1. The Shining

2. The Amityville Horror

3. Rosemary’s Baby

4. IT

5. Pet Sematary

6. Lineage

7. The Ghost Files

8. The Hidden People

9. Malus Domestica

You can watch the trailer for Just Things on Youtube

Hi Erin! Thank you so much for being on my blog today and I’m so excited for your new release, Just Things. Can you tell us more about your new book? What should readers expect from the story?

Hi! Thanks for having me. I am excited about this book too. It’s the first in my Diary of a Serial Killer series and is a great introduction into the mind of Jimmie Putnam, the killer. Just Things gives readers a background into the world of this man, who appears ordinary on the outside but is actually a serial killer who has a pension for hoarding women’s bodies in his freezers. While that sounds rather gory, it’s really not. This book is more about the mind of a killer and how it works, rather than the acts themselves. It will leave readers questioning themselves and whether or not this could be someone they know.

To be honest, I’m not much of a horror reader but I’m looking forward to venture into unchartered territory. Is there any advice to readers out there who are just getting into the genre? 

Honestly, I’m new to the genre too. While this story and the details in it are certainly “horrific,” I consider this series more of a dark fiction genre. Jimmie’s crimes are horrible but he’s actually a pretty likable character. I see this series as a great Segway into the horror genre for readers. My advice is to read with the lights on, ha ha.

What intrigued me most about the story is the two characters who are at the opposite end of the spectrum. You have Florel, who is the good; and Jimmie, who is the psychopath in the case. How hard was it to write about these characters? Was it tough to switch between the mindsets and to delve into Jimmie’s mind? 

Great catch! I actually didn’t introduce Florel until the first book went to beta readers. There was no Florel until a reader suggested I do exactly what you are describing here. That made the story so much more fascinating. The funny thing is that Florel and Jimmie have tons in common. Florel’s sister was abducted and killed by a serial killer 20 years ago. She feels responsible. She is willing to go to any length to understand the mind of a serial killer. Because she is also flawed, the two actually form an interesting relationship later in the series. I didn’t have a problem switching between them because they both have good and evil sides. I do enjoy how those sides play off of one another.

On the contrary, I do appreciate a fantastic psychological thriller/mystery. Was Just Things inspired by any work of fiction? 

This is basically a psychological thriller. It weaves the dance between a predator and prey into a story that digs deep into each character’s motivations. It’s probably what I love about it most. The story was actually inspired by real world interviews I did with men convicted of murder at the state prison. One of the men said “I’m not all bad you know.” That is what got me to first write Jimmie’s character. I knew he wasn’t all bad and I wanted to figure out what motivated him to do what he did – much like Florel in the story.

Villain vs Hero. If you have a choice to be casted as Jimmie or Florel, which role would you audition for? Why? 

Oddly, Jimmie. I think his world is interesting. I don’t have any plans of killing anyone any time soon, but I do think that he’s a quirky guy that’s actually quite likable. For the series overall, though, the character I’d like to be is Thing Fifteen – Beverly Watkins. Beverly is her own person and takes justice into her own hands. She’s also Jimmie’s fifteenth victim.

Which scenes in the book was the toughest and easiest for you to write?

In one scene in book two, Jimmie’s Ice Cream, Jimmie kills my favorite horror author. That was hard for me. I want to make her proud. 

Share with us how you came up with the title. 

I was watching a documentary about serial killers and one killer said that he didn’t view his victims as people. He saw them as *insert shrug* “just things.” That’s how Jimmie sees his victims. At the time, it was called “Jimmie’s Freezers.” I changed the title that night.

Is there any significant message in the story that you hope to convey to your readers? 

That all people are flawed. That we are all a little closer to our dark sides than we might care to admit out loud. With that said, we are closer to our good sides too…

I stand firm with my thoughts. This series just gets darker and grittier with each chapter. There were moments in the book where I had to stop a second, put it down, stare blankly at the wall while my thoughts went on a rampaging strike.