Jackson R. Thomas is a lonely member of the Night Audit Club. Working for a motel on Route 1, he’s hiding away in eastern Maine, writing freakishly horrific stories for Alien Agenda Publishing. His latest is the vicious, yet deceptively titled, PARADISE, MAINE.
Q: What’s Paradise, Maine about?
JRT: A person known as “The Watcher” is living in the woods and attacking unsuspecting victims that get “placed” at a cabin overlooking the coast. It’s a very rough story. Not for your sometimes horror reader. This one is a splatterpunk book. If you like modern literary horror, you do not want to go near this one. I think it’s much more Edward Lee than say, Stephen King.
Q: How does it compare to your previous book, The Beast of Brenton Woods?
JRT: I don’t really know how to answer that. That one was a werewolf book, this one is probably even more violent, and I hope, frightening.
Q: Alien Agenda Publishing’s motto is “Creating Horror with Heart”. From what you’re telling me, it doesn’t sound like you got the memo. Is that fair to say?
JRT: Well, I mean, I’m not going to say it’s a heartfelt story, but there is a bit of good in there, too. You just have to look a little harder to find it.
Q: What part of Paradise, Maine was the most challenging to write?
JRT: I wanted to write a harder book, but I still wanted some characters that you liked. I don’t mind writing people for you to hate, but I hope I succeeded at giving readers a couple of people to pull for.
Q: Who was your favorite character in this book to write?
JRT: The Watcher. I know, he’s the bad guy, but is he really? Well, yeah, he is, but I think you’ll see it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Q: What’s next?
JRT: I’m working on the sequel to The Beast of Brenton Woods.
Pre-order your eBook edition here: PARADISE, MAINE
Jackson R. Thomas has lived in Colorado, New York, and now resides in Coopers Mills, Maine with his cat, Gizmo.
He loathes social media, and has worked as a janitor, fast-food slave, record store clerk, and night auditor at an unnamed hotel on Route 1.
He loves horror books, horror films, and the band, Ministry.
