The Dogs of Depression: A Guide for Happy People

The Dogs of Depression: A Guide for Happy People

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Women in Horror RENA MASON

Introducing the fabulously talented Rena Mason. I read The Evolutionist a year or two ago and was blown away by the raw talent and story. Between the taut prose, the clever turning of a phrase, the Stepford-esque clique of friends and the degradation of Stacy's mental health, it all fits together beautifully like a hermetically sealed Rubik's Cube.

This story brought so many memories to mind; the fifties housewives with a twinge of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho as to who could outdo whom, The Twilight Zone, and, of course, Outer Limits. Now by reading this, you are likely thinking this cannot be good. But it is. It is brilliant.

The nuances and control Mason has over the words she has chosen reflect how brilliant a story can be and how it continues to haunt the reader much longer than when you have read, the end. I am really hoping there is a sequel to this, because it cannot end like it did.
  1. When did you start writing horror?  The summer of 2009.

2.   Have you written in any other genre?  Everything I write is horror, but I do mash other genres like sci-fi, mystery, historical, and/or supernatural into the mix. 

3.  What makes you uncomfortable?  Large crowds full of strangers and/or people I dislike.

4.  Does your family read your work?  Yes.

5.  Does your writing make you uneasy?  No.

6.  Who would you say you write like?  Me. Although I take influences from just about everyone and everything I read, including nonfiction magazine articles and screenplays. 

7.  Who are your favourite authors? Shirley Jackson, Clive Barker, Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen, John Steinbeck, Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Dr. Michio Kaku, Carl Sagan, Philip K. Dick, Ray Bradbury, Elizabeth Gaskell, and on and on.

8.  Who influences you as a writer? See #7

9. Do you remember what your first horror book was that you read? WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. (It had monsters.)

10.  How old were you? 5

11.  Is there any subject you will not touch as an author? Not really, but it has to be right and work. I won’t just write something taboo to make the piece shocking. 

12.  What was the best advice you were given as a writer? Keep at it. 

13.  If you had to start all over again, what would you do different? Nothing. People ask me if I would have started writing at a younger age, and I don’t think so. Life required a lot less thought back then, and I’m glad I had the time to ignorantly enjoy it.

14.  How many books do you read a year? However many I can. It varies. Hopefully at least 30+ but could be more. (I don’t always leave reviews.)

15.  Do you write every day? Yes. (Even if it’s just correspondence. Which is what most of it is.)










Rena Mason is a longtime horror fan who currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a member of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, a member of the Horror Writers Association, and an active member of the International Thriller Writers. Her debut novel The Evolutionist was released April 13, 2013 from Nightscape Press. The novella, East End Girls, Book 1 of JournalStone Publishing’s DoubleDown series was released June 2013. Her short story, “The Eyes Have It” is in the 2013 Bram Stoker Award® Nominated Anthology Horror for Good: A Charitable Anthology. She also has short stories published in The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two, Fear the Reaper, and Getting Better All the Time: Las Vegas Writes Progress. She also writes the “Recently Born of Horrific Minds” column for the monthly Horror Writers Association Newsletter. For fun, she spoils three pugs, and travels.
To learn more about Rena and her upcoming projects, visit these sites: 


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