Interview with Eric Asher, author of Forgotten Ghosts

What can you tell us about your new release, Forgotten Ghosts?

Forgotten Ghosts continues Damian’s misadventures in the Vesik series. This one took quite a bit more plotting than I normally do because it’s setting up events that will impact Damian’s world for years to come. That said, we still have the usual mix of humor, food, and sarcasm that come along with the misfits.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always enjoyed making up stories, but never really took it seriously until around 2005. I wrote a 200,000 something word trainwreck of a novel that will never see the light of day, but it was a great learning experience. A few years later I started Vesik, and it just stuck. What started as a short story grew into a novel, and then several more. I got hooked on doing all of the historical research for the characters who lived through the Civil War. I attended the 150th anniversary event at Gettysburg, and toured a slew of museums and battlefields. It’s given me more ideas than I’ll ever have time to write.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

That’s a painfully small number, haha. They change over time, but my favorite books at the moment would have to be Black Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman, Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, and Northworld by David Drake.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

C.S. Friedman – How in the world does she make her characters so vibrant and real? I feel she does it better than almost anyone else out there.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Creating new worlds, or adding a little bit of magic to our own world.

What is a typical day like for you?

Wake up, day job, tell myself I should be writing more, go home, write, market, exercise, and repeat.

What scene in Forgotten Ghosts was your favorite to write?

The scene with Dirge and Terrence is far and away my favorite scene of the book. I’ve visited the remains of Greenville a few times over the years. The whole area has a pretty dark history from the times of the Civil War, which is touched on in some of my earlier books. But being able to tie the cemetery into modern times with ghosts and Fae was quite rewarding in itself.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

“I can say chimichanga in seven languages.” -Deadpool

Eric Asher is the author of the new book Forgotten Ghosts

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