Do you prefer short stories or novels?
When we met, we tried to write a short story to see if we were compatible. It immediately turned into a novel. We’re both character writers, and short stories don’t give us the space we need to explore. We thrive on intricate plots and multiple points of view.
How would you classify the genre of writing in your work?
We definitely fall into the broad category of horror, sure, but we go in a lot of different directions. We both love Gothic. We love ghosts. And another thing we really love getting into is abnormal psychology -- serial killers in particular. While we generally have something paranormal going on in our books, sometimes (as in Mother), we focus purely on human monsters -- which, as far as we’re concerned, are the worst monsters of all.
How did you decide to collaborate and how long have you been doing it?
After Alistair interviewed Tamara on one of his long-ago blogs, that was that. It was kismet. We spoke or texted everyday after that. We still do. That was almost fifteen years ago. Tamara read Alistair’s previous novel and liked his style. Alistair read Tamara with the same reaction. We had the same interests and sensibilities -- and our styles were quite similar. Add to that, we’d both had dark experiences with previous collaborators that drew us together.
While we were both wary of collaborating again, mutual trust was instantaneous. Having dealt with unseemly amounts of drama in our previous collaborations, the possibility of finding a kindred co-author was too strong to deny. Within two weeks of our daily chats and texts, Tamara proposed trying to write a short story together. That turned into our first book, The Cliffhouse Haunting. Not only did that “short story” turn into a full novel, but it was so long that we ended up cutting over 50,000 words to get it to publishable length. That’s when we learned that neither of us had problems “killing our darlings” and that our egos were compatible.
What is your average writing day like working as a team?
We get together in our virtual office five days a week and go into our documents, where we work together. We split the day between collaborations and solos. We also spend a little time on our newsletter and marketing a few days a week. We write together, quite literally, on our collaborations, and read back and edit daily. We write our solos independently, of course, but still in our office. We read those aloud to each other daily as well. We brainstorm together, edit together, and take our breaks together. One of our favorite pastimes is when one of us sneaks in and does absurd rewrites on the sly to surprise whoever’s reading aloud. Sometimes we share the cleaner rewrites on Facebook. Sometimes we leave the cruder ones for our editors to find, just to make sure they’re paying attention.
Do you have any advice for writers who want to collaborate?
Finding the right collaborator is rare, so never undertake a partnership lightly. Remember, you’re going into business. We’re basically an exception to the rule -- and we don’t take that for granted. We know from personal experience, as well as many stories from others who’ve tried collaborating, that it’s usually a disaster.
Collaborations can and do work out, but they’re the exception, not the rule. If you’re going to partner up with someone, make sure you’re more alike than not. Opposites may attract, but compatibility is key for a lasting partnership. We were attracted to one another because everything was in alignment -- our attitudes about writing and business, our pasts, our vision, our emotions, and even our senses of humor. One of the main things we have in common is our mutual aversion to drama.
You both write solo novels as well as collaborations. Do your separate worlds ever merge?
All the time. We call it cross-pollination. For instance, Tamara created deejay Coastal Eddie Fortune way back in her novel, Candle Bay, but he now appears in most of our books -- including Alistair’s solo works. We have lots of cameos between our solos and collaborations -- ours is a shared universe. Readers love looking for Easter eggs from book to book as much as we love adding them, so we’re always on the lookout for opportunities to add more. We share locations, fictional TV shows, books, celebrities, restaurants, just about anything you can name. We keep it wide open.
Do you ever maim or kill your real-life enemies in your books?
We wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
Speaking of unsavory people, have either of you had to deal with stalkers?
Oh, just a few… Tamara had one follow her home from a book signing. Another one hacked into her work-in-progress and created a lot of havoc. Her very worst one involved phone calls, literal stalking, parking outside her house, and crazy letters. It went on for years. At the time, her friend and publishing mentor, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, counseled wearing “Teflon armor” -- meaning never let the shit stick to you and never respond. It’s advice she lives by to this day and passed along to Alistair, who has had more than his fair share of unstable admirers. He’s experienced stalking in the online world as well as the real world, and has learned never to divulge personal information.f We are of the belief that if you’re in front of the public in any capacity -- including simply being present on social media -- a few unusual characters will inevitably come out of the woodwork and try to lay claim to you or your work in some way. It’s best to keep your head down, focus on the job, and be very, very careful about how much of yourself you give away.
What about the unsavory characters in your novels? Who are some of your favorites and why?
Prissy Martin might be our very favorite. She’s the star of our thriller, Mother. Prissy is just your basic full-on narcissistic, power-hungry, manipulative, dangerous, sociopathic everyday mother next door. Another favorite is Roger Siechert from The Cliffhouse Haunting. Poor old Rog is a doctor and a horn dog who loves making sausage and dressing up in lederhosen for Oktoberfest. Unfortunately, he’s easy to push over the edge. We love Roger, especially when he’s singing The Happy Wanderer. In The Ravencrest Saga, our constant villain is the witchy Mrs. Heller. She’s oversexed, overaged, and always trying to get into our heroine’s body. All Mrs. Heller wants is love, and she has a sex dungeon to prove it.
