Horror
Date Published: 4/26/23
Publisher: Deadbolt Books
Welcome to Slashtag, the most immersive horror reality competition series in history! Tag along as seven of America's favorite celebrities step into the infamous Propitius Hotel, home to one of the most prolific serial killers in history - Arthur Wilson.
Arthur built and operated the Propitius Hotel from 1905 until 1928 when dozens of bodies were found in his hotel, along with countless hidden torture rooms throughout the hotel. Arthur disappeared, seemingly never to be caught. He then returned - nearly 40 years later - under the guise of a priest leading a congregation of 100 people back to his hotel, where he once again committed mass murder.
Enter Tawny Howlett - a top-tier lifestyle influencer who is in the midst of the crappiest week of her life. Her brand new health drink turned out to be tainted, and now thousands of her followers want nothing more than to see her social media empire crumble. In order to rehabilitate her image, she's agreed to take part in "Slashtag: The Ultimate Horror Experience".
At first it's all fun and games, until the team of seven celebs discover that the ghost is very real, and out for blood. In order to survive the three-day live-streamed event, Tawny and her fellow contestants must band together to try and send the spirit of Arthur Wilson straight to hell.
"I suddenly wish that I were just crazy. A hallucination would mean my brain is broken, which is something I’ve spent my entire adult life attempting to accept. If we’re both seeing this, it means the world is broken in a way my brain is not prepared to confront."
While Tawny has her hands full trying to survive a weekend at the Propitius Hotel, it's up to her younger sister April to work from the outside to try and find a way to save her sister, and uncover the dark truth behind the TV network that continues to air the deaths of some of America's top talent.
Together these seven doomed souls must solve the puzzles hidden within the hotel in order to vanquish the spirit of Arthur Wilson.
Interview with Jon Cohn
Q: How many books have you written, and which is your favorite?
A: So far I have four books written, two of which are currently available. I have a Christmas-themed horror novel coming this November called Everything is Temporary, and the first of an urban fantasy/horror series that’s just waiting for the right time for me to plan out the rest of the trilogy. I think Slashtag has been the most fun to write, mostly because it’s a love letter to all of my favorite horror movies that were such huge influences on me growing up.
Q: If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
A: I do have a sequel for Slashtag planned, as the book ends on a bit of a tease. I’m not 100% sure if it’s going to go the route of the traditional sequel, or just become part of an ever-expanding universe I’m creating. I think I need to wait and see what the demand is for a direct continuation of our survivor’s story.
Q: Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
A: All of my books definitely take place in the same universe. A character from my first novel, The Island Mother (which takes place in 2004) shows up in Slashtag as an older, more tough version of themself. Also I’ve just set up a larger villain for the universe in Slashtag, who we will definitely be seeing in future books!
Q: How did you come up with the title for your book?
A: Slashtag is the story of a group of celebrities competing on a horror-reality competition series in which they are trying to solve the mystery of a hotel haunted by one of the most infamous serial killers in history. I’m a sucker for puns, so the idea of combining a slasher story with the social media term “hashtag” felt like a good combination of the two themes. It also lets readers know that this is a horror book that also has a sense of humor.
Q: How long did it take you to write this book?
A: Just a hair under a year. I spend months doing world and character building to make everything feel as genuine as possible. I have so many maps of the haunted hotel with all the different puzzles and traps included, many of which were left on the cutting room floor. By the time I actually sat down to write the narrative, the process moved relatively quickly because of all my prep work.
Q: What did you learn when writing the book?
A: This was a story that was written in first person, following a single character's journey. At the same time, it was a bit of an ensemble piece, with six other celebrities trapped in this hotel along with our protagonist. The biggest challenge for me was figuring out how to keep all of their actions clean and understandable, when we as the reader are so deep in our central character’s perspective.
Q: What surprised you the most?
A: Honestly, the response from readers. When writing it, I thought Slashtag would fit a fairly niche audience catering to classic horror movie fans, while also treading the line between horror and humor. It turns out the things I was most worried about have been some of the aspects that people cite most frequently in their reviews as their favorite parts of the book!
Q:Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?
A: Yes! In an early draft, I had a character that survived, and in a later draft I realized I had to kill them off. My wife was furious because it was her favorite character!
Q: What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
A: I come from a background of being a professional board game designer. I’ve also been creating worlds and characters for Dungeons and Dragons for over 20 years. The process I use to create characters in my novels is nearly identical to what I’ve been doing for most of my life in these games. I have a template with tons of traits that I fill out for each and every character so I know exactly who they are before I ever start plotting out my story. Characters always come first!
About the Author
JON COHN IS A WRITER and professional board game designer based out of San Diego, California. You can follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joncohnauthor.
He would also love to give you free stuff like stories, audiobooks, and games by signing up for his mailing list at www.joncohnauthor.com.
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