An Awesome Author: P.J. Bracegirdle

Mr. Bracegirdle is the awesome author of Fiendish Deeds which is the first of three books in The Joy of Spooking Trilogy. I got chance to read and review the book and I enjoyed it a lot.

The number one question that has been on mind since I started reading Fiendish Deeds is did you purposely make Joy’s favorite author’s (E.A Peugeot) initials to be the same as Edgar Alan Poe or is that just a coincidence?

There’s no such thing as a coincidence, at least that’s what people say. I should point out that the lives and histories of these two great masters differ vastly however. They also wrote in different eras, with Peugeot at least 60 years more modern if my quick mental math is correct. They do share much in spirit though, as well as a penchant for wild hair and dark stares.

Are you as big of a fan of horror as Joy is?

I don’t think anyone is as big a fan as Joy Wells, but yes, I do consider myself a fan. That said, as the years add on I have become even more a fan of a good night’s sleep, and so find myself consuming less and less of the stuff these days. This is especially true of the icky type of horror now being produced, whose one-word titles always seem to reference either a woodworking tool or rest-stop. Why is that? It seems like these people won’t be satisfied until they’ve ruined even such innocent pleasures as chisels and bed-and-breakfasts for everyone…

What is you favorite horror book? Movie?

There are too many books to pick out a favorite, but I think my favorite horror movie might be “Tremors”—it not only has an amazingly creepy premise (not being able to walk on the ground—what could be better?), but is also jam-packed with rollicking action and hilarity. Exactly my cup of tea.
How did you come up with the idea of Fiendish Deeds?
Gosh, I’m really not sure. As a writer you always have a whole slew of ideas sloshing around your head. Eventually, when a few start sticking together, you suddenly become aware of having an actual story worth exploring.

What is your writing environment like?

I wrote most of Fiendish Deeds from a prone position in bed actually. Not because I was so confined with tuberculosis or anything, but rather because no one tends to bother me there. It is also a very expedient place to fit in a sly nap, which is very creatively stimulating, I find.
Unfortunately all that awkward craning forward over the keyboard whilst reclined eventually injured a muscle in my side, and those wonderful days appear to be over. I now write these very words from a desk like every other unhappy sap, sitting on a rather uncomfortable old wooden chair, I might add.

What are Joy and Byron going to be up to on the sequel to Fiendish Deeds? And can you tell us what the title might be?

In the next installment which I have currently down as “INSERT COOL TITLE HERE”, Joy and Byron get swept up in some awful goings-on over at Spooking Asylum, the mysterious mental institution that hides behind tall walls nearby. New villains are revealed, old secrets begin to unravel, and Mr. Octavio Phipps is back again with a brand-new scheme to obliterate Spooking.

Will you be writing any other books that do not deal with Joy? If so, what will they be about?

I have an upcoming picture book called THE DEAD FAMILY DIAZ, wherein a little skeleton boy dreads walking among all the hot and squishy living people during Day of the Dead festivities. It will be out in a year or two from Dial Books for Young Readers. I’ve also got another novel in the works that skews towards an older YA readership that I plan to start on as soon as Joy’s adventures are complete, but I want to keep the details a secret for now.

Any advice on how to write a spooky/gothic themed book?

I think the most important advice is to keep developing your characters until they feel completely real. It’s impossible to make anyone afraid of what might happen to an imaginary person until they first forget that very fact. Then, once you’ve done that, remember to say ‘boo’ at precisely the right moment.

Anything you would like to add?

I’ve said it before but I will say it again: please buy my book—I am no longer fit for proper work.

-Thank you so much Mr. Bracegirdle for stopping by. It was a pleasure interviewing you and reading your wonderful book. -