BooksChatter: ℚ♫ The Haunting at Paradise House: Reapers of the Veil [1]

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Killian Wolf to talk about The Haunting at Paradise House (6 October 2019, Grim House Publishing LLC., 160 pages), a Young Adult Dark Fantasy, book one in the Reapers of the Veil series.

"Awesome, it kept me glued reading to the end. Can’t wait for book two." ~ 5 Stars Amazon Verified Purchase reviewer

"Wow this is a fantastic read. Its full of mystery and intrigue, it had me on the edge of my seat, this is a real page turner. The World building is fantastic. The scenes are written so well that I felt I could see them in my minds eye." ~ Shauna Joesten, 5 Stars review

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

A very warm welcome to Killian Wolf; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

Here at BooksChatter we love music, so Killian Wolf has shared with us her playlist for the music she listened to while writing The Haunting at Paradise House - enjoy!

What was the inspiration for The Haunting at Paradise House?

"My biggest inspiration for this book was my grandfather. My grandfather had a wild imagination and always maintained a peculiar hobby: he liked to design blueprints of outrageous mansions or castles. He managed to have one built in the Florida Keys and it was the house I grew up in.

Due to unfortunate events, he lost the house to the bank and now has Alzheimer’s. He spends most of his days sleeping and is only awake for a few hours out of the day. I once asked him why he sleeps so much, to which he responded, “because I love to dream about my son.”

His son, my uncle died in a motorcycle accident back in October of 1999. Growing up, I felt like the house was haunted by his spirit, I’d hear noises, footsteps, the intercoms would go off on their own. We also did have a doll room in the house. My grandmother loved to collect all kinds of dolls from around the world, so my grandfather had built a house with a room just for her dolls.

To this day, I still find dolls creepy, reminding me of dead little children with their eyes open- or empty porcelain vessels waiting to be possessed. Although sometimes scared of the room itself, I’d still play there as a kid. You can imagine how a child’s imagination can run wild in a room full of dolls.

I wanted a way to keep that alive forever, so I wrote about it in a way that encapsulates the house, but holds my grandfather in a light of fantasy, instead of the dread of reality."

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"A lot of it actually. Having been born and raised in Miami, as well as growing up in the Keys, Santeria was a big part of my life. It is one of the predominant religions of South Florida. I don’t practice Santeria myself, but I grew up with cousins and my best friends doing so around me.

I took on a different path of magick and have practiced the runes for the last twelve years. Much of the magick I write about in this book have to do with what I’ve learned and my own experiences, including astral projection. Any lights emanating from hands though, I have to say I made up.

The haunted house in the book is based on the house I grew up in. My family lost it to the bank a few years ago, and since then, I’ve had dreams about the house. About being there with my uncle, sometimes alive, other times in spirit."

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for The Haunting at Paradise House - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I have to thank my fabulous cover designer, Amanda from Let’s Get Booked who can somehow see into my mind and pull out images nearly exact to how I picture them. I wanted a girl in front of a haunted house to reflect the haunted house I grew up in."

Why should we read The Haunting at Paradise House and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"I’ll confess that I am a practitioner of magick and for many years have practiced astral projection. This is where I leave my body and travel around the 5th dimension.

Although, my stories are purely fabricated from my imagination, I do like to stay close to what happens when one leaves their body and visits other realms, and then like to push the fear of what could happen up a notch.

My series is mostly unique because I take what I know and have practiced in the magickal world, and twine it with characters of my own, rather than just going on research."

Can you tell us something quirky about The Haunting at Paradise House, its story and characters?

"The owl familiar, Crowley was named after Aleister Crowley who is mentioned as the co-publisher of the Goetia.

I wrote the character Dax in memory of my uncle, as well as Orlando represents my grandfather."

Who would you recommend The Haunting at Paradise House to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"I’d recommend this to anyone who fancies the dark and unnatural, as well as magick. There is mention of the occult, and Aleister Crowley in the book. Just know that it is all fiction."

If you could / wished to turn The Haunting at Paradise House and the Reapers of the Veil series into a movie, who would be your dream team?

"Stephen Amell can play Dax, Misha Collins who played the angel Castiel of supernatural can play Ambrose. Maybe Selina Gomez could play Addison. I would love for Guillermo del Toro to direct it. 😊"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I am a glutton for the dark and supernatural and find it fun to write for young adults. I have written in the crime thriller genre in the past and am considering spending some time developing that pen name soon."

What is your writing process?

"I take a few days, (preferably only one day) to write a good detailed outline of each chapter.

With a lit candle and low classical music, I start off my mornings with a strong cup of coffee and writing nonstop for two hours. Three if I can manage to get up an hour early. I break for work, but then either continue writing when I’m finished or work on what needs to be done before the next day, whether it’s a mailing list email, or writing for a different book in another genre.

My current daily word count for each book is a minimal 1,000 words, and better if its 3,000. It always depends on the day but a few words are better than none if I’m struggling to get words down. I aim for finishing a first draft between two to three months and am working on getting faster.

After my first draft is complete, I take a weeklong break to do something else, jot down notes on things I want to change or add, and just let myself have a mental break from writing. Drafts two and three are written in the next month before sending it off to my editor."

What is in store next?

"This book is the first in the series “Reapers in the Veil.” The second book is now currently undergoing editing and I’m hoping to launch it sometime in February. I’m furiously working on the third book now!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"Well, I tried to take a picture with my cat Oliver, but he wasn’t having it and was pushing me away! My snake Mali on the other hand was very photogenic! So, here are pictures of both!"

Aww! Mali is definitely more keen on being photographed than Oliver :-D
Thank you, Oliver, for putting up with it for our benefit! It's great to see you; you are a gorgeous boy! Lots of head-scratches to you, Mali and Oliver, from all of us at BooksChatter.

Thank you for sharing your two gorgeous boys with us!
We hope you are having a great tour :-)