BLOG TOUR: Interview with Cradle’s Joshua Skye #Supernatural #Horror

Sirens Call Publications recently released Cradle by Joshua Skye, the pseudo-sequel to The Angels of Autumn. As we like to do with all of our authors, we sat down with Joshua and asked him a few questions about his book and writing. Read along to find out what interesting things Joshua has up his sleeves!

Sirens Call Publications: Welcome Joshua; why don’t you take a few moments to introduce yourself.

Joshua Skye: My name is Josh, I’m closing in on 19 years with my partner Ray. We have an eleven year old son named Syrian, who is whips smart. We share our lives with two dogs, and a chinchilla. I have a love of 80s horror movies and their soundtracks, which I collect on vinyl.

SCP: What made you decide to become a writer?

Joshua: I’ve always wanted to be a writer, specifically an author of speculative fiction though I’ve dabbled in pretty much every genre. I find the creative process to be challenging, frustrating, infuriating, thrilling, and rewarding often all at the same time. Being an artist of any kind is an emotional roller coaster with more downs than ups, but it’s those highs that make it all worth while. Those highs can be addicting.

SCP: What is Cradle about?

Joshua: First and foremost, Cradle is an unapologetic horror story, a ghost story, but in no way a conventional outing. It’s about loss, depression, abuse swirling like a night time fog amidst a tale of evil supernatural hungers.

SCP: What is the one thing you’d like readers to know about Cradle before they read it?

Joshua: I’d like readers in general to know that writing isn’t just a hobby, it’s also work. A lot of hard work goes into the process of creating the story, the world in which it’s set, and especially the characters. The job doesn’t stop when the final draft is done, in the editing process alone you can find a handful of people (or more) putting in the hours and exertion to bring the story in its best form to them. I’ve spent years writing a single book and sometimes there’s a year that goes into the editing process as well. I want them to know I love what I do, but I also want them to realize that a lot of time and effort goes into bringing them the story. There are times when I feel that people don’t understand that.

SCP: What is your writing process? Do you consider yourself to be a planner or a pantser?

Joshua: Both, actually. There are times I’ll sit down, having had a particularly vivid dream or daytime fantasy, and write out a detailed outline. I always seem to deviate from that though. Other times I’ll just start writing and let the story unfold in this kind of weirdly organic way. In the end, there’s always planning, I find, that must be done even if it’s well into writing the second or third draft in order for the story to be cohesive.

SCP: If you could cast the movie of your book, who would you choose to play your main characters?

Joshua:

Radley: James Franco

Scotty: Corey Fogelmanis

Margaret: Heather Langenkamp

Kincaid: Chad Allen (also with Angels of Autumn)

Preacher: Anthony Hopkins

SCP: What is the hardest challenge that you have faced as a writer?

Joshua: Getting the word out about my books and finding my audience is a challenge. I think this is probably difficult for any writer. It can be astronomically frustrating. It’s an overly flooded marketplace, extremely competitive. But being social is a big challenge for me. With the ease of connection these days thanks to social media, some people automatically assume a friendship with you and want to hang out. I very rarely want to go out these days. It’s nothing personal, I just wanna stay home with my shadows. I’m pretty much a recluse, very introverted, and I suffer from depression and want to be left alone a lot. People don’t understand that, not even those closest to you, and can take it the wrong way.

SCP: In your opinion, what sets Cradle apart from other books of the same genre?

Joshua: I think I have a distinctive voice, Cradle presents unique characters in an idiosyncratic horror story. My loyal readers will find it to definitely be all my own, and hopefully new readers will find the journey a worthwhile excursion into the genre and seek out my other books like The Angels of Autumn.

SCP: Are you reading anything right now, or have you read anything recently that is worth mentioning?

Joshua: I recently read the Sookie Stackhouse novels, Fountain Society by Wes Craven, and I finally got my grubby little paws on a first edition hardcover of Stephen King’s It, which I’m currently reading. My nest read will be Wet Screams by Daniel W. Kelly.

SCP: Who are some of your favorite authors? Favorite novels?

Joshua: Shirley MacLaine, Stephen King, Whitley Strieber, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, James St. James, Michael Moore, and of course The Brothers Grimm. I read a lot of horror, new age, spiritual memoires, biographies, political and conspiracy exposés. My favorite books are Out on a Limb by Shirley MacLaine, The Shining by Stephen King, Party Monster by James St. James, and Weaveworld by Clive Barker.

SCP: How do you define success as a writer? Have you been successful?

Joshua: These are not easy questions to answer. Certainly getting published is a success in and of itself, and difficult enough on its own. Beyond that it gets more and more difficult. I’ve won awards for my work, I’ve been included in Book of the Month clubs, and I’ve had two bestsellers. All of these things are undeniable successes, but I still feel I have milestones to reach. I think I’m waiting for my breakthrough moment.

SCP: Do you have words of wisdom about writing that you want to pass on to novelists and writers out there who are just starting out?

Joshua: Write. Write. Write. Never stop writing, it hones your skills. And never give up. I truly believe there is an audience for everything, no matter how obscure.

SCP: What should readers walk away from your book knowing? How should they feel?

Joshua: It’s a horror story and they should feel the myriad of emotions such a tale evokes, excitement, dread, fear, revulsion, shock, and even despair. And, hopefully, above all a need to share the experience with their friends.

Thank you Joshua for taking the time to answer our questions. If you’re looking to learn a little more about Cradle, here’s the information you’ve been waiting for…

Cradle

Joshua Skye

In the deepest vale of Crepuscule’s Cradle, in the cul-de-sac at the end of Direful Hollow Road, is a once grand Folk-Victorian home known as The Habersham House. It’s a place haunted by far more than rot and neglect – evil dwells here, an evil that craves children.

Eight-year-old Scott Michaels-Greene has a fascination for tales of the strange and unusual, especially local folklore. His favorite story is the one about Habersham House; a ruined old place where many curious children have disappeared.

Hours away from Crepuscule’s Cradle, in Philadelphia, author Radley Barrette has just lost the love of his life to a random act of violence. Amongst his endowments from Danny’s estate is an old house in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, Habersham House. Though grief stricken at leaving behind the only home he and Danny had ever known, he knows he cannot remain in the city. Besides, the isolation may be just what he needs to clear his mind of the writer’s block he’s suffering from.

Crepuscule’s Cradle is not as he imagined. The locals are inhospitable. The skeletal forest surrounding it is as unwelcoming as the town. And the house itself – there is something menacing, something angry inhabiting it with him, and it’s hungry. Radley’s world slowly begins to unravel; the fringes of his reality begin to fray. In the midst of his breakdown, a local boy with an unhealthy fascination for Habersham House begins sneaking around and the evil residing within has taken notice.

Blending fantasy with horror, Crepuscule’s Cradle is the darkest of fairy tales. The morbidity of classic folklore and contemporary style weaves a web of slowly encroaching unease. Radley Barrette’ winter bound home is more than a haunted house, and Crepuscule’s Cradle is more than a mere horror tale. It’s a bedtime story that will pull you into its icy embrace, lull you into a disquiet state, and leave you shivering in the dark.

Cradle is available online at:

Barnes & Noble (Print & eBook)

Kobo

iTunes

Smashwords

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Check out the rest of the tour here:

The Sirens Song