Author Interview: Derek Ailes and Co-Author James Coon
Book
Title and Subtitle: Musings From A Demented Mind
Genre: Horror
Tell us a bit about
yourself.
I am a science
fiction/horror author from Valparaiso, In.
I am known as one half of the Ailes Brothers of Terror. Mark Cusco Ailes
is the other half. I am the author of
three horror anthologies: "Zombie Command: A Horror Anthology",
"Journey Into the Unknown: Deluxe Horror Edition", and
"Catfurnado, Zombies and One Killer Doll". On Sept 7, my latest anthology "Musings From A Demented Mind" will
be released.
I’ve been writing
professionally since 2012 after a lengthy hiatus from the writing field after
my first short story “The Night of The Living Redheads” was published locally
in 1994.
Who or What inspired
you to start writing this book?
"Musings" is a
collection of horror and science fiction short stories based on the
conversations and details of the life of my friend who died from complications
from diabetes back in March of this year.
This anthology includes stories written by J.C. from the late 60s up
until a week of his death. I have his
writing folder and there are several stories which will be released in the
coming years in other projects since they don’t fit with the theme of this
anthology too well. It will be split
into multiple parts. Part one is the
stories written by J.C. and stories based on his life and conversations I’ve
had with him over the past fifteen years.
Part two includes all the stories published on Shortfictionbreak.com
since December 2014, stories based on current events from this year, plus strange
stories I wrote with little or no sleep.
Part three is basically a mini biography, eulogy, and behind the scenes
details about each story and the facts and the true stories behind them. This is a collection of my best work. My heart and soul went into these stories.
What three words would you use to describe this book?
Vintage, Horror, Anthology.
Who is your target group for this book?
People who love reading
horror and watching the old Tales From The Crypt and Twilight Zone episodes.
Tell us about this book.
From
the demented minds who watched every Tales From The Crypt and Twilight Zone
episode and read every Vault of Horror and Strange Tales comic book comes
twenty-two brand new tales of horror and science fiction. Proceed with caution
as Derek Ailes and James Coon take you on a journey through madness with
zombies, vampires, aliens, mutated cats, twisted twins, deadly women, killer
dogs and one pissed off Elvis Presley. When you think it is safe to continue
on, they hit you with another horrific tale. Musings From A Demented Mind is a
gripping, suspense-filled supernatural anthology.
Do you have a favorite chapter from this book?
Elvis
Presley Has Left The Dead" is my favorite story from the anthology. My brother and I were interviewed by The
Times Newspaper and when the photographer showed up at the book fair we were
set up at, he took a picture of an Elvis cardboard standout that was
advertising a fellow author's book and used that picture for our article. Nothing says the Ailes Brothers of Terrror
better than Elvis Presley. After reading
the article, I wrote this short story about me going on an anti-Elvis crusade
forcing Elvis to come back from the dead to confront me. Elvis goes around turning all my neighbors
into Elvis impersonators.
What do you hope people will gain from reading this book?
The
first part of the anthology includes six stories written by my late
friend. The reader will learn a lot
about my friend and why he was brilliant from those stories. In the third part, the biography including my
eulogy, they will learn a lot about his life and how it relates to the
stories. I want the reader to have an
enjoyable and frightening time through this journey of horror madness.
Is your book in Print, ebook or both?
It is
available on paperback and on Kindle.
What advice would you give to other Writers?
Write,
write and write. Do not give up. The marketing aspect of writing can be
frustrating and rewarding at the same time.
My brother and I have had a blast the past several years. Writing should be fun. Once the fun is gone, it is time to move on.
Tell us the link where potential readers can buy this book.
You
can pre-order the book now on Amazon http://authl.it/B013Q1BH8I?d
It
will be available on September 7.
Any additional links?
My
official website: http://www.derekailes.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/derekailes
Is there anything else you would like to share about this book?
You
can learn more details about this book here: http://www.derekailes.com/james-coon---musings-from-a-demented-mind.html
Thank you so much for taking the
time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your world.
Plan2Win
