Krista Cagg Q&A on ‘Hunting Grounds’: “Steampunk and Horror…I want to keep my audience on the edge of their seats.”
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If the town accepts you, it will give you anything you can dream—even if the dream is a nightmare…
The author explains her unique spin on steampunk, reveals what inspired her, and shares her favorite things about the genre.
Today, we interview Krista Cagg about her steampunk horror novel Hunting Grounds. An active pagan for decades, author Cagg has come to understand there is more to our natural world than meets the common senses.
She lived with ghosts in Savannah. Seen things in the thick forests of the Pacific Northwest. Investigated hauntings in Pennsylvania. There may never be a time when Cagg doesn’t look for the undiscovered.
In our Q&A, Cagg talks to Monster Complex about writing steampunk, what about the genre grabbed her interest, her favorite things about writing adventure stories, and more.
Monster Complex uses Amazon affiliate links.
About the book Hunting Grounds
Dr. Nathaniel B Smythe, doctor of psychology and engineering. Philanthropist and investor. Grandson of one of the town's founders, and confirmed bachelor. General Franklin F. Fremont, retired general in the army. Explorer and big game hunter. The two men, stalwart friends in a small industrial town on the banks of the Susquehanna River where nothing changes and excitement is discouraged. On the surface, anyway.
But there is something rippling beneath the sleepy little town's gentle facade. It's been there for as long as anyone can remember. No one talks about it, not even in subdued whispers, but it touches the lives of every resident...including the two friends. And when Dr. Smythe reveals one of his secret inventions to a bored General Fremont, Hell breaks loose in the form of a demon from another dimension. The two are forced to hunt the creature before it can wreak havoc on the town they both love.
It won't be as easy as they think. the doorway they open is but the beginning, and even more horrors wait for them and the rest of the town.
This is life on the river. This is life for residents who will do anything to achieve their goals. If the town accepts you, it will give you anything you can dream.
Even if the dream is a nightmare.
Welcome to Milltown.
Find Hunting Grounds on Amazon
Monster Complex uses Amazon affiliate links.
Q&A Krista Cagg on Hunting Grounds
Q: How do you describe your fiction that you write?
Well, that depends. When it’s strictly my books, I prefer to write past tense/ omniscient. It isn’t a popular form these days, but I like to make it so my readers feel like they’re watching a movie.
They can have information some characters don’t and can have that sense of shouting at the “screen” to no avail. Especially with The William’s Hunt and Milltown where I make use of cliffhangers and purposeful plot holes.
Being that both are a series in the genres of Steampunk and Horror respectively, I want to keep my audience on the edge of their seats.
Think the old serials they showed in the beginning of movies—“Tune in next week to see if Flash Gordon arrives in time!” They are classic cliffhangers where the audience had all the information. They knew the bomb was in that box, but the hero has seven boxes to look through to find it, then the episode ends.
My Romance, however, I work in the more popular form of past tense/first person.
As for my Ghostwriting, whatever the client wants, the client gets.
2) How do you explain your unique spin on Steampunk?
(I got to pick the genre to talk about hahaha!) A lot of steampunk books are based in the Victorian/early Edwardian era. I’ve read British, American northeast, and American old west. Supernatural, science fiction, fantasy. I enjoyed what I read, but I wanted to see something different in the genre.
Why not modern day steampunk where steam remained the primary fuel source? And following the possible trail of invention, why not have chemical steam that can do fantastic things like opening wormhole/time travel? Now add some corruption and there ya go!
3) What inspired you to go in this direction?
I like pirates. I loathe corrupt governments and big corporations. I also enjoy history. One thing led to another…
4) When and how did you become interested in writing your brand of Steampunk stories?
I got into Steampunk when I saw the costuming at DragonCon around 2008, 2009. I began to put together my own costumes/personas and found myself combining the aesthetic with pirates.
The Vampire Empire series by Clay and Susan Griffith (whom I met at D*C), was my introduction to Steampunk novels. Steampunk vampires? Yes, please! Then I read Dead Iron by Devon Monk, and I was hooked.
In 2011 I was diagnosed with herniated discs in my neck and needed surgery. While recovering, I felt the need for Steampunk stories I hadn’t found. That was when I remembered something I’d heard in art school: If you can’t find what you like, do it yourself. That was when I began writing first episodes of The Milan Job.
5) What are your favorite things about the section of the genre you occupy?
The aesthetics! The beautiful brass-work. The clothing. The technology based around steam. All combined with the endless intrigue of the age of discovery. However, you can place these things in any era and it works!
6) What are your pet peeves that you've seen other storytellers do? How do you avoid making the same mistakes?
I don’t really like to criticize other styles. I know that sounds like I’m avoiding the answer, but I’m really not. Who am I to say “I hate this” or “I hate that”?
It’s all subjective so nothing is wrong…unless it’s misspelled words or blatant grammatical errors. That’s what editors and beta readers are for.
What I do NOT like, is when an author or creator or whatever is humble, approachable and friendly when they’re just starting out then get full of themselves when they become successful. I keep that in mind every time I reach a milestone.
7) What are the best ways for fans to keep track of what you’re writing (and related author news about you)?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristacaggauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristacagg_author/
My Publisher: https://tamingchaos.net/
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3sPgKRB
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