60 seconds with David Washburn

How does a lifelong love of horror films inspire an author to write a terrifying story?

Author, David Washburn, reflects on his creative journey, from an early interest in screenwriting to finding his voice as a horror novelist.

In 60 seconds, David shares his journey into horror writing, fueled by his creativity and lifelong passion for the genre. He explains how his anxiety inspires him to create stories filled with tension and high stakes, and introduces his latest book, DIY Exorcism, where he explores themes of fatherhood, faith, and personal demons.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am from Cincinnati, Ohio. I recently moved to Kentucky, but I am still in the Cincinnati area.

I have only been writing seriously since 2022, but prior to that, I had an interest in writing screenplays with hopes of making movies. When I lost interest in that, I sort of floated in space creatively for a while, drawing and painting, but not really scratching that itch that crafting a story can scratch.

I am a horror and suspense writer, lifelong horror movie fan, and dabbler of many things creatively.

Who or what inspires you to write?

The ability to be creative in a way that always feels brand new no matter what. Writing stories feels like being a five year old boy playing with action figures on the floor. You make up your story as you’re playing and each time you play, it’s different. 

Other than your love for horror movies, what led you to write novels in this genre?

Anxiety, I think, drives a lot of my creativity, I’ve learned. My brain never stops reaching for things, so when I find myself in a situation, or a place, or around an interesting type of person, my brain will always anticipate danger, even if there is none.

I think very preventively, so, while doing that, a lot of times my brain will latch onto the idea of… “well, what if this happened… or, what if they did this…” and it is always something a bit outlandish but sometimes it makes for an idea worth making note of and if I can’t stop thinking about it, I will usually plan to explore it more.

Are there any themes or messages that you aim to explore in your books?

I never really begin with a story wanting to say anything meaningful. I usually will start with an idea or a piece of something that snowballs in my brain into a bigger concept. It’s once I start obsessing over things and developing characters when I find opportunities to say things.

Can you share any memorable fan interactions or feedback you’ve received?

I always am floored when someone who I have never spoken to before messages me and tells me how much they loved one of my stories.

Earlier this year, I was tagged in a TikTok by someone who read my novella The Tickle Monster. They started the video like they were angry and were calling me out, but then went on to say glowing things about the book and were very excited and animated about how it kept them up all night and they can’t stop thinking about it. That moment made me wear a big ole dumb smile the whole afternoon. Just proof that saying something nice to someone can make their day. That interaction certainly did. Part of me is still surprised anytime anyone tells me they read my books.

Let’s talk about your latest book, DIY Exorcism. What inspired the storyline, and what can readers expect from it?

This story began as an idea for a found-footage horror film that I wanted to write and film with my buddy at his house. It started as a very watered-down version that only showed the main character on screen. In the book, my main character is named Dante, he is a pastor for a small church that he inherited from his father who recently passed. Dante is also in the early stages of a divorce while trying to focus on being a father and balancing his duties for the church and his son.

One weekend, when Dante has his son, Mason, things get a little intense at home and before anyone can catch their breath and figure out what happened, Dante has handcuffed his son to the furnace in the basement.

Readers can expect a story that is focused heavily on Dante and how he navigates practicing what he preaches as he tries to rid his son of a demon while facing some of his own.

Expect tension. Expect high stakes. Expect things to only get worse. As the story unravels, so does Dante.

Are there any elements in your characters that are based on real people, or even yourself?

There are some elements where I used my own experiences and molded them into my characters. I believe there is a little bit of the writer in any character they write, though. There are pieces of me in Dante. He is a painfully routine and regimented guy, so am I. Dante is making efforts on his own to be better on his term, but is ironically the epitome of “just do it yourself” and not being the best at asking for help when he needs it. I believe I have some of that in myself.

Are there any specific scenes in your novels that were challenging to write?

Yes, there were a couple that I found personally heavy. The opening scene of the book begins in the middle of an argument that leads to this marriage ending. As someone who has experienced a failed marriage and is also a father of boys, parts of the dynamic between these two characters echoed things in my own life.

When two people love one another so strongly that they marry, and then one of those people has a change of heart down the road, it can lead to some complicated feelings for the other person.

Additionally, I don’t like to see or hear about children being hurt, but in this book, the focus is heavily on the father and son dynamic. There are some very intense scenes on the page that made me uncomfortable to write, and even more to read back because, as a writer, I have to ask myself  “should I do more? How bad can I make this before it’s too bad?” 

What do you hope readers take away from DIY Exorcism?

I hope that by the end—and this is hard to actually answer honestly without risking any hints or spoilers—but I just want people to take away this…

If you have a friend who you find yourself turning to frequently for advice, to vent about whatever, to gossip, to bounce ideas off of, to ask a favour, to borrow money from, to give you a ride somewhere, but they never call you first, they never ask you for your input, they never reach out… that is what I call your “strong friend” and that friend of yours is proud, and they will likely never recognise or accept when it is time to ask you for help.

So what I want people to take away from this story, and Dante’s struggle throughout, is that you need to make an effort to check on your strong friend. When someone is used to being there for everyone else, it can be a lot. It is exhausting and they need someone there for them, too. Be there for your strong friend. You might be that strong friend, if you are, then you know what I am talking about.

Have you ever done anything strange in order to write a book?

I have two things that come to mind. But I don’t know that I would call them “strange.”

For Devils That Prey, I actually took a buddy and I out to a rural area in Ohio with some imposing farm tools and we took professional photos of ourselves in several fields to try and see if I could get some reference photos for my original cover to the book. It was like method-acting for someone chasing a book aesthetic.

The other thing is something I did while doing research for DIY Exorcism. So in the book, one of the more memorable scenes is when Dante has his son handcuffed to the furnace in the basement. He is trying to figure out what to do about it since there is a demon inside of his son, so he turns to the internet: “How to perform an exorcism.”

When I was writing that part, I waited a day so I could get away from writing, to get out of that headspace and into the more natural headspace of me actually getting on a computer and trying to find real results, as if I were trying to perform an exorcism on one of my sons. It was actually a very interesting part of the process and I learned so much about it. I used a ton of the info and applied it to that scene in the book.

And finally, because of your love for horror films... If DIY Exorcism was a movie, who would play the father and son?

A younger Luke Wilson, maybe, would play the dad. The son is a ten year old boy. Dark hair... The kid who played Freddy on iCarly would have been perfect once upon a time but he is obviously an adult now.

About David:

David lives in the Greater Cincinnati area (in Northern Kentucky for any locals who choose to argue about geography) where he lives with his two teen sons and the lady of the house. When David isn’t fighting imposter syndrome as a writer, he is probably working out, or watching horror movies, baseball, or wrestling.

Suspense and Tension are David’s playground, and he has independently self-published multiple books in addition to having short stories published in several anthologies. Buy DIY Exorcism here and find David on:

• Instagram

• Facebook

• Sign up for David's newsletter

To stay up to date with my 60 second interviews with indie authors, book launches, giveaways and more, sign up to receive my newsletter at the bottom of this page.