BookView 1-on-1 with Josette Weiss, author of ‘Haunted Reality’

Author/Publisher Josette Weiss took time out of her busy schedule to stop by the Cave and talk about her novel 'Haunted Reality'. The story is set in a haunted house, where a ruthless producer has chosen to film a ‘reality movie’ using a cast of flawed celebrities with demons of their own. Josette talked about how she got the idea for the story, the art of juggling multiple projects at once and how she plans to use her platform as a writer and producer to do more than just sell books. Below is the full transcript of our live chat.




LAREY: Today I have the pleasure of doing a 1-on-1 ‘BookView’ with the multi-talented author Josette Weiss. Welcome to ‘The Cave’ Josie.

JOSETTE: Thank you! Glad to be here.

LAREY: Thank you for coming and don't mind the clutter. I'm still moving in. So before we get into your book, 'Haunted Reality', I wanted to let everyone know just how much stuff you've got going on. How many books do you have out right now?

JOSETTE: I have a total of seven books. Two are adult novels, ‘Haunted Reality’ and ‘The Eden Tree’. Three are young adult novels, ‘Change’, ‘The Gathering’, and ‘The Omega Complex’. I also have two short story collections suitable for mid-grade on up.

LAREY: Now when you say 'adult', are we talking erotica or just targeted toward adults?

JOSETTE: No, not erotica, just some adult language and situations. And there are a couple of 'tame' sex scenes.

LAREY: I see. So what's it been like managing so many projects at once?

JOSETTE: A little hectic, but I'm a natural multi-tasker. Thankfully I have a loving husband and some great friends in the best FB group, The Unblocked Writers.

LAREY: If definitely helps to have a good support network, especially when you have so many projects to manage. In fact, it seems like you're one of the hardest working women in indie. You've also gotten into publishing right?

JOSETTE: Crossbones Publications is a business I co-own with my friend and mentor, Patrick Bone. Right now we are concentrating on our books and a few projects, like a newsletter, which we hope will then turn into a magazine. We also are planning seminars with the local schools to address issues like bullying and drugs.

LAREY: Outstanding. That sounds like a very inspired way to give something back to your community. It's always good to see Indie authors finding ways to go beyond just the marketing and promotion part of the business. I wish you all the best with that.

JOSETTE: Thanks

LAREY: And now I want to get to the subject of our ‘BookView’ today, your novel 'Haunted Reality'. Tell us about this book.

JOSETTE: Haunted Reality is about a reality movie shot in a haunted house. The biggest problem, besides the celebrities' large egos, is that the house is haunted by more than just ghosts. The coveted Oscar is guaranteed, but survival is not.

LAREY: And how did the idea for this story come to you?

JOSETTE: One evening while flipping through the thousands of television channels, I became disgusted by all of the reality shows. Not one single show had any paranormal activity at all. No ghosts. Nothing. I decided to remedy that problem.

LAREY: And that you did. It felt like reality TV and I really liked the story. Now describe the main character for us.

JOSETTE: Thanks Larey. Jared Thomas is the deal maker. No one crosses him and lives to talk about it. He uses his money and power to get what he wants and he wants it all! He wants to rule the world, forever.

LAREY: I thought one of the best parts of the book was how you wrote him specifically. He certainly drove the story. But enough about what I liked. What was YOUR favorite scene from the book and why?

JOSETTE: My favorite scene has to be when Randy finally comes face to face with the little girl ghost and she knows all of Randy's deepest darkest secrets.

LAREY: Oh yeah. I remember that one. Definitely creepy. And speaking of the secondary characters, which one was your favorite one to write?

JOSETTE: I liked Ash Flame's story. If one looked at her life, one would think she had it all. Her father was a Hollywood icon. But in reality, she couldn't have the one thing she really wanted. Her father had committed suicide. Besides, Ash had a lot of other problems, like drugs and a little sexual hang up.

LAREY: One of the things I loved is how you handled so many characters and all of the back story that went with each one. Since you had so many individual stories to flesh out, did you have to use an outline or did it just flow for you?

JOSETTE: I do not outline. I do have an idea of where I'm going and I take notes. I tend to write down the bare bones and then later go back and fill in the meat. Most times my writing connects all the dots. By the way, I like my meat rare.

LAREY: Ha ha. Nice. I had a couple of great comebacks for that, but I promised myself I would behave. Now is 'Haunted Reality' a part of a series or a ‘stand-alone’?

