I've received a handful of questions in regards to my first novel, Carnival Ride since it came out late last year. Since this blog is shared on my Amazon page as well as Goodreads page, I'll answer a few of those question to give some insight into my first, but not last, novel.
What is Carnival Ride about?
To keep it short, I’ll include the
elevator synopsis: Years after being locked away in an asylum, a carnival
worker haunts a young girl for retribution with what happened to his own
family.
Where did the story for Carnival Ride come from?
For the idea itself, I’ve always
had a love for old roadside attractions and old rides at theme and amusement
parks. I would rather feel the bumps, rattles, and hear the clicking chains of
a 100 year old wooden roller coaster compared to the fast thrill of a looping
steel coaster. I remember playing the PC game Rollercoaster Tycoon years ago
and built more wood coasters than steel, even though they cost more to make,
they brought that nostalgic feel. Many riders who to go carnivals or amusement
parks who see old, rusty and outdated rides will likely want to ride something
more intense or safer. Yes, carnival rides are safe but a lot of bad press
surrounds the rides since they travel so frequently and are built so quickly.
Taking just hours to build a ride, I’ve often wondered myself how safe the
rides really can be. Then, taking in the fact of the life of a carnie and who’s
operating the carnival and the rides, one can only wonder. I’ve always wondered
what the life of a carnie would be, especially a carnival worker from fifty
years ago and how much times may, or may not have changed throughout the years.
With those thoughts in mind, I remember going to Old Town, Florida once and
feeling a connection to a Scrambler ride they had there. Feeling the
connection, I wanted to research it further and was able to find out that it
was the very first produced Scrambler ever made, back in 1955. The ride wasn’t
very fast and the whipping motion weak due to the gas-powered engine compared
to electric, but the old fashioned feel made the ride worth it. Suddenly, the
ride vanished. I contacted Old Town with no luck, and then the ride
manufacturer with no luck where the ride seemed to have vanished. It was gone a
couple of years until reappearing and vanishing again just as quickly. I then
thought and wondered about a story in regards to a haunted ride that vanishes.
Taking the haunted ride idea, I figured in an evil carnie in a traveling
carnival and slowly came up with the idea. Side note: An article is coming out
soon about that Scrambler ride in the upcoming journal from the Society of Commercial
Archeology.
What’s next?
Besides a few articles and a book
collection regarding pieces of family history, I’ve finished a final draft of
my second novel. I’m sending out queries to agents and publishers to hopefully
get a bite soon and be able to get the second novel published. It has to do
with a psychic who kills, a haunted camera, and a curse that is awoken upon a
family. Investigations into the deaths brings a family closer to the truth than
they wanted. In the meantime, awaiting responses, I’ve started the third novel
also.
Please check out the link to both
the hard copy and e-book of Carnival Ride if interested!
