Tag: Writing Community

*No Spoilers for Ghostland by Duncan Ralston*

Who do you relate to more, Ben or Lillian? If so in what way(s)?

Mr. Ralston: I relate a bit to both of them for different reasons. With Ben, it’s his childhood illness and love of horror novels. With Lilian, it’s her sarcasm and needs to present a tough, seen-it-all exterior, which I remember trying to project when I was her age.

Was it difficult creating the world of Ghostland?

Mr. Ralston: It was pretty difficult but also a lot of fun. There were really no limits as to where I could take the technology of the park – the biggest hurdle was trying to reign it all in to make for a cohesive story rather than a bunch of random incidents and set pieces strung together.

Did you base some of the ghosts on real-life events?

Mr. Ralston: Not that I can recall. There may be some that were unintentionally inspired by other stories or real-life events, mostly I took the standard tropes and tried to put a fresh spin on them.

What are your thoughts on Halloween in this politically correct society?

Mr. Ralston: It seems like much of the pushback against Halloween comes from the folks who aren’t so interested in political correctness.

Do you have a favorite non-Horror movie/book/tv show?

Mr. Ralston: Favorite non-horror book: Perfume: Story of a Murderer. Movie: currently, Interstellar. TV Show: all-time, LOST.

Would you be surprised if one day we had the technology where everyone could experience hauntings for themselves?

Mr. Ralston: It would surprise me very much as I don’t believe in the existence of ghosts – and the idea of them disturbs me deeply. That we would go on, trapped here on Earth without our bodies. Stuck re”living” past events. Is it purgatory? A way station between life and death? I’d much rather believe in reincarnation, or Heaven or just life being the end of everything. That said, if life after death was ever proven, I’d be all in. Though like some of the characters in Ghostland, I would have moral issues with exploiting them.

Is there any other Paranormal phenomenon you’d be interested in writing about in the future?

Mr. Ralston: I’m interested in just about every possible paranormal phenomenon you can think of – from TK [telekinetic] to UFOs. The second Ghostland book will feature psychic phenomena more directly than the first, exploring some of the powers displayed by ghosts at Ghostland.

Thanks, Mr. Ralston for answering my questions, and I can’t wait to read the next installment of the Ghostland series!

You can read my review of Ghostland here!

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