Officially, Jonathan Fortin is the author of Lilitu: The Memoirs of a Succubus (coming December 2019 from Crystal Lake Publishing), Requiem In Frost (Horroraddicts.net), and Nightmarescape (Mocha Memoirs Press). An unashamed lover of spooky Gothic stories, Jonathan was named the “Next Great Horror Writer” in 2017 by HorrorAddicts.net. He attended the Clarion Writing Program in 2012, one year after graduating summa cum laude from San Francisco State University’s Creative Writing program. When not writing, Jonathan enjoys voice acting, dressing like a Victorian gentleman, and indulging in all things odd and macabre in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can follow him online at www.jonathanfortin.com or on Twitter @Jonathan_Fortin.

His new book Requiem In Frost comes out this month:

Fourteen-year-old Ingrid is certain that her new house is haunted. It’s old, spooky, and located deep in the frostbitten woods of Norway. Oh, and there’s also the fact that she and her mother are kept awake at night by the screams of a deceased former occupant—extreme metal musician Skansi Oppegård.

Hoping to exorcise Skansi’s ghost, Ingrid investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. But as Ingrid uncovers Skansi’s story, she finds herself targeted by forces beyond her understanding…and metal may prove to be the only weapon she has.

Did something in the real world inspire Requiem In Frost?

Requiem in Frost is a horror-comedy about a girl in Norway who moves into a house haunted by the ghost of a murdered black metal musician. While I’ve never lived in a haunted house, the story does reflect my own journey as a frustrated young teen who discovered black metal at a time when I didn’t know it was possible for me to like music. It also is very much inspired by the genre’s horrific history, which has no shortage of murder involved.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

There’s a part where Ingrid, the main character, is drawn out onto the thin ice covering the lake behind her new home, and finds something not-so-friendly waiting for her. It’s a fun, spooky scene. I’m also fond of a few brief moments in the story that hint at Norse mythology playing a role, including a glimpse of Naglfar, the fabled ship made out of the nails of the dead.

What was your writing process like as you wrote the book?

I wrote the first draft of this story as part of HorrorAddicts.net’s Next Great Horror Writer Contest. The challenge was to write a music-themed short story under 5,000 words and we only had a few weeks to do it. I’d had the idea for this story floating in my head for a little while, so I was really excited for the chance to work on it. The first draft ended up being longer than 5,000 words, so cutting it down was half the battle. I had some friends take a look, edited it a bit, and sent it out in time. I didn’t win that challenge (that honor went to Naching T. Kassa), but I did win the contest as a whole. Emerian Rich (the publisher and hostess) selected it to be published as an ebook under her HorrorAddicts HorrorBytes imprint. I was given the opportunity to make the story a bit longer, so I edited it and added more scenes to flesh out the characters and world a bit more. Then I got edits back from Emerian and Naching (who is now working for HorrorAddicts) and edited it once again. So, it was initially written all at once, and but had lots of little changes over time.

What was the best thing that happened during your promotion of the book?

This is my first time doing a blog tour, so I’ve been really excited to connect with author friends! It’s warmed my heart to know that others are so down to trade blogs/interviews. I also loved having the opportunity to read the story in early October. I’m an actor/voice actor as well as a writer, and I adore doing live readings.

What do you have planned next?

My first published novel, Lilitu: The Memoirs of a Succubus, is launching in December, and I can’t wait. Also, on October 31st my Clarion class (the Awkward Robots) is putting out The Indigo Volume, a charity anthology to support the Clarion foundation. I have a new short story in there called Directions to the Hollow of Souls. You can find that one here: https://gumroad.com/l/indigovol

I’m also tinkering with a few novel projects, including the next book in the Lilitu saga and an all-new book.

I recommend you pick up Requiem in Frost for yourself: https://amzn.to/2On5cPg

You can check out Jonathan’s books at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QgYYmM.

His homepage on the web is www.jonathanfortin.com

Or check out what he’s reading on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jonathanfortin