Eric LaRocca

I suppose I would describe my writing as “a literary sledgehammer to the face wielded by a velvet gloved hand.” I love experimenting with the relationship between the sumptuous and the grotesque in my work. I find myself inherently drawn to both the decadent and the nauseating. There’s something fascinating about fiction that both repels the reader and yet draws them further along, attracting them to delve deeper and deeper into the grisly details embedded within the text. I’ve always been so enamored with the intrinsic poetry of horror fiction, the deep, nuanced layering of the sublime and the disgusting. I love writing about hideous, revolting acts with a distinct lyricism. I sincerely hope readers see and appreciate that in my work.

I grew up in a very quiet, isolated town in the Northwest corner of Connecticut. While it was a picturesque and idyllic community, I couldn’t help but notice an undercurrent of unpleasantness simmering there even when I was a small child. I’ve always been fascinated by the horrors, the misfortunes of living as an outsider in a small town. Perhaps that’s why so much of my work concentrates on marginalized folks dwelling in small New England communities.

I was a voracious reader as a child. My parents noticed that I was drawn to literature at an early age, so we spent so much of our free time at the local library. I would hide myself away in the stacks and read books by Agatha Christie, Roald Dahl, Stephen King, etc. I was always drawn to the dark and the macabre. My parents were probably somewhat perplexed by my tastes; however, they always remained very supportive despite not always understanding my love for dark fiction.

I’d probably recommend my most well-known work: Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes. It’s a collection of three stories (two novellas and one short story). The collection offers a sampling of the kind of fiction I tend to write and is a great introduction for any reader unfamiliar with my work.

Oh, it’s so difficult to narrow down to merely five, but I’ll do my best:

Clive Barker, Dennis Cooper, Chuck Palahniuk, Mariana Enriquez, Poppy Z. Brite (aka Billy Martin)

I think I’ve gifted copies of Clive Barker’s Books of Blood to several dear friends over the years. It’s such a staggeringly brilliant collection of short fiction. Encountering Barker’s magnificent work was a seminal moment in my life as an author as his writing showed me the true limitless possibilities of speculative fiction. Whenever I find myself uninspired or feeling somewhat disillusioned about the art of writing in general, I open one of his books to read a few passages and I am always enchanted, bewitched by his literary powers.

Rupert Cromwell in We Are Always Tender with Our Dead (Burnt Sparrow, 1) resonates quite powerfully with me. It was incredibly difficult to write certain key scenes in that novel because of my attachment to him as a character. Rupert is sullen, disenfranchised, isolated, repressed—all of the things that I felt deeply as a teenager while growing up in the northwestern hills of Connecticut.

It’s very difficult to pick only one! My favorite indie bookstore is Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, MA. They have a fabulous selection of contemporary titles. They also have an incredible horror section, which is very important to me as a devoted fan of horror fiction. I also must take this opportunity to shout out some other equally phenomenal indie bookshops in New England: An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA, Trident Booksellers in Boston, MA and The Green Hand in Portland, ME.

My writing space is quite modest. I like to keep my writing area as organized as possible, so I’ll keep my desk virtually empty except for the few books I’m currently reading as well as several framed photographs of meaningful people from my life. The desk where I sit to write at my computer has a gorgeous view of the Boston skyline, so it’s especially inspiring to sit there on days when the weather is nice.

Although I can read anywhere, I think my ideal reading nook would be cozy and creative. Perhaps a small den inside a log cabin nestled somewhere in the mountains. I’d want the atmosphere to be cheerful and inviting, but also quiet and somewhat reflective.