Interview With Lee Cushing, author of "The Pisachas Retribution"'

Author Lee Cushing writes about the dark side in such books as "The Pisachas Retribution", about characters avenging an abusive crime, and "Mambo" centering on a voodoo priestess combating evil.

Let's hear what Cushing has to say about these books and writing about the occult.

Q: Most of your books explore the occult. How did you become interested in the subject? Who are some of you favorite authors in this genre?

A: I grew up watching the old Universal and Hammer horror films, usually staying up late for the Saturday double bills that were being shown over here in the UK. It would be unfair not to credit Terrence Dicks who adapted a lot of Doctor Who television stories for novelization as well as the first vampire story I ever read as an early influence on my writing, through I did later develop a taste for Guy N Smith and Shaun Hutson. I also spent time collecting books on witchcraft, the black arts and vampires as a hobby and it seemed like a natural progression.

Q: Is there a genre you haven’t yet explored but would like to?

A: Not really, I try to mix in elements from a multitude of genres into each book.

Q: Which of your characters do you most closely identify with and why?

A: That would have to be Forrest King and his habit of making bad puns, I have a tendency towards coming up with similar comments.

Q: Are you the kind of author who writes a little at a time or do you just plow right through?

A: That’s something that depends on the circumstances at the time. My preference is always to get as much do a day as I can, but there are times when that’s not possible and there’s only enough time to get a little done.

Q: The storyline in “Mambo”, about a voodoo priestess who tries to stop the spread of evil, is very intriguing. How did you get the idea?

A: I wanted to do something involving religious intolerance, focusing on the concept of how those who had only had experience with the darker side of the religion would perceive working alongside a practitioner who believed that voodoo should be used as a power of healing.

Q: Is there a type of character you are especially drawn to, as a writer?

A: Not really, I use an application which randomly comes up with basic characteristics and attributes for each character in order to ensure a wide variety of characters.