The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen: Interview with Joel M. Andre

We are honored to welcome Joel M. Andre here today at As the Pages Turn!

At a young age, Joel was fascinated with the written word. It was at fourteen that Poe blew his mind, and Andre began to dabble with darker poetry.

Between the years of 1999 and 2007 Joel was featured in various poetry anthologies and publications. In 2008 he released his first collection, Pray the Rain Never Ends.

Knowing there was something deeper and darker inside of his soul, Joel decided to take a stab at commercialism. Releasing the dark tongue in cheek, A Death at the North Pole, created a dark world among the death of Kris Kringle. Ultimately providing a tale of redemption.

October of 2008 saw Joel release his second book, Kill 4 Me. A tale in which a woman is haunted by a vengeful spirit through text messages and instant messaging.

Taking some time off and doing a lot of soul searching, Joel took things in a new direction and dabbled in the Fantasy Genre with, The Pentacle of Light. The tale dealing with five major races battling for control of Earth, and the acceptance of their God.

Finally, after missing his detective Lauren Bruni, he released the book The Return in October 2009, this time moving the action from the North Pole and placing it in the small Arizona community he was raised in.

Andre’s latest book is The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen about a dead man who seeks revenge on the woman that tormented him in peaceful Northern Arizona.

Currently, he resides in Chandler, AZ.

You can visit his website at www.joelmandre.com.

Q: Thank you for this interview, Joel. Can you tell us what your latest book, The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen, is all about?

Thank you for inviting me to As the Pages Turn. The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen is a dark tale of mystery and horror set in Arizona. The book on a general level is a about a super natural serial killer that has an agenda, while a pair of detectives try to put a stop to him. While this is happening, both detectives face a series of personal struggles that force them to find their inner strength to move on.

Q:  Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?

Lauren Bruni is my heroine. She has a brilliant mind, but allows her emotions to get in the way. There is quite a bit of growth that is displayed in this book.

Miguel Sanchez is Lauren’s rock. While the two struggle to get along at times, he does play a very important part in her success.

Tom Poole is the love interest of Lauren. He has a sharp mind and an interesting wit to him.

Maureen Rogers is my favorite character. We see her in a full color spectrum during the book.

Q: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

All my characters are the work of my imagination. They usually pop into my head and suggest I tell their story. I have quite a bit of unpublished short stories that deal with these characters.

Q: Are you consciously aware of the plot before you begin a novel, or do you discover it as you write?

I never know the plot when I go into a story. I allow it to unfold as I go along. I am only aware of the ending and then the rest is up to the characters. These individuals are allow to take the story in any direction, until the tale has been told.

Q: Your book is set in Cottonwood, Arizona.  Can you tell us why you chose this city in particular?

Cottonwood, Arizona is my hometown. I love the people in it and the beauty it holds. They say to write what you know and in this case, I did just that. Of course, I also wrote about the Midwest in, Kill 4 Me and the North Pole in, A Death at the North Pole.

Q: Does the setting play a major part in the development of your story?

The setting has little to do with the actual story. Every tale needs to be set in a location. I wanted to nod to Cottonwood. In the book, readers also get to catch a glimpse of Sedona, Jerome and Prescott.

Q: Open the book to page 69.  What is happening?

Detective Tom Poole and Lauren Bruni are discussing a murder that just took place. As the story continues to unfold, Lauren is told some very disturbing news.

Q: Can you give us one of your best excerpts?

The only sound that she heard her was the dripping water from the faucet. Growing slightly concerned, she went over to a small oak box that was on the dresser. There she found the key for the bathroom. The pair swore to never use it, if the other wanted privacy. But there was something wrong right now, and Trisha knew she needed to get inside the room.

Pushing the cold silver key into the old lock, it turned and clicked open. Before she opened it further, she held her hand against the door and called again.

“Say you are alright and I’ll stay out,” she whimpered. “You are scaring me Mary!”

When no response came, she opened the door.

Beneath her, she noticed the shine of the clean, soft white tile. Just a bit further, the image was different. In slow motion she saw the speckles of red blood that stained the floor, as she pushed the door open further, she saw splashes of color, as the crimson liquid coated the sink and the toilet.

Trisha hit her knees as the door continued to swing open. Her eyes scanned the area, and she desperately looked for her beloved Mary. Where was she? The tub was empty, and she couldn’t find Mary anywhere.

Her chest pounded hard with the anxious beating of her heart. She knew her friend had to be here, but the room was empty, with the exception of the blood. Tears formed, and Trisha choked back a desperate sob. Taking a step inside, she slid on the stained tile.

“Mary,” she cried. “Where are you? I need to see how badly you are injured!”

No response came from her call. It wasn’t until she felt a drop of warmth hit her on the face that she even bothered to look up at the ceiling. She screamed as her eyes glimpsed her friend’s body mounted to the ceiling held in place with shards of broken mirror. A look of horror covered her face as one hand fell free and left a single finger touching Trisha in the face. In blood above her, the words ,You’re Next, were scrawled.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Joel! We wish you much success!

Thank you for inviting me to come back to your blog! I believe it was 10/29/2008 while I was doing the Kill 4 Me tour. Your blog has transformed very nicely over the years!