Ask the Author: Ambrose Ibsen
Answered Questions (11)
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your question!
It would be hard to pin down which was my favorite to write. Deep Night, Dreams in Black Static and The Other Woman are three that come to mind when I think about my "favorite" writing experiences. I associate those three with particularly happy times in my life, or with "eureka!" moments, where things fell into place creatively.
The two most frustrating books I've ever written are almost certainly "Transmission" and "Influencer", however. In the first case, the plot gave me such enormous headaches that I very nearly abandoned it, and even when it was complete I almost didn't publish it! Speaking on "Influencer", I think I almost went insane editing that one. Line by line, paragraph by paragraph, I wrote and edited it over such a long span, and during an especially nasty season in life, that I felt ready to quit writing for good. In both cases, I'm happy I completed and published them, but some books don't come as easily or as pleasantly as one would like!
It would be hard to pin down which was my favorite to write. Deep Night, Dreams in Black Static and The Other Woman are three that come to mind when I think about my "favorite" writing experiences. I associate those three with particularly happy times in my life, or with "eureka!" moments, where things fell into place creatively.
The two most frustrating books I've ever written are almost certainly "Transmission" and "Influencer", however. In the first case, the plot gave me such enormous headaches that I very nearly abandoned it, and even when it was complete I almost didn't publish it! Speaking on "Influencer", I think I almost went insane editing that one. Line by line, paragraph by paragraph, I wrote and edited it over such a long span, and during an especially nasty season in life, that I felt ready to quit writing for good. In both cases, I'm happy I completed and published them, but some books don't come as easily or as pleasantly as one would like!
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your interest!
I hope to eventually release all of my novels everywhere that ebooks are sold, however at this time I only have a limited number of them available on Kobo, Barnes and Noble and other non-Amazon platforms. As more books become available on the Kobo platform and others, I'll try and inform readers through my website and newsletter. Thank you for checking out my work!
I hope to eventually release all of my novels everywhere that ebooks are sold, however at this time I only have a limited number of them available on Kobo, Barnes and Noble and other non-Amazon platforms. As more books become available on the Kobo platform and others, I'll try and inform readers through my website and newsletter. Thank you for checking out my work!
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your question!
Yes, Harlan Ulrich was certainly written to be amusing. He's very much a curmudgeon--but reveals himself to be a softie, too, from time to time. He's one of my favorite characters to write! The combination of humor and horror in those books is very satisfying for me, creatively speaking.
Yes, Harlan Ulrich was certainly written to be amusing. He's very much a curmudgeon--but reveals himself to be a softie, too, from time to time. He's one of my favorite characters to write! The combination of humor and horror in those books is very satisfying for me, creatively speaking.
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for reading! The next book in the Detective Harlan Ulrich series, 'Dressed in Smoke', has been in the works for some time. I'd hoped to have it out in February 2021, but unfortunately missed my self-imposed deadline! I plan to have it out ASAP, though! March, if things go smoothly.
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your thoughtful question! To be frank, I think you've succeeded in narrowing down the most common elements of my work. It'll be hard to elaborate on this subject any further without sounding pretentious, but I'll give it a shot (haha).
I've always been enamored with the horror of the commonplace. I'm a native of the American Midwest. To outsiders, I think the region has a (not completely unwarranted) reputation for quietude and semi-staidness. There are many upsides to living in the Midwest, but its culture bears its share of bitter fruits, too. Loneliness and isolation. Silence and boredom have a way of amplifying paranoia. There's an adage in the literary world that one ought to "write what they know". I know the Midwest, and my perspective is that of a vaguely restless kid poking holes in the pastoral scenery in search of something exciting--something that'll rescue me from the sometimes cloying sleepiness of Ohio suburbs.
Long drives in the night figure into my writing often because, honestly, I rather enjoy them myself. I do a lot of thinking at night, especially behind the wheel. Rare is the night I go for a long drive and don't return home without having settled certain niggling questions or refreshed my perspective on weighty matters. A lengthy night drive represents, both literally and figuratively, the process by which one leaves the "ordinary" and seeks out the "extraordinary". Night has a transformative power. Darkness lends intrigue to even the most familiar places, and there's something compelling for me about barreling through it in search of answers. Then again, as a former third-shifter, it's possible I just permanently wrecked my circadian rhythms.
Horror works best when the reader can in some way relate to the horror. We all experience boredom at some point in our lives, and we relate more easily to every-men than we do to flawless characters. The thing about flawed protagonists is that, in a bustling city setting, they can often find temporary distractions from their flaws and inner troubles. What refuge is there for such an individual in the sleepy Midwest, though? There's nothing to do in Michigan except to face the monster, and Hoosiers must decide which are greater--the horrors within or the horrors without.
