My guest today is Alistair Cross. 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?
The Angel Alejandro is a dark fantasy about an angel who, on his way to save a
young woman’s life, gets caught in a storm and ends up with a severe case of
amnesia after crash-landing to earth. As he clumsily familiarizes himself with
his new surroundings, Alejandro’s innate supernatural powers begin asserting
themselves, causing an upset in the balance of nature … and drawing attention
from the darkness.
When Gremory Jones comes to town in
top hat and trench coat, no one’s quite sure what he’s selling - until he
begins making door-to-door house calls and shows them what’s inside his shiny
black briefcase. Mr. Jones has something for everyone, and for a price, you can
have whatever your heart desires. But buyer beware: All sales are final. And
usually terminal.
As Mr. Jones moves in on his target,
the angel Alejandro, the townspeople are turning savage and insane, and it’s up
to Alejandro - along with a shopkeeper, a psychic, a cop, and a priest - to
uncover his identity and find the inherent power within himself to defeat his
enemies.
The Angel Alejandro came out in ebook on January 20th, and the paperback should
follow within a few weeks now. Both will be available at Amazon and other book
retailers.
That's great! New releases are exciting, aren't they? :)
So, is there anything specific that
inspired you to write The Angel Alejandro?
The premise of this book
was based on my own curiosity about angels, demons, amnesia, and questions I
have about morality. The character and storyline of Gremory Jones, aka, “the
Dream Reaper,” was inspired by a mysterious man I saw several times in passing,
walking down the street. I started wondering who he was, where he was going,
and what he was doing - and eventually, he came alive in my mind and I began
putting him on paper.
I know exactly what you mean...characters have a way of wrapping themselves around our subconscious.
Let's try another question.
Who do you hope to reach with this book? Do you have a specific audience in mind?
To be honest, I don’t
think about intended audience as I’m writing. I just write the book that wants
to be written and stay true to the characters and their story. Thinking too
much about who will be reading it and what they’ll think isn’t conducive to
organic creativity for me.
I do the same thing!
All right. As a fellow author, I know this is a tough question, but let's try it anyway.
Which of your books is your favorite? Give us a one liner as a teaser.
THE ANGEL ALEJANDRO:
"Your heart doesn't belong on your sleeve, sunshine. It belongs strapped
to your boot next to a six-inch dagger."
Nice!
Let's tackle some general questions, okay?
Sounds kinky. I’m ready.
LOL. What book that you read in the past, would you say, inspired your love of reading or writing?
It all started with Bram
Stoker’s Dracula, James Howe’s Bunnicula series for children, and
a lesser-known kid’s book called The Ghost That Goofed by Edith W.
Boutelle. These gave me the deep - and somewhat strange - appreciation of ghosts,
vampires, and monsters that fuel my writing today.
Awesome!
What does your writing process look like? Do you plot everything out before you write? Or, are you a pantster?
I always have an ending
in mind - usually a few potential endings - and beyond that, I let the story
unravel. I like to be surprised … even if it’s my own book. It keeps things
from going stale.
My characters tend to surprise me as well.
So, what subject have you always wanted to write about, but never had the chance to?
The Black Plague. One
day - probably when I’m very old - I’ll sit down and take my time writing a
dark, soul-wrenching tale set during the peak of the bubonic plague. I’d love
to bring that level of grim horror to life on the page; I’d like to follow a
character who lived it on a daily basis and see how he or she responds to that
horrific environment and what it does to him or her.
Interesting, yet grim indeed!
So...I
looked over your website and noticed a phrase which really stood out to me. 'Masking the Monster' was mentioned in one of your writing posts. Could you elaborate on that for us? Does this concept tie into The Angel Alejandro, or if not, is demonstrated in another book of yours?
When you’re writing any
kind of dark fiction, you have to ask the question: Do I reveal the monster to
the reader, or do I keep it in the shadows? The answer, of course, is that it
depends on the author and the story. For me, it varies. Sometimes, it’s fun to
expose the villains as the evil-doers they are from page one. Other times, I
enjoy being deceptive and hiding my villains in plain sight. And sometimes,
it’s far more terrifying to keep the monsters hidden in the dark corners of the
story, showing them only in fleeting glimpses.
This concept does tie
into The Angel Alejandro, and it comes in several different forms this
time.
Fascinating!
Now...what project do you have planned next? Or is that a secret?
