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The Corruption of Alston House
Group Reads: Guest Author Invite
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January 2020 Group Read with Guest Author, John Quick
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Hey, all! Just wanted to say I'm thrilled to be doing this, and I look forward to interacting with you all throughout the month. I'll be answering questions, and giving some insight into the creation of The Corruption of Alston House. Feel free to ask anything you'd like, and I'll be popping in here and there to see what's happening.
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It's free on Kindle Unlimited over here in the UK at the moment. So no excuse not to join in!
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Kenneth wrote: "John. Can you tell us a little how you came up with the idea of THE CORRUPTION OF ALSTON HOUSE?"Sure! I knew I wanted to do a good old-fashioned ghost story. As with all the best haunted house tales, the house came first. I've always loved those old Victorians, and to me, they are the quintessential "haunted" house. At the same time I was visualizing it, I heard The Pretty Reckless's "House on the Hill". While the song's about something completely different, it cemented the imagery in my mind.
Next thing I knew, I had the entire opening sequence: Kat arriving, the uncompleted repairs and renovations, all of it. That may be the first and only time I had that much in my head before a single word hit the page.
The dark secrets in the town all came during the writing process. I don't outline, so I was as surprised as you will be when I realized everything that was going on!
A fun tidbit from that opening sequence: much of Kat's belongings came from my wife, from the Pathfinder she drives to the coffee mug that says "The more people I meet the more I love my dog." Unfortunately, the mug's been broken, but it was real at one time.
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Yay! I'm planning on tomorrow!! :D
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Okay guys, about to head to the day job, but thought I'd drop a quick bit of trivia in before I go.The original title of the book was HIDDEN HEARTS, referring to the secrets everyone's keeping. Since there was a novella with a similar title coming out around the same time, it was suggested that I change the title. Considering how long I'd lived with the original, I was pretty resistant to changing it. I knew I'd do what was best, but didn't really want to. Still, me and the guys from Silver Shamrock spent an hour brainstorming and tossing titles back and forth. When THE CORRUPTION OF ALSTON HOUSE came through, I actually sat back in my chair and smiled. Those dark secrets weren't the biggest antagonist, it was the house and all that made it the way it is. The new title encapsulated that perfectly. We made the change, and I was surprised to find I was actually pretty pleased about it.
The original name for part three was "Alston House", but in honor of the title change, it became the new "Hidden Hearts".
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Latasha wrote: "I just started part 2. The thing she saw would be enough to get me out of there."Agreed. The problem is, once you've spent so much money, you become "pot-committed" and the tolerance where you'll cut your losses grows. That's the position Kat's in there.
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Kimberly wrote: "I'm at 36%. [spoilers removed]. What I am really loving here is how well the atmosphere is able to go from "normal" (house repairs), to chilling--leaving me on the edge of my seat the entire time."(view spoiler)
The atmosphere was one of the biggest things for me in this one. I wanted to make sure the reader felt that strange mix of normalcy and being creeped out. Glad to see it works for you!
As to the home repairs, that's my wife's fault, too. She's obsessed with the shows on DIY and HGTV about renovations, which implanted that particular idea in my head.
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Looking forward to the rest!!
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I’ve seen older homes in the country before that had family cemetery plots on their land. I’ve always found that creepy and intriguing, all at the same time.
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We had a few where I grew up. 20 minute walk one way (I grew up in the country), there was one that had stones from the early 1800's. When I was older, I used to go out there and write. (The house it belonged to had been gone for as long as we lived there).
Now, I live in another area of the country, and have a cemetery right at the end of the street that "T's" into our dead-end one.
Kimberly wrote: "Kenneth wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "I'm at 36%. [spoilers removed]. What I am really loving here is how well the atmosphere is able to go from "normal" (house repairs), to chilling--leaving me on the ..."Fun fact: growing up, my house was the 8th on the right. In between the 6th and 7th was one of those little family graveyards. It was off-limits for most of my childhood, but as soon as I was old enough to be home alone, I went to check it out. You'd think that after all the build-up, the place would have lost some of its mystery, but it didn't. Until the day I moved out on my own, the place was as magical and mysterious and creepy as it had always been.
