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Above The Fold - February 8, 2010
Acclaimed Mystery/Suspense Author
And All-Around Literary Talent
C.A. Milson was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1969. His grandfather, Jim, was well known on the Australian TV commercial circuit from the late 1950's, and his grandmother, Elsie, wrote many Jingles for TV and was a budding writer herself.
Growing up in Kedron, (a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland), C.A. attended local schools, Kedron State Primary, then Kedron High School, then on the decision of his father, he attended Wavell High School. From a teenager, he started to read the workings of master horror writer H.P.Lovecraft and found a love for writing himself.
To learn more about C.A., visit his website at:
Growing up in Kedron, (a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland), C.A. attended local schools, Kedron State Primary, then Kedron High School, then on the decision of his father, he attended Wavell High School. From a teenager, he started to read the workings of master horror writer H.P.Lovecraft and found a love for writing himself.
To learn more about C.A., visit his website at:
BOOK VIDEO TRAILER:
The Chosen
(C.A. Milson)
The Chosen
(C.A. Milson)
Official Apex Reviews Interview: C.A. Milson (The Chosen)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, C.A. We're looking forward to sharing more about your book with our readers.
What inspired you to craft this highly imaginative tale?
C.A. Milson: The original idea came to me in 1989 when I was living in Melbourne. The story for the original story came from a hobbytex picture my mother had on her wall. The picture was of a yellow moon behind a rustic shack. I remember that I was sat at the table staring at the picture and got the whole idea for Shack of Evil from that picture. That first short story was a 9 page story based on the character Jamiesonn. Even though it was my first "real" story, I still thought that I could do better. What can I say? I'm a perfectionist! Shack of Evil had always been the basis for The Chosen.
AR: Why is it so difficult for Alex to accept and embrace his spiritual destiny?
CAM: Alex is the average person you would meet in real life. He has ambitions of his own he wants to fulfill, but when he charged to be The One, he can think of nothing better to do than shrug his shoulders and give the responsibility to someone else. I think maybe anyone put in his situation would want to do the same. But, through circumstances beyond his control, he is pushed into fulfilling his destiny, but like anything great, there is always that birthing period, where in order to learn the secrets of the Ancient Ways, there has to be his own trial by fire. In certain religions it is believed that in order for a person to grow and be enlightened, one has to deal with their own humanity, and for Alex, this is no different. He has to face his tests in order to grow, not only as an individual, but also as the person he is yet to become. That birthing process is never easy, and something he hates going through. But, it is all part of his growing. In the beginning of the series he is very naive when it comes to the laws of the spiritual world, but as the series continues, he becomes more in-tune with the spiritual force that controls his destiny. Of course, I couldn't put everything into the book I wanted, such as all the trials of fire he had to go through to emerge as The One, as that would have taken focus away from the rest of the book. But, I hope that readers got the idea of what he had to go through to become who he is.
AR: The book is steeped in mythology surrounding the age-old battle of good vs. evil. Have you always been so interested in the eternal spiritual struggle?
CAM: I think there has always been a fascination of the spiritual for me. I have wondered just what lays in wait for us beyond this realm that we perceive as reality :-) But unlike reality, this posses the question of What If. What If darkness won for a change? What If there was something out there beyond the world we see? Since the dawn of time, humanity has been fascinated with the spiritual, just as they are fascinated with life on other planets. In a sense it gives us hope that we are not alone, and in the fiction I write, we are certainly not alone :-)
AR: How have readers responded to the book thus far?
CAM: Thus far there have been a mix of reviews. Some have said that the story is too heavy for them and some have asked how I could put one person through so much, while others have embraced the book and said that it is just as good as Stephen King – if I can say that? Like any book, there is going to be a mix of reviews from readers and critics, and that is just a normal part of life. Sometimes, constructive criticism can be a good thing, but not always. It is funny in a way, but about a month or so ago, someone in the Philippines sent me a message on Tagged and said that my name was one of the answers on their national game show. I guess I must be popular in the Philippines :-)
AR: What is the main message that you'd like readers to take away from the tale?
CAM: Good does not always win :-) No, just kidding! :-) I would hope that readers will come away from the tale and think that it is a good story, and hopefully they would be able to relate to the main character in one way or another, whether that is understanding the struggle he continually faces with his own humanity in order to become someone, or even the more thought provoking idiom What If.
AR: Is there a sequel in the works?
