Dissecting Matt Anderson & J. Harris

Welcome back to the Black Hare Press Dissecting Author interviews, where we dissect an author to find out who they are, what they write, and what keeps their creative juices flowing.

Today we slice open horror authors Matt Anderson and J. Harris for the second time to learn more about them and their second co-authored book, Evil on the Inside.

Welcome, Matt & Jerry!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

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
YouTube: TheWeeklyHorrorScope

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
“Behind the Veil,” Stygian Lepus Edition 33, 2026
“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

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

Jerry:
I wrote a short story in the second grade, and my teacher put it in the school library. I remember being so proud and excited. My parents were readers and my earliest favorite stories were the mysteries of Donald Sobol’s Encyclopedia Brown and then the Hardy Boys. I graduated to Robert E. Howard’s Conan books before finding a true love in horror. I still read various genres, but nothing excites me like a great horror story.

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

Matt:
It’s a mixture for sure, but mostly ‘write what I know’—mainly because there is less friction in my mind that way. Extensive research can take away from the actual writing process and drift me away from my original idea if I start going down a rabbit hole. So, if I need a specific detail about a gun or a type of surgery, I’ll do just enough research to get a realistic detail, and then it’s right back to the story.

Have you ever based a character on someone you know?

Jerry:
I take bits and pieces from people I have known without copying anyone directly. Sometimes it is a specific idiosyncrasy or a humorous phrase that sticks with you, but I think infusing your writing with these touches can make the characters feel more real and relatable. I always strive to make people in my writing familiar and genuine.

What do the words “writer’s block” mean to you?

Matt:
Writer’s block, to me, is just not being in ‘state.’ It’s the same phenomenon that occurs when you struggle to lace up your shoes for a jog; you trot a half-mile, then walk home defeated. But then the next day, you run seven miles effortlessly. Maybe I’m too tired from a long day at work, or I have fifty things nagging my brain on a Saturday morning that I know I need to do and my mind just can’t sit in the chair. Writer’s block is usually just a temporary misalignment of my thought processes.

Jerry:
For me, every project seems to be a series of stops and starts. Even if I have an entire novel plotted out and outlined, I hit those walls, uncertain of how to go forward. Sometimes, the best solution is to move on to something else and come back to it. Any spot I am stuck at seems to always play through my mind in different ways until I have a plan of attack. Luckily, I have always found a way through. That extra time and consideration can result in something better than you originally intended. Allow yourself grace and be patient- it will come.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

Matt:
I have to go with Hemingway here: 'All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.' If you start there, you aren’t exhausting mental energy on the 'who, what, when, where, why'—it just flows because it's true.

Jerry:
Read everything you can get your hands on before, during, always. Get honest feedback on your work, not just from a group of friends of family that are going to tell you anything you write is amazing. Those people are great, but true growth comes from hearing that a paragraph doesn’t make sense, or the logic in your story is faulty, or your grammar needs work, your metaphors don’t work- whatever it may be. Everyone needs real input to get better. After something has sat for a while, try reading it as a reader would, forgetting you wrote it- and be honest with yourself. I have re-read my own work and had the “wow, I wrote this” feeling in both good and bad ways.

What’s your favourite or least favourite part of the writing process?

Matt:
My favorite part is when the characters start to become real people in my mind. When my hands are typing away and I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen next, the character just takes over and handles the situation on their own. I end up as surprised as the reader. You finish the scene and think to yourself, of course—that’s the exact type of thing Jonny would do there.

Jerry:
I honestly love every part of the creation process. From a fresh idea, to fleshing it out, even the struggles, the revisions, the massive plot pivot- the journey makes the finished product more rewarding. The worst part is feeling like you have created something good and worthy and trying to figure out how to get it in front of more people.

What are your favourite blogs or websites for writers?

Matt:
There is a Facebook group called ‘Haunted Minds Book Club’ run by Nick Roberts. It’s a great mix of writers and readers, and it's a solid space to share book reviews, discuss the horror genre, swap marketing tips, or just post memes. Most importantly, it gives a voice to indie authors who are still building their platforms. Having that kind of supportive space to share books and ideas is huge for the writing community.

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

Matt: 
Werewolves. Lots of werewolves are coming.

Jerry:
Matt and I just finished a new novel that I am very happy with. It is still going through edits and revisions, but I think we have something very strong. I currently have a themed collection of short stories that I am working through the connective narrative and will be ready soon. I also have 2 novels and a short story in progress. Always something waiting in the wings!

ABOUT THE BOOK

EVIL ON THE INSIDE by J. HARRIS & MATT ANDERSON
LAUNCH DATE: 12th SEPT 2026

A brilliant man built his life on harm—now something inside the prison wants to finish what he started.

Dr. Paul Mazzeo believed intelligence could outrun consequence. A celebrated surgeon and devoted father, he built a life on ambition, control, and carefully justified choices—until it collapsed in a single, irreversible moment. Now he has been delivered to one of Florida’s most brutal prisons, a place designed to strip men down to their rawest truths.

As Paul struggles to survive the relentless violence, humiliation, and rigid hierarchies of incarceration, fragments of his past begin to surface: a childhood shaped by abandonment, a hunger for dominance, a talent for precision that once promised greatness. Inside these walls, reputation is currency, weakness is fatal, and guilt is a constant, suffocating presence.

But the prison holds more than hardened criminals and sadistic authority. Strange disturbances ripple through the cellblocks. Unexplained sensations, fractured memories, and a creeping sense of dread suggest that something malignant has found fertile ground among the condemned.

