Featured Interview With Len Handeland
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I have lived in several locations throughout my life due to my late father’s career in the Army. He was a Sergeant Major, and we lived in places such as Ft. Devens, Massachusetts; Berlin, Germany, during the height of the Cold War; Elmira, New York; Ithaca, New York; and finally, Nashua, New Hampshire. When I turned 19, I moved to New York City and became a professional model. I also studied fashion illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.). I met my husband a few years later, and we moved to California in 1987. We lived in San Francisco for 27 years and then in the town of Sonoma, located in the wine country, for 11 years. We relocated to Palm Springs, California, three years ago, and we love living in the desert! My husband and I are proud owners of two cats, Felix and Felicia, who are siblings.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
As a child, I developed a strong love for reading books, particularly when my classmates and I were assigned books to review and write book reports on. While my classmates groaned, I looked forward to the task. I also maintained a personal journal, documenting my experiences with friends, family, and my crushes at school. As I got older, I took several creative writing classes to improve my writing skills.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I have always been fascinated with horror novels. Whenever I read them, I feel the hairs on my neck stand up, my heart rate increases, and my mind races with vivid images depicted in the novel I’m reading. Some of the authors who have influenced me the most are Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and the late Anne Rice. Out of all these authors, Anne Rice has been the most influential. Her work inspired me to write my dark vampire romance novel, titled “The Darkest Gift.”
Tell us a little about your latest book?
I am working on my sixth book, “House of Death.” The story is set in Ithaca, New York, and revolves around the life of a young man named William Martens. William inherits his deceased grandfather’s haunted mansion on top of a hill near Cornell University. However, William does not know the fact that the mansion is the site of the murder of a family before his grandfather had lived there. Soon, the ghosts of the murdered family members return from the beyond to warn William about the danger that he and his family are about to face.
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