Today I’m so excited to be sharing this interview with a fellow Mainer, Joshua Marsella!
Joshua and I connected through Twitter when I saw him begin to promote his first book, Scratches. I couldn’t wait to dive into the spooky tale! Since then, I have read two of his books and I cannot wait to read more in the future!
Let’s dive in to the interview!
Interview with Joshua Marsella, author of Severed and Scratches
Who is Joshua Marsella?
I have lived in Maine my entire life excluding the few years I spent in the military. I am married and a stay-at-home dad of two boys. I have a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services, and I am a combat veteran. I am an avid reader and fairly new to the writing scene but so far I’m happy with the success I’ve had. I have a dog and a cat.
What is your first memory of writing for fun?
I don’t really have any beyond school assignments, but I do remember a short story I wrote in high school. It was about a homeless man and how he felt dehumanized by his situation. I was quite proud of it and my teacher loved it.
How many books have you written?
So far, I have written two novellas, SCRATCHES and SEVERED. Both are self-published and available to purchase. I also have two short stories that were published in anthologies. All are easy to track down on my LinkTree site. I currently have my debut short story collection that is in the works and also a middle grade book I’m writing as part of the FrightVision series. Both are due out around the fall of 2021 if all goes as planned.
What are some of your other interests outside of writing?
I enjoy playing music, guitar, drums and piano to be exact. I also collect books and vinyl records. Most of my time is taken up looking after my two boys, but I love being a dad and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Are you also a reader?
Writing and reading go hand-in-hand. I started gaining interest in writing when I became an avid reader. Reading is also a great way to improve my writing skills. I read about 4-5 books a month on average. I also do a ton of beta reading for other authors and get requests to review and blurbs books which sometimes comes with the territory of being an author.
What genres do you reach for the most?
Horror is my go-to because it tends to cover many other different genres. I also enjoy the occasional science fiction and fantasy. The indie horror scene is on he rise and there are so many amazing authors that are consistently putting out fantastic books.
Do you have an all-time favorite book or author?
I guess I would have to say IT by Stephen King. He is the author I have read the most in my life. I have also been watching his movie adaptations from an early age. His book ‘On Writing’ was the book that influenced me the most to give writing a shot.
Book Related Questions
I absolutely loved that the storyline of your first book, Scratches, seemed so innocent at first, but soon enough, the tale spiraled into a very creepy tale that I just couldn’t put down. When you’re writing things like this, do you have specific things that inspire you and help with the way you process your work that you want to share with us?
I rarely go into a story knowing exactly what I want to do, and I never plot things out or outline the story ahead of time. I come up with the basis of the story and just start writing. Sometimes I know exactly where a story is going to go as I’m writing it but other times, like what happened with Scratches, it takes a completely unexpected turn. The saying “the story wrote itself” is absolutely true in many cases.
Your second book, Severed, was published February 4th of this year. In that book, we go back in the past to learn about the event that led us to book two. Also in this book, readers learn that we’ll be back again with a third book in this trilogy. Can you give us a hint at what is in store for readers there?
The only thing I know at this point is the third book will be a direct continuation of Scratches and will start within a few days from when that book ended. I have a few projects I’m working on before I’ll get a chance to dive into book three, but I am quite excited to get started on it.
You’re from the state of Maine. As a fellow Mainer (born and raised, but now living in NH), I gotta ask; are readers going to see future works set in Maine?
Oh for sure. Though it wasn’t made super obvious, Scratches is set in a fictional town in Maine. I have tried to venture out of the state for other stories but to be honest, I’ve lived here my whole life and it’s all I know. It can be intimidating living in the shadow of Stephen King who is famously from Maine and sets most of his stories in Maine, but our state has a rich history and is a great setting to write stories in. See also Off Season by Ketchum, Hell House by Matheson, The Taker by Alma Katsu, and many more.
Just one last question; Where can readers find you?
Thanks for reading!
And major thanks to Joshua Marsella for taking the time to do this interview! If you haven’t picked up either of his self-published works yet, I highly recommend doing so!
Related Reading:
Great interview! I love that he’s a stay at home dad. I’m actually doing a whole Stephen King month on my blog, so that’s really cool he’s a big fan and sets his work in Maine too.
<3 That's so cool! I can't wait to see it!