We live in an increasingly isolated age. Themes of loneliness wriggle their way into many of my books, regardless of setting, because I'm morbidly fascinated with the deleterious effects of loneliness on man's sanity. And finally, I have found it very pleasurable to write stories in which a "common" man accidentally stumbles into horror in a thoroughly "common" setting. It is precisely when we do not expect something horrifying--when we are perfectly convinced of a setting's reliable normalcy--that the shock is rudest and most effective. My stories fall very often into the mold of cautionary tales; characters often stumble into horror, and then can't help but interact with it, despite knowing better. I have been both celebrated and maligned for having very "dark" endings at times, but the truth remains that in life, as in fiction, searching too hard for that thrilling horror in the commonplace tends to backfire.
I could go on (and on!), but the short of it is that you nailed it in your question. Themes of quiet horror, nocturnalism and loneliness are among my favorite themes. My lived experience in the Midwest has informed my use of them.
I've always been enamored with the horror of the commonplace. I'm a native of the American Midwest. To outsiders, I think the region has a (not completely unwarranted) reputation for quietude and semi-staidness. There are many upsides to living in the Midwest, but its culture bears its share of bitter fruits, too. Loneliness and isolation. Silence and boredom have a way of amplifying paranoia. There's an adage in the literary world that one ought to "write what they know". I know the Midwest, and my perspective is that of a vaguely restless kid poking holes in the pastoral scenery in search of something exciting--something that'll rescue me from the sometimes cloying sleepiness of Ohio suburbs.
Long drives in the night figure into my writing often because, honestly, I rather enjoy them myself. I do a lot of thinking at night, especially behind the wheel. Rare is the night I go for a long drive and don't return home without having settled certain niggling questions or refreshed my perspective on weighty matters. A lengthy night drive represents, both literally and figuratively, the process by which one leaves the "ordinary" and seeks out the "extraordinary". Night has a transformative power. Darkness lends intrigue to even the most familiar places, and there's something compelling for me about barreling through it in search of answers. Then again, as a former third-shifter, it's possible I just permanently wrecked my circadian rhythms.
Horror works best when the reader can in some way relate to the horror. We all experience boredom at some point in our lives, and we relate more easily to every-men than we do to flawless characters. The thing about flawed protagonists is that, in a bustling city setting, they can often find temporary distractions from their flaws and inner troubles. What refuge is there for such an individual in the sleepy Midwest, though? There's nothing to do in Michigan except to face the monster, and Hoosiers must decide which are greater--the horrors within or the horrors without.
We live in an increasingly isolated age. Themes of loneliness wriggle their way into many of my books, regardless of setting, because I'm morbidly fascinated with the deleterious effects of loneliness on man's sanity. And finally, I have found it very pleasurable to write stories in which a "common" man accidentally stumbles into horror in a thoroughly "common" setting. It is precisely when we do not expect something horrifying--when we are perfectly convinced of a setting's reliable normalcy--that the shock is rudest and most effective. My stories fall very often into the mold of cautionary tales; characters often stumble into horror, and then can't help but interact with it, despite knowing better. I have been both celebrated and maligned for having very "dark" endings at times, but the truth remains that in life, as in fiction, searching too hard for that thrilling horror in the commonplace tends to backfire.
I could go on (and on!), but the short of it is that you nailed it in your question. Themes of quiet horror, nocturnalism and loneliness are among my favorite themes. My lived experience in the Midwest has informed my use of them.
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your question, Paula! Yes, I intend to write more in the Beckoning Dead series. I have at least two more books in that series that are currently in the works and would be willing to write more if readers demand them.
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your question, Rebecka!
When creating a setting, I always try and reach for the familiar. Thankfully, I've never been in any of the haunted places I've written about, but in crafting them I've sought to include details that jibe with places I've actually visited. This, I think, tends to infuse some much-needed realism. Think of the view outside your own bedroom window, or the way the shadows seem to gather in your own living room. If you can apply details like those to your story, you'll write from a more authentic place.
When building a setting, I like to aim for a Goldilocks level of detail; not too much and not too little. Going overboard on the detail will overwhelm the narrative and being too sparse won't give the reader enough to work with. I like to highlight the most important fixtures in a given setting as richly as possible, and then to point out an aberrant detail or two that'll prop up whatever atmosphere I'm aiming to create.
Example: A character finds himself alone in a small house. It's a generic little thing, with a cramped kitchen and only one, maybe two, bedrooms. The windows have been shut up for too long and the air is sour. The carpet is horribly dusty. And... is that a water-stain on the ceiling? Why, maybe it's just the low lighting, but the shape seems all wrong--it almost looks like a grinning face...
