Something Wicked Comes....bringing Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, Ghosts, Witches and more. Oh My! What is this wicked thing? Why a month long blogging event celebrating all books paranormal/supernatural or Halloween related. Every day during the month of October there will be several stops. Each blogger will be featuring a favorite paranormal book and offering it for a giveaway. Think of it as a month long Blog Trick or Treating Event...
Will Spook For Books!
Go HERE to get the full schedule...
As much as I love chocolate, if everyone in the neighborhood was giving away books, I'd be more excited about trick-or-treating than my kids! :-)
Today's guest is one of my favorite authors, Brett J. Talley. Brett is no stranger here, and I'm sure if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you've seen me occasionally rave about his writing talents (or maybe tossing a War Eagle his way). I had the privilege of interviewing him just before he released his debut novel, That Which Should Not Be, about a year ago. If you'd like to check that out, you may do so HERE.
This year, Brett has released a new novel, The Void, which I reviewed here yesterday.
So, to really get the Halloween season going, Brett was so kind to stop by and hang out with us again, AND he is offering up a SIGNED COPY of either one of his novels to one lucky winner. Find the details after the interview. And, please, show Bretty some love! Buy his books! Spread the word! :-)
Brett J. Talley
That Which Should Not Be
The Void
GL: Welcome back,
Brett! For anyone that might not be familiar with you, please tell us a bit
about yourself.
Brett: Great to be back! I’m just a guy from Alabama who
likes to spin a horror yarn every now and then. I’m a lawyer, though I’ve been
working on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign for the last six months or so.
When that finishes up, I’ll head off on another adventure.
GL: I didn't know you were working on his campaign! Wow.
GL: Now, for anyone
that hasn’t gotten on the wagon (I mean, really…), tell us about That Which Should Not Be. Please feel
free to toot your own horn ;-)…
BT: Well, That Which
Should Not Be is a little Gothic horror novel that I wrote, set in the late
1800s/early 1900s. It's the story of
Carter Weston, a student at Miskatonic University who is sent on a quest by one
of his professors to recover an ancient book that has turned up in a small
fishing village on the Massachusetts coast.
But by the time he arrives, a nor'easter has struck, and he is forced to
take shelter in a local pub. There he
comes upon four men, each of whom has a story to tell. As the stories unfold, Carter realizes that
they are connected and lead directly to the object he seeks.
I’ve been really gratified by the reception the book has
received. People seem to love it, and last year it was a finalist for the Bram
Stoker award, the highest honor in horror writing. So yeah, I’m pretty pleased.
GL: As you should be! Definitely ranks among my very favorite horror novels...
GL: This summer, you
released another novel with JournalStone. What is The Void all about?
BT: In The Void,
we follow six people on a routine, deep space mission. But all six have
something to hide, and in the dreams that come with space travel those secrets
are revealed. And madness follows.
BT: The Void is very different from That Which Should Not Be. It’s set in
the future in space rather than in the past. But while the setting is
different, much of the style is similar. It’s still psychological, and it’s
still about the unknown. I wanted to do something as different as I could,
while sticking with my style. I think I accomplished that.
GL: Will either of these novels turn into a
“series” or will you release any related books?
BT: The Void is
definitely stand-alone, but That Which Should Not Be will probably become a
series. There’s so much left unsaid in TWSNB, so many stories left to be told.
That’s probably my next project . . .
GL: Yay! :-)
GL: Did you decide to write The Void based on the short story (“The Substance of Shadow”) or
did someone else suggest it?
BT: As soon as I finished “The Substance of Shadow,” I knew
there was a book there. Science fiction really does present a fertile field for
horror. So much is unknown. The horror comes when you start poking around in
the shadows. Who knows what you will
find? And if something is hidden, maybe it’s hidden for a reason. We still see
that same mystery on the edges of science and in science fiction. That’s one reason I wanted to focus on such
mysteries in The Void.
BT: It’s nice having
a publishing contract. No query letters, no piles of rejections. But there is
more pressure to finish when you are already working with a publisher. TWSNB
was a pretty leisurely process. The Void?
Not so much.
GL: Would you rather warp through space and have
horrible nightmares or face a mythical beast and save the world?
BT: That’s a great
question. I think the former, just because I would absolutely love to go to
space. But I have to equivocate a little bit. I have a love affair with the
turn of the century, and fighting mythical beasts to save the world while
living in that era would be pretty sweet.
GL: I think I'd have to go with facing mythical beasts myself. I'm pretty sure I couldn't pass the first astronaut test! :-) I'm on the verge of a panic attack just thinking about it...
GL: I think I'd have to go with facing mythical beasts myself. I'm pretty sure I couldn't pass the first astronaut test! :-) I'm on the verge of a panic attack just thinking about it...
GL: What was the first Lovecraft piece you ever
read?
BT: A story called "Dagon." It’s very short, and rather rough.
It was one of the first Lovecraft ever wrote. But you can see the genius there
and the beginnings of the Cthulhu mythos. He was a true literary giant and an
inspiration to anyone who’s written horror since.
GL: Are you dressing up for Halloween this year?
What will you be? If not, what is your all-time favorite costume? (Or answer
both!)
BT: Sadly, I probably
won’t dress up for Halloween. I love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday. But
for whatever reason, I’ve never been big on dressing up. My favorite costume
was probably a pirate from when I was 6. I always liked pirates. Arrr.
GL: What is the last book you read? What did you
think about it?
BT: The last book I read was J.G. Faherty’s latest, The
Burning Time. Great book with clear Lovecraftian influences. I’ve read a lot of
his books, and they just get better and better. This one will be very
successful, and I encourage everyone to pick it up when it’s published.
GL: I haven't read that one yet, but I'm a big Faherty fan too! Can't wait to pick it up...
GL: What about the last movie you watched? Thumbs
up or thumbs down?
BT: The last movie I saw in the theaters was The Dark Knight
Rises. Simply fantastic movie. Not as good as The Dark Knight, but pretty close
and much better than any other movie I have seen this year.
GL: What are you working on currently? What do we have to look forward to?
BT: I am working on a shared world anthology with several
other authors including Jonathan Maberry, Joseph Nassise, Benjamin Kane
Ethridge, and Anne C. Petty. All of them are quite successful, and I am honored
to join them. The idea behind the book is to have five authors write five
separate stories that all take place in the same world, in this case, a world
in which exists the shadowy employment agency named LIMBUS.
BT: I’m all over the web these days. People can find me on
Facebook, twitter, or they can just go to my website, www.brettjtalley.com. There
they’ll find short stories, interviews, my reviews of other people’s books, and
their reviews of mine. Hopefully, they’ll get a little scare as well.
GL: As always, thank you so much for hanging out with us today! You're super awesome :-)... And thank you for offering up one of your novels. Can't wait to see who the lucky reader will be...
So, here's your chance to get your hands on a signed copy of one of Brett's fantastic novels. Just fill out the Rafflecopter below (or, if for some reason you can't, email your entry--Name/Email/FB/Twitter/Etc. to gatheringleavesreviews@gmail.com with "Something Wicked Giveaway" in the subject line). The contest will close at the end of the day, October 31st - Halloween night! Good luck!
