As we say goodbye to that terrible year that was 2016 and look into the wide-eyed, highly skeptical 2017, we look forward to another year of excellent independent horror. With all the mishaps and shocking twists and turns of the past year, it is important to look at our world slightly differently. To take the lessons we’ve learned and utilized them in the best way possible. This week’s Featured FearMaker, Jeremy Thompson, has lived all over the USA, and currently, resides in Southern California where he writes horror fiction.
Born to a military family, Jeremy’s father’s Navy career had him constantly moving from Long Beach, where he was originally from, to Jacksonville, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas. His family eventually relocated to the sunny, seaside town of Oceanside, California.
Jeremy’s love for horror had rather humble beginnings. Watching cartoons like The Real Ghostbustersand reading R.L. Stein books, the young military brat was soon enthralled by anything creepy, crawly, and bloody. He eventually moved onto Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and other horror writers like Christopher Pike and Bruce Coville. Once Jeremy graduated to reading Stephen King books and watching live-action films, His love for horror turned into a passion. Jeremy found himself inspired by authors like Thomas Ligotti, H.P. Lovecraft, Steven King, Bentley Little, Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, Peter Straub, and Robert McCammon. He was, of course, also heavily inspired by the film works of John Carpenter, David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, Don Coscarelli, and Stuart Gordon.
After spending a few years at San Diego State University, Jeremy Thompson graduated and moved back to Oceanside. There decided to try his hand at creative writing. In 2007 and 2008, Jeremy self-published his online comic called The Fetus, which he wrote and illustrated. Later, he rewrote The Fetus as a novella, which he self-published as a Kindle e-book.
Later in 2013, Thompson sold his short story Sacrificial Version to Necro Publications for their Into the Darkness anthology. This led to the company publishing his novel The Phantom Cabinet in 2014, and their imprint Bedlam Press publishing his book Let’s Destroy Investutech in July of 2016.
For writers (as is with all artists) the most common thing they hear back from publishers is rejection. It is almost impossible to live as a writer and not have some sort of rejection trigger, due to hearing it so many, many times. There are two sides to every coin, and Jeremy Thompson decides to look at both of them. “A rejection isn’t always a bad thing, as it offers an author a chance to reread their story and send a better edit to the next publisher.” While rejection is never easy, it is an important step in the process. It doesn’t negate the writer, it only speaks for the publisher, and written piece, at that time. Remember that popular show Stranger Things? It was rejected by just about every network before Netflix took the project. Rejection doesn’t mean “it’s not good” it just means “it needs work” or “we don’t get it.”
Despite the several rejection letters received, Jeremy Thompson has kept working and now enters the new year with multiple published novels under his belt. His most recent book, Let’s Destroy Investutech, is a horror/SciFi novel which tells the following story:
“Believe it or not, a multi-planetary conglomerate controls humanity. Investutech is its name, and the company’s applied research and product development methods would petrify even the maddest of madmen. To Investutech, no scientific atrocity is too horrific in the pursuit of ultimate profit. In fact, sin is an inapplicable concept. Only the Flux Facers, a group of face-shifting patriots, are dedicated to overthrowing biggest business. Utilizing every means at their disposal, including body hijacking, they embark on an Investutech-overthrowing mission that reaches from Earth all the way to the afterlife. This special Necro Publications release includes five bonus Investutech stories, comprising decades of sacrilegious scientific innovation.”
Let’s Destroy Investutech is currently available in paperback or on Amazon Kindle.
