Interview - Sheldon Higdon

An accomplished writer and author responsible for several impressive titles, Sheldon Higdon has crafted a solid legacy on the basis of his work, coming across in multiple fields and styles over his career. Now, in honor of his book, "The Eerie Brothers and the Witches of Autumn," being released by Crystal Lake Publishing, I talk with him about his early interest in writing, writing the book, and some upcoming projects.

Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films or books specifically got you into watching horror movies?

Sheldon Higdon: I was pronounced dead three times as an infant, so the truth is, is that I was born out of horror, so it’s innate. It’s me. But. I can remember as far back as when I was five or six, watching an old black-and-white science fiction/horror film in the dark called The Crawling Hand on TV with my mom. My mom is the one who instilled the love of horror into me, but during the film, I recall vividly her tickling her fingers up my back as if the crawling hand was getting me.

As for films, getting me into horror. I grew up a latchkey kid in the 80s. My mom would rent me a stack of VHS tapes of anything that she thought I’d like because it had a cool cover with blood or whatever, meanwhile I’m eight, lol, so moms knew best, right? In this case, she did. So, no one film specifically got me into horror. By that age, I was already into it. The same goes for books. At an early age, my mom gave me all her Stephen King books, Poe, books on cryptids, Jack the Ripper, and anything else she thought that a young, impressionable only-child would love. I was indoctrinated from the very beginning.

Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?

SH: Some of my faves are Stephen King, of course. Poe. My favorite. Richard Matheson. Ray Bradbury. Shirley Jackson. Emily Dickinson. Virginia Wolfe. Jack Ketchum. And sooo many more.

When I was very young, I clearly remember that I was afraid I’d write like some of the ones I mentioned, because I felt that it wouldn’t be me but them. It took me a long time to understand that writing like other writers is okay, because it actually helps you find your voice and style. You’re not taking their styles but discovering yours through theirs.

Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?

SH: I still have stuff from when I was in third grade. As an only child, and raised by a single mother, I remember using my imagination and being creative at an early age. My mom wrote songs (she sang in country bands), poetry, and she even was offered a position at Carlton Cards, a greeting card company in Cleveland at the time, and so my love for the arts, if you will, was instilled in me very early. But as an only child, I had to create a family. A father, siblings. So, for me, writing became the way for me to have a family that didn’t exist. And I’ve never stopped writing since.

Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?

SH: I outline loosely and write by the seat of my pants. Both. When I outline, I do it by making bullet points of each chapter with specific points I want to hit. But for me, the unknown happens between those bullet points, and that’s where you surprise yourself. Well, the characters surprise me.

Me: Is there any specific genre you prefer to write? Is there a style or format that you find easier to get into, even if you don't have a preference?

SH: No, why limit myself? I don’t specifically choose a genre and write it. I write what the story is. The idea. Plot, etc. It dictates what genre I write. But seeing Horror is in my blood, I tend to write in that genre, but with that said, I don’t consider myself a horror writer. My horror is psychological. Albeit suspense or thriller. Humans are the monsters. And the monsters are personifications of the human condition.

I don’t consider style, but I do consider formatting. In which way do I wanna tell the story? How do I want to tell it? And how do I want it to move along by the format?

Me: Having contributed to various anthologies early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?

SH: This will sound nonchalant, but there are no tools and skills, and what I mean by this is that writing short stories for anthologies, especially at an early age, taught me rejection. Taught me to not give up on myself and writing. Taught me to be determined. And so, I kept writing and writing and writing, most of the time never sending stories out. I learned by doing, repeatedly. Learning from my mistakes. Without failure, there is no success. With that said, I had writer friends to ask questions if I needed to. Nothing is ever accomplished without help.

Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?

SH: In the beginning, when I would submit, I would write stories on spec and submit. That was it. But one thing I did, and still do, is I write short stories for myself. I am my first reader, and I write for myself first, always. Then I’ll pack the story away for when an anthology asks me to write them something, and if they’re looking for certain stories, I’ll then go through my stuff and submit what I have that fits. I write ahead of time. If I never send anything out, then I keep it for a future short story collection, which I happen to have one coming out this October.

Me: That brings us to your latest book, “The Eerie Brothers and the Witches of Autumn.” Where did the inspiration for the book come from? Were there any unique stories about its conception?

SH: The inspiration for The Eerie Brothers and The Witches of Autumn came from the fact that I had just become a dad to newborn twins. That was 14 yrs ago. Before them, I already had the name of the Eerie Brothers, because I knew I wanted to write my version of The Hardy Boys, but in a horror or fantasy kind of way. Don’t think I nailed my vision, but I’m okay with that.

Me: When writing a new project, what's the one fallback tactic that you're always able to draw inspiration from?

SH: Truth is wrapped in fiction, as Stephen King once said. And all my stories have me in them. So, my inspiration comes from my life in some ways. And I’m always thinking. Always. Most of the time in stories. Of scenarios. Of What Ifs. Sometimes an idea comes from a single word. An article. A song. A person. I always listen too. To what others are saying at the grocery store, online, and at the doctor’s office. Inspiration is everywhere as long as you listen and watch. Pay attention.

Me: Was there any special significance to making the characters time-travel to the Salem witch trials? What went through creating this kind of universe to be immersive for the reader?

SH: Since the book is aimed at middle graders, I wanted to take them somewhere outside of the character’s home world. But I also wanted to teach them history at the same time. Not hit them over the head, because writing for children isn’t about that, it’s about writing to them. They’re smart. And there was no way I was going to write down to them. Besides, what better way to up the drama than when two witches have to go back to a time when they weren’t accepted?

Universe is key. In many aspects of life, especially mine. But in the Eerie Brothers’ Universe, it’s full of magic, good and bad, and strange, and so whenever I had the chance to flip and twist and stretch and turn inside out their universe, I did, because that’s what makes it interesting. And it creates opportunities and problems. I only create what is given to me by the characters, what they allow me to create, whether it’s their lives or world. And in their Universe, if readers pay close attention, they’ll find clues to this Universe becoming larger. Easter eggs are everywhere.

Me: Was there anything while writing the characters that you were surprised by in telling the story?

SH: Lots. They made choices I never saw coming. They made me cry on several occasions. They made me laugh, too. When the characters lead you through their world, it’s always surprising. Unexpected.

Me: Did the involvement of kids as main characters alter the approach of the story as it developed, or was that always the way the story was headed?

SH: The main characters, kids, were there before the story. I didn’t write it. They showed it to me.

Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?

SH: This book sat in my laptop for years before it was published. As I mentioned previously, I always wrote stuff for me, only submitting when I found something that I felt was a great fit. For this book, it was originally published in the fall of 2023, and that publisher came to me, having already known about the book, and so they took it on.

Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?

SH: Read, when I have time, and write. Daily. Don’t worry about word count; self-induced stress isn’t good, just write for a few hours. Sometimes I write by simply free-thinking to see what comes about. That’s great for when you’re stuck on your current work. No, not writer's block. No such thing. Step away and just write whatever comes out. It’ll either create something new or steer you back to your current project that seems to be stuck in the mud.

Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you’d like to share with our readers? Thank you for your time!

SH: I’m about to start book three in the Eerie Brothers, followed by book four. Once those are done, I’ll start on a novel that I know will be my most ambitious in that it will be emotionally deep. And personal. And full of snarky, monstrous characters.

Book two of the Eerie Brothers will be out this fall, as well as the aforementioned short story collection (more on this when I can share.) Currently, people can find my latest adult novel, a psychological suspense novel, Dark Roots, wherever books are sold.

Thank you for having me.