I don’t think it’s a secret that I have an affinity to Canadian dark fiction writers. Truthfully, from my small town upbringing, I consider these authors royalty and any time I get to interact with them, I feel flustered and like I’m five years old again. Growing up, watching Wayne Rostad on On the Road Again was always a highlight, but it also showcased (to me at least) how big Canada was and how to make it, you needed to be in the big city lights. Over my writing journey, I’ve connected with a number of Canadian authors who I consider to be on another plain of success in my eyes, and I can’t believe they even have an inkling of who I am. People like Gemma Files, Craig Davidson, J.H. Moncrieff, Duncan Ralston, David Demchuk, Mike Thorn, Michael Kelly, J.R. McConvey, J.-F. Dubeau, Craig DiLouie, Chris Marrs and of course, Andrew Pyper.

Today’s guest falls into my own Canadian Royalty, and is an author that I admire and look up to greatly. Ian Rogers creates phenomenally moving and dark stories that catapult us into another place and time with minimal effort. We’re talking within a few sentences and you know you’re in the hands of a master. He’s a mainstay on Ellen Datlow’s ‘Years Best Horror’ lists and whenever he announces something new, I can barely contain my excitement.

Please welcome Ian as today’s special guest!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try to write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?

Ian: I try to write at the same time every day, in the morning, when I feel the most fresh and alert, and when the caffeine is perking in my veins. I don’t have a set daily word count, but since I edit as I go, I’m usually happy with 2 or 3 pages a day.

Steve: You win the lottery, and the only condition is that you need to fund another author’s book to be made into a movie. What book would you choose to be filmed?

Ian: I love a good horror anthology film, and as a big fan of writer Ray Cluley, especially his water-themed stories, I’d like to see an adaptation of some of his short fiction, specifically “Water for Drowning” (which would make a great title for the film), “The Wrong Shark,” and his award-winning story, “Shark! Shark!”

Steve: Tell me about your newest release and why someone should read it!

Ian: EVERY HOUSE IS HAUNTED is a reprint of my collection first published in 2012. Around our house we call it “The Little Book That Could,” because of all the mileage I’ve gotten out of this collection over the past 10 years. It’s won an award, stories have been selected from it for “best of” anthologies, and now one of the stories, “The House on Ashley Avenue,” is being developed as a Netflix film by Sam Raimi. It doesn’t get much better than that. I’m really excited that Cemetery Dance has decided to reprint the book, with incredible new cover artwork by Ben Baldwin.

Steve: Bonus Question! If you could be an extra on any TV show, which one would it have been and why?

Ian: I’d like to be an extra on LOST, mostly because it’s one of my favourite shows (yes, including the finale!), but also because I think the writers could have come up with a fun and clever way for me to die by some strange creature on the island. Also, I could probably use the sun.

I loved Lost (yes, even the finale!) so that’s a great choice!

Thank you so much for doing this, Ian!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Ian-Rogers/author/B00571A3NQ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/onemoreshadow

Website: https://www.ian-rogers.com/