Bill Davidson is the author of the folk horror/fantasy novella, Cauldhame, which was just re-released by Twisted Dreams Press. Bill took some time to answer some questions about his book and share a bit about his experience as an author.
Hi, Bill! Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed. What can you tell us about yourself?
I’m a tennis playing, guitar torturing parent, grandparent and Scottish author of horror, fantasy and thrillers. I left a successful career in local Government, where I managed everything from garbage collection to housing, to throw myself into writing.
I take my hat off to anybody who can manage to write novels whilst working full time. I couldn’t!
I absolutely enjoyed reading Cauldhame. Could you please share with me what the title means and what compelled you to use it for the title of this book?
Try saying ‘cold home’ in your best Scottish accent – Cauldhame! It’s also the name of the area where my brother lives and I always thought it so evocative. Given the sinister feel of the cottage in the story, and the chilling truths that emerge, it was a perfect fit. I couldn’t resist.
What inspired you to write this story?
My sister-in-law, Fiona Davidson, had a long career playing the Celtic harp, singing and telling Celtic myths on stage, including tales of The Fae. Fabulous inspiration for the story, including Josh’s mother. She used to be very popular in the US and Canada and it’s worth checking her out on Spotify, as it will probably be very different to any music you’ve heard before. Tir Na Nog (the land of everlasting youth) is a good place to start.
I love the cover for this book! What can you tell us about it?
I’ve been lucky to work with incredibly talented surrealist artist David Whitlam for some years now. He has produced covers for four of my books, and I strongly believe those beautiful and haunting images set them apart. This one is entitled ‘Moonlight Sonata’ and is so very evocative of the story.
Is there a particular reason why you chose to set the story in Scotland? And kind of ties with the folklore in the story?
The Fae of the magical Caledonian Forest, which once stretched coast to coast across the Highlands, were the heart of the story and so it could only be set in Scotland.
The Fae of lore are nothing like cutesey animated fairies. They are dangerous, capricious and powerful.
What was your experience like in writing this story? What kind of research did you have to do?
This was a story that largely wrote itself, once it got going. I did some research on The Fae, Highland geography, and the Caledonian forest, but that was about it.
In what way do you feel that your experience as a writer helped you with the work involved in writing, revising and editing this story?
I’ve definitely improved as a writer. It’s a craft. I work hard on revising and editing, usually going through the entire work several times, sometimes changing things radically but always finding typos and clumsy writing. Then Tasha Reynolds got ahold of it and did a proper job of editing! Thanks Tasha. Great job.
What sort of struggles or roadblocks did you have to contend with while writing this story?
If there is a continuum between ‘Plotter’ and ‘Pantser’ I’m well towards the Pantser end. I don’t exactly have an idea and ‘go by the seat of my pants’. Rather, I have two or three ideas and then wander around for a while walking into lampposts and tripping over small dogs before having to pour it out onto paper.
Sometimes I struggle with that approach but other times the story just flows and the characters decide what to do (I can hear plotters wincing) and that’s what happened here.
No roadblocks!
What are the major themes of the story which affect you on a personal level?
I’m far too shallow for that kind of thing, Dawn. I just like to tell a good story!
What other books have you written?
My first published novel was The Orangerie, described as a psychological thriller that thinks it’s a time travelling murder mystery!
The King of Crows is a time-slip horror set in and under the streets of Dundee. LoveReading described it as ‘Stephen King-esque,’ and that’s good enough for me.
The Story of Life is a tale within a tale, another folk horror that deals with the power of stories and the meaning of reality.
New Gods, Old Monsters is my collection of short stories. Not all horror, more strange tales of mystery.
My novel The Living Must Die is about to be relaunched as The Patience of the Dead and is a very different take on the zombie trope. No mindless brain-munchers in this one!
I have another three books in submission, and am tussling with a fourth that doesn’t seem to want to be written.
What is one thing most readers could notice about all of your books that makes you stand out above other authors in the horror community?
The covers! Thanks again to Dave Whitlam. Inside, I like to build an engaging world and invest in characters so the reader really cares when things start to slide out of kilter. I’m not interested in gore and jump scares – I’m more of a growing sense of unease man.
What kind of books can we expect to see from you next?
I’m working hard and am sitting on two completed horror novels plus a novella, with elements of witchcraft, magical realism and reality shifts. As an indie author, the challenge is always to find a publisher who believes in them, so watch this space!
The book I’m working on just now is a historical murder-mystery which throws up roadblock after roadblock plus a helluva lot of research. I’ll get there in the end!
Thank you, Bill, for taking the time to answer these questions! Cauldhame by Bill Davidson is available in print and ebook on Amazon. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited. You can get your copy of this fantastic book here.
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