My collaborator, Tamara Thorne, and
I are always working on the serialized Ravencrest Saga, a supernatural
gothic thriller with installments appearing about every four to six weeks. Along
with this, we always have a full-length collaboration going - as well as our
solos. The next Thorne & Cross collaboration, Darling Girls, serves
as a sequel to Tamara’s novel, Candle Bay, as well as my novel, The
Crimson Corset. My next solo, a dark thriller featuring the “Dream Reaper,”
Gremory Jones (from The Angel Alejandro), is currently being developed
and I plan to put pen to paper - as it were - within a few weeks, once the
world-building and character developments are in full-bloom.
Great! We look forward to it! :)
Is there anything you'd like to add? Any special advice for your fellow writers?
My only
advice to my fellow writers is to keep writing the good write. Remember that
the world follows the arts - movies, music, and novels set the stage and lead
the way. The arts have profound influence on social and psychological climates.
Use your voice, your natural-born talents, to help create the changes you’d
like to see.
What a solid tip! Thank you, Alistair!
And thank you so much for stopping by Writing in the Modern Age! It was such a pleasure to have you! :)
Readers, here is the blurb for The Angel Alejandro.
Angel or Demon?
Naive and heart-stoppingly handsome, he calls
himself Alejandro, and Madison O’Riley has no clue what to do with him.
As they set out to recover his lost identity, Madison realizes the
mysterious man who saved her life harbors deep, otherworldly secrets
that will put her in grave danger.
The Devil is in the Details
Gremory
Jones has something for everyone, and for a price, he’s willing to make
a deal. Walking the streets in top hat and trench coat, he tempts the
citizens with nefarious wares from his shiny black briefcase. But buyer
beware: All sales are final - and fatal.
A Scorching New Terror Has Come to Town
The
townspeople are changing in appalling ways and it's up to Madison -
with the help of a psychic, a local priest, and the new chief of police -
to help Alejandro unlock his forgotten powers before an unspeakable
evil tears apart the fabric of existence ... and costs them their very
souls …
From bestselling author Alistair Cross comes a
forbidden tale of love and redemption, of good and evil, and those who
dare to stand up to Hell itself.
Here is an excerpt.
Stepping down the sloped roof, Madison’s shoes lost traction and
her feet shot out from under her. The caulking gun flew as she windmilled for
balance. The gravelly asphalt raked her elbows as she came down hard on her
tailbone. A sickening thunk! resounded and a flash of white blinded her
as the back of her head smacked the brick chimney. Pain bit her, crippled her,
and she rolled down the slope, a tattered rag doll. Though barely conscious,
she felt the roof disappear beneath her. Then she was freefalling.
Help me! she thought, unable to scream, to speak.
In the dream-like instant of her descent, the sky flashed - not
lightning, but a shooting star streaking toward earth.
She plummeted into the koi pond below.
Icicle-cold, the water stole her breath. She panicked, tried
fighting, but body and mind had parted company. She sank, paralyzed as blurred
ribbons of blood rose and eddied around her. Like a failing bulb, her vision
flickered and went out.
She was not aware of any time having passed. As if waking suddenly
from a nightmare, she shot from the water, gurgling and choking, her lungs
starved of oxygen. Splashing, writhing, her nails bit into bare shoulders and
with the sound of rusty brakes, she sucked in a deep lungful of air. The black
world resolved, and she glimpsed the face of a man, a stranger - no, not a
stranger, not exactly. I know you, don’t I?
She gagged, clawed for purchase. Water gushed from her nose and
mouth in explosive bursts as her lungs purged themselves. She locked onto the
stranger, her fingers like anchors in his bare arms. Seconds later, she was on
the sodden earth, on her back. She coughed, vomiting water. Hands clutched her
head, turned it to the side, and water spilled from her mouth and nose like
unspooling ribbons. More gurgling, more body-wracking gasps. Her vision came,
dissolved, settled midway between blindness and sight.
A mouth covered hers, blew, and Madison’s lungs expanded with
borrowed breath. As if the man were blowing on dying coals, warmth glowed
inside her, spreading and swelling through her solar plexus, expanding,
reaching her limbs, bringing heat to her skin and clarity to her mind. She
could breathe, she could see, and what she saw was the stranger’s face.
Handsome. Full lips, strong cheekbones, eyes she couldn’t yet
fathom. Close-cropped, golden hair backlit by a near-blinding halo of light.
Yes, she knew him from somewhere - but where?
The warm buzz swam through her. Her fingers and toes tingled. She
was losing consciousness again, but she didn’t care; the panic was gone. As the
world pulsed in and out, the man leaned over and blinked black-lashed silver
eyes at her. Not gray, but silver. Bright and shining, like disks of polished
steel. The light behind him swelled and brightened just before the world
relapsed into black and nothingness wrapped itself warm around her.
