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NZ Horror Books: Author interviews with Lee Murray & William Cook

Next up in the October series of NZ Horror Books Author interviews are Lee Murray and William Cook:


Lee Murray


Woman smiling, resting chin on a stack of books with vibrant covers. Background is abstract artwork and wood furniture. Wearing floral dress.

Who are you?  Lee Murray ONZM is a writer, editor, poet and screenwriter from Aotearoa New Zealand, a Shirley Jackson Award and five-time Bram Stoker Award® winner. A USA Today bestselling author with more than forty titles to her credit, including novels, collections, anthologies, nonfiction, poetry, and several books for children, Lee holds a New Zealand Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement in Fiction, and is an Honorary Literary Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Authors. Among her recent works are feature film Grafted (directed by Sasha Rainbow), horror anthology This Way Lies Madness (Flame Tree Press) co-edited with Dave Jeffery, and prose-poetry collection, NZSA Cuba Press Prize-winner Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud (The Cuba Press).

 

Your signature style:  I write across a range of forms and styles and for diverse readerships, but overall my work tends to be dark with a strong Kiwi element.

 

Toot your own horn: I’ve been lucky enough to win a few literary awards for horror, including my fifth Australian Shadows Award last week (for my prose poetry collection Fox Spirit on a Distant Cloud) but being named New Zealand’s Stephen King by the New Zealand Women’s Weekly was a highlight. It probably wasn’t the horror title that impressed them, but I can’t tell you how much kudos I gained in the eyes of my 80-year-old mum and my 90+ mother-in-law for appearing in that iconic magazine.

 

Give your opinion on Kiwi horror right now: There is something very unique about New Zealand horror, something uncanny embedded in the land and its history. Katherine Mansfield spoke of a “savage spirit” for example. In a Rue Morgue article, Letters from Elsewhere author Jacqui Greaves sums it up perfectly when she states: “Aotearoa is isolated. This distance and separation from the rest of the world have resulted in a unique environment where both land and waters are violent. This country is beautiful, but deadly. Only the naïve wander our wild areas unprepared. Everything about the country is imbued with meaning—nature, place, and people. Much violence has been perpetuated in our short human history. Our stories find their birth in myths and legends, waves of immigration, the consequences of colonialism, and the landscape. This isolation, this violence, this history, this land, contribute to an underlying darkness. Those of us who live here, who call this place our home, embrace that darkness in our sense of humour, in the way we dress, in our resilience, and in our stories.”

 

Words written: Ten days into Halloween month, and I’ve written five poems, an essay on Stephen King commissioned for a secret project, some craft and genre articles, two book blurbs for horror colleagues, and a short story.

 

Future stuff: As I write this, it is World Mental Health Day, so it seems timely to announce my latest anthology, This Way Lies Madness (co-edited with Dave Jeffery, Flame Tree Press), collecting sensitive portrayals of madness in horror (fiction and poetry), has its US release this month.


Horror films in particular have been guilty of demonising people with mental illness, rehashing the same old tired tropes of the insane axe murderer, the rampaging chainsaw-wielding serial killer, or the mad woman in the attic, so with this anthology we hope to do better, revealing the deep inner perspectives of fragile minds though nuanced horror literature that draws on lived experience and research.


As for other horror projects, I’m in secret talks with an incredible US horror writer-director to develop a short story of mine into a feature film; it’s nothing yet, and may come to nothing, but talks like this are always exciting.


I’m also very proud to be part of the founding committee of Te Pae Tawhiti (Distant Horizons) Awards for speculative fiction, which are intended to celebrate the deep breadth of Aotearoa speculative talent, including horror. The awards are currently open for entries, and once the judges have had time to consider the submitted works, our inaugural awards ceremony will be held in August 2026, in conjunction with Hamilton Book Month.

 

Some Kiwi horror to sample: 


Remains to be Told (Clan Destine Press) edited by Lee Murray. I know my name appears on the cover of this book, so this will look like shameless promotion, but I am extremely proud to have gathered together some of my favourite dark fiction writers and poets in this book, a rare example of Kiwi horror. Includes a reprint of Owen Marshall’s chillingly lonely tale“Coming Home in the Dark”.


Cthulhu Deep Down Under: Aotearoa (IFWG), edited by Christopher Sequiera, Steve Proposch and Bryce Stevens offers some distinctly Aotearoa perspectives on the Lovecraft mythos.


20,000 Bloody Words (Beware the Moon), a delightful collection of flash horror fiction by Denver Grenell. Perfect for your morning commute.


The Better Sister by Piper Mejia. Dark stories on the nature of sisterhood.


Butcherbird (Huia) by Cassie Hart. A dark novel of grief and family, set in the Naki and delivered with brutal finesse.

 

If you’re squeamish about reading horror, perhaps consider these mainstream titles, which are not marketed as horror, but deliver a heavy dose of unease and violence. Confronting, uncomfortable reads.

