Get ready for thrills and chills with author Johnny Compton’s latest release. I recently spoke with him about Dead First.
Tell me about your latest book.
Dead First is a horror detective noir that’s a perfect read for readers who love mystery and frights alike.
Private investigator Shyla Sinclair is offered a fortune by an eccentric billionaire, Saxton Braith, to find out why he cannot die. Giving her no opportunity to doubt his claim, Saxton has his personal assistant stab him through the head, then abruptly heals himself to prove that he is legitimately unkillable, and he claims to have no memory of his past and how he came to be this way.
Shyla takes the job, not just because of the money, but because Saxton also implies he knows Shyla’s darkest secret. Something that could change her life forever, and decidedly for the worse, if ever unveiled. As her investigation takes her into a haunted hotel, an abandoned hospital, and an island forever scarred by a century-old disaster, she encounters threats that quickly make her realize she’s… not only embroiled herself in something dangerous beyond her understanding, but also put someone she loves in peril.
Why did you decide to write it?
I’ve had this idea for a while and wanted to explore a combination of detective fiction and horror. Similar to the film Angel Heart, based on the novel Falling Angel, both of which have captivated me for years.
What do you want readers to learn from the story?
I try not to go into a story with a desire for readers to necessarily “learn” anything too specific, at least nothing related to the larger story arc. For the most part anything I’m hoping they might learn is somewhat incidental. Like when I wrote The Spite House it was a way for me to potentially introduce people outside of Texas to a part of the state I think most people don’t think about. With Devils Kill Devils I introduced even some fellow Texans to a location most of them hadn’t heard of. I’m continuing that a little bit with Dead First.
Otherwise, hopefully people just find out the kind of stories I’m interested in writing and learn that they share an interest in reading those same stories.
When did you fall in love with the written word?
Somewhere in grade school, fairly early on. Some of the books I’ve tracked down from my youth are ones I remember picking up in the school library in second grade, so I’d have been about seven when I became a pretty avid reader. Then in fifth grade I started trying to write short stories, but didn’t really understand that I might be able to improve as a writer until my junior and senior years of high school.
If you could pick another profession, what would it be and why?
Probably film director, even though I’m wholly unqualified for it at the moment, so I’d obviously have a lot of learning to do, but I am increasingly fascinated by visual storytelling techniques.
What’s the best part of being an author?
The writing, easily. Getting to put words to page and develop stories and see where my imagination takes me, sometimes feeling like I have less control over it than I should, is always an amazing experience.
What’s the worst part of being an author?
For me it’s having more ideas than I can reasonably do anything about at the same time. Prioritizing properly, not picking up the shiny new toy that is a fresh idea when it pops into my head, that part has been a challenge since before I ever had a short story published, and certainly well before my first novel was published, and hasn’t changed since.
What books have you read lately and loved, and what books are you looking forward to reading?
I really liked Listen to You Sister by Neena Viel and also enjoyed the advanced copy I read of The Curse of Hester Gardens by Tamika Thompson. Looking forward to reading Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick.
What’s next for you?
I have a sci-fi horror novella titled Chimera Skin coming later this year. I’m also working on my fourth novel.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
I just appreciate anyone who’s a reader, not just of my work, but overall. I think reading makes the path to living a better life and helping the world just a little bit easier. So thanks to all of the readers out there.
Use the Black Fiction Addiction affiliate link to purchase your copy of Dead First by Johnny Compton.
To learn more about Johnny Compton, visit her website: JohnnyCompton.com