Transcript
Lee Hatfield: Hello everybody, welcome to the latest episode of the Paranormal Prism. Tonight, I have got somebody local. She's an Ottawa -based... horror author.
Lee Hatfield: but she also does Spooky stuff. And she's a self confessed. Oddball. extraordinary stephanie Welcome and thank you for joining me.
Stephanie: Thank you for having me.
Lee Hatfield: yeah So the the back story between you and I is... We were both at a convention a few weeks ago. I saw some of your books and I thought... Let's get you on the podcast and...
Stephanie: Here I am.
Lee Hatfield: either By the power of magic, here you are. So... Let's go back to... the very beginning. um Have you actually... had any paranormal.
Lee Hatfield: uh incidents but like Through your...
Stephanie: I...
Lee Hatfield: through your years.
Stephanie: Yes, ah mine is minor compared to the incidents of some of the people in my life, but I'm i'm still fond of it. um So when um some friends and I found out that the haunted jail tours were ending because the Ottawa jail is, I believe, a hostel now.
Stephanie: we thought, okay, this will be a great opportunity. well do a last tour while we can. And even though I had been on one of those haunted tours, specifically to the jails before,
Stephanie: you know, my first time it was just, oh yeah, I'm a... teenager goofing off with my friends uh but then this most recent time You know. I'm an adult. I'm taking things seriously. and I started getting... this really intense feeling in the jail cells.
Stephanie: almost like something was hovering right over me like i was being watched and it wasn't just a simple like oh i'm scared of the spooky environment i was like the there's there's a something And then I still had that feeling as.
Stephanie: we like entered the courtyard at the very end of the tour got the wrap up and it i felt like it was getting tighter around me and i didn't feel things start to loosen up until after we left the whole area.
Stephanie: So that's my most memorable experience.
Lee Hatfield: Okay. um Was that your first experience? as from of the paranormal.
Stephanie: Uh, yes. Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: I am.
Lee Hatfield: So.
Stephanie: Yeah, unfortunately, I ah haven't had the opportunity on any of the other haunted walks or...
Lee Hatfield: Cool.
Stephanie: Spooky things I do, but that one. Yep, that one stuck with me.
Lee Hatfield: I think I'm going to have to rectify that. Okay. when but When some friends of mine... We go out and do an investigation. We are planning to go to Cornwall Jail in the fall.
Lee Hatfield: If you're free...
Stephanie: he
Lee Hatfield: By all means, you can come and join us. and Get scared. I mean, I mean like look for some ghosts that's what i meant to say yeah look for some ghosts So.
Stephanie: mm -hmm Yes. Well, and it it is something I have a fascination with and I do want to experience it more.
Lee Hatfield: Go.
Stephanie: And especially. Knowing what you and your friends do, I'd love to try out some of the tools to see a bit more of what could possibly be out there.
Lee Hatfield: Absolutely. I think we can definitely arrange that. so that So excited. So... You mentioned the... ah the ottawa jail that's now a hostel Well, nice. I've been in Canada 13 years and probably that.
Lee Hatfield: 10 years ago. we actually went on a haunted walk, which involved the Ottawa Jail. and there is an area where there's kind of a corridor and you've got cells along your right hand side.
Lee Hatfield: and some of them were literally padlocked. And as we're walking past... past them, the first ones that we'd walked past. So the first one in the row.
Lee Hatfield: was this massive clutter. Now. What? um'm I'm quite skeptical. Because, yeah. how was it and When I was in the UK, I was in the emergency services, so you have to have a logical mind. So I'm always thinking, well... What's caused it? It's got to be something.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, logical. and We looked in the cell. It was padlocked. And it sounded like a... a broom had fallen over like you know you pop it against the wall and it's like
Stephanie: the
Lee Hatfield: But there was absolutely nothing. And I mean nothing. I kind of thought to myself, well, have they set it up? for for that to happen.
Lee Hatfield: So yeah you get your cell phone out and you get your flashlight. And there was not yeah no speakers in there. There was no buckets, no no mops, no brooms, nothing. and even the host.
Lee Hatfield: the person doing the haunted walk. was startled by it. So if it was something that they had set up. They haven't told her, but like I say, there was nothing in there.
Stephanie: you
Lee Hatfield: so I thought that was quite a cool experience, but it's a shame that they've now... stopped. Unless you want to kind of... Like, book the entire...
Lee Hatfield: hostile for the I think we'd end up being a little bit expensive.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Stephanie: Yes.
Lee Hatfield: So... How did you... ah first get into writing and then How did you decide that you wanted to do? Kind of like the spooky horror kind of.
Lee Hatfield: Same.
Stephanie: So what got me into writing was my grade two English class. ah We had a. project where we had to write and illustrate a short story and I... every year that became my favorite project to look forward to.
Stephanie: just okay this is the time of year where we're going to write our story in english class And then when I was a teenager, I was like, oh, I can just. write for fun. And then as I got to be an adult, I went.
Stephanie: Oh, maybe I... could write to publish and make a career out of this. So the writing was a very slow build. with horror.
Stephanie: Hey. kind of crept up on me unexpectedly. uh i am originally thought I was going to be a fantasy writer. And. through my love of stories.
Stephanie: um I... you know, I love books and movies. And I had this desire to watch like, all of the classic films. And. Some of those are horror. So like. The Exorcist was on the list. ah But at the time, I was really chicken, so I was just taking teeny little bites here and there.