 

Pretty Ugly (Otago University Press), short stories of unease by Kirsty Gunn.

The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey. Contemporary fairy tale addressing domestic horror.


The Savage Coloniser Book by Tusiata Avia, a hauntingly devastating poetry collection examining the ongoing generational trauma of colonisation.


Dracula in the Colonies (The Cuba Press) by Tim Jones. Okay, so I haven’t read this yet, as it was only released last week, and despite its title, I’m not sure if it is horror, but Tim’s poetry is often speculative and is very good, imbued with a strong sense of place and purpose, so I’m looking forward to reading this one.

 

Some great Kiwi horror movies: 


Once Were Warriors. Dark and gritty urban violence with cultural underpinnings.


In My Father’s Den. Hauntingly uneasy Kiwi tale of small-town family dysfunction.


What We Do in the Shadows. Kiwi horror-comedy vampire mockumentary.


Where can people find you?



William Cook


Man smiling, holding a book titled "Remains to Be Told." Indoor setting with brick background and large windows. Casual outfit, relaxed mood.

Who are you? I’m William Cook, a New Zealand horror writer. I write stories, novels, and poetry that explore the darker side of human nature. My favourite tropes include fear, existential dread, obsession, and the psychological limits of the imagination when ordinary life descends into the realm of nightmares.


Your signature style: My writing usually starts in the real world and slowly descends into psychological horror. I’m drawn to characters under pressure and the subtle ways trauma and memory distort reality. The horror in my stories often comes from within, not from outside forces. I like stories that feel believable but leave readers unsettled, unsure where sanity ends and madness begins. The settings are often familiar places — small towns, farms, and suburban houses that hide something rotten beneath the surface.


Toot your own horn: I’m the author of Blood Related, a psychological horror novel about family, madness, and moral decay. I also edited Fresh Fear: Contemporary Horror, an international anthology that brought together some of the best voices in dark fiction. My Substack publication, Grey Matter Dispatch, is where I now share new fiction, essays, and thoughts on horror. It’s become my main outlet for connecting with readers who enjoy intelligent, unsettling stories.


Give your opinion on Kiwi horror right now: Kiwi horror has a voice of its own. It grows from the land — the isolation, the weather, the strange silence of rural places — and from the mix of cultures and histories that shape New Zealand. There’s an unease here that doesn’t need exaggeration. Our horror tends to be quieter

and more psychological, focused on mood and character rather than spectacle. It also carries the weight of our past, both colonial and personal, which gives it a depth you don’t always find elsewhere. People should read more Kiwi horror because it feels honest and raw — it reflects who we are and the shadows we live alongside.


Words written: This month, I’ve been working on a range of new projects. I’m drafting new short horror fiction, developing an apocalyptic novella, and continuing work on the sequel to Blood Related. I’m also writing a very New Zealand Lovecraftian horror story that may end up as a novella or even a full novel. Most of my updates and early previews appear on Grey Matter Dispatch, where I share progress and reflections on the creative process.


Future stuff: Over the next few months, I’ll keep building on these new works in progress. The focus will be on tightening the Blood Related sequel and finishing drafts of the apocalyptic and Lovecraftian stories. I’ll also be using Grey Matter Dispatch to share new writing, commentary, and features on other Kiwi horror writers. It’s the best place to follow what I’m doing next.


Where people can find you: You can find me at williamcookwriter.com for general updates, interviews, and book information.


My main writing home is Grey Matter Dispatch on Substack, where I post new fiction and essays. My books are available on my Amazon author page, and I’m also on Facebook.


Favourite Kiwi horror book(s): Some of my favourite New Zealand dark fiction comes from Paul Haines, especially The Last Days of Kali Yuga, which is both brutal and deeply human. I also admire Mike Johnson’s Stench and Driftdead, Maurice Gee’s Under the Mountain and The Fire Raiser, and Ronald Hugh Morrieson’s The Scarecrow. For a more recent overview of local voices, Remains to be Told: Dark Tales of Aotearoa, edited by Lee Murray, is an essential read.


Favourite Kiwi horror movie(s): There are quite a few I like, but for brevity’s sake I’d pick Brain Dead (Peter Jackson) for its mix of humour and genuine creepiness, and Death Warmed Up and Wound (David Blyth) for their chaotic, crazy, homegrown energy. Recent films by director James Ashcroft (Coming Home in the Dark, The Rule of Jenny Pen) deserve praise for their horror and suspense focus. These films show how New Zealand can balance dark storytelling with a distinctive local flavour.


Anything else Kiwi horror related you want to give a shout-out to? Kiwi horror is alive and evolving, with writers and filmmakers taking more creative risks than

ever. It deserves a wider audience, and the best way to support it is to read and share local work. Recently, Lee Murray and Denver Grenell have been doing some awesome advocacy for New Zealand horror and should be applauded.


Collage of 16 horror book covers by William Cook featuring dark imagery like skulls and eerie figures, with bold titles and text.

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