Haunted Ends 3: Disco Inferno by Elizabeth Price by Paranormal Mystery

1. What or who inspired you to start writing? 

I was an only child growing up and there weren’t many children in my neighborhood around my age to play with, so I had to entertain myself. I was an avid reader growing up and eventually I decided that reading stories wasn’t enough for me. I began writing my first novel at age 14 on a family vacation to the Grand Canyon, and I haven’t stopped since.

2. How did you come up with ideas for your books? 

A lot of my ideas for my stories come from my life experiences and the experiences of those I talk to. Not to say that I go around talking to a lot of ghosts, but I have been known to seek out a haunted hotel or two. People who have lived or worked in a haunted location like to talk about their experiences, and I love to listen.

5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

To continue to write and to publish more novels. I recently started work as a Fiverr Pro “ghostwriter” and I’ve been having a blast writing stories for clients.

6. If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why? I would choose Sam. I think it would be fun to be a ghost like Sam for a day or two, but only for a couple of days. I enjoy Skittles too much to be a ghost for too long.

7. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles?  The character of Sam was based on the actor Peter Dinklage, so that one is easy. Rocky would be difficult – so let’s see headshots, lots and lots of headshots. Rose was based on Rose Mcgowan, so any other easy one.

8. Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing? I attempted to join a critique group but the level of narcissism involved was more than I could handle. I hope to find a better group someday.

9. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I started submitting other novels a long time before Haunted Ends but didn’t have any luck. Haunted Ends was my first big break into the world of publishing. I knew if I wanted to be a published author I’d have to throw my work into the literary arena. I never really had encouragement from anyone, only that this is what I had to do.

10. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing) 

Bad — Poor man’s copyright… HA! You can’t send yourself your book and make it stand in court.

Good —go back to college and take a few English classes to brush up on your skills.

11. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I signpost my projects, mostly. Here are the subjects I need to include and I need to reach this signpost by a certain point.

12. Do you have any hobbies and does the knowledge you’ve gained from these carry over into your characters or the plot of your books?

I hunt ghosts… literally. Or is it I literarily hunt ghosts? I enjoy researching and seeking out haunted locations and that certainly helped me write Haunted Ends.

14. Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book? 

Haunted Ends 4 – Dead In The Water is currently in the works and might be out later this year. Two words – Ghost Ship. I’m excited to introduce three interesting new characters. And, of course, Sam in his own “Ghosts Gone Wild” video. Hint… don’t take a ghost like Sam to Vegas.

I’m also in the process of writing Haunted Ends 5 and possibly Haunted Ends 6 if Rocky agrees to renew his contract with the network. There are so many possibilities with this series, it’s hard to say for certain where I’ll take the crew next.

17. What is your favorite reality show? 

I really enjoy the show “Making It” where people compete with each other making crafts. I’m not one for back-stabbing or flesh parades. I enjoy just fun, relaxing people doing fun, relaxing things.

18. Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like to write a series. 

Fun. Very, very fun. Not to say Haunted Ends doesn’t have its dark moments. In the first two books my protagonist was in the hospital, I believe, five times. (I might have tortured him a bit too much, I admit). However, there aren’t many paranormal mysteries with humor available on the market. Writing a character like Sam takes effort, but I really enjoy the result in the end.