Horror as a Mirror: Interview with David Washburn

David Washburn is a horror writer who blends the spooky with the mundane, taking the sadness and depth of real life to create stories that are truly terrifying. Master of Titles, as I call him, David’s creativity knows no bounds, writing story upon story that only gets better, scarier, more full of heart each time. His work is not something you want to miss as a horror reader, or even if you love a good thriller. David has something for everybody, and his body of work is only continuing to grow. 

I was lucky enough to sit down with David to talk writing, horror, and the every-day life things that drive him. Our correspondence took place through email in December 2025. 

MM: Some people have been writing their whole lives, and some started later in life. What’s your relationship with writing and when did you know it was what you wanted to do? 

DW: My relationship to writing is one that has shown promise at different times in my life. I've always enjoyed it, but maybe never thought of it as something I could do in a "serious" capacity. In school, I loved getting a prompt to write in english/language arts classes and just showing off my creativity. I would pride myself on trying to do something no one else would think to do and I'd often go above and beyond because of it. 

In school, I think at a young age I had this idea in my head for a long time that to be a writer you needed to be formally educated and well read and reading wasn't something I did on my own until my early thirties. With no interest in college I don't think I ever considered a version of me writing just to write, and I never imagined one day that I would write and publish my own novel, let alone multiple. 

I used to write short screenplays with intent to film, and then wrote full length movies just to see if I could, then eventually wanted to write something more ambitious that I wouldn't be capable of filming. That's when I began watching a lot of YouTube videos on writing and longform narrative. How publishing works. Reading articles on form. Talking to people already doing it on social media. It's crazy to think that I am doing this now and loving it. It's crazier to think that other people love what I write. 

MM: I’m interested in what you said about never seeing yourself writing just to write. Do you ever “write just to write” now? As in—no intentions of publishing or releasing it anywhere, but just for yourself? 

DW: I started journaling, and I've been considering some daily writing prompts, but have not put them into action just yet. I am someone who values efficiency, multi-purposing, and no wasted movement. That's my personality more than my writing habits. It clearly has bled over to my writing. If I am making time to write I want to make the most of my time and it be me working toward something that I can be proud to share with someone. 

MM: You’ve blurred the lines between Horror & Thriller before, like in Devil’s That Prey and your latest, Where Pop Stars go to Die. Do you ever write in any other genre? And if not, would you?

DW: I do not write in any other genre... yet. 

I have ideas of writing a true thriller one day, but right now I have more horror ideas I'm excited about than I can keep up with. Also, I think it would be fun to do a young adult novel or an illustrated children's horror book.

MM: What draws you to horror, or, what about horror excites you?

DW: Horror is a place to be as unapologetically expressive or opinionated as you want. The genre lets you look behind the curtain when you know you shouldn't, trespass despite the sign that says no to, and it encourages rebellion when other genres are safeguarded. Humans are ugly and the world is uglier, and I get excited to shape my own anxieties into digestible stories. I get excited to see how other people mold their own and I think horror has a way of holding a mirror up to the world. 

MM: I love the idea of horror being the mirror to the world. What do you want it to reflect in your own stories? 

DW: Insecurities, doubts, hard lessons, cautionary tales, relatable obstacles in life. The question is so broad and horror allows writers to explore themes in ways you couldn't do as effectively in other genres. 

MM: Many of your stories touch on both parenthood and grief, but you blend them so well with the tension and action necessary for a good horror. What is your relationship to these topics, or, (if you’re not comfortable saying), what importance do these topics have in your work?

DW: One common theme in my life that has always been around me in some capacity is family. Living in a household with a combative family, witnessing struggle and conflict only to grow up to raise my own at a young age, and now being a younger adult with grown kids has me very familiar with the challenges of being a child in a toxic family setting, and applying what I learned not to do as a father while raising my own and making my own mistakes. I've been a scared child before, and I've been a scared parent before. 

When I have an idea for something horrible to be happening it's easy to imagine families at the center of it. How a mother and father might handle something versus a child's understanding (or misunderstanding). Sibling spats, outside influences, and then the key ingredient that complicates whatever horror you throw into the household... Love. 

MM: “Love being the key ingredient” is such a good mantra to keep, not just for writing horror of a more domestic nature, but even for the writing of the stories themselves. What advice would you give to new storytellers, especially those struggling with their passion?

DW: Don't be afraid to let an idea simmer. 

Don't be afraid to stop writing to think a scene through. 

And always lean into the idea that excites you the most. That is likely the one you will have the most fun writing. 

MM: Lastly, if you can share, what types of stuff are you working on in the future? What can we expect from you next? 

DW: I don't want to share anything too specific, so I will be vague and lame. I am on the tail end of a project now that is grief horror and probably the weirdest thing I've written. I tend to write horror in a very grounded creative space and this one goes against all of that. I can say confidently, expect the next story to be nothing like the last. 

David is a self-published horror author from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also an avid baseball fan, horror movie lover, and dabbles in many other hobbies as time allows.