1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A young woman trying to put herself back together after a nervous breakdown moves into a neglected Georgetown town house with the intention of restoring it, and herself. When she discovers a false wall and the hidden mysteries there, the veil between the real and surreal is pierced, and the ghost of the woman murdered here escapes to seek revenge.
3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
It was always going to be set in D.C. The intersection of politics, business, money and ghosts was just too provocative to pass up.
4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
I’m not sure she’d want to hang out with me is the better question. She is complicated, provocative, outspoken, and precocious. I’m kind of a square.
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Super smart. Ironic. Untamed.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
Character informs plot, not the other way around.
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I find that I can’t help myself writing and re-writing as I go. I usually spend the mornings trying to let my imagination run wild, then use the afternoons to try making sense of it. I am constantly revising.
8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Ice cream. Only on Sunday night. Usually, Rum Raisin together with Butter Pecan. Add a dribble of Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce. Ignore weight gain in the AM.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
A beautiful room we built when we bought this home, with a view of the Great Bay and surrounding conservation land and estuaries. Cluttered with bookshelves, records, CDs, my grand piano and bass guitars. Visited constantly by a variety of wildlife. I can spend hours here staring out the windows, pretending to work.
10–Who is an author you admire?
John LeCarré for his style. Stephen King for his storytelling. Robertson Davies for his epics. Don Winslow for his energy. Dennis Lehane, Colson Whitehead, James Elroy, Cixin Liu, Tana French, Mick Herron, Clive Barker. Believe it or not, Edith Wharton. Shall I go on?
11–Is there a book that changed your life?
Too many to name. Every book I read adds to my life.
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.
I was extremely lucky to have a relationship with Kevin J Anderson, a writer I greatly admire and a wonderful collaborator during my DUNE miniseries. I sent him Veils for his opinion, and he blew me away by responding so fast with his generous comments and offer to publish. He and WordFire have been a joy to work with.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
Dark drama/suspense, espionage and thrillers, and of course horror (as long as it’s got a good psychological twist).
14–What’s your favorite movie?
Lawrence of Arabia. (But again, too many to list).
15–What is your favorite season?
Fall
16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I don’t.
17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
“Slow Horses” on Apple TV. Starring Gary Oldman and my dear friend, Saskia Reeves. A wonderful twist on the spy thriller. Based on a terrific novel series by Mick Herron.
18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Hard to pick a favorite. My tastes are ecumenical. And I’m adventurous. I’ll try most anything once. But a go-to would have to be Eastern Mediterranean. Greek, Lebanese. The healthiest diet there is. Although, I could never go longer than six months without a perfectly cooked petite filet and baked potato from a great steakhouse like Smith and Wollensky.
19–What do you do when you have free time?
I try not to have any.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on a trilogy about the monsters inside us all. A trilogy called Residue. Very dark and creepy. Book One, “Paramentals Rising”, is complete. Book Two, “Toxic City”, is in progress. I’m offering a short story Prelude, “Noise of the City”, as a give-away to early buyers of Passing Through Veils.
PASSING THROUGH VEILS by John Harrison
A fusion of Shirley Jackson and Gillian Flynn, Passing Through Veils is a gripping psychological thriller about Kathryn Fields who moves into a run-down Georgetown, D.C. townhouse in hopes that restoring it will be a metaphor for her own rehabilitation from the recent nervous breakdown that derailed her promising career.
But when she discovers a forgotten vanity behind a false wall in her bedroom and the secrets hidden there, the veil between the real and the surreal is abruptly pierced, and the ghost of a beautiful woman who was murdered in this very townhouse escapes to seek revenge.
Is this simply a fantasy of Katherine’s damaged psyche?
Or have her own demons finally escaped to torment her?
Thriller Psychological [WordFire Press, On Sale: August 15, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781680574258 / ]
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About John Harrison
John Harrison began his career directing rock videos and collaborating with famed horror director George Romero for whom he composed the scores to Romero’s CREEPSHOW and DAY OF THE DEAD. Harrison wrote and directed multiple episodes of Romero’s classic TV series, TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE before helming TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE, THE MOVIE for Producer Richard Rubinstein and Paramount Pictures which won Harrison the Grand Prix du Festival at Avoriaz, France. He has written and directed multiple TV episodes for a variety of networks as well as world premiere TV movies and miniseries, including the two Emmy winning miniseries adaptations of Frank Herbert’s DUNE and CHILDREN OF DUNE which he wrote, directed and co-produced. He co-wrote the Disney animated feature, DINOSAUR, and wrote and directed the theatrical adaptation of Clive Barker’s BOOK OF BLOOD. Harrison’s three-episode mini-series RESIDUE, which he created and wrote, is on Netflix. He is currently writing and directing episodes of the CREEPSHOW TV series on Shudder/AMC, as well as writing/directing the new horror podcast, SOUNDS SCARY.
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