Next month authors and readers will come together in Peterborough (UK) to celebrate the Darker Side of Fiction. This week I’ll be posting about a few of the authors who will be joining me at the event, signing and selling books and meeting readers.
If you want to join us on October 7th check out the Darker Side of Fiction website.
I recently interviewed Joey Paul about her books and the October event.
Carmilla Voiez (CV): Tell me about the genre(s) and subjects of the books you write and will be showcasing at the Darker event next month.
Joey Paul (JP): I've published eleven books, written 18 in total. But two of the books published don't fit the Darker theme, so I'll be showcasing nine of my books. They're mainly the Dying Thoughts Series which is a mystery/paranormal series where the main character, Tara, is able to see the last moments of someone's life when she touches something that used to be belong to them. So she's 15, working with the police and solving crimes here there and everywhere. The other four books are a mix of a psychological thriller - Blackout, which follows Tally who thinks she has a perfect life, until she wakes up from a coma and realises it was all a dream. There's a rush for her to find who put her in the coma before they catch up to her. Another book is Lynne & Hope, which is a crime/mystery. It follows two sisters, ten years apart in age, who've never been close, but when Lynne, the older sister, is accused of murder, she goes on the run and her sister, Hope is one of the only ones to believe her innocent. Then you have Destination: Unknown which is a mystery/paranormal. Harriet one night sees a ghost who begs for her help, and then she's carried back in time to solve a murder to prevent an innocent man from being hanged. And finally my newest release which is It's Not Always Rainbows, which is an LGBTQ/Mystery which follows four teens who start to look into a series of attacks in their local park after a few of their friends are targeted.
CV: What got you into writing darker fiction?
JP: I think it always fascinated me, the dark side of human nature and I was always a crime/thriller book lover so it made sense that when I started to put pen to paper, the darker side of things came to the front of my mind.
CV: Do you consider yourself morbid?
JP: Yes! I've been told that so many times I've lost count.
CV: What do you think is the attraction of dark fiction?
JP: I think for some people it's the ability to see that side of human nature without having to risk experiencing it. It's like when you pass an accident on the road, you hope everyone is okay, but you still can't help but turn and look, just to see what's going on. Reading dark fiction allows you to do that without the fear that someone in real life may be hurt.
CV: What is your absolute favourite quote from one of your books?
JP: Oh wow, the one that pops to mind is from Blackout which was one of my first zingers I think. I wrote Blackout when I was 19, I'm 35 now and it sticks with me still. The quote is basically: "If she mentions the words, 'coma', 'drugs', or 'lucky to be alive', I swear I will ram a bunsen burner up her arse!" It still makes me laugh now!
CV: Do you characters talk to you? If so what do they say?
JP: They do, and they usually tell me that I should go a different way with the story because they ain't doing what I had planned!
CV: How many years have you been writing?
JP: Sixteen years now. I started when I was 19, freshly retired from working life due to my conditions and I've not really looked back since.
CV: Of the other authors at the Darker Side of Fiction event, who are you most looking forward to meeting?
JP: Oh wow, that's a hard one. I feel like being asked to sign at Darker has opened up my world as far as other authors go. I'm looking forward to meeting Hemmie Martin, simply because she is an awesome writer and I've spoken to her a few times on the group, but then there's also Jane E James, and yourself, both of whom I've read and loved their books.
CV: Heroes or villains?
JP: I love a good villain, but they have to be written well. That said, I also love a good hero, so it all depends on which villain, like I loved Loki and would, quite happily, sit down and chat with him.
CV: If you had to choose one favourite book from all the books you have read, which would it be and why?
JP: Oh, now that's a hard one, simply because I read SO much. Some books stay with you though, like Harry Potter and such. I don't think I can pick a favourite, but I can tell you that I re-read once a year every book in the Alphabet series by Sue Grafton and my favourite of that would have to be E is for evidence, simply because it was the first one I read. I love the series, set in the 1980s because she writes and releases one book a year so Kinsey is stuck there while time has moved on. It's nice to have a well rounded females character who is badass and ready to fight for what's right, even back when it was less likely to happen.