Stephanie: And then. um What was it? that's Oh, yes. With books. um Uh... My mom ah thought that Silence of the Lambs was the most disturbing movie she'd ever seen. So I...
Stephanie: I weaseled my way into watching it sooner than she normally would have let me by saying, well, there's a book. If I read the book first, I'll know what's coming in the movie. And she... Let me do that. Oh.
Stephanie: Um... because of that my grandfather said oh well if you liked that you might like stephen king and so then i got started on stephen king which is kind of a gateway drug for a lot of horror people And then one thing led to another and I realized, okay, I'm consuming more and more horror media.
Stephanie: and then when my parents uh started their divorce i was in my early 20s at the time and it was a particularly ugly divorce. uh and I started really...
Stephanie: identifying with a lot of the things I was seeing in horror books and horror movies. And I think that was when it really started to come out and my writing started to get darker and I started actively seeking.
Stephanie: the spooky, the paranormal, the scary. Because then I started to really see the, not just the appeal in general, but what it meant for me personally.
Stephanie: And now I... like I'll watch just about any movie read any book ah if I go to a haunted house with friends they push me in first to make sure it's safe I'm the one who wants to go on all the haunted walks um so it was a really slow and unexpected build, but now I'm hooked.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, so that's good to know that if we if we do come across a... a basement and there's noises it's like Hey Stephanie, come and look. push Close the door.
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: Let's come back in the morning, see if she's still still with us. but
Stephanie: Yep, that will be me.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. it's I like it how you mentioned about... reading the the horror books because as a kid one of my favorite books and i don't know if you've heard of the guy a guy called James Herbert.
Lee Hatfield: He did the rats, the fog.
Stephanie: Oh yes.
Lee Hatfield: the lair and like to to read the rats because like that kind of freaked me out a little bit yeah i was probably in my teens or something like that
Stephanie: Mm hmm.
Lee Hatfield: And it's like, yeah, people getting eat eaten, but eaten alive by. by rats and then there was like a ah continuation called the lair the next part to it and i i loved him as a writer And then there was a guy called Dean Koontz.
Stephanie: Mm -hmm.
Lee Hatfield: that. i used to love some of his stuff and i i started collecting them to one point But then you know so many came out. sort of like you just lose track
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: But.
Stephanie: but
Lee Hatfield: umm I'm not a big reader anymore because you've got... technology so that kind of like cross my reading abilities not abilities but you know what i mean Sir.
Lee Hatfield: So...
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: so Yeah. when did you What was your first book that you... got published. Was it a horror or was it like a... a spooky ghosty haunty thing
Stephanie: ah So my first was actually more sci -fi. I'm not sure if you can tell from my tattoos. It doesn't show up too well on camera. but I...
Stephanie: Really love sci -fi. as well as horror, my family, like. Trekkies, Star Wars fans. like I remember watching Star Trek The Next Generation at my grandparents' place.
Stephanie: So... My first collection ended up being a mix. of you know, some silly science fiction stories but then some also really dark ones that had notes of horror.
Stephanie: and I thought, okay, you know, maybe I'll write a mix of horror and science fiction so it was my second short story collection they see me where I started getting into the ghost stories and the paranormal and even just little twisted experiences.
Stephanie: And then I thought, okay, I had fun with that one. And I have some stories that didn't really fit into that collection. So I did another more. horror, spooky collection. And then I just kept going for horror and spooky and now sci -fi is just...
Stephanie: for fun, but I don't really write science fiction anymore.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. So if you can see. over there
Stephanie: he
Lee Hatfield: ae I'm sorry, but You mentioned Star Trek. So if you could please leave, if you could please leave.
Stephanie: Yeah. ah
Lee Hatfield: Yep. So. again
Stephanie: I mean... it If it helps. The first tattoo I ever got was a Doctor Who tattoo.
Lee Hatfield: Okay, you can come back in the room now.
Stephanie: Yup.
Lee Hatfield: you okay But it's really weird in the UK because I know we're going to go off on a bit of a tangent. But you either watched... Star Trek, or you watch Doctor Who.
Stephanie: Mm hmm. Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: you Heaven forbid that you watch them both. That that was that was a no -no.
Stephanie: mm -hmm
Lee Hatfield: But I've always been a big Doctor Who fan. I used to have loads of figurines. along here there.
Stephanie: oh Nice.
Lee Hatfield: kind of over the other side of the monitor now. So... Let's go into a couple of your box and I'm going to see how good your memory is.
Stephanie: Oh boy.
Lee Hatfield: So. i don't I don't think I've got them in any particular order, so... That makes it even more worse for your memory.
Stephanie: Perfect.
Lee Hatfield: But. I think the one that I kind of picked up on. when I was at your table. was was modern hauntings.
Stephanie: mm -hmm
Lee Hatfield: So for you... yeah You kind of touched on it already. And obviously it's a paranormal podcast, so we're going to be talking about ghosts and stuff. but for a book by the name of Modern Hauntings.
Lee Hatfield: What kind of research did you do and where did you get you kind of like your inspiration to? to write a book like that
Stephanie: Mm -hmm. oh, here. we' Got a cat. ah ah It was inevitable.
Lee Hatfield: Yay!
Stephanie: um So with modern hauntings.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: um I... first came up with the idea of the final scene in the book. And. Then I had to work towards, okay, well, what kind of story do I want?
Stephanie: that leads up to this final scene. And in terms of research. Uh. Part of it... ah Okay, Janeway, please. There we go. um part of the book was just my love letter to horror movies you know the camera is a character I've got some very Obvious and some subtle movie references.
