Withersin’s Damned Interview with:

 

Barbara Mulcahy

I am married, English, though we have been living in France for the last 15 years.  I ran an Angora goat and rabbit farm until the workload became too great for me.  We moved to a smaller farm, which my husband Tim renovated completely, and I started doing something I’ve always wanted to do – to get into the world of writing.

 

I have a very large herb garden and grow all my own organic fruit and veg.  I sound too good to be true don’t I?

 

List published works:

Meander Magazine -     Carnac – a travel article with a paranormal interest.

Doorways Magazine  -    Bootle Hospital – a `true’ account of paranormal activity inside the hospital (now pulled down)

Chat magazine – flash fiction

 

List website: coming soon

 

How can we contact you? barbara.mulcahy@free.fr

 

 

In your own words, define Withersin.

A good mix of horror – aimed at all ages and social classes

I’m afraid I can’t describe your magazine better as I haven’t read a copy.

 

If you were a sideshow act, what would you be?

An acrobat – I have one phobia and that is a fear of heights.  If I were an acrobat I wouldn’t suffer from it.

 

What is your greatest non-literary influence?

Can I seem very shallow and say that unconsciously I can’t think of anything or anyone that has influenced my life.

 

Describe your most irrational fear.

Being in an aero plane and knowing it was definitely going to crash thirty minutes beforehand.  There again that is not irrational is it?  I would say fear of heights again.

 

How about your most guilty pleasure?

Suffering from high cholesterol and having to take medication for it every day, there is nothing more indulgent than stuffing as much milk chocolate in my mouth as possible and savoring every delicious second.  Pure bliss.

 

Name the most disturbing nursery rhyme/fairy tale you can recall.

Rock-a-bye-baby -

I always imagined people throwing babies in cots from the tops of trees.

 

Do you eat meat?

I was a veggie for over 20 years.  When I came to France, after five years I started to eat a little chicken and fish and then became a fully-fledged carnivore.  I was hungry – the French don’t cater for veggies at all.

 

What were the skies like when you were young?

Always blue.  Never remembered any rain – especially in the school holidays.

 

Name your favorite garden tool.

A small hand trowel - being able to get rid of what I didn’t want in the garden and to be able to plant what I did.  

 

Name your least favorite color, first job and worst job.

Pastel blue

 

First job was advertised as a shorthand typist but I just made the tea and did a bit of filing if I was lucky.

 

Worst job – Doing market research in a really low class area.  Especially product tests where I had to go back to ask their views on the product I had left.  I really loved the job, did it for nearly 20 years but some of the houses had you itching all over when you came out.  I carried bite cream and flea spray in the car.

 

Favorite:  Author, Movie, Music Group, Song, and Quote.

John Connolly

The Birds

Pink Floyd

I Can See Clearly Now (the rain has gone)

 

`A good arse speaks for itself’ (when someone has passed wind) – er, sorry

 

If you were a loaf of bread what kind would you be?

A good wholemeal with seeds and nuts.   Really good for you if you take the trouble to try me out.  Some horrible people would always break a tooth on me though.

 

Weirdest news you have read in your local newspaper:

A farmer in our area had to pay 60,000 euros to have electricity put in his home for the first time in 300 years (age of house not farmer) His comment?  “I can’t stop ringing the doorbell.”

 

Why Horror?

It’s the be all and end all with me.  It started when we tried to contact spirits when we were away at scout camp when I was about 13 years old.  The glass spelt out – Dan Green, Highway Robber, Hung.  Most of the girls were petrified, one actually wet her sleeping bag but I was fascinated.

 

Here's a photo. (seen on Interview main page)

“INEDIBLE NOT INTENDED FOR HUMAN FOOD”

You have 112 words. Go.

Homer looked sideways at his wife as he drove. "If only" he thought.

He cleared his throat and began.

"We had a good marriage to start with My Lord but she became bitchy,
viper tongued and vicious.

He looked at the tanker that had just pulled in front of him "I have
had to put up with inedible food not intended for human consumption for
25 years."

"One day when she was screaming at me I picked up the hammer and bashed
her head in over and over again".

"What the hell are you blathering about now" his wife shrieked as she
started to wake up".

"Just practising dear, just practising."

 

 

 

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