Meet Carole Gill

I ment Carole Gill in the Masters of Horror Group. She posts a lot of interesting links and everyone was talking about her new book, The House on Blackstone Moor. When the opportunity came to get the book for free through Vamplit's summer reading program- I jumped at my chance! You can read my review of her book over at See Spot Read.

The Interview~

1.)How long have you been writing novels?

I would say I got really serious about my writing (and novels) four years ago. Although The House on Blackstone Moor is my first published novel it is actually the third novel I wrote. It takes that long to get your novel writing skills up to where they should be I think. The first two I wrote I’ll say, yup better not published! The third though was sci fi and actually I still like it so who knows?!

2.)Do you write full time or do you have a day job?

I do write full time now because my husband gave me my shot. He suggested a few years ago to do it full time and go for it. It was very hard financially but we survived and I am so grateful to him. I don’t know how I could possibly write as much as I do if I had to work.

3.)Is this your fist published novel?

Yes, it is!

4.)What made you decide to go the Small Press route?

Well truthfully I preferred not to self-publish. I was considering agents but then I came across Vamplit and am I glad I did. Vamplit is a small press, but I have learned so much from Gaynor Stenson who is Vamplit. She is a brilliant editor and is encouraging to me, she lets me be me and I love that. I’m very happy with Vamplit and not only looking forward to the sequel being published but the third novel as well which will follow it.

5.)In "The House on Blackstone Moor" the lead character, Rose, is raped on several occasions. Were these scenes hard to write? Why did you feel they were necessary to the story?

Well Rose is a victim of child abuse and it is that abuse that leads her to everything else that follows. She poses the question throughout, asking if that evil let in other evil. As the child abuse is not depicted I didn’t have to write about it.

The rape that was depicted is toward the end and no, I felt I was choosing my own way to present it and I was comfortable doing it. Also the rapist was a demonic creature so that further permitted me the comfort of a safety zone as in ‘there really aren’t demonic creatures that rape or don’t rape!’

6.)What scares you personally? Do you have any silly phobias?

Evil people frighten me, the real monsters that dwell among us. Maniacs like Ed Gein, Albert Fish, Manson, Bundy. They embody the real horror that exists.

The fact that Ted Bundy sat answering phones on a rape hotline also scares me. Monsters that don’t look like monsters frighten the life out of me.

Phobias: I guess creepy crawlies, sometimes great heights! That’s about it.

7.)What is your writing routine?

My writing day starts around 9 after dog walking. I write until about 1 pm, have lunch then pick up again until 4 sometimes. I read and do research around that. Generally I only watch a couple of hours of t.v.

My husband and I generally both conk out watching t.v. at night with our dogs! what a picture!

8.)Have you always been a fan of horror?

Yes, my parents were both sci fi fans, fanatics really! The earliest things I can remember seeing were sci fi movies. Somehow though horror appealed and I started to write really morose poetry. I was a goth 100 years before anyone else was!

I wrote my first sci fi story at 8, but then by 11, 12, I was well into my horror stories. I also was a big fan of horror films: Hammer a huge favourite!

9.)What other authors inspire you?

Well I would say the Brontes, Daphne DuMaurier, Ann Rice and Stephen King with a dash of Poe! Mix them all up and well, that’s what I love!

For a long work of fiction I love writing in the gothic horror/romance genre, however for short fiction I love to gore it up and write all things horror from zombies to demonic dolls to evil vampires. I would like to also add my fiction is character driven not plot driven. But that’s me!

10.) What advice would you give to newbie writers out there?

Write whatever you want to write, what you feel, what’s important to you.
Keep writing too. The more you write the better you will write. Send out work you’re proud of. There are no guarantees; writing toward publication is a learning experience, so learn from everything!

Rejection happens to everyone, Stephen King tossed ‘Carrie’ into the waste bin but his wife fished it out. J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter was rejected by 13 different publishers.

There are great writers who have had 100’s of rejections.

Just go for it it, I’d say!

BIO
In 2000 Carole was selected by North West Playwrights of England for further development. It was an invaluable experience but Carole found she prefers to write fiction.

She loves to scare herself and others with her horror fiction and is widely published in horror and sci-fi anthologies.

Currently, Masters of Horror Anthology, MOH Damned If You Don't, Sonar's Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror, Bonded By Blood3 Languish In Lament, Whitechapel Anthology, Rymfire's Undead Tales and Zombie Winter.

Although she loves writing sci-fi her true love is dark gothic horror.

Her gothic horror novel, The House on Blackstone Moor published in 2010 by Vamplit is her first novel.

The sequel, Unholy Testament will be published by Vamplit later this year.

Website

Facebook Author Page


Blurb, The House on Blackstone Moor:

This is a tale of vampirism, madness, obsession and devil worship as Rose Baines, only survivor of her family's carnage, tells her story. Fragile, damaged by the tragedy, fate sends her to a desolate house on the haunted moors where demons dwell. The house and the moors have hideous secrets, yet there is love too; deep, abiding, eternal, but it comes with a price, her soul.

♥Stacey