Stephanie: um And. one of the films that was the biggest source of inspiration was the film grave encounters, which. I don't know if you've seen it, but it is I want to say a 2011 film.
Stephanie: About a TV crew. They. They have a ghost hunting reality show, and they check out this haunted asylum, and... chaos ensues.
Stephanie: And so in using that film as my main source of inspiration, I thought. Okay, I... I should know a ah little bit more about this world of ghost hunting and paranormal investigation, like familiarize myself with the tools. And then also.
Stephanie: I'm creating characters. who are on one of those TV shows. I want to get a sense of what those TV shows are really like. So I...
Stephanie: binged a lot of ghost adventures and um like the Watcher ghost file shows. I have a little makeshift TV in the kitchen ah because I love to cook. Like my end of day routine is ah just going into the kitchen, making dinner. I'll put on like maybe a trashy movie or some TV shows on in the background.
Stephanie: Most of the time it's horror. And so just. for months because I think there's I want to say over 30 seasons of ghost adventures.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: ah If I had... you know, administrative work I had to do. If I was cooking, if I was doing chores, I just had ghost adventures on in the background. um not only to familiarize myself with the way that everyone speaks where they're like yeah come on like hit me like you hit that person like just really over the top for the camera
Stephanie: but then also learning the names of the tools that come up so that I actually knew what I was talking about when I was writing the book. you know describing some of the cameras and like uh the sls uh knowing like okay what's that gonna look like because i have to describe it to the readers who might not be as familiar with this technology um and i remember uh A couple of months after I published the book.
Stephanie: ah You and the other members of SIFA Canada were at the... ah Rideau branch of the Ottawa Public Library. A friend told me about it.
Stephanie: I went, Oh, yeah, I'm gonna go what like I'm
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: just high off the adrenaline of getting this book out i'm gonna go see some real paranormal investigators and just getting to see all of those tools up close and personal, because I sat in the front row. um just so I could actually see.
Stephanie: these things I had researched and written about. and No. Couldn't really tell who was raising their hand behind me, but I know for a few questions you folks asked the audience, I i put my hand up. I was like, I know the answer.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, and it's It's funny because... Obviously, yeah. I've rebranded for...
Stephanie: mm -hmm
Lee Hatfield: various reasons but it's old. because of podcasts i'm i'm doing second podcast and finding time
Stephanie: even
Lee Hatfield: all that kind of stuff but When I first started investigating I wanted to make sure that I knew what I was talking about
Stephanie: Mm -hmm.
Lee Hatfield: so yeah Everybody can watch TVs. yeah I've got... But all these books here and um and three quarters of the second shelf. are all either ufo ghosts or cryptids.
Lee Hatfield: this ghost book here
Stephanie: Mm hmm.
Lee Hatfield: I saw it in a store. I didn't know what was inside it. I went, I want my book.
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: because it looks so cool because it's like and it's kind of like just there now But. There's a ah company in... on the East Coast. called PPRI It's a long name, so... We're going to keep it as PPRI. But.
Lee Hatfield: They actually do. ah video courses. so I wanted to get. a ah basic knowledge of what I was talking about because if you called me to your location your house or whatever i needed I needed to know what I was talking about.
Lee Hatfield: so I did courses like... ghosts and hauntings. I did courses on poltergeist. I did courses on cryptids. and I did an introduction to demonology.
Lee Hatfield: just to find out. the basics. Yeah. how can you tell the difference between somebody who's having a mental health crisis to somebody who's possessed by a demon.
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, and when you sit when you hear the word demon on all these TV shows... Yeah, in reality. It's like. one percent But... I wanted to make sure that I got... a Decent.
Lee Hatfield: based knowledge because you can go out and investigate. And you can be sat in the dark all night and nothing happens.
Stephanie: he
Lee Hatfield: That's reality.
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. the these ghosts and these spirits If of course they exist, because you can't. prove the fact that they exist. are not performing monkeys. So I can't say to you, right, Stephanie, we're going to go to this location.
Lee Hatfield: and we're going to get a a ghost to do cartwheels for you that's not how it works So you have to be patient and you have to. kind of Know what you're doing, where you're going. Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: And even if you get the the history of it. of the building that can kind of help during the investigation. so the fact that you kind of did your background with regard to modern hauntings I kind of did the same.
Lee Hatfield: for what I was doing.
Stephanie: mm -hmm
Lee Hatfield: And after after a year of investigating... Hi. We got invited onto a podcast at the time. yeah i think i could do better myself to be fair
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: So. I started making inquiries and boom. Here we are. a few years later.
Stephanie: Here we are.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, and I'm talking to you about... that spooky box. But... I look. Is it? I'm a firm believer, and you'll probably agree with this, that you have to do your research. Now, matt yeah we're going to go through some of your other books.
Lee Hatfield: And you've obviously done your research and we'll go into that. but Yeah, you can't. produce a book. You can't. do a film without doing your research you can't investigate without doing your research what ah what equipment you're going to use.
Lee Hatfield: So. I sense the kind of thing that you and I are similar. even though we're going down two two different roads so to speak. Our... understanding of what we need to do before we do it. is is probably similar.
Stephanie: Yeah, and you know, with what I do. I have the luxury of being able to pick and choose. so I learned about all sorts of different types of paranormal investigation and ghost hunting that I did not need to use for Modern Hauntings.
