Have this ever happened to you? You meet a complete stranger, and for some unexplained reason, it feels like you have known that person your whole life. The two of you connect right away, and one of the first conversations you have includes the phrase: “Where do I know you from?” Sometimes you find out that you used to attend the same school years ago, or that you briefly met at some party through some mutual acquaintance, and you forgot. Sometimes, though…. there is no explanation for the bond that you and this stranger are feeling. It happens to a lot of people. It certainly has happened to me! This is the kind of experience that leads people to explore religious and mystical ideas about what, exactly, is the source of this strong connection. It is this intriguing concept that is explored in Stones Skipping on Water.

John Kincaide attends an art show, and sees the beautiful Vanessa Dean for the first time. The two are instantly attracted to each other, and this attraction quickly leads to a passionate relationship. Vanessa has been making art that centers around her need to find a familiar face in a crowd, and then exploring that connection. Each of the lovers has found a little piece of what was missing from their lives in the other person, as lovers often do.

Their bliss is broken when Kincaide gets an urgent phone call from one of his employees. Kincaide owns a company that has been manufacturing and testing a new drug called ClearThought. The drug was designed as a memory aid, something that would eventually be marketed to college students, graduate students, and other people who have the need for a temporary memory boost. John learns, from this frantic phone call placed in the wee hours of the morning, that something has gone terribly wrong.

Gordon Bischof, the inventor of ClearThought, appears to have gone crazy. Bischof has been secretly sampling ClearThought, and the result is that he has lost his mind. He is sitting in the lab, with a gun, and a bottle of alcohol, demanding to speak with Kincaide, and calling his coworkers by names that are not actually their names. The most terrifying aspect of this extremely unsettling scene is that Bischof believes that ClearThought has enabled him to see and experience past lives.

As if that weren’t bad enough news, there is more. Bischof firmly believes that he has discovered exactly who Kincaide was in a past life, is angry about what transpired, and is interested in settling the score. It is a grudge held onto from a lifetime ago. Passion and rage, multiplied by time, equals an imminent explosion.

What follows is an intense roller coaster ride of a story, as Kincaide, Vanessa, and Bischof try and make all the little pieces fit into the big picture. The reader sits somewhere inside Kincaide’s head, as he struggles to figure out what is fact, what is fantasy, and what the right move is as the situation continues to intensify. There are many chapters that ended with statements so shocking that it literally made me gasp, and quickly devour the next chapter, dying to know what happens next. Readers who appreciate stories that do not fit neatly into a categorical box created by big chain bookstores will greatly enjoy this book. Those that crave a thriller with a touch of metaphysics will not want to miss this book.

This is a book that might be considered “historical fiction”, but, not in the way you might expect. The famous characters that you recognize are who you think they are, but, what they say and do is not something you would find in an actual biography of the famous characters, or anything you would be taught in a history class. Consider this book to be a work of historical fiction in a parallel universe that is strikingly similar to ours, yet, with it’s own subtle differences.

It’s 1962 at the start of this book, and David Dengler appears to be stalking the beautiful and famous Marilyn Monroe. Dengler is no ordinary stalker, however, because following around Marilyn Monroe is his assignment. He is gathering intelligence for the U.S. Army.

I became instantly curious about Dengler, and his mysterious assignment. Was he going to kill Marilyn Monroe, or seduce her, or both? Is Dengler the hero, or the villain? Why, exactly, does the U.S. Army want to know about what time Marilyn Monroe wakes up in the morning, and how often she waters her lawn? There has to be something more than meets the eye, I thought. And oh, was there! More than I ever expected when I first picked up this book.

Taylor is a master at blind siding his readers with pivotal information that changes the entire story. You don’t see it coming. After it hits you it becomes very apparent just where that came from, and how it fits into the puzzle. The twists of plot in this book are extreme, and perfect, and intense. I literally spent two days doing not much more than reading Red Mist, dying to know what happens next and how it all turns out!

