Interview with Jeremy Bates, author of Suicide Forest
Author: Jeremy Bates
Publisher: Ghillinnein Books
Pages: 350
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Format: Paperback/Kindle
Just outside of Tokyo lies Aokigahara, a vast forest and one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Japan...and also the most infamous spot to commit suicide in the world. Legend has it that the spirits of those many suicides are still roaming, haunting deep in the ancient woods.
When bad weather prevents a group of friends from climbing neighboring Mt. Fuji, they decide to spend the night camping in Aokigahara. But they get more than they bargained for when one of them is found hanged in the morning—and they realize there might be some truth to the legends after all.
For More Information
- Suicide Forest is available at Amazon
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Jeremy. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
A: Thanks for having me. I was born in Canada and now live in Australia. In between I’ve lived in a bunch of other countries. One of them, of note, is Japan, where Suicide Forest is set.
Q: Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?
A: Suicide Forest is about a group of friends who decide to camp in the eponymous forest overnight and get a lot more frights than they expected. I wrote it because I thought it would make a good story! Actually, I came up with the idea a number of years ago while I was in Japan. But I wasn’t writing horror then so I put it on the back burner. Then, after my second novel, The Taste of Fear, I decided I wanted to get into horror and it was at the top of my list of stories.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it?
A: It actually came to me quite easily. The biggest challenge, I guess, was around halfway through. The group of friends were in the forest, lost, and I had to decide whether I wanted to take the story in a supernatural direction or not.
Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include in it? Does this press kit appear online and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it?
A: I have a press release. The link is: http://jeremybatesbooks.com/Suicide_Forest_Press_Release.pdf/
Q: Have you either spoken to groups of people about your book or appeared on radio or TV? What are your upcoming plans for doing so?
A: I’m speaking to you! In general, it’s been a pretty quiet release.
Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/she is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?
A: I had an agent for Suicide Forest. His name is John Talbot. I now have a different agent at Curtis Brown who is representing my next novel, The Catacombs.
Q: Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it?
A: I prepared most of the promotion.
Q: Do you plan subsequent books?
A: As mentioned, The Catacombs is forthcoming. I’m also working on a novel called Helltown, and one called Island of the Dolls. They are all part of a series called The World’s Scariest Places. In a nutshell, they all take place in real life locations.
Q: Thank you for your interview, Jeremy. Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?
A: My easy answer is always Amazon.com. You can find it other places, but Amazon seems to be where the majority of readers go.
For More Information
Visit Jeremy’s website.
Connect with Jeremy on Twitter , Goodreads and Facebook
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