It is our great pleasure to start our Dark Heart Volume 2 series of 'Introducing You To...' posts, by introducing you to the author Jennifer Mathison and her Dark Heart story, 'The Hunter.''The Hunter' is a goose-bump inducing fairy tale that explores the darker side of childhood obsession. When Josephine sets about the task of collecting a fairy, things take a very darkly poetic turn.
INTRODUCING: JENNIFER L. MATHISON
My name is Jennifer L. Mathison. I come from a small farming community in Saskatchewan, Canada. A place to which I’ve recently returned and which provides me with so much material for my work. These days I have begun to consider writing as my primary job although I do have another one that pays better… so far.
I’m also the
author of “The Hunter”. It is the only young adult piece I have ever written,
and am honored to have it featured in Dark Heart Volume 2.
When did you start writing ‘seriously’?
I’ve been
writing my whole life. Since I was old enough to hold a pencil. But I began
writing seriously in 2011 after I’d quit a stressful job I’d held for eight years,
bringing me to the proverbial fork in the road … As I contemplated my life and finally had the time and the space to think
and to breathe and to just be… I quite naturally
fell back into writing. And I went after it with zest… It was like a dam had
burst… all the stories I hadn’t had time to write previously just came pouring out.
What is the favourite thing you have ever
written? Tell us a little about it.A story called “Norah From Nowhere.” It’s a suspense thriller about a young woman who is running from her past and escapes to a house in the country, but little does she know what is waiting for her there.
Tell us a little about your book.
“Norah From
Nowhere and Other Stories” is a collection of suspense thrillers. It’s a blend
of mystery, murder, ghosts, madness and romance that will take readers on a
journey like no other. But be warned
–These stories will seep into your consciousness and haunt you long after
they’ve been read. I’m very excited about the book’s release.
Who is your inspiration?
I admired Phyllis
A. Whitney and Victoria Holt early on, but I can’t point to any one person as
my inspiration. Every book I’ve ever loved has inspired me. But T.V shows like
The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock movies, and other thriller/suspense classic
movies have inspired me as well. I like subtlety. I like my stories to have a
haunting kind of beauty… nothing gratuitous or in-your-face… the best thing you
can give to the reader is the chance to use their own imaginations.
What are your hopes and ambitions for the
future?
I hope to live a comfortable life in
the country where I can write in the kind of peace only country life can offer.
However, sometimes I think it would be great to live like Jessica Fletcher from
the “Murder She Wrote”, series. Minus
tripping over dead bodies every place I go.
What would be your advice to aspiring
writers?
There’s really
only one piece of advice to give, and that is to sit down and write. I don’t
think people who really want to be writers need anyone to tell them that. They
do it because they must. I might suggest they write without any thoughts of
getting published. Or worrying about what anyone will think of their work.
Writing because you love it is the real reward, and anything that follows is
icing on the cake.
Tell us a secret.
I’m magic. I
have the ability to slip into another, more fascinating world any time I please…
a place of my own creation where I can make anything happen, and become anyone
I want to become…I can disappear at a moment’s notice and leave my all cares
behind. And only I have the key to this world... No-one can follow me there. That’s what my writing
has given to me.
Where can you find me?
You can find me over on FACEBOOK
Where can you find me?
You can find me over on FACEBOOK