-Excerpt
from The Angel Alejandro, by Alistair Cross
Copyright © Glass Apple Press 2016.
Purchase Links:
Universal Amazon: https://bookgoodies.com/a/B01N347ZE8
Wow! We'll be sure to check out this riveting dark fantasy! :)
Author Bio
Alistair Cross’ debut novel, The Crimson Corset, a vampiric
tale of terror and seduction, was an immediate bestseller earning praise
from veteran vampire-lit author, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and New York
Times bestseller, Jay Bonansinga, author of The Walking Dead series. In
2012, Alistair joined forces with international bestseller, Tamara
Thorne, and as Thorne & Cross, they write – among other things – the
successful Gothic series, The Ravencrest Saga. Their debut
collaboration, The Cliffhouse Haunting, reached
the bestseller’s list in its first week of release. They are currently
at work on their next solo novels and a new collaborative project.
In 2014, Alistair and Tamara began the radio show, Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE!,
which has featured such guests as Charlaine Harris of the Southern
Vampire Mysteries and basis of the HBO series True Blood, Jeff Lindsay,
author of the Dexter novels, Jay Bonansinga of The Walking Dead series,
Laurell K. Hamilton of the Anita Blake novels, Peter Atkins,
screenwriter of HELLRAISER 2, 3, and 4, worldwide bestseller V.C.
Andrews, and New York Times best sellers Preston & Child,
Christopher Rice, and Christopher Moore.
Visit Alistair @ alistaircross.com
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrossAlistair
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alistair-Cross/e/B00N446AZS/
Alistair's Books:
Writing as Jared S. Anderson:
Writing as Team Thorne & Cross:
The premise of this book
was based on my own curiosity about angels, demons, amnesia, and questions I
have about morality. The character and storyline of Gremory Jones, aka, “the
Dream Reaper,” was inspired by a mysterious man I saw several times in passing,
walking down the street. I started wondering who he was, where he was going,
and what he was doing - and eventually, he came alive in my mind and I began
putting him on paper.
I know exactly what you mean...characters have a way of wrapping themselves around our subconscious.
Let's try another question.
Who do you hope to reach with this book? Do you have a specific audience in mind?
To be honest, I don’t
think about intended audience as I’m writing. I just write the book that wants
to be written and stay true to the characters and their story. Thinking too
much about who will be reading it and what they’ll think isn’t conducive to
organic creativity for me.
I do the same thing!
All right. As a fellow author, I know this is a tough question, but let's try it anyway.
Which of your books is your favorite? Give us a one liner as a teaser.
THE ANGEL ALEJANDRO:
"Your heart doesn't belong on your sleeve, sunshine. It belongs strapped
to your boot next to a six-inch dagger."
Nice!
Let's tackle some general questions, okay?
Sounds kinky. I’m ready.
LOL. What book that you read in the past, would you say, inspired your love of reading or writing?
It all started with Bram
Stoker’s Dracula, James Howe’s Bunnicula series for children, and
a lesser-known kid’s book called The Ghost That Goofed by Edith W.
Boutelle. These gave me the deep - and somewhat strange - appreciation of ghosts,
vampires, and monsters that fuel my writing today.
Awesome!
What does your writing process look like? Do you plot everything out before you write? Or, are you a pantster?
I always have an ending
in mind - usually a few potential endings - and beyond that, I let the story
unravel. I like to be surprised … even if it’s my own book. It keeps things
from going stale.
I always have an ending
in mind - usually a few potential endings - and beyond that, I let the story
unravel. I like to be surprised … even if it’s my own book. It keeps things
from going stale.
My characters tend to surprise me as well.
So, what subject have you always wanted to write about, but never had the chance to?
The Black Plague. One
day - probably when I’m very old - I’ll sit down and take my time writing a
dark, soul-wrenching tale set during the peak of the bubonic plague. I’d love
to bring that level of grim horror to life on the page; I’d like to follow a
character who lived it on a daily basis and see how he or she responds to that
horrific environment and what it does to him or her.
Interesting, yet grim indeed!
So...I
looked over your website and noticed a phrase which really stood out to me. 'Masking the Monster' was mentioned in one of your writing posts. Could you elaborate on that for us? Does this concept tie into The Angel Alejandro, or if not, is demonstrated in another book of yours?
