Today, I’m pleased to welcome paranormal author, Peter John, for a chat. If you love ghost stories, you’re in for a treat. An awesome collection of chilling tales by the Indie Collaboration (Peter John’s brainchild) is currently FREE on Amazon! Check out these samples of his work:
“The Strangest Things Happen When You’re Dead.” – May Elizabeth Trump.
The deathly silence is about to be broken. She disliked the company of others and death did little to warm her spirit. She had led an independent life and she faced death in much the same way. She was finally alone, finally free from the mindless babble of others, at least that’s what she thought. May Elizabeth Trump was the rarest of spirits and she was none too happy about it either. She was a dead medium, a ghost who can speak with the living, and her services were to become in great demand. Flung into the limelight and smothered with unwanted attention, May soon discovers that it’s not only ghosts with long awaited messages that have taken an interest in her. Something dark was lurking in the shadows, stalking her. Even the dead are not left to rest in peace…
A selection of chilling stories from some of the best indie authors on the market. We dare you to venture into these pages of spine chilling tales and stories of ghosts and goblins. Freely donated by the authors themselves, these dark passages are a great example of their various, unique styles and imaginations. This is the first of a series of topical collections brought to you by The Indie Collaboration.
A collection of 35 poems spanning subjects such as homelessness, public transport and kitchen utensils. This poetry collection swings between being both humorous and thought provoking. Illustrated by Christopher Raven.
Hello Peter and welcome to my blog!
Hello Effrosyni! Thank you for inviting me.
What has inspired you to write Dead Medium: Not Your Average Ghost Story?
Over the years, my mother visited many psychics and mediums in a never-ending search for answers from beyond the grave. I grew up listening to her as she recounted her experiences and have even been privy to some of the tape recorded sessions. Several years ago, on probably the first and last time I accompanied her to the home of a psychic, I found myself pondering the whole concept of a medium. It occurred to me that such a person was merely a bridge between two worlds and it shouldn’t matter on which side of the river they stood; it wasn’t necessary for a medium to be alive.
I love the concept! What was the first thing you ever wrote and how old were you then?
My earliest written work, as I remember it, was a short story called ‘Thinking Crash’. It was a monologue of the thoughts, emotions and fears of a person trapped in a car directly after a major accident. I was 14 years old at the time. I wrote this story for GCSE English and was graded A. Sadly the only copy has been swallowed up by the education system never to be seen again. It was handwritten and I never had the opportunity to make a copy. I have often considered rewriting this story but I don’t believe I could capture the intensity I gave it at the time. I now prefer to regard my introduction into creative writing a lost work.
What other writing have you done? Anything else published?
I am a founding member of The Indie Collaboration, a group of international authors who have produced several short story anthologies. I have contributed to many of these publications with either short stories or poetry.
Well done, what a wonderful idea! Which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?
My favorite authors are Piers Anthony and Terry Pratchett. Their books are written with unfettered imaginations; anything is possible.
Choose a male and a female character from your book and tell us which actor and actress you’d cast to play them in a film adaptation.
My book Dead Medium is available on Audible and I had to answer the same question during its production. May Trump was based on Maggie Smith, Margaret was Miriam Margolyes, Barbara was Maureen Lipman, Victoria was Julie Walters, and Deborah was Thora Hird.
Oh, so many delightful actresses – I am hooked! Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?
I have a blog called The Trump Diary where you will find, among other things, an ongoing prequel diary about May Elizabeth Trump’s life before Dead Medium.
What do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?
I spent a year under contract with a small publisher when Dead Medium was first released and I couldn’t wait for that contract to expire. I had no control over my book and the publisher seemed to do very little to promote it. I am much happier now as an independent author and would never sign up with another small publisher. However, if a large publisher offered to put my book on the shelf of my local Waterstones I would be a fool not to consider it.
I fully agree with you, Peter. Do you listen to music while you write and if so, what kind?
I don’t listen to music while I write, I much prefer silence. However, I have found transpiration through music. I imagined that the Squirrel Nut Zippers song, “Hell”, was playing in the background throughout chapter 18.
Thank you for this chat, Peter. It was a pleasure.
For me too, Effrosyni. Thank you for introducing me to your readers.
I was born in Bromley, Kent back in the early seventies. I spent most of my childhood riding bikes, playing tag and kicking tin cans around the street, unless there was an actual football to hand. At the age of fourteen I had a milestone experience. Prior to that I had never shown the slightest interest in writing, if I remember rightly I wanted to be an astronaut, but then I got put into detention one afternoon. I had failed to bring in my homework assignment and the teacher had punished me by forcing me to write a short story during the lunch time break. While all the other boys kicked tin cans around the playground, I was sat in a room on my own with a sandwich, a carton of Kia-Ora and an exercise book. I picked at the sandwich while staring at the blank pages in front of me and then it happened. All of a sudden a story formed in my head and I almost instinctively threw in down on the paper. 45 minutes passed in what felt like seconds and the short story which I had called ‘Thinking Crash’ was spread throughout the exercise book in my scruffy, barely coherent handwriting. I had never fallen into a story like that before, where my hand was struggling to keep up with my brain and I didn’t look up once from the pages until I heard the lunch bell ring. Ever since that day I have been hooked. I could have been circling the earth in a tin can and eating my dinner out of a tube if it wasn’t for that one stint in detention; I still like to consider it as a lucky escape.
Website: http://deadmediumpeterjohn.webs.com
Blog: http://thetrumpdiary.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AttemptedAuthor
Facebook: https://facebook.com/DeadMediumbyPeterJohn
#Paranormal author Peter John owes his writing to a stint in detention #ASMSG @AttemptedAuthor Share on X
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