Author Interview and Blog Tour with Scott Nicholson (plus Kindle Giveaway)

Today we welcome supernatural thriller author Scott Nicolson to My Reading Room.  I'm participating in Scott's Blog Tour and he's giving away a Kindle and some other goodies to one commenter during the blog tour, so read the interview, and then check out the end of the post for information about how to enter the giveaway.  I will have a review later in the day of The Skull Ring.

NOTE TO ALL:  Though the interview talks about the horror genre, please know that the one book of Scott's I have read so far, The Skull Ring, is very low on the blood and gore spectrum.  Think of it more in the supernatural thriller genre and he's right when he says in the comments below, there is a lot  more gore in James Patterson books than in The Skull Ring.  I plan on reading more of his books and expect the same.  So don't let my use of the word horror frighten you away - Scott is an author worth trying if you like thrillers with a supernatural element.

How did you celebrate when you found out The Red Church would be published?

I jumped out of my chair. After all those hundreds of rejections, it was great to get the phone call. I figured it would happen sooner or later, because I was going to stick with it, but it might have been much, much later. Validation!

How would you describe your books to others?

Usually “supernatural thrillers,” but it depends on where I am and the crowd I am in. Sometimes just “thrillers.”

Where did the idea for The Skull Ring come from?

It was an attempt to write a more conventional suspense novel, with no supernatural elements. But it’s still set in the Appalachian Mountains like my other books.

Who do you think has influenced you the most to write in the horror genre?

Probably Stephen King, just because he happened to be a great writer and the most commercially successful writer on the planet. And I loved those old mountain ghost stories my grandmother used to tell.

What made you decide to write horror novels?

It was partly because there were so many horror short story markets, so I had some sales, and figured I would be able to find an audience from there. And I guess the supernatural just interests me because of all the spiritual mysteries.

I think I read my first horror novel when I was about 13 (Christopher Pike and soon moved to Stephen King), my son is already reading Goosebumps books at 8, when did you first read a horror novel?

I jumped in without knowing it, reading The Exorcist and The Sentinel at a very early age, two religious-themed horror novels. So I guess the die was cast since I also like religious or spiritual overtones.

Did you plan your books out or do you just write and see where they take you?

I usually have a general idea but I never outline. I like to see where I will end up.

Do you get time to read? What are your favorite types of books to read?

I love to read but I do so much reading on the Internet, keeping up with books, bloggers, and publishing changes, as well as all I have to read as a newspaper reporter, that I have to do most of my “reading” on audiobooks. But I usually work on several books at once.

What is your favorite room in your house?

We love the kitchen but I spend most of my time in the main room, where we have desks and computers. There’s a big picture window and an undeveloped mountain, and my neighbors are horses and cows. It has white walls and pine floors and glows when the sun shines.

What is your favorite spot to read in?

Bed or the bathtub.

What is your favorite snack food?

Popcorn or chips and homemade salsa.

What is your favorite season?

Autumn.

Do you have a schedule for writing each day or do you just do it when you can?

I work best when I have a couple of hours every morning but life doesn’t work that way right now, so I just do it whenever I can.

Where do you do the majority of your writing?

At my desk at home, but I will work on my laptop if I am too mobile.

Did you find writing The Skull Ring to be difficult or did the book just take off with no problems?

It was fairly straightforward and I didn’t have to revise it too much. I would like to bring Julia Stone back and maybe make a “cult buster” character out of her, since it takes her the entire novel to gain her strength and will.

Any book signings/conferences/public/blog appearances in the near future?

This blog tour is about all I can think about right now. It’s more fun that going to big conferences where so much is going on, it’s hard to keep up with it all. I will try to do one big event a year and I teach at occasional writing workshops. I also run a comic-book show so that’s another place I meet readers.

Do you have a new book in the works?

Right now I am collaborating on a novel called “Cursed” with J.R. Rain. It will be out in November. 

Anything else you would like to say?

This tour has been a wonderful chance to meet readers and bloggers, and I appreciate all the comments. I’ve learned a lot and I wish I could give everyone a Kindle. Don’t forget to sign up for my Inner Circle newsletter to increase your chances of winning a Kindle and other future prizes. And don’t forget to leave some form of contact info in the comments in case you win.

Thanks so much for agreeing to do an interview with me.

Thank you, Crystal.

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Scott Nicholson is author of The Skull Ring, Speed Dating with the Dead, Drummer Boy, and nine other novels, five story collections, four comics series, and six screenplays. A journalist and freelance editor in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, he often uses local legends in his work. This tour is sponsored by Amazon, Kindle Nation Daily, and Dellaster Design.

To be eligible for the Kindle DX, simply post a comment below with contact info. Feel free to debate and discuss the topic, but you will only be entered once per blog. Visit all the blogs on the tour and increase your odds. I’m also giving away a Kindle 3 through the tour newsletter and a Pandora’s Box of free ebooks to a follower of “hauntedcomputer” on Twitter. And, hey, buy my books and put me in the Top 100 and I’ll throw in another random Kindle 3 giveaway. Thanks for playing. Complete details at http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/blogtour.htm