussed on college campuses across the world for years to come.
Thank you so much R.E. for taking time to answer a few questions and giving readers of this newsletter a chance to get to know you better.
You can check out R.E. at his official author website redyerauthor.com to learn all about his past, present, and upcoming stories. Be sure to also pick up a copy of Feral Lands to read his contribution to the anthology.