Stephanie: But it was very helpful for me. to know they exist, especially because I've set the vo - the book in a very specific time period You know, I didn't use some of the stuff that came out afterwards. but Again, that's the research. and especially if you're setting a book in a time period.
Stephanie: You want, what are the tools and technology available at that time? And then it also comes down to what makes a good story. I could have had. every...
Stephanie: tool and research method. under the sun for the characters to use, just pages and pages of different tech. But none of that would be interesting. So I have to think, okay, what is the story that i'm trying to tell what methods of ghost hunting are going to deliver the scare, are going to work with the characters that I've set up and fit in with their different personalities. But.
Stephanie: Again, it helps to know what all of my options are so that I can make those informed choices.
Lee Hatfield: Exactly. and You've raised a ah good point there. You mentioned about the... Yes. the scare factor and things like that. How do you write? a paragraph.
Lee Hatfield: you know is going to be scary. Bye. you must have do like uh yeah like Oh, yeah. I've written this. this once. Yeah, it kind of sounds scary to me. um I'm going to write it again, but I'm going to rephrase. How do you actually...
Lee Hatfield: Write it down. on in what yeah What's the theory behind it? for you to say This is scary and this is going to freak people out.
Stephanie: Uh. Honestly, it's mostly just to do with the technical aspects of the writing. So you'll want to change the pace, maybe change the sentence structure, the words that you're using.
Stephanie: you know if i'm trying to get your heart rate up, I'm not going to say... you know she ran through the forest and all the trees were this beautiful emerald green like you you're not gonna go on and on and on with the descriptions it's you know
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: You know, she's running, branches ripped at her face, her hair, like just keep it quick and choppy and get to the action ah to get the reader's heart rate up, keep them reading faster.
Stephanie: And then in your word choice, It's... what words are going to deliver the best punch. Because you don't want to say like, oh, there was ah a ghost standing over there. No, if there's a ghost, you want to describe it. What exactly about this ghost is menacing? One of the ghosts in Modern Hauntings, he is a doctor.
Stephanie: and I kind of... I played around a bit with it. i Part of him is a little... herbert west reanimator inspired because i i love the reanimator movies and then part of him but is based on the actual doctors in these kinds of institutions from the 1930s. I had a great grandmother who was institutionalized at one of those places.
Stephanie: and in doing some research just on family history. I know a lot about the conditions there, so... He didn't even have to be a particularly...
Stephanie: scary ghost. quote -unquote. ah to be a menacing figure just because of the nature of what went on. but then you know you want to dial that up a bit with the descriptions like okay he's holding a syringe or maybe just kind of like with my glasses right now, ah reflecting the light from my screen.
Stephanie: you can't see his eyes clearly and so it kind of removes that human element then he's just a menacing figure
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. I don't wear mine while I'm recording.
Stephanie: I'm a little too nearsighted. You would just be a blur.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: them.
Lee Hatfield: I've been called worse, trust me.
Stephanie: yeah
Lee Hatfield: So. Yeah, and i like I like what you say. you The fact that he's... kind of like carrying a so ah syringe. and as soon as you kind of put that into someone's head and this is the good thing about books compared to movies on the movie You can see everything that's happened.
Lee Hatfield: But when you're reading a book... It's all in here.
Stephanie: Mhm.
Lee Hatfield: So two people can read the same book and get... different. kind of and interpretations of what's of what's happening. So the fact that you mentioned that that doctor was carrying a syringe, I immediately thought of like, yeah.
Stephanie: Mm hmm.
Lee Hatfield: blood dripping from the from the needle kind of thing. But I've also got a background, yeah I was a paramedic in the UK, so i you also I can also relate.
Stephanie: ah
Lee Hatfield: to Yeah. To what I've seen. Yeah. in the paramedic field. So... How long ago was it since you wrote Modern Hauntings?
Stephanie: ah That's an excellent question. Let's see. so i published it in August of last year. So it's at least been a year since I did any in -depth thinking about it.
Lee Hatfield: ah wow oh See, um um I'm getting all that... All the juice is flowing now.
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: You go, oh yeah, I remember this bit about the book.
Stephanie: Oh yeah.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. Salute! Yeah. Obviously, yeah we could talk about one book all night, but I'm not going to. So the next one that I've got on my list, I'm not... Yeah. I don't know if this came out before or if it came out after.
Lee Hatfield: I'm going to give you one sentence and you're going to tell me the title.
Stephanie: okay
Lee Hatfield: Six teenagers entered the abandoned subway station. That kind of gives that away.
Stephanie: The tunnel. I...
Lee Hatfield: That kind of gives that away a little bit.
Stephanie: The moment you said you were going to give me one sentence, I didn't even know need to know what the sentence was.
Lee Hatfield: Okay. Okay. Fine.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: So... How did this one come about?
Stephanie: Oh, so this... This one was a stress nightmare. from the pandemic. Um... I... Yeah, I think... um i think this was the one where i woke up screaming actually uh so during the pandemic i was not sleeping well.
Stephanie: End. I've had sleep problems on and off my whole life, but You know, 2020 was ah kind of up there in terms of stressors. So I was getting all the weird dreams, ah waking up screaming. and scaring the crap out of my husband in the middle of the night.
Stephanie: And with the tunnel, I... had this messed up nightmare about being trapped in a tunnel. and all of the sound disappearing.
Stephanie: And one image that really stuck with me after I woke up. was someone screaming so hard. And yet no sound was coming out. And so I immediately started writing down everything I could remember, everything that I thought.
