Seven Questions with Philip Fracassi

Question 1: What was the initial catalyst—whether that be a short story, a novel, a film, a video game, an event—that made you want to be a writer?

When I was in elementary school we had an assignment to write a short story. I wrote a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pastiche and fell in love with writing. Reading that story aloud to my class and having them all crack up was such a rush that I started writing more and more stories... and just never stopped. It’s an incredible feeling to find something you’re both pretty good at and also enjoy. I feel very blessed.

Question 2: An aspiring author has written a 70,000- to 100,000-word debut horror novel and doesn’t know what to do next; what advice would you give them? Should querying literary agents be the first choice of action, or is self-publishing becoming a viable option?

I think every writer’s situation is unique and every writer has different goals, so my opinion here is very much subjective. That said - in my opinion - if you have a finished novel (and by finished I mean rewritten and proofread and as perfect as you can get it), I’d suggest sending it out to agents who publish similar material. If that doesn’t get you anywhere after 6 months or a year (whatever your threshold of pain is), then you could send the book directly to smaller presses who don’t insist on agented queries (like big 5 presses do). If you still get nowhere, self-publishing is always an option. Another option would be to set aside that novel and write another novel and start all over again. That first novel may still find a home later in your career.

Question 3: With massively successful video game franchises like Resident Evil and The Last of Us, horror films consistently performing well at the box office (not to mention carving out their places in mainstream culture), and the sheer cultural popularity of iconic horror figures such as Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King—why do you think that horror literature, from local bookstores to big 5 publishers, isn’t taken as seriously as other genres? Horror, as mentioned above, thrives in other mediums, so why not in literature? And is there anything writers and readers can do to change this? If so, then what?

I’m not sure I’d quantify horror as not taken seriously, I think I’d classify it more as being a “niche” genre. To your point, though, the film / tv industry takes horror very seriously, and I can attest based on my own personal experience that there is a booming desire for horror ideas from producers and studios. Horror translates well to film because horror films can be made relatively inexpensively and they’ll always find viewers who want a good scare on a Friday night.

But back to your point about the genre being taken seriously as it pertains the broader literary field, I understand what you’re saying and I think the reason ties into what I said about film adaptation. When people think of horror movies they think of slashers and monsters and tropes like vampires or zombies. So when those same people think of horror fiction those same things come to mind, and they don’t realize there’s a much deeper pool of work they can plug into.

The only thing writers can do to sway opinion is to keep writing great fiction. There are so many writers elevating the genre right now and finding mainstream readers, and I think in another five-to-ten years that readership will continue to expand and the genre become more respected.

Question 4: What are your general (or extensive) thoughts on AI in literature? 

Terrifying. Sickening. Disgusting. I could go on, but you get the gist.

Question 5: What are some novels or collections that deserve more exposure?

Oh, gosh, everyone deserves more exposure. There are so many great books buried beneath repetitive, poorly written (but insanely digestible) tropes. It’s so hard to hand-pick specific titles that deserve more exposure. But if we expand it generally to authors, I’d like to see Laird Barron get a broader audience. He’s a big name in the genre, of course, but his work needs to be more widely read. The Beautiful Thing that Awaits Us All is probably my favorite story collection by any author, living or dead. And his Putnam crime trilogy is fantastic, genre-bending stuff.  To answer more directly, a few novels I’ve read recently that likely deserve a bigger audience are Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian, The Laws of the Skies by Grégoire Courtois, and Midas by Tyler Jones.

Question 6: What is one book that every aspiring horror writer should read?

If I had to pick one I’d say On Writing by Stephen King. But I’ll throw in a few more: Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig (or any of Chuck’s book on writing are worth your time), The Anatomy of Story by John Truby (also good for budding screenwriters), and Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer.

Question 7: What’s next for you?

Publishing-wise, I just released my third story collection, No One Is Safe!, and have a limited edition horror novel coming from Earthling Publications in August called Sarafina. Next March I’m releasing my first sci-fi thriller, called The Third Rule of Time Travel, which is being published by Orbit in the US and UK.

Writing-wise, I’m currently working on my next novel for Tor Nightfire, and the hope is that it will release in Fall 2025. Then I’ll jump into a novella that’s been commissioned, and possibly a book for middle schoolers after that. Meanwhile my agent is shopping two other novels for 2026, so fingers crossed someone wants them! You never know how that will go, but all you can do is keep writing and keep hoping for the best.

Philip Fracassi is the author of the story collections Beneath a Pale Sky (a finalist for the Bram Stoker award) and Behold the Void (named “Best Collection of the Year” by This Is Horror). His novels include A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, and Boys in the Valley. His upcoming books include the story collection, No One is Safe and the novels Sarafina and The Third Rule of Time Travel.

Philip’s stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare, Black Static, Southwest Review, Centipede Press, and Interzone. As a screenwriter, his feature films have been distributed by Disney and Lifetime. He has several stories in development for film adaptation with major studios.

For more information, visit his website at www.pfracassi.com.