JOSHUA MARTIN IS SEARCHING FOR THE GHOSTS FROM THE RUINS

Joshua Martin is searching for the Ghosts From the Ruins

30/8/2022

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I’ve been writing as a full-time gig and as a side passion for over a decade. I’ve written for various horror sites and even had my own at one point. I tried my hand at screenwriting, going around and around on that hamster wheel for a while before deciding to write my first novel, Devil’s Hollow.

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

There’s a character, a cop in Devil’s Hollow, who is just the embodiment of that uber testosterone with a badge type of guy. I have no patience for that type of person, regardless of occupation, and was super happy that I was able to give that character exactly what he deserved in Devil’s Hollow.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

Comedy and wordplay. There’s a famous interview with George Carlin where he calls words his “babies.” I feel the same way. I grew up reading Piers Anthony’s Xanth series and while the puns in them seem overt and silly to an adult, as a pre-teen and early teenager they were everything. The way two words can play off each other and mean different things based on the context is fascinating.

The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations. What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

I think as a community we’re getting it there. You look at how horror has become mainstream. Look at the cinema. Jordan Peele, James Wan. Blumhouse, it’s box office success after box office success.

Growing up Stephen King was considered “trash” by the literary community. Now he’s considered the modern-day Mark Twain.

The key is to keep doing good work. Push boundaries. Don’t fall back on the same tropes just to make a quick buck.

A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?

I hope it’s not all pandemic stuff. I think we’re going to see a lot of films about the dangerousness of what I call “group think.” I look at what Carpenter did with They Live and how that film was of its time but at the same time more prescient today than ever. I think that type of film will serve as the template for reflecting our current socio/political environment.

Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?

A couple of reasons. First and foremost I think it allows us to tap into something darker that we can’t necessarily do in our everyday lives. We can indulge through words.

Second, and I think most important, horror challenges you in ways other genres can’t. A romance novel isn’t going to present you with the same moral questions as say, The Stand. I think the average horror reader likes to think about what they’re reading. There aren’t too many “popcorn” horror novels, not any good ones anyway. The best of the genre not only tells a great story but they challenge the way we think about the world around us.

What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?

The genre is so big at this point that you can find virtually anything, but I guess if I had to pick something I’d like to see a really good blend of Fantasy and Horror. There are some very good books out there that dabble in both, but as someone who grew up on Tolkien and similar fantasy writers as well as King and Straub and company, it would be great to get something like a horror Lord Of The Rings. I’m sure there is a ton of good dark fantasy out there, I just haven’t found that one thing that’s really scratched my itch yet.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?

I don’t know how new or upcoming they are but if you’re a horror fan and you’re not reading Stephen Graham Jones or Grady Hendrix then you need to get on it!

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

“How do you sleep at night? Because after reading Devil’s Hollow, I couldn’t” which was funny because I never dream in “horror.” I always thought that was funny.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?

I said above how much I love words…but I also hate them. Thesaurus.com is NOT my friend! I’ve sat for a half hour sometimes trying to plug in the best descriptive word into a sentence.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?

It’s hard to say. I’ve written about some pretty off-putting things in my books, spousal abuse, drug addiction, and murder (of course). There was a part of the title story to Ghosts From The Ruins that originally culminates in a character getting sexually assaulted. I wrote it, reread it, and immediately excised it. It made me feel disgusting. I’m not saying there aren’t times for that in storytelling, but I felt in that situation I could tell the same story, and get to the same point, without using sexual assault as a plot device.

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

I used to write something, then immediately go back, reread it, and edit to what I perceived was perfection Now, I’m much more of a just go with it and finish. Fix it later. I get my basic story done first, the vomit draft, if you will, then edit the manuscript as a whole.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?

It’s not from one person but the best advice is always. Keep writing. Write every day.

Which of your characters is your favourite?

I have a character in both of my books, Dana. She is a secondary character in Devil’s Hollow but I fell in love with writing for her so much that I wrote a whole short story prequel about just her for Ghosts From The Ruins.

Which of your books best represents you?

Not a complete book, but I love the story in Ghosts From The Ruins called Breaking Down. It’s the story about Dana I mentioned earlier. It’s got a little bit of everything, humor, tragedy, horror. It’s all there.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?

They’re all so good. Just kidding.
“Scotch, the drink, not the tape.” is a line I think is pretty clever. Maybe not, but it makes me chuckle,

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

My latest release Ghosts From The Ruins is a collection of seven short stories of varying length that all touch on death and the consequences of dying. I didn’t set out to create a thread in the stories, it happened organically. I didn’t realize what I’d done until I’d finished and started content editing. One of those happy little accidents, but it really helps the collection coalesce into a complete work.
As for what’s next? My next book is tentatively called All The Bodies and is a dirty little novel about two serial killers and the nastiness that ensues when they start hunting the same territory.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

I’m a little tired of the whole 6 teens in a remote place deal. I get it’s generally cheap and easy to do, but it’s all just some kind of variant on Evil Dead or Friday the 13th. If you’re going to go down that road, try to do something different.

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

The last great book I read is kind of a cheat since I just read ‘Salem’s Lot for the umpteenth time. For first-time reads? I think about Stephen Chbosky’s Imaginary Friend a lot.

As far as disappointments? I generally don’t go down that road. As a reader, I understand not everything is for me. Writing is art, and art is subjective. So I’d hate to disparage something and have someone else choose not to read it because of my feelings towards it.

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?

Question: “Is this Joshua Martin? Hi. We’d like to give you this wheelbarrow full of money for the rights to your book. Would you take it?”
Answer: “Yes. Yes, I would.”

Ghosts From the Ruins: -7 Tales of Terror
by Joshua Martin

The ghosts have been set loose! Ghosts From the Ruins contains morbid tales of death, the dead, and the dying. Vengeful grannies, death on the run, a theme park tragedy, and the most intoxicating haunted house Oklahoma has ever seen highlight the collection.

Joshua Martin

BIO
Joshua Martin is the writer of Devil’s Hollow and the newly released Ghosts From The Ruins. He’s previously written, under various pseudonyms for several well-known horror websites. He was the creator and main writer for Dreadworld.com (RIP). He lives in New York with his wife and children.

WEBSITE LINKS
https://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Martin/e/B09GNP6NDC/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1

Twitter: @jmartinwriting