As Paul’s grip on reality begins to fracture, he is forced to confront a far darker question than survival:

Is the evil stalking the prison something external—or has it been waiting inside him all along?

Bleak, unsettling, and psychologically relentless, Evil on the Inside is a descent into guilt, punishment, and the terrifying cost of refusing to face one’s own nature.

BUY

WEBSITE

What sparked the idea for this story?

Matt:
If I told you exactly what sparked the idea, it would completely spoil the twist. But what I can say is that I’ve always wanted to write a prison horror story. It’s one of my absolute favorite subgenres, and I’m certain I’ll revisit it in the future.

Jerry:
This story comes from two unrelated bits of tragic news that we wove into a connected story. Our goal was to write the scariest prison novel ever, while keeping the human element at the forefront. Several of our beta readers admitted to shedding tears at certain parts, and I think that makes the horror hit harder when it comes.

What inspired you to co-author this novel?

Matt:
Jerry and I are always bouncing ideas off each other and I think this one we both just really liked and wanted to work on it. I enjoy the collaboration process with Jerry no different than a group of writers who have to come up with a TV show, or a band members have to write a song together.

Jerry:
Matt and I had written a novella together - our first project longer than a short story. It was a great learning experience and inspired us to try something bigger. This book was actually written before Cycle of a Rose, just published later. Matt and I have a supportive and creative collaborative partnership, so it makes sense to work together from time to time. We both have our individual projects as well, but some stories just click for us and seem meant to work together.

Did you plot or pants this story, and would you change your process if you had to start again?

Matt:
A bit of both. Jerry is rock-solid at maintaining structure, whereas I tend to go off the rails a bit more—he’s usually the one who has to reel me back in. I wouldn’t change a single thing about how we wrote Evil on the Inside. The process felt completely organic, and the book became exactly what it was meant to be.

Jerry:
This story started with a premise and an opening chapter and grew organically. We were in constant communication about where it would go and how to tie things together. The pieces fell into place well, and I am thrilled with the result. Having written more since, we could have had more plotted out and structured, but there is something to be said for the story growing as we went.

What elements from your real life creep into this story?

Matt:
Loss. Grief. Loneliness. Depression. Love. Angst. Confusion. Claustrophobia. Fear of the unknown. Betrayal. Drive for success. The need to survive. Moral confliction.

Jerry:
There are characters in this book that are an amalgamation of real people I have known, certain traits and tendencies. I think the common themes that we all relate to that are strong in this book are pressures, tough decisions, strife from job and family, love, and loss. This story is a tragedy, and we have all felt the pain that goes with it at one time or another.

How much did the story change from first draft to publication?

Matt:
The story changed continuously from conception to publication. It was like taking a rough chunk of wood and whittling it into a fine ornament.

Jerry:
Since it was our first novel, more rewrites, edits, and revisions than I can remember. Now, I try to self-edit as best I can chapter by chapter, but at this point, we were just letting the story rip. It needed a lot of cleaning up. Special thanks to Sara for countless hours of corrections and insight.

How did you come up with character names?

Matt:
I grew up in a town in Massachusetts and there was street called Mazzeo Dr. and I always liked that name. So I thought ‘Paul Mazzeo’, is the name of the character.

Jerry:
I find names to be a challenge, but an important one. You live with these characters for months or years and it matters how you know them. Again, I feel like you pull from the world around you and find names that feel like a good fit for the character. If I hear an interesting name, I make note of it for potential later use.

How did you come up with the title?

Jerry:
The title was a struggle, and we tried several options before settling on this. We are trying to relay a dual meaning- the dark presence inside the prison, but also Paul’s nature and upbringing that may have made his path inevitable. Our original tagline was “The story of a man haunted by his choices”. I like where we ended up, but it was a lot to try and pack into a short title.

What’s your favourite scene? Why?

Matt:
I like the funeral scene because from that moment forward, all of Paul’s choices become grey area; a moral confliction. Pain is something you cannot argue your way out of.

Jerry:
There are so many that I really like, but if I had to pick just one, it would probably be the tragedy with the car. It is edge of your seat tension and frustration, culminating with the tragic explanation you have wondered about the entire story up to that point. That scene hits me in so many ways.

Is there a particular message that you hope readers will take from the story?

Matt:
Not at all. I want readers to enjoy coming to their own conclusions and interpretations. Honestly, hearing what different people take away from the ending is one of the best parts of writing.

Jerry:
People are generally not all good or all bad. We do our best, but most of us live in the greys. Good people do bad things or make tragic mistakes. I love that you can pull for a character and want the best for him but still be angry when he does something you don’t agree with. That feels real, like something we all can relate to.

THE STITCH UP

How do you celebrate when you finish a story?

Matt:
I have a drink then immediately start my next story.
Jerry:
Dinner and drinks with my wife.

If you could invite any three authors for dinner, whom would you invite?

Matt:
Hemingway, Keith Rosson, Shirley Jackson.
Jerry:
Richard Laymon, Mary Shelley, Stephen King

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve used as a bookmark?

Matt:
A ripped piece of cardboard from a KFC box.
Jerry:
Slim Jim wrapper

What’s the oldest book on your bookshelf?

Matt:
The Possessed by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1871)
Jerry:
Carrier hardcover- I have older, but reprints.

Hook me! Why should I read your book?

Matt:
This book is a pure tragedy, but you will smile.
Jerry:
A man battling his conscience and vengeful spirits behind bars!
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