Today’s author is perfectly suited to write in the horror genre. He’s ready to break out the Ouija board and head for the graveyard. Haunted house? Been there, done that. Move on to the next supernatural adventure. His horror novella is waiting in my TBR, and it sounds perfect for a creepy Halloween read. Welcome Jonathan Pongratz!
Would you rather walk through a haunted graveyard at midnight or spend the night in a haunted, abandoned house?
I’ve stayed in a haunted house before, although it wasn’t abandoned, so let’s go with the graveyard. Give me a Ouija board and I’m ready for some ghostly conversations!
I’ve never been in a graveyard at night, much less a haunted one, so I’d be curious to see if I could rouse some spirits in the spirit of Halloween. The occult has always held a sort of fascination for me.
Would you rather be a vampire or a werewolf?
Vampire, hands down. Ever since reading Anne Rice in high school I’ve been obsessed. I mean, who would give up the chance to walk the night forever in exchange for a little bit of blood? Not this guy!
Would you rather be locked in a haunted insane asylum or lost in the woods with a killer on the loose?
Being in the woods with a killer would maybe be a bit too real for me, so let’s go with haunted insane asylum. I’ve seen some footage from those ghost hunting shows, and I think whether or not you make contact, just being stuck in a haunted insane asylum would be extremely terrifying in a psychological way. And that’s before the haunting starts. How exhilarating!
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in the same setting, where would you choose?
I would love to write a book set in a small town in New England. I’ve been itching to write a werewolf detective mystery of sorts for a couple years now, and I absolutely love the fall in that area. It’s truly mesmerizing, and the perfect backdrop for some supernatural goings on.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Too many to count if I’m being honest. My most promising ones are an urban fantasy series centered around demons hunting humans with supernatural abilities (first book’s revised manuscript complete, just not published), an LGBT horror centered in South America, and the werewolf mystery I mentioned earlier.
And that’s just the beginning! I like to have at least ten years’ worth of work at any given point in time. It definitely keeps things interesting if I want to switch to another project at the drop of a hat.
What are you working on now?
The sequel to my debut novella Reaper: A Horror Novella. I’m currently writing the second act (I divided the plot into three acts like a play) and am hoping to self-publish sometime around the end of the year if possible.
It’s about twice as long as my first novella, and I’m super excited to finish Gregory’s story. Definitely keep your eyes peeled!
Gregory and his little sister Imogen love spending Halloween with their parents. But this year is different. If he proves he can take care of Imogen all by himself, he’ll finally have the allowance he’s dreamed of.
That was before the basement door opened on its own. Before the strange door appeared in the basement and Imogen was taken from him by the monster.
Now everyone in town is blaming him for her disappearance, but no one is listening to his story. Where did the door come from? What was that creature? And most of all, can he find his sister before it’s too late, or will he bury his memories of her along with his parents?
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Bio
Jonathan Pongratz is a writer and author of captivating horror, urban fantasy, and paranormal stories. When he’s not writing, he’s busy being a bookworm, video game junkie, and karaoke vocalist. A former resident of Dallas, he currently resides in Kansas City with his halloween cat Ajax. By day he works magic in finance, by night he creates dark and mesmerizing worlds.
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Facebook – www.facebook.com/jonathanpongratz
Goodreads – www.goodreads.com/jonathanpongratz
Tumblr – www.jonathanpongratz.tumblr.com
Website – www.jonathanpongratz.com
Books and Such 
A Ouija board in a haunted graveyard at night? Just point me in the other direction, LOL. Jonathan is a far braver soul than I am. The small New England town for writing a novel is more my speed!
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I wouldn’t mind spending some time in New England myself, Mae. I think it could be very inspirational, and I’d love to go in the fall.
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The best time!
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Excellent blurb, I already feel sorry for Gregory.
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Oh yeah, Gregory is definitely in for quite the creepy adventure. Poor guy.
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I think I want to be even further away from that graveyard than I usually want to be if it’s all the same to you.
I will, however, be adding this book to my to-read pile, because it sounds really good.
Starting to think I should have picked vampire after all. Maybe then I’d live long enough to read all the books…
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Another good reason to choose vampire, Tori – I hadn’t even thought of that!
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Thanks for adding my book to your TBR!
Good point with being a vampire. You could have a neverending library of all the books you read. I honestly didn’t think of that when I first responded.
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Now I’m thinking of all those books… So many books… *stares dreamily in to space*
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*also stares dreamily into space* Isn’t it magical? I want a Belle library please.
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Good luck with everything! And, yay! Another cat mention! 🙂
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A haunted graveyard, Ouija board? No thanks. Fun answers, Jonathan. Thanks, Teri.
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Thanks, I had a lot of fun!
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Can I pass on walking through a haunted graveyard at midnight or spending the night in a haunted, abandoned house and just stay home and give out candy? Great blurb!
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Or stay home and eat the candy?
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Even better! 🙂
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Haha, to each their own. I have a terrible sweet tooth, so Halloween is really bad for me. I can’t resist!
Thanks on the compliment on my blurb. 🙂
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I love the cover for the book. Just look at the A and the two Es in the title. Frightening enough for me, just looking at how those letters are positioned. It looks like some witchcraft could be involved.
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I hadn’t noticed that, Hugh, but you’re absolutely right. That font says a lot.
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Thanks! I was inspired by old horror movie posters and the interesting fonts they had, and the guy who did my cover completely understood what I was going for.
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That novella sounds very creepy, Teri. I really enjoyed Jonathan’s answers to the questions.
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He had some great answers, Robbie – and the creepier the better for me!
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Thanks, I had a ton of fun!
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Well Teri he likes to be frightened!!! I would die a hundred times LOL
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Haha! I’d probably be in the graveyard with him, Sophie.
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There’s something exciting about being frightened, although I wouldn’t say my face would portray braveness in any of these scenarios. I would probably have a deer in the headlights look on my face, haha!
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I love your idea of a werewolf detective novel, and I have to ask — would the werewolf BE a detective? Or would the detective think they’re hunting a normal killer and then suddenly confront a werewolf? Because either one sounds good, but the werewolf BEING a detective sounds especially amazing.
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I like that idea also, Deby – the detective being a werewolf. But any of it works for me.
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