Stephanie: would fit into this dream and I just started picking away at a first draft and That one actually took me about four and a half years to write.
Stephanie: i
Lee Hatfield: oh
Stephanie: Just because, you know, the first draft I just did. the bare bones story i mean any writer will tell you the first draft is always garbage I like to call it the word vomit draft because you are just spewing words out onto the page.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: And you start refining them later on. And. With the tunnel, it... there was just always more for me to build on and ways I could make it grow.
Stephanie: And then as I kept writing, I... you know added this urban legend kind of component, added a history of victims who had come before.
Stephanie: And just got so deep into the lore of this thing. That. um So the the way I chose to end the book, I thought I was being really clever. Because again, this is a book set in a very specific time period.
Stephanie: But then the final chapter. jumps forward in time. And if you look at the date... That's... right before.
Stephanie: the pandemic hits. So my thinking is... Okay, anyone who's been paying attention in the book thus far... Anyone who's noticed the dates. They're gonna know how this ends.
Stephanie: Because I have... hinted at. that the tunnel is to blame for the pandemic. But... in doing that and establishing all of this lore behind this.
Stephanie: mysterious eldritch entity. ah the moment i put it out i mean even before ah like when i had beta readers before it was even published people were asking me like, oh, what do you have planned for the sequel?
Stephanie: just because like I had created. Such a rich backstory. And I was like, oh, well, I... hadn't thought about writing a sequel. And they're like, well, with the way you ended it, something has to come next. And in my mind, I'm like.
Stephanie: Yeah, the pandemic comes next.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, yeah.
Stephanie: Uh...
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: But. Then that's also... open the door for me to play around a bit more. So I do have... a somewhat lengthy brainstorming document right now where every once in a while I you know in between all my other projects I spend a bit of time working on fleshing out the characters and thinking about How? the real world pandemic of 2020.
Stephanie: properly fits into the universe of the tunnel not just me being clever um so I've i've got quite a hefty document of thoughts and ideas and i'm hoping to start plotting out a proper first draft soon. So there there will be more of the tunnel.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, I'm kind of interested in in that one because, yeah. I worked in London for the ambulance service and part of our training was to go to the London subway. training facility.
Lee Hatfield: Because quite common, like it is in New York and other places that have subways. Unfortunately, people think it's the quickest way too.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: To finish so to speak and Yeah. We went to a few.
Stephanie: Mm hmm.
Lee Hatfield: they Yeah. They're quite common.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: but What they used to do or what they did do at some of the stations was they put plexiglass.
Stephanie: Mhm.
Lee Hatfield: to stop people doing it. And... There was one station in particular. they'd put this They'd recently put this plexiglass on.
Lee Hatfield: And we got called to somebody with facial injuries. Has he been assaulted? What's happened? And he decided he was going to end his life. He could hear the train.
Lee Hatfield: the subway train coming, so he ran. Not knowing.
Stephanie: no
Lee Hatfield: that they that They just put the plexiglass up. And he kind of like just facepalmed it and then came down. and it it It was sad, but it was kind of...
Lee Hatfield: Quite funny.
Stephanie: yeah
Lee Hatfield: And it's like... Dude, dude, he went. Nobody told me that the pexic plexiglass was, and it was like, we were doing it so hard to not laugh. It's sort of like. Yeah, better planning, dude. Come on. but but
Stephanie: oh
Lee Hatfield: But the fact that we yeah we we actually trained... with the underground.
Stephanie: mm -hmm
Lee Hatfield: people because obviously you know sometimes you have to climb under to Take care. body parts out. let's be yeah let's go Let's put it out there.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: So the tunnel one actually kind of like, huh. I can kind of relate to it some way. Tunnel?
Stephanie: and
Lee Hatfield: Sorry. If you want any any tips and pointers, I'll talk to you afterwards.
Stephanie: Perfect.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. Yeah. But... Yeah. I did. he kind of mentions in the description about disembodied whispers
Stephanie: Mhm.
Lee Hatfield: And that kind of happens a lot because we were down there. And. yeah London, I'm not saying London, and London subway is old. but it's older than Canada. That's true.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. it it And it's got so many.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: old tracks that are not used anymore. And you can talk and it echoes.
Stephanie: and
Lee Hatfield: forever. So somebody could be at the next station, maybe a mile down the track. Yeah, obviously he's not many people about because of the noise and if they spoke you would be able to hear it.
Lee Hatfield: at the next station. like half a mile away or a mile away because the echo travels that much.
Stephanie: mm -hmm
Lee Hatfield: And it's an absolutely fascinating place to be in. Not when you're... kind of unfortunately picking up body parts but yeah Just the underground. itself. yeah if you ever want If you ever say in a documentary it's about...
Lee Hatfield: London Underground I highly recommend them because they are absolutely fascinating but i'm a big historian as well i love my history So, and I always tell people that it's always older than Canada and they go, no, it's not.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, it is.
Stephanie: but A lot of stuff is older than Canada.
Lee Hatfield: Well, that's very true. So. yeah The fact that you mentioned that it was good. luck you hadn't planned on doing a sequel, but now you're... thinking about it.
Lee Hatfield: how can How often does that kind of thing happen where... Yeah. you could You do a book and you think, great, this is mike this is this book's perfect. i've I've done the alterations to it. of I've changed a couple of... chapters or a couple of points and you think it's perfect as a one book and then People go to you.
Lee Hatfield: Are you going to write another one about that? Because that was really cool.
