Micah Castle is a weird fiction/horror writer. He has been published in various magazines and websites and has three collections currently out. He enjoys hiking, playing with his animals, and can typically be found reading a book somewhere in his home.
The Abyss Beyond The Reflection
- Paperback: 241 pages
- Publisher: Independently published (June 7, 2018)
KR: Coffee?
KR: Could you tell me a little about yourself please?
There’s not much about me. I’m quite boring, really. I’m married to my beautiful wife Nicole and have two dogs and a chinchilla. I work as a customer support rep to fund my reading and writing habits. Outside of that, I try to be outside as much as I can be and if I could, I’d spent numberless hours hiking through the woods.
KR: What do you like to do when not writing?
Spending time with my wife, reading, hiking, photography, napping, etc. The usual things most people do on a day-to-day.
KR: What is your favourite childhood book?
I didn’t read much as a child, so I can’t name one specific book, but I do remember having a love for the Goosebumps series.
KR: What is your favourite album, and does music play any role in your writing?
I have dozens of favorite albums, but if I had to name one, it would be: Slice the Cake’s Odyssey to the West. Music doesn’t play a big role with my writing, although Odyssey to the West is a large influence for my fantasy world/stories that have yet to see the light of day.
KR: Do you have a favourite horror movie/director?
Not horror, but I’ve always liked the style and aesthetic Tim Burton always brings to films.
KR: What are you reading now?
Recently finished H.G. Well’s The Time Machine, and plan on starting The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction March/April issue.
KR: What was the last great book you read?
John Langan’s Sefira and Other Betrayals. (Although the last The Expanse book, Tiamat’s Wrath, was great, too.)
KR: E-Book, Paperback or Hardback?
Paperback. I have issues getting sucked into stories if they’re digital, and hardbacks tends to be annoying to hold and read, especially one handed.
KR: Who were the authors that inspired you to write?
H.P. Lovecraft, A.A. Merritt, Ray Bradbury, Jack London, Stephen King, William Hodgson, and Philip K. Dick.
KR: Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to just see where an idea takes you?
For large stories, I typically will outline. For instance, I’ve been working on my “novel story” which is the biggest story I’ve written yet. I handwrote every point/beat of the story before beginning the first draft.
For medium or smaller stories, I will have an idea of how the story will start and end, and a gist for the middle. I’ve found if I at least have an end, I can, sometimes, make the story work. If not, I end up becoming lost along the way and the story ends up being binned.
For some stories, I’ve able just to write off the cuff and had some success, but that’s few and far between.
KR: What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
A lot of Googling, really. If I came to a point in the story I need to research, I’ll stop writing and spend an hour or more gathering information before beginning again.
KR: How would you describe your writing style?
I don’t think I have a specific style because I write some stories in a different way than others. It can get flowery with descriptions in some instances, but I try to keep that at a minimum.
KR: Describe your usual writing day?
Wake up at 6:30 AM, eat breakfast, let the dogs out, get the coffee pot going, let the dogs in, and once my wife leaves for work, get my first cup of coffee and begin writing at around 7:30 AM and stop around 9 AM. I do this six or seven days a week.
KR: Do you have a favourite story/short that you’ve written (published or not)?
I have a few that are my favorite, but the two that I really like, but have yet to be picked up outside of my third self-published collection, are “Three White Demons” and “Nowhere Better Than Here.” One day, I hope, they’ll find a home elsewhere like some of the other stories found in that collection.
KR: Do you read your book reviews?
I do if they’re written by other writers or posted on websites/blogs, such as yourself, but I typically avoid reviews on Amazon/Goodreads.
KR: How do you think you’ve developed as an author?
I think I’ve improved since I’ve begun, but I’ve mostly plateaued in the last year or so. There are tiny improvements here and there but nothing huge like when comparing my first few stories to my latest.
KR: What is the best piece of advice you’ve received regarding your writing?
That when being descriptive to have action with it, if possible, and not write descriptions as if it were a list.
KR: What scares you?
The unknown.
KR: Can you tell me about your latest release please?
The Abyss Beyond the Reflection is my third self-published collection of weird fiction, horror, and sci-fi, a bit more of the latter. It’s my most polished collection thus far and has some of the best stories (I believe) that I have ever written with a wide range of settings and characters.
KR: What are you working on now?
My untitled “novel story,” which is almost done with its first revision and then onto alpha readers. During that, I’ve had a few story ideas knocking around in my head for a while that I need to release, and revise some other stories before sending them off for, hopefully, publication.
KR: You find yourself on a desert island, which three people would you wish to be deserted with you and why?
You can choose…
a) One fictional character from your writing.
Well, most of my characters end up dead, but I’d probably choose the protagonist of “The White Sea”, he lives in the end.
b) One fictional character from any other book.
Choosing a realistic, fictional character would have to be Humphrey van Weyden from The Sea-Wolf. Like this question, he ends up stranded on an island for a while, but survives and is able to escape.
c) One real-life person that is not a family member or friend.
Elon Musk. He’d invent something soon after being stranded to get off the island, or one of his devout fans would rescue him and, if they’re generous, rescue me in the process.
KR: Thank you very much Micah.
Mica Castle
Micah Castle is a weird fiction/horror writer. He has been published in various magazines and websites and has three collections currently out. He enjoys hiking, playing with his animals, and can typically be found reading a book somewhere in his home.
You can find out more about Micah by visiting his official website www.micahcastle.com
You can follow Micah on Twitter @Micah_Castle
The Abyss Beyond The Reflection
A horror filled collection of stories filled with psychological weirdness, hideous creatures in grisly detail, and protagonists with amazing depth.
“This collection of stories comes chalk-full of psychological weirdness as well as gritty detailed creature horror, a combination I personally enjoy. The gore is strong but not too extreme. The oddity is as extant as it ought be in any proper entry of the Weird Fiction genre.”
Jordan Anderson, author of For A Glimpse Beyond the Terminus.
“Reading The Abyss Beyond the Reflection reminded me of how much fun horror and weird fiction can be. The way everything is described brought the stories to life and every character showed amazing depth. Micah Castle’s writing demonstrates that he has a strong passion for his craft and if you love horror fiction you won’t want to pass this book up.”
David Watson, The All Night Library
You can buy The Abyss Beyond The Reflection from Amazon UK & Amazon US
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