Thursday, October 4, 2012

Something Wicked Comes! Author Interview with Brett J. Talley, author of That Which Should Not Be and The Void


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! :-)

Author Interview
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.

GL:  How is The Void different from That Which Should Not Be, and why did you choose to go in that direction?

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.

GL:  How was the publishing process different for The Void compared to That Which Should Not Be?

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:  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.

GL:  Please tell everyone where they can find out more about you and your books.

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!