I came across C.J. Daley while interacting with a mutual indie-author friend of ours on Goodreads. I was immediately drawn to Daley’s book ‘BestGhost’ and thought of picking it up to read over the weekend, and I’m glad I did so. The book was engrossing and a wonderful read for a horror fan like me. I then thought that it would be excellent to interview Daley here on my blog insaneowl.com and chat about his books, future ventures and all things bookish. I welcome horror writer C.J. Daley here on my blog insaneowl.com.
Biography
C. J. Daley lives in New York. He is the author of Welcome to Cemetery, his full-length crime thriller debut, as well as a full accompanying short story collection. BestGhost was his first sampler on the road to release and the collection is coming Fall 2025. He enjoys smaller pieces that give hints to his created worlds at large, and he loves blending genres with dark descriptors. He hopes this won’t be the last you hear from him, and if you enjoyed, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, BookBub, Goodreads, StoryGraph, Literal Book Club—or share with a friend.
Interview
Fiza: We connected with each other on Goodreads, and I decided to read your bestselling debut novelette titled ‘BestGhost.’ I really enjoyed reading your wonderful horror story and it reminded me so much of the Fear Street R.L. Stine horror or thriller novels I used to read as a teenager back in the early 2000s. It had that amazing old school vibe to it with a lot of new adult horror flavor. What has been the reactions over the months to this novelette?
C. J.: The reaction to BestGhost has been pretty phenomenal honestly. Certainly much better than I had even allowed myself to hope. Considering that it’s just a sample of my work to come, and a little story inspired by Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural, I didn’t expect it to get so much love! I’m grateful. I think the fact that it stars two teens really lends it to feeling R.L. Stine-ish, and people seem to like that.
Fiza: Tell my readers here on insaneowl.com more about yourself and where you currently reside?
C. J.: My name is C. J. and I am a reader, reviewer, and writer. On the review side of things, I read horror, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, and I review for FanFiAddict.com. As a writer, I primarily dabble in horror and crime thriller, at least so far. As an indie author I tend to read a lot of other indie authors. I live in New York, always have!
Fiza: What is your novelette ‘BestGhost’ all about and why did you bring out this small piece of fiction to the reading public instead of your novel ‘Welcome to Cemetery’?
C. J.: So BestGhost is the story of two best friends. One of which has a rich, absentee father. His solution to being gone is to throw money at his son’s hobbies, and therefore, the teens have some of the best ghost hunting equipment on the market. They want to grow their channel’s following, so their next stop is their town—Cemetery’s—most haunted location. The Old Mayor’s Mansion has been considered a paranormal hotspot for years, so why not get a follower bump?
Mostly, I was looking to start a newsletter, to start to grow a following. And yeah, maybe to start proving myself as a writer and not just a reviewer before releasing the debut full length. Most people with newsletters suggest having some kind of freebie to grow, and that’s how BestGhost became my first sampler! It’s on Amazon, but is still free with newsletter signup…
Fiza: When did you release ‘BestGhost’ and how did you manage to go about crafting this eerie story of two teen ghost busters?
C. J.: I originally released BestGhost in July of 2023. I wrote it during January/February of the same year while giving my full length some time away. I wrote it pretty ‘pantster’ style…that is, freely, without an outline. I then paid an editor, made the cover on Canva, and released. I then rereleased it on Amazon, for further reach (and honestly I really wanted to see a paperback) about a year later! The latest has been adding a hardcover.
Fiza: Who were your beta-readers for ‘BestGhost’ or do you not believe in beta-readers?
C. J.: I use Beta readers for sure! I have a decent set of family/friends that read, so that’s a tremendous help. And then I sent it to several people that offered online as well, just to have some more feedback that would be unbiased. I did the same for Welcome to Cemetery. Some shout outs, Rhode_Reads, BooksCozy, Bethany Votaw, Richard Holliday!
Fiza: As an indie-author I’ve realized that the best genre in fiction in the market is definitely the horror genre, but that horror indie-writers tend to not fully support each other adequately. Do you think I’ve got the dynamics wrong here or what is your take on that point?
C. J.: Depends on what you mean! The best as in the best in indie writing? There are certainly some great novels, but the same goes for other genres. The best as in the most marketable? Personally I think that fantasy (and to a somewhat smaller extent sci-fi) has the leading support in the indie community. That’s at least from what I’ve seen.
As for horror authors not supporting each other, I’ve heard some things, but personally I stay away from drama. As a reviewer of many genres, I find myself meshing right in with all kinds of indie authors, and the support in this way has been pretty great.
