Jenue’s Journal is pleased to talk with Erik Tomblin about his book Riverside Blues.  The description reads as follows:

Fifty years ago, Gordon’s wife disappeared without a trace. He still mourns her. In an attempt to keep himself occupied, Gordon decides to clean up their special place along the river running behind his home. It’s there he finds something from his wildest dreams and his darkest nightmares that will reveal the lies surrounding his wife’s disappearance, lies he has believed for the last half century….

Erik, without giving away the story, tell us a little bit more about Gordon and his situation.

Gordon lost the love of his life not long after their wedding day. He settled into a joyless existence, just going through the motions of life. He works, he watches television, he sleeps, never quite able to find the enthusiasm for living he once shared with his new bride. But one morning, after a brief experience of a past he’s tried to forget, his life takes a dramatic turn and Gordon decides he needs to do something, anything to change the way he’s been living.

Gordon still mourns his missing wife after 50 years. Don’t you believe that time heal all wounds?

In a way it does, but the deeper the wound the more prominent the scar. You might lose a loved one and feel you’ll never be able to function normally again. Time passes and you’re eventually living your life as you had before the loss, and you can even make it through a day without thinking about it or feeling the weight of that initial sorrow. But once in a while those feelings come back, weak or strong, and you can choose to embrace the sadness or save it for another time. Time gives us the distance we need to continue to function.

What was your motivation while writing Riverside Blues?

Strangely enough, with most of my stories I already have an idea or concept I want to explore or explain with an interesting plot. With Riverside Blues, I wanted to write something that wasn’t premeditated. It started with a simple image as I sat behind my house at dusk looking at the edge of the woods: a woman walking out from the trees. From there, I put myself in the story and began answering the questions that came to mind. Who was she? Did I know her? Why is she there and where has she been?

I’ve tried writing horror and failed miserably. My niche is fiction/fantasy. What is the secret to writing horror?

I don’t think that any genre has a secret to it; it’s mostly about the reaction you want to get from the reader. And to make sure you accomplish that, you have to start with yourself. If you’re writing about something that doesn’t even scare you or make you uncomfortable then why should it do the same to others?

What’s the best piece of advice that you can give to writers that are in search of a publisher?

Know your market. That sounds simple enough, but there’s more to it than just knowing what’s popular at the time. It helps to become familiar with others involved in your market, from small press publishers and authors to the editors and agents in the larger markets. Like practically any business, your talent will play the largest part in your success, but knowing the people who run it can provide opportunities you might not normally have.

Jenue:  To find out more about Erik Tomblin, please visit his personal website.  Erik, thanks so much for taking part in this interview.  I’m definitely looking forward to reading Riverside Blues.