The Weeping Blog Tour

What do you get when you have a ghost story, a hunky guy laden with guilt issues and a murdering psycho on the loose? A story that will keep you reading long into the night. This book kept my attention from the first page and didn't let go.


What I  Liked:


This story had characters that had flaws and were easy to identify with. The dialogue had spice and felt real world without being trashy. Yes, there is some language, but it is handled wonderfully and I didn't mind it being there in the least. The author did a masterful job of balancing the plot twists, character emotional development and story arc, all the while keeping my interest and at the end, practically screaming for more. 


What I Didn't:


It ended. Dang. Could have done a few hundred more pages of Heath and his ghostly adventures. (hopeful crossing of fingers for more!)


Overall:


This book is for teen audiences as there is language and mild sexuality involved. The plot is a mover and a shaker and you definitely see some character development as Heath deals with the aftermath of causing the death of his three friends and the horrendous feelings of guilt he is dealing with. Add to that a mystery laden ghost story and you have the elements of a well written story that will keep you on your toes and begging for more from this author.


5/5


And now for the interview!

1.How did you decide to make this book about ghosts and the theater?

Ghost stories and theatre are two of the things I love most, so it was inevitable that someday I would combine the two. I’ve had a few “weird” experiences at the theatre where I currently work, which was really what inspired me to finally sit down and write, “The Weeping”.

2. Were you ever in theater? What part did you play?

Oh yeah, I’ve done a lot of theatre - both acting and directing. I think the first play I was in was in second grade. A few of the shows that I have been in include: Wait Until Dark (I was a cop), Seascapes with Sharks and Dancer (Ben), She Loves Me, Cabaret (chorus/male swing in both), The Dying Gaul (Robert) to name a few. I’ve directed countless others including: The Laramie Project, Extremities, Crimes of the Heart, Closer, Noises Off!, Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, bare, RENT and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

3. I loved the basis for the story. Tell us a little about Heath, the main character.

Thank you! I had a lot of fun writing it.

Heath is fairly complex. In high school he was always the popular jock. Everyone loved him, respected him and all the girls wanted him. He’s a little cocky and, in his mind, untouchable. After the accident, he completely changes. He feels responsible for killing his friends and he can’t deal with the pressure. He is an only child, so his parents smother him, pushing him to get better rather than just letting him grieve. Everywhere he goes he feels like people blame him for the accident. It gets so bad, he tries to commit suicide. His parents send him to the fictional town of Rock Harbor, Oregon to work with his uncle. Heath is actually looking forward to getting away from Seattle (and his parents) for a while, and hopes to start over. He is completely out of his element at the theatre. He’d never been interested in theatre before, and this is a whole new world for him. When he meets Molly, things start to look up for him, even though he doesn’t feel like he deserves her. She’s so happy and carefree and he is still very broken. Then of course, Catherine comes along, and that’s when things get really interesting.

4. Have you ever experienced a haunting?

I’ve definitely experienced some really weird things. The logical part of me looks for reasonable explanations, but I can’t always find one. I wrote a post about some of the weird things that happened to me at the theatre which inspired, “The Weeping”. You can view it over at http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.com or over at Jordan Dane’s Dark YA blog, http://ADR3NALIN3.blogspot.com

5. What are your favorite ghost stories? (Movies and books)

I think one of the first books I remember reading that truly creeped me out was “The House with a Clock in its Walls” by John Bellairs. I was very young when I first read it, and it scared me to death. I also really enjoyed “The Woman in Black” and “The Turn of the Screw”.

As far as movies, “The Others” with Nicole Kidman is one of my all time favorites. It’s very creepy and atmospheric and the twist at the end blew me away. I also really like the “Paranormal Activity” movies.

6. When you write, do you outline or plotline your stories before you begin your project or are you more by the seat of your pants?

I didn’t have much of a plot when I sat down to write “The Weeping”, just a few plot points and character arcs that I had jotted down. This was both good and bad. Good because I had total freedom to write anything, and bad because my story kept taking very sharp turns that kept sending the story in a new direction. This is awesome in a way, but it took me a very long time to go back and connect all the dots and plant the threads to make the story cohesive. A lot of stuff got cut, some good and some very very bad.

7. As you develop the story, what part is the most challenging for you to work through? Beginning, middle or end?

Definitely the middle. Hands down. The beginning is always the easiest. I can usually knock out about ten chapters fairly quickly, and I almost always have a good idea how the story will end, but the middle always kills me. This is where the meat of the story lives and I always struggle here - mainly because I want to make sure everything is just right before moving on because every little thing I place in the middle needs to be explained/resolved by the end.

8. What music do you listen to as you write? 

I tend to not listen to music while I’m writing the first draft as I am easily distracted. I will, however, put some music on for inspiration just before I start writing. I will also stop and turn on music if I get stuck and need inspiration for a particular scene or character. Here’s a playlist of music that helped inspire me while writing, “The Weeping”:

Nine Crimes by Damien Rice (Inspiration for Heath)

Down by Jason Walker (Inspiration for Catherine)

Dancing by Elissa (Inspiration for Molly)

Somewhere a Clock is Ticking by Snow Patrol

Beautiful People by Rusted Root

Hysteria by Muse

It’s All Over But the Crying by Garbage

When it Rains by Paramore

Cut by Plumb

Forever by Fireflight

Don’t Stay by Linkin Park

Terrible Lie by Nine Inch Nails

Fix You by Coldplay

After the Storm by Mumford & Sons

Belong by Cary Brothers

Haunted by Poe

I’m Only Happy When it Rains by Garbage

While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Spineshank

Time is Running Out by Muse

Famous Last Words by My Chemical Romance

Cry Little Sister by Seasons After

9. What other books have you written? Anything in the works right now?

I self-published a book titled “All About Daisy” a year ago. I’ve since pulled it because it just wasn’t ready to be seen by the world. It still needed work. It was a contemporary book with themes of bullying and forgiveness. I loved the characters and I really hope to revisit them someday.

Right now I am in revision hell for another paranormal thriller/horror/suspense that I am REALLY excited about.

10. Will you be continuing this book into a series?

At this time I have no plans to continue with this story. I don’t want to turn Heath into a ghost hunter. I know the ending kind of leaves you hanging, but then again, a lot of ghost stories do. My favorite ghost stories were always the ones where I would ask “Then what happened?” and the response was “Nobody knows…”

11. What is your weirdest habit when you write?

I don’t allow myself to have weird habits. I’m totally awesome and perfect - and obviously a very good liar if you believe that. :)

I’m not sure if this is weird, or just kind of annoying, but my house has to be absolutely spotless before I can sit down to write. I am almost positive I have ADD, and if I’m writing and get to a spot where the words aren’t really coming to me I get fidgety and then I’ll find a sock that needs washed, or a piece of paper that needs to be tossed and then before you know it I’m up cleaning instead of writing.

I also have to turn off the internet so I’m not tempted to play on Twitter or Facebook or Pinterest (which, I am convinced, is some sort of evil, internet crack.)

Thanks for having me, Dana!

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Wow! What a great interview! (I too have to clean my house before I can relax enough that the hair balls aren't mocking me as I try to make cohesive sentences. )