Movies, Mystery, and Murder!
An Interview With James of James and Lydia Hicks
Ever wonder what those one hit wonder actors or actresses from horror movies do on the weekends? Wonder no further! Hitting the shelves soon from husband and wife authors James and Lydia Hicks is the new fiction title, From Script To Scream! The novel follows Jennifer, a former scream queen whose popular days starring in a cheesy horror franchise are well behind her. We follow her as she tries to reclaim her former glory…but when things start to turn strange and ominous will Jennifer prove herself a real-life final girl?
Come along with me as I discuss his new novel, movies, and more with author James Hicks!
Author bio: James and Lydia are a husband and wife duo, each holding a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Television. Together, they run the popular YouTube channels The Simpsons Theory and Lydia Loves Timelines. They are also the authors of two nonfiction books: The Simpsons Secret and Collecting the Simpsons.
In their free time, they enjoy traveling, watching movies, attending film conventions, and spending time with their little bundle of joy, Freya.
Follow them on Instagram @jamesandlydiahicks.
Socials:
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@lydialovestimelines
https://www.youtube.com/@thesimpsonstheory
Instagram:
Instagram @jamesandlydiahicks
Nikki: From Script To Scream was co-authored by you and your wife, Lydia. What are the challenges and benefits of co-authoring a novel?
James: Myself and Lydia have been writing together since June 2020 when we first started our YouTube channel, The Simpsons Theory, and that came with its own challenges as we learned to balance between being boyfriend and girlfriend, and professional partners. Especially when it came to critiques and not taking it personally.
But we find it very easy, and we have very little creative disagreements. I think we compliment each other well. I’m good at getting the plot down on the paper, and Lydia vastly improves it by fleshing out the characters and details. Then we keep going back and forth over each other’s writing, to the point where we don’t know who wrote what.
Ultimately we always remember that we are husband and wife first and foremost, and that’s more important than anything else.
Nikki: Without giving too much away, the novel includes a robust and full cast of characters, since the plot revolves around an entire film franchise. Was it challenging to manage the writing of several characters?
James: Yes it was, I kept getting confused with names haha! Thankfully Lydia was much better at tracking that. She meticulously plotted out the in-universe horror franchise, and who starred in what film.
Nikki: You and Lydia write both fiction and non-fiction. Do you have a preference for which genre to write in, and if so, why?
James: Non-fiction is very researched focus, and as such, we’re always scared of getting information wrong. Which can be so daunting. You’re also collecting a lot of primary sources and secondary sources, so we’re always conscious that they need to have that overlap to map out the history of said product, movie or television show.
Fiction is far more fun and creative, trusting ourselves to build a world or story. We don’t think we’ll write a non-fiction book again.
Nikki: You also work on other creative projects with a focus on humor, including your successful Simpsons YouTube channel, The Simpson Theory, and non fiction books, such as The Simpsons Secret. How does humor play a role in From Script To Scream? Did you find blending horror and humor easy or difficult?
James: When we were writing Script to Scream we didn’t intend to make it comedic, and so were surprised by our American beta readers who found a lot of parts funny.
I think a lot of that comes down to British dry humor and how the characters slyly insult each other. Especially Jennifer who can be pessimistic and sarcastic. The setting of a horror convention or film set also offers lots of freedom to have fun and flexibility with personalizing the characters with all the quirks real actors and die hard fans would have.
But we were also heavily inspired by Scream that expertly blends humor and horror in a subtle, non over the top way
Nikki: Aside from writing, I know that you like to attend film conventions. When we meet our main character Jennifer, she is at a film convention, hoping fans will come to her booth. Did attending film conventions inspire this opening scene and other parts of the novel?
James: The scene where Jennifer quickly applied antibacterial gel right after shaking hands with a fan was inspired by a real life encounter I had at a celebrity meet and greet. I tried not to take it too personally haha!
But overall my experience meeting celebs at conventions has been very positive.
We wanted to make Jennifer very jaded about conventions, and juxtapose that with Douglas, who loves meeting the fans.
Nikki: Having read the story (thank you for letting me beta read James!)I can say that I feel that it is a love letter to horror movie fans, so I have to ask – what are you and Lydia’s favorite horror movies?
James: No, thank you. Your feedback was invaluable.
I’ve always loved horror, my mum would buy me DVDs of Nightmare on Elm street when I was 12. So part 3 Dream Warriors is very nostalgic to me.
But both of our favourite horror movies are The Shining and Scream. The meta horror of Scream in particular was a huge inspiration for our novel.
Nikki: Scream is one of my favorite horror franchises too, and I see much of the inspiration in Script to Scream! The majority of the story takes place at a Christmas themed amusement park. Have you visited a place like this? What served as the inspiration for the park?
James: We’ve never visited any, but we’d love to. Next year we plan on doing a road trip in New England and hitting 3 Christmas parks. There’s quite a few dotted around the States. We love the idea of visiting all of them.
Years ago I watched a YouTube video about abandoned Christmas theme parks, and I thought that would be the perfect setting for a horror movie. Something that is supposed to be whimsical and magical, now abandoned and rotting is such an interesting location.
Nikki: You’re right, I think the juxtaposition of happiness and abandonment make those settings creepy! Lastly, what writing or other creative projects are next for you and Lydia?
James: We continue to write scripts for our YouTube channels, The Simpsons Theory and Lydia Loves Timelines. But we also have another horror novel in the works that we can’t say much about now. We are also kicking around an idea for a sequel to Script to Scream. We love the characters (the ones that survive anyway) and would love to revisit them.
Thank you James for the discussion on movies, mystery, and murder! Check out Script to Scream, available November 25 2025, on Amazon!
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Nicole (Nikki) Kirsch writes short horror stories, residing in western Pennsylvania. Some of her publications include, “How To Be Just Friends,” featured in the North Central Review, and “You Are In A Motel Room,” featured in the Undertaker Books Anthology, Stories To Take To Your Grave. She resides with her boyfriend Jay and two cats, Grady and Drusilla. Once a month, she enjoys attending a writing group to share stories, jokes, and good food.