When you’re writing any
kind of dark fiction, you have to ask the question: Do I reveal the monster to
the reader, or do I keep it in the shadows? The answer, of course, is that it
depends on the author and the story. For me, it varies. Sometimes, it’s fun to
expose the villains as the evil-doers they are from page one. Other times, I
enjoy being deceptive and hiding my villains in plain sight. And sometimes,
it’s far more terrifying to keep the monsters hidden in the dark corners of the
story, showing them only in fleeting glimpses.
This concept does tie
into The Angel Alejandro, and it comes in several different forms this
time.
When you’re writing any
kind of dark fiction, you have to ask the question: Do I reveal the monster to
the reader, or do I keep it in the shadows? The answer, of course, is that it
depends on the author and the story. For me, it varies. Sometimes, it’s fun to
expose the villains as the evil-doers they are from page one. Other times, I
enjoy being deceptive and hiding my villains in plain sight. And sometimes,
it’s far more terrifying to keep the monsters hidden in the dark corners of the
story, showing them only in fleeting glimpses.
This concept does tie
into The Angel Alejandro, and it comes in several different forms this
time.
Fascinating!
Now...what project do you have planned next? Or is that a secret?
My collaborator, Tamara Thorne, and
I are always working on the serialized Ravencrest Saga, a supernatural
gothic thriller with installments appearing about every four to six weeks. Along
with this, we always have a full-length collaboration going - as well as our
solos. The next Thorne & Cross collaboration, Darling Girls, serves
as a sequel to Tamara’s novel, Candle Bay, as well as my novel, The
Crimson Corset. My next solo, a dark thriller featuring the “Dream Reaper,”
Gremory Jones (from The Angel Alejandro), is currently being developed
and I plan to put pen to paper - as it were - within a few weeks, once the
world-building and character developments are in full-bloom.
My collaborator, Tamara Thorne, and
I are always working on the serialized Ravencrest Saga, a supernatural
gothic thriller with installments appearing about every four to six weeks. Along
with this, we always have a full-length collaboration going - as well as our
solos. The next Thorne & Cross collaboration, Darling Girls, serves
as a sequel to Tamara’s novel, Candle Bay, as well as my novel, The
Crimson Corset. My next solo, a dark thriller featuring the “Dream Reaper,”
Gremory Jones (from The Angel Alejandro), is currently being developed
and I plan to put pen to paper - as it were - within a few weeks, once the
world-building and character developments are in full-bloom.
Great! We look forward to it! :)
Is there anything you'd like to add? Any special advice for your fellow writers?
My only
advice to my fellow writers is to keep writing the good write. Remember that
the world follows the arts - movies, music, and novels set the stage and lead
the way. The arts have profound influence on social and psychological climates.
Use your voice, your natural-born talents, to help create the changes you’d
like to see.
What a solid tip! Thank you, Alistair!
And thank you so much for stopping by Writing in the Modern Age! It was such a pleasure to have you! :)
Readers, here is the blurb for The Angel Alejandro.
Angel or Demon?
Naive and heart-stoppingly handsome, he calls
himself Alejandro, and Madison O’Riley has no clue what to do with him.
As they set out to recover his lost identity, Madison realizes the
mysterious man who saved her life harbors deep, otherworldly secrets
that will put her in grave danger.
The Devil is in the Details
Gremory
Jones has something for everyone, and for a price, he’s willing to make
a deal. Walking the streets in top hat and trench coat, he tempts the
citizens with nefarious wares from his shiny black briefcase. But buyer
beware: All sales are final - and fatal.
A Scorching New Terror Has Come to Town
The
townspeople are changing in appalling ways and it's up to Madison -
with the help of a psychic, a local priest, and the new chief of police -
to help Alejandro unlock his forgotten powers before an unspeakable
evil tears apart the fabric of existence ... and costs them their very
souls …
From bestselling author Alistair Cross comes a
forbidden tale of love and redemption, of good and evil, and those who
dare to stand up to Hell itself.
Naive and heart-stoppingly handsome, he calls himself Alejandro, and Madison O’Riley has no clue what to do with him. As they set out to recover his lost identity, Madison realizes the mysterious man who saved her life harbors deep, otherworldly secrets that will put her in grave danger.
The Devil is in the Details
Gremory Jones has something for everyone, and for a price, he’s willing to make a deal. Walking the streets in top hat and trench coat, he tempts the citizens with nefarious wares from his shiny black briefcase. But buyer beware: All sales are final - and fatal.
A Scorching New Terror Has Come to Town
The townspeople are changing in appalling ways and it's up to Madison - with the help of a psychic, a local priest, and the new chief of police - to help Alejandro unlock his forgotten powers before an unspeakable evil tears apart the fabric of existence ... and costs them their very souls …
From bestselling author Alistair Cross comes a forbidden tale of love and redemption, of good and evil, and those who dare to stand up to Hell itself.