CAM: Absolutely! Right now I am working, sort of, on the new book Bloodline Of Darkness. The book is set ten years after the encounter at Winmont. Now, ten years later, all the things he knew and could do is gone, and the Darkness has found a new way back into the world, his world, and in order to face the Dark Oppression he has to learn everything he once knew all over again. That is not to say that it is going to be a repeat of what happened in Winmont, as that would be too predictable. But I will say this as a teaser; In one part he is about to be killed by one of Tanzac's minion. In a split second right before he dies, there is a flash of light, and his spirit and his soul are sent to two different dimensions. His body dead, one of Tanzac's Minions possesses the body of the One, and sets about to bring forth the destruction. So while Alex's alter-ego is running a muck all over town, Alex's soul is trapped in the neitherworld, and his spirit is someplace else... In another chapter, Alex is shown what happens to humanity after his failure to fulfill his calling. Humanity is lost, and Darkness reigns. But all is not what it seems to be, and for him to face this oppression once more, he has to witness how it all began, when Tanzac was worshiped as a God by the Ancient Ones, the Mezunabites. To be honest, there is a lot to go into this book. When I first came up with the storyline, I imagined that when this book was complete, it would be somewhere in the ballpark of 800 pages. But, if that is the case, then it may need to be released as a two book saga.
AR: Your writing style is quite unique. Who have been some of your greatest literary influences?
CAM: H.P. Lovecraft was the first horror writer I read. I remember sometime in the 1970's that we had some magazines from the UK that featured some writers. Lovecraft was in a number of those magazines, and I found his stories fascinating. Lovecraft was a genius in his and any other time. Of course, there are modern writers which I hope to be as good as in time. People like Stephen King, Clive Barker. These people have forged the way for other horror novelists and have in a sense, set a standard that we can potentially achieve if we work hard for it.
AR: How has your self-publishing experience been thus far with Lulu?
CAM: So far it has been a good experience. But I may be soon switching to a new publisher who can represent my works in the way they think can most benefit me as a writer. Lulu has some great services, and through them I was able to get Rise Of The Darkness on display at the Frankfurt Book Fair. So that I am thankful for. But the publisher I am talking to now has some great possibilities, which I am looking forward to.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing aspirations?
CAM: I have a lot of book ideas in the back of my mind. Not all of them horror. I think on my website, there is about 6 other novels that I have in the category of future development. All different genres, but I will get to those when this series is finished.
AR: How can our readers learn more about you and your ongoing efforts?
CAM: The best way to find about what is going on in my world is visit my website. There is a lot going on. Right now, Rise Of The Darkness is being turned into an Audiobook, and a game developer in the US is turning the book into a game for PC which I think comes out in 2011.
AR: How can they contact you directly?
CAM: Readers can contact me directly at: camilson@authorcamilson.com
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
CAM: Sometimes I get asked by aspiring writers where to start. The answer I will share is what I tell everyone. Don't give up! If you have the talent to write, then do it. It does take a lot of work to get a publisher, but just don't settle for any publisher. This is your baby, your passion, so don't give it out to just anyone. You will get your work published if you are determined enough to follow it through to the end.
AR: Thanks again, C.A., and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
CAM: Thank you, it has been a pleasure to be here :-)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, C.A. We're looking forward to sharing more about your book with our readers.
What inspired you to craft this highly imaginative tale?
C.A. Milson: The original idea came to me in 1989 when I was living in Melbourne. The story for the original story came from a hobbytex picture my mother had on her wall. The picture was of a yellow moon behind a rustic shack. I remember that I was sat at the table staring at the picture and got the whole idea for Shack of Evil from that picture. That first short story was a 9 page story based on the character Jamiesonn. Even though it was my first "real" story, I still thought that I could do better. What can I say? I'm a perfectionist! Shack of Evil had always been the basis for The Chosen.
AR: Why is it so difficult for Alex to accept and embrace his spiritual destiny?
CAM: Alex is the average person you would meet in real life. He has ambitions of his own he wants to fulfill, but when he charged to be The One, he can think of nothing better to do than shrug his shoulders and give the responsibility to someone else. I think maybe anyone put in his situation would want to do the same. But, through circumstances beyond his control, he is pushed into fulfilling his destiny, but like anything great, there is always that birthing period, where in order to learn the secrets of the Ancient Ways, there has to be his own trial by fire. In certain religions it is believed that in order for a person to grow and be enlightened, one has to deal with their own humanity, and for Alex, this is no different. He has to face his tests in order to grow, not only as an individual, but also as the person he is yet to become. That birthing process is never easy, and something he hates going through. But, it is all part of his growing. In the beginning of the series he is very naive when it comes to the laws of the spiritual world, but as the series continues, he becomes more in-tune with the spiritual force that controls his destiny. Of course, I couldn't put everything into the book I wanted, such as all the trials of fire he had to go through to emerge as The One, as that would have taken focus away from the rest of the book. But, I hope that readers got the idea of what he had to go through to become who he is.