Stephanie: Yep. So ah the tunnel was the second time it happened. ah The first time was with Skull Daddy. And... You mentioned you looked on my website and saw book two is coming soon.
Stephanie: So that's how that went. um
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: The original Skull Daddy was supposed to be a short story. And I think the first draft was. something like 11 000 words so it was ah on the longer side of a short story and i thought No, but there's a bit more here. I can keep working on this. And my critique partner at the time kept pushing me and we...
Stephanie: developed a bit more and then i went okay this is perfect i love the ending really happy with it. And... So far. That continues to be my most successful book. It's the one a lot of people know me for. I now have a collection of skulls, ram skulls, most of them fake, because the real things are quite pricey. but
Stephanie: You know, I have yeah you can't see them the way my camera is positioned but i have one just over there watching me right now. ah just a ah random plastic ram skull from the dollar store that someone painted black for me.
Stephanie: um But yeah, people were like. oh, we need to find out what happens next. I'm like. Well... ah a lot of the characters are dead there's there's not a whole things next.
Lee Hatfield: yeah
Stephanie: Uh, So Skull Daddy 2 kind of became my... All right, be careful what you wish for, because I'm about to get real weird with this one. And...
Stephanie: you know, using it to and Just poke fun at a few things like. with the title. and the influx of romanticism and smut books a lot of people saw skull daddy and thought like oh oh is it a sexy daddy like absolutely not uh please do not read this if you're looking for romance um
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: I've - put up a, I've put a very messed up sex scene in book two, just for those folks. And then, of course, when I publish book one.
Stephanie: It's a bright red cover with a blackened ram skull on the front. There were people on the internet saying that I was promoting satanic imagery. So with book two, I thought... Okay. You want to see Satanic? I'm going to double down on this.
Stephanie: Um, and then There will eventually be a book three because I've even had people asking for a prequel. because of one little sentence.
Stephanie: in book one where I mentioned that Skull Daddy had dealt with other children before the one in that book. and folks have been like well i want to know about the other children Point.
Stephanie: Okay, so this one's gonna be with me for a while.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. And of course, that's a good thing, right?
Stephanie: It is, yeah. It's a good problem to have.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. and you Yeah, all that stuff that's out that's in here. needs to be kind of in there.
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: But... it's It's really kind of like... Some of the... comments at you mate i can 100 % understand why people want. Keep. Keep telling me more. Keep telling me more.
Lee Hatfield: because like yeah Yeah, it says ah When October comes around, so does Skull Daddy.
Stephanie: the
Lee Hatfield: And it's weird how people think that. Halloween is a crazy time not just because of ghosts and ghouls and Spooky stuff.
Stephanie: and
Lee Hatfield: But people think that, yeah. this is when light. some of the more crazy people come out of the basement, so to speak. And it's like. Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: No, yeah, I've worked Halloween for the, for the power. but And we just get. normal people yeah i've got chest pain i broke my leg away so we don't get people like stabbed with stakes or
Stephanie: you
Lee Hatfield: Quit! Quite disappointing really, to be fair.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: So. Moving on. And this one i I do love. I do love. because Right. i'm i'm morbid and Second.
Lee Hatfield: If this ever happened in real. and ah um I'm going to say my sentence and then you're going to tell me what book it is straight away. bute I live in an apartment block. So if this kind of thing happens for real.
Lee Hatfield: All I've got to do is start picking off. one apartment at a time. Which book am I talking about?
Stephanie: ah
Lee Hatfield: It's you.
Stephanie: picking up fun apartment get it to
Lee Hatfield: think ah Think about it. So if if people start changing...
Stephanie: Yeah, my my first guess, and I'm gonna go with my gut on this, is Falling Apart, the collection of zombie stories.
Lee Hatfield: Ding ding ding ding. We have a winner. and Because like ah I'm a big fan of The Walking Dead. Well. The earlier episodes, not so much like when it got weird towards the end. but i'm thinking yeah so we get a zombie apocalypse i've got like 200 apartments here
Stephanie: yeah
Lee Hatfield: yeah i'm i'm good I'm good for a while. I'm good i'm just Just putting it out there.
Stephanie: and yeah
Lee Hatfield: so Obviously, you know falling apart It's your zombie stories Yeah. I'm assuming that you didn't go digging up bodies because that would be a kind of a bit of a no -no.
Stephanie: No, I use different inspiration for that one.
Lee Hatfield: yeah
Lee Hatfield: Okay, so tell me about it then.
Stephanie: um so... I guess the tube! big ones. in that collection. are inspired by family trauma.
Stephanie: um I mentioned my parents ugly divorce earlier on. uh I am... I've lived through some stuff. ah My dad's side of the family is... particularly chaotic.
Stephanie: um He and I... This is my second time going no contact with him. Uh, Gave him a second chance. did not go well so i I always have that kind of inspiration for horror stories.
Stephanie: So... One of my favorite ones in there is called Casey. And it's about... Um. A daughter who comes back from the dead. to haunt her parents.
Stephanie: And she...
Lee Hatfield: ah like it I like it already. I like it already.
Stephanie: Yep. So in the story, her parents are divorced. um She... has been killed and she thinks one parent is to blame.
Stephanie: So that's the parent she haunts. And she's... You know, at first she looks normal and then there's the maggots and the rot and it smells and she is disgusting.
Stephanie: And then she realizes. oh, I need to go talk to the other parent. And that's kind of how the story ends is now we worry about, okay, what's she going to do when she gets to the other house?
