Today’s AHOW interview is with author K.N. Johnson

Title and synopsis/blurb of your AHOW story:

“The Blue Amberol Turns Again”. Two families, two eras, one house and one haunted music cylinder. Does it foretell the future or just replay the past?

What inspired you to write this story?

I love to roam antique shops. In a particularly cool shop in Louisville, KY, I discovered loads of phonographs, including an old Amberola and a box of dusty cylinders. And that’s when I remembered my trip to the Thomas Edison house where I learned Edison recorded music on wax cylinders before records were invented. The scratchy melody coming from these things is eerie – like a voice scratching its way out from the past.

How long have you been writing?

As a child, I’d create family newspapers, children’s books in scribble pads. My sisters still remember me forcing them to act in my plays. In middle school, my best friend and I wrote a paranormal YA book for fun. I was the high school newspaper editor, but also churned out handwritten pages of a soap opera for a few close friends. When my twins were toddlers, I wrote a screenplay with my husband. Miramax passed on it and I haven’t tried romantic comedy again. I worked as a reporter and email marketer for years before finally giving time to my pile of short story ideas.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing?

In general, I write horror. But it’s not the slasher gore most people consider horror. It’s more cerebral, strange, unsettling. I’ve been drawn to Folk Horror recently. I think the combination of woodlands and religious elements reminds me of my childhood.

What are you working on right now?

I had a Netflix marathon of reality forensic shows about young kids who committed murder. Really disturbing stuff about the Slenderman murder and other cases. This inspired a story about a psychopathic teen who manipulates another into helping her commit murder. They get away with it and head their separate ways. But paranoia sets in. Each begins to wonder if the other will rat them out, and if one more murder is necessary to keep their secret from ever coming to light.

What else do you have available/published?

My dark science fiction story “Regolith” will appear in the upcoming anthology Terra Nullius later this year. My dark story “Frigid” won Mythraeum’s Pygmalion contest and is available to read on their website: http://mythraeum.com/story-pygmalion-contest-winner-frigid

What advice do you give to new writers?

Read writers you love and try to figure out why you love their stories. Then, make time to write. Write absolute rubbish just to get your story down. You can’t be a writer if you don’t write, write, write.

List links where people can find your work:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knjohnsonauthor/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/K.N.-Johnson/e/B01KUNOBP6

Today’s AHOW interview is with author F. A. Fisher

Title and synopsis/blurb of your AHOW story:

“Fighting Sleep”

The new crib smells wrong to Ross. His parents won’t listen to him because he’s only four, but how can he protect his new sister from it all by himself? The truth is, he’s afraid the crib is haunted.

He’s right.

What inspired you to write this story?

I overheard a small girl when she walked into a room, looked at the crib, and said, “That crib looks evil.” I thought the idea of an evil crib sounded pretty cool, so I wrote the story.

How long have you been writing?

Off and on for thirty years. Last year I decided to get serious about it, and published my first two novels.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing?

Science Fiction and Fantasy

What are you working on right now?

The third novel in my Cloaks series.

What else do you have available/published?

My first novel is Cloaks. The sequel is Pandir Decloaked.

What advice do you give to new writers?

Keep writing. Don’t stop (repeatedly!) like I did.

List links where people can find your work:

My website is:

http://fafisher.com

Cloaks is on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/Cloaks-F-Fisher-ebook/dp/B01FYCUL02/

Pandir Decloaked is also on Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.com/Pandir-Decloaked-Cloaks-Book-2-ebook/dp/B01N9GKDPV

And it should go without saying that my story “Fighting Sleep” is in the anthology, A Haunting of Words.

Today’s AHOW interview is with author Laurie Gardiner.

Title: “Thief”

Synopsis: Luna Fiore promised to be with her twin sister, Cira, when she dies. Instead, Luna’s own death sends her on a journey through memories where she must explore her mother’s darkest secrets. Can Luna find the truth and make her way back to her twin before the thief in Cira’s head releases her?

What inspired you to write this story? The song of the same name by the band Our Lady Peace. It’s always been one of my favourite songs by OLP simply because of the emotion it conveys. When I was brainstorming story ideas for A Haunting of Words, I watched the video for “Thief” and inspiration hit.

How long have you been writing?

Almost as long as I can remember.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing: I write mainly contemporary drama and women’s fiction. Writing a paranormal story pushed me slightly out of my comfort zone, which, I think, turned out to be a good thing!

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a series of flash fiction stories centered around the theme of elder abuse.

What else do you have available/published?

