This month in my newsletter (catch up HERE if you’ve missed any of them) I interviewed Dan Smith about The Deadsoul Project, the first in his brand-new YA thriller series with Barrington Stoke. The book sees siblings Kyle and Lauren return home to their flat to find their recently-deceased stepdad Kyle sitting at the kitchen table… but Kyle isn’t at all how he was.
This is a fantastic read based on real reports from the 1970s, and I’m so looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I also need to know more about the author himself, so…
Enter the 5 Random Questions!
What are you reading right now?
The Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi
What’s the last book or film that really made you laugh?
People who know me are usually surprised when I really laugh! I’m more of a wry smirker. But .. and this isn’t a film or a book but a TV show … Shrinking makes me laugh. Harrison Ford being a grumpy old man is just the best.
Have you ever had a spooky encounter? What happened?
When I was about ten years old, at boarding school in Kent, we had a four-storey late Victorian building known as the ‘old block’. Apparently, during WWII, a plane crashed into the top floor of the building and the pilot lost his head, which then tumbled down the stairs. A friend and I once sneaked into the building after dark. We crept up to the second floor and heard what, to my ears, was the sound of a head bouncing down the stairs. Thump. Thump. Thump. We didn’t stick around long enough to find out what it really was!
What’s the best or worst thing that happened to you in 2024?
Do you know what? Reading this question has reminded me how lucky I am. I have a loving family, my health, a roof over my head, food on the table … all those things are the best. There are always niggles, of course, but I really don’t have anything to complain about.
How many degrees of separation are you from Kevin Bacon? Show us the steps!
Oh, I would SO LOVE to be able to answer this question, but I think my Bacon Number would be embarrassingly high.
About Dan Smith
Growing up, Dan Smith led three lives. In one he survived the day-to-day humdrum of boarding school, while in another he travelled the world, finding adventure in the padi-fields of South East Asia and the jungles of Brazil. But the third life he lived in a world of his own, making up stories . . . which is where some people say he still lives most of the time!
Now settled in Newcastle with his wife and two children, Dan writes stories to share with both adults and children.
The Invasion of Crooked Oak, a spooky science fiction tale for young readers, was published by Barrington Stoke in 2020, followed by sequels, The Beast of Harwood Forest, The Horror of Dunwick Farm, The Terror of Hilltop House, and The Creatures of Killburn Mine. The Deadsoul Project – the first in a new sci-fi thriller series – will be released 13February 2025.
You can check out Dan’s website here: http://www.dansmithbooks.com/
And follow Dan on Instagram, BlueSky, Twitter, and Facebook.
If you missed my newsletter interview with Dan Smith about The Deadsoul Project, check it out here. Also remember to sign up for my newsletter which I send out every month – the next one will be hitting inboxes on Friday 7th February and will feature an EXCLUSIVE new short horror story by me called Cold Heart (it’s Valentine’s themed!) AND I’m giving away a proof of Josh Silver’s brilliant new YA thriller, Traumaland. Subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Kat Ellis Writes 