Twenty years ago, horror author Mark Leslie assembled a collection of his stories and poems he called One Hand Screaming because, as he explains in the following email interview, he wanted, “…an actual book with my name on it.”
Well, now Leslie apparently wants an updated and expanded book with his name on it because he’s releasing One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years (hardcover, paperback, Kindle), which not only adds new stories and poems, but some behind-the-scenes info as well.
In the following email interview, Leslie discusses both the original version of Screaming and this new edition, as well as the alcoholic beverage that pairs well with this book.
For people who didn’t read the original, 2004 edition, what was One Hand Screaming?
The original One Hand Screaming was my very first book, which was a collection of some of the best of my horror stories along with a handful of poems. These were mostly stories that had already been published in various small press horror magazines over the years. It was my attempt, after years of writing and selling my short fiction, to have an actual book with my name on it out in the market.
How did you originally decide what stories to include in that version of One Hand Screaming?
Because this was a self-published book, I wanted it to be a bit of a “best of” collection of previously published material. This was important for two reasons. The first is that the story had not only been selected by an editor out of the various slush piles of hundreds to thousands of submissions they’d received for each issue of their magazine, but also that the tales had been edited.
There were a few other pieces I added that hadn’t been published yet, as well as a poem I wrote specifically for the book entitled “The Sound Of One Man Screaming.” It was important for me to add a few new pieces to ensure that the book contained at least a handful of never-before-seen tales and poems.
And then what is the new version of One Hand Screaming? How is it different from the original?
Given that it has been twenty years since that book has come out, and that I’ve had more than thirty other books published since then, I wanted to celebrate what was a significant milestone in my writing life. So taking the time to acknowledge those two decades was key, which is why I added the subtitle 20 Haunting Years. And I looked at many of the stories I’d published in those previous two decades, selecting from only the horror stories, and inserting not only the ones I liked the best, but also ensuring they’d fit in the various themes within each section.
This new edition is not only more than twice the size of the original, but it contains 26 pieces that do not appear in the 2004 edition, 11 of which have never been published anywhere else before. It also includes all original artwork that I commissioned for this special celebratory edition release.
And, since I wrote a poem specifically for that original edition, I also included a new one called “20 Haunting Years” in which I reflected on my own writer journey which, incidentally, is actually 40 years long. I got my first story rejection as a writer at the age of fifteen years old in 1984.
2004’s One Hand Screaming Cover
Whose idea was it to issue a new version of One Hand Screaming?
It was mine. I’d actually considered doing a 10th Anniversary edition in 2014, but that year was already rife with so much going on in my personal life that the task of creating it was pushed onto the backburner. It worked out for the best, I think, too, because in those 10 years there wouldn’t have been as many stories to choose from in the selection process of putting the anniversary edition together.
You kind of addressed this already, but why did you decide to add new stories and poems to One Hand Screaming?
There were two reasons for this, I suppose. First, making revisions and additions to the original book was a way to capture the way I’ve grown as a writer since that first version came out. And second, it would allow my readers something new and fresh to enjoy. That way, even someone who’d read the original version of One Hand Screaming would have something new to experience.
In addition, I made sure that the authors notes for each story were revised, and I also included a very brief introductory note to each piece.
How did you decide what stories and poems to add to this new version of One Hand Screaming?
I first looked at the stories and poems I’d had published since October of 2004 when the first edition of this book came out, and then started to list them, and re-read them, and consider whether they’d fit, and if they set the right tone.
I initially had more than 150,000 words in the first cut of the book, but considering that I’d committed to a specific page count related to printing costs and the retail price, I had to leave about 45,000 of those words on the cutting-room floor.
As you said, the original One Hand Screaming was full of horror stories and poems. But what kinds of horror stories and poems are in One Hand Screaming? Like, are there ghost stories, psychological horror poems, body horror stories…?
While this collection runs the gamut of different styles of horror, the majority of my tales tend to fit into something one might describe as “The Twilight Zone meets Black Mirror.” My stories typically take on a “what if” aspect, but often one that focuses on the dark, the shadows, fear, and the unknown.
The story “Phantom Mitch” for example, explores the phenomenon of the “phantom itch” that some amputees have experienced. This is the feeling of an inch on a limb that is no longer there. In my story, the main character was in a horrible car accident where he’d been driving drunk, and resulting in the death of his wife, and the loss of his left eye, and his left arm. I imagined that his arm still existed, but in the “other realm” and that, with his “missing” left arm he was still able to reach out and touch his deceased wife, Michelle (whose nickname was Mitch).
Because I’m a fan of Halloween, there are stories like “But Once A Year” that takes a look at the ideas of “Samhain” and those moments in the wee hours of November 1st when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead are blurred. My story concerns a life-long pair of best friends, and takes a darkly humorous look at what might happen when, shortly after midnight of Halloween, a recently deceased friend shows up for a visit.
“That Old Silk Hat They Found” is a mostly humorous story, but dark in nature, as it features a snowman contemplating the meaning of life. It was inspired by me listening to a song like “Frosty The Snowman” and wondering whether a snowman who came to life might actually be happy and jolly. And how could he dance without actual legs? His bottom is just a large giant ball after all?
As you said, you also added new introductions to these pieces, as well as a “Stories Behind The Screams” section. First, are those for all of the stories and poems, or just the additions?
Yes, each piece to the tale includes a very brief introduction. Think about the type of thing that Rod Serling might have done at the beginning of an episode of The Twilight Zone in order to set the scene. Or, in those old classic EC Comics, characters like the Cryptkeeper who introduce the concept or theme for each tale.
Why did you want to include the new intros and the entries in the “Stories Behind The Screams” section?