Stephanie: ah But then the... ah My other favorite from the collection, and this one I published as a standalone. uh just quick little ebook out there before adding it to the collection. It is called Cold Cuts and Cigarettes.
Stephanie: And with that one. Um. around the time I was writing it. My uncle had passed away. um He...
Stephanie: actually died from COVID and the way they found him. Was it? Pretty unsettling image. um you know My dad hadn't heard from his brother in days and sent someone to do a wellness check. And it was.
Stephanie: is pretty awful. And then that didn't stop because my uncle was a very chaotic person. And. The things that happened even after his passing. um they're I suspect I know who was the cause, ah but my father chose never to tell me or my sister who it was.
Stephanie: ah But things like, my uncle's body was never claimed from the morgue. and no one could get in touch. With. the executor of the will and uh then when they started reading the will My uncle wanted his ashes scattered in his vet's backyard.
Stephanie: because he loved his dog so much but he had never asked his vet if this was okay um So yeah, just really. weird things and At the time, this was when I was attempting to repair my relationship with my father. And so he was telling me all of this.
Stephanie: And. I was part of a writing community at the time and they said, okay, we're going to have a writing challenge and the theme is community. I was like...
Stephanie: Well, a funeral's a kind of community. And then.
Lee Hatfield: ah
Stephanie: Thinking of... My uncle and the fact that I was going to be going. to a family funeral. uh with the crazy side of the family.
Stephanie: um No. They are lovely people. um My dad is like the number one crazy one. um But. uh that all got me thinking about What would a zombie funeral look like?
Stephanie: And so some of the ah characters in there are loosely inspired by me, my sister, some of our relatives. and There's a zombie! having a funeral and what does that look like for this small town what do they have to do when one of their loved ones dies and becomes undead.
Lee Hatfield: Okay. I've got a problem.
Stephanie: Ha ha!
Lee Hatfield: Sorry. a zombie Who's already dead? Going to a funeral. Of another zombie.
Stephanie: yeah Oh no, so it's... ah the It's the zombies funeral.
Lee Hatfield: thats
Stephanie: Like everyone else at the funeral is alive.
Lee Hatfield: Oh, oh. Oh.
Stephanie: Um, but
Lee Hatfield: Oh, okay. Yeah.
Stephanie: um So.
Lee Hatfield: Because I don't care.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: What?
Stephanie: that That would have been cool. I mean... Okay. You could argue. That that kind of happens. So... I'm not sure if you could tell from all of the cats running around and sitting on my desk, but I really love cats.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: um I've done terrible things to other animals in my books, but I i don't. harm cats. And I do have a cat. in that short story Cold Cuts and Cigarettes.
Stephanie: And I've kind of made her... this Grim Reaper type figure. where she is the one who senses when one of the members of the community is about to pass and that's when she will go spend time with someone and she has a habit of going to every funeral in the community And you need to almost give her an offering of whatever the the food is at the wake.
Stephanie: um And she's this. Grizzled. cancerous looking little thing. ah Because obviously in this community, people are turning into zombies the moment they die. It's a disgusting chemical wasteland. So I gave this cat some lumps and bumps and I made her a calico. So she's got that mottled fur pattern. ah But she...
Stephanie: Apart from her lumps and bumps seems to be the only one not affected. She does not die she does not turn into a zombie but she's always there when this happens so you you could argue That she is a zombie attending the funerals of all the zombies in the community.
Lee Hatfield: Wow.
Stephanie: yeah
Lee Hatfield: I just love that. um that That's brilliant. and so like I don't know what to say now.
Stephanie: yeah
Lee Hatfield: phs But I yeah, but It's it's funny because... you mentioned about the grim reaper Uh. I follow UK news because obviously I'm from England.
Lee Hatfield: And there was a guy that got arrested for standing on top of a... building opposite uh a hospital dressed as the grim reaper
Stephanie: Oh no.
Lee Hatfield: that What's up? It's all right. I can see why he got arrested. but
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. and so Okay.
Stephanie: That's brilliant.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, yeah. yeah Until you get caught.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: So... I'm gonna mention one more book. See... i've not I've not done them all. but yeah um i' I'll kind of pick pick the ones that i I think I'd like to read. because obviously i can't read everything at all at once because I'm a man, I can't multitask.
Stephanie: Yes.
Lee Hatfield: Uh... They see me.
Stephanie: Mhm.
Lee Hatfield: Now... Because I've got that on two pages. Not that I've got any notes. i've got they see me and then it's got and other haunting stories so is that is that one title or is that like
Stephanie: Um.
Lee Hatfield: Come on.
Stephanie: so with my first three short story collections uh so please write your satisfaction they see me and coping mechanism uh the title is the name of one of the stories in the collection
Lee Hatfield: ah Okay, gotcha.
Stephanie: And then I do and other. um so there's like and other disturbing stories haunting stories and unsettling stories Um, Whereas... for falling apart there is no story called falling apart i just thought it was funny to call a zombie collection falling apart.
Lee Hatfield: ah Yeah, it makes sense.
Stephanie: ah
Lee Hatfield: Yeah.
Stephanie: Yeah. But they see me. That. specific story in the collection is kind of the closest thing I would compare it to is the movie The Others, the one that stars Nicole Kidman.
Lee Hatfield: I love that movie.
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: I love that movie.
Stephanie: And I have a ah little fun fact about that story in particular. Um, so My husband is... ah He's... half French -Canadian, half Irish -Catholic, so...