Fiza: Did anyone ever tell you not to go ahead with ‘BestGhost’ for any reason? I enjoyed the story so much that when my Man-Friday placed my third cup of steaming hot South-Indian brewed milky coffee on my reading table, I jumped and almost spilled the boiling contents on my precious sofa-recliner!
C. J.: No one outright told me not to, but I’m sure you can read some of my harsher critics and they think I shouldn’t have!
Fiza: I really could relate with the characters here in this novelette, especially Sumera’s parents – if my daughter had such male friends, I’d lock her up in the house forever! Did other readers relate easily with these characters or what were the different experiences of readers while reading this book?
C. J.: Most readers wish they knew more about Sumera! She was actually mentioned to seed a possible prequel or sequel story! Otherwise the two best friends are generally enjoyed.
Fiza: Who are your favorite horror writers of all time and why? Mine would be Bram Stoker, M.R. James, Dennis Wheatley, William Peter Blatty and Sheridan Le Fanu.
C. J.: I am a big Josh Malerman fan. Since Bird Box, and his ability to scare readers by not showing or telling anything. R.L. Stine is another one, still to this day. His ability to write so many formative stories is astounding. And to scare the youths! Stephen Graham Jones is getting up there, Nick Roberts, Brian McAuley.
Fiza: Do you read any other kind of fiction? Which genre is it and why do you indulge in it, if at all?
C. J.: I read fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, mystery, classics. I’ve been a huge reader since about 11 or 12. I love escaping into different stories and worlds, and that’s best served by experiencing different genres and styles. Romance included, though I’m not huge on it.
Fiza: What would your favorite horror writers think of your book ‘BestGhost’ according to you? Who would be your biggest critique from your author gang?
C. J.: I’m not sure. I’d love nothing more than to know that they read it. Having them enjoy it would be even more special to me. Everyone experiences things differently, and my writing won’t be for everyone. As long as they are giving constructive criticism, it’s all good.
Fiza: Choose one from the following and give a reason for your answer:
Bram Stoker, Stephen King, Ambrose Bierce, Shirley Jackson
C. J.: Stephen King. I have read some of his shorter works in the past, and not really gotten along with them. But recently I’ve loved Carrie, Pet Sematary, and On Writing, and I’m beginning to see him for the king he really is. Such craft.
Fiza: Back in 2012, I gave up a lucrative job as a Senior 9th and 10th grade ICSE teacher to take up writing full time. Since when did you want to become a writer and how did you go about getting your life in order so that you could pursue your career? What were the sacrifices that you made for the same?
C. J.: Wow, that is quite the career change! Good for you for knowing that’s what you needed to do.
Like I said, I’ve been a constant reader since about 11 or 12. I have written randomly all throughout my reading journey, always loving storytelling. Personally I never had anything really stick while I was younger though. I always joke though and say that the longest thing I wrote back then was a direct rip off of Eragon by Christopher Paolini—I was such a big fan that I wanted to be just like it…a little too like it.
When I had my idea for Welcome to Cemetery, I decided to dedicate myself fully to writing it for NaNoWriMo, and I did. I wrote every day, even when I was working, or off, or had a headache. And it worked. I finished the 50k and reached even higher during the month. I wrote 106k, finishing the novel between November 2022 and January 2023.
Fiza: Who has been your greatest support in your writing career so far?
C. J.: My fiancée at the time was a huge inspiration and amazing supporter. We were together all through the writing of the novel and BestGhost, and in many ways, I wrote for her. We have since split.
My father and niece are huge supporters of my writing, making me feel proud to continue on. I also have great friends and friends in the writing community—Brenden Rajah, Richard Holliday, Corey Gopel.
Fiza: Tell my readers on insaneowl.com about your latest release ‘Welcome to Cemetery’ which is the first in the Cemetery Collection (Congratulations Daley!) and how did you go about crafting this novel.
C. J.: Welcome to Cemetery is a crime thriller featuring two detectives, Abby Williams and Ed Reyes. She’s an idealist, naïve and hoping to prove herself. He’s old blood, jaded and just looking to get stuff done. Together they must face a string of mysterious, and continuous, murders and disappearances around their town of Cemetery. They have to solve the crime before it’s too late, before the body count is sky high.
This is the same town mentioned in BestGhost, and it will be the focal point of my short story collection, Tales from Cemetery, coming this Fall. So The Cemetery Collection will be a mix of novels and short stories, horror and crime.
As I said, I wrote this for national novel writing month, and my idea spawned from the true crime show The First 48, what would happen if the crimes continued to happen at least every two days, and vampires. And while the supernatural did not entirely make it into the novel, there’s some ambiguity for readers.
