Catherine
Cavendish has been writing pretty much all her life but has only in
recent years been able to turn to it full time. She and her husband
divide their week between Liverpool and North Wales, where they live
in a "haunted" 18th century building with a friendly ghost
who visits from time to time.
It’s
been a busy year for you. Tell us what has been happening.
It
certainly has! It all started when Samhain Publishing announced they
were closing the horror line and I faced the prospect of all five of
my titles with them being orphaned. In addition to that, I had
recently signed a contract with them for a new book that would not
now be published. Scary times for a writer. I wasn’t alone, of
course. All my fellow Samhain horror authors were in precisely the
same boat – some even more badly affected than me. Fortunately we
are an incredibly supportive bunch and we all shared experiences and
suggestions with each other.
As
a result of recommendations, I found CrossroadPress who have been amazing. I signed with them to
reissue all five of my previously published titles and within days of
them disappearing from Samhain, they were back out there, with
gorgeous new covers.
That’s
great news. What about the other book – the one you had just signed
the contract for? Does that have a new home yet?
I’m
delighted to say it does. I am so fortunate to have achieved a
contract with Kensington-Lyrical. Wrath of the Ancients will
be out in the autumn and is now the first in a trilogy. I am excited
about it because I have set it in two of my favourite haunts –
Vienna and Egypt – and it also combines my love of Egyptology (and
history in general) with Gothic horror.
Busy
times ahead then. Tell us a little about each of the five titles that
have just been reissued.
Linden
Manor is a ghostly tale involving a house built on land that was
cursed many centuries earlier. Lesley Carpenter is drawn to it
because she is writing a thesis on local folk tales and a rhyme
called ‘The Scottish Bride’ derives from the manor. Little does
she know what is lurking in the shadows of that house or what
significance it has for her.
The
Pendle Curse is loosely based on the infamous Lancashire witch
trials of 1612. Ten people were convicted of witchcraft and hanged in
that year. Now they are back – for vengeance.
Saving
Grace Devine involves a young girl who is drowned with a curse on
her lips. She reaches out from the past and it falls to Alex Fletcher
to help her, but in doing so, she puts her very soul in peril.
Dark
Avenging Angel is a dark and chilling tale about a lonely young
girl who grows up with a secret. She is protected by a mysterious
entity who allows her to avenge herself on three people who have
badly hurt her. But when Jane can only name two, the angel shows her
darkest side. Payment must be made in full – one way or the other.
The
Devil’s Serenade is a Gothic novel set in an imposing mansion
into which its former owner – Nathaniel Hargest – has interwoven
evil. Maddie inherits this house she used to stay in during long
summer holidays years ago. She can’t remember the last summer she
was there, but she is about to, along with all the horror that comes
with it.
Why
do you write horror?
I
love the suspense, the dark shadows and unexpected twists and turns.
As you can see from my own books, I am heavily into the ghostly,
scary, creepy and Gothic which is probably why I love visiting
haunted locations whenever I get the chance. I also think that horror
is the best form of escapism. With everything that is going on in the
world, sometimes you just want to turn away from it, grab a book and
become completely absorbed in a world of fictional terrors.
Do
you have groaning bookshelves or a packed e-reader?
Both.
There is nothing like the look and feel of a real book but, for
travel and when you have to wait somewhere for anything more than a
few minutes, you can’t beat a Kindle (or similar). It’s so easy
to carry around.
Any
other plans for 2017?
I
am currently polishing the second book in my Wrath of the Ancients
trilogy and I shall be writing the third in the series during the
course of this year. I also have a novella – The Darkest Veil –
which I hope will come out before too long and have also completed
the first draft of a possible trilogy set in Edinburgh, one of my
favourite places.
What
is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Don’t
say you want to write a book – just do it. It may not be the
greatest story in the English language but it will be yours. Keep at
it.
What
would you say to your 21 year old self?
Be
bolder. Turn your dreams into reality and make them happen.
What
were your favourite horror films of 2016?
10
Cloverfield Lane, Don’t Breathe, The Witch, The Forgotten, The
Unseen, What We Become, The Tag-Along. There have been some great
films and these are only a few of them.
And
favourite horror stories of 2016?
Loch
Ness Revenge by Hunter Shea and also his riveting The Jersey
Devil. The Night Parade by Ronald Malfi. Gene O’Neill’s
Lethal Birds. Gene Lazuta’s Vyrmin , Glenn Rolfe’s
Chasing Ghosts, Vicki Beautiful by Somer Canon, Children of
the Dark by Jonathan Janz…I’d better stop now. There’s some
great new horror out there. Our favourite genre is alive and well I’m
delighted to say
You can find Cat’s
books here:
And you can connect
with her here:
