‘Cradle’ Blog Tour: The Hardest Aspect

by | Oct 30, 2015 | Columns | 1 comment

Cradle_JoshuaSkye_BlogTourBannerI’ve said before, writing is frustrating, pleasurable, infuriating, and rewarding—often all at the same time. The ferociously inimitable Dorothy Parker once very astutely said, “I hate writing, I love having written.” It sums up an author’s emotional dichotomy perfectly while even leaving room for interpretation and confusion. She was, after all, so brilliant her legacy endures even to this day, however much she may have been scorned by the establishment she so fiercely loved to satirize. Hey, it deserved to be. I’m not a satirist, but I do love exposing the establishment for its many, and so very unforgivable, iniquities, and shortcomings.

Unlike what may be superficially perceived from the first half of Dorothy Parker’s confession, there are times I absolutely love writing. I find a near ecstasy in crafting horrific, fantastic, and shockingly sexual scenes. You know, taboo things we shouldn’t be so thrilled by. I find the taboo fascinating, and I welcome it into my world with open arms. As Parker was actually pointing out, it’s not always fun and games. Most of the time writing is difficult, tedious, a loathsome chore suffered before the excitement of the storm. Like Parker, I love having written. There’s no greater moment during an artist’s creative process than the pride one feels when succulent fruit, so painstakingly tended perhaps over the course of months and even years, is ready to share with an unsuspecting world.

A series is perhaps the pedantic quintessence of Dorothy Parker’s infamous words. The hardest part of writing one is keeping the storyline fresh and intriguing. This falls into my belief that most sequels (or even planned series) have a tendency to begin rehashing the original tale’s storyline, making the franchise feel pointless or worse… tiresome. The last thing subsequent tales in a chain want to be is boring. This is why I chose to explore the same themes found in The Angels of Autumn as opposed to repeating an identical plotline either with the same characters or new ones who just so happen to find themselves in the very same predicament as those in the first novel. Therein lies the easiest part of crafting a series, knowing the slithering undercurrents which will propel the characters and narrative to the inevitable adversity they must confront. It’s a kind of dichotomy, isn’t it? Yes, I think so, much like those infamous words by that bygone literary genius Dorothy Parker. And yes, I love having written both The Angels of Autumn and its dark, twisted sibling Cradle.

JoshuaSkye_Cradle_FrontCover_promotionalIn the deepest vale of Crepuscule’s Cradle, in the cul-de-sac at the end of Direful Hollow Road, is a once grand Folk-Victorian home known as The Habersham House. It’s a place haunted by far more than rot and neglect – evil dwells here, an evil that craves children.

Eight-year-old Scott Michaels-Greene has a fascination for tales of the strange and unusual, especially local folklore. His favorite story is the one about Habersham House; a ruined old place where many curious children have disappeared.

Hours away from Crepuscule’s Cradle, in Philadelphia, author Radley Barrette has just lost the love of his life to a random act of violence. Amongst his endowments from Danny’s estate is an old house in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, Habersham House. Though grief stricken at leaving behind the only home he and Danny had ever known, he knows he cannot remain in the city. Besides, the isolation may be just what he needs to clear his mind of the writer’s block he’s suffering from.

Crepuscule’s Cradle is not as he imagined. The locals are inhospitable. The skeletal forest surrounding it is as unwelcoming as the town. And the house itself – there is something menacing, something angry inhabiting it with him, and it’s hungry. Radley’s world slowly begins to unravel; the fringes of his reality begin to fray. In the midst of his breakdown, a local boy with an unhealthy fascination for Habersham House begins sneaking around and the evil residing within has taken notice.

Blending fantasy with horror, Crepuscule’s Cradle is the darkest of fairy tales. The morbidity of classic folklore and contemporary style weaves a web of slowly encroaching unease. Radley Barrette’ winter bound home is more than a haunted house, and Crepuscule’s Cradle is more than a mere horror tale. It’s a bedtime story that will pull you into its icy embrace, lull you into a disquiet state, and leave you shivering in the dark.

Cradle is available online at:

Amazon: US | UK | Australia | Canada | Germany | Italy | France | Spain | Japan | Mexico | Brazil | India | The Netherlands

Amazon Print: US | UK | Canada | Germany | Italy | France | Spain | Japan | Mexico | Brazil | India

Barnes & Noble (Print & eBook)

Kobo

iTunes

Smashwords

JoshAbout the Author
Award winning, bestselling author Joshua Skye was born in Jamestown, New York. Growing up, he split his time between Pennsylvania and Texas. Ultimately he settled in the DFW area with his partner, Ray – of nearly two decades, and their son Syrian. They share their lives with two dogs, Gizmo and Gypsy, and a chinchilla named Bella. Skye’s short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies including Childhood Nightmares: Under the Bed, and periodicals such as The Sirens Call. He is the author of over ten critically acclaimed novels, among them The Angels of Autumn that takes place in the same nightmarish universe as Cradle.

About Jess Landry

Jess Landry is an eccentric billionaire, the inventor of the hacky-sack and a compulsive liar. She spends her time mentally preparing for the zombie apocalypse and playing with her cats. You can find some of her work online at SpeckLit.com and EGM Shorts.

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