Every Friday, we meet a member of the BFS and peer deep into their soul (or, at least, a form they filled out). Want to be featured? Email us: online@britishfantasysociety.org
Name:
Geoff Holder (he/him)
Which region are you based in?
France
If you write, which genre?
Sci-fi, fantasy, horror
Are you drawn to any specific SFFH sub-genres?
Low fantasy, historical/alternative history, folk-horror, science fantasy, thriller, supernatural horror, action, comic fantasy.
Your influences
Tell us about the book/film/thing that got you into SFFH: What was it? How old were you? What impact did it have on you?
I grew up in a house without books. Then I got an illustrated book on dinosaurs for Christmas. I was seven.
So I went and discovered the local branch library, where they had books on things that were like dinosaurs… something called “dragons”.
And sometimes there would be books with the author’s bio, that went something along the lines of “Jeremy Posh-Bloke lives in a restored Victorian vicarage in rural Suffolk with one ghost, three dogs and 5,000 books.” And my childhood self went, “I like the sound of that.”
How does that early influence show up for you (in life/writing/agenting/publishing/editing/reading) now?
Many years later, I’m now I’m a full-time author and screenwriter, specialising in horror, SFF, action, thriller, historical and non-fiction, living in a 300-year-old house in rural France, with one dog, an alleged ghost that is probably imaginary, and more books than I can count.
And I still have that dinosaur book somewhere.
(Pictured: Geoff’s 300-year-old rural cottage)
Where do you draw your creative inspiration from?
Documentaries, public lectures, folklore and archaeology journals, history, nature, 4,000 years of humans writing literature about the fantastic. But in truth, mostly it just turns up in my head.
Who do you look to as a genre hero? Why?
Ripley: Because she’s bad-ass. Resilient and resourceful. She starts out as a secondary character, before being thrust into a life-or-death leadership role, which gives her underdog status as she overcomes every obstacle. Plus, she saved the cat.
Your Work
You’re stuck in an elevator for 60 seconds with that hero, and they want you to describe your work. Give us the pitch.
I take traditional monsters and turn them into, if not heroes, then at least protagonists, often reshaping the world to accommodate the change of perspective. And by this I do mean the conventional monsters – vampires, zombies, mythical beasts and so on. I’m not about to valorise a chestbursting xenomorph.
What are you working on right now?
An alternative-history vampire novel; a paranormal erotica-adventure; a folk horror screenplay; a magical realism script; and a contained horror screenplay.
Thinking about all the stories/work you’ve done, what sticks out most in your mind? Why?
It’s a horror Western screenplay. Can’t give away too much, because, you know… Hollywood. Suffice to say it takes a supernatural legend and relocates it to the Wild West, thus bringing together two of my favourite things.
Where and when do you create/are you at your most creative?
I work every day, 9 to 6 in my home office. With breaks for making lunch, and mugs of tea. And ideas tend to pop up when I’m walking the dog, or doing chores.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?
Inspiration is fine, but it has to find you working.
What’s your writing soundtrack?
Are you sure you have the bandwith for the answer? OK then: psychedelia, post-punk, dub, electronica, space rock, noise rock, prog rock, stoner rock, complaint rock, classic rock, alt-rock, folk-rock, folk, rock-jazz, free jazz, Afrobeat, hi-life, doom metal, freakbeat, darkwave, coldwave, folktronica, trancetronica, sunshine pop, baroque pop, experimental, soundtracks, first-generation heavy metal, qawwali.
The Quickfire Round
Sci-fi, fantasy or horror?
Fantasy-horror in a sci-fi world.
Quiet or loud?
Quiet, then loud, then quiet, then LOUD.
Dark or light?
Light in the darkness.
Strict lines or genre blend?
If you put those genres in the blender, your work will be splendid and slender.
Awards or bestseller?
Bestseller.
Fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction.
Poetry or prose?
Prose.
Plotter or pantser?
Plantser.
Reading or listening?
Reading.
Notebook or computer?
Computer.
Favourite SFFH book of all time?
Whatever I’m reading at the moment.
Last book you read?
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist. (Absolutely fantastic.)
Any SFFH author on auto-buy?
No. I’m more a happenstance kind of reader.
Favourite podcast?
Sorry, what’s a podcast?
The Home Stretch
What’s the best thing about being part of the SFFH community?
The cakes. Although they appear to have been lost in the post so far.
Seriously, because it’s a community. People are friendly, supportive and nice. (Don’t even get me started on the film industry…)
Time to plug your stuff! Where can we find you and your work? What have you got coming up? Consider this your advertising space.
Two novels: FIREBREATH, which is basically a dragon and the US Air Force vs. aliens (on submission); and an alternative-history vampire story, PALEFACES, which is being beta’d before submission.
I’ve got 35 non-fiction books out on the paranormal, macabre history and generally weird stuff—see some of them in the gallery of covers below. Sample titles include 101 Things to do with a Stone Circle, The Jacobites and the Supernatural, The Guide to Mysterious Glasgow, Paranormal Cumbria, Scottish Bodysnatchers and Zombies From History.
I also give a lot of talks on weird stuff: you can find details at www.geoffholder.com and on LinkedIn.