Stephanie: To no one's surprise, his godfather is an actual priest. um Very lovely man. uh, who wants to support me in what I do.
Stephanie: And so when I first started publishing. He's like, oh. Stephanie, could you send me your stories to read? And I'm chatting with my husband. I'm like.
Stephanie: Like, what can Father Jerry handle? I don't... No. what he'd be okay reading and so between the two of us we kind of picked and choose like What are some safer stories that that I've written out of these earlier collections?
Stephanie: And I put together a custom digital file just for him. and then i sent it off And then I realized after sending it. In... the story. They see me.
Stephanie: There's an exorcist? And that was one of the ones I sent to him. So I have sent an exorcism story to a priest.
Lee Hatfield: yeah
Stephanie: read and I am really proud of that.
Lee Hatfield: Has he read it yet?
Stephanie: I think he has. Um. If he had any problems with it, he hasn't said anything.
Lee Hatfield: In all fairness, I've... Interview. Three exorcists. Two of them were priests. One of them was quite recent, a Scottish guy.
Stephanie: isn't
Lee Hatfield: And. He was interested in the paranormal. before he became a priest. And when he wanted to become a bishop,
Lee Hatfield: they always do a background check. So they knew. That. he liked. the paranormal and stuff. so he went He went to... Speak to his boss. I can't remember what.
Lee Hatfield: kind of rank of church person he was. And his boss basically said... i want you to become an exorcist he went no no i've seen that movie don't like I was referring to the movie and the guy goes, yeah, you're you're not getting a choice. I want you to be in ecstasy.
Stephanie: fifty
Lee Hatfield: But. Yeah. These guys do exist. And to actually speak to them and to find out the procedures about what they do and how they do it and stuff like that, it's like...
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, and these people are like... ah Men of the cloth.
Stephanie: Yep.
Lee Hatfield: But they still have to deal with darkness. But, you know, you've got evil is dark. and Happiness is light, yep. It's good.
Stephanie: mm -hmm
Lee Hatfield: It's light. so Yeah. Yeah. i'm I'm hoping he enjoys it. and i When he comes back and says... Number one, what did you send me that for? Number two, I loved it.
Lee Hatfield: When when can I read another one? so like You need to tell me what his response was.
Stephanie: he Yep.
Lee Hatfield: but
Stephanie: Yeah, ah I'll have to bug my husband and be like, hey, did You ever say anything?
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. yeah Yeah. Yeah. But... Yeah. Just because... you know they believe in Yeah, garden.
Lee Hatfield: All this kind of stuff. Does it mean that they can't have fun with ah with horror? right
Stephanie: Exactly.
Lee Hatfield: Okay, so... We are coming towards the end, unfortunately. but yeah There's loads more books and you are going to be. ah in fact I'll let you do that in a second. You're going to be somewhere close in a few weeks' time.
Lee Hatfield: that I'm going to be there too. So I'll come and say hi.
Stephanie: yeah
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, woo! But. If you'd like to... just Tell everybody where they can find you, where they can find the books and any up and coming events.
Lee Hatfield: Hint, hint.
Stephanie: Hehehe.
Lee Hatfield: and uh Yo. you'll Five minutes of fame.
Stephanie: All right. So I mentioned earlier, Skull Daddy book two is coming out on September 6th. It is called Skull Daddy 2 Mother Father.
Stephanie: And it's... Don't expect it to be anything like the first book. That's all I'm gonna say. Um, I have a ton of events coming up. Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to overbook myself. ah But the big one.
Stephanie: In a few weeks is Ottawa Comic Con. I am... Probably... gonna be in the same spot I was last year, so I am right up against a wall. Very easy to find. Also, I sometimes dress like I'm either in costume or from the 80s. You can't miss me. um And then.
Stephanie: I am also hosting... two Books on Tap events in September. The alcoholic version is on ah september what is it 20th i had beyond the pale uh the Uh...
Stephanie: brewery location specifically near the LRT. ah And then on the 27th, the non -alcoholic version at Café Bon Vivant in Russell. So those are the the big things that I've got coming up.
Lee Hatfield: So... When you mentioned that you're going to... Be against the wall. Are you an artist, Ali? fa -
Stephanie: Oh yes. Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah, so that's basically you've got the autograph where I'm going to be at one end.
Stephanie: Happy.
Lee Hatfield: and then you're going to be at the other end so
Stephanie: Yeah.
Lee Hatfield: I'm going to come and see you. It'd be rude not to, right?
Stephanie: Oh of course.
Lee Hatfield: There you go. Do I know you? but I recognise your face from somewhere.
Stephanie: Or I'll go, oh no, it's that guy.
Lee Hatfield: You would not be the first.
Stephanie: ha
Lee Hatfield: Hold a second. Or the third, come to that. Stephanie, it's been an absolute pleasure. I love talking to you. I love your energy. I wish you all the best. for School Daddy 2 and all your future endeavours.
Lee Hatfield: and in. Three weeks time? Three weeks time.
Stephanie: I think so, yeah.
Lee Hatfield: Yeah. Yeah. When you see this strange man coming up to you with something stuck in his ear that's a a listening device talking into my wrist, that'll be me.
Stephanie: yeah
Stephanie: All right.
Lee Hatfield: Definitely. Thanks very much. You take care. Have a great rest of the evening.
Stephanie: You too. Thanks again for having me.
Lee Hatfield: You're welcome. Bye bye.
