Interview with Authors Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross

My guests today are Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross, a talented duo.  Hello!  Welcome back to Writing in the Modern Age!  It’s such a pleasure to have you here again.

Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it? 


http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00VL9LUC6




Since 1887, Cliffhouse Lodge has been famous for its luxurious accommodations, fine dining… and its ghosts. Overlooking Blue Lady Lake, nestled among tall pines, Cliffhouse has just been renovated by its owners, Teddy and Adam Bellamy, and their daughter, Sara.
Cliffhouse has not always been a place of rest and respite, though. Over the years it has served many vices, from rum-running to prostitution – and although the cat houses have been replaced by a miniature golf course and carousel, Cliffhouse retains its dark history; darkest during the Roaring Twenties, when a serial killer called the Bodice Ripper terrorized the town, and a phantom, the Blue Lady, was said to walk when murder was imminent.
Now, there’s a new killer on the loose, and the Blue Lady sightings have returned. The Bellamys are losing maids, and guests are being tormented by disembodied whispers, wet phantom footprints, and the blood-chilling shrieks of mad laughter that echo through the halls of Cliffhouse in the dead of night.
The little mountain town of Cliffside is the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer… and the Blue Lady. Police Chief Jackson Ballou has bodies piling up, and between the murders and the mysteries, he can hardly pursue his romance with Polly Owen. And Sara Bellamy may lose her true love before they even have their first kiss.
The Cliffhouse Haunting was released in April of 2015 on Amazon


Is there anything specific that inspired you to write The Cliffhouse Haunting?
 
Yes. While what happened in our first real life adventure together - we stayed in a haunted cabin up in California’s Gold Country for five nights - is not literally in the book, the atmosphere of that eerie place and the fears it inspired live on in the novel. It got us excited to write a woodsy ghost story, too. We became so eager to do it that we set aside another novel to indulge in Cliffhouse.  Tamara has investigated many haunted places and seen some strange things over the years and some of those experiences also influenced the story, particularly the sandwich poltergeist. (In real life it was a can of cat food that behaved exactly like the loaf of bread in Cliffhouse.) We also drew from the very haunted Brookdale Lodge in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California, absconding with the natural stream that runs through their dining room, among other things. In addition to ghost stories, we both love serial killers and folklore - you’ll find loads of both in Cliffhouse, too, and just a dash of history, particularly about the rum-running days of Prohibition. 

It sounds great!
 
So, if this book was made into a film, who would you cast in it?
 
Hugh Jackman as Jackson Ballou
Zac Efron as Luke Donovan
Chloe Grace Moretz as Sara Bellamy
Annette Bening as Constance Welling
Eric Stoltz as Dr. Siechert
Lee Marvin as Lee Ballou
Adam Levine as Adam Bellamy
Nathan Lane as Teddy Bellamy

Well, that is quite the cast! 
 
Let's tackle some general questions, all right?
 
When reading, do you prefer traditional
printed books or ebooks?  And why?
 
Both. We enjoy reading and don’t much care about format. A good story is a good story, regardless of how it is delivered. 

I can respect that.
So, what are you reading now? 
 
Tamara:  I am reading REVIVAL by Stephen King and several other novels.

Alistair:  I am reading - and loving - a thriller titled TERRIFIED by Kevin O’Brien.

Let's try another question.

When you get an idea for a book, what comes first usually? Dialogue, the characters, a specific scene?  Or do you plot it out before you write?
 
We are both character writers, so for us, usually, the characters come first.

So, what do you have planned next?  Or is that a secret?


After the release of The Cliffhouse Haunting, we will return to a previous novel, Grandma’s Rack, which is just about finished. Meanwhile, we’ll continue releasing installments of our serialized Gothic novel, The Ghosts of Ravencrest. After that, we begin a new collaboration - a psychological thriller we’re both excited to start. Also, Alistair is currently working on a solo novel, which will be out later this year. And as for 2016, well, we have something big planned. And that’s a secret.

Is there anything you'd like to add? Any advice for new writers?

Write every day. Read every day. Write what you love to read. And don’t take advice from other writers. Also, pet your cat.

LOL. Thank you, Tamara and Alistair! I definitely agree about writing what you love to read, and yeah, why wouldn't you want to pet your cat? ;)
  
Readers, here is the blurb for The Cliffhouse Haunting.

When the Blue Lady Walks...

Since 1887, Cliffhouse Lodge has been famous for its luxurious accommodations, fine dining… and its ghosts. Overlooking Blue Lady Lake, nestled among tall pines, Cliffhouse has just been renovated by its owners, Teddy and Adam Bellamy, and their daughter, Sara. 

Cliffhouse has not always been a place of rest and respite, though. Over the years it has served many vices, from rum-running to prostitution - and although the cat house has been replaced by a miniature golf course and carousel, Cliffhouse retains its dark history; darkest during the Roaring Twenties, when a serial killer called the Bodice Ripper terrorized the town, and a phantom, the Blue Lady, was said to walk when murder was imminent. 

Death Walks With Her... 

Now, there’s a new killer on the loose, and the Blue Lady sightings have returned. The Bellamys are losing maids, and guests are being tormented by disembodied whispers, wet phantom footprints, and the blood-chilling shrieks of mad laughter that echo through the halls of Cliffhouse in the dead of night. 

