You may or may not have heard that we have a new project coming up on Kickstarter, GHOSTS AND GHOULS AND OTHER CREEPY THINGS. We are funding a number of horror/dark fantasy titles and since many of the authors involved are new to eSpec, we wanted to be sure to introduce them to you. The campaign launches February 1, but you can check it out today and click to be notified!
Today’s interview is with Teel James Glenn, contributor to Even in the Grave, edited by James Chambers and Carol Gyzander.
eSB: Even in the Grave is a collection of ghost stories. Without spoilers, can you tell us a bit about your story and how you came up with the idea?
TJG: I’ve long been a student of slight-of-hand and theatrical conjuring, as well as the Spiritualist movements, so it seemed a natural to write a ghost tale that intersected a bebunker and some real psychic phenomena.
eSB: What was the greatest challenge you had coming up with an idea that would stand out among the other submissions?
TJG: I didn’t give that much thought, only looking to create a story that would stand on its own, but was grounded in real rituals and real séances. And give it a twist….
eSB: Is your story a part of a greater universe stemming from other stories you have written, or does it stand alone? Whichever your answer, can you tell us about what makes that universe unique?
TJG: Sexton Darque, the main character, has his genesis in this tale, but I have also written a follow-up story where I deal with the aftermath of war on the world. I am very interested in the effects of mass death on humanity.
eSB: Do you foresee writing more stories with this character or in this world? Whichever your answer, why?
TJG: I think I will, but I have no more in mind at the moment.
eSB: Okay, first off the top of your head, who is your favorite ghost and why?
TJG: King Hamlet. I think he is a very interesting character—an unreliable narrator that has never really been explored—I hope to do so someday.
eSB: Do you believe in ghosts, and why? Is there an experience in your life you can share with us that strengthened that belief?
TJG: Yes. I don’t know what form, but I do believe in energy survival- laws of physics and all that, so I think it is denying evidence to say there is nothing after. I‘ve attended a number of séances and tried to be honest about that in this and other ghost stories I’ve written.
eSB: What haunts you as an author?
TJG: Two things: not having enough time and the corollary, having too many ideas I want to get to.
eSB: What drew you to appreciate the horror genre? What inspired you to write in it?
TJG: Humans in conflict and the suspense inherent in that is, to me, heightened in the horror world more than any other genre, though really horror/suspense is an aspect in many other genres.
eSB: Other than horror, what genres do you write in? Tell us something about your other works and what makes those genres different from writing horror.
TJG: I write Sword and Sorcery, Fantasy, Mystery, Westerns, Thrillers and to a much lesser extent, Science Fiction. I actually don’t see any difference, since I always start with characters and it is just how I put them in jeopardy and the final effect I want the reader to feel that changes things.
eSB: What is your least favorite aspect of being an author, and why?
TJG: Poverty and lack of groupies. The first because it means I can’t buy more books when I want to (darn needing food), and second because I don’t have anyone to carry me on their shoulders.
eSB: What is one thing you would share that would surprise your readers?
TJG: I write poetry regularly and used to have people set me on fire, hit me with cars, and throw me down stairs for a living.
eSB: What are some of your other works readers can look for?
TJG: Dragonthroat is the first novel in a sword and sorcery/horror series that just premiered from Airship27 Productions.
Semper Occultus is a collection of occult detective tales from Pro Se Productions.
eSB: What advice would you give aspiring horror writers?
TJG: Believe in what you do. Don’t try to copy anyone or any trend—and write to your heart, write what you want to read. Always be ready to listen to constructive critique—but never listen to naysayers.
eSB: What projects of your own do you have coming up?
TJG: The Cowboy and the Conqueror, sequel to my Award-winning pulp horror novel A Cowboy in Carpathia, will be coming out early in 2022 from Pro Se Productions.
Deadly Shadows, second book in the Jon Shadows thriller series will be out in Spring of 2022 from Airship27 Productions.
The first of my period weird husband and wife mystery series Callback for a Corpse will be out by summer from Bold Venture Press.
Teel James Glenn’s poetry and short stories have been printed in over two hundred magazines including Weird Tales, Mystery Weekly, Pulp Adventures, Space & Time, Mad, Cirsova, Silverblade, and Sherlock Holmes Mystery.
His novel A Cowboy in Carpathia: A Bob Howard Adventure won best novel 2021 in the Pulp Factory Award. He is also the winner of the 2012 Pulp Ark Award for Best Author. He has written or contributed to over thirty publications, including Them’s Fighting Words, Gaslight Occurences, The Traveler’s Tale, and Deadline Zombies, among many others.
Teel is a member of the New York chapter of the Horror Writers Association, the Historical Novel Society, Mystery Writers of America, and the International Tyanne Riders Association.
He also has had a long career as a performer, teacher, and stunt expert.
Learn more about Teel James Glenn on the following sites:
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