Who’s There? A Collection of Stories received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Dimas Rio.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The title of the book is Who’s There? A Collection of Stories. It was first published as an e-book on Amazon on 15 December 2019 and on paperback the day after. It was also subsequently released as an audiobook on Audible on 8 May 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
Who’s there, crouching like the moon behind the gray clouds?
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
It is a collection of five short horror stories set in modern day Indonesia, yet infused with local myths, beliefs and folk tales of the olden days that have been passed down to generations. From a groom-to-be who had a severe case of cold feet, letters sent from beyond the grave, to limbs that have a mind of their own, these are dark tales about rage that keeps the dead writhing, the loss that makes the heart longing, and the guilt that makes every waking hour haunting. With strong psychological and cultural undertones that are uniquely Asian, this book is like watching an Asian horror movie by way of Edgar Allan Poe. While other scary tales warn you about the ghouls and monsters that are hiding in the woods or under your bed, the book lays out the truth, that true evil takes home in a place much closer than you’d think: the human mind.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I have always been fond of old supernatural stories that use human emotions as the catalyst for all the horrible happenings that befall the characters. I remember reading the story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and was utterly spooked and amazed by it. I could feel the loss suffered by the couple and I could understand why they attempted to meddle with fate by using the mythical monkey’s paw that can grant wishes. But I also dreaded the consequence that would come to them. The suspense leading up to the climax was so palpable. When the mother uttered her wish to bring back her dead son late at night and a faint knock on the door was subsequently heard, I was on the edge of my seat. The beautiful thing about this story is that, it can draw characters that are so human, and fear that sends shivers down my spine, all without resorting to spectral sightings, or over the top gore, and they are all done in under 30 pages. It is very effective and efficient and it combines things that I am always fond of in horror stories: folklore and unspeakable actions that emanate from the human mind. When I decided to write this collection of short stories, I was inspired by these types of tales, including stories by Edgar Allan Poe (especially the Tell-Tale Heart) Henry James, Arthur Machen and many more. I am also fascinated by the folklore and myths from my own country, Indonesia. Being a country with more than seventeen thousand islands, it is rich in not only language and culture, but also folklore, myths and beliefs. I asked myself, what if I marry those old horror qualities with Indonesian folklore and myths? Thus, Who’s There? A Collection of Stories was born.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
We are living in a time of division. And the most concerning thing is, this divide comes from prejudice. Prejudice against other people who have different faith, race, background, and so on. Life is already difficult as it is, with the climate change issues, the pandemic and many others. The only way we will be able to face these challenges and thrive, is to find our humanity, and to understand that we can use our diversity to unite and not to divide. Find a way to understand more about people whose background are different from ours. Feed our minds and souls with stories from other culture, other faiths, other perspective, from other parts of the world. Then we will understand that even if we all come from different places, we feel the same things.