Here is an excerpt.
Stepping down the sloped roof, Madison’s shoes lost traction and
her feet shot out from under her. The caulking gun flew as she windmilled for
balance. The gravelly asphalt raked her elbows as she came down hard on her
tailbone. A sickening thunk! resounded and a flash of white blinded her
as the back of her head smacked the brick chimney. Pain bit her, crippled her,
and she rolled down the slope, a tattered rag doll. Though barely conscious,
she felt the roof disappear beneath her. Then she was freefalling.
Help me! she thought, unable to scream, to speak.
In the dream-like instant of her descent, the sky flashed - not
lightning, but a shooting star streaking toward earth.
She plummeted into the koi pond below.
Icicle-cold, the water stole her breath. She panicked, tried
fighting, but body and mind had parted company. She sank, paralyzed as blurred
ribbons of blood rose and eddied around her. Like a failing bulb, her vision
flickered and went out.
She was not aware of any time having passed. As if waking suddenly
from a nightmare, she shot from the water, gurgling and choking, her lungs
starved of oxygen. Splashing, writhing, her nails bit into bare shoulders and
with the sound of rusty brakes, she sucked in a deep lungful of air. The black
world resolved, and she glimpsed the face of a man, a stranger - no, not a
stranger, not exactly. I know you, don’t I?
She gagged, clawed for purchase. Water gushed from her nose and
mouth in explosive bursts as her lungs purged themselves. She locked onto the
stranger, her fingers like anchors in his bare arms. Seconds later, she was on
the sodden earth, on her back. She coughed, vomiting water. Hands clutched her
head, turned it to the side, and water spilled from her mouth and nose like
unspooling ribbons. More gurgling, more body-wracking gasps. Her vision came,
dissolved, settled midway between blindness and sight.
A mouth covered hers, blew, and Madison’s lungs expanded with
borrowed breath. As if the man were blowing on dying coals, warmth glowed
inside her, spreading and swelling through her solar plexus, expanding,
reaching her limbs, bringing heat to her skin and clarity to her mind. She
could breathe, she could see, and what she saw was the stranger’s face.
Handsome. Full lips, strong cheekbones, eyes she couldn’t yet
fathom. Close-cropped, golden hair backlit by a near-blinding halo of light.
Yes, she knew him from somewhere - but where?
The warm buzz swam through her. Her fingers and toes tingled. She
was losing consciousness again, but she didn’t care; the panic was gone. As the
world pulsed in and out, the man leaned over and blinked black-lashed silver
eyes at her. Not gray, but silver. Bright and shining, like disks of polished
steel. The light behind him swelled and brightened just before the world
relapsed into black and nothingness wrapped itself warm around her.
-Excerpt
from The Angel Alejandro, by Alistair Cross
Copyright © Glass Apple Press 2016.
Copyright © Glass Apple Press 2016.
Purchase Links:
Universal Amazon: https://bookgoodies.com/a/B01N347ZE8
Wow! We'll be sure to check out this riveting dark fantasy! :)
Author Bio
Alistair Cross’ debut novel, The Crimson Corset, a vampiric
tale of terror and seduction, was an immediate bestseller earning praise
from veteran vampire-lit author, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and New York
Times bestseller, Jay Bonansinga, author of The Walking Dead series. In
2012, Alistair joined forces with international bestseller, Tamara
Thorne, and as Thorne & Cross, they write – among other things – the
successful Gothic series, The Ravencrest Saga. Their debut
collaboration, The Cliffhouse Haunting, reached
the bestseller’s list in its first week of release. They are currently
at work on their next solo novels and a new collaborative project.
In 2014, Alistair and Tamara began the radio show, Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE!,
which has featured such guests as Charlaine Harris of the Southern
Vampire Mysteries and basis of the HBO series True Blood, Jeff Lindsay,
author of the Dexter novels, Jay Bonansinga of The Walking Dead series,
Laurell K. Hamilton of the Anita Blake novels, Peter Atkins,
screenwriter of HELLRAISER 2, 3, and 4, worldwide bestseller V.C.
Andrews, and New York Times best sellers Preston & Child,
Christopher Rice, and Christopher Moore.
Visit Alistair @ alistaircross.com
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrossAlistair
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alistair-Cross/e/B00N446AZS/
Alistair's Books:
Writing as Jared S. Anderson:
Writing as Team Thorne & Cross:
Alistair's Books:
Writing as Jared S. Anderson:
Writing as Team Thorne & Cross:
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