C. J. Cooke | A Gothic Thriller About a Woman Captured, and the Haunted Wreck of a Whaling Ship

1–What is the title of your latest release?

A HAUNTING IN THE ARCTIC

2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?

A gothic thriller about a woman captured on a whaling ship in 1901, and a group of explorers who set out to explore the wreck of the ship in 2023, which is said to be haunted…

3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?

I have loved Iceland ever since I went to Reykjavik in 2019 to teach for a few days at the University. When I pictured the shipwreck of the story in my mind, it was always in the Westfjords, on Iceland’s northwest coast, close to the Arctic circle – interestingly, there is a real wreck of an old whaling ship in the Westfjords, which I got to explore.

4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?

I’m not sure – Nicky is a little prim, though she’s a badass, and Dominique is very paranoid.

5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?

Dominique is angry, scared, and bold.

6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?

Whaling ships used to be double hulled to break through Arctic ice. That particular problem has been ‘resolved’ by climate change.

7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?

Both, but the main bulk of editing tends to happen once I’m finished a draft. I like to tidy up as I go and then go in with a hammer and machete once I’ve typed ‘the end’.

8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?

Chocolate.

9–Describe your writing space/office!

I rent a little office around the corner from my house. I live in a haunted village, and the office is in a building that looks derelict (which means my rent is affordable) but I’ve made it very cozy, with a couple of desks, an old typewriter (purely for decoration), a heated throw blanket, and some nice Ikea prints. I’ve also got a whiteboard which I keep meaning to put up so I can write ideas on the wall.

10–Who is an author you admire?

Maggie O’Farrell

11–Is there a book that changed your life?

I think Life of Pi impacted me the most – it was such an immersive reading experience that it made me try harder in my own writing.

12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.

Well, this is my 9th published novel, and I got an email instead of a phone call, but it was still an exciting moment!

13–What’s your favorite genre to read?

I read all genres, but I do love a well-written ghost story.

14–What’s your favorite movie?

That’s a tough one, but I’ll go with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

15–What is your favorite season?

Fall

16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

With a lie-in! I have children…

17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?

TV: I devoured The Night Manager recently, though it came out in 2016. I enjoyed The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman and Media by Rosie Hewlett (both out in 2024)

18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?

Italian

19–What do you do when you have free time?

Between the hours of 10pm and midnight

20–What can readers expect from you next?

My next book is based on a witch trial in Orkney, Scotland, in 1594, and features a present-day narrative, in which three teenagers go to Orkney for a hiking trip. One ends up dead, the other in hospital claiming she’s someone else, and the other is missing. Will Fynhallow, the site of a terrible crime in the 1500s, give up its secrets?

A HAUNTING IN THE ARCTIC by C.J. Cooke

A deserted shipwreck off the coast of Iceland holds terrors and dark secrets in this chilling horror novel from the author of The Lighthouse Witches.

The year is 1901, and Nicky is attacked, then wakes on board the Ormen, a whaling ship embarked on what could be its last voyage. With land still weeks away, it’s just her, the freezing ocean, and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them…

Now, over one hundred years later, the wreck of the Ormen has washed up on the forbidding, remote coast of Iceland. It’s scheduled to be destroyed, but explorer Dominique feels an inexplicable pull to document its last days, even though those who have ventured onto the wreck before her have met uncanny ends.

Onboard the boat, Dominique will uncover a dark past riddled with lies, cruelty, and murder—and her discovery will change everything. Because she’ll soon realize she’s not alone. Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century. Something that craves revenge.

Thriller Paranormal – Supernatural | Horror [Berkley, On Sale: February 27, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593550205 / eISBN: 9780593550212]

A uniquely engrossing gothic thriller!

About C.J. Cooke

C. J. Cooke is an award-winning poet and novelist published in twenty-three languages. She teaches creative writing at the University of Glasgow, where she also researches the impact of motherhood on women’s writing and creative writing interventions for mental health.

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