Dissecting Jerry Harris and Matt Anderson

Welcome back to the Black Hare Press Dissecting Author Interviews. Today, we dissect not one, but two willing victims, Jerry Harris and Matt Anderson, co-authors of the forthcoming novel, Cycle of a Rose. In this double dissection, we’ll dig deep to find out who these authors are and what keeps their creative juices flowing.

Welcome, Jerry and Matt!

J. Harris writes horror fiction and enjoys dark twists in the human experience. He grew up in Central New York but now lives in the Myrtle Beach area with his wife, Crystal.
Bibliography:

“Embrace the Dark,” Alone, Black Hare Press, 2025
Cycle of a Rose, Black Hare Press, 2025
Dark Storms, Black Hare Press, 2025
Evil on the Inside, Black Hare Press, 2026
The Tenant, Black Hare Shorts, 2024
Connect:

Website: Jharrisauthor.com    
X: @theweeklyhorror
Facebook: @Jerry Harris
Matthew Anderson writes dark fantasy, paranormal horror, mystery, and thrillers.       He has authored a short story, “Sauce of Memories,” in Red Cape Publishing’s anthology U is for Unexplained. He continues to write short stories and novellas ranging from Lovecraftian unexplainable horror to crime thrillers that explore themes of the human condition, tragedy, and perseverance. 
Bibliography:

Cycle of a Rose, Black Hare Press, 2025
Evil on the Inside, Black Hare Press, 2026
“Sauce of Memories,” U is for Unexplained: A to Z of Horror Book Twenty-One, Red Cape Publishing, 2024
Connect:

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Tell us about yourself. When did your passion for reading and writing start?


Matt: I have always had a passion for reading and writing. I was ten years old when I wrote my first short story. Written with pencil and loose-leaf paper, it was about a group of friends that got in trouble for stealing baseball cards on a summer day. For some reason, in my ten-year-old mind, that was horror. I gave it to my fourth-grade teacher, and he praised me for writing it. It was around that time that I was also consuming every Goosebumps book I could get my hands on.

What drew you to your preferred writing genres?


Jerry: I love horror in all forms because of the freedom and lack of boundaries. It is such a diverse canvas that allows insight into the human condition and can probe fears in countless ways, both subtle and extreme.

Matt: I’m not sure exactly what drew me into writing horror, but I’ve enjoyed it since I was a child. To me, both horror and comedy are celebrations of the absurd. With that premise, you can take an ordinary situation and bend it to be as crazy as you want, sending the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

How much of your writing is ‘‘write what you know’ or ‘researched to death’?


Jerry: I feel it’s a mixture of both. I want to write realistic characters that act, react, and talk in ways that feel genuine and familiar, but certain settings and details need to be accurate. In Cycle of the Rose, Part 2 specifically required a lot of research to accurately portray New Orleans in the early 1920s.

What elements from your real life creep into your stories? ie Worldbuilding, character traits etc.


Jerry: Often characters and settings are based on something I lived or experienced, but then infused with horrific circumstances. Even the most outlandish stories of mine have some element taken from reality.

Have you ever based a character on someone you know?


Matt: I think characters are an amalgamation of all the people we have met in life, as well as our own personal views, or things we don’t believe in either. Characters come to me the same way dreams do. I start with a conflict in mind and then place that character in the conflict; the character fleshes out as the story unfolds. I don’t have the predetermined outcome of the character initially.

Do you write for entertainment, or is there a deeper message in your stories?


Jerry: Entertainment is first and foremost. The story is what matters, and I strive to write something I would enjoy reading. I love to incorporate something profound that makes the reader pause and think, but it should never come at the expense of the story.

Matt: Purely for entertainment. If I were stranded on an island, I would write stories on the cave walls. I have a conveyance of ideas coming to me all the time, which is probably why I get so much utility out of writing. Having an outlet for constructive creativity is almost a form of therapy for me as well. The more I write, the less stressed I feel, like exercise for the mind. That being said, while in the process of writing, I think characters encounter profound revelations and deeper meanings behind their actions.

Do recurring themes appear in your stories?


Jerry: Much of the horror I write is about the dark side of humanity. I love the idea that everyone has secrets, and maybe it is small and meaningless, but maybe it is depraved and unthinkable. Probing the grey areas is fun and can lead to unexpected outcomes.

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?


Matt: This is a great question because I have no idea. I think the same way dreams just happen to us, so does my inspiration for the concepts that just happen to float into my mind. An idea will just pop into my head while I’m driving or having a random conversation with someone.