Most readers are going to come into this book with an expectation that Marilyn Monroe dies, somehow, and that JFK and/ or RFK have something to do with it, and then the story ends. Don’t be fooled by this belief! This is a parallel universe, remember? Things happen in this story that are realistic and unexpected at the same time. Forget what you think you know about what may have happened with these people in our reality, because whatever it is, in terms of this book, you aren’t even close to having this puzzle solved. You don’t even have all the pieces, and the cover of the box with the picture on it has long since disappeared.

Red Mist is a book with a whole lot to offer. Readers who enjoy intense thrillers that include political intrigue, governmental secrets, and double agents will be excited by this book. There are several mysteries to solve within these pages, but the clues will keep you guessing right up until the very end. Taylor has created a vivid world to visit. I could hear the accents in the characters voices, see the scenes through their eyes, feel their adrenaline. Readers are given intimate details about what each character experienced before these events took place, which makes for some of the most detailed and realistic characters I’ve encountered.

Put this all together, and you have more than a great story, you have a journey for reader to travel. This makes the love scenes more emotional, the sex scenes even spicier, and the sad parts more tear-jerking. Few books make me want to cry, but this one very nearly achieved it in parts. The realistic qualities of Taylor’s writing also made the violent parts (and there are plenty), so disturbing that there were times I felt nauseous. If you are a reader who has difficulty reading scenes that include torture, tread carefully here. Personally, my favorite genre is horror, and I tend to enjoy a certain amount of violence in a book. One great thing about reading is that, for most books, you can select just how graphic a picture you want in your head as you read. Red Mist however, makes that impossible. You are not just watching a movie of these scenes, you are standing in the room as it takes place, you are the character it is happening to. I highly recommend this book!

Something is haunting Monroe House in Cambria, a quiet picturesque town in California. No matter what your guess might be about exactly what is doing the haunting, let me assure you that you are not only wrong, but way off. This book will surprise you!

Parker and Lily are newlyweds who get married and purchase Monroe House on the same day. They intend to open up a Bed and Breakfast. Before they can even get started, tragedy strikes, and Parker is left to pick up the pieces, unsure if he even wants to make an attempt.

He is a stranger in this small town where everyone knows everyone else. He has no idea what is required to renovate Monroe House, other than a certainty that the ugly victorian wallpaper must go! Parker finds that Monroe House comes with an awkward, skinny, caretaker named Eleanor, who can’t be talked into leaving, and Lily’s grandmother is basically causing him trouble. What else could go wrong? Plenty!

Eleanor has seen, heard, and experienced some terrifying things during her stay at Monroe House. Instead of describing them, she waits, and lets Parker, (and the reader), see for himself. As time goes on, Eleanor and Parker make all sorts of plans about just what they should do, and a friendship is started.

Parts of this book really freaked me out, they were that scary! I haven’t had the pleasure of being frightened by a book in a long, long time. This is one of those books where you get to the end of a chapter and can’t wait to read the next one, and the next one, because you just have to know what happens next. It’s more than just a scary “ghost story”, however. This is a book with something for everybody. Scary things that go bump in the night, love and romance, lots of really funny scenes, and even some lesbians! Chapters ten and eleven are laugh-out-loud funny, which I found balanced nicely with some of the scary-as-hell chapters.

Don’t miss out on this one, it’s a real treat.

Richard Taylor was kind enough to do an interview for Bookwyrm U. S.. What follows are my questions, and his answers, for all my readers to enjoy.

Jen Thorpe:Your book describes Cambria so vividly that readers will feel  like they are right there, walking around town.  Readers might be  inspired to visit Cambria, and see the sights.  Do any of the  places mentioned in your book exist?  Did they ever?  Is there a   real “Monroe House”?