JOSETTE: Hah hah! I'm sure you did! No Haunted Reality is a stand-alone, however Jared Thomas continues his journey with The Eden Tree.

LAREY: I see. And so where does that story take place?

JOSETTE: In The Eden Tree Jared journeys around the world in search of a way to become immortal. Of course Jared makes a deal... and brings about a battle between the angels and the demons.

LAREY: Wow. I'm gonna have to fire up the Kindle and start that one next. Well Josie, that concludes the ‘polite’ part of this interview. Now we move on to the world famous ‘Quick-fire’ round. This is where I ask you a series of rapid fire questions which may or may not be about the book and you try to resist the urge to strangle me. You ready?

JOSETTE: Certainly.

LAREY: Which of the characters in ‘Haunted Reality’ would you go on a trip with and where would you go?

JOSETTE: Sammael Mammon because it would be crazy scary. Of course we'll go to Hell... hopefully we could take the long way there...

LAREY: Ha ha ha! Which one would you be most likely to punch in the face?

JOSETTE: Willa Cox. I just didn't like her. She only cared about the story and not the people behind the story. That's probably why all the characters hated her.

LAREY: If this book were made into a big-budget film, who would play the lead?

JOSETTE: A clean cut Brad Pitt would play Jared.

LAREY: And who would direct?

JOSETTE: The best horror director, John Carpenter.

LAREY: Good one! Now I know a little bit about you, so I gotta sneak a football question in here. If you had to pick—NFL or College?

JOSETTE: College. They want to prove themselves and they play hard. I enjoy the pros, but college is more fun.

LAREY: Fun fact about you that few people know?

JOSETTE: I hate to be predictable. I embrace the crazy.

LAREY: Well, I already knew that. Just sayin’... lol. What's your favorite scary movie?

JOSETTE: The Sixth Sense. I don't scare easily and the ending surprised me.

LAREY: Excellent choice. Last question: When readers get to the last page of 'Haunted Reality', what's the one thing you hope they take from having read the book?

JOSETTE: That ‘Haunted Reality’ is a dark novel about truth. One must really look for the truth and not just accept what they think they see or hear.

LAREY: Well having read the book, I can definitely agree. And with that said Josette, you have actually made it through an interview in ‘The Cave’. Have fun?

JOSETTE: Yes! I had a blast! Thank you Larey!

LAREY: It was my absolute pleasure. You will definitely have to come back so we can spotlight one of your other projects. Good luck with the novel and with the work you’re doing at ‘Crossbones Publications’. Sounds like you are poised to be a force on the indie landscape. Come back anytime.

JOSETTE: That sounds great! WOOT!

***The novel is ‘Haunted Reality’. The author is Josette Weiss. Josette lives in Tennessee with her husband. Her only child has fled the house, searching in vain for safety among college students. Josette enjoys biking, hiking, camping, and kayaking. Let's not forget, she also enjoys a good ghost story!

You can find ‘Haunted Reality' on Amazon. You can also keep up with Josette’s latest projects and her publishing projects at the website: www.crossbonespublications.webs.com and the facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/JosetteorPatrick***

***BONUS-EXCERPT FROM 'HAUNTED REALITY'***

~~~Ash turned on the lights as she walked through the house.  How did it get so dark so fast?  She made it back to the huge living room.  The kitchen must be down the hall in the next room.  She flicked on the lights, stumbled and fell to the floor.
In front of the sink stood a young woman dressed in a dark drab dress.  Her long lank black hair hung in her face.  Her arms and legs were covered with globs of what looked like reddish-black jelly.  The woman had something in the sink.  
What?  Ash had no idea.  On the counter beside the sink she noticed a cutting board and a huge butcher knife.  Both were stained red.  The red stuff oozed off of the knife and onto the counter.
Water ran into the sink, though the faucets were turned off.  Blood.  It could only be blood.  It dripped off of the counter and splashed into a puddle on the floor.  She followed each drop as it fell.
Then the smell hit her.  A sharp metallic smell and then the overpowering stink of decay rolled over her.  The smell of blood and death floated all around her.  The smell touched her and infused itself on her clothes...in her hair.

The woman turned toward her.  Ash’s body seized.  She could not breath, swallow, or even blink.  She noticed a maniacal smirk on the woman’s face. The woman took an awkward step toward her, like she couldn’t control her body movements anymore.  Ash blinked and realized the woman’s eyes were sewn shut.  Ash tried to scream as the woman edged closer.  The butcher knife held out toward Ash’s heart, the point reaching for her soft flesh. ~~~