Horror/Mystery
Date Published: 06-24-2024
Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing
Surfside City, New Jersey. 1966. Cub reporter Harman Bass is cutting his
teeth in the fast world of local journalism and getting out-scooped by the
competition. Facetious, cocky, and always quoting Nietzsche, Harman
isn’t making any friends both in and out of the newsroom.
All that changes when the daughter of a prominent family is found dead on
the beach, handing Harman the juiciest news story of the year. But she
wasn’t any old beauty pageant queen; she was his high school
girlfriend. Harman’s dogged reporting into the young woman’s
death reveals pushback from the authorities and pulls the newshound into the
resort’s darkest corners.
After one of his sources is murdered, the routine story becomes dangerous
and personal. Something watches Harman from the shadows, something ancient
and hungry, worshipped by powerful men who kill to keep their secrets.
Harman’s job and life are soon threatened, and the once brash reporter
must battle his boss, rival journalists, and his own sanity before filing
what could be his last story.
THE OCEAN HUGS HARD is a mystery with the salty whiff of the ocean, a tinge
of nostalgia, and a dollop of mind-shattering eldritch horror.
INTERVIEW
Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?
The message in The Ocean Hugs Hard is “nothing is as it seems.” Harman Bass, the protagonist, is a reporter whose perception of his small town changes the deeper he digs into the murder of his former girlfriend. What he thought he knew about the people and places he grew up with is radically altered by the end of the book. I wanted to depict a world where the cozy environment we think we know is the complete opposite, and in some cases, dangerous. Harman walked through life with blinders on. He thought his quaint seaside resort was that way forever, but when he uncovers the truth, what he finds disturbs him to his core.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Writing an interesting story that grabs the reader and makes them want to finish reading.
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
The Ocean Hugs Hard is my fourth novel. I also wrote a novella (Gargoyles & Absinthe) and a role-playing game (Ravaged Earth). My favorite is my debut novel, Accursed Son. But The Ocean Hugs Hard is an easy second.
If you had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
Timothée Chalamet would make a fantastic Harman Bass. He would absolutely crush that role.
When did you begin writing?
If we’re talking about writing stories for fun, that would be middle school. In high school I wrote a short story for the school’s literary magazine. That was the first time I saw my fiction published between two covers. My first successful short story sale was “Citizen Alpha”, which was published in 2018 in Outposts of Beyond.
How long did it take to complete your first book?
Accursed Son was my grad school project. It took me two years to write and polish before it was ready. After I signed a publishing contract with Shadow Spark Publishing, I worked on the novel for another year. I began writing The Ocean Hugs Hard in 2020. That was my pandemic novel. I was laid off at my newspaper job so I needed something to do. Why not write about a reporter who writes about a cult in his small town? That took almost four years to complete.
Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
I’d say Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Stephen King all nudged me towards writing.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Finishing anything is my favorite part. Dedicating time and energy into creating a fictional world and populating it with characters is wild. When you wrap up a project after months or years it’s satisfying typing the words “The End.” Then, if you’re lucky to get published, picking up a copy and reading your name on the cover.
Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Malevolent cult ensnares reporter.
Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
The Ocean Hugs Hard is a cosmic horror/folk horror/sunshine noir novel set in 1966 at the New Jersey shore. Reporter Harman Bass is investigating the death of his former girlfriend from high school when he stumbles upon information pointing to an ancient cult that runs the town. When one of his sources is killed, the investigation becomes dangerous. Harman must uncover and write about the cult, but there are obstacles in his way. His editor is an old curmudgeon who doesn’t think this is a story. Harman’s colleague doesn’t believe tales of a mysterious cult. Harman’s father wants him to quit reporting and work for the family firm. But Harman is driven and the deeper he digs, the more trouble he unearths. The cops harass him, the mayor ducks his calls, and his editor threatens to fire him. Even rival reporters think Harman is losing his grip on reality. Harman’s nightmares increase in intensity the more he pursues the case. When the big payoff comes, we see the results of Harman’s investigation and it isn’t pretty. The Ocean Hugs Hard was one of my favorite books to write because I worked as a newspaper reporter for years in a seaside resort town so this particular story is near and dear to me.
About the Author
ERIC AVEDISSIAN is an adjunct professor and speculative fiction author. His
published work includes the novels Accursed Son, Mr. Penny-Farthing,
Midnight at Bat Hollow, and the role-playing game Ravaged Earth. His short
stories appear in various anthologies, including Across the Universe, Great
Wars, and Rituals & Grimoires. Avedissian received a 2024 Fellowship in
Prose from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He lives in New Jersey
with his wife and a ridiculous number of books. Find him online at
www.ericavedissian.com if you dare.
Contact Links
Website
Twitter: @angryreporter
Instagram: @ericavedissian
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