I’ve always enjoyed whenever an author shares their own post-book notes and offers a little peek behind the curtains, so to speak, into the inspiration or other elements related to a story. It’s often that bit of special context you can get when at an in-person author event and the writer shares a little something special for the audience.
I purposely put the “behind-the-stories” bit at the end of the book with a note of understanding that some readers just want the stories, and can skip it, while others — perhaps those who enjoy going through all the special features and interviews and director commentary bits of a DVD — can have that additional experience.
I also have to ask: Given how much you added to One Hand Screaming, why not just reissue that book as it was and then put out a new collection of your stories and poems? I mean, Two Hands Shrieking has a nice ring to it? Three Hands Crying…Four Hands Sobbing…these kind of write themselves.
[laughs] I did consider the idea of putting out a “sequel” of sorts, or an addition. But that first book was such a major milestone in my writing career, I wanted to do more of a call-back to it, and be able to include most of the original content from that book. It was, after all, a “best of” collection, and so I couldn’t see just leaving those stories behind.
The other thing is I know that, despite the fact I’ve sold a lot of copies of One Hand Screaming in the past twenty years, the majority of horror readers have never read it or any of my stories. So re-releasing the old and the new together might be a way of being introduced to even more horror fans.
So for someone who hasn’t read One Hand Screaming, or any of your other books, what writers — horror or from other genres — do you feel have had the biggest influence on both what you write and how you write?
Like most horror authors, I’ve been influenced heavily by Stephen King. But I’m also a huge fan of other horror writers like Richard Laymon, Bentley Little, Jonathan Maberry, and Sean Costello. Outside of the horror realm, my writing is influenced by Michael Connelly, Kelley Armstrong, Kevin J. Anderson, Robert J. Sawyer, Linwood Barclay, and Terry Fallis.
Now, as far as I know, the only horror poem to ever be made into a movie was Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” But Hollywood does love adapting horror stories into movies. Are there any stories — or poems, for that matter — in One Hand Screaming that you think could work as a movie?
Yes, I think so. And I’m sure every writer thinks that about their writing. But some tales might work better than others for that type of adaptation. In the late ’90s I did have a director interest in making a short-film out of “But Once A Year.” It even got so far as me adapting it into a screenplay version.
But I do think that several of the other stories might be fitting for either film or perhaps an episode of a show like The Twilight Zone. “Browsers” would likely appeal to folks who enjoyed the episode “Time Enough At Last” of that series, which originally aired in November 1959. “Erratic Cycles” which was nominated for an Aurora Award here in Canada back in 2000 would also fit nicely. The darkly humorous “Distractions” which is about a writer frustrated with not being able to get his book done, would also make an interesting short. And even the disturbingly dark humor poem “Daddy’s Girl” could be adapted into a brutal and nasty horror movie.
While we wait for Hollywood to get off their ass, though, there is an adaptation of sorts available: One Hop Screaming, a beer that the good people at Counterpoint Brewing have made in honor of your book. How did this come to be, and given the subject matter, why is the beer an IPA and not a red ale?
I’m not just a book nerd, but I’m also a craft beer nerd. I love enjoyed and tasting new beers. Finding new beers I’ve not yet had and visiting local craft breweries and beer bars is one of the highlights of the regular travel that I do as a writer. On Untappd I’ve recently rated over 7,159 different beers.
As a regular patron of the fantastic local Counterpoint Brewing, I approached them about the idea of having a tie-in beer. Graeme, the owner and brewmaster, loved the idea, and we kicked around some of my favorite styles based on beers he’d brewed in the five years since they first opened.
To match the name I had for it, it needed to be a single hop beer, and Graeme suggested the Citra hop and offering something that was hazy and bitter, also matching the idea of a flavor that screams. My cover designer, Juan Padron, who created the cover for this 2024 edition of the book, also came up with a beer label.
The beer label itself (as well as some coasters that we designed) contain a QR code where folks who are enjoying the beer can download a free “haunted beer story” I wrote specifically for the beer. I had some fun including nods to bartenders, servers, brewmasters, and other folks I’ve enjoyed having a beer with over the years in it.
So, is there anything else you think a potential reader might want to know about One Hand Screaming?
Most people who read the stories who aren’t normally readers of horror often talk about how it’s not what they expected. I think that so many people who hear the word “horror” think about really schlocky blood and guts horror movies, and forget that horror can be quiet, introspective, and that the stories can actually often be about something unrelated to the horror genre.
I would suggest to readers who are a little put-off with the fact that One Hand Screaming is in the genre of “horror” to consider reading a sample. The stories “Prospero’s Ghost” and “That Old Silk Hat They Found,” as well as another mini collection called Nocturnal Screams: Night Cries, are available online at most eBook retailers for free.
But for readers who are interested in a Creepshow or even Edgar Alan Poe style revenge ghost story, here’s a link where people can download and read “As One Hop Screams” which is the “haunted beer” story I mentioned earlier.
Finally, if someone enjoys this new version of One Hand Screaming, what horror short story and/or poetry collection of someone else’s would you suggest they check out next?
Two of my all-time favorite story collections immediately come to mind.
The first is the horror story collection Death Drives A Semi by Edo van Belkom is one of the best books of horror stories that I’ve ever read. Edo’s writing has also been a significant influence on me. His ability to craft a compelling short horror tale is not only world-class but is also truly inspiring.
The second is a more mystery-themed story collection by Jeffrey Deaver called Twisted. Each of these stories has a phenomenally unexpected twist to it. And every time you think you’ve figured it out, Deaver brilliantly twists the story in a direction you likely haven’t considered. It’s a brilliant collection I truly enjoy.