What’s brewing? What are your next big writing goals?


Jerry: I have two novels in progress as well as a themed anthology that is nearly complete and is getting great feedback. My goal is to see something of mine on a bookstore shelf.

ABOUT CYCLE OF A ROSE


She wiped the blood from her lips, licked her fingers clean, and decided she rather liked the taste of this new life.

New Orleans pulses with life, but beneath its vibrant streets lurks something dark, something hungry. Rose is a young woman chasing freedom, craving adventure, and drawn to the city's shadows. 

As she immerses herself in a world of art, music, and illicit desires, she discovers a seductive power simmering within her.

But the deeper she delves into the night, the harder it becomes to tell dream from nightmare, love from obsession, and hunger from something far more sinister.

In a city where secrets whisper through the alleys, Rose must decide—will she shape her own destiny, or be consumed by it?

What sparked the idea for this story?


Jerry: Matt and I did a podcast together, and we were talking one night afterward, and he told me about this idea he had and asked if I would write it with him. He is amazing at randomly throwing out story ideas that are unique and interesting.

Matt: I’ve always wanted to try my take on the classic monster tales: Mummy, Frankenstein, Werewolf, and Vampire. So, a vampire had been swirling around in my mind for a while, and I thought it would be interesting if it were a female who seduced men. Jerry and I talked about the idea on our podcast one night. Turns out, vampire seduction has been done a couple of times already, but we thought it would be interesting if the vampire went to AA meetings for her addiction to drinking blood.

What inspired you to co-author this novel?


Jerry: Matt had been a fan of my writing since we met, and it was something he always wanted to do, so we decided to work together and push each other.

Matt: Jerry and I both discussed the idea of the novel from the beginning of its conception. At the time, we were both writing short stories and pitching ideas back and forth. We both thought it was really cool, and he asked, “Do you want to write this together?” and I said, “Absolutely”.

How easy/difficult was it to write a novel together?


Jerry: It was relatively easy to work together. We would discuss concepts and direction before we moved forward with each section, so I felt like we were almost always on the same page. The execution part was challenging just to bring a full novel to life, but Matt was a great partner.

Matt: Easy and fun. I enjoy collaborating with Jerry on group projects. We discuss ideas, write out a vague outline then both go write and edit each other’s work. We spend a lot of time communicating how we view characters or environments as we write. This helps us stay on the same page and envision the same world together.

Within this novel, did you separate or blend your individual author voices, and how did you achieve that? 


Jerry: We talked a lot about trying to make it sound like one voice, since we have different writing styles. He edited what I wrote, and I edited what he wrote, looking to mesh our styles.

Matt: Jerry and I have different writing styles. But we will discuss the direction we see the novel going and write an outline. Then we will each take parts we’d like to write and write them. When we complete a section, we send it to each other and edit each other’s work. This helps blend our voices. It’s a very fun process because I have an idea of what Jerry is going to write but I’m surprised at what he comes up with. It’s like I get to read half the novel for the first time.

The novel is split into three parts. Do you have a favourite part, or a favourite scene?


Jerry: I am partial to part 2, simply because it is removed from the modern sensibilities of the rest of the novel. Trying to convey the vibe and feel from a different era was challenging but rewarding. Truthfully, I love so many scenes, including the big, pivotal moments, but also some of the mundane moments feel real and relatable.

Matt: That’s hard for me to say because I love the entire story as a whole. But I’d say the second part really dives into the main protagonist’s character and gives the story its depth. By depth, I mean that you sympathize with the protagonist and understand her choices, as evil as they are, which adds a layer of complexity to the character where things aren’t so black and white.

What advice would you give to others considering a co-authored project?


Jerry: Leave your ego out of it. Writing is normally a solitary creation, fleshed out of your own thoughts and voice. You can write whatever you want, and no other opinion matters. In this, it is a true collaboration, and you have to work towards a shared vision. 

Matt: Remove your ego, don’t stay married to your ideas, trust the other person’s vision, and have fun with it.

What’s your writing Kryptonite? 

Jerry: Time
Matt: Writing endings.

What one thing would/did you give up to be a writer? 

Jerry: Sleep
Matt: Watching TV

How many half-finished and/or unpublished books do you have right now? 

Jerry: Three
Matt: Two

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched? 

Jerry: 1920s undergarments
Matt: Moon is fake.

If you could take one book to the afterlife, which would you choose? 

Jerry: The Stand, unexpurgated
Matt: The Shining 
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