Welcome to the show and thank you for joining us. I want to share with you a little secret. I love my job. I mean, I get to reach out to all of you lovely people and talk about books, writing, and all kinds of other things.
But some days are just cooler than others in all respects and this is one of those days. Why? You might ask? Well, I have as a guest today guy that I’m happy to call a friend and fellow horror writer. But his talents do not just stop there. I became an instant fan when I read his books, The Night Parade and Bone White. You may know of him from the band Veer. Of course, I am talking about Mr. Ronald Malfi.
Good Day to you Sir!
Response
Ronald, you may or may not know this, but on this show, I have been doing recaps of what cities are taking the number 1-3 spots in terms of listeners. Can you guess what city is in the number one spot this week?
Response
Great guess, but as of this week it is still our good friends in Atlanta, Georgia taking the number one spot. Still worth mentioning that in a three-way tie for second place we have Columbus, Ohio, Boston, Massachusetts, and Chesapeake, Virginia. In third place we have San Jose, California; Clichy, Île-de-France; Riverview, Florida and Broadview Heights, Ohio.
So, thank you to all of those listeners. I appreciate it. You make my world go round and I am just so happy you are with us.
My friend have a new book coming out, Come With Me. I have already reserved my copy, but I do need you to sign it next time I see you. Of course, we are going to talk all about that new book, but first, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
1. How long have you been writing? I mean, I think you have like 12 books out there or something like that. Is that right?
2. When did you start your writing career? How did it all begin for you?
3. You are one of the best “despair” writers I know. And I what I mean is that no one puts you into the depths of despair along with the main character like you do. And that feels like a strange compliment to give someone; but to me, it suggests a deeper ability. In Bone White, there is a point where Paul is wandering the hillside in the snow and you feel his despair to the point that it weighed on me heavily. How do you drag your characters down to that point?
4. I want to put you on the spot for a moment. All Things Writing is about writing and writers. I am sure that my listeners would love to hear your top three bits of advice for aspiring writers. And I mean, past the usual where we tell people to just keep writing.
5. I think you will agree that it is hard to make a living as a horror writer. Was there a point in your life where you just said, “That is what I want to do and kind of we.”
We will pause for a short break (I insert a buzzsprout ad here) during recording that will amount to about 5 seconds of dead air.
This is almost surreal for me Ronald, I gotta tell you. It is like sitting with a mentor to a certain extent for me. Because, as a writer, I read the books of those I want to be like to try and understand how they do what they do. And that is why I am super excited about Come With Me.
The book comes out in July, I think. But you can pre-order it now. But, why don’t you tell us a little about it?
I would like to, if it is alright with you, read the Amazon description. Is that okay? I will try to do it in a sexy announcer voice.
“Aaron Decker's life changes one December morning when his wife Allison is killed. Haunted by her absence--and her ghost--Aaron goes through her belongings, where he finds a receipt for a motel room in another part of the country. Piloted by grief and an increasing sense of curiosity, Aaron embarks on a journey to discover what Allison had been doing in the weeks prior to her death.
“Yet Aaron is unprepared to discover the dark secrets Allison kept, the death and horror that make up the tapestry of her hidden life. And with each dark secret revealed, Aaron becomes more and more consumed by his obsession to learn the terrifying truth about the woman who had been his wife, even if it puts his own life at risk.”
How was that? Did I do it justice?
As a quick PSA: We do not do spoilers here on All Things Writing, but I have not read the book yet, so I can guarantee that we are not giving anything away, at least I am not.
6. Tell me a little more about Aaron and Allison. Where did they come from? When did the moment strike you that these were good characters that screamed for a book?
7. Talk about settings for Come With Me. I don’t want to presume it is set in Baltimore or somewhere in Maryland, but I guess I would. What are we going to see in terms of settings?
8. What else should we know about the book? How about giving us your elevator pitch?
9. Most importantly, where can people find the book to pre-order.
And yes, I will include the link in the show notes for people to see.
This has been amazing. When the book comes out and I have had a chance to read it, how about coming back on the show and we can talk about it a little more. I think it might be fun to do like a review session with the author, what do you say?
Well, this has been another episode of all things writing. I want to remind the listening audience that if you liked the show, hit that like button so you know when new shows come out and to see all of the old ones. Also, if you want to support the show you can hit the link in the show notes, or paypal me directly. Remember we have tons of sponsorship slots available. Just contact me at my e-mail address posted in the notes.
I want to thank my friend and inspiration, Ronald Malfi, for joining us today. Catch his books at Amazon or wherever you buy your books and while you are there, pre-order his latest, Come with Me, before it hits the shelves in July.
This was another episode of All Things Writing and this is Bryan Nowak with my special guest, Ronald Malfi, signing off.