I chose horror as the genre that I write in, not just because of my affinity for it but because to me, it is one of those very accessible genre. People love to have their adrenaline pumped for a little while within the safe confinement of their house, theme parks or the theatre. They want to be thrilled and entertained. But I infused my stories with characters who are Indonesian, who of course, have different culture, values, and belief system than the readers who don’t live in or are not familiar with the culture. I’m hoping that on top of being thrilled and entertained, readers will get a new found understanding of people of different culture, faith and background, in this case, Indonesia.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Each of the main characters in these five stories can be characterized as psychologically tortured individuals who are haunted by something that they did, something that they wish they had done or something that was done to them. Some believe that they are impostors and they fear of being exposed for a fraud they think they are. Some fear that the past that they thought have been buried would rise up and claim their new life. Some feel trapped with an abusive spouse they believe will eventually kill them. Some of them will persevere, and some of them sadly, will not. While all of these characters are fictional, I drew some situations from the things that I observe and read. I realized that real life itself can be more horrible than any horror novel.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
As the characters are all Indonesian, I obviously would like to see Indonesian actors playing them. I don’t know if you know an Indonesian actor named Iko Uwais. He was in the Raid movies and a number of other action oriented shows, which I think are quite known internationally. I’d like to see him play against type and take the part as this character in one of the stories, who is a drug addict and an alcoholic with a haunted psyche. I would be very interested to see him play characters like that.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I forgot exactly when as my memory is not the greatest. However, I have loved writing ever since I was in fourth grade. At that time, I was obsessed with Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine, and I wrote stories in the similar vein. I would hand-write my stories on stapled pieces of paper that I ripped off of my school notebooks, much to my Mom’s displeasure and let my friends read them at school. They loved the stories and it made me want to write even more. However, for the longest time, I was just writing for myself and whoever wants to read them, without having any thought of publishing them. However, one day, when I was in my senior year of high school, my cousin flat out asked me what is the purpose of writing these stories. That simple question really gave me an epiphany. It made me want to have my stories published to hopefully be read by people other than my family and friends. Therefore, I started writing this particular story more seriously, which eventually led to my first published book in 2007 in Indonesia.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No it is not. My first published book was called Dinner with Saucer (Katakita, 2007). Around the same year I also started to write a series of short stories in a nationally circulated teen magazine.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I work as an in-house lawyer for an oil and gas company in Jakarta, Indonesia.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Honestly, I am bad at creating and keeping up with my writing schedule. If I have not yet found the inspiration for the story and the characters then it would be very difficult for me to write, so I usually just let myself relax. I find that ideas will come more easily when you don’t force it. However, if I have found the story and the characters, I normally would try to write every day. I don’t time my writing sessions. I would just stop whenever I feel like my brain couldn’t churn out any more words. Ideas will usually come the next day or even late at night. If it happens, I would immediately write it down on my note-taking app on my phone.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an indie author is that you know that you have, not only the ownership, but also the control over everything that relates to your book, from the writing, designing, publishing marketing, promoting, to the distributing stage. You have the final say on any matter pertaining to your book. In a weird way, at the end of the day. you’ll even be more proud of the book, what you are learning along the way and what you have achieved.
The most challenging part of being a new and unproven indie author, for me, is to get the book noticed by people. Any writer wants to get as many feedback from readers as possible. However, we wouldn’t be able to get that many feedback if the book is not visible to potential readers. I think indie authors like myself would have to bet on the book and spend quite a lot of time and/or money to make the book visible and discoverable by as many readers as possible, but even then, there is always a risk that it might not pay off.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
I understand it can be frustrating sometimes when the book that we have worked so hard on didn’t get the response that we hoped for, however we have to be proud of what we have achieved. Being an indie author, to me, means that that we are our own boss and we have the final say on every little thing about the book. So, the book truly represents us, without any interference from any other party. Do not stop inspiring and sharing your stories to the world, because there are people out there whose voice are captured and represented by your story. Make sure the world hears that.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would be interested to see what they have to offer. Again, if you go traditional then some of the burden of publishing, marketing and distributing costs would be lifted off of your shoulders. But that means you have the responsibility to follow the publisher’s rules and standards. I am fine with receiving notes for revisions from the publisher, as long as they keep the integrity of the story and the meaning behind it intact.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I always enjoy listening to and reading people’s feedback on my work, regardless of whether it is a stellar or less than stellar feedback. It means that they take their time to read and give their opinions on it, which I very much appreciate. I always have this urge to please people, so if they are somewhat entertained by my writing, that gives me great joy. However, if they feel otherwise, and give reasons as to why it does not work for them, I value that just as much since I can use that input to further hone my craft.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I idolized R.L. Stine when I was little, and his books were actually what got me into reading and writing, so that will never change. I also admire Indonesian writer Intan Paramaditha for showing me that horror and highbrow literature can commingle. I also adore works by Edgar Allan Poe and horror manga author Junji Ito. I believe those guys have the most twisted imagination.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
I wish that I could have written The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs or Penpal by Dathan Auerbach. Both are masterful, in my opinion.