AR: The book is steeped in mythology surrounding the age-old battle of good vs. evil. Have you always been so interested in the eternal spiritual struggle?
CAM: I think there has always been a fascination of the spiritual for me. I have wondered just what lays in wait for us beyond this realm that we perceive as reality :-) But unlike reality, this posses the question of What If. What If darkness won for a change? What If there was something out there beyond the world we see? Since the dawn of time, humanity has been fascinated with the spiritual, just as they are fascinated with life on other planets. In a sense it gives us hope that we are not alone, and in the fiction I write, we are certainly not alone :-)
AR: How have readers responded to the book thus far?
CAM: Thus far there have been a mix of reviews. Some have said that the story is too heavy for them and some have asked how I could put one person through so much, while others have embraced the book and said that it is just as good as Stephen King – if I can say that? Like any book, there is going to be a mix of reviews from readers and critics, and that is just a normal part of life. Sometimes, constructive criticism can be a good thing, but not always. It is funny in a way, but about a month or so ago, someone in the Philippines sent me a message on Tagged and said that my name was one of the answers on their national game show. I guess I must be popular in the Philippines :-)
AR: What is the main message that you'd like readers to take away from the tale?
CAM: Good does not always win :-) No, just kidding! :-) I would hope that readers will come away from the tale and think that it is a good story, and hopefully they would be able to relate to the main character in one way or another, whether that is understanding the struggle he continually faces with his own humanity in order to become someone, or even the more thought provoking idiom What If.
AR: Is there a sequel in the works?
CAM: Absolutely! Right now I am working, sort of, on the new book Bloodline Of Darkness. The book is set ten years after the encounter at Winmont. Now, ten years later, all the things he knew and could do is gone, and the Darkness has found a new way back into the world, his world, and in order to face the Dark Oppression he has to learn everything he once knew all over again. That is not to say that it is going to be a repeat of what happened in Winmont, as that would be too predictable. But I will say this as a teaser; In one part he is about to be killed by one of Tanzac's minion. In a split second right before he dies, there is a flash of light, and his spirit and his soul are sent to two different dimensions. His body dead, one of Tanzac's Minions possesses the body of the One, and sets about to bring forth the destruction. So while Alex's alter-ego is running a muck all over town, Alex's soul is trapped in the neitherworld, and his spirit is someplace else... In another chapter, Alex is shown what happens to humanity after his failure to fulfill his calling. Humanity is lost, and Darkness reigns. But all is not what it seems to be, and for him to face this oppression once more, he has to witness how it all began, when Tanzac was worshiped as a God by the Ancient Ones, the Mezunabites. To be honest, there is a lot to go into this book. When I first came up with the storyline, I imagined that when this book was complete, it would be somewhere in the ballpark of 800 pages. But, if that is the case, then it may need to be released as a two book saga.
AR: Your writing style is quite unique. Who have been some of your greatest literary influences?
CAM: H.P. Lovecraft was the first horror writer I read. I remember sometime in the 1970's that we had some magazines from the UK that featured some writers. Lovecraft was in a number of those magazines, and I found his stories fascinating. Lovecraft was a genius in his and any other time. Of course, there are modern writers which I hope to be as good as in time. People like Stephen King, Clive Barker. These people have forged the way for other horror novelists and have in a sense, set a standard that we can potentially achieve if we work hard for it.
AR: How has your self-publishing experience been thus far with Lulu?
CAM: So far it has been a good experience. But I may be soon switching to a new publisher who can represent my works in the way they think can most benefit me as a writer. Lulu has some great services, and through them I was able to get Rise Of The Darkness on display at the Frankfurt Book Fair. So that I am thankful for. But the publisher I am talking to now has some great possibilities, which I am looking forward to.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing aspirations?
CAM: I have a lot of book ideas in the back of my mind. Not all of them horror. I think on my website, there is about 6 other novels that I have in the category of future development. All different genres, but I will get to those when this series is finished.
AR: How can our readers learn more about you and your ongoing efforts?
CAM: The best way to find about what is going on in my world is visit my website. There is a lot going on. Right now, Rise Of The Darkness is being turned into an Audiobook, and a game developer in the US is turning the book into a game for PC which I think comes out in 2011.
AR: How can they contact you directly?
CAM: Readers can contact me directly at: camilson@authorcamilson.com
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?
CAM: Sometimes I get asked by aspiring writers where to start. The answer I will share is what I tell everyone. Don't give up! If you have the talent to write, then do it. It does take a lot of work to get a publisher, but just don't settle for any publisher. This is your baby, your passion, so don't give it out to just anyone. You will get your work published if you are determined enough to follow it through to the end.
AR: Thanks again, C.A., and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
CAM: Thank you, it has been a pleasure to be here :-)