2017 Interview with Catherine Cavendish by David Kempf

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" 18^th 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:

Amazon

And you can connect with her here:

CatherineCavendish

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Interview with Catherine Cavendish By David Kempf

Catherine Cavendish is a Welsh writer who writes Gothic horror. Her book The Devil's Serenade is getting serious attention and she continues to write tales that make the reader's blood run cold.

When did you first become interested in writing?

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. As a child I would make up stories for my dolls to act out, and adapt books I had read into stage plays. I saved up and bought my first typewriter (yes, I’m that ancient!) when I was ten years old. 

How did you get involved in fantasy/horror?

This goes back to a childhood reading Dennis Wheatley, Sheridan le Fanu and other authors of the genre. At school, I remember the deliciously scared feeling I experienced when we read The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs. The amazing thing about that story is that nothing gory actually happens, but when that knock at the door sounds... Oh, the shivers! I loved reading horror and stories that gave me goosebumps so I suppose it was only natural that I would gravitate to writing what I enjoyed the most.

How did you go about finding a suitable publisher?

It’s been a long, hard slog. Firstly I tried repeatedly over a number of years to get an agent. Then I became part of an online writing community called Litopia where more established writers were so helpful in sharing their advice and experiences. As a result, I decided to forget trying to get an agent – certainly for the time being – and concentrated my efforts on carefully targeting potential publishers. I found websites such as Preditors and Editors and Absolute Write invaluable in helping me weed out the chaff and find reputable publishers. I had a couple of publishers before I landed at Samhain Publishing where I was privileged to be edited by the great Don d’Auria. Sadly, Samhain is closing so I’m on the search for my next publishing adventure

Tell us about The Devil’s Serenade. 

I live close to a river and regularly walk along the banks. There is a willow tree there which seems to have been struck by lightning at some stage in its history. Willows are not inclined to give up easily and it now grows in a most odd fashion, trailing its branches along the ground, twisting around itself – a sort of arboreal octopus. I nicknamed it ‘the tentacle tree’ – which was actually the working title of The Devil’s Serenade until I found another book with the same title! Sitting on one of its low branches one day, I suddenly felt a shuddering underneath me. There was no wind but the branch had shifted slightly and created a kind of ripple effect. It felt alive. An idea was born. Here’s the blurb:

Maddie had forgotten that cursed summer. Now she’s about to remember…

“Madeleine Chambers of Hargest House” has a certain grandeur to it. But as Maddie enters the Gothic mansion she inherited from her aunt, she wonders if its walls remember what she’s blocked out of the summer she turned sixteen.

She’s barely settled in before a series of bizarre events drive her to question her sanity. Aunt Charlotte’s favorite song shouldn’t echo down the halls. The roots of a faraway willow shouldn’t reach into the cellar. And there definitely shouldn’t be a child skipping from room to room.  

As the barriers in her mind begin to crumble, Maddie recalls the long-ago summer she looked into the face of evil. Now, she faces something worse. The mansion’s long-dead builder, who has unfinished business—and a demon that hungers for her very soul.

What do you see as the primary difference between British and American horror?

I think there is possibly more of a tradition of gothic ghost stories which persists to this day in the UK. I tend to find more ‘in your face’ goriness in a lot of American horror, but by no means all of it. British writers such as Ramsey Campbell and Susan Hill write dark and scary stories without a lot of splatter. This is something I strive to achieve as well. Having said that, one of the greatest haunted house/ghost stories of all time was written by an American – Shirley Jackson. The Haunting of Hill House is a classic. So maybe we’re not all that different. I think horror travels well both ways across the Atlantic.

Tell us why you think you were selected for the first Samhain Horror Anthology competition. 

The brief was to write precisely the sort of story I love – ghostly, Gothic and haunted. The anthology was called What Waits in the Shadows. Within a day or so of reading the brief, a story had formed in my mind and I went with it. I wrote the first draft quickly, then rewrote, edited and edited again. I got a second opinion from a fellow horror writer who also happens to be an excellent editor herself – Julia Kavan I then acted on her suggestions. There is no magic formula, but keeping strictly to the brief and producing the best work you possibly can always helps.

What are your favorite horror books?

How long have you got? There are so many! I have already mentioned Shirley Jackson and I can’t single out individual titles from my favourites such as Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, James Herbert and Susan Hill. There is also a healthy crop of newer horror authors out there, writing books that keep me glued to the page. Authors such as Hunter Shea, Russell James, JG Faherty, Sephera Giron, Elena Hearty, Brian Kirk… the list is endless.

What are some of your favorite horror movies?

The original film version of The Haunting of Hill House (called simply The Haunting), Rosemary’s Baby, The Others, The Fog, Wakewood, Cherry Tree, The Woman in Black. Again, I could go on and on!

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment as an author?

To be able to entertain readers

              

Do you have any advice for new writers?

Firstly, develop the hide of a rhinoceros – you’ll need it. Never argue online – especially with someone who has given you a less than flattering review. You never win those battles and I have seen some writers’ reputations permanently ruined. The main thing though is to produce the best work of which you are capable. The words ‘that’ll do’ should be eliminated from your vocabulary. Be prepared to be ruthless with your own work. If that paragraph doesn’t move the story on or serve some other useful purpose, out it goes. Never, ever give up.

      

What is your opinion of the new self-publishing trend?

A mixed blessing. There are some excellent self-pubbed books, but those are the ones where the writer is truly talented and has taken the time and trouble to edit their work – and probably have it professionally edited as well. That can be a pretty expensive exercise, but necessary, as you are too close to your own work to be truly objective. Sadly, there is a lot of substandard stuff out there as well and it’s really hard for the good ones to stand out.

What are your current projects?

I have a novel currently looking for a new home now that Samhain won’t be able to publish it. Wrath of the Ancients is largely set in Vienna and features an Egyptian curse and an archaeologist obsessed with a long dead Queen. I have also just completed a novella called The Darkest Veil. This one centres around five young women who share a house in 1972. It is an apparently normal building in a working class neighbourhood, but 4 Yarborough Drive is anything but normal – as they will discover.

Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

I live with my long-suffering husband in a haunted 18th century building in North Wales. Fortunately for all concerned, the ghost is friendly and contents herself (she's definitely female) with switching on lights, and attempting to discover how the TV and washing machine work (it's a long story!).  Following a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance, I am now the full time author of a number of paranormal, ghostly and Gothic horror novels, novellas and short stories. In addition to my latest, The Devil’s Serenade and the previously mentioned Linden Manor, my work for Samhain has included The Pendle Curse, Saving Grace Devine and Dark Avenging Angel. My daily walks have so far provided the inspiration for two short stories, a novel and a novella – from twisted trees to… well, it’s amazing what you see down by the river, as it flows through a sleepy rural community. Those with delicate constitutions are advised not to ask! 

You can connect with me here:

Catherine Cavendish

Facebook

Twitter - @Cat_Cavendish

Goodreads

Tsu

You can find and buy The Devil’s Serenade here:

Samhain Publishing

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

And other online retailers