So far, my publications include: debut novel, Tranquility, published in 2015 by Escargot Books; short story “Retribution” in Scout Media’s 2016 “of Words” anthology; “Thief” in Scout Media’s latest anthology, A Haunting of Words.

What advice do you give to new writers?

Never stop learning.

List links where people can find your work:

http://www.scoutmediabooksmusic.com/of-words-series/

https://www.amazon.com/Laurie-Gardiner/e/B00RZPBBTC

Today’s AHOW interview is with author R.J. Castiglione

Title and synopsis/blurb of your AHOW story:

“The Jonathan of Bracken Manor” follows a young ghost as he haunts his family’s mansion over the course of a century.

What inspired you to write this story?

When I first read about the “Of Words” series, I thought it an interesting anthology concept.  The opportunity to be selected is what ultimately inspired me to create a story.  However, “The Jonathan of Bracken Manor” was conceived when my husband and I went to a boutique hotel in Newport, RI for dinner.  The hotel itself was beautiful, although the ambiance, to me, screamed paranormal.  I began to imagine the hotel haunted and created a few ghosts in my head.  The one ghost that muddied through my creative process was Jonathan, a young boy who plays tricks on hotel guests.  The rest of the story came together from there.

How long have you been writing?

Although I have been writing my entire adult life, my first self-publication released in March 2017.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing?

I am currently focused on writing Literary RPG (“LitRPG” for short).  This story style allows me to combine my love for writing and my enjoyment of open-world RPG video games into one.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on three stories at the moment.  Fjorgyn: The Deep Below is my largest LitRPG endeavor.  It is the second book in the series.  I am also outlining and will release Lacrimosa Online, another LitRPG stand-alone novel that takes place in a macabre landscape.  Lastly, and unrelated to my favored niche, I am writing a paranormal, M/M romance called When Mountains Weep.  This story is a harrowing adventure about a domestic abuse survivor as he flees to his family home in Maui.

What else do you have available/published?

The only book I have published at this time is Fjorgyn: A Rebel Rises, available exclusively on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.

What advice do you give to new writers?

Writing is not just about putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).  Creating the first draft of your story is only one step in a complicated process.  First, tell a story that you would like to read.  Second, shelve it for a while.  Third, self-edit it to hell and back again.  Fourth, spring for proper editing and cover design.  If you’re self-publishing, don’t skip this step.  If you’re traditionally published, don’t pay for this.  You’re only hurting yourself if you release something without editing.  Fifth, get some beta readers to really help polish your work.  Sixth, self-publish it and spend as much time marketing your book as you did when producing it, if not more.

These steps above make the world of difference.  They’re what distinguish writers from authors.

List links where people can find your work:

Links to all of my present and future works can be found on https://rjcastiglione.com

Today’s AHOW interview is with author Amy Hunter

Title and synopsis/blurb of your AHOW story:

Title: Salted Ground

Blurb: Marley was convinced she had found happiness with Adam when he helped her escape an abusive relationship. When tragedy strikes, will she find hope or torment?

What inspired you to write this story?

One of the many things I struggle with is not knowing when to let go… of anything. Marley became sort of a hero to me. In the first paragraph, she salted the ground and moved on, and in the rest of the story, she deals with the consequences.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since my early teen years. Earlier than that, if you count the childhood plays my friends and I would perform for my mom (all of which received standing ovations). I moved on to high school journalism, which I thought I would make into a career, but here I am at thirty-three, diggin’ the hell out of fiction.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing?

Suspense, Creative Nonfiction

What are you working on right now?

Monster’s Edge. When Coralie manipulates Shane into committing a crime, he double-crosses her and leaves her with a parting gift she’ll never forget.

What else do you have available/published?

So far, aside from ‘A Haunting of Words,’ I also have a story called “Core” in ‘A Journey of Words.’

What advice do you give to new writers?

A piece of advice saved my life once and continues to do so every day. I feel like it applies here. So: remove the cotton from your ears and put it in your mouth. Listen and learn from those who came before you. Don’t assume you know everything. And hire an editor. Okay, so the editor thing came later, but do it. You’ll be glad you did.

List links where people can find your work:

https://www.facebook.com/AmyUnleashed/

https://www.amyhunterauthor.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15700724.Amy_Hunter

Today’s A Haunting of Words interview is with author Kari Holloway

Title and synopsis/blurb of your AHOW story:

Gunpowder & Wool

Corporal Hulett greets the morning on the eve of battle, readying his men to march forth, but what comes through the ghostly fog of gunpowder and scattershot leaves him defending the merits of battle and the rights of brothers-in-arms.

