Photo: Mike Miller, acclaimed author and creative visionary, captured in a striking monochrome portrait that reflects his confidence, focus, and mastery of storytelling across genres.
Crafting Stories Of Horror, Satire, And Adventure
Mike Miller discusses his creative process, inspirations, and career highlights, unveiling the storytelling secrets behind The Yeti, Promoted, Garrison Rex, and the 3VIL series in an insightful interview.
Mike Miller is a veritable powerhouse of creative storytelling whose prolific works have captivated audiences across a stunning array of genres. A graduate of U.C. Berkeley and WGU, and living in L.A. with his children, Mike has carved out a remarkable career that defies categorisation and embraces versatility in its truest sense. Whether plunging readers into the frosty horror and mystery of The Yeti, delivering biting satire with Promoted, or crafting the ultimate action-packed spectacle in Garrison Rex, he demonstrates an unparalleled ability to shape compelling narratives imbued with wit, intensity, and imagination.
Perhaps one of Mike’s most striking accomplishments is his extraordinary 3VIL series, a trilogy that masterfully evolves characters and escalates terror across its pages while breaking free from predictable horror conventions. Beyond prose, his expertise extends to the realm of screen subtitling and translation, where he’s contributed to some of the largest franchises in entertainment history, from The Lord of the Rings to The Simpsons. This rich professional background seeps into his writing, adding layers of precision and polish to his dialogue and pacing.
Mike’s brilliance lies in his fearless embrace of storytelling that entertains and enlightens, blending “high/low brow” elements with sharp narrative instincts and deep thematic resonance. With influences as broad as Vonnegut and Kubrick shaping his approach, he is a writer who surprises, inspires, and pushes the boundaries of genre with every project. In this interview, we delve into the mind of this exceptional author, exploring the roots of his creativity, the craft behind his most beloved works, and his advice for aspiring writers eager to embark on their own cross-genre adventures. Prepare to step into the fascinating world of Mike Miller, a master craftsman of stories that challenge, thrill, and endure.
Mike Miller’s storytelling brilliance spans genres, captivating readers with unforgettable characters, sharp humour, thrilling narratives, and unparalleled creative mastery.
In The Yeti, you blend horror with adventure—how did your personal fascination with myths influence the portrayal of the yeti as both terrifying predator and enigmatic creature?
There’s something primal about the legends all humans share. I felt like the abominable snowman never got his proper due, so I wrote the book I wanted to read – historical adventure + horror – and hope that it reads like a forgotten Victorian classic. For the horror aspects, it’s key to keep things mysterious – the fear of the unknown really drives the reader’s mind to imagine the worst possible things. I made the Yeti to be both the unstoppable apex predator to give our intrepid heroes the hardest time, but also wanted to keep so many of its motives, origins and abilities largely secret throughout the text to heighten the experience.
“I wrote the book I wanted to read – historical adventure + horror – and hope that it reads like a forgotten Victorian classic.” – Mike Miller
Promoted carries sharp humour and social commentary—what inspired the satirical take on corporate culture, and how much reflects your own experiences?
Promoted comes very much from my experience of working at dead-end jobs. If you’re “lucky” enough to find the right kind of corporate hellscape, then you quickly discover that your performance doesn’t matter, and that the inept lords of middle management control any would-be success. So this book’s wish fulfillment is twofold – rising up the ranks while getting revenge on your unworthy superiors. I feel this is how the real world works figuratively, so why not put it down as a crazy – yet informative – book?
Garrison Rex features a strong lead—how did your background in screenwriting shape the pacing and character arcs in that novel?
I wanted to write the ultimate action film, and the best ones border on the ridiculous. I wouldn’t say that John Wick and Batman are comedies, yet when they’re rolling unstoppably through bad guys, the audience can’t help but laugh at the awesome adrenaline. So indeed Garrison Rex is my nominee for the ultimate protagonist, a hero whose skills and powers are so supreme that they go over the boundary of realism, yet there is nothing truly sci-fi or fantastic here. And for the proper build and pace, he faces enemies of escalating strength before the biggest bang I could conjure.
Your 3VIL series spans multiple volumes—how did you sustain thematic tension across the trilogy while evolving each character’s journey?
3VIL is my horror anthology series, because frankly horror often devolves down to simpler tricks and gimmicks that generally are not sustained well across an entire novel. But for me, I always want to write something I’ve never experienced before, so each story has relatively fresh spins apart from the classic tropes. No basic “zombie” or “ghost” stories here. I suppose 3VIL’scommon DNA might include “psychological madness” and “eldritch unknown Lovecraftian” horror, yet some of my personal favorites in there are very grounded in reality.
You’ve written across genres—from horror to comedy—how do you decide which narrative tone best suits a particular story premise?
I definitely like melodramatic genres, and think that any one of my stories still has other elements in there to round out the experience. To me they all share the idea of surprise – from horror’s jump scares, to a big comedic punchline, to romance’s tricky emotions, or to a startling mystery twist. But ultimately I think every story should primarily commit itself to one genre, because trying to evenly mix the two usually ends up confusing the reader. Any strong plot will not let you pretend it is any other genre but what it was born to be.
Your work in subtitling major films and games seems diverse—how has that experience influenced your prose style or dialogue choices?
After thousands of hours of “Hollywood” media, you see how efficient dialog needs to be, from the smallest indie films to the biggest blockbusters. And even reality TV now has certain demands of pacing for modern audiences. I always enjoyed reads that are propulsive roller-coasters rather than ones that literarily simmer in tone, thought and emotion. No reason not to do both! So I’d hope that my writing always serves both masters – to both entertain AND enlighten. Nobody likes writers who write for themselves or are unsure of where to take a story. To that end I have works fully outlined so I know how to get in and out of every beat without wasting anyone’s time.
“Any strong plot will not let you pretend it is any other genre but what it was born to be.” – Mike Miller
Given your influences ranging from Kurt Vonnegut to Kubrick, could you highlight a moment in your recent works where one such influence is most evident?
I’ve always admired and emulated writers whose work is uncategorizable. These masters balance both an enjoyable experience that also educates along the way. And they’ll do things so well that audiences can be taken aback at how layered and nuanced their works are. I’ve always fancied the expression “high/low brow” as the right blend of elements to infuse in a work. My works like The Yeti and Promoted proudly honor Vonnegut’s tradition of whimsical illustration. Recently I’ve been on a Wes Anderson kick, where I’ve seen my more recent works “Die Alive” and “Swipe Rite” borrowing from his sharply-crafted exposition and settings to better set up the scenes and themes to come with plot and characters. While those two are upcoming horror stories for my next 3VIL entry, they still viscerally shock and thrill with some new and improved characterization and world-building.
Finally, what one piece of advice would you give aspiring authors trying to build a versatile, cross-genre writing career?
Absorb everything. While it’s easy to stay in our lanes for our preferred forms of entertainment, it’s crucial for all writers to expose themselves to works outside of their comfort zone to properly stretch and grow. Please read and watch stories that seem beyond your wheelhouse, where even the “bad” works can teach authors how to be better. The best narrative work in any genre still must serve the foundation of plot, theme, character and emotion. So even if you’re working on a slasher story, the best version will still have deeper thoughts and feelings to round out the experience and connect with the audience on multiple levels.
