When Craig Davidson pursued a master’s degree in creative writing years ago, the option of writing genre fiction for a literary degree was unheard of. His first love was always the spooky world of horror novels; He could never have imagined that he would get the chance to write these novels, let alone garner the kind of acclaim he enjoys today.

He is now known as his alter ego and pseudonym, Nick Cutter, and his latest novel, Queenis sure to send chills down the spine of its readers.

Queen is a horror mystery novel about lifelong friends Margaret and Charity. Charity Atwater has been missing for over a month and is presumed dead when Margaret finds an iPhone on her doorstep containing a text message from her best friend. Set on an impossible day, Margaret must uncover the true story of what happened. As her search for the truth continues through tragedy and disaster, secrets are revealed that cast Charity in a whole new light and show Margaret that she never really knew her best friend.

Davidson writes horror under the pseudonym Nick Cutter. He has written many novels, including. Cataract Citywas shortlisted for. Scotiabank Giller Award in 2013 Rust and BoneThe film was adapted into an Oscar-nominated feature film. Fighter And Sarah Court. his memories Valuable Cargo defended by Greg Johnson Open Canadian Readers 2018.

Davidson spoke with Antonio Michael Downing. Next Chapter about his interest in the horror genre, both past and present.

You’ve had a lot of success in the horror genre, but you’re actually a bona fide literary fiction guy. What have you learned on this journey from your first horror-filled book to today? What are the key takeaways for you?

I grew up reading in the 80’s. This film, which launched Stephen King’s career, was one of horror film’s biggest iconic moments. And it wasn’t just King, there were people like Dean Koontz, John Saul, Anne Rice, Clive Barker who generally came out at the same time… so there was a tremendous amount of great writing coming out at that time. It feels like there are a lot of articles coming out now as well, but the truth is that horror has never lost its popularity.

It probably went through periods like this because of cultural cycles or things going on outside of society. It manages to focus on these issues and tackle them in a truly interesting way that only horror can.

I now live in the shadow of this terrible nickname I created.– Nick Cutter

I would say this is my first love, not my only love but definitely my first love.

Finally this idea came to my mind, I actually wrote it with excitement. I think I finished it about five or six weeks ago and I sent it to my manager and waited for a call like “Our relationship is broken now, lose my number.”

But thankfully he saw some benefit in it and it gave me a second life and career. I think the only real challenge on a psychological and emotional level is that my nickname overshadows me. I now live in the shadow of this terrible nickname I created, but since it was my first love, I’m happy to live in the shadow of Nick Cutter.

How do you think being a literary fiction writer has helped your horror career?

I think there may have been a perception that horror readers are not as literate as literature readers, which in my opinion couldn’t be further from the truth. On the contrary, I’ve discovered that horror readers can have pretty high standards. The concept of augmented horror exists now, I think it’s always been around, you certainly can’t call Shirley Jackson hyperhorror. Nathaniel Hawthorne, Poe or Lovecraft – although they were considered lesser masters in their time – were always working with a high literary record and big ideas. I don’t have a Nick Cutter hat tucked over my head, but I think my aesthetic on the Nick Cutter books probably skews more towards pulp, but that’s what I grew up reading and loving and embracing. But there are so many writers in horror now who write truly great, masterful horror. So to me that distinction is misleading and frankly I think a lot of it comes down to elitism.

At its core, this is a gory body horror book. There’s a lot to balance, how do you manage that?

I’m working on an analogy because I see this so often. Specifically, what are people’s fear thresholds? There is almost no other genre like horror. Each genre pretty much has its own subsets and basic teases, but with horror, if you want a gothic ghost story or you want a Victorian style, you can get that if it suits your aesthetic.

But if you want a slasher, or you want a body horror, or you want zombies, or something like a monster creature feature, those are all obvious, and I would also say depending on the writer, there are different levels of smut. The heat coefficient you are looking for.

The analogy I come to is this; Fear is like a big street full of chicken wing stands and you go from one to the next. Most of us will go for the classics we’ve heard of. Now we’re going to find some Edgar Allan Poe here. OK, it’s dusty, it’s a bit old, it’s a bit Lovecraftian, and it’s a bit weird. Here’s Stephen King and I’ve heard a million things about him and I could eat hundreds of them. There’s a certain type of reader, and I was that reader in my teenage years, especially when you’re like, “This is all good, but I want something really spicy.”

And even as you say this word, you see that this street is dark and a bad smell is emanating from it and green water is dripping down the middle. And you can see the shapes lurking there. And if you’re me, you walk in there brazenly and stick your chest out. In fact, the first few stalls you arrive at you think: “Are you kidding me? You dare to call yourself a disreputable purveyor of fear. I’ve had baby pablum spicier than this.”

But then, when you progress a little further, the lights immediately go out and the real troublemakers emerge. The Marquis de Sade appears and shoves a chicken wing in your mouth and says: “What do you think about this?” God, this is too spicy for me!

I know when I hear that my job is quite difficult. But I still tell those people to use me as a litmus test.– Nick Cutter

So when I hear that my job is quite difficult, I understand that. But I still tell those people to use me as a litmus test. I’m still on the sunny side of the street and if you pass me there are things that will turn your hair white so stay with me if you think that’s far enough.

If not, believe me, there are deeper flavors that will scare you.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.