Today I’m pleased to welcome Nic Parker to the blog. Nic’s debut horror novel, Descent to Hell was published by Mainbook Verlag on 16 January 2017.

Nic kindly answered a few of my questions.

1. Tell us a little about Descent to Hell.

Descent to Hell is probably not the classic horror one would expect. It’s got elements of old Greek myths in it and though it is mainly set in Hell my idea of ‘downstairs’ is totally different to what you might have read before. I like an underdog and so my main character Charlie, a normal bloke without any knowledge of the supernatural, sets out to rescue his beloved niece Susie from Hell, unaware it won’t be as easy as he imagined.

2. What inspired the book? 

Ha, I am not sure I can answer that without writing a three-hundred page essay. I think it’s owed to the mixture of thousands of comics, books and movies that have invaded my mind through time and my subconscious is now overflowing and spitting ideas out. 

3. Are you a plan, plan, plan writer or do you sit down and see where the words take you?

I never write when I feel uninspired. I don’t see any sense in staring at the keyboard for two hours in frustration. Before I sit down to start a new story it’s already been brewing and stirred in my brain for a few weeks. I know the beginning and the ending and the main characters and the rest follows as I move along.

4. Having been through the publishing process is there anything about the process of creating a novel that surprised you?

When I followed through with my very last edit I was surprised how easy it was to delete, delete, delete. Readers are not stupid and they get what you mean without it being repeated over and over again. I think I cut out about 15.000 words from what became the final version and I didn’t feel any regret or sadness editing those words.

5. What do you do when you aren’t writing? What do you do to relax and get away from it all? 

Scooping up cat poo is very recreational 😉 My brain never fully relaxes when it comes to collecting ideas for storytelling but it mostly happens in my subconscious. I love to read, watch great TV series and movies, go out for a stroll and I love to try out new recipes for desserts and for cake.

6. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life which book would it be? 

Ohhh, that’s a tricky question. It would have to include great characters, horror elements and a good story. I think I would go with John Connolly’s The Book Of Lost Things, because apart from Connolly’s great prose this story is as creepy and as beautiful as they come.

7. I like to end my Q&As with the same question so here we go. During all the Q&As and interviews you’ve done what question have you not been asked that you wish had been asked – and what’s the answer? 

Well, I haven’t given too many interviews (yet) and the questions have been nicely varied. No one asked me yet where the bodies are hidden so that’s a relief. Oh, and, no, I wouldn’t tell.

About the book

A man forced to enter mankind’s most feared territory … a child dragged into the underworld!
When Charlie Ward’s beloved niece is kidnapped by an atrocious demon he has to find the secret gateway into the one place every human wants to stay away from: Hell!
Armed only with courage and determination Charlie has to survive in a forbidding place filled with despair and anguish. He must face challenges no mortal should ever have to undergo that threaten to destroy his very soul. (synopsis taken from Amazon)

About the author

Nic Parker was born in 1971 and her love for everything creepy and the horror genre started in her early childhood.
She lives with her husband and six cats in rural Rhineland-Palatinate.
Descent to Hell is her debut novel.
She is currently working on the sequel to Descent to Hell and a non-supernatural thriller set in sunny but deadly California. (taken from Amazon)