The little mountain town of Cliffside is the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer… and the Blue Lady. Police Chief Jackson Ballou has bodies piling up, and between the murders and the mysteries, he can hardly pursue his romance with Polly Owen. And Sara Bellamy may lose her true love before they even have their first kiss. 

Here is an excerpt.

He heard the Lady’s laughter, delightful and deadly…
“He turned to enter the staff lounge and wake up the napping night clerk when he caught a whiff of something dark and dank, of deep water hiding moldering roots and limbs of pine trees felled a century or more ago. The scent of rotting wood from boats and rafts sunken when Cliffhouse was new. The metallic bite of lost anchors and the dry smell of bones of men long dead. Gooseflesh prickled up his back. How many are lost out there?

Thanks again for stopping by, Tamara and Alistair!  :)

Author Bios



   
             Tamara Thorne's first novel was published in 1991, and since then she has written many more, including international bestsellers Haunted, Bad Things, Moonfall, and The Sorority. Tamara’s interest in the paranormal and occult, mythology, and folklore, is a lifelong passion. Ghostly fiction comes first, but she also investigates real-life reports of hauntings and anomalies. Tamara began writing her own stories in second grade and never stopped. In addition to novels, she occasionally writes about local hauntings for a large newspaper syndicate and speaks to paranormal groups. She has appeared on Ghost Adventures and countless radio shows, both about writing and the paranormal. Her hobbies include exploring ghost towns and hiking the trails in Joshua National Tree National Monument. Learn more about her here.  

 
       Alistair Cross grew up on horror novels and scary movies, and by the age of eight, began writing his own stories. In 2012, he was published by Damnation Books, under the pseudonym Jared S. Anderson. He is an avid poet who has been published in multiple collections, and his poetry has been featured on a number of syndicated radio programs. Alistair’s fascination with the supernatural, combined with an affinity for psychological suspense  has shaped his writing and continues to influence his work. He became involved in paranormal investigations with Tamara Thorne, and their adventure, Five Nights in a Haunted Cabin, was the feature for an episode of Tales to Terrify, on the Lights Out podcast with paranormal expert, Sylvia Shults. Find out more about him here.

In collaboration, Thorne and Cross are currently writing The Ghosts of Ravencrest, a sexy serial novel full of ghosts, witches, and mysteries. The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Darker Shadows contains the first three installments. The fourth installment is The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Christmas Spirits and the fifth is Night Moves. The next installment will appear in April.  Their first horror novel, The Cliffhouse Haunting, will appear in March, and another, Grandma’s Rack, will come later this year, along with Alistair’s debut solo novel. They plan to release another suspense novel in the fall.
Thorne and Cross are also the hosts of the horror-themed internet radio show, Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! where they talk all things ghosts and horror with the biggest names in the business. From fiction writers and paranormal investigators to haunted spots and true ghost stories supplied by listeners, Haunted Nights LIVE! features fact, fiction, and that indiscernible gray area in between.
Like Haunted Nights LIVE! on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Together, they have also published articles for several publications, including Crystal Lake Publishing’s Beneath the Lake: On Writing Horror

Author Links: 

 
 
Co-authored Books: 
 
Coming Soon:
 
 
http://alistaircross.com/Future-Works
 
Available:
 
 
http://bookgoodies.com/a/B00VL9LUC6
 
http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Girls-Ghosts-Ravencrest-Book-ebook/dp/B00VU85JWU/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430791316&sr=1-2
 
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Moves-Ghosts-Ravencrest-Book-ebook/dp/B00SXJS40S/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430791054&sr=1-4
 
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Spirits-Ghosts-Ravencrest-Book-ebook/dp/B00QN0Q7ZI/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1430791054&sr=1-5
 

http://www.amazon.com/Darker-Shadows-Ghosts-Ravencrest-Book-ebook/dp/B00OZ4C21C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414616068&sr=1-1&keywords=alistair+cross
 
 
Solo Books:
 

Tamara Thorne:
   
 
http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Road-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00MMMGY22/ref=la_B000APIVGK_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415056333&sr=1-4
 
http://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00AUJNK08/ref=la_B000APIVGK_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415056333&sr=1-1
 
http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Things-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00F2JIJAC/ref=la_B000APIVGK_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415056393&sr=1-6
 
http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00F2JIJBG/ref=la_B000APIVGK_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415056393&sr=1-7
  
http://www.amazon.com/Sorority-Trilogy-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00C6BFSBC/ref=la_B000APIVGK_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415056393&sr=1-8

http://www.amazon.com/Eternity-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00AA3WWW6/ref=la_B000APIVGK_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415056393&sr=1-5

http://www.amazon.com/Slippery-When-Wet-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00A6X9OX0/ref=la_B000APIVGK_1_16?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415056444&sr=1-16

http://www.amazon.com/Moonfall-Tamara-Thorne-ebook/dp/B009TZRUKK/ref=pd_cp_kstore_2
 
http://www.amazon.com/Candle-Bay-Tamara-Thorne/dp/1420129961/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

Alistair Cross:

http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Monster-Mimi-Williams/dp/1615727752
    

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