Richard Taylor: Actually, everything mentioned in the book actually exists EXCEPT  Monroe House. Since the book was published I’ve been approached  numerous times with the question, is Monroe House Squibb House, or J.  Patrick House? It’s neither, merely a figment of my imagination.  Actually, Monroe House is far too big a place for Cambria, which for  the most part is made up of far more modest buildings. The one  building that could have been Monroe House is now The Burton Inn, but  of course it’s located in the wrong place. The Brambles, Cambria’s  granddaddy restaurant, is architecturally accurate except for being  single story.

JT:I had very vivid pictures in my head as I was reading your  book.  You have described the scenery, and the settings so well, I  could just about see it.  From the beach with the driftwood, to the  monstrous victorian wallpaper in the house, to the stars in the  sky, it was all right there to be seen.  Are there any plans in the  works to make this book into a movie?

RT: It’s a little early to be thinking about a film sale. THE HAUNTING  OF CAMBRIA is a debut novel and it’s only been out for several  months, so I’m hoping word of mouth will work for it. I’ve had a  couple of inquiries from producers I’ve worked with in the past, but  they too are waiting to see if it will have the appropriate impact.  Early reports are that it is selling well, so we shall see.

JT:Some of the characters in the book, the “historians”, seem to be  passing on local urban legends to Parker and Eleanor when they  start asking questions about the history of Monroe House.  Did you  come across any actual urban legends about Cambria before you wrote  the book?  Is there anything really haunting some part of Cambria,  that you know of?

RT: You know, I ran into a reader at The Cookie Crock, Cambria’s only  supermarket (well, mini-supermarket would be more accurate) and while  she was praising the book profusely a passerby asked, “Oh, is the  book really about Cambria?” My reader said, “Oh, no, but it’s really  good!” As far as she was concerned, HAUNTING OF CAMBRIA had nothing  to do with the real town at all! I started writing the novel the week  I moved to Cambria five years ago and finished it Halloween night  (Boo!), so the truth is, I was an outsider then (as I probably am  now). I took great liberties — well, truthfully, I lied a lot. It’s  fiction, right? I’ve had several readers approach me with ghost  stories of their own since then, but in each case it was long after  the book was written.

JT:Most of the book comes from the viewpoint of Parker, with all  his “typical guy” kinds of thoughts.  Later in the book, in a few  key parts, the viewpoint switches over to a female character,  Laura, and now the reader is getting her very female point of  view.  Often when authors write characters that aren’t the same  gender as they are, the internal dialogue of the character is a bit  “off”, but you have done a great job here.  Did you need to do any  additional work to get the thoughts of Laura to be so authentic?   Or was it just as easy as writing what goes on inside Parker’s head?

RT: Hm, interesting question. I’ve just finished a novel told from the  point of view of the female lead. Is it harder to write from within  the head of the opposite sex? Yes, of course it is. Thankfully most  of my early readers (the ones who provide editorial guidance) are  women, so that helps. Jackie, my wife, mocks me into understanding  women better, sometimes, so that helps. Much of what makes Laura work  is her relationship with her father. Laura’s older sister was  brutally raped, so her father explained to her that what happened to  her sister wasn’t about male sexuality. Laura’s father saves men for  her, which of course is what parents do, they provide models to  imitate. The truth is, I think, men and women are very much alike  except by degrees. They are as capable of every human failing, they  love, they hate, they envy, they can be kind, caring, generous. I  have a line from my new novel, THEY FEAST, that I’m proud of. It  delineates the difference between how men and women approach sex: Men  tend to see women as art, while women tend to see men as literature,  for character. Of course, every generality is wrong much of the time.

JT:The book ended with all the questions answered, and still the  potential for there to be a sequel.  What’s next?  A book that  takes up where this one ends, or something entirely new and different?

