Day 316 - From the Desk of...

... author
Lee Moylan!
















Well it's the Halloween season and a perfect time to talk about horror! I've gotten many questions regarding Once Upon a Nightmare and decided to address the most common ones today.

One of them is why did I write a story about a serial killer and another is why so graphic? I didn't need more than a moment to answer. I'd known the reasons long before they'd asked.

As I said in my interview, this book was inspired by a nightmare. It was a nightmare probably born out of all the books I've read on serial killers, but this dream completely terrified me. I wanted to get it out, to purge myself of it, so I started to write... Turning this "bad" dream into something "good" seemed like the thing to do.

So why a book on serial killers? Well that was the basis of the dream, and since I'd always wanted to work in forensics, read countless books on the subject, it only made sense that my first story should be based on something I had years of untapped information on.

From the time I was a child and overheard newscasters reporting about murders, read about them in newspapers, I was horrified. To know there were real people out there taking pleasure from others' pain disturbed me beyond words. It was a concept I just could not comprehend. I can't witness an animal suffering, let alone a person. And so I started to read... And read... And what I found out disturbed me even more.

That brings me to the second question - why so graphic. The non-fiction books I've read don't spare any details... Some read like graphic police reports. Most fiction doesn't even come close. The reader never gets the true evil of these people, the true horrors of their crimes.

When I wrote this story, I wanted the reader to feel those scenes. To be put in the shoes of the victim no matter how uncomfortable it made them. I wanted them to go somewhere they don't normally go, some place dark. And come out more wise.

Ignorance, I believe, benefits no one.

So that is the reason behind Once Upon a Nightmare. I hope my readers leave with more than just icy chills!

Happy Halloween!


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I was fascinated when I first found out that this story was so personally connected to Lee. If you haven't picked up a copy of ONCE UPON A NIGHTMARE I definitely think you should, and just in time for Halloween. You won't be disappointed! If you haven't already, check out my review!

Thank you so much Lee, it was a blast working with you =)