Charline Ratcliff's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-hanging-tree"
Charline Ratcliff Interviews: Author, Michael Phillip Cash, Part Two
Michael, “The Hanging Tree” is your first novella, (although not your first title) and of course my immediate question is: what got you started with writing?
I started writing because I had a story and just tested it out. I can't say that there was an "Aha" moment. I have always dabbled, but CreateSpace gave me the opportunity to actually publish. I have written things over the years, but it is almost impossible to get an agent. Having a site where you can actually bypass an agent, as well as a publisher, opens up horizons to untested talent. You no longer have to be at the right place, at the right time - you can make the right place at the right time!
Moving on to your book, “The Hanging Tree” has a very unique premise. What was it for you that triggered this story?
There is an old tree on Route 107 that has a history of hauntings. Though the "ghosts" are from the early part of the 20th century, the tree is gnarly and awesome looking. Halloween was around the corner, I could see the apple cider, and Goody Bennett told me she had a story to tell. Not really, but she took shape in my mind and one thing lead to another.
On the book’s back cover you mentioned that this tale is loosely based on a local tree with a haunted past on the North Shore of Long Island. How did you come to learn of this tree’s history? Did you grow up near it?
I passed it daily when I went to CW Post College. It was around the corner from a friend's house and that's how I heard of the legend. It was the scene of a horrific accident from the "roaring 20's." My parents used it as an example of the consequence of driving too fast, or drinking and driving.
Why was the tree named: “The Hanging Tree?” Was it really because its branches were so low to the ground, or was there a more sinister meaning?
I had heard it was called the Hanging Tree because the bodies from the accident were strewn in the branches. It is said, that when the light is just right, you can see the bodies of the victims hanging on the limbs of the tree.
In “The Hanging Tree” your readers will meet seventeen-year-old Arielle along with her eighteen-year-old boyfriend Chad. Shortly thereafter, they will also meet the ghostly denizens who call “The Hanging Tree” home. How did you come up with the apparitional aspect of this plot?
I wanted to include very different time periods. Goody Bennett comes from early colonial days. Though there is no record of witch hunts like in Salem, it wasn't a stretch. The area is dotted with old homes and remnants of early settlers in the area. The North Shore of Long Island was an area rich in history with big, beautiful mansions, many dating from a wide variety of time periods. I picked Gibson Girl from the Victorian period and her story is rather brief. Martin and Arthur are inspired from the accident that occurred at the infamous tree. Each is connected in a very special way.
What era is “The Hanging Tree” set in? Are there multiple eras? If so, when are they?
The book starts in the present, and then goes into Long Island during the 1600's with the early British settlers. It skirts around the Victorian era. I did not go into Gibson's girl other than a suggestion of what happened to her, because I actually found it too horrifying. I really got attached to the characters. The last era is World War 1, just around 1917.
What keeps these ghosts tethered to this earthly plain? Why haven’t they moved on into whatever the afterlife is?
They have been cursed by Goody. I can't really reveal more because it’s the thread that holds the story together. You will have to read what the commonality between these grounded ghosts is!
And finally, with Arielle and Chad spending so much time around “The Hanging Tree,” is there a “happily ever after” in their future? Or will they wind up being the newest additions to the ghostly “family” that calls “The Hanging Tree” home?
Again, the choice is theirs, and ultimately yours if you decide to read the book!
I started writing because I had a story and just tested it out. I can't say that there was an "Aha" moment. I have always dabbled, but CreateSpace gave me the opportunity to actually publish. I have written things over the years, but it is almost impossible to get an agent. Having a site where you can actually bypass an agent, as well as a publisher, opens up horizons to untested talent. You no longer have to be at the right place, at the right time - you can make the right place at the right time!
Moving on to your book, “The Hanging Tree” has a very unique premise. What was it for you that triggered this story?
There is an old tree on Route 107 that has a history of hauntings. Though the "ghosts" are from the early part of the 20th century, the tree is gnarly and awesome looking. Halloween was around the corner, I could see the apple cider, and Goody Bennett told me she had a story to tell. Not really, but she took shape in my mind and one thing lead to another.
On the book’s back cover you mentioned that this tale is loosely based on a local tree with a haunted past on the North Shore of Long Island. How did you come to learn of this tree’s history? Did you grow up near it?
I passed it daily when I went to CW Post College. It was around the corner from a friend's house and that's how I heard of the legend. It was the scene of a horrific accident from the "roaring 20's." My parents used it as an example of the consequence of driving too fast, or drinking and driving.
Why was the tree named: “The Hanging Tree?” Was it really because its branches were so low to the ground, or was there a more sinister meaning?
I had heard it was called the Hanging Tree because the bodies from the accident were strewn in the branches. It is said, that when the light is just right, you can see the bodies of the victims hanging on the limbs of the tree.
In “The Hanging Tree” your readers will meet seventeen-year-old Arielle along with her eighteen-year-old boyfriend Chad. Shortly thereafter, they will also meet the ghostly denizens who call “The Hanging Tree” home. How did you come up with the apparitional aspect of this plot?
I wanted to include very different time periods. Goody Bennett comes from early colonial days. Though there is no record of witch hunts like in Salem, it wasn't a stretch. The area is dotted with old homes and remnants of early settlers in the area. The North Shore of Long Island was an area rich in history with big, beautiful mansions, many dating from a wide variety of time periods. I picked Gibson Girl from the Victorian period and her story is rather brief. Martin and Arthur are inspired from the accident that occurred at the infamous tree. Each is connected in a very special way.
What era is “The Hanging Tree” set in? Are there multiple eras? If so, when are they?
The book starts in the present, and then goes into Long Island during the 1600's with the early British settlers. It skirts around the Victorian era. I did not go into Gibson's girl other than a suggestion of what happened to her, because I actually found it too horrifying. I really got attached to the characters. The last era is World War 1, just around 1917.
What keeps these ghosts tethered to this earthly plain? Why haven’t they moved on into whatever the afterlife is?
They have been cursed by Goody. I can't really reveal more because it’s the thread that holds the story together. You will have to read what the commonality between these grounded ghosts is!
And finally, with Arielle and Chad spending so much time around “The Hanging Tree,” is there a “happily ever after” in their future? Or will they wind up being the newest additions to the ghostly “family” that calls “The Hanging Tree” home?
Again, the choice is theirs, and ultimately yours if you decide to read the book!
