Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?
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to prostitution – and although the cat houses have been replaced by a miniature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?
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.
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.
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:
Available:
Solo Books:
Tamara Thorne:
Alistair Cross:
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