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Latasha wrote: "i finished this early this morning. ok, i'm going to be honest. i would have liked the pacing to be a little faster and i wish i had known about the horrible things those kids suffered. however, i ..."Yeah, I really debated about how much to include about the kids who came before, but decided I simply couldn't bring myself to go into much detail. Besides, the imagination is usually worse than anything someone else can come up with, so I left it for the reader to decide on their own.
Glad you enjoyed it overall, though!
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https://projectentertainmentnetwork.c...
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Hi, I just finished the book this morning. I loved this book! I have been a member of this group for over a year but never posted in it before. I decided as a New Year’s resolution to become more active in my goodreads groups that I belong to so I started this book since it was a group read. I am so glad the group picked this book. I probably would not have read it otherwise and I would have missed out on such a good book. I am looking into other books you have written. Do you have a recommendation on which one I should read next?
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I just finished the book this morning. I loved this book! I have been a member of this group for over a year but never posted in it before. I decided as a New Year’s resolution to become more ..."
I'd love a recommendation as well!
The beautiful thing about folks discovering you off a new release is that you have some options when it comes to recommendations, lol. That said, it really depends on your tastes. If you're looking for something a little... let's say bloodier, my debut novel Consequences is being re-released on the 24th in hardback, mass-market paperback, and eBook. I describe it best as a slasher movie in book form, albeit with characters who actually know how to use their brains.For something closer to Alston House, I'd go with What Sleeps Beneath. It's a coming of age / vampire tale written by someone who was so tired of vampires in fiction that he swore he'd never write about them himself. Turns out, I was wrong about that, and couldn't see this one any other way.
And finally, if you're looking for something that has some lighthearted fun along with the scares, or to get in at the start of a series, check out Demon at the Window, the first of my series of Cochran Investigations novels. A former TBI agent turned PI ends up on a simple stalking case where it looks more and more like the culprit is an actual demon from Hell. Fair warning, it is a spiritual successor to Consequences (not a direct sequel, and explaining too much would be spoilerific), but you don't have to have read that to enjoy it.
Whichever you choose, I hope you enjoy it!
Since I know two of you are finished with the book, let's open this up a bit. Make sure to use spoiler tags for sensitive bits, but I'm more than happy to do a little Q&A for this one. Feel free to ask anything about the plot, characters, writing process, whatever you like, and I'll be more than happy to answer!
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Kimberly wrote: "Perfect timing! I started handwriting my review, and little things keep coming back to me. WARNING: do not read spoiler unless finished: [spoilers removed]"(view spoiler)
Thank you for the recommendations. I am interested in all 3 but have decided to read Consequences next. I have several questions - some specific to the book and some are not. By the way - I see a lot of reading challenges on goodreads where people read 50 -200 books a year. I love to read and 40 is my max usually because of time constraints. So the books I choose to read - I am hoping I am not going to be disappointed. Well I can definitely say I was not disappointed with this book. I finished it a few days ago and i still find myself thinking about it. One of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much was the attention to detail. I felt I was experiencing what Kat was experiencing. When she would venture into an area of the house or the cemetery I could visualize it perfectly from the way it was written. This book was creepy and I love creepy! This leads to one of my questions - do you have to rewrite scenes several times to “evoke the image” you want or do you find that once you know what you want to happen next the writing just flows? Also, do you find that when you are writing a story, you often go back and insert scenes here or there or do you just keep adding to where you last left off as the story develops?
I have often wondered this about authors - when you read for pleasure do you find it sparks your creativity? Do you like to read the same genre you write or do you prefer to read something else?
Tomorrow I have some specific questions pertaining to the book.
Gail wrote: "Thank you for the recommendations. I am interested in all 3 but have decided to read Consequences next. I have several questions - some specific to the book and some are not. By the way - I see a..."
Okay, let's break these down:
...do you have to rewrite scenes several times to “evoke the image” you want or do you find that once you know what you want to happen next the writing just flows?
