We posted Mason’s tense story, The Black Room. Afterwards, we peppered Mason with questions to get a look behind the scenes. There might be minor spoilers ahead…

Q1. Thanks for letting me reprint this story which was included in an anthology we both appeared in five years ago. Given how long ago it was, do you still think about this story? 

Wow, five years?! Hard to believe it’s been that long. And, absolutely. Very glad to be a part of this. Thank you for the opportunity.

To your question, I do think about this story from time to time, usually when I am in between stories and have no idea what to write next. The idea for “The Black Room” came to me in a dream, but I didn’t write it immediately. The timing didn’t feel right then. Eventually, years later, I decided to try a story, and it seemed to work out.

From conception to submission, this story took about ten years to develop. It’s a good reminder for me since I so often want to rush the process.

Q2. This is one of the most tense stories I’ve ever read. I love how we don’t get to see anything. It’s all carried in what might be in the Black Room. How much time did you spend on building the tension in this story?

I am glad to hear the tension worked for you. As I mentioned before, this idea came to me in a dream. As a kid (in the dream), I had to sit with my back to a doorway to this dark, dark room at various times of my childhood: while doing homework, while in “time-out,” etc. But I was told by my… “keeper?” I could not turn around and look at the doorway beyond a glance or two or something horrible would happen. I’d see something terrible, or something would come out and do something terrible to me.

And that memory follows the dream-me around later in life. The black room is always just behind me, urging me to turn around and finally see what terrible or inconceivable things have been waiting patiently in the room.

The idea of being followed or haunted by an overwhelming representation of the unknown felt so real, and I knew if I had that literal experience in waking life, the only way to truly overcome it would be to finally face the doorway. To go in the room even. But, hell, I wouldn’t want to do it alone!

Q3. It’s been great seeing what you’ve done over the course of the last few years. Do you have any advice for newer writers?  

Thank you! Well, I guess the first bit of advice would be for new writers to think about why it’s so hard for me to give advice, even after writing for so long. The more you learn the less you know, I guess.

But getting more pragmatic, I’d say to read as many stories and books as you can and write a lot of bad stories. Write them fast. Edit them slowly. Eventually, you’ll find what you’re after. The plot, the voice, the rhythm, etc. It never gets easy, but it does get easier, and more fun. It’s not so serious.

If you’re bad at grammar, read books and watch videos on the subject. Of course, reading more helps with that too. Try reading one or two books on writing. And allow yourself some time to be confused and frustrated. It can take years to hone and be comfortable with your ability and unique style.

Oh, and try starting with short stories specifically. I like to say that with short fiction, the light at the end of the tunnel is visible before you even start writing. Less pressure there.

Q4. How much of your time do you spend writing short stories versus other projects?

I don’t write short stories as much as I used to, but I try to do a few a year. And I still have quite a few crowning their growing rejection piles. Lately, I am writing and rewriting novels and novellas. There have been a few short films and screenplays. A few novellas.

But I am trying to focus more on novel-length projects.

Q5. What other works do you have on the go? Anything you’d like to promote?

Well, my story “Seein’ Red,” an off-beat vampire tale, is in the Books of Horror Community Anthology, Vol. 5, Part 1––the latest anthology from the Books of Horror Facebook group.

I have another story, The Pet, in Cloaked Press’s Nightmare Fuel 2025. No animal harm in that one, by the way.

I’d love for more people to check out my aquatic horror novella, Submerged (otherwise known as Sea Secrets). That one was a lot of fun to write, and the few people who have picked it up say it’s a lot of fun to read.