Hello everyone!

Today we have @FinnyH the writer of "The Sinister Fate of Joseph Redding" with us. He's a featured author soon to be published with an excellent knack for the written word, and one great dude.

Warm regards, Finny. Welcome to an official interview from @TheCRYPTIC_ . It's our honor to interact with an inspiring writer like you. We hope that you'll have a great time.

First of all, tell us how you stumbled upon Wattpad and when.

Finny: Hi, CRYPTIC, thanks for having me! I only just got here on time, but that's pretty normal for me. It all started two years ago when a friend recommended the site to me as a source of free reading. I didn't use it all that much for six months, and then it occurred to me to upload a story and test the waters. The reception to such a short piece of fiction was electric -- it got featured within two months -- and I've been here since.

Wow! So what do you think about THE CRYPTIC's theme? What are your views regarding dark fiction?

Finny: I LIVE FOR DARK FICTION. Hm. Too much? Well, I enjoy exploring the darker side of the human condition, because of its complicated and unpredictable nature. I don't remember ever writing anything that didn't delve into fear and mortality... You could say I'm right at home here. 

What do you like to read? Do you have a favourite genre or any specific likes?

Finn: I'm a bit particular, I suppose, and especially enjoy historical horror. Just something about existential horror as opposed to extrinsic horror gives me chills, and Ye Olde Classics are pretty darn good at it. I've also recently developed a love for body horror. Makes me cringe. 

What compels you to pick up a pen and scribble down your thoughts? Do you have any inspiration or motivation?

Finn: *Still cringing* Voice. Usually I'll have a great sentence come to mind and build the character behind it for use in a short story. My longer works are usually derived from dreams, since now and again they are so vivid they feel almost planned! It's usually after a dream like this that I'll get the bug to write it.

Being a writer, what's the easiest part of writing and which aspect do you consider the most challenging?

Finn: The easiest part of writing, for me, is about a third of the way through a story. By then you're well into the swing of narrative voice, truly meeting the characters as if for the first time, and have a building storm of ideas and directions for your plot. I love this point in writing, when the momentum is so strong you could carry on for days! The hardest part is when you approach the end and your ideas have to form some kind of conclusion...

What kind of environment do you prefer to write in?

Finn: Ah, just picture it. 12am and the night is young, all my housemates are in bed, I'm surrounded by nibbles, gentle orchestral music plays through my earphones. I'm at my most productive in the middle of the night, unfortunately!

What's your first piece of writing, if you can remember? What thoughts does it bring to you when you look back at it?

Finn: My first ever piece of "writing" was when I was 9 years old. I wrote this god-awful story about dragons, flying mice and something about portals, after a prompt my mother gave me. I printed it off, illustrated it and glitter-glued it in a hard-back scrap book.

Tell us about your growth as an author.

Finn: I can think back on two main stages in my learning curve as an author. First came when I was around 18 and I wrote a piece called "Adriel". The tone of it was dark and complicated, and I knew I couldn't do it justice without taking on board a host of new writing skills. I learnt a lot about the composition of storytelling during those days, but none so more than my transition between drafts 1 and 2 of my first ever novel, "The Venomancer". Here I completely overhauled my style for the better, because again The Venomancer was far too big a project to take lightly. I studied language and read a whole lot in preparation to write these works, and damn well write them properly. 

Do you have a favorite author or book?

Finn: I have loads, but three stick out in my memory as multiple re-reads. The Revenant by Michael Punke is such an agonising read that I was totally absorbed into it, which is quite something, considering it's not wholly my genre. I also massively enjoyed Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, which I read in my teens, and was equally thrilled and horrified by the concept of it. The third would be Lovecraft's "Herbert West - Reanimator" which is the first story in a long time to have put me on edge. 

Besides writing, do you have any hidden talents?

Finn: Yes! I suppose so! I'm also a character artist and composer! :D (Psst, art and photography is available on my profile *whisper whisper* little known secret *whisper*)

You're sitting in front of a brand new aspiring writer, what do you say?

Finn: Dot your i's and cross your t's, folks, because even if your work ain't up to scratch just yet, at least you can give the impression it is with proper grammar... Okay that's probably bad advice, but I can't stress enough how important it is to put out your best efforts -- this work represents you as a creative artist, after all. You're welcome!

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Don't be afraid to tell us something funny, we won't tell.

Finn: I'm quite a social creature, really, so most evenings I'm with friends. In downtimes I design character outfits, watch documentaries or read books on chemistry and astronomy... Not AS dull as it sounds. Only a little.  

Now, the most awaited question of every young reader, do you have any childish habits? Do you like cartoons or chocolates?

Finn: Ha! Like you wouldn't believe! My chocolate game is pretty strong. But then so is my need to collect game and anime figurines (#shameless) and my attachment to nature. My childish dream is to own and conserve a forest and also have pet seals because I love 'em.

Do you prefer sweet or salty?

Finn: Salty! 10/10

It was nice talking to you. Thanks for your precious time. We really appreciate it and hope you'll prosper leaps and bounds. 

Cover:
Discover why readers call this "brilliant", "classic" and "twisted."

blurb:
Joseph Redding has a secret.

A secret to unbalance the world of the living and the dead if anyone found out.

Masquerading as a gentlemanly bachelor living in Victorian England, his fate is tied to the strange and suspicious Jonathan Corgaine; a young man of unspeakable horrors who pursues the science of thanatology ... 

The study of the dead.

When a ghastly spectre reveals itself to him one night in hospital, he finds himself hurled into an abstract streak of mysteries, horrific homicides and devious decisions that will begin to unravel his fictitious existence.

And so begins the sinister fate of Joseph Redding as he is lured down a path of paranormal experiences, of secrets, death and wanton desire...