Featured Interview With Peter Gray
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was born and raised in the outskirts of Toronto, Canada. I have lived in the suburbs all my life, but my family was quite active in terms of travelling across Canada and the United States. By the time I entered University I was able to achieve my goal of travelling across Europe, and fell in love with the ruined castles, dark moors, and ancient tales that constantly surrounded the older parts of Europe. I believe my travels have inspired my writing, something that is very apparent in my most recent novel “The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven.”
Unfortunately, I do not have any pets. Once I move abroad I intend to get a small cat in the hopes that he/she will keep me company.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Growing up I believe I was always surrounded by books. My mother’s love of reading was inevitably passed on to me. I think in my early adolescents I had a huge problem with daydreaming when I was bored, and then when I was about sixteen I began to write those daydreams down. I suppose my mind was creating stories long before I ever set my pen down on paper. Over the last five years of my undergrad I began to read a lot of fan-fiction and in turn write for different fandoms. I believe in the last two years of University I began to take writing seriously and wrote stories for myself, determined to create original story-lines that I could potentially publish one day. Thus, my journey as a writer is rather organic, inspired by the works of English literature and historical fables that I learned in those four blissful years of my undergrad. Now that I have graduated I intend to publish at least four stories per year, and so far I have are already completed two. Luckily, I have two more stories to publish in order to reach my goal for the year 2020.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favourite genre is Gothic horror combined with a twisted tale of romance. I am a fan of English literature, and I believe some of the courses I took in University only intensified my love for Gothic fiction. My favourite novel of all time is Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre.” The Brontë sisters are a huge inspiration to me, so much so that I elected to go under a male pen name just as the sisters did in the 19th century. I am also a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle and the major romanticism poets. I crafted “The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven” a few months ago when under an intense lock-down due to covid-19. It was my intention to write a story that epitomized all of my favourite works while putting my own stamp on it, per say. I enjoyed this Gothic fiction genre immensely, and I look forward to publishing more stories in the particular genre by this time next year.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel “The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven” can be described best as a work of paranormal romance and Gothic fiction. Paranormal in terms of a classic ghost story with an unlikely twist. Theodore Woven II, or his more preferred nickname “Teddy” has had a life riddled with a painful past- a past that can almost be described as a tragedy. He lives alone in an old grey granite stoned cottage along the English coast that overlooks the sea. He has a very beautiful house, and by all accounts it would make a dream home for quite a lot of people. There is a darkness to that house, however, and especially with its owner.
The main character, Sela, is hired as a temporary gardener at the Woven’s residency for a couple of days. She is warned to not have anything to do with the homeowner, and Sela is quite intent on following her manager’s instructions to the letter. An unexpected romance brews between the two main characters, Sela and Teddy Woven, however, and in time Sela’s curiosity soon gets the better of her. She eventually stumbles upon the haunting past surrounds the lands of Teddy’s ancestral home. Is there any hope for Teddy to escape his haunting past, or will the fatal secrets that are etched into his ancient house inevitably spell out his doom? And is there a chance for romance after all, or is it too late for this unlikely couple to try again?
You will have to read the book to find out more.
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