If you're looking for a good horror story that will keep you on edge, then Barbara Custer has the book for you! She is the author of Twilight Healer, an interesting thriller that she will share with us right now.
Barbara, welcome to Authors N Focus!
Charles: Barbara, please tell us about yourself.
Barbara: I work full-time as a respiratory therapist and have been writing horror and science fiction about 10 years. Many of my short stories have appeared in small press magazines. I currently edit a magazine, Night To Dawn, which strives to elevate vampire fiction to a more creative plane. I'm happy to say that the magazine and the book have enjoyed decent reviews. I live in Pennsylvania with my husband Michael. My hobbies include reading, volunteer work, writing, going to movies, and collecting Mylar balloons.
Charles: On your website, you mentioned a college instructor encouraged you to write after the death of your mother. How valuable was that encouragement to you?
Barbara: Very valuable, as I took my mother's death really hard. My instructor suggested that writing might help me turn over the grief I was feeling. She coached me through writing short stories at first, and she also critiqued Twilight Healer.
Charles: Let’s talk about your book, Twilight Healer. What is the book about?
Barbara: The story features Leslie, a timid, bullied respiratory therapist coping with her mother's suicide, a shattered career, a learning disability, and numerous murders near her home. But her hassles become the least of her problems when she stumbles into an alternate world ruled by fire and demons. Immortality gifts her with healing abilities, but Leslie finds herself thrust in a war between the vampires and a demon god Hades.
Charles: Please tell us more about Leslie. What does she represent to you?
Barbara: Leslie represents someone with very little self-esteem. The hassles she's had at work and with her family reinforces her negative thinking. Worse, she makes a mistake that causes a patient’s death. Her toughest battles are learning self-forgiveness and realizing that she's not so dumb after all.
Charles: You’ve mentioned to me via email that Twilight Healer went to two publishers. Why the change? Has it worked out for you?
Barbara: Authorhouse was the first publisher, a print-on-demand company. I wasn't very happy with the quality of print or the cover. Most people wanting to buy books will look at your cover, and your quality of print to see how professional it looks. I've seen Authorhouse do good work with other authors; perhaps they are not used to doing paranormal stories. Anyway, www.TreePress.net started a small publishing company, and they were looking for submissions. The upshot was, they accepted the book, and I expect Twilight Healer to be released soon.
Charles: I understand you’re a fan of Mr. Stephen King. What do you like about his works and which one of those had an impression on you?
Barbara: I like the way Mr. King makes his characters come alive. They act like real people, not like the stilted characters I've seen in many stories. I don’t have any one favorite story, but I enjoy the tales he writes using settings from his hometown.
Charles: On your website, it says you’ve written many short stories. Are they the same genre as Twilight Healer or are they different?
Barbara: Many of them are vampire fiction tales, but a lot of them are also science fiction and mystery. My short fiction often appears on www.chaoticdreams.net.
Charles: Do you have any future projects on the horizon?
Barbara: I'm currently working on Night To Dawn issue 10. For this coming issue, I expect to use a different printing company. I will be including more reviews, and hopefully have a more professional looking cover. I'm also working on another novel (second draft) called Dark Side Of The Moon. This is a combination of horror and science fiction. I will talk more about it once I’m ready to send it out.
Charles: Where can readers learn more about you, Twilight Healer and anything else you’ve done?
Barbara: Please visit my website, www.bloodredshadows.com. In addition to providing updates on my writing projects, reviews on my work, and information on how you may acquire the books, the website will entertain you with theme music from Dark Shadows. I also invite the readers to forward questions to me at barbaracuster@hotmail.com.
Charles: Any final words in closing?
Barbara: I would encourage aspiring writers to start out by submitting to small press magazines. Do not take rejection letters to heart. Writers' conferences are a great way to network. For suggestions on writers' conferences, please contact me at barbaracuster@hotmail.com.
Charles: Ladies and gentlemen, I urge you to buy a copy of Twilight Healer today! It’ll have you sitting on the edge of your chair for sure!
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