Fiza: Tell us some more details about ‘Welcome to Cemetery’ and especially about some of the characters in this novel.
C. J.: Det. Abby Williams is a near-thirty year old. Unsure of herself, and yet good at her job. She just wants approval. Senior Det. Ed Reyes is old police blood, jaded, rough around the edges, and just stuck in the cycle. Together they balance each other, the scales, and end of working well—as long as they can see it that way themselves.
Fiza: What has been the reception to your new novel so far? What are your predictions for the future? I think things are going pretty great!
C. J.: So far the reception has been positive! Ratings keep climbing, sales are coming in, and I’m pleased. I hope things continue to grow and grow. I put this out because I desire to be read, so therefore, I hope I continue to sell, and continue to be read!
Fiza: How would you induce me to read ‘Welcome to Cemetery’?
C. J.: I think the blurb truly does it best:
Stephen King has Castle Rock. Josh Malerman has Goblin. E. Reyes has Devil’s Hill. Now C. J. Daley welcomes you to Cemetery.
A strange town with a strange name, Cemetery, NY is filled with crime and secrets.
When a car accident one fateful night leads to a search for two missing bodies, detectives Abby Williams – an almost-thirty year old with something to prove – and Ed Reyes – a jaded, senior officer with a career as long as his partner is old – set out to solve the latest mystery.
Before long, a string of missing persons becomes a collection of bloodless bodies that has even the police pathologist stumped.
As the bloodshed continues, it becomes clear that the gruesome killings plaguing the town of Cemetery may not be the handiwork of some shadowy figure but of something even more sinister.
As detectives Williams and Reyes start to question the world around them, can they learn to put their differences aside? Or will the investigation of a lifetime be the end of their lives?
In this fast-paced small town crime thriller, nothing is as it seems.
And, if nothing else, I guess, beware!
Fiza: What is the background behind this creation of yours and how long has it been in the making or how long have you been living with this idea?
C. J.: The town idea had been with me for some time before the rest of the plot started shaping up. Josh Malerman gave us the towns Goblin and Samhattan, Stine gave us Fear Street. My friend and indie horror author E. Reyes gave us Devil’s Hill. The idea of a town wholly my own, where I not only created the streets themselves but what happened on them, really appealed to me.
I wrote from November 2022 to January 2023. It went through multiple drafts with beta readers and multiple periods of rest. Finally working with the editor last year. So I guess, wow, this really has been a three year labor of love! I hope you enjoy it.
Fiza: Choose one from the following and give a reason for your answer:
Coffee, Tea, Whiskey, Wine, Fruit Juice, Water, Milk
C. J.: COFFEE. For writing, always coffee. I wrote 90% of this novel in a café called Fuego in Rochester, NY, and their French Quarter drink kept me fueled.
Fiza: What have you been reading recently and how is the book or books coming?
C. J.: I’ve recently finished Symbiote by Michael Nayak, Frost Bite by Angela Sylvaine, The Forsaken Planet by Bryan Wilson, and D7 by Philip Fracassi. All of which were good and I’d recommend.
I’m currently making my way through Fogbound by N.J. Alexander, The Haunting of Room 904 by Erika T. Wurth, and This House Isn’t Haunted but We Are by Howard Stephen. Again, all of which are pretty enjoyable so far!
Fiza: What are you currently working on or are you totally focusing your attention on your latest release?
C. J.: I am working on boosting my launch mostly. But I have begun some developmental work on my short stories for the collection. Most of these have seen beta readers, so all that’s left is developmental work from the editor. I will most likely finish one more short that features my Welcome to Cemetery characters to add in too though!
Fiza: Describe your writing style in a simple paragraph.
C. J.: I like to keep my writing simplified, as Stephen King says to write what you know, as that will translate as real to readers. I also like to infuse a sense of humor, sarcasm, wit, or satire into my writing, even if it doesn’t always translate…this is crime and horror of course.
Fiza: Where can my readers find you these days to chat with you?
C. J.: Always down to talk! I am found @CJDsCurrentRead on both Twitter and Instagram. @CJDaleyWrites on Twitter as well. Or (please) sign up for my newsletter, you can always respond! https://linktr.ee/ConnorJDaley
Conclusion
Fiza: I really enjoyed interviewing C. J. Daley on my blog insaneowl.com today. You can find all of C. J. Daley’s books easily on Amazon. Please feel free to reach out to him on Goodreads as well and do check out his amazing books. I hope to interview C. J. Daley once again soon in the near future on this blog which contains quality bookish content always.
Copyright © 2024, Fiza Pathan
Leave a Reply