RT:I sold THE HAUNTING OF CAMBRIA to St. Martin’s Press/TOR as a  series. They have tentatively okayed a second book, VAMPYR OF  CAMBRIA, but as yet we haven’t signed a contract. In the interim I’ve  written two books, STONES SKIPPING ON WATER, a reincarnation  thriller, and just today finished THEY FEAST, which is billed as a  vampire story for the new age. Stones hasn’t been placed yet. The  book marketplace is very difficult. My editor at TOR told me it’s a  miracle to sell a first novel, and to have that novel do well is an  even greater miracle. A lot rides on how well HAUNTING OF CAMBRIA  does commercially. The reviews thus far have been nothing less than  sensational, so I’m hopeful.

JT:Something I often wonder when I read a book is: “What does this  author like to read?”  Your book has a little something for  everyone.  It’s a ghost story.  It’s a love story (well, I guess  it’s actually more than one love story).  Parts are terrifying, and  other parts are laugh- out- loud funny.  There are even parts that  might almost be considered “travel writing”, because Cambria is an  actual town in California.  Whose work do you like to read, and how  did those authors influence your writing, (if at all)?

RT:Cambria is a writer’s town, you know. Until recently absurd  humorist Christopher Moore lived here. His novel LAMB is one of the  best I’ve read. Katherine Ryan Hyde also lives in Cambria. She wrote  PAY IT FORWARD, which is considered a classic by many. My favorite of  her books is WALTER’S PURPLE HEART, which is a very low-key, lovely  and romantic reincarnation story. I love Stephen King, of course, but  most of the horror writers leave me dissatisfied. My favorite writer  is J.K. Rowling. I’ve read the complete Harry Potter series. I read  the last book in forty-eight hours. It was wonderful. I don’t think  any one writer influences me. though. Not one of my books is like  another — why repeat yourself?

JT:Just out of curiosity, what grows in your garden at home?  Do  you have any houseplants?  What kinds?

RT:Ha-ha! Trick question. Read the book, get the trick! To answer  your question seriously, we don’t garden. We allow our neighbor to  grow tomatoes in our back yard. Jackie requests that certain kinds of  flowers are planted (she’s in a wheelchair, so she doesn’t garden  herself). As for me, I spend most of my time inside my head. I tend  not to garden in there.

JT:What music did you listen to while you were writing this book?   What made you choose to listen to that in particular?

RT:My taste in music runs to the abnormal. I love soundtracks. I  collect movie soundtracks, combine them into one long orchestral work  and then play them on my iPod. Some of my favorite pieces are MEET  JOE BLACK by Thomas Newman, THE DA VINCI CODE by Hans Zimmer, CIDER  HOUSE RULES by Rachel Portman, among others. I love romantic  classical pieces, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, those guys.  Delius, Dvoråk, Grieg too. My favorite symphony is Beethoven’s 6th. I  love the 9th, too, but without the vocals. I’m not an opera guy.

JT:Where on the internet can my readers go to keep up to date  about the when and where of your upcoming book readings and signings?

RT:www.hauntingofcambria.com. Thank you very much.

JT:What was the most interesting, or the strangest thing that has  happened at any of your book signings or readings?  I’m always  curious about what it’s like to do those.

RT:One woman drove a long distance to buy the book. More than twenty  miles. One woman bought seven, to use as gifts, Christmas, I think.  The manager and assistant manager of one store each bought a copy. I  thought that was wonderfully odd. One woman was going to buy it for  her child. No, I don’t think so. Frankly, I’m always amazed to find  people wanting to buy it. It’s a new and thrilling (yes, thrilling)  experience for me. I think the one thing I’m not prepared for, and  this exceeds your question because it’s about reviews, not signings  or readings, and that’s how enthusiastic people seem to be about THE  HAUNTING OF CAMBRIA. No one has ever used the word ‘brilliant’ in the  same sentence with my name before (they described an aspect of the  book, not me). I’d prepared myself for critics to hate it — you know,  you prepare yourself for the worst — but so far every review has been  at least good and most have been enthusiastically positive.

JT:Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me!

RT: Thanks, Jen.