Scott Nicholson book spotlight and author interview

Book Synopsis:

In a wilderness gorge deep in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, the worst of the natural and supernatural worlds collide.

A crack adventure team is testing two experimental rafts, sponsored by an outdoor gear corporation. Led by Bowie Whitlock, the group plans a three-day run down 13 miles of the most treacherous whitewater in the eastern United States.

An FBI manhunt is underway in the gorge for Ace Goodall, a religious zealot wanted for a series of deadly abortion clinic bombings. Two agents, cut off from outside communication, stumble onto Ace's camp, triggering an explosive trip wire. The blast opens an underground cavern, exposing a long-buried subterranean species to the surface world.

A freak storm floods the river as the creatures swoop down from the cliffs. Cut off from the outside world, at the mercy of the harsh wilderness, the group's only avenue of escape is almost as deadly as the creatures that attack them.

The group must ride the deadly rapids, but not everyone is interested in mutual survival.
Ace has one bomb left.God is talking to him.It's raining again.The dead won't stay dead.
And the creatures...they hunger.

I was fortunate enough to be able to ask Scott some questions.

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

Mostly the writers who pour it out there on paper, like Steinbeck, Twain, Ira Levin, Stephen King, Stewart O'Nan, Shirley Jackson. Professionally, I admire people who craft their careers and do the right things like Deborah Leblanc, Brian Keene, Jonathan Mayberry, Alexander Sokoloff, and Sharyn McCrumb.

Do you write every day?

Yes, I write both love and money, and I still need to eat.

What has been your greatest achievement as a writer?

The last sentence I wrote--or this one.

Have you always wanted to be a writer, or did you aspire to be something else growing up?

I always figured I would be one, but now I think it's something you "are," not something you can choose to be or not be.How would you describe your writing?spiritual, thrilling, daring, and literate--I take it seriously but I don't take the "writer's life" seriously. I've been called "the love child of Stephen King and Sharyn McCrumb," and I kind of like that the best.

Are you currently working on anything?

revising a couple of novels and developing a new book, working on a separate novel, and some graphic novels

What authors do you enjoy reading?

It changes all the time, but lately I've been into Larry McMurtry and Sharyn McCrumb

Is there a particular author/s (yourself excluded) who you feel don't get the recognition they deserve?

No, I feel we all get what we deserve or want--some are better at promotion or hype, some get huge audiences with little talent, some very talented people blow their brains out in frustration. Better to be happy.

What is your favorite book?

Varies, but overall "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is probably the one I've read the most number of times.

What is a book that has been highly acclaimed but you haven't liked?

I find something valid in every book or I don't get past page three. But I have to say James Joyce's "Ulysses," which is always tops of the all-time list of best books, is a horrid stinker of masturbatory indulgence that too many people are afraid to admit is written in alien glyph

Is there a word that you think is overused?

Hmm, I don't like dead phrases like "as far as (blank) is concerned" or "at this point in time," but for single words, they come and go too fast to matter. But I think the word "preternatural" should only be used once per book.

To learn more about Scott Nicholson, visit http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/

All Soul's Faire by Kristy Tallman

was looking forward to reading The All-Soul's Faire because even though I have read more than my fair share of horror novels, I can't remember reading one dealing with the elements of dark magic. I am glad this was the first as I now have something to measure the others against.

Detective Cole Bryant finds himself immersed in his first homicide since becoming a detective for the Alleghany Sheriff's Department. It is not the fact that he has a homicide to deal with that bothers Cole, but the manner in which the body is found - partially petrified with a goat's head staring at him from within her bowels.

Lisa Hicks murder would be the first in a string of unusual homicides - homicides which would lead Cole down a path he never expected, more bodies that were found in the same location and in a similar state but even though they were obviously homicides the ME on the case wrote them off as suicides.

Not only do the homicides bother him, so does the reaction of the townspeople. They seem to go on as if nothing unusual has happened and no one is willing to talk about it - questions about it are avoided at all costs. The only thing that Cole hears are rumors surrounding the Hicks family and their bizarre lifestyle - a lifestyle he gains firsthand knowledge of and even though he knows better has a hard time letting go of.

Let me first say that Kristy Tallman has hit a chord in me that not too many authors do. I literally let the wash sit and the dishes go…if I didn't have 2 little ones I would not have put this down until it was finished. Look out world, the face of horror has a new name and I for one look forward to anything this bright young author brings my way.

Thanks again Kristy for allowing my group to review your book!

Questions for the author:

Where did you get your inspiration for the backwoods characters that you portray, they seem so authentic?
My family is originally from the area the book is written about and from time spent visiting in the summers and living there for two years just watching the people you begin to almost transform into the folks you come to love and admire for their true personalities. They seem authentic because many of them are based on people I knew with maybe an added flare here and there.

What authors do you feel should get more recognition (present company excluded)?
Wow - that's a good question and one not many have asked me or given me the opportunity to rise to the occasion of saying so! I would have to say many of the authors in the horror industry tend to get the cold shoulder simply because the market is saturated with other genres to the point there is little if any shelf space provided for them in bookstores. Poets too I think truly don't get the attention they deserve but that seems to stem from a political aspect rather than shelf space. To name a few though - Gary Frank is a very talented author as is Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc who began her career self-published and has beat the odds. I met Gaddy Bergmann at the Denver Co, MileHiCon and have been reading his work - outstanding point of view on an over done post apocalyptic world. His work breaks the boundaries of Sci-Fi and runs the gamut of great literary works to be.

Do you have any books in the works at the moment?
I just completed Crows on the Cross and it is scheduled to release Jan 1. There are always several books in the works for me but right now the only one I will divulge is the sequel to The All-Soul's Faire due to be released on October 31, 2008.

Do you have any hobbies other than writing?
Well I enjoy bowling and hanging out with my family. When you travel so much it tends to become a treat just to stay home and spend time with those you love. I also love riding motorcycles and listening to blues bands on the weekends when I can. I always say though when I tire of writing or find the free time I will get back to my art and my photography work.