Tell us about your publishing journey…

My publishing journey began eight years ago when I decided to write a collection of short horror stories. My goal was to start a new career and to entertain Readers. Day after day I sat behind my keyboard and typed away, hoping the words would someday make it into print. Finally, the Book was finished. I went over the pages for spelling errors and typos. Since I didn’t have a big budget, I went the cheap route and found a stock image for the cover. I self-published the book and hoped for the best. Needless to say, the book was slammed by reviewers. Feeling frustrated, I unpublished the book. I decided not to make the same mistakes on the next book. I took a fiction writing course, paid for editors and proofreaders, ran a book cover contest. Once the book was finished, I sought beta readers. Needless to say, my current book is doing much better with reviewers.

What inspired you to write this book? 

Being an avid fan of movies such as the Shinning, the Exorcist, and the Amityville Horror is what inspired me to write “Haven of Evil.” The book has elements of all three movies.

What do you love about writing?

Being able to create a world solely from my imagination.

If you had a time machine, which era would you go to and why?

Rome cira 100 BC – 400 AD. The Roman Empire was one of the greatest civilizations in the world. The government, economic and educational system, was far ahead of its time. I would love to have compared The Roman Empire to current empires.

What question do you want to be asked in an interview, then please include your answer.

Question: What do you want readers to get from your book?

Answer: I want readers to be entertained. I’m not trying to save the world or make social statements (I’ll leave that to politicians and activists). I want them to escape to the world I created and come away satisfied.

If you could have dinner with any literary character, who would it be and what would you eat?

George Milton, a character from John Steinbeck’s “OF Mice and Men. The dinner would be roast beef and potatoes around a camp fire under a star-filled sky.

If you could be any supernatural creature, what would you be and why?

A vampire. Imagine never aging, living forever, and having superhuman abilities.

In a fire, what 3 things would you rescue?

My dog, cat, and computer.

Who would be your dream cast for your book?

Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, and Halle Berry.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on a collection of short stories. Since my first collection of shorts didn’t come off as plan, I’m giving it another shot. Hopefully this time, it will be a bit more successful.

Where can fans find you online?

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8161918.Melvin_Rivers

Filed under: Interviews with other authors Tagged: haven of evil, horror, melvin riivers