Featured Interview With David Hayes
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born into a mining and weaving family in a town in North West England in 1955. This is where my first paranormal encounters started. I also had an ‘imaginary playmate’ who was a little bit too real! I now live in an old farmhouse just 4 miles from where I was born. Guess what..this house is also haunted.
I have a Welsh mountain pony called Jamie and a border collie who goes by the name of Henry
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books started as an infant. A teacher at school would read to us every day. The room was in complete silence as he read to us. We were mesmerized. I remember him reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe to us. I also remember us all crying when Aslan died (oops…maybe I should have said spoiler alert?).
I have always been a storyteller, even back in my early schooldays. I came slightly late to writing, not releasing my first book until I was 59. I had been writing since my 20s, but just for my own pleasure. It wasn’t until I put a story in a group on Facebook that I even thought of writing seriously. The story received a lot of praise, and people started encouraging me to write a book. I came to the attention of a small, independant publisher, and as they say, the rest is history.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My tastes are quite varied, but I do have a leaning towards such writers as Stephen King and James Herbert.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
This book took about a year to write, and I tried out different stories on different Facebook groups to judge the reaction. I found that this helped massively in finding out just what people like to read and what they don’t!
Be prepared to be spooked when reading my book, but also be prepared to expect the unexpected. These are written to come at you from an entirely unexpected direction. There is more than a touch of the Gothic and macabre about these stories. In fact they are steeped in it. They are flesh-crawlingly delicious, and a treat for devotees of the paranormal. This is a collection of short stories. They are long enough to grip the readers attention, but brief enough to be read in a tea break or on a train – but why not treat yourself to a good spook-fest, and read them in the comfort of your armchair as the rain patters against the windowpane, and the wind howls its mournful tune – well, you get the idea. Read it wherever you feel most comfortable (or uncomfortable!). Just for good measure, I have also included a handful of stories (and a poem) from other authors who are friends of mine.
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