Today’s author interview guest is Scott Carson (pen name for New York Times bestselling author Michael Koryta) joins us to talk about his new horror/suspense novel The Chill.

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“Wow! This is one terrific horror/suspense/disaster novel. Characters you root for and a story that grips from the first page.” —Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Institute

“Horror has a new name and it’s Scott Carson. The Chill is an eerie dive into the murky depths of the supernatural. A story that has you looking back over your shoulder on every page.” —Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Night Fire

“A creepy tale of supernatural terror.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

In this terrifying thriller, a supernatural force—set in motion a century ago—threatens to devastate New York City.

Far upstate, in New York’s ancient forests, a drowned village lays beneath the dark, still waters of the Chilewaukee reservoir. Early in the 20th century, the town was destroyed for the greater good: bringing water to the millions living downstate. Or at least that’s what the politicians from Manhattan insisted at the time. The local families, settled there since America’s founding, were forced from their land, but they didn’t move far, and some didn’t move at all…

Now, a century later, the repercussions of human arrogance are finally making themselves known. An inspector assigned to oversee the dam, dangerously neglected for decades, witnesses something inexplicable. It turns out that more than the village was left behind in the waters of the Chill when it was abandoned. The townspeople didn’t evacuate without a fight. A dark prophecy remained, too, and the time has come for it to be fulfilled. Those who remember must ask themselves: who will be next? For sacrifices must be made. And as the dark waters begin to inexorably rise, the demand for a fresh sacrifice emerges from the deep…

Scott Carson is the pen name for a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter. He lives in New England—just above a dam.

THE CHILL is my first foray into the supernatural territory of THE RIDGE and SO COLD THE RIVER in – this is hard to believe – nearly a decade.

I think it’s worth purchasing because it has a beautiful cover and, for the first time in my career, it has some pictures on the inside, too!

Savvy readers might detect something unique about THE CHILL compared to the rest of my work, which is that my name isn’t on the cover. Baffled? Me, too. Let’s dive into some FAQ’s to see what we can figure out. Starting with…

Why are you using a pseudonym?

A few reasons. To have fun with you, most of all. I’ll enjoy seeing who is paying attention!

I feel like most writers secretly desire another identity. Why pass on the chance to blame someone else for your typos? Many of my literary heroes have written under multiple names, and most of them seem to have had some fun with it.

It’s also the fulfillment of a lifelong fantasy: having a name that could be spelled and pronounced.

What type of book does Scott Carson write?

Scott Carson is going to handle the supernatural stories for me. This lets me sleep better at night. And because, as noted, it has been nearly a decade since I dipped my toe into the dark side, so I figured it would be worthwhile to hand the ghost stories off to another name, thus cleansing myself of their curses. (If you think novels about assassins or cold cases or forest fires threatening children on the run qualify as “the dark side” then you disappoint me.)

Why did you pick the name Scott Carson?

Because Scott(y) Carson is one of my favorite figures of film and literature, the scout who signed Roy Hobbs in THE NATURAL, but never appears on the screen. He is trusted by both Pop Fisher (good) and the Judge (evil.) Which one of them was right to trust him? What are his motives? Was he the dumbest baseball scout in history, somehow failing to observe that Roy Hobbs hits every third pitch into the grandstands? Or was he secretly undermining the Judge to help Pop Fisher? These are big questions, people. They matter. I’m open to your opinions. If we can agree on nothing else in 2020, perhaps we can reach a consensus about the intentions and intelligence of the chief scout of the New York Knights.

Why does Scott Carson’s bio say he lives in New England?

When a lifelong Colts fan sets out to write about the darkest horrors in our world, what’s the first place that comes to mind?

Scott spends his time in Maine. Not in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Just want to be real clear on that.

Will I see Scott Carson again?

Damn straight. He’s already pondering another story that he hopes will keep you awake into the night.

Why are you telling us about your secret new identity, instead of keeping it an actual secret?

Because I do not want to have to work for a living. Real jobs terrify me. I would much rather make things up. I can’t do this without you. I thank you. My dog thanks you. My cat…well, he’s never been big on gratitude. But you get the idea.

If you’ve read and enjoyed my books before, I am truly more grateful than you’ll ever know. It’s a special privilege to share stories and characters with people who enjoy them, and it seems rather ungrateful to hide new stories from those who’d like to read them!

I hope THE CHILL is one of these stories for you.