1. Welcome to So Many Books, So Little Time Michael, thanks for taking the time to come and chat. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up in England’s Home Counties of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, before succumbing to the Pembrokeshire Pull and moving to the wonderful Pembrokeshire Coast National park in the South West corner of Wales. The scenery, towns and cities of Wales have been a big inspiration, and feature prominently in many of my stories.
2. Who inspires you and are you reading anything just now?
I have enjoyed many of the biggest names—John Grisham, Stephen King, Dean Kuntz and Robert Goddard, but really I have a very diverse taste. Recently, I’ve been enjoying discovering independent authors but, whether it’s a thriller, or a comedy, or horror, or even an autobiography I do like a twist! I always have a twist in my stories, and because I plan them out beforehand, there are always clues along the way. I get very excited when I write something and imagine myself as the reader trying to work it out. When I get feedback from readers who have been hooked by my red herrings, I get very excited.
3. An Extraordinary Haunting, is this your first book? Without spoilers, what is your book about?
I wrote and released three other books before this one, each exploring different paranormal elements, and each having their own twists. This one’s about a houseful of students in Swansea who experience some weird poltergeist activity. Ghostly goings on are occurring in other places too: the local pub, as well as the new home of former housemate, Elin Treharne. Nothing is as it seems, and when hints of the truth are realised, all the threads collide in a thrilling climax. And I don’t like loose ends. I try to make sure all questions are answered; it’s one of the key questions I put to Beta-Readers.
4. What gave you the idea for it?
Real life experiences of my wife and my late mother-in-law were the inspiration. It’s difficult to say what those were without spoiling the story.
5. When I read the blurb I expected a completely different kind of read, what made you decide to tell the book with astro travel themes rather than horror?
It wasn’t so much a decision. It was always the inspiration. Offering a different perspective for poltergeist activity was my main intention. I love exploring the unusual, and imagining readers exploring with me is thrilling. Reviews all say how scary the book is, but to be honest, that surprised me. I’m pleased, but the thrust of the story for me are the twists. The scary parts were required to make those happen, but it seems to work!
6. Are you working on anything just now?
Of course! But I’m not sure ‘working’ is the right word, because I enjoy it so much. I am writing every day creating a couple of books at the moment; one, ‘The Nightmare of Eliot Armstrong’ is almost out with beta-readers, and my next novel ‘Destructive Interference’ is in alpha stage. I hope to release by November and New Year.
7. Where can fans find you?
On Amazon, worldwide. I have U.S. and U.K. author pages, Facebook, and Twitter, and at my website: michaelchristophercarter.co.uk. Don’t be shy, I’d love to hear from you!
Twitter - @cartercarter72 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/michaelchristophercarter/?ref=bookmarks
And now is your chance to win a paperback copy of An Extraordinary Haunting, as always use the Rafflecopter below to enter, this competition is open only to the UK, good luck.
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