Our new favorite villain is the subject of our latest collaboration, The Bride of Ravencrest. Amelia Randall Manning is probably the scariest character we’ve ever written. Just wait til you see what she keeps under her skirts!
Tell us a little more about your latest entry in The Ravencrest Saga
Okay, here’s how we sum it up:
At Ravencrest Manor, the organ in the abandoned east wing begins to play -- low, mournful, and mad -- and the walls tremble with each chord. The Bride is awake.
Centuries ago, she wed Sir Lionel Manning, only to lose him to war. Alone and slowly going mad, she gave birth to a son who died in his crib -- or so the legend goes. Locals whisper that the child’s bones still cling to her beneath her tattered wedding gown, and that the ghost of her long-dead husband remains trapped in the scorched armor displayed in the dining hall.
Then the Bride, broken by grief, solitude, and something far darker, sealed her fate by taking a second husband: Ravencrest itself. Locked away, she slept for centuries, even as the manor was uprooted and brought to California. But now, something has disturbed her slumber. The Bride is restless -- and hungry for the life she was denied.
Whispers crawl down the walls. Shadows stretch too long. And as spectral unrest builds and ancient curses stir, governess Belinda Moorland is torn between leaving Ravencrest behind, or facing the Bride … and the darkness she was born to defeat.
What are your favorite horror novels?
Our favorite newer novel is September House by Carissa Orlando. What a unique, spooky, and funny take on traditional haunted house tales. It’s a delight. Going back in time, we both teethed on Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and Matheson’s Hell House. We love Peter Straub’s Ghost Story and If You Could See Me Now. Another big favorite is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. We both feel Michael McDowell can do no wrong, but The Elementals is a special favorite. When it comes to Stephen King, we love Gerald’s Game, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Carrie, and The Body (Stand by Me). Fevre Dream by George R R Martin, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Interview with the Vampire and Violin by Anne Rice are all favorites. Robert McCammon is beloved by both of us. Our favorites of his are Boy’s Life, Mine, and Usher’s Passing.
What are your favorite horror movies -- the ones you have to watch every Halloween?
First, our favorite new horror movie is Abigail. Otherwise, every Halloween, we watch these movies: Ghost Story, The Shining, The Lady in White, Halloween, Halloween 3, Halloween H20, The Changeling, The Woman in Black (BBC version), The Haunting (1963), Rocky Horror Picture Show (Tamara only), Shawn of the Dead, Wait Until Dark, Evil Dead 2, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and The Uninvited.
Do you have any favorite horror novels that are also favorite movies?
Yes. The Exorcist and Legion (Exorcist III) written by William Peter Blatty, were made into movies by Blatty’s brilliant collaboration with director William Friedkin.
First, the books are exceptional. The plotting is tight and the characters are compelling. Tension builds, taking us from each character’s everyday world, whether it’s unique, pleasant, or mundane, and amping things up in various ways that at first seem to barely be connected. They’re like instruments in an orchestra tentatively playing notes until they all come together in a complicated symphony that entrances, hypnotizes, and terrifies. As much as you want to look away, you can’t.
One of our favorite writing exercises involves the movie, The Exorcist. If you sit down with the film and take notes on the scenes and their order, you’ll see just how brilliantly the film is put together. It’s very instructive.
What’s coming up for Thorne & Cross?
We both love Gothic horror and happily wallow in it. We took a break from gothic Ravencrest to write our equally gothic Spite House Chronicles. Now we’re back to the Ravencrest Saga with The Bride of Ravencrest appearing this month. Our sixth entry, The Curse of Devilswood, will be out next year. You can only imagine what’s going on in that one!
We’re also kicking around the book that will follow Mother. Mother is about a matriarch that would make Norman Bate’s mom look like Martha Stewart. We can’t tell you who the next book is about, but we can say we sure do enjoy exploring twisted family dynamics.
Solo-wise, Alistair’s next novel in the Vampires of Crimson Cove series will appear in 2026, as will Tamara’s next Old Wives’ Tales novel, The Spiral Sea.
BIOS:
Tamara Thorne has written such international bestsellers as Haunted, Bad Things, Moonfall, and Eternity. A lifelong lover of ghost stories, she is currently working on collaborations with Alistair Cross as well as a new solo novel in her Old Wives’ Tales Series. Learn more about her at: www.tamarathorne.com
Alistair Cross' debut novel, The Crimson Corset, a vampiric tale of terror and seduction, was an immediate bestseller earning praise from veteran vampire-lit author, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and New York Times bestseller, Jay Bonansinga, author of The Walking Dead series. He’s currently working on a new novel in his Vampires of Crimson Cove series. Learn more about Alistair at https://www.alistaircross.com/
In 2012, Alistair joined forces with Tamara, and as Thorne & Cross, they write the successful Gothic series, The Ravencrest Saga as well as such bestsellers as The Cliffhouse Haunting, The Spite House Chronicles, and Mother. They’re currently working on their next collaboration.
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