eSpec Books interviews Patrick Thomas, contributor to the anthology Horns and Halos edited by John L. French and Danielle Ackley-McPhail, which is currently funding on Kickstarter.

eSB: Please tell us a little something of your story.

PT:  In Fear To Tread, a man who would be looking upon somebody who is down on their luck life has his life get whose and meets up with a crazy man who thinks he is connected to the divine. But just because the guy is crazy does that mean he’s wrong?

eSB: Angels and Devils are a common theme in fiction. How did you make yours stand out? How much of a challenge was it?

PT:  I’ve written plenty of angel and demon stories, including my Hell’s Detective stories, and in those, it is pretty obvious that the supernatural is real. In Fear To Tread that certainty that is present in most fantasy stories is not there and in the end, choosing to believe is a matter of faith. Or madness. Perhaps a little of both.

eSB: Is your story based on particular lore or legend, or did you take the broad concept and run with it?

PT:  I ran with it.

eSB: Is your story set in an existing universe or fresh and new for this collection?

PT:  This one is in a fresh and new universe.

eSB: Are your characters here ones that you plan to revisit?

PT:  I think for me this might end up being standalone, which is unusual for me, but who knows? The universe has some great potential so we may see more of it

eSB: Is this your first time writing for a themed anthology, or have you done so before? What draws you to such projects?

PT:  I’ve been fortunate enough to be in a few dozen themed anthologies over the years and even co-edited three, which include the vampire-themed New Blood (with Diane Raetz) and Camelot 13 (with John French). I will also be editing a few anthlogies for the upcoming Agents of the Abyss universe.

eSB: Could you tell us about one of your most amusing experiences promoting your books?

PT:  I managed to sell the shirt off the back of the artist at the table next to me at a con.

eSB: What is one thing you would share that would surprise your readers?

PT:  My books were part of the set on the TV show CSI for over 6 years and in one episode the Murphy’s Lore book Nightcaps was thrown at a suspect’s head during questioning in a prison.

eSB: What are some of your other works readers can look for?

PT:  There are 9 books in my Murphy’s Lore series about an NYC bar at the end of the rainbow which is owned by a leprechaun and where Hercules is the bouncer and Dionysus is a bartender. Spinoffs include 3 Terrorbelle books, Lore & Dysorder (featuring Hell’s Detective), and a pair of Hexcraft books. My Mystic Investigators paranormal mystery series is up to 9 books. I have a space opera Exile and Entrance as well as a steampunk book As The Gears Turn. And lest I anger the great old one, I write the Dear Cthulhu advice empire which includes 6 collections of the magazine columns as well as a monthly radio appearance on Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction.

eSB: What projects of your own do you have coming up?

PT:  I have been writing middle readers and picture books as Patrick T. Fibbs and have the first book in a new series coming out soon-Joy Reaper Checks Out. It’s about what happens when the Grim Reaper brings Joy with him on take-your-daughter-to-work day. The second books in both my other middle reader series The Undead Kid Diaries and the Babe B. Bear Mysteries are done and with the artist. I have 3 new picture books in the pipeline including Vicki Frankenstein and the Three Monster Dads with legendary artist Daniel R. Horne and a new Ughabooz which is the follow up to 5 Silly Monsters Jumping on Poor Zed.

As Patrick Thomas, I have Bikini Jones Vs. The Alien Brainnappers the first book in a fantastical new humor series coming out soon.  And I have been working on a new series Agents of the Abyss, best described as James Bond crossed with Universal Monsters which includes a mix of anthologies and novels featuring a host of talented writers, including a pair of novels with John French and Christy Jackson Nicholas as well anthologies which include tales by David Summers and Robert Waters who also appear in  Horns & Halos.

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Patrick Thomas has had stories published in over three dozen magazines and more than fifty anthologies. He’s written 30+ books including the fantasy humor series Murphy’s Lore, urban fantasy spin-offs Fairy With A Gun, Fairy Rides The Lightning, Dead To Rites, Rites of Passage, Lore & Dysorder and two more in the Startenders series. He co-writes the Mystic Investigators paranormal mystery series and The Assassins’ Ball, a traditional mystery, co-authored with John L. French. His darkly humorous advice column Dear Cthulhu includes the collections Cthulhu Knows Best, Have A Dark Day, Good Advice For Bad People, and Cthulhu Knows Best. His latest collection is the Steampunk-themed As The Gears Turn. A number of his books were part of the props department of the CSI television show and one was even thrown at a suspect. Fairy With A Gun was optioned by Laurence Fishburne’s Cinema Gypsy Productions. Act of Contrition, a story featuring his Soul For Hire hitman is in development as a short film by Top Men Productions. Drop by www.patthomas.net to learn more.