Behind the Book: The Cliffhouse Haunting, with Jamison Walker on Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre

Tamara and Alistair sit down with Dr. Jamison Walker, narrator of the novel that started it all, The Cliffhouse Haunting. Go behind the book for an inside look at the writing and narration of the story, the development and portrayal of the characters, and the joys and frustrations of the process: https://bit.ly/3txSjDO

Dr. Jamison Walker commands an impressive vocal range and an extensive repertoire. From opera and oratorio to musical theater and pops, Walker has performed in recital, opera, symphonic, and academic settings, nationally and internationally across the United States and in Europe and Asia.

Before completing his education, Mr. Walker served as a Counterintelligence Agent in the U. S. Army. Since then, he has taught extensively and now serves as an Assistant Professor of Voice on the faculty of James Madison University.In October of 2020, Dr. Walker began his journey in the realm of voice acting and audiobook narration. As of April 2021 he has seven professional releases with dozens more under contract.

Tamara Thorne’s first novel was published in 1991, and since then she has written many more, including international bestsellers Haunted, Bad Things, Moonfall, Eternity and The Sorority. A lifelong lover of ghost stories, she is currently working on several collaborations with Alistair Cross as well as an upcoming solo novel. Learn more about her at: http://tamarathorne.com

Alistair Cross grew up on horror novels and scary movies, and by the age of eight, began writing his own stories. First published in 2012, he has since co-authored The Cliffhouse Haunting and Mother with Tamara Thorne and is working on several other projects. His debut solo novel, The Crimson Corset, was an Amazon bestseller. The Black Wasp, book 3 in The Vampires of Crimson Cove series is on its way. Find out more about him at: http://alistaircross.com

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In collaboration, Thorne and Cross are currently writing several novels, including the next volume in the continuing gothic series, The Ravencrest Saga. Their first novel, The Cliffhouse Haunting, was an immediate bestseller. Together, they hosted the horror-themed radio show Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! which featured such guests as Anne Rice of The Vampire Chronicles, Charlaine Harris of the Southern Vampire Mysteries and basis of the HBO series True Blood, Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter novels, Jay Bonansinga of The Walking Dead series, Laurell K. Hamilton of the Anita Blake novels, Peter Atkins, screenwriter of Hellraiser 2, 3, and 4, worldwide bestseller V.C. Andrews, Kim Harrison of the Hollows series, and New York Times best sellers Preston & Child, Christopher Rice, and Christopher Moore. Currently, Thorne & Cross are hosts of Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre, where listeners can discover all manner of demented delights, unearth terrifying treasures, and explore the dark side of the arts.

For book deals, updates, specials, exclusives, and upcoming guests on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE!, join our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/ckaBrr

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Dream Reaper is Available in Audiobook!

DREAM REAPER is available in audiobook! Get your copy at: https://adbl.co/3mkSHTw

Angel or Demon?

Naive and heart-stoppingly handsome, he calls himself Alejandro, and Madison O’Riley has no clue what to do with him. As they set out to recover his lost identity, Madison realizes the mysterious man who saved her life harbors deep, otherworldly secrets that will put her in grave danger.

The Devil is in the Details

Gremory Jones has something for everyone, and for a price, he’s willing to make a deal. Walking the streets in top hat and trench coat, he tempts the citizens with mysterious wares from his shiny black briefcase. But buyer beware: All sales are final – and fatal.

A Scorching New Terror Has Come to Town

The townspeople are changing in appalling ways and it’s up to Madison – with the help of a psychic, a local priest, and the new chief of police – to help Alejandro unlock his forgotten powers before an unspeakable evil tears apart the fabric of existence … and costs them their very souls …

Behind the Book: Dream Reaper

I’ve often thought that without dreams, without hopes and aspirations, human beings wouldn’t be much more than empty shells, living day to day, with nothing keeping them alive except, maybe, the biological instinct to survive. Thinking on this more, it seemed likely to me that these dreamless beings would indulge in all kinds of risky immoral hijinks in their efforts to feel alive, to add some kind of texture and meaning to their lives, and the more I explored this idea, the more it started sounding like a story I wanted to write.

I already had my hero waiting in the wings – a beautiful amnesiac who calls himself Alejandro – from something I’d written many years earlier, and now I just needed a villain. Since I also like the idea of new, non-traditional monsters – not to say I don’t love vampires, mummies, and werewolves – I came up with Mr. Jones, a demonic salesman who trades wishes and whims for a person’s innermost dreams.

Mr. Jones came into existence all at once, when I saw a man – impeccably dressed with slicked-back black hair, dark glasses, a black briefcase – walking down the street near my house. I knew then and there that this was my bad guy. I threw in a psychic, a priest, an angel, and a chief of police with a drinking problem, then began exploring what happens when the townspeople start selling off their dreams …

And that’s how Dream Reaper came to be.

