The #1 New York Times best-selling horror author takes on the highly political gun debate through a fictional novella that's chillingly realistic.

In his newest book, "Strange Weather," one story in the collection of 4 novellas, titled "Loaded," follows characters who are all involved in a mall shooting.

In an interview with Salon's Mary Elizabeth Williams, Hill shared what it was about the national debate on gun ownership and gun violence that made him want to explore it in a literary setting.

"It's not really my job to argue about guns. It is my job to tell stories. And people don't argue with stories they way they argue with tweets or Facebook updates. You know?" Hill said. "People sort of take stories in, and live with them and insert themselves into them. They escape, they can if they're done well, can escape the usual ideological confines that define our point of view."

Hill is a #1 New York Times best-selling author. His work includes "The Fireman," "NOS4A2," "Heart-Shaped Box," "Horns" (which was made into a feature film starring Daniel Radcliffe) and the award-winning short story collection "20th Century Ghosts." Hill has won the Bram Stoker Award and British Fantasy Award for Best Collection, and the Eisner Award for Best Writer comic book series, "Locke & Key."

On top of all of his accomplishments, Hill is the son of literary legend Stephen King. He has spoken out about living in his father's shadow and his decision to write under the pseudonym "Joe Hill."