That's a ham-fisted effort on my part, but the point is to transition as seamlessly as possible from scenery that will be familiar and comfortable to the reader, to scenery that is less-so. This allows a writer to gradually transport a reader from a merely realistic setting into a realistic AND creepy one. Scaring someone in print is very hard to do; the writer of horror tales succeeds at this by slowly transforming a "normal" setting, and, by extension, ratcheting up an atmosphere of impending dread.
Lastly, when I have the broad strokes of a place down, I like to imagine myself there. What is the light like in this space? And the shadow? What's the air like here, and what noises might I normally hear in said place? Peppering a scene with a few minor setting details can really make it pop and bring it to life.
I hope that's helpful!
When creating a setting, I always try and reach for the familiar. Thankfully, I've never been in any of the haunted places I've written about, but in crafting them I've sought to include details that jibe with places I've actually visited. This, I think, tends to infuse some much-needed realism. Think of the view outside your own bedroom window, or the way the shadows seem to gather in your own living room. If you can apply details like those to your story, you'll write from a more authentic place.
When building a setting, I like to aim for a Goldilocks level of detail; not too much and not too little. Going overboard on the detail will overwhelm the narrative and being too sparse won't give the reader enough to work with. I like to highlight the most important fixtures in a given setting as richly as possible, and then to point out an aberrant detail or two that'll prop up whatever atmosphere I'm aiming to create.
Example: A character finds himself alone in a small house. It's a generic little thing, with a cramped kitchen and only one, maybe two, bedrooms. The windows have been shut up for too long and the air is sour. The carpet is horribly dusty. And... is that a water-stain on the ceiling? Why, maybe it's just the low lighting, but the shape seems all wrong--it almost looks like a grinning face...
That's a ham-fisted effort on my part, but the point is to transition as seamlessly as possible from scenery that will be familiar and comfortable to the reader, to scenery that is less-so. This allows a writer to gradually transport a reader from a merely realistic setting into a realistic AND creepy one. Scaring someone in print is very hard to do; the writer of horror tales succeeds at this by slowly transforming a "normal" setting, and, by extension, ratcheting up an atmosphere of impending dread.
Lastly, when I have the broad strokes of a place down, I like to imagine myself there. What is the light like in this space? And the shadow? What's the air like here, and what noises might I normally hear in said place? Peppering a scene with a few minor setting details can really make it pop and bring it to life.
I hope that's helpful!
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your question, Victoria! The second book in that series is actually available now. Entitled "Winthrop House", it can be found on Amazon. An audiobook version will hopefully be released this year as well.
Ambrose Ibsen
Thank you for your question, Samantha!
Once, I wrote a complete novel (roughly 55,000 words) over the course of about three days. I was on a strict deadline and had written out a fairly detailed outline ahead of time. With the clock ticking, I leashed myself to my desk and kept banging on my keyboard despite wrist soreness and delirium. I slept and ate very little. The book turned out well after some involved editing, but I was so burnt out when I finished that it took me a few months to get back on track. I wouldn't recommend it.
If I stay on task, I can comfortably finish a full-length novel in about 10 days, but usually it takes me upward of a month because I give in to distractions.
Once, I wrote a complete novel (roughly 55,000 words) over the course of about three days. I was on a strict deadline and had written out a fairly detailed outline ahead of time. With the clock ticking, I leashed myself to my desk and kept banging on my keyboard despite wrist soreness and delirium. I slept and ate very little. The book turned out well after some involved editing, but I was so burnt out when I finished that it took me a few months to get back on track. I wouldn't recommend it.
If I stay on task, I can comfortably finish a full-length novel in about 10 days, but usually it takes me upward of a month because I give in to distractions.
Ambrose Ibsen
Adam--
I'm hoping to have the next Demon-Hearted novel out by year's end (2017). The writing and release of that one has been held up due to some trouble behind the scenes, but I do plan to finish the series and hope to get the fourth novel out as soon as I can!
I'm hoping to have the next Demon-Hearted novel out by year's end (2017). The writing and release of that one has been held up due to some trouble behind the scenes, but I do plan to finish the series and hope to get the fourth novel out as soon as I can!
Ambrose Ibsen
Karl--
Right now my books are only available as ebooks, however I hope to start rolling out paperback versions in the next few months. I'm also looking into the possibility of hardcover books as well. Stay tuned!
Right now my books are only available as ebooks, however I hope to start rolling out paperback versions in the next few months. I'm also looking into the possibility of hardcover books as well. Stay tuned!
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