Interview with Mathias Jansson

With me today is Mathias Jansson  who is a Swedish art critic and poet. He has been published in magazines as The Horror Zine Magazine  SNM Horror Magazine, Dark Eclipse, Schlock, The Sirens Call and The Poetry Box. He has also contributed to several anthologies from Horrified Press as Just One More Step, Suffer Eternal anthology Volume 1-3, Hell Whore Anthology Volume 1-3.Homepage: http://mathiasjansson72.blogspot.se/

When did you realise you wanted to be a horror writer?

I haven’t realized it yet. I started as a young boy to write drama and non horror poetry in Swedish, but about a year ago I realized that it was fun to write horror and people seemed to like my poems, so that´s how it started. It´s to soon to say what will happen in the further if I will be a horror writer or not

What was the first story you got published? Is there anything you’d change about it now?

If we talk horror genre I can’t ‘ remember, a poem of course. Since it got published I must have made something right, but I think as all people that write a lot, you learn by time and after a while you see your old stories and poems with new eyes and always find things that you could improve or change.

What’s your thoughts on authors and social media? Which sites do you prefer?

I think Internet and social media have been a great improvement for indie and new authors.  It’s much easier to find people with the same interest, readers, authors and editors. It have help me a lot. I would call myself a Facebook junkie.

What’s your favourite horror monster and why?

Dr Faust but he is not a horror monster, but an interesting character, mythic and mystic,in his dualism between good and evil. Otherwise I would say the Golem, as an example when people try to control nature but are hit by a backlash.

 What is the worst mistake a new writer can make? And what advice would you give them?

As a new writer you make a ton of mistakes, that’s how you learn to write. But the worst mistake is not to listen to your inner voice. You can read books how you will write a good story just followed the standard horror genre template, but to succeed you need a true and unique voice, and then you have to follow your own path. So a good advice is to write what you want to read yourself and not what you think others will read. And then you need a great confidence to continue despite all rejections. There are lot of histories with famous author that were constantly rejected before someone published there book or authors unknown to the major public during their lifetime but now are know worldwide, that kind of stories could inspire you in your work.

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