Ask the Author: Catherine Cavendish
Answered Questions (12)
Catherine Cavendish
Possibly the question mark surrounding the real identity of my paternal grandfather's father. On Granddad's birth certificate, dating from 1896, the name listed is exactly as it should be. My great grandfather . But, there was always considerable conjecture that, in fact, the young woman he always knew as his big sister was actually his mother, and his biological father was an escaped Welsh criminal! My Grandma believed this to be true and there were many others who thought likewise. If it IS true, it would explain a great deal...
Catherine Cavendish
Hello Mark. Firstly, my apologies for the delay in responding. In answer to your questions, there are a number of reasons. Sadly, Samhain Publishing went out of business a few years ago, leaving some of my titles 'orphaned'. Crossroad Press kindly stepped in and reissued them, along with some earlier books which had suffered a similar fate when another published had ceased publishing horror. Kensington Publishing offered me a three book contract which resulted in the Nemesis of the Gods trilogy and, during this time, my editor from Samhain contacted me to say he was now with Flame Tree Press and would love to work with me again. I felt the same, so I now have three novels with them, plus two in the pipeline. Silver Shamrock approached me for a short story to appear in their anthology Midnight in the Graveyard. This led to other contracts with them for short stories and a novella. Hope this answers your question. All the best, and thank you for asking!
Catherine Cavendish
Hi Bryan
This is a tough one. Shirley Jackson is right up there of course but there are some great modern American gothic authors out there too. Hard to pick just one but I would certainly put Gaby Triana way up at the top of the list. Her southern Gothic horror stories are so full of creepy atmosphere, plenty of unexpected twists, and some truly scary characters.
This is a tough one. Shirley Jackson is right up there of course but there are some great modern American gothic authors out there too. Hard to pick just one but I would certainly put Gaby Triana way up at the top of the list. Her southern Gothic horror stories are so full of creepy atmosphere, plenty of unexpected twists, and some truly scary characters.
Catherine Cavendish
Hi Gary. Purely my personal opinion of course but I could live without serial celebrity, so-called, autobiographies and porn posing as erotica but whether I would go so far as to remove them forever? No. Just because they're not for me doesn't mean I should deprive anyone else from reading them. Thanks for asking :)
Catherine Cavendish
The woman slammed the door shut on the universe a second before the worlds collided.
"That was too close," she said as an abyss opened beneath her and sucked her into hell.
"That was too close," she said as an abyss opened beneath her and sucked her into hell.
Catherine Cavendish
Hi Bobbie. Good to meet you and thanks for asking. The building is on a steep hill so there are a number of different levels and a shedload of stairs. We live above a social club and over the past two and a half centuries, the whole place has been reconfigured many times. Open a walk-in cupboard door on one landing and you see another old doorway on your right. But it leads nowhere since the dwelling it served has been bricked up. I would guess that what is now one building used to be three separate dwellings, with shops below. At the fringes of living memory, one of those used to house a Miss Griffiths whose haberdashery was at street level and who lived above her shop. When she died, the owners of the club bought her property and extended. This probably formed the latest major reconfiguration. It may be Miss Griffiths who haunts us. She is certainly benevolent. We have come home to find lights on and the TV switched on, even though they were definitely off when we left a few days earlier. My husband has heard her and even glimpsed a lady in a long dress. Lots of little things really. Never have we felt threatened in any way. Elsewhere in the club is a different matter entirely...
Catherine Cavendish
'Wrath of the Ancients' was inspired by two great loves in my life - ancient Egyptian history myths and legends, and the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria's imperial capital, which is pretty much a second home to me. Tourists visiting there see the magnificent buildings, enchanting gardens and parks and, of course, the exciting nightlife. But there is another side to Vienna - a much darker side - and it seemed the perfect setting for a horror story featuring the sinister archeologist Dr. Emeryk Quintillus and a young woman somewhat ahead of her time - Adeline Ogilvy.
Catherine Cavendish
Pretty much anywhere. My home is haunted, so that inspired a novella. My walks down by the river in rural north Wales inspire scenes and provide opportunities to think up storylines. Places I visit - especially the ancient and historic sites here in the UK - frequently inspire the ghostly and dark themes I love.
Catherine Cavendish
I have recently finished the third in my trilogy which begins with Wrath of the Ancients and am now about to embark on the second draft of a new series set in Edinburgh's creepy Closes. I have named mine Henderson Close and it's already scaring me!
Catherine Cavendish
Firstly, WRITE - and learn your craft. It doesn't matter what you write - be it a blog post, a diary entry, a short story or a novel. Just make it the best you can and be prepared to submit it to others who will supply constructive and helpful criticism. Take advice from reputable sources and be prepared to slash out pages of your story if doing so will improve it. Oh, yes, and never, ever give up. One publisher rejects it? Move on to the next, and the next, until you find the right one.
Catherine Cavendish
Being able to create my own worlds and characters, devising plots and storylines and watching them grow. I love the whole creative process
Catherine Cavendish
I think I must be very fortunate because I haven't really experienced writer's block as such. If ever I get stuck on a particular storyline, I find writing something else - even a blog post - can set me back on track.
About Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
