The Spooky Six with Martin Tracey and Willow Croft
I had to put off the temptation to sit down with a pint of “real ale” with Martin Tracey, otherwise this post may never get published. (The sacrifices I make for y’all, I tell you what.) On top of that, I had to also work at not getting sidetracked into the world of football…or music…or…oh go on, just read the great interview!
Martin Tracey writes ‘Dark Fiction that strikes a chord’. Swapping songwriting for novels, music is a crucial part of his chilling page turners. Martin likes to push the boundaries of reality in his fictional works including Crime (with a twist) and flirting heavily with the Paranormal.
The terror that grips you is very real!
He has a passion for The Beatles & Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and both music and football/soccer often find their way into his stories. His other passion is ‘horror’: “Watching those Hammer films as a kid really hooked my interest,” says Martin. “All the classics like Count Dracula, werewolves and Frankenstein’s monster fed my imagination, as does anything really connected with the occult or otherworldly. And then an adaption of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot starring David Soul came along followed by the awesome offerings of The Lost Boys and From Dusk Till Dawn. Every one of those movies proved an inspiration for my dark fiction.”
Being a multi-functional author, including some non-fiction works, he has tackled topics as diverse as conspiracy theories, mind control, religious cults, serial killers, memoirs and supernatural thrillers. His wild imagination would never allow him to put pen to paper in any other way!
As well as playing about with words, music initially became the dominant career path and his love for writing materialised through his passion for writing songs. Martin went on to form various bands on the Birmingham music scene and he is the songwriter and co-performer of ‘Raging Bull’ which can be found on the album Old Gold Anthems — the songs of Wolves (available on Amazon, Spotify & more), thus demonstrating his love for the club that he should commit to song a tribute to their most successful goal-scorer. It was his love for Wolves that first gave him the idea for werewolves to infiltrate a football team, however, that concept swiftly changed to vampires and his debut novel Beneath The Floodlights was born. Later, Martin went on to co-found Entity Fair with singer/songwriter Scott Stackhouse and Martin’s song ‘Saturn Rising’ won a competition on BBC Radio, resulting in them supporting Roland Gift and the Fine Young Cannibals at Birmingham’s Alexander Theatre.
Music is never something Martin could dismiss completely, but his passion for writing has evolved to penning novels of chilling suspense that bring to life many a topic, exercising that active brain of his that is ‘wired’ a little differently to most!
Martin is currently writing the authorised biography of the late, great Robin George and has provided the introductions to the fabulous Duran Duran En Scene Photo Book series 1979–1982 which contains images of early Duran Duran and the iconic Birmingham music and fashion scene of the time, all expertly taken by the keen eye of the late, talented photographer Paul Edmond.
Links
www.martintracey.co.uk
martin_tracey_author | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok | Linktree
Amazon.co.uk: Martin Tracey: books, biography, latest update
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68820035-beneath-the-floodlights
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32933628-things-they-ll-never-see
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28120103-mind-guerrilla
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40676239-club-27
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56076730-lunar
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123145745-double-fantasy
Duran Duran En Scène: Volume 1 Carefree Memories (Music-Fashion-Club-Street (Birmingham 1979–1982)) eBook : Edmond, Paul, George, Boy, Tracey, Martin, Edmond, Paul: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Duran Duran En Scène: Volume 2 Only After Dark (Music-Fashion-Club-Street (Birmingham 1979–1982)) eBook : Edmond, Pail, Mulligan, Jon, Tracey, Martin, Edmond, Paul: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Duran Duran En Scène: Volume 3 The Morning After (Music-Fashion-Club-Street (Birmingham 1979–1982)) eBook : Edmond, Paul, De Monde, Maggie K, Tracey, Martin: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
Willow Croft: “Hey, look at that derelict Victorian mansion . . . let’s go explore it!” What’s the most unusual setting you’ve read about in a horror/thriller book, or included in your own creative works?
Martin Tracey: Funny you should ask that. In my book Things They’ll Never See I built the plot around a fading Rock Star, Jake Zennor, who moves to the Peak District to try and concentrate on resurrecting his career. It just so happens that what he bought was a creepy old haunted mansion with a chilling, sinister history attached to it!
The haunted mansion has all the hallmarks you’d want such as thick cobwebs in each of its fourteen rooms, a spooky atmosphere, creaking doors and floorboards and things definitely went bump in the night as Jake consistently found out!
The house had its resident ghosts but the hauntings also manifested via a mysterious piano that had been left in the property. It was made of solid oak, yet was curiously jet-black in colour. It also had twin candelabras affixed either side of the sheet music stand. The candelabras hosted partly used candles with melted wax shaped in a solid form down their sides, a depiction of a distant moment frozen in time.
The thing is, a piano that plays by itself is a scary thing!
Willow Croft: “It was a dark and stormy night . . .” What are your go-to comfort foods, drinks, or other ways to wind down after a long day (or night) of writing?
Martin Tracey: Definitely a nice bottle of red wine or a pint or two of real ale.
Willow Croft: “Did you hear that noise?” Everyone, even us horror/suspense writers, have our night terrors. What is it that frightens you the most?
Martin Tracey: Once, I did actually see a figure standing at the side of my bed which gradually disappeared from head to toe. That was pretty scary!
But otherwise, I think being woken up by hearing a key slowly being turned in the keyhole of your door would be pretty freaky!
Willow Croft: “I’m sure it was nothing. But I’ll just go outside and check, anyway. Alone. With no weapons.” Have you ever gotten writers’ block? If so, how do you combat it? Do you have certain rituals or practices that help get you into the writing (or creating) mindset?
Martin Tracey: Thus far I’m very, very fortunate that I haven’t suffered with writers block.
I find it easier to write in silence although you’ve probably gathered by now that I find music very inspiring. One of my approaches is to simply get out what’s in my head, not to procrastinate, and concentrate on perfecting the text later. It’s really important to let your ideas flow and worry about things like structure and grammar another time.
Martin Tracey: “Don’t go into the basement!” Are you an impulsive pantser or a plotter with outlines galore? What other writing/industry advice would you share with your fellow writers & creators?
As I tend to have so many sub plots and contrasting ideas in my books, I often sketch a mind map to capture all the elements, and then at some point later in my journey of writing, I work out how they all fit and connect. My chapter ‘plan’ is very much a framework rather than a rigid process as I like the stories and particularly the characters to guide me.
My advice to others is to do what works best for you but the main thing is to just do it!
Willow Croft: “Ring ring!” It’s the middle of the night and the phone mysteriously rings. Which notable writer, or person from history, would be on the other end of the line?
Martin Tracey: I love the question. I think it would have to be John Lennon. His songwriting was at genius level but he was such an interesting, intelligent and charismatic character as well. A true groundbreaker, who in many ways had a tragic life — and end of course — but also, he led a fascinating life. He has influenced lots over the years. I think we could talk for hours.
https://horrortree.com/the-spooky-six-with-martin-tracey-and-willow-croft/?feed_id=2791&_unique_id=66bb677c3d717