P.S. ~ Dream Reaper is coming soon to Audible.com!

~ Alistair Cross

Behind the Book: The Emergence of Constance Welling

From the moment our character Constance Welling walked on stage in The Cliffhouse Haunting, we knew this was a character who was going to entertain us endlessly – and she didn’t disappoint. She is the embodiment of just about every despicable characteristic we could think of, all crammed into a single body. As a result, she was a lot of fun to write. We loved hating her.

The Cliffhouse Haunting by Thorne & Cross is available in all formats at Amazon and everywhere books are sold.

5 Nights in a Haunted Cabin – Night One

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Here it is … the first episode of Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre Storytime …

Horror authors Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross spent five nights documenting the phenomena inside – and outside – of an allegedly haunted cabin tucked deep in the woods in Gold Country. By turns intrigued and terrorized, Thorne & Cross not only came away with great story ideas, they left the cabin with a new definition of horror.

This is the first night of their haunting adventure! Welcome to 5 Nights in a Haunted Cabin, Night One, read by Jamison Walker (as Alistair) and Caroline Kiley (as Tamara): https://bit.ly/2QvFRG7

You can listen to other episodes of Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre at Audible, Spotify, and many other services.

At Thorne & Cross: Carnival Macabre, you’ll discover demented delights, unearth terrifying treasures, and explore your most frightful fantasies. Come one! Come all! You’ll hear of horrors old and new, of things that none dare mention, and bear witness to the dark side of the arts with the Demonic Duo, the Diva of Darkness, Tamara Thorne, and the Nordic Nightmare himself, Alistair Cross.

Book Quote From The Cliffhouse Haunting

From the moment Constance Welling walked on stage in The Cliffhouse Haunting, we knew this was a character who was going to entertain us endlessly. She didn’t disappoint.

The Cliffhouse Haunting is available now.

The Full Audiobook Collection … So Far …

Available in audiobook from Thorne & Cross … so far. More coming soon.

THE CLIFFHOUSE HAUNTING is Available on Audiobook!

THE CLIFFHOUSE HAUNTING is available in audiobook at: https://adbl.co/3dJdzRO

When the Blue Lady Walks… 

Since 1887, Cliffhouse Lodge has been famous for its luxurious accommodations, fine dining… and its ghosts. Overlooking Blue Lady Lake, nestled among tall pines, Cliffhouse has just been renovated by its owners, Teddy and Adam Bellamy, and their daughter, Sara. 

Cliffhouse has not always been a place of rest and respite, though. Over the years it has served many vices, from rum-running to prostitution – and although the cat house has been replaced by a miniature golf course and carousel, Cliffhouse retains its dark history; darkest during the Roaring Twenties, when a serial killer called the Bodice Ripper terrorized the town, and a phantom, the Blue Lady, was said to walk when murder was imminent. 

Death Walks With Her… 

Now, there’s a new killer on the loose, and the Blue Lady sightings have returned. The Bellamys are losing maids, and guests are being tormented by disembodied whispers, wet phantom footprints, and the blood-chilling shrieks of mad laughter that echo through the halls of Cliffhouse in the dead of night. 

The little mountain town of Cliffside is the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer… and the Blue Lady. Police Chief Jackson Ballou has bodies piling up, and between the murders and the mysteries, he can hardly pursue his romance with Polly Owen. And Sara Bellamy may lose her true love before they even have their first kiss. 

Book Quote of the Day

CANDLE BAY is Available in Audiobook!

Tamara Thorne’s CANDLE BAY is now available now on audiobook!: https://adbl.co/3qJl3bl – Narrated by the one and only Jamison Walker!

Shrouded in fog on a hillside high above an isolated California coastal town, The Candle Bay Hotel and Spa has been restored to its former glory after decades of neglect. Thanks to its new owners, the Darlings, the opulent inn is once again filled with prosperous guests.

But its seemingly all-American hosts hide a chilling, age-old family secret. Lured to the picturesque spot, assistant concierge Amanda Pearce is mesmerized by her surroundings – and her seductive new boss, Stephen Darling. But her employers’ eccentric ways and suspicious blood splatters in the hotel fill her with trepidation.

Little does Amanda know that not only are the Darlings vampires, but that a murderous vampire vendetta is about to begin – and she will be caught in the middle. For as the feud unfolds and her feelings for Stephen deepen, Amanda must face the greatest decision of her life: to die, or join the forever undead.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro says, “Tamara Thorne has an uncanny knack for combining the outrageous with the shuddery, making for wonderful scary romps and fun reading.”