What inspired you to write this story?

Where I am from, Andersonville Georgia is a staple from school field trips, national holiday activities, and the yearly reenactments honoring the men who lost their life for a cause they believed in. Not the cause of the government, but the cause of being beside their neighbors standing up together as a united front. Millions were affected with the civil war, and we like to look at it as an overview, but for the men serving, it wasn’t black and white, ideas vs truth.

How long have you been writing?

Professionally, July 2015 marks the starting point. I wrote Cracked But Never Broken and haven’t stopped writing since. Prior to that, writing was a dirty little secret I hid from everyone, even my parents.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing?

Southern fiction is the umbrella I write while the specific genres would be romance (my Laughing P series) and paranormal (my Devil’s Playground series).

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on the third Devil’s Playground novella, the final proofing for the second Devil’s Playground, titled Cry of Gold, which is due to be released in June. Never too Late is headed to the editor to finish up my Laughing P. I’m gearing up a book signing at Xion and having a table at Epicon.

What else do you have available/published?

Cracked But Never Broken (http://books2read.com/CrackedButNeverBroken )
Behind the Lens (http://books2read.com/BehindtheLens )

Forgotten (http://books2read.com/DPForgotten)

Beneath the Mask (http://books2read.com/BeneaththeMasks ) [a perma free short story found on all e-book retailers]

Unbound (http://books2read.com/UnboundAnthology )

Love, Lust, and Scary Monsters (http://books2read.com/LoveLustScaryMonsters )

What advice do you give to new writers?

Just because one idea doesn’t work now, doesn’t mean that idea won’t work later.

List links where people can find your work:

For the easiest list, they can check out my site http://KariHolloway.wix.com/fiction or www.facebook.com/k.l.holly. I use books2read links which lead to global and universal links making it a one click button for those around the world.

Today’s A Haunting of Words interview is with author J.M.Ames

Title and synopsis/blurb of your AHOW story:

Only The Dead Go Free

Wendy flees from her abusive boyfriend, daughter in tow, to her families’ cabin in the woods, only to discover what is already residing there is far worse. Based on the Transpose song of the same name.

What inspired you to write this story?

The desire to write a disturbing tale about a haunting, coupled with the imagery captured by the lyrics of the song.

How long have you been writing?

Professionally, since January 2016. As a hobby, as far back as I can remember.

What genres do you most associate with in your writing?

I am definitely a multi-genre author. I don’t really stick to any of them exclusively. I usually try to evoke some kind of emotion, include something unusual\weird, and incorporate a twist. With that in mind, Fantasy (all kinds), Horror, and Sci-Fi probably make up about half of my work. Rock Fiction (stories based on songs or albums) are becoming a fairly common thing for me, too.

What are you working on right now?

How much time you got? J I have too many works in progress to go through here, so I will go through the ones I think you can see from me in 2017:

Not Yet Dark:  War devastates a man’s life, and he goes to extremes to get revenge on those who’ve hurt him. Based on “Masters of War” by Bob Dylan

Fourteen Years:  Nonfiction biography of my best friend of 38 years, and his struggle to return his life to normalcy after a horrific accident that left him heavily injured and another of our friends dead.

The River Sticks:  An elderly man awakens in the middle of the night to discover his long-dead wife and poker buddies are back for one night only. Stakes are high, as he must now play for his own life. Somewhat inspired by (but not based on) Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.”

I have several other completed works I am actively marketing to various publishers.
 

What else do you have available/published?
“The Last Ride,” which is available in the A Journey of Words anthology.

What advice do you give to new writers?
Read, a lot. Write even more than that – never stop. Hire a good professional editor. Use Beta readers, but only make suggested changes that you agree with and make sense, or a large number of readers suggest. There are many paths to becoming an author, not just one – find your own path.

List links where people can find your work:
Website:          https://jm-ames.com/  (includes links to many other Social Media Platforms)
Facebook:        https://www.facebook.com/JMAmesAuthor/

To celebrate the release of the anthology A Haunting of Words, the authors are all doing a blog hop.  Over the next few weeks I’ll be posting interviews with my fellow story writers.

Here comes the first one!

Storm House by Monica Sagle

What’s the story about?

Storm House is about a house that, with every storm, sees the ghostly re-enactment of a murder. A wife killed by her husband. In recent years, the wife has managed to change things and now they take turns killing each other. This time, she thinks she may have found a way to sleep through those annoying storms altogether.