In general, it's there from the first draft. I may go back and tweak it some during the revision process to heighten it, but the bulk of the scene's atmosphere comes out during the initial flow of the storytelling.
Also, do you find that when you are writing a story, you often go back and insert scenes here or there or do you just keep adding to where you last left off as the story develops?
It is very rare for me to go back during the first draft to add or change things. I might refer to a character name or something for the sake of continuity, but that's about it. If I have an idea for a previous scene during the first draft, I'll usually make a note outside the manuscript and go back to it during the next draft. Believe it or not, I didn't do that here, though I did enhance some foreshadowing during revisions.
...when you read for pleasure do you find it sparks your creativity? Do you like to read the same genre you write or do you prefer to read something else?
It can spark my creativity, but I'm honestly not paying attention to or thinking about that when I read for pleasure. I do it for the same reason anyone else does: to escape into someone else's world for a while. That being said, I do absorb things that either I want to try or want to avoid in my own work. But it's all subconscious. I don't think about it while I'm reading. If I do, the story has failed me.
I do tend to read more horror than anything else, but that's by no means all I read. I'm also a HUGE fantasy geek (I cut my teeth on Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Sword of Truth, and now Kingkiller Chronicles), and actually enjoy biographies and other non-fiction as well. If it can grab my interest--no matter the genre--I'll burn through it.
Thanks for all these questions, and I can't wait to see your book-specific ones!
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Kenneth wrote: "John, so many protagonists are authors. I’m sure these are the easiest character for writers to get inside. Very rarely do I see one that is an artist, particularly a painter. Kate’s profession fee..."As much as I enjoy the graphic arts, I have no background in it. The decision to make Kat a painter rather than a writer or a photographer (two things I do know a bit about) was purely instinctual. She is an amalgam of several people I know, including an ex-girlfriend I remained close friends with over the years. That's probably where the artist came into play. My ex was a painter, and I remember her process. When it came time to detail Kat's, I just used those memories. As to the small details, I'm sure they're not a hundred percent accurate, but I talked to my wife (who does some craft-style painting) and researched the hell out of it, and hopefully it at least came close to reality.
Thank you for answering my author questions. I am going to start with 2 of my book specific questions. I apologize in advance if I missed the answer to these questions in the story. 1. I was hooked when I first started reading the book. The description of the house as Kat first walked through it was so detailed that I felt I was there too. I love creepy houses! So I was very intrigued at Kat’s description of the tower and how she noticed it was sealed off at the second floor level. She also noted that the flooring was absent inside the tower at this level also. She was going to ask the contractor about opening it up. Upon finishing the story I am guessing that the purpose of this was (view spoiler)
2. My second question has to do with the piece of tombstone being thrown through the window. (view spoiler)
Gail wrote: "Thank you for answering my author questions. I am going to start with 2 of my book specific questions. I apologize in advance if I missed the answer to these questions in the story. 1. I was hook..."
You didn't miss anything in the story. The clues are there for the answers, but they're pretty subtle. That said....
(view spoiler)
Great questions! I love it when someone is thinking that in depth into something I wrote!
John what was your inspiration for Corruption Of Alston house? I thought you did a wonderful job with this book and I’m curious how the idea came to you!
John wrote: "John what was your inspiration for Corruption Of Alston house? I thought you did a wonderful job with this book and I’m curious how the idea came to you!"The simple desire to do a straight ahead ghost story. When I wrote it, I'd finished a couple of pretty bloody tales, and wanted to try my hand at something with a bit of subtlety. I also seem to have a predilection to small towns with secrets, which worked well here.
If you want influence for it, I'd just re-read Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box, so that may have come into play as well.
For Kat, I pulled attributes from several women in my life including my wife and an ex, as well as friends. Her back story came to me like a slap in the face, and then it was off to the races.
Well, the month's almost up, so I guess I'll wrap this up. Thanks to everyone who read and interacted during this group read! I had a blast chatting and answering questions, and hopefully I get the chance to come back and do it again one day!I'll still get updates on this if anyone has more questions or comments, otherwise, see you around GoodReads!
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https://www.amazon.com/Corruption-Als...