THE CRIMSON CORSET

Horror author Alistair Cross has a new book, The Crimson Corset, just released. He's agreed to take a break from his many book signings to answer a few questions for us.

1.       How did you start your writing career? Describe your very first creation.

Though I've written my entire life, it wasn't until about ten years ago that I began to consider it as a career. I didn't know where to start, and had no knowledge of what it took to write a novel. So I began reading about writing. I read everything I could get my hands on that might educate me about the craft. I began my first novel in 2007. That original creation had quite a lot of problems and it wasn't until 2012 that I published a different novel. The road to publication can be a long discouraging one, but I believe that if you keep at it, commit yourself to honing your craft, have the talent, and make writing a priority, the right doors will open and you will get to where you want to be.

 2.       Sounds like you've prepared well for the task, and it's paid off. Tell us about a favorite character from a book.

 Madame Defarge in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities is one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. Though she seems to be nothing but an innocuous and well-behaved wife, Madame Defarge is one deadly dame. As she sat knitting, seemingly unaware of the wine shop customers, I was first struck by the way she communicated her thoughts to her husband - with a quick flick of eyebrow and a barely perceptible nod of the head. This let me know there was more to her than met the eye … but it wasn't until later in the book that we learn more about her backstory, and how utterly consumed by revenge she is. Madame Defarge’s knitting is more than a way to pass the time. It’s a woolen hit-list in which she uses her needles to encode the names and crimes of the people that should eventually be beheaded. I was young enough when I read this that it left a permanent impression on me and when I'm writing villains, I often think of her.

 3.       An unexpected evil does impress. Tell us about your current release.

 It’s called The Crimson Corset, the first in a series titled The Vampires of Crimson Cove. The Crimson Corset is about a seemingly ordinary young man named Cade Colter who moves to the tourist-centric little village of Crimson Cove where he discovers he’s not so ordinary after all. Unbeknownst to him, Cade has a genetic rarity that makes him very extraordinary … and very valuable, particularly to Gretchen VanTreese, the undead proprietor of the Crimson Corset - a nightclub of ill-repute that looms at the edge of town.

As Cade becomes the object of Gretchen’s obsession, the peaceful vampires on the other side of Crimson Cove must call off the ancient and uneasy truce between their Loyals and Gretchen’s in order to protect Cade Colter. But Gretchen has already begun laying an elaborate trap that will put Cade, and everyone around him, in mortal danger.

The Crimson Corset is a tale of terror and seduction, good and evil; it’s a demonstration of the corruption of power, and the strength of the human spirit in the face of extreme adversity.  

 4.     That's a truly awesome tribute by Jay Bonansinga for your writing, congratulations. Tell us about your next release.

 My collaborator, Tamara Thorne, and I are working on releasing The Ghosts of Ravencrest as a full-length novel. It’s a serialization and with the completion of this particular story arc, we are compiling it into the first book of The Ravencrest Saga.

The Ghosts of Ravencrest is a balls-to-the-wall full-force Gothic that is born of our mutual love for the genre. In the vein of Dark Shadows and Turn of the Screw, The Ghosts of Ravencrest is a rollicking good time with lots of chills, plenty of sex appeal, and more ghosts than you can shake a flask of holy water at.

New governess Belinda Moorland is learning that beneath Ravencrest’s stately exterior, there lurks darkness and danger, murder, mystery, and mayhem. The inhabitants of the manor - both the living and the dead - have taken special interest in her, and as she tries to uncover the mysteries of the mansion, her employer, the handsome millionaire Eric Manning, is proving to be a great distraction … of the sexiest kind.

Ravencrest is a serialization, with new installments coming out about every six weeks. It’s ongoing, like a soap opera, and we intend to keep at it until we’ve exposed every secret and unearthed every mystery of Ravencrest Manor. And that’s a lot of secrets and mysteries.

5.   Serializations are very popular, but that sounds like a huge job. I have no doubts though, if anyone can pull it off it's you. When in the day/night do you write? How long per day?

 I write 8 - 10 hours per day, six days a week, and take Sundays off to do whatever sounds like fun - which means I usually don’t do a damn thing. Except maybe read or have a Supernatural marathon.

6.   That kind of writing schedule is envious, wow, congratulations. You are a full time writer. What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing your books?

 That writer’s block doesn’t exist. For years, I’ve expected it to show up, and it never has. I’ve hit speed bumps, and even crashed into a few brick walls … but you just write it off, like you walk off a Charley horse. You work through it. You do this by reading something, watching something, or - most effectively - writing something. If there is a more severe form of writer’s block, I haven’t experienced it.  

7.   I totally agree, it really doesn't exist. I think most people use it as an excuse or simply the reason for not putting their ass in that chair. Tell me, as I'm a curious person, what would we find under your bed?

 Panties. Not mine. Ouzo and absinthe bottles. All mine. Maybe some cat toys. And quite possibly, the cat.

8.  Sounds quite sexy, and . . . . Okay, back to the interview, what book are you reading now? What genre is a guilty pleasure?

 Midnight Voices by John Saul. And I have a lot of guilty pleasures when it comes to reading. I have read - and loved - everything from romance to children’s books.

9.   That isn't a surprise, the best writers have an eclectic taste, so do I, I mean, just say'n. Next question, how do you react to a bad review of your book?

 I don’t react because I don’t read them. By the time my novel goes through my first readers, the publisher, and a series of editors, I’m all critiqued out and am more interested in starting the next book. You can’t please everyone - you have to write for yourself. To read bad reviews, get mad, and argue in front of God and everyone else online about the right way to write a book is about the most juvenile thing a professional writer can do. Write your stories to your own satisfaction and make no apologies.

10.   Love that answer, so true! What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

My favorite color is pink. I like to knit sweaters and often encrypt the names of my enemies into the sleeves. Then I give them out for Christmas. Oh, and I have absolutely no tattoos and unless forcibly given one by a madman wielding an inked-up needle, I never will. And I don’t wear underwear. Ever. It’s part of my creative process. Swing free to think free and all that. 

 Really, hot pink, that is a surprise. 
Thanks, Alistair, for submitting to my questioning. It was fun and I'm sure all your fans have learned something new. Good luck with The Crimson Corset!

Book Description:

 Presented in the form of contemporary vampire literature, The Crimson Corset is a representation of human descent, the power of influence, the corruption of greed, and the lust for domination. It is an illustration of the human will and a testament to the strength of family ties.

Welcome to Crimson Cove

 Sheltered by ancient redwoods, overlooking the California coast, the cozy village of Crimson Cove has it all: sophisticated retreats, fine dining, and a notorious nightclub, The Crimson Corset. It seems like a perfect place to relax and get close to nature. But not everything in Crimson Cove is natural.

 When Cade Colter moves to town, he expects it to be peaceful to the point of boredom. But he quickly learns that after the sun sets and the fog rolls in, the little tourist town takes on a whole new kind of life – and death.

Darkness at the Edge of Town

 Renowned for its wild parties and history of debauchery, The Crimson Corset looms on the edge of town, inviting patrons to sate their most depraved desires and slake their darkest thirsts. Proprietor Gretchen VanTreese has waited centuries to annihilate the Old World vampires on the other side of town and create a new race – a race that she alone will rule. When she realizes Cade Colter has the key that will unlock her plan, she begins laying an elaborate trap that will put everyone around him in mortal danger.

 Blood Wars

 The streets are running red with blood, and as violence and murder ravage the night, Cade must face the darkest forces inside himself, perhaps even abandon his own humanity, in order to protect what he loves.

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