My Grandfather and uncle used to tell me ghost stories as a young boy and this in turn attracted me to the horror genre.
I get the impression that you’ve been writing most of your life, what were your early influences?
I’ve been writing in some form since my early teens and a main early influence on me was the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Was it always going to be horror?
No. I tried to incorporate aspects of mystery and the supernatural into my novel as well as horror. I was keen to avoid horror cliches which could have greatly detracted from the impact of the story.
The novel’s central location of Prestbury, Gloucestershire provides a vivid backdrop to the story (there are historical claims of the area being amongst the most haunted in England). Have you any real life experience of ghosts?
Yes several. One such incident was when one night whilst stargazing, i saw a luminous patch of light form in the field next to my garden and slowly drift across it before then dissipating. I live close to Prestbury have extensively researched the ghost stories attached to the village and the surrounding area.
What is your writing process?
After an initial concept for a poem or story, I try to collate ideas from various sources then try and pull them together to form a cohesive piece.
The first thing that strikes me about your writing is that it’s very filmic. How did you arrive at this point, and are there influences from movies feeding into that?
The filmic aspects of my story developed over time and were as a result of different plot strands coming together. Film wise though I loved the Hammer horror films of the 1970’s and other classic horror films such as The Exorcist and The Fog and I’m sure these helped shape my story in some aspects.
How do you manage to navigate what has already been done before in the genre? You are working in a field where so many of these images have been so well-trodden.
I try to be true to the story and avoid sticking to one genre. I find this lends itself to originality and lessens the chances of falling into the traps of horror cliche.
Who have you been reading lately?
I have recently been reading a biography of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
Name a book that made you want to write.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
N.C. Fortune was born in Streetly, Staffordshire, with the congenital condition Spina Bifida. He moved to the Cheltenham area in 1978 and on his twelfth birthday was given a drum kit, which led to him becoming obsessed with drumming and music. He spent his teens through to his early forties playing the drums in bands, often professionally, only stopping when his disability worsened. His grandfather first told him stories of the paranormal which both scared and intrigued him, and in the 1980s he had a ghostly experience which further developed his fascination. Around this time, he visited Prinknash Abbey near Cheltenham and in the café bookshop found a copy of a book called Mister God, This Is Anna by Fynn which served as one of the inspirations behind Falling Story. N.C. Fortune is a poet and lives on his own in the Cotswolds.
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