Interview with Nikki Tait from Among the Headstones

For this week’s post, we have an interview with Nikki Tait, the author of the short story “Respects” in Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard, edited by Rayne Hall.

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How do you feel about cemeteries, do you find them creepy?

I have always felt a deep sense of peace in a cemetery. The quiet is soothing, it is a place of rest and tranquillity. I think how busy and stressful life can be sometimes and it calms me to think there will be peace at the end of the line. Not in a morbid way, but in a way that makes me realise, not all the stressful things are really so important in the grand scheme of things. Death will come for us all one day and we should appreciate all we have while we are here.

What kind of headstone would you like on your grave? What inscription would you love?

I would like a simple stone marker. Maybe the inscription could read, “A kind lady who loved life and her dog”.

What scares you?

Small enclosed spaces where there is no escape or room to move. Being trapped and running out of air, unable to see the sky or feel the breeze. I could never go into a deep cave, far underground, or into a mine, or a tight tunnel in the earth. I can feel the panic take hold even thinking about it. My chest tightens and the terror of being trapped with restricted movement would have me lose all reason pretty quickly.

What do you like about the horror genre?

I enjoy scaring and being scared. On the page or on screen, it is total escapism, especially when the scenario is impossible/improbable. It allows me the thrill of fear while deep down knowing, I am still safe.

Who are your favourite horror writers?

Stephen King, Dean Koontz, James Herbert and Adam Nevill. The first three are where I found my long love of horror. I have reread many of their books more than once, over the years. So wonderfully written,  I am swept away by the story into the all too real world of the characters. Adam Nevill is a more recent addition to the top of my list. I can’t remember ever reading stories which gave me such a sense of unease. Brilliant stuff.

Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

Everywhere. Sometimes I am sitting by myself in the evening, there may be a particularly dark shadow in the corner near the ceiling, I like to think what awful thing it could be before I need to look up to check it’s just a shadow. A dark night with the curtains open, only blackness beyond and wondering, was that a crunch on the gravel outside or did I imagine it? People around me, places I’ve been. How I feel about certain things may come out in a story without me realising until after it’s written. I have a lifetime of experiences and feelings to draw upon, they are lurking just under the surface waiting for me to acknowledge them and bring them out to play.

For your story in Among The Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard, where did you get your inspiration?

I was walking through the graveyard in the forest and was struck with the sense of peace. Only the birds and the rustle of the trees disturbed the silence. It is good for the soul, to feel such peace and tranquillity in this busy, noisy world of ours. I found myself wondering how anyone could find such a place anything but beautiful. I know we are all very different with differing views and experiences. I wondered how someone else would view it, how could they find terror here? I thought of what I’m scared of myself – getting trapped in an enclosed space and running out of air – and how that could fit in to this serene place, so I brought the two feelings together. Now I am unable to walk through the graveyard without wondering about the poor woman in my story!

What are you currently working on?

I am working on a short story collection which will be released later this year. There will be plenty of paranormal terrors and psychological thrills included.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR, NIKKI TAIT

Nikki Tait writes psychological and paranormal horror from her home in the Forest of Dean, England. Her first published story was in the anthology Hell’s Mall: Sinister Shops, Cursed Objects and Maddening Crowds, edited by April Grey. ‘Respects’ in the anthology Among Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyardis her second published tale. She loves the forest and enjoys long rambles in the ancient woodland on trails where few people walk.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

AMONG THE HEADSTONES: CREEPY TALES FROM THE GRAVEYARD

This anthology, edited by Rayne Hall, presents twenty-seven of the finest – and creepiest – graveyard tales with stories by established writers, classic authors and fresh voices.

Here you’ll find Gothic ghost stories by Robert Ellis, Lee Murray, Greg Chapman, Morgan Pryce, Rayne Hall, Guy de Maupassant, Myk Pilgrim, Zachary Ashford, Amelia Edwards, Nina Wibowo, Krystal Garrett, Tylluan Penry, Ambrose Bierce, Cinderella Lo, Nikki Tait, Arthur Conan Doyle, Priscilla Bettis, Kyla Ward, Edgar Allan Poe, Paul D Dail, Cameron Trost, Pamela Turner, William Meikle and Lord Dunsany who thrill with their eerie, macabre and sometimes quirky visions.

You’ll visit graveyards in Britain, Indonesia, Russia, China, Italy, Bulgaria, Thailand, USA, Australia, South Africa and Japan, and you can marvel at the burial customs of other cultures.

Now let’s open the gate – can you hear it creak on its hinges? – and enter the realm of the dead. Listen to the wind rustling the yew, the grating of footsteps on gravel, the hoo-hoo-hoo of the collared dove. Run your fingers across the tombstones to feel their lichen-rough sandstone or smooth cool marble. Inhale the scents of decaying lilies and freshly dug earth.

But be careful. Someone may be watching your every movement… They may be right behind you.

Purchase Link: mybook.to/Headstones

The ebook is available for pre-order from Amazon at the special offer price of 99 cents until 31 January 2022. (After that